The Republican journal., 1896-08-13

SAILING away in the darkness across the
Gulf of Amatique.
Morning found us anchored in front of
Livingston, but far from shore on account
o1 swallow water. Here the traveller sees
eAactly what the early Spaniards saw
earth, sky, sea, and little more: for four
centuries have wrought few changes on
This border OF Guatemala. However. the
ooJects aforesaid are at their very best.
ana the scene, glorifed in the morning
sum- IS line enough to satisfy anybody.
rar TO the north rise the picturesque hills
Oh British Honduras, and yet farther
back ragged line of blue against the
horizon indicates the Coxcomb RANGE On
the south stands majestic San Gil, like
another Atlas upholding the clouds on his
broad shoulders; and dim in the central
distance the Santa Cruz mountains To
'ne eastward forming the harbor stretches
chain of low Gays, covered with feathery
cocoanuts; IN front, the shore, here mark
ed by Tong limestone cliff, crowned bv
Caro huts, thatched and palm shaded.
he yellow waters of great river (Rio
Dulce}, wash the vessels sides: but no
break to give it egress is visible in the
landward bluffs. When Cortez was here
IN l323 he found small village perched
on these cliffs, probably much like the
present one, only in those golden days of
the Caribs no heartless government com
PEELED the wearing OF clothes.
BY and by tug boat came out to CON
vey the passengers to shore. Nearing the
limestone cliffs we noticed that they are
completely covered with a wild tancle of
vines and creepers, and topped by cocoa
palms OF remarkable luxuriance. Round
ing point we came suddenly in sight of
the town and the gaping mouth Of the
Rio Dulce-''Sweet River:' and a mo-
ment later, by means of wharf unex-
pectedly good for this part of the world,
we found ourselves within the Republic
of Guatemala.
Livingston has the reputation of being
the hottest and wettest place on the coast
but on this sunny July morning we did
not find it any hotter than many places in
the far North where the thermometer
drops to 20 degrees below zero a few
months later. The advantage is on the
side of these tropical countries, where the
temperature does not vary much from
year to year and people know what to
prepare for. The climate of eastern Guate-
mala is not unhealthful, and Livingston,
situated at the mouth of one of the finest
rivers in Central America, needs only
Anglo-Saxon energy to develop its un-
rivalled commercial facilities. The town
is set on top of a high hill, on the seaward
edge of which is the Custom House and
Consul's office. Many tourists have pro-
nounced it the most picturesque port in
Spanish America - viewed from a judi
cious distance. The streets are irregular,
unpaved and horribly muddy in wet
weather; its one-story houses with walls
of adobe, or waffle work covered with
mud plaster, whitewashed outside, with
steep pitched roofs of thatch or tile.
There are neither sidewalks nor fences :;
COWS and pigs perambulate the streets,
and black children of all ages, stark nak-
ed, roll unrebuked in the mud. No vehi-
cles OF horses are to be seen, but here and
there a miserable mule, which one hopes
will soon end its sulferings by furnishing
! a meal for the buzzards. The barracks
are full OF barefooted soldiers: and wash
erwomen are at work in the strong springs
that gush from the hillside -their bare
black bodies glistening in the sun. There
a few shops conducted by negroes, French
men and Germans, with now and then an
American-who could never have been
much credit to his ''ain countrie;' and a
surfeit of saloons and gambling halls
but no semblance of church within fifty
miles. Such is the Livingston of to-day.
1t lies in what is called the free Zone-a
narrow strip Of the Atlantic coast which
is exempt from duties. A few miles to
the southwark is Santo Tomas, where a
colony of Belgians was esta ablished with
a great flourish of trumpets in 1913 1t
was sad failure, as all later attempts at
European colonization have been. There,
too, is Puerto Barrios, noted as the start
ing point of projected railway, about
which 50 much was said some ten years
ago Four miles of track were actually
laid, when the enterprise was abandoned,
and the roadbed is now hidden in an i'm
penetrable jungle.
FANNIE BRIGHAM WARD.
Bucklen's ArniCa Salve.