# Narrative of an Official Visit to Guatemala from Mexico/Chapter 22

CHAPTER XXII.
I repeated a visit this day to the president: he kindly informed me that he had ordered communications to be sent to the different departments to furnish as speedily as possible the information which I had previously solicited. My departure was arranged for the middle of next month, because I wished to avail myself of a passage home in one of the mercantile vessels which sail, with convoy from Belize, on the 1st of August.
I had heard that proceeding through the Gulf of Florida in a single vessel was, at this time, almost certain exposition to piracy of the most sanguinary nature, and as the journey to the coast would be almost ​impracticable if I delayed it till later in the season, there was little choice left between returning immediately or remaining in the country until the end of the year. The political state of affairs was at that moment every thing that could be deemed favourable; I was, therefore, induced to adopt the former resolution, and all my arrangements were made accordingly.
In looking over the information I had acquired, I was led to consider the nature and pretensions of the more influential, I mean the richer, classes of society; and having, casually, heard in conversation the ascribed amount of property and fortune which some of them possessed, I took great pains to ascertain the respective interests and fortunes of the rest. For this purpose I made a vocabulary of the names of the leading families in the country; and, after collecting the opinions of persons best informed upon the subject, annexed a statement of their respective properties, the nature of them, and the sources whence they ​were derived. This statement will be found in the Appendix, but, from evident motives of delicacy and prudence, I have here given only the initial and bout-rimé of their several names.
By this document it should appear that the trading capital in the power of thirty-seven families alone, residing in the city, for they are all of them more or less engaged in trade, amounts to upwards of £1,500,000 sterling:—this, it should be observed, is without taking into consideration the value of the trading capital of the other cities and towns of the republic, in which are some families equal in wealth to those in the metropolis. I had no means of ascertaining the extent of such property, but, assuming that in each of the four other states of the federation the amount of the trading capital may be one quarter of that of the metropolis, there would be applicable directly or indirectly to the purposes of foreign trade upwards of £3,000,000 sterling. This capital merely wants to be ​brought into action with foreign trade to render it really useful to its possessors and those countries which might traffick with them. Why has this not been effected? In my humble opinion, the reason is this. The chief country to which the Guatemalian government anxiously looked for the recognition of their independence was Great Britain, where their minister not having been received as such, all their overtures for a treaty were suspended,—and what was the consequence? A restless spirit of domestic ambition, which had lain dormant under the thraldom of the gorgeous newly-created dignity then threatening to overwhelm it, burst suddenly into a flame;—the president and his party were attacked, and a civil war ensued. In this country, (Guatemala,) a little tact on the part of a diplomatic agent from any authoritative power might, probably, at this moment, have quelled the confusion. This, however, is only an humble opinion, though the result of sincere conviction, and, I trust, cannot prove a cause of ​offence to those numerous parties in Guatemala which the delicacy of its subject so essentially involves. One thing is quite certain, that up to the first eight months after my arrival with my Report, the independence of Guatemala could not possibly have been acknowledged by Great Britain, owing to some insurmountable difficulties of an important and confidential nature which happened to occur; and the subsequent information received of the disorganized state of affairs would, under existing circumstances, have rendered further inclination to treat, on the part of the British government, to say the least, very unadviseable. Not the slightest blame can therefore be attached to this country for the unfortunate delay; and, if the result has proved calamitous to that republic, it is to be hoped that a reciprocity of amicable intentions may again arise, when circumstances shall make it appear that she is entitled to that consideration on the part of Great Britain which she, at first, so zealously coveted, ​and, it is to be expected, she may have the good sense yet to desire.
Saturday, 2d July. Having spent the last four days, which were very rainy, in compiling and arranging the information for my report, I dined the next day, Sunday, with Don Mariano Aycenena, the brother of the marquess. I had here an opportunity of seeing an entertainment in the best Guatemalian style. His lady and two other young females, his cousins, ornamented and enlivened the party, which, however, broke up about six o'clock; when most of them retired to take, as I presumed, their siesta, of which, by the duration of the dinner and the circumstance of the hour having been fixed somewhat later than usual, they had been, unfortunately, deprived. The Miss Piñols, the young ladies alluded to, are of the fairest complexion, and most like English women, in the general character of their persons, of any females I have seen in those countries: there are other young ladies of the family, ​the Pavones, also extremely handsome and European-looking: before I left, they had all acquired the title of "the Inglesas," or English girls, with which they seemed to be very much pleased. In making these particular remarks, I do not wish it to be understood that the ladies here mentioned comprise the only beauties in this place: there are many others who ought to be named, if I were making a register of them; but this would be foolish, and it is therefore only necessary to observe, that the greatest portion of the Guatemalian women might be esteemed handsome in any part of the world.
Monday, 4th July. Called on Valle for explanations with regard to some points relating to commercial and statistical subjects treated upon in the last report of the Board of Trade drawn up by the late Spanish authorities. It is a useful document, as it shows what will probably be the value of the trade of the republic after it is settled down and quiescently established.
​On the next day, the 5th, poor Beteta, the minister of finance, (he is since dead,) gave me the report of the Commission, appointed by the president, on the state of the existing trade. I was also occupied, on this day, in engaging mules for my journey: the Arriero wanted the whole of the money in advance. I agreed for ten mules at sixteen dollars each, and got him to consent to take only one hundred dollars in advance; wishing to retain some security for the proper performance of his engagement; but in this intention I was mistaken, for he called two days afterwards, and, with some little parleying, gave me to understand that if I did not immediately pay him the difference of sixty dollars, he would not let me have the mules at all: I, of course, had no choice but to assent, and became contented on finding it was the usual custom of the muleteers to receive the money in advance: I can only say that, although they thus get the whip hand of their customers, they seldom abuse their privilege.
​Saturday, 9th July. Being anxious to procure a chart of the divisions of the Five States as newly established, I called on Valle, he being the most likely person to assist my views; in this, however, I was not a little disappointed: it is true that the demarcation had been determined by legislative enactment, but no map had yet been formed to illustrate the new arrangement. We accordingly took one of Arrowsmith's maps which I had brought with me, and pencilled out the divisions in question.
Sunday, 10th. Took leave of the archbishop, who kindly gave me a general letter of recommendation to the hospitality and good services of the curates through whose settlements I might pass. I shall never forget the kindness shewn me by this worthy prelate. Although I had been nearly obliged, so warm was his invitation, to take up my abode with him, I regret to say that I had only seen him three times during my stay in the capital. On taking ​my leave of him, he good naturedly wished me a prosperous journey to England, and a speedy safe one back again to Guatemala.
I then adjourned to the palace to take formal leave of the president. I could see that he was anxious to discover what was my general impression, that is, whether favourable or not, with regard to the state of the republic. The only subject on which it was reasonable to entertain any doubts upon this point, was that relating to San Salvador, in which State some difficulties had arisen with regard to the appointment of a bishop. The people of San Salvador, conceiving it necessary to establish a bishoprick, had appointed, without the archbishop's consent, the Father Delgado to that function: the archbishop having denied his sanction, and having, in fact, refused to ordain him, the matter was referred to the ecclesiastical Cabildo, who reported that the appointment was not lawful. The matter being then ​discussed by the Congress, it was agreed that it should await the decision of the Papal See. Such was the state of the business when I left the country; nor should I have attached to it any importance had I not understood that the difficulty in question in some measure affected the president, inasmuch as he had been thought to have sided with the Delgado party against that of the ecclesiastics in general.
Be this as it might, the disturbances which have since agitated the country are chiefly ascribable to the facts alluded to; and I have mentioned them, on this occasion, because they appeared to me, upon my leaving the capital, to be the only subject on which a difference of opinion might be said to exist. The jealousy of the president's power and of his adherents, which included the majority of the most ancient and respectable families, was publicly admitted, but then the leaders of the opposite party talked so much about liberality and love of country, and in fact had ventured, ​up to that period, to make so little show of their hostility, that no bad result could fairly be anticipated from it; besides which, the alliance which the government fondly expected it was about to make seemed to secure its protection against any dangerous attack from internal enemies, who had not yet dared openly to declare themselves.
The president took some pains to satisfy me that the differences respecting the ecclesiastics of San Salvador and the Cabildo of the capital were not likely to produce any consequences destructive to the public harmony: he had, on a previous occasion, condescended to ask my opinion on the propriety of sending a minister to Great Britain, and now seemed resolved to come to a final determination with regard to this subject, on the present occasion: negotiations of so important a nature, I felt aware, it was not in my province to enter upon, and the friendly overtures were, accordingly, suppressed in limine. Valle had been ​offered the appointment, but had declined it, upon the principle, as he told me, "that he could be more useful to his country at home." This observation, I must do him the justice to say, was elicited in answer to one which I quoted from his own writings, extolling "the abandonment of self for devotion to the public good," and insisting that he ought, therefore, to accept the appointment. He remained at home, and future historians will have to discriminate how far, by so doing, he has been useful to his country. I believe him to be sincerely devoted to its interests upon that principle of self abandonment on which he has acted, and have only to hope that, for the sake of the public good, he will not in future refuse any situation which may be offered him, even should it be the president's chair.