Chap. YU. KIO DE LAS LAJAS. 113 
which a man had taken possession, when one of the waiters 
of the house came up to him w 7 ith the information that if 
he wanted to sit there he must pay for it. 
Between Virgin Bay and the village of San Jorge, the 
Rio cle las Lajas — the little river mentioned above — 
empties into the lake. During the dry season its mouth is 
closed by a dry sand-bar. But above the bar the water is 
deep even at that time of the year, and the river is said to 
extend for a considerable distance upwards in this manner, 
passing through a dense forest. During the rainy season 
it conveys much water to the lake. According to general 
information, as I have stated above, this was to be the 
eastern terminus of the projected Ship-canal between the 
lake and the Pacific. The land on one side of the river- 
mouth was the property of an old farmer whom I found 
fully convinced that a few years hence all the vessels of the 
world would pass his house on their way between the 
Atlantic and Pacific, and he was already making prepara- 
tions to furnish them with dry beans, sweet potatoes, and 
other vegetables. I asked him whether he would not sell 
some of his land ? " There is no man who has got money 
enough to buy my land " — he answered with a smile. 
But he w r as willing to let a portion of it for a few years at 
the rate of ten dollars the cavalleria — an extent of between 
one and two hundred acres. His economical notions ap- 
peared to be altogether deranged by the contrast of his 
great expectations with the modesty of his customary 
habits. 
At any rate the mouth of the Rio de las Lajas is one of 
the most favoured localities on the shores of the lake of 
Nicaragua. Soil and climate are excellent, and most 
tropical productions might be cultivated here with advan- 
tage. The situation is as desirable as can be imagined — 
I 
