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INTERNATIONAL AMERICAN CONFERENCE. 105
Tbé Rio Polochic anlll\fotagna in Gnatema.la, th€. Seg-ovia., Rio Gra.nile, San Juan,
etc., tlow iuto the Ca,riubean ~:lea. Tbose flowi ng into tlle Pacifio are short in length,
except perhaps the Lempa. in Salvador.
Of the lakes, the most important are Nicaragua ancl Managua, Izabal a.nd Peten,
500 feet above sea-level, Atitlan (5,110 feet), Amatitlan (3,890 Jeet), Cartina, Laguna
de la Cuba, and Lago de Guija.
The country in general is ilivided into three zones: the hot, the temperate, and the
cold. Theji1·st is al g the coast., extending to about 3,000 feet in height; the te-mpera te,
that of all the plateaus between :~,000 aud 6,000 feet, conbins the grea.ter portion of
the population; and the cold, above the latter hcight.
Tbe Sf'asous are two: tbo wet extending from May to November, and tbe dry dur–
ing tbe remain<.ler of tha year. Tha ranga of temperatura througbout the yaar is not
ovar 17 degree~:~. On tbe Pacific sida there is less rain than on the Atlantic, but the
streams become torrents everywhere during the raiuy season. The climate, except
aloug the coast, is healthfnl, ancl the soil is rich in all tropical productions. The
precious metals are found in abundauce and many other ores occur. All onr srigar,
coffee, chocolate, rice, India rubber, etc., shoulcl come from Central America.
GUATEMALA.
The largest part of Guatemala consists of an elevated ta.ble-land, a continnation of
the platean of Yucatan, and whose mean alt.itnde is about 5,000 feet. The climate of
the elevated region is very agreeable ; along the con.st it is hot and moist.
Tbis State is very rich in resonrces, which as yet ha.ve beeu little developed; gold,
silver coal iron lead and marble are found. There are upwards of oue hundred kinds
of tiru'ber t~ees.' Oth~r products are coffee, cochineal, maize, frijoles, rice, whea.t, in–
digo, cocoa., sarsaparilla, tobacco, sugar, vanilla, chile, and rnany fruits.
Tha faH on the is about 150 inches during the rainy season.
Santo Tomas is one of the best porta of Central America, affording anchora.ae close
to shore for large ships.
An excellent idea. of the topography of this conntry can be obtained from the mn.p
in the report of the Freuch expedition of 1868. Theta.IJle-land isintersected by tleep
valleys running in various directions.
The grea.ter population is on the table-laud, becanse the coast is so unheal thy. The
entire population ia about 1,4001 000, of which 59,039 are in the city of Guatemala,
20,000 in Antigua, 25,000 in Qnezaltenango, etc.
Guatemala ha a gooLlsystew of roatls; stages ply between Guatemala City, Antigua,
and Quezaltenango, but tra.vel across the country from east to west must be carried
on by sarldle.
The coa!, whioh is bituminons and very rich, is fonnd in the department of Izaba!.
RAILWAYS.
Champerico and Norf.hern, from Champerico to Retalhnleu, ~ miles, opened Jnly,
1. 3, projected to ~an .Felipe, 16 miles f<1rther. lt has recently been pnrchased by
nativa capitalista. The toü•l amonnt of coffee moved by this road in the year euding
Jnne 30, 1887, was 16,873 tona. 'file importa carried were 3,015 ton·. In volnme 27,
Consular Reports, United tates, page 262, will be found a complete d~cription of
thil:l ruad. The ganga iH 3 feet, wi th m:.~-ximum grades of 3 per cent. and minimum
curvature of 4 degrees.
Jierro-can·il del Norte de Gua tnna1a, projected from Pnerto Barrio. to Gnn.temala Ci ty,
1 5 mile ; 4 miles were constructetl froru "auto Tomas in 1.¡ '~3. The Guaterualau Gov–
ernment has recently entered into a coutract with .M. Henri Loui .Felix Cottn for a
loan of $<.ll,312,500, for the coustrnction of a railway from Guatemala City to, auto
Tomas, about 185 miles, a.nd agreement on the pa>rt of Mr. CQttu to tr:m fer the Gua–
~m~a Central Railioad to the Repui.Jlic of Guaternala. Thitt contrae~ c..U.. fot