New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-11-12

81 f,eIing'a JIat
81. may find its way through this channel,
qua "cy the falls 1t is nevertheless very evt'
sno as ,I,o+ no considerable body OF water ever
Qs ased here. There is an arm OF the lake wn'cn
Yse;cts down the old bed for three or tour hunafea
PgS It The water is only two orthree leet deep
yaias Wv o,'ol denth Of soft gray mud the dwell
Wac Of numerous alligators, with Feedy
hsYns ty,-onced with every variety OF water
BY, Tte water of Lake Managna near the So
.a3 outlet is not deep and the channel In order
% aJ,,,it of the passage Of large vessels, "ouia
ssyobsbly require to be well dredged ho' p'o-
tacted by parallel piers Atthe distance OF ABOUT
sssse foirtbs of mile from the shore found by
sortnal measurement. that the water dld not eX-
ssed two fathoms in depth. No great obstruction
sobuilding the proposed canal exists IN the SET
sion between the two lakes The rock Is SO soii
/ and friablc that channel can easily De oPeneu
from Lake Managua TO the tails Beyond tnls
sha banks are high Tor four miles. forming natural
canal which only needs to be properly damned
Of its lower extremity to furnish body oil water
sdeGuate to every purpose Of navigation LOCKS
sgoUld then be required TO reach estuary rom
fine lake Of Nicaragua at Pasqulel From tins Pont
TO the lake conceive may prove the most Gllhcult
mart o. this section, although apparently the
easiest Where the bottom is earth or mud the
desirable depth OF water may be secured by
dredging; but where it is rock as it certainly is
pear its upper extremity, some difficult excavation
will be required The banks downward are SO
low to prohibit assistance from cams except
i by diking the shores
The T!pitapa is bordercd by low and slightly
nn3uIatiug but very rich and beautiful lands in
.erspered with glades, and chiefly occupied for
cattle estates Abundance OF Brazil wood grows
here and large quantities are annually shipped IN
bungos from PasQuiel for the port of San Juan,
passing thence to all parts Of the world, but chief
" to the United States
Lake Managua may thus be said virtually TO
have no outlet The streams which come in from
the Pacific side arc insignificant and though as
already stated the Rio Grandc and other streams
pi considerable size flow ntOit from the direction
Of Segovia, yet they vary much with the season
of the year, and seldom furnish greater quantity
OF water than is requisite to supply the evapora-
zion from so large a surface in tropical climate
The lake sometimes rises few feet from the IN
Aux OF water, but according TO the concurrent
testimony of the inhabitants on its shores, its
average level is considerably less than it was
some fifteen or twenty years ago before the terri
bic eruption of Consegunia Nevertheless,
reservoir like that OF Managua, with 200 square
miles Of surface, would be adequate to supply all
the water required for ship canal at this point,
without any sensible diminution of its volume.
The winds on the lake blow freshly from the VI.
during the afternoon and evening, and subside to-
sYard morning, causing an ebb and flow In its re-
suits corresponding with that produced by the
tides of the ocean; hence the vulgar error Of
subterrauean communication with the sea- The
same is true of Lake Nicaragua.
Lake Nicarogua-Lake Nicaragua is unques
tionably, in all respects, one OF the finest bodies
of water ON the continent and needs only to be
made easy OF access to become as famous a resort
of the grand and beautiful in nature as any now
known in the Old or New World In common
with Lake Managua, its size has been rather
nuder than over estimated Mr.. Bailey calculated
its greatest length at 100 miles, and its greatest
sdth at 40 or as miles. 1t is probably nearer l20
miles in length by so or 90 in breadth. Upon its
~. l.. Al lcr3l lol.a ,otl ,a
ancient city of Grenada, the most important com
merciul point in the republic. 1t has a consider
able trade, which is carried on through the port OF
San Juan on the Atlantic by means Of small boats
of peculiar construction, and capable OF carrying
from four to ten tuns called 6u0goS. These make
Che trip to San Juan and back in about three
weeks time. A few miles below Grenada, and
projecting boldly into the lake is the extinct vol
Cano of Momobacho, not far from 5000 feet in
hight. At its base in the lake is group OF in
Vulnerable small islands Of volcanic origin, rising
In the form of from 20 to 100 feet, aud cover
ed with verdure Some of them, upon which the
soil has accumulated, are inhabited by Indians,
and their matched cottages Swallowed over by tail
paIms and with dense background OF broad
ieaved plantains form the most picturesque OBJ
;ects which can be conceived. pom the same
Shore with Grenada, but 40 miles distant is the
CITY of Nicaragua or Rivas the capital OF a very
large, fertile, and comparatively well'cultvated
district. The remaining section OF the southern
shore of the lake has scarce Y any inhabitants eX'
cent few wild Indians called "BravOs, who
alternate between the mountainous district to-
ward Costa RIGA and the shore. The northern
shore called Chontales, is undulatlng, and well
adapted to grazing. There are great number OF
cattle estates some embracing many thousand
head of cattle and mules There number of con
siderable islands in the lake the largest OF which
is Madeira or Ometepec whchis almost wholly
inhabited by Indians. 1t abounds in numerous
traces OF aboriginal occupation and art and IS
distinguished by two immense cones, visible
from every point Saf the lake and from the
Pacific. These are called respectively Omete-
pee ana Madeira The cone of Ometepec IS the
mos regular in outline oil any which have
seen and is, | think the highest in the coun-
ary Its summit is generally enyeloped in
clouds. The water OF the lake in most places,
SHOALS gradually but at some points vessels Of the
largest class may approach close to the shore
Tie DEPTH except in the immediate vicinity OF its
outlet, is for all purposes OF navigation ample,
raging from TO 20, and even n tothoms. The
prtyailing winds from the NE. (the direction
nj The summer trades on the coast and when the
brte2e is considerable the waves OF the lake ron
with all Che regularity and with much OF tue ina
iesy of those Of the sea. At such times tue suri
aron the shore at Grenada is nearly as hiSh as tlat
AEON the Leach at Newport and Cape May
Pfzey Of, San Juan.-The river OF san Juan,
concerning which so much has been written is
certainly magnificent stream, bnt It's capaolh
lies have been greatly exaggerated. 1t is the
only outlet as is well known, of the two large
fakes Just described. 1t flows from the south
eastern extremity of [ axe Nicaragua, nearly due
east to the Atlantic, It's length has been vari-
pusly estimated from % to l04 miles. The first
estimate is obviously too little. Mr. Bailey cal
cuatt,d it at 90 miles. and he is probably not far
from correct,
al nouy of water which flows through this
stream = ut ali times considerable, but it varies
greatly in amount at different seasons Of the year.
Isl 10 raata ct w is he g
tseason ia Che interior. that is to say, from May
to October, at which period the volume of water
Is nearly doubled. To tins circumstance in great
degree may be ascribed the wide difference in
= = IL. I - - \,