224 
GUATEMALA. 
of the town itself, where we arrived early in the afternoon, 
finding quarters in the posada of Senora Juana, an ancient 
mulattress. Her house, at the extreme east end of the 
town, was large and ruinous ; but we had a comfortable 
and cool room and a very decent comida. In the garden 
the senora had roses, gardenias, ealadiums, hibiscus, and 
the Mexican vine (Antigonon leptopus). The town, with 
its white houses, low level, and ditched streets, reminded 
us of Belize; but while the capital of British Honduras is 
alive, Izabal is dead. On the hill westward w r as a fort, 
with lighthouse and town-bell. At 5 and 6 a.m., and 
at 6, 8, and 9 p.m., the fort made a noise. The wharf 
at the custom-house was long, but had only two feet 
of water, so shallow is the lake at this side. The shore 
was sandy, and the water clear. The principal streets 
are lighted by gaz (kerosene); and as the ditches on 
either side are worse than the gutters in New Orleans, 
this is a necessary precaution. 
In the photograph of Izabal, taken from the end of the 
dilapidated wharf, the fort is seen on the hill above the, 
large warehouse ; at the right is the cluster of buildings 
belonging to Mr. Potts, — a gentleman who has a fine 
collection of native orchids in his garden, the only one 
in all the republic who seemed to take much interest 
in horticulture. The church is just behind this dwelling, 
and on the hill at the extreme right of the view is the 
Campo Santo. In the foreground the corroded piles 
show well the action of wood-destroying animals in the 
tropical fresh waters. 
We saw also in Izabal a very interesting collection of 
antiquities from the mines of Las Quebradas, on the 
Motagua. There were clay heads of curious workman- 
