The Sun.
London, England, 1866-03-27 00:00:00

The Resources of Central America.

The attention of English capitalists is becoming
fully aroused to the great advantages offered to
legitimate enterprise by the undeveloped Western
Continent. The termination of the civil war in the
United States gradually led the public attention of
this country to the consideration of other interests
connected with the New World than those associated
with destruction. Even during the war the public,
by watching the operations of the hostile armies,
and by tracing their marches and retreats over a
vast extent of territory, have become more inti-
mately acquainted with the unbounded resources of
the country, and after attaining a general know-
ledge of the United States, they were led
to read much of the neighbouring coun-
tries until the American Continent was as
familiar to the ordinary geographer as the
Continents of the eastern hemisphere. It is appa-
rent that this knowledge will be productive of great
enterprizes, in which the boundless resources of the
New World will be developed by the capital of the
Old, and whereby both will be benefited. The first
fruits of this movement are already seen. English
capitalists have turned their attention to the work-
ing and development of copper mines in Canada
and Michigan ; to the petroleum wells of Pennsyl-
vania and Western Virginia ; to the coal and oil
fields of Kentucky ; to the gold mines of Colorado,
and to the silver ledges of Nevada and her sister
States. Beyond the boundaries of the United
States no field in the New World presents the same
advantages for the profitable employment of Eng-
lish capital as Central America. A peninsula
with a tropical climate moderated by the
breezes of two oceans, with a rich soil producing
in luxuriant abundance the most precious woods of
commerce, as mahogany and dye-woods,—a land
abounding in minerals, especially gold and silver,
famous for the delicacy of its chocolate and for the
high quality of its cochineal, indigo, cotton, and
coffee,—such a country requires only the talismanic
touch of capital, directed by the energetic brain of
the European, to make it in its productiveness and
as a source of wealth the rival of the Indian Em-
pire. The development of this country has been
undertaken by a recently formed company—" The
Central American Association." This company
will undertake the organisation of English capitalists
for the cultivation and exportation of its valuable
vegetable productions, for the making
canals, and railroads, for the establishmentofroadosf,
a
steamboat traffic on the large inndtensoilrvelrakes,and
for the working of gold mines.
It is not the intention of this association to
undertake to carry out itself by its own means
property any of these operations, but, after investigation, it
will transfer the
pberytyth to e
concessions,
advantageous
rights,
terms,o r
roetsheerrvactoiomnof pa
a n ies; onoyalty or otherwise. As a prac-
tical illustration of what can be done in this man-
ner we would mention the great success of the
operations of the Foreign Lands Company, which,
with a more limited field (being confined to mining
proprietors in Central America), has, within a few
months, increased the price of its shares from £145
to £7OO and upwards ; and the Chontales Mining
Company, a property introduced by the Foreign
Lands Company, of which V. 10s. is paid, an
quoted on the Stock Exchange at 2to pre-
mium. It is believed by many who have closely
studied the subject that before many years have