Tombstone epitaph., 1893-06-07
COSTA RIGA.
C. w. McLane Describes An other of the Central Am
 eriean Republics.
SPECIAL CoRREsPRNDEScE.

ED. PRosPECToR Costa Rica Is one of the five Central American repub- lies and lies between Columbia OF the south and Nicaragua on the north and its shores are bathed by the At lantic and the Pacific waters.
 Is chief produetis coffee, which has long been ismons in the North Amer ican mafke.s. Bananas, plsntains, cocoanuts, hides, dye woods and hard woods and pineapples also form an important expectation.
 The country is very mountainous, broken ranges running in all direc- tiops, between which lie beautiful valleys made up of rolling hills inter spersed with fine streams of water. The soil is very rich and produes abundantly without any cultivation except the cropping down of the i'm mense growth of vegetation. The typographical situation of the country Is such as to give great variety of climates, and all the fruits, grains and vegetables oi the temperate zone can be successfully grown here if the proper soil and altitude Is studied and taken into consideration. The variety of wild fruits is too numerous to men ton. There Is never q failure oI crops here and two can be raised each year without irrigation, as the rainy season is of some eight months duration.
 The tales we hear of tigers, lions and great serpents and venomous reptiles in Central America only exist in fancy.
 The soil here is principally a black loam from leaf and vegetable deposits all the way from six inches to five feet deep. more or less mixed with clay, which prevents it from washing from the hillsides.
 San Jose, the capital of Costa Rics, contains 9 900 people. It Is situated 3,I00 feet above the sea. It is sur rounded by towering mountains which gradually slope down ten miles to the valley of rolling hills holding the city. These mountains are all checkered ofi with corn fields and coffee planta- tions.
 The streets of the city are laid out at right angles, narrow and well paved. The siievalks are so narrow that one has often 10 take the street to get past another pedestrian, and ai some places they give out altogether on the main thoroughiares by buildings pro iecting into the street.
 The natural advantage for drainage is excellent, but notwithstanding they have open sewerage, and all of the filth of the city is ever within view.
 Punta Arenes is beautifully situated on e. peninsula which extends some six miles into the sea, many places only l5O yards wide. The streets are planted to great spreading trees. The sidewalks are made of white stone and sea shells, looking quite attractive. This city boasts 103 lawyers. g coffee exporters, 3 banks, three first-class hotels aAd many very beautiful dry goods and grocery houses and a mint
 The financial standing of the coun- try is in lamentable condition, prin- cipslly due to bad government. Am erican gold is at 1l5 per cent premium over this country's gold and bank notes.
 The exportation of coffeee from the months of November to March amount to 335. 900 quintales.
 The president here declared himself dictator some time ago and had a dozen politicians exiled because they were not favorable to his rule, but as the civilized nations everywhere con- demned this step he has recalled the exiles.
 The Pacific side of Central America is the healthiest and the enly reason assigned for 1t is that on the Atlantic side is the Gulf of Mexico, forming a horseshoe having for its heels Florida and Colombia and it's toe Vera Cruz and Tampico. The trade winds that always ply sbou the shores of the Mexican gulf are kept constantly whirling about in the horseshoe circle driven back by the coast rangss to the lc.sE .-a llaz.- = Ill