, 1861-02-22

tion o. ad:irs Ia this city, have it from good
authority e house agent) that there are now
thousand vacant hous. s., which, if put toye.
| ther, would make, in Themselves quite q: Te.
| spectacle city-and they are, for the most part
large and finely finished Men who, q yeal
ago, were satisfied to pay from ten to fifteen
hundred dollars Year for q residence, arc now
content With q: house at from two hundred
and fifty to three hundred. This may be a
change OF taste, but am rather inclined to
think 1t is change Of circumstances. In any
eyent, 30 many vacant houses il but bad in
dicatfon Of prosperity.
corToN IN CENTRAL AMERICA.
a Letter from sIgnor A1varado.
:: Il: NEW yonk, Fob.7, 1861. F.
To :he Editors Of the Evening Post:
have perGsed with great satisfaction the
Letter Of tho Hon. E. G. Squier, in the Etening
fba Of Monday, addressed TO Senator Antho-
y, On the subject Of cotton cultivation in
Central America, and 1t has 6uggested to me
| few ideas which may not be without interest.
nt this time, to the American public.
i l. Although b1r. Squier has very exact
I .knoWiedge OF the production of cotton in
| Central America, yet he has not stated the
tActs as strongly as the facts warrant. In
Hondnras, and particularly in the valleys of
the large rivera, the cotton plant houfishes
With q luxuriance emitting It, after growth
Of two or three years, to the designation Of a
I tree, producing two crops q year, Of a mini
s1una each Of 11ve- pounds and maximum, Of
from ten TO twelve pounds. 4 plantation will
Msl from eight to nine years without renewal;
ana furthermore; Us the plant is one on which
animals DO not feed, as On ma ze, de-, it re-
| qolre3 llttle prot lection, and may be cultivated
ae q m!nh7auas Of cost ard trouble in the way
nt enclosures. In fact, once started, a cotton
1"t. n'nn.aton oEefcomes and kills oil other yege-
| nuse long reflected on this branch Of in
| dustry and export in Honduras, and have sent
considerable quantities Of cotton to Europe,
WheIe 1T has been examined and tested in Man
chester, Glasgow, Ronen, and ST. Paul, and
also to New York and Boston. The reports
a asoIa al taese points lave been very nearly the
| same, and IN every respect MI that could be
| desired. In Manchester it was reported nine
pence, Or eighteen cents Der pound, and in
Boston, according to tber report Of Mr. j. Raye,
seventeen cents per pound. :,
but, unfortunately our Central American
bulky au article; and in order to its cultiya.
tloa with profit, twill be necessary to select
Plantations accessible to conm:Tce, on the
SEQ coast or in the valleys Of nnyisabie rivera,
and If such places shall be far from the large
toWns or more populous districts Of county,
eapa5le Of supply ing the requisite labor, It's
evident that The enterprise Of producing this
staple must be supported by adequate capital
aua BY labor introduced from ab.oad, or at
pay. '>'s'
! think the moment has arrived for tryinp
the experiment Of cotton cultivation in Cen,
trnl America, with free labor; and if the mat
ter were taken in hand here by company with
sufficient capital to commence work on q
proper scale. am entirely certain that the re-
5! salts would be equally, satisfactory and bril-
ulnu md Its trjhntar7aa' all in
gion emlnently fitted tor cotton production,
and no further from New York than New Or.
leans. i own, at point called Mauricios, six
y miles from the mouth Of the river, accesei-
ae Sle tor steamers, 800 caba'lerios {about 4s0,-
t0 acres) OF as 6ne cotton lands as exist in
the world, and will make FREQ rift OF two
thirds of it to any respectable and .comnctent
company which will undertake it's develop
ment IN proper and serious manner. will |
20 more; ! will give rs much more land, On |
.ne margins OF Lake 1ojoa, elevated 1000 feet
above the sea; and preeni1ently adapted for |
coffee and sugar, as well Us cotton. Both |
points have the advantage Of easy communica-
ton with the sea by water, and are thus acccs-
s!hle for machinery as well as cmigrants Be- /
sldes these advantages, hoth points are salu-
hrlous; the temperature ranging through eve
y variation to positively cold as ne approach
the mountains;
2. But it is not alone as regards cotton that
Honduras offers great attractiona., The whole
Atlantic deel1vlty abonnds in precious woods,
cost Of clearing the lands designed for cult /
yation. On ths lands which I have specially
referted to, the supply Of precious woods is
very large, and there is also q great number of
ule Or indla rubber trees, which tn themselves
would tnfnlsh no lnconsiderable source Of rev.
enue. Ihcse are Inducements extra, in cousid-
ply. -f
: t,.-After the plantations Of cotton are once
estaoltshed they require 10 care except twice
5ear, at the periods for gathering the crops.
free for other Operations, such as tue cnitiva-
ians called i tata'' at7aina ile1sht q s tIpee
yards; the Jamaica variety attains from tea to
teo and halt yards. Neither requires irriga-
ton, nor do they require replantipr offenpr
t han onca in from twelve to fourteen ygars
Var ous considerable rivers that penetrate Tie
country olfGr facilities for the Introduction of
culture
i. As regards coffee, hardly know what to
say, beyond that therea are thousands of places
where it eau be produced as well as Costs Rica,
and the coffee Of thatcouut1y, tits we1lknown,
l5 second to none pr-duced on this confident |
can bear witness to the fact that it often |
produces as high as twenty to thirty pounds to
s. Cocoa is indigenous on the lands 10
@hich have referred, and grows Wild in the
forests which cover the greater part Of the
plains OF Sula.. Several small plantationshayo
been started there, which at the end OF three
pears have given CD average return of IS per +
self ...... ~
=. Tobacco equal In size and excellence with
lhAt OF Caba is also produced here It's only |
uterlerity results from want OF care in cult
;ation. This difficulty could easily be zame- (
lied. Nevertheless, the tobacco Of Santa Ro-'
n hpfffE IxnnUn fhF0urj,nnf $rn1 a,on ! :
md parts of Mexico. as that Of :" "Copan," has ]
! high reputation for excellence; Co1sidcra-
1lo quantities have been exported to Cubs, !
Ind thero manufactured into genuine la 1
Isnas: n consignment made BY myself to I
brought 156 francs. The hundred pounds. I
You have here hurried 1csunie of the ayaiI. | /
shlc products Of this region. I could enter
uoro largely into statistics, bnt my purposots
'n'y to tnrnish hints for reflection, and to d.
ect attention mure particularly to the ;alQa- i
'le suggestions thrown out by Mr. squlcr. il, I
a view Of present or future complications in
he South, the government Of the United
'sates would encourage enterprise in the ii:
eceion Of Central America, whether in tho | :
say OF emigration or By flyosa5le commercial :
am s1re the results would :
'stonish tho commercial end Industrial public !
# this country. ;. -..---.- -........ -.
Iu regard to the allegation that white men
labor in the regions have indicated, I /
1H*G nA45 ~ S&5 kAat HAVE uYScu establish / =
d plantations of coffee and cocoa in the p:ain i
Il sula. which is less salubtious than most | .
arts OF the country, and Tint tn = are worked I
, cinfgfants from France, who labor as efi- Q
tehtly as IN their own country, and with ?
% greater inconvenience from climate or 9TH y
+ cau8ee. --:".- 0'''1-- .--- =
The experience Of the fllibusters proves lit b
le as regards the eatubrity Of the country, p
hey suffered greatly, it is true, from the Oh l
ions causes OF exposure, harasEment, scan.y t =
nd bad provisions, and dissipation. Their :
l1fgues were infinitely greater han any which :
as ngr;cultlrist would be called ,un to. en-. I
ure. :: And yet these :f11ibusters; ep!den1ics =
side, got On as well as a3y equal number OF 4
aen, under similar condit ons, In eny pure Of l.
be WORLD: ';.St: u: Z; =: = :: i u
But admitting that it woald not be prudent q
. commence operations. with forcigler ers, ret r
here need be no deficiency Of laborcrs, espec-
lily now, when the cutting Of mahogany IL
early suspended: The OsfilA md other hbof- 7,
II OF the North Coast 0ra. almost entirely :
rithout work, and would not fill to flock to
~ point where sure and good pay could be
bt&incd. 7' = c''S::'. . t>i-' > -.--l
Should the: English company, which has
pw tho. Honduras railway III hend, 70 on | Il
sith that work, orshould@ they adopt the rlau t.
1 building q preliminary tTsin-road,, 4 hich-l =
hey have under consideration in either ca.e: n
uIe IN Central Ameriea will be invested with i T
till greater importance: But even WithnSt;1 T
!1st WofK, tue ttry offers: extended faci|i- y
ies md unlimited resources to the enternr;se
ltel1gcnce ind. capital Of the N0rthern = =
tates; and ample means Of supplying ali def3. /,
teneles IN tropical stap,e ;whiri, NAV r.en1t -
rom &SY 10 iffEa3 nnntt / afibn Tina ! II