Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1856-11-25

the bsyonet or the SWORD. ne Gay mas passeu
when there was any prcpriety in discussing the
Questions of morals or international law involved
in these revolutionary movements OF South Amer
lea. The fact now exists th at Nicaragua is to BE
an independent Republic under the influences and
dominion Of our own kith and kin, and is to form
in future subject of not onlyprivate interest to
our people, but of important public concern to our
government 1t is needless now TO speculate as to
her political future. Suffice it her institutions
viii be moulded to the education, manners and
customs of the galent men who have gone there
from the United States to found free Republic of
their own. n
Nicaragua affords the most interesting field to
the adventurous young man that has presented
itself since Texas declared her independence. The
present crystals condition through which she is
passing, will soon give way to maturer growth
and ripper civilization. Her climate, soil, mineral
wealth and commercial advantages are each
guarantee to her rapid progress and future great
ness. sss.-..-
The following extract is from private letter
written by an intelligent citizen of Nicaragua and
published through the Richmond Enquirer. 1t
conveys much valuable information with regard to
the present condition and natural resources of that
interesting country
FIRsT-Slavery is admitted.
SEcoED-The State is as large as Virgins; and
80 per cent. public lands. This got from the best
| informed natives, after careful enquiry.
TH1RD-The lands are rich, and the produc ions
those most adapted to slave labor, viz:
/. Sugar in perfection; no frost.
q Tobacco rudely cultivated, but not much in
| ferior to the Cuban.
8. Coffee of good quality; now much neglected.
4. Indigo-said once to have been the best in
the world but its culture has been abandoned since
the civil wars tits, however, more easily restor-
ed than any other crop, and the watts for its prepB
ration are still to be found the old estates They
were made by the Spsnisrds of stone and cement.
s. Cccoa-from which chocolate is made A
beautiful crop, requiring but little labor, and yield
| ing great value in small bulk.
6. Rice, very abundant, of the upland species.
Z. Dye-woods, of various kinds and of great
| value.
| The foregoing ere all produced on the low coun-
try adjoining the Lake and the Pacific. But there
are no marshes, that | saw in travelling extensive
| " in this region. As you ascend the mountains
| which lie to the north and east you meet with
| other productions, viz:
| 8. Cotton, of excellent quality.
8. Then wheat which is said to yield well.
There are still some -four mills in this section. Wild
Indians begin to be troublesome.
TO- With wheat appear the fruits of the tempe
rate zone.
| H. Open glsdes covered with perpetual grass,
on which, in some parts, herds of thousands of cat
| tie may now be seen.
| r. A little higher than the pastures, gold and
silver mines, which the natives are now working
with profit though using the rudest and most in
artificial processes; for example, they bring the ore
down to their grinding places on the backs OF
| oxen.
| 49, The best kinds of timber are to be found in
all parts was particularly struck with the ce.
! dsr, beams of which were shown me said to be
| III years old and as sound as they were the day
| they were put up.
| l consider the country remark ably healthy, more
| so than any of our southern States, unless per.
hsps, western Texas, and l rest my opinion on the
| following facts viz:
l spent five months there, and during that time
there were troops stationed for longer or shorter
periods at the following places At Castillo Viego,
| midway the San Juan river; at San Carlos at the
| exit of the San Juan river from Lake Ncaragus;
at the city of Rivss, Virgin Bay, or San Juan del
| Sur on or adjacent to the Transit road (thesa
three places constituting one statiouO at the city
OF Leon, and for little while at the town of Mas
saya, and at the town of Mstagalps, in the noun
tains, and at Granada. All the sickness, and all
the deaths, with scarcely an exception, occurred
| at Granada. was for month on the Transit
road, and found it as healthy as any country ever
was in, not a case occurring that can remember
| among citizens or the troops The last ten DAYS in
in march, when the Costa Ricans were hourly ex-
| pected on that frontier there were about 700
Americans assembled in Rivas, badly lodged,
| badly fed, and the great majority Of soldiers in
bad state of discipline: aCd yet during this time
81
| that ragged, bronZed look that is produced by ex
posure in healthy atmosphere. In Granada there
was an average OF 300 men during the whole FIVE
months for the greater portion of that time there
about $50 in Leon. In Granada one third died
In Leon there was no one sick, the only inmates of
| the hospital being man who accidently shot him
| self through the jaw, another who shot himself
| through the knee and an officer wounded in du-
ell l do not take into the account two or three
cases of cholera, which were taken on the march
from Granada, and lived to get to Leon. There is
| something altogether peculiar about Granada A
! fever prevails there all the time, it would seem
| which the Americans call yellow fever, and which
| is as sudden in its attack as rapid in its course,
and altogether as dangerous. The city is situated
not very fer from the head of the lake. in miser-
ably barren, uncutivate3 region, under high
mountain which checks the course of the trade
| winds which blow freely over all tie rest of the
i = ".
| as l am tod for have never seen 1t. Whstever
the cause, Granada, during my stay in Nicaragua,
differed from the rest of the State as Norfolk did
last year from the rest Of Virginia. Unfortunately
it is a very strong military position, the key to the
| Northern and Eastern sections, and must be well
| garrisoned As the army goes on increasing how
| ever, small proportion of the whole force may
| be sufficient, and these Of scclimaed men who en-
| Joy perfect health in Granada. | mean men who
hapo hid fha fauar I health.
Ter persons than the old resident foreigners of Ora
NADIA, Americans and Europeans.
| In speaking of the productions of Nicaragua 1
left out corn and psntains. These constitute the
principal diet of the people, and the latter serves
| the great mass for meat as well as bread. A low
| er diet you could not conceive-hsrdly good en-
! ough for decent mich cow, aud nothing could
more strongly mark the low grade of the misera-
| bic human brute that feeds on it. Its reconmen-
dalton to him is, that it grows spontaneously and
| costs him no labor to get it.
Corn is also sowed in some places and cut as
grass. They don't allow it to grow large enough
to be called fodder. / was very much astonished
to find most excellent draught cattle wherever |
went; but the best were about Leon there saw
oxen that would take the prize at one of your ex-
| hbtons think told you that l, myself travel
led $50 miles in four days 10 cart drawn by four
oxen, in the hottest conceivable weather and ap-
parendy without fatiguing them at all.
So much for what saw in Nicaragua ! speak
as al eye witness and | hope you will find in my
words that which will interest you, even to the