AND

H E R F U T U R E .

L P A U L B I O L E Y ,

B aelz lar L tt r P ro r the C ll San é C ta R a e of e e s, fesso in o ege of j os , os ic , Corregbonding Member of tlze Sociegz of Natural Sciences Nenclzatel Sw tz rla d and the Nenc/zatel of , i e n , of

Geo ra lzical S t E tc . E tc . g p ociey,

TRANSLATE D FROM THE FRE NCH

CE CIL CHARLE S.

r M n el a Stnel a m a d b a ma l draw b F . o tes eoc y cco p nie y p , in co o s, n y

7

W SHI GT N D . c . A N O ,

E I E TE JUDD a D E TW L R, PRIN RS.

1 889 .

INTRODUCTION .

The O I C to name C STA R A , even the European or American

ss t of sts po essing a cer ain degree culture , sugge ordinarily but the vagues t idea of a little republic situated somewhere on — the American continent and producing if in deed this much — be known a coffee which is quoted rather high on the market . Geographies and encyclopedias give at most the

of f n name of the capital the country and an estimate , o te

f f A f r i o o t . s o erroneous, the number inhabitan s spec al

few so works , these are and thickly covered with dust on the library shelves that few persons are able to consult them .

M of e e e a o any th s works, b sides, were written go d many years ago and s upply information wholly insufficient at the present day .

w o . Costa Rica , ho ever, deserves to be kn wn The prevail ing idea in Europe and America as to the Central American republics is that they are sunk in a state of somnolen ce and

for . inertia, from which nothing can come a long time yet They are also represented as the scene of incessant interior

r m m as ff wa s , and one i agines the constantly su ering from instability of government and insecurity in general . Noth

is f ing alser than these suppositions , based on a complete f ignorance o the facts . A perusal of the study which we — here present to the public will give we are pleased to — believe a juster idea of Costa Rica . For several years all has been life an d progress the for

o d l f ward march g es on ay by day in a remarkab e ashion , and this little country has arrived at a state of culture and civilization that many larger nations might well envy it . ( 111) I V INTRODUCTION .

It has is now , especially , when the hour come for crowded European and American cities to overflow the world and

i e f when em gration has b come a social necessity , that ormer prejudices should be dissipated . It is but fulfilling a duty to make known in all justice a country worthy of the atten tion of persons who may seriously consider the matter of

f r seeking a new home o themselves . We have not sought to offer an untruthful panegyric ; w e do not present Costa Rica as an El Dorado or promised land we give but a brief resumé containin g the most important

f the elements of an estimate . A res idence o several years in

a of land we depict, the collabor tion persons worthy of all con

fiden ce a h , the pains we have t ken to provide ourselves wit i the latest and most accurate nformation , the figures or the

a terms of comparison that we const ntly present, will produce , we hope , in the mind of the reader the conviction that our

f is es work , although orcedly incomplete, indeed the expr sion of the truth .

PAUL BI O LLE Y . L F TAB E O CONTE NTS.

— THE O NTR . CHAPTE R I . C U Y

Topography O rography Hydro graphy Climatology Natural Products Ways Post O fi ces and Telegraph l n te roc eanic Canals

— H B R T E I HA I . C HAPTE II . N TANTS

1 O n an t s . rigi d Cus om ns a s 2. Tow and Vill ge e rn n 8 . Gov me t u 4 . P blic Life u 5 . P blic I nstructio n

6 . Foreign e rs — HA L ANDS AND LTU RE S. C PTE R III . CU

1 an s . L d nc ur s 2 . Pri ipal Cult e ec a s 8 . Sp i l Culture Ne 4 . w Cultures 6 Natural Forest an d Agricultu ral Wealth

I — T ND S R E . CHAPTE R V . I U I S

1 A r u n u . g ic ltural I d stry 2 C ff B eneflttin and M s . o ee g Sugar ill Msc an n us 8 . i ell eous I d tries MonO olies 4. p

— MME R E D E O A N F NAN S. C HAP T E R V . C C I C

l rta n and n . Expo tio Importatio n c u n 2 . Fi an ial Sit atio n and x D 8 . I terior E terior ebt M n s s and M 4 . o ey , Weight . easures

— HE T RE CHAPTE R V I . T F U U 2 COSTA RICA .

. of tion His death prevented the pronouncing a decision , h ad uc sub udice lis est. and j There is , nevertheless , good reason to believe that Co sta Rica will be recognized as right ful possessor of the disputed lands . The obviousness of her rights has been admirably demonstrated by the important f a o Don M M. public tions her minister in Europe , anuel de P * eralta . The coasts on the Atlantic are united and of coral forma on P on an d tion ; those the acific, the other hand , are cut up e of 280 sandy . The ext nt the former may be estimated at kilometres (112 miles) ; that of the latter at more than twice as many . on of The principal peninsulas , all the Pacific, are those of u s the Golfo Dulce and Nicoya, separated by the g lf , hav u of ing the same names , from the mainland . The G lf is f f i o slands . Nicoya , the best known , ull That of Chira , of L h rather important as to extent, and that San ucas , whic f s as o . erves a place deportation , deserve especial mention of 180 has for The little Isle Coco , situated miles from land , F some time past been similarly occupied . ormerly it served f f as a place o refuge for the amous buccaneers .

The Atlantic coast does not form any peninsulas proper , has of and but one little island , that Uvita , opposite Port

Limon . The area of the country is square kilometres m — to c of square iles T) that is say , equal to twi e that the peninsula of Jutland and greater by one-fifth than that of Let a has Switzerland . us say at once th t Costa Rica hardly t n more ha population , which gives an almost exact

ic a Ni ra u a P a n a maen c l i l de e ral a . Costa R ca s o n ue M. Don Ma l P t , g , 31 g

Rica Colombia do 15 3 a 188 1. ar s rrer 1883 . Cos ta 7 I . a s e " V P ri , F , 3; P i , l m d D ocu men t s a ra la Hi er u 1886 . C n su a s o u es I V an V o s L o x , o lt o v l of p D n L eé n ern n o os ta R ica . ar s D u n 1886 u b s ed b o a toria d C P i , po t , ; p li h y F

z an d for the ues n arb ra n b e w een N c a ua an d C s a R c a de ; , q tio of it tio t i rag o t i , r an d Re the lle a n s N c ara ua rese n e b D o n the Repo t ply to A g tio of i g , p t d y

Pedro Pe rez Zel edon to the Presiden t of the U n ited States . me mes n s s u ar eo ra sc er Ha ndw eiser. O n e s TL ux . G g phi h o ti fi d q e

m r s e n b u t n n w u d a r us s v res ma e . kilo et e giv , othi g o l ppea to j tify thi o e ti t 3 THE COUNTRY . proportion of four inhabitan ts to the square kilometre (or

2% to the square mile).

— f 2 0 ro ra h . o . g p y The study of the mountains Costa Rica Fr n tz i ff to . a u s is yet be made in its entirety , Oersted , Ho a n Gabb mann , Seeb ch , Scherzer , and Wag er and have stud ied brtion s of some p the country , but their works do not suffice to present a clear idea of the Costa Rican orographic i i r r H . P t e fo . t system . We are indebted to Prof most of the * general points which are to follow . It is evident at the start that one must reject the old conception of a single cor dillera of a extending throughout all Americ , from Behring in to of . Strait the farthest limits Patagonia It is proven , of of deed , that the mountains Central America are more recent formation than the chains of the two great continents . to too a Without wishing go much into det ils , we will add that it appears equally natural to consider the mountain system which extends between the isthmuses of Brito and a Panam , and to which belong the mountains of Costa Rica , as forming a distinct group in the en semble of the Central

American cordilleras . The chains composing the Costa Rican group extend al o most from the Peak of R valo , situated a short distance from to n the Colombian frontier, the mou tains in the neighbor hood of the Bay of Salinas and the Nicaraguan town of

Rivas . h to of or c T ey appear be composed volcanic , at least, rup of tive masses , surrounded by sedimentary formations greater or less height and development, according to the locality .

Although the geology of the country is little known , the presence of sedimentary deposits is proven by the lime quarries and the fossils which are discovered in various

localities . The Costa Rican system may be divided into tw o distinct of groups , separated by the valleys the Reventazon and the

Rio Grande . On the northwest side extends the volcanic

B u ll he Me e r l c l n t a ns u ar 1888 . eti of t o o ogi I tit te , ye 4 COSTA RICA .

c on ensemble O f h c h ordillera ; the southeast , an mountains w i ma of y be designated the cordillera Talamanca . At a remote epoch an arm O f the sea separate d these tw o z gro ups . The geological study Of the valley Of Reventa o n an d O f the sub-stratum Of the plateau cannot fail to confi rm

one day this assertion . ma a However it y be , it is certain that the most import nt i ' cord lleia . f e chain is the volcanic This chain , ormed entir ly fi of rO II s . eruptive rocks , is divided in two great g p The rst begins at the northeast frontier and extends southeast almo st M u in a direct line to terminate in the onte de Ag acate , rich I . ts o in gold mines principal volcanic summits are Or si , V M s or es Rincon de la ieja , iravalle , and Tenorio , all more l s F i active volcanoes . ollowing come the Cerro de T laran u s O f mountain gro p , little known , and the porphyritic mas M c t u the onte de Agua ate , which closes the central pla ea of

the western side . The second group forms three massives f that O Poas , which comprises the volcano and the cerros m Of that na e ; that of Barba , separated from the preceding to by the depression Of Desengano ; then , a little the south O f La P of east and beyond the deep cut alma , that Irazu ,

f tw o . composed O summits , Irazu and Turialba volcan oes h All these , with the exception Of Barba , w ich i n e a . appears complet ly ext nct, still present sig s Of ctivity — From time to time are witnessed especially at the close and — u beginning O f the rainy season little er ptions , accompanied

by movements Of the earth Of no great importance . The

earth u ak es q have , nevertheless , though at rare intervals , n caused disaster in the country . Amo g the more recent CO c u rren ces may be cited the destruction of the city Of Car

1841 . tago , at the foot Of Irazu , in

We may also say that a strong shock , resulting probably ll from the redoubled activity Of Po s and Irazu , caused se riou s damage over all the central plateau at the end of De cemb er of the past year . f Generally speaking , however, one may a firm that violent movements O f the earth are rare in Costa Rica , and in no THE COUNTR Y . 5

wise recall the cataclysms which history has recorded Of the Andean region Of South America or Of the northern part Of

Central America . The aspect Of the volcanoes of Costa Rica is of the great t es . f magnificence Seen rom the plateau , which itself rises to Of m a height some etres feet), they appear

as mountains Of comparatively little elevation . They are

- O ff h cut domes, wooded , when a certain height is reac ed , to

their summits . Nothing about them would lead on e to sup it for Of pose them volcanoes , were not sometimes the line an ’ n Old opening still visible o the mountain s top . The craters as O f in actual activity are, a general thing, on the north the

volcanic chain , and there are vapors far from light which — rise at times from Turialba smoky plumes which certain f travelers have described in their love O the picturesque . a The ascent of Irazu , the highest peak of the volc nic

chain metres , or is a journey which any l F on e . any may easi y make rom Cartago , which lies at the s a of foot of the mountain , the horse rrive at the very brink ’ the volcano in six hours time . When the weather is clear the beauty Of the view amply r f compensates fo the slight fatigue O the journey . One has at first before his eyes an immense rocky amphi

theatre Over feet in diameter . It is one Of the Old Open

of . ings the volcano At the bottom of this first crater, over w O f run ith water during a long period calm , two others,

smaller, have made their successive appearance . The Oldest O f these tw o funnels Of recent formation is

already filled with grass and bushes . The other still pre

sents three chimneys , two of which are partly filled up .

The third , but a short time Since , was still exhaling sul f hu rous . d n o o ac p vapors To ay , however , it gives Sign i i t v ty. F s f rom the peak of Ira the traveler, a ter having admired

far- the craters , gazes with delight on the distant most mag i n f i n fice t O . s p anoramas Turn whichever way he may , it

B u l O f M a 1 n c ns u 888 . leti the eteorologi l I tit te , year 6 . COSTA. RICA an enchantment of the eye born of the conte mplation of green hills where variety of cultivation places different hues , of of i ravishing valleys , r ch plateau watered by rivers that O f of wander at caprice, and finally sombre masses mighty mountains whose farthest summits die away in the intense of azure the heavens . When the atmosphere is very pure on e see both oceans can , the Atlantic and the Pacific, halfblent

. f vi w with the line Of horizon If the weather be oggy , the e is less smiling but of equal grandeur . At every gust of

has wind which Sweeps the mists at frequent intervals , one before him a sea of haze whose foamy waves beat against of m the dark sides the ountains . O n e thing : It is better n ot to pass the night on the sum of for mit the volcano , , at dawn , the thermometer sometimes ° F f 3 2 . alls to zero centigrade ( ) and lower . Irazu constantly gives signs of activity on the northern W f slope , here the ground is marked with umaroles and

of . as diffi where springs boiling water rise However, it is c of o ult to approach this region , the greater number visit rs go away from the volcano without a suspicion that the giant on but slumbers , and that somewhere his flanks , one may feel his powerful breathing . V of The olcano of Turialba , near neighbor Irazu and sit u ated a little to the northeast, has been for a long time con sidered inaccessible . Von Seebach w as the first scholar to arrive anywhere near

1864. the crater, in Unfortunately , a violent eruption of smoke and stones prevented him from climbing the supe

. e a rior cone At the pres nt day the ascent is made e sily , thanks to a road th at two great land proprietors have Opened H F up the flanks of the mountain . Professor . ittier has thus been able to give a more exact description of it than any others published thus far, and to measure the altitude s * f . metre , about eet) or Posts Barba metres , feet) and metres , r O f of o feet) are less easy access , owing to the lack

B u n O f M e c al ns 1888 . lleti the et orologi I titute , year TH E COUNTRY .

roads . One arrives at their respective summits only by c f w of machete arving himsel a passage, ith great blows the , through the trees and bushes that form the undergrowth of h f s . as the great fore ts Contrary to what been a firmed , one

finds on the slopes of these volcanoes two coniferous species . On the summit of Poas there is a little lake whose blue waters sleep peacefully and bathe enchanting banks . It i l e s o d . an crater "uite near is seen another , at whos bottom muddy water strongly charged with sulphuric acid in on e of its is constantly boiling . When the volcano is periods of great activity a dark -hued liquid column rises at moments from the sheet of water, accompanied by great ebullitions of vapor , then falls back heavily , while fromthe depths of the crater issue heavy and prolonged rumblings . The eruption of this geyser is on e of the finest spectacles that on e al could contemplate , only the phenomenon does not ways reproduce itself with the same intensity . It was after the strong earthquake shock of last year that it was best witnessed , the water column having reached at that time a 2 height of 3 0 feet . It would convey a mistaken idea of the mountains of which we have just spoken to represent them as completely t f wooded . The fores s hardly begin be ore a height of

feet has been reached , and even at this altitude potatoes and corn are cultivated . The government has recently taken measures against the cutting of timber on the slopes of the

- volcan ic cordillera . This extensive tree cutting would have changed in a short time the climacteric conditions of the

most thickly inhabited part of the country . The smaller chains which skirt the central plateau on the Turub ales south are known by the names of Cerro , Cerro F . t re Puriscal , and Cerro de la Candelaria ar her east, in t gions still uncultivated and almost deser ed , are found the of Cerro de las Cruces and the mountains Dota , which turn

southward and are continued in the cordillera of Talamanca . of The lesser chain , set toward the east of the plateau , the

first groups which we have cited , are covered to their peaks 8 COSTA RICA .

t of f with plan ations Of maize , and are mixed ormation , partly

a . eruptive, partly sediment ry

Porphyry is found on their summits , but their slopes are f of a ormed calc reous rocks , which are employed to manu

. a of facture lime The mount ins Dota and of Talamanca , u a : La L u little explored , incl de some import nt peaks ag na , Chiri O M L n o the Cerro p , the onte yo , the Ujum , the Pic

Blanco or " am uk the R6v alo . None of these on e to Gabb peaks should be considered as volcanic if refer , i of h the pr ncipal explorer this region . Doubt exists on t e of of subject the mountain of Dota , the center which should w ho be occupied by a crater lake , according to those have ’ I raZII made the ascent . This mountain , besides , seen from , presents the aspect of a volcanic peak . Costa Rica has been called the Switzerland of Central of t America , because the picturesqueness of the moun ains u c surrounding its platea , especially those of the vol anic chain . is ou for It Switzerland , if y like , but Jurassic Switzerland , the Costa Rican landscapes have naught of the imposing and seve re beauty of the Alpine regions . The mountains of

Jura , with their flat and rounded summits , their Sides wooded

te . and covered with green pasturage , give a bet r idea

u the - The usual temperat re and sub tropical vegetation , ff however, di erentiate the aspects to such a point that the comparison could not be exact .

f — 3 H dro ra h . . y g p y The fluvial system of Costa Rica com SI e s : s re prehends three Op the North slope , who e waters are Pa ceived by the Lake of Granada and the San Juan , the ' cific l slo es , and the At antic p l It is the water- courses of the north slope that are of great

abb . I . W . G ' n A an c is c ea a r e 1 The San J u an e mptyi n g i to the tl ti , it l r th t , p op rly s a n re s b u t tw o s s c ean . W e a e pe ki g , the exi t lopes , tho e of the two o s h v o nly admitted a n orth slope b ecause this permitted us to establi sh a clearer

- divi sio n of the Costa Rica water ways . 9 THE COUNTRY .

st f f e importance as to volume o water and extent o basin . The navigation of these alone will come to present important advantages for commerce when the immense region which

they cross shall have been improved . This region is , even

o x . t t day , almost une plored Af er having mentioned the

Sapoa, of which we have spoken in connection with the sub ect F j of frontiers, and the Rio rio , which traverses the little known country of the Guatuso Indians and empties into the L of d Of ake Grana a , at the very starting point the San Juan ,

we Shall distinguish on , this northern slope three great ar teries— i the San Carlos, the Sarapiqu , and the Tortuguero

or Colorado . The San Carlos empties into the San Juan about mid way i f r - f r ts course . It is navigable o two thirds of its length o affl uen ts ft boats drawing little water . Its two great on the le , Pefias of the Arenal and the Blancas, are also navigable part the way . These rivers would lend themselves to navigation much more easily if care were taken to relieve them of the quantity of tree-trunks which obstruct them ; such as they

t . are, they already render impor ant services Their banks are formed of exceptionally fertile soil , and the owners of plan tation s there always prefer the water- route to the longer way by land , which is almost impracticable during certain months of the year . Beside the afflu en ts already cited the San ' Carlos receives on its right bank and in the upper part of f CO O er its course the Rivers Pejé , Platanar, San Ra ael , p , and , much lower down , the River Tres Amigos ; this last naviga ble part way . ui The Sarapiq , which comes down from the mountain of

ffl . Barba , is the most important a uent of the San Juan One far Muelle ascends this as as or above the (landing), and for a long time it formed the continuation of the road to the north , formerly the most frequented in going from the plateau central

. ffl t on to the Atlantic One of its a uen s the left, the Toro P a for Amarillo , which comes from o s , is navigable part way smaller vessels . On the same side the Sarapiqui receives the e ffl Rivers Sardinal and Masaya . The uents on the right are 10 COSTA RICA .

s V " the River Puerto iejo , Sucio , and San José ; the Sucio has its of which rise in Irazu , sends one its branches to the east before casting itself into the Sarapiqui and rolls along f erruginous waters . The entire region on the east of the Sarapiqui is SO poorly so r to known , cut up by lagoons and natu al canals mingle u their waters , that for a long time the Colorado or Tortug ero of has been considered as an arm the River San Juan , and even to day exact information is lacking as to thehydrogra f f phy o this part o Costa Rica . The Opinion of several per of is sons worthy credence is however, that the Colorado of nothing else than the mouth the Costa Rican river, which i f s called Tortuguero in the upper part O its course . The d San Juan empties there to ay , after having almost aban n ld do ed o . its bed , the San Juanillo One would not wish , t as n however, to s ate positive fact an Opinio which is based only on the information of the few individuals who have explored the delta covering with its complicated network this portion of the country . its Into the Atlantic there fall the Reventazon , which has rise at the south of Cartago , and whose valley places in c ommunication the plateau central and the Atlantic ; the i R ver M a . a Pacuare river, and the atin The Revent zon is augmented at some distance from the sea by the River A of Parismina . All along the tlantic , from the mouth the M a atina to the Colorado , extends a series of l goons which

render the coast marshy and almost uninhabitable . Some thought has been given to the canalization of these lagoons in order to devote them to the exploitation of the cocoa tree

which abounds here , but the projected work has never yet

been put into execution . From the mountains of Talamanca descend two great — Teliri or Sicsola rivers the , which comes from Cerro Chi an d ripo , according to some persons , from Dota , according i r Tilor o o . to others, and the Changuinola Both are navi

gable for small craft in the interior . n On the Pacific side we find at the orth the Tempisque , 11 THE COUNTRY . which empties into the bottom of the Gulf of Nicoya an d which receives as its principal affluent the river of Las

r . F Piedras . These two are in pa t navigable urther south and also emptying into the Gulf Of Nicoya are found the Rio a Barranca and the Grande de T rcoles , the collecting basin of which comprises the central plateau . This part of the country is very well watered by a number Of little streams descending either from the volcanic cordillera or the cerros Of Puriscal and Candelaria and emptying into the * affl of . Tiribi , uent the Rio Grande

Properly speaking , the Rio Grande de Pirris and the Rio e P Grande de T rraba flow into the acific, as well as a multi tude of lesser streams watering a country of scant pOpu la tion . t As in all tropical countries , the rivers of Cos a Rica are — subject to sudden rises during the rainy season rises often of producing inundation their shores , carrying away the a most solid bridges , and in cert in localities causing veritable disaster . It is on the Atlantic side especially that the rivers have

- this torrent like character . Here , as everywhere else , not withstanding , the abundance of waters Should be considered of as one the greatest blessings, since it is to this that the country owes its admirable fertility .

im t o — 4 . Cl a ol gy Costa Rica , like all the Central American e countries , is divided in r spect Of climate in three vertical zones . The hot lands is the name given the low region which

f - u of reaches rom sea level to the altit de feet, and ex f tends along the two coasts and the shores o the San Juan . ° The mean annual temperature Of this zone is from 22 to ° ° ° 28 centigrade (72 to 82 Fahr . ) It must be noted that the

* I n consideri ng the general cou rse of the stream c alled Rio Gran de do a is e en ma n s r am an d the Rio ande the T rcoles , the Tiribi vid tly the i t e Gr fllu t u n m r s a en . c n s u s e s r e m an e w en The o f io , do btle s , proc ed f o the e bl ce b t e a h w the bulk of the w ters of t e t o . 2 1 COSTA RICA .

heat Of the Pacific side is greater than that O f the Atlantic . the tem erate lan ds The second region comprehends p , which lie between and fee t altitude and have a temper ° ° ° ° ature of 14 to 20 centigrade (57 to 68 These e enjoy a mild and healthful climate , and the gr ater part of

the population is gathered here . F cold lands inally , the are found above feet and are

formed by the summits Of the highest mountains . The dif ference between the temperature of day - time and night - time i s felt here most keenly . Not infrequently the ground ap

- how pears covered with hoar frost in the morning ; snow ,

x l . ever, is e treme y rare We shall naturally have to return several times to this f F h o . or t e division zones moment , we will limit ourselves ” — a"saying that no one of them is unhealthy not even that O the hot lands , where the trade winds purify the air and

prevent the development of endemic coast fevers . The for

eigner, after a preliminary acclimatization , in submitting to w himself which he is prudent, by d elling for some time in e of in the temp rate regions the country , can perfectly well habit the littoral of either Pacific or Atlantic if he be rea l son ab y careful to avoid all excesses . h e s . We may note , howev r, ome causes of un ealthfulness Several great rivers of the north slope present this peen liarity : that while their left banks are formed of dry lands se s free from marshes , their right banks pre nt a succe sion of m lagoons and localities frequently inundated , rendering the

often unhealthful . The extensive clearin g of lands sometimes brings with it the few during first years a little malaria ; nevertheless , per e e man nt fev r is only found in the regions of marshes , and it is but just to Observe that they are usually due to errors in diet— especially to the use of the banana—rather than to

miasma floating in the air . to i As the nsalubrity of some portions of the plateau , the a a cities in particular at certain se sons of the ye r, it may be

said that this is but relative and always incidental . If

14 C OSTA RICA . whole number of deaths " A considerable part of this ab normal mortality must be attributed to a habit which the people of the country have of letting their children ru n n f barefooted and poorly clad in all weathers . This u ortu nate custom disappears accordingly as the laws of hygiene are better understood ; in no case should it be considered as as a consequence of poverty , the people, a rule , being unac * q u ain ted w ith want . 3 67 O f The same statistics Show , among the deaths persons 60 3 6 10 al over , nonagenarians and centenarians ; and , a a in on e though the ye r appe r exceptional this respect, ma of y assert that cases longevity are decidedly frequent . seasons e the f or The , well defined and characteriz d by all e a veran o be the abs nce of r in , are the or dry season , which ' in or Ma inviern o gins December to end in April y, and the or a t f of Ma to rainy se son , which las s rom the month y the ’ f t f n o . a nmer o end November During the Costa Ric n , which corresponds to the summer and autumn of the north te m the perate zone, air, although rarely nebulous , is almost n an d co stantly saturated with vapor, to this is owing its , at

n . n veran o times , remarkable tra sparency Duri g the , on the is contrary , the air, which almost never cleansed by rain , becomes loaded with dust and is extremely dry during the f hottest hours o the day . The ra in -fall stands in direct relation to the system of

n - win ds . The ortheast trade wind loses its humidity in ascendin g the slopes of the cordillera tending eastward on is w the Atlantic side ; it thus a dry wind , hich blows from M F November to arch across the plateau . rom April to on e has as October , the monsoon of the southwest dominant the —w e wind on Pacific side , where may observe in this —i connection t rains less than on that Of the Atlan tic . This

* The c ou n try people are so ac c usto med to th eir c hild ren dyi n g at an early age that it is the c ustom amon g them on eac h oc casion of suc h a death se the e d d esse in its es n in the r n c a m to expo littl bo y , r d b t fi ery , p i ip l roo use and in the n e rs and n s e e e in of the ho , to vite ighbo frie d to a littl f t ,

n rs a e ar . is is ca e an a n eli w hic h the pare ts are the fi t to t k p t It what ll d g to. THE COUNTRY . 15

n o u to c wind , meeting mountains high eno gh ondense the

water vapor with which it is charged , arrives at the plateau

central still saturated with moisture, and thus produces the in vi r t m abundant rains which characterize the e n o. The e orales — to p are rare in Costa Rica that is say , it almost never ' r t m r fo . n e n o rains continuously several days During all the , the except in the month of October, wettest period of the

u on n . year , one can co nt sunshiny morni gs It is hardly ’ 2 4 a u acero before afternoon , from o clock until , that the g f alls , which lasts but a Short time , but sometimes is Of ex cessive as as 60 m of violence, much milli etres water having

been caught in the space of an hour . The study Of the climatology of Costa Rica has made great e a to of progress of lat ye rs , thanks the intelligent attention l the government . The meteoro ogical institute already ex isting has just been reorganized into a physico - geographical institute destined to render the greatest service to science o and to the country itself, since scientific expl ration of the Republic occupies an important place in the programme of i e ts work . This institute has been placed under the dirc

of m . . F tion a ost competent man , Prof H ittier, to whom , as has e for of already been observed , we are indebt d many the

preceding points .

r du c — of 5 . Natu al P ro ts Despite the number special works

proceeding from the pens of distinguished scholars , the nat

ural products of Costa Rica are as yet little know n . They of can have not been , as a whole , the object study , and we not give here more than an incomplete and barren naming

i . of the pr ncipal among them We may add , however, that for some years the government has made notable efforts to

encourage scientific research , with the object of rendering

them better appreciated . The greater part of the works published abroad by natural iste or engineers who have visite d Costa Rica have been * translated and printed through its efforts . A national ex

* See first three volumes of the Collec c ion de docu men tos para Is His ” R u l s D e to (19 C s c a b on n n an z . ria o ta i , p b i hed y L o Fer de COSTA RICA .

to 15 O f 1886 position , opened the public the th September, , ’ u revealed a great variety of the co ntry s products . The greater part of these products have formed the nucleus of a t * o . national museum , which is being added day by day — Min eral " ingdom Of all the metals gold is the only on e t which has been seriously exploited . The Mon te Aguaca e contains the principal mines of this precious metal in the ” district called Ciruelitas . The production has n ot been l m a great unti Of late , fro the l ck of labor ; but the quite of h recent placing new and powerful mac inery , which has not cost less than will permit Of serious exploita

. of tion in the near future The proprietors the only mine , “ ” La a Trinid d , count upon a yield Of at least per F month for the coming year . or a long time very rich gold of mines were believed to exist in Talamanca , in the basin

the river Changuinola , formerly called Estrella . The works

’ Fran tz iu s m of Dr . j have ade it appear very clear that this of f a belief w as the result a confusion O n mes .

Besides gold , the principal metals whose existence has d been established beyond oubt in Costa Rica , but which n ot : have been seriously exploited , are iron in abundance ;

copper , rich mines of which exist in the mountains of Can

d laria . e ; argentiferous lead , and quicksilver u Among other mineral products sho ld be cited sulphur, o kaolin , lignite, plastic argil , limest ne, marble , gypsum , poz m e . zalana , and alu , all unexploited excepting the limeston Almost everywhere throughout the country mineral and m thermal waters are found . 1 The ost celebrated are those

N na Muse um at resen c n n c ed w s c - e ra The atio l , p t o e t ith the Phy i o G og ph c al n s u e has a d u l s e a u me n n als w c c n a n i I tit t , lrea y p b i h d vol of a , hi h o t i s u r l o r n some i n te resti n g work s on the n at a hi st y of the c ou try .

" “ c r ade ro itio de la s ricas min as dc Tisin a l E s trella bus 1 Acer a del ve d s g y , ” u l Dr. A v on r z i cadas sin resu ltado en Costa Rica . s e . F an t us E t dio por ,

ic a . u r Hi toria de Gista R P b . o D on n D oc . ara la s traduc ido del al ema . p p

m . 23 . n rn n ez . Leo Fe a d To o II , p z iu s “ D i w m See in n c n s u D r. F ran t e ar en Min x this c on e tio the t dy of , ” eral uelle in Co sta Rica u s in the Nc ues ahrb uch fiir Min eralo q , p bli hed J ” 4 —5 10 u r 1 H f . 96 . a 3 . Geo lo ic u n d a e n l . V . 87 gie , g P l o to ogie e t , p St ttg t , THE COUNTRY . 17 of ta Agua Caliente , about five miles from the city of Car go , for the exploitation of which a stock company has been f ” V . ormed , under the name of the Bella ista Company This society is working actively for the construction of a bathing establishment responding to modern exigencies and of a hotel affording all desirable comforts to invalids or travelers . The analysis of the water of Agua Caliente made F f . . . o Y 1887 by the chemist, Dr C Chandler, New ork , in , gave the following results : Sodium chloride

Bicarb . lithium sodium magnesium calcium barium strontium iron copper manganese Sulphate potassium sodium Phosphate Biborate Arsenite Alumina Silica Organic matter

F . DLE . C h. P D . C HAN R ,

w as The figures given represent grains , and the analysis made from the quantity of water to a gallon of the United

a e 23 1 . St t s , which contains cubic inches There exist min eral springs in many other localities . Those most resem of bling Agua Caliente are those Orosi , in the same neigh 2 1 8 COSTA RICA . borhood as San the former, and those of Salitral , near

José . — Fauna The fauna O f Costa Rica owes its extreme rich n ess to the intermediate position of the country between the mm ’“ two Americas . Among the ma ifers may be named the th lynx and the puma , called also jaguar and cougar ( e

American tiger and lion) , the Ocelot (another feline), the coy ote , a great variety of monkeys, many rodents , whose meat is savory ; the peccary , the tapir, whose hide, the thickest is the known , of great value ; several species of Opossum , f s deer, the allow deer, the armadillo , some bats (vampire an d a dangerous to c ttle), and , finally , the curious lamentin , s which inhabit the lagoons of the eastern side of the country . f The orests abound with birds of marvelous beauty , among which must be mentioned the superb quetzal with metal e O f c gre n plumage, macaws various colors, tou ans with

t - enormous beaks , quanti ies of humming birds , jewel winged ;

n ff - s many little singi g birds ; and , in a di erent line, ring dove , f r O . are turkeys , and pa tridges delicate taste Birds of prey

. o Z v u l numerous The m st common is the opilote, Species of w ture , which renders important services in clearing a ay the refuse of the cities . Venomous serpents are only found in a small number on the central plateau , but they swarm in the marshy regions s P of the north and in certain localitie on the acific coast .

of f h . Cases death rom t eir bites are, however, rare on Crocodiles abound in the Tempisque river, and the

Atlantic coast enormous turtles are found . The rivers of the interior of the country produce a large

* i i n su he r D r. F ran z iu s mamm ers t . t b rds For f co lt wo k of v ; for , the

ues an d esc r ns e r N. aw re nc e D r. F ran tz ius an d c atalog d iptio of G o ge L , , of

he s a R c a n a u al s osé C . Ze n all u l s e in the c l ec n O f t Co t i t r i t , J ledo , p b i h d o l tio ” Doc u men tbs ara la s r a C s a R c a Don n ern an z p hi to i de o t i , by Leo F de ; fl h r tiles see the w r . D . CO e ase c e on t e es a c es O f for rep o k of E p , b d hi y e r h l i he r n e la m Gabb in his e Ir orat on s t a an c . r m M. D . W . p of p ovi c of T a The most complete work o n the fau n a of Costa Ri c a and O f Cen tral A me ric a in ” l A meric an B iolo n o w in u se u l is en tra c a n . ge neral the C gy , co r of p b i tio 19 THE COUNTRY .

bobo w d fish called , hose meat is greatly like , and in the i O f river San Juan there s an excellent species salmon . Un fortunately, fishing regulations are little observed , and an of fish u se d immense quantity is destroyed by Of ynamite . The establishment of pisciculture for the restocking of the

streams is a desideratum of the future . M osquitoes , one of the great plagues of tropical countries,

are comparatively rare in Costa Rica . Even on the hot plains Of the north one can sleep the greater part of the year

without mosquito bars . The native bee produces a honey havin g exciting proper

r . ties and a black , a omatic wax The introduction of Italian

bees would be of benefit to the country .

— F lora The vegetation is everywhere of exceeding vigor an d variety , thanks to the fertile soil , the abundance of f h o . water, and the diversity climate T is exuberance is f hot ound in the temperate regions as well as on the lands , and the traveler arriving for the first time in the country on of may expect to find at a height Of feet, the sides the

volcanic cordillera , the luxuriant flora which he has admired s P a hort distance from the Atlantic or acific coast .

The species are changed , but everywhere it is a confusion

n rofu of gia t trees , some having branches and leafage in p

sion, others with smooth trunks like elegant columns . Every

where are seen, swinging from their very tops in long strings , the flexible stems of a multitude Of plants of various fami

lies , to which it is the custom to give the generic name of

- bind weed . The trunks, branches , and even the leafage are covered with a multitude O f epiphytes ; silver lichens ; pur

ple or emerald ferns , with notched fronds ; bromeliaceae ,

with thick leaves marbled with livid or rusty spots ; orchids , with curiously divided corolla and painted with the richest

imma u hues ; aroides , in short, with spatha of purple or c

. v u late whiteness E erywhere there is underbr sh , an impen

etrable s - mass of bushe , often thorny , of reeds, which obstruct

the passage , and of climbing plants, whose flowers , solitary 20 COSTA RICA .

w a n e or in clusters , but al ays brilliant, thrust their cle r ot

- upon the demi Obscurity of the virgin forest . It is only at the present day that this admirable flora is n beginning to be studied , and co siderable time will be re quired before the elements of it may be completely under * stood . We shall return to the principal forest species and shall consider the natural agricultural products in the chapter “ L ” treating of ands and Improvements , limiting ourselves at present to the mere indication of the general features of vegetation . It may be said that the flora of Costa Rica forms the con n ectin g link between that of North America and that of the f Andes . Apart rom its endemical species it presents an in fin itu de of classes and species belonging to both these re is gions , and if the Andean character predominate it because Costa Rica was united to South America long before being joined to Mexico . The tropical flora shows itself in all its splendor on the a coasts , while the vegetation of the volc nic summits takes a

- markedly sub alpine character . Between these two extremes one Observes on the usually cultivated plateaux of the inte of rior the greatest diversity families , genuses , and species . ha In returning to the division of zones , of which we ve sa already spoken , we may y that the hot lands are regions e t an d of virgin for s s , that there are found in particular the palms , the arborescent ferns , the vanilla , the caoutchouc , a a O f the c c o, and an infinite variety trees , giving orna

- . c e mental and dye woods , such as mahogany , cedar (gen Cedrelaceae rela . d , fam of ), cocobola , guayacan , mora , Brazil wood , etc . , etc . The temperate lands are characterized by the numerou s ” of ff e - an d cultures , which may be cited the co e , sugar cane , n bananas in the warmest localities ; corn , potatoes, and bea s

W e may c ite amo ng botan ists who h ave co n tribu ted to the study o f th e ' fl ra s R c a : O e s e Hofi man n P olak o wsk " un z W arsc e wic z o of Co ta i r t d , , y , e , ,

n an and P ittier. We dl d ,

22 COSTA R ICA . and will probably be in working order in the course of the coming year . This new road starts from Cartago and fol lows the valley Of the Reventazon to connect with the line L x r . already e isting between imon and Car illo By this, San José and the plateau central will be placed in direct com mu n ication with the Atlantic , and therefrom will result a veritable economic revolution in the country by the dim in u tion of expense and time required for transportation f mice versa rom the interior to the coast or , and the avoid c f ft an e of di ficulties in travel , O en serious , especially during the rainy season . Another railway project has been made a subject of study — of late the question of connectin g the Limon line with a point on the River San Juan , passing through the region of f o . the great rivers the north This new road , once con a structed , will obtain some considerable advant ges for the two Republics of Nicaragua and Costa Rica in putting them in direct communication . It will permit also the improve of of ment an enormous amount very fertile land , whose production amounts to almost nothing at present by reason

O f its inaccessibility . The exploitation or the con struction of all these lines of of railway is , with the exception the little branch Of the of h re re Pacific, in the hands an English company , w ose p " a im Mr M. n tati e . . se v , C eith , is the type of those Americ n

resarios so p remarkable for their intelligence, their activity , and their faith in the succ ess of most difficult undertakin gs . — — The highroads called camin os reales in Costa Rica are n maintained at public expense . This mai tenance is exceed

n l f of inviern o i g y di ficult because the continuous rains of the , e of of s and also b cause the solid wooden wheels the chariot ,

’ r th whose narrow edges cut into the ground whereve ey pass . The most frequ ented of the highroads is the main route from é M San Jos to Puntarenas , which passes the onte de Agua cate and by a point from which one enjoys on e of the most

panoramic views in the world , looking over the gulf sown

with islands and the peninsula of Nicoya . THE COUNTRY . 2 3

los camin os de tierra s Beside the highroads , there are , road leading from the plateau to the interior Of the country . One La of these , passing over the hill of Palma , goes from San osé e a J to Carrillo , where terminat s the r ilway line from L is h imon , and at present the direct road for reac ing the

Atlantic . We have already mentioned that some years i since one traveled by the Sarapiqu road , which , passing Desen aiio through the depression of g , between Barba and 6 s P as , leads to the river . Other roads lead to the lowland to c of San Carlos, Guanacaste , to Talaman a , and to the region Of Terraba . They are all more or less in good con d ition , according to the season and the lands which they AS . for cross a general thing, they are only fit horseback

s . travel , being unsuited for the chariot

— . Post i n 7 Ofi ce a d Telegraph. The postal service is very f f osé satis actorily organized . The central o fice is at San J , an d a of the smallest vill ge the plateau is connected with it, u u s ally by means of mounted couriers , who make several leagues daily to carry the correspondence to its destination , to to Some of the couriers go even San Carlos , Talamanca and to Boruca , and are often weeks in making their trips .

The foreign mails are attended to with ease and frequence. Several departures and arrivals are counted weekly by the of ColOn San F a way Panama, , rancisco , New Orle ns , or New

York . The correspondence taking the latter two routes may arrive in Europe in less than twenty days ; that which leaves France by the way of Southampton requires twenty - fiv e days o to reach San José , and that leaving the p rts of Bordeaux l n n a . v CO O and St Nazaire , to arri e first at , then Pa am , then P a unt renas , reaches its destination in thirty to forty days , according to the coincidence of arrivals and departures of * vessels . The installation of the telegraph in Costa Rica dates back

I n 1887 the s al m emen n c u n e n an d d mes c mat po t ov t , i l di g both for ig o ti s c w r rs an d ter , reached piece , of whi h e e lette

m m r a s a R c a n an t . pri n ted m atter . Let u s re e be th t Co t i has i habit s 2 4 COSTA RICA .

f f . u O e e a long time The n mber o fices incr ases very year , and the system comprises already over 600 miles of wire . The transmission of telegrams for foreign countries is made n far by la d as as San Juan del Sur, a Nicaragua Pacific port . has The government, nevertheless , lately signed a contract with a company which shall undertake the laying of a sub on a h marine cable the Atl ntic coast, and t ere is every reason to believe that very shortly Costa Rica will be in direct cable communication with the United States and Europe by a * point on its eastern coast .

8 i na — . E ven tu al I nterocean c Ca ls That which renders the of f situation Costa Rica exceedingly avorable, and which will certainly one day permit her to consider herself as she privileged among nations , is that occupies exactly the territory comprised between the two great interoceanic canals which are most likely to be opened eventually to the

commerce of the world . Although the Republic does not touch directly on the P its e anama canal , commerce, which tak s to a considerable extent the isthmus route, will naturally gain by the conclu sion of the vast work in which France has taken so impor s tant a part . After having consumed o many human lives — and so much capital if we may be permitted to say so in — of passing the work the opening has not been abandoned ,

though even but temporarily , without this confession of fail ure having struck sadness to the hearts of all men Of prog f f ress and o faith in the future O science and human might . A contract was concluded in the month of July of the

r. past year between the Government of Costa Rica and M A . M a c . G . eno al , representing the Nic ragua Canal Company This contract sets forth the rights of the Republic to part of the waters and territory which the projected canal by the

River San Juan and the Lake of Nicaragua would utilize ,

fi i Ma 1 n a . V u n a Cr u a a O c al 29 889 . Co tr ct . C e c e s , G cet , rch , 25 THE COUNTRY .

and makes clear the concessions which the government

would grant the company upon the execution of the work , AS declared of public benefit . the canal project through as Central America has yet had no beginning , except of pre the liminary surveys, we shall not linger over terms of the

contract . It is hardly necessary to call attention to the immense ad vantages which Costa Rica will derive from the establish n f o M a . me t the enoc l canal The latter would place it, on e com indeed , directly upon the line of of the greatest m r i e c al routes of the world . We may add that the Government of Nicaragua has raised doubts as to the rights which Costa Rica may have to cele brate a contract with the canal company , and has laid claim to exclusive possession of the waters of the San Juan river . The question has been submitted for arbitration to the Pres ident of the United States and will be very soon decided . One can hardly doubt what the verdict will be when one remembers that the territory of Costa Rica touches on the u t F San J an , star ing from three miles below ort Castillo V — sa on f e — iejo that is to y, more than hal its cours and that this river receives as tributary from Costa Rica the greater of m part its waters , which co e to it through the vast arteries i i of the San Carlos and the Sarap qu . C H APTE I I R .

I I T H E N H A B T A N T S .

ri in an d us t m — has 1. O g C o s The population of Costa Rica n its ow peculiar character . As in all the Spanish American republics the foundation is in a mingling of the indigenous w race and the hite conquering race, the latter predominating , w a ho ever, which is not the c se in the other sections of Cen

tral America . At the time of the Spaniards ’ arrival the Indians were

numerous and were divided in various tribes , some of which f had attained to a certain degree o civilization . They wove c alen u es coarse fabri s , built strongholds or p q , manufactured

pottery more curious than artistic , and carved idols or altars h h fi s . T ev ow for sacri ce in stone knew also to work in gold , from which metal they made ornaments and symbols of dis * tinction . Their social organization lacking unity or cohe

sion , they could not long resist the Spanish invaders ; yet they sold their liberty dearly ; one of the audacious conquis tadores met his death in attempting to penetrate to the inte 1 . 565 rior from the Pacific side i However, in , under the gov ern men t of V Juan asquez de Coronado , the country was to be i to considered as an acquisit on the Spanish crown , excepting t m the province of Talamanca , the conques of which dates fro

the beginning of the seventeenth century . Immediately after the settling of the first Spaniards the Indian race began to de

cline . We shall notgo into the history ofthe conquest of Costa Rica ; let it su flic e to say that it does not differgreatly from that

of countries better known . It is , indeed , but the repetition on e M a smaller scale of what occurr d in Cuba , in exico ,

* The mu seum in San J 0 3 6 c on tai ns a magn ific ent collection of I ndian s n n s la Don R m n R relic , owi g to the ge ero ity of the te a o . Troyo . u z a 1 44 1 Diego G tierre ; ye r 5 . 2 TR F INHABITANTS . 7

—o n - and in Peru one Side , the ever increasing greed of the on the I n conquerors ; the other , a rapid annihilation of dians , little fit for work and reduced to a servitude more or f less disguised . The ew natives who have survived the successive disappearances of various tribes are those who w far d elt from the plateau , and with whom the Europeans never had continuous relations . The present Indians have degenerate d and their number diminishes every year . It f is f M r. . . o with great di ficulty that g B A Thiel , bishop

Costa Rica , after several journeys to the interior of the coun try , has succeeded in reaching some of them and gaining c little by little their confidence . The linguisti s have de rived great benefit from the travels of the courageou s and f n n ow s inde atigable bishop, since , tha ks to him , we po sess a * dictionary of the principal Indian dialects of the country . The tribes existin g at the present day comprise the Gau tu sos F of , settled in the basin of the Rio rio , in the northwest of Of Térraba occu the country , the Indians Boruca and , pyin g the basin of the river to which they have given their of n name, on the Pacific slope , and the natives Talama ca , iri i h I h Cab ecares T b s. divided into , Bribis , and All t ese dians put together form a total of something like inhabitants , but their number is rapidly decreasing every year . The greater part of the population are descendants of the Spaniards who settled in the country to succeed the valiant u i t r con q s ado es of the latter half of the sixteenth century . t s ff Cos a Rica , despite her name , did not in early time O er great resources to those who came to settle ; moreover, the for t tide of population , greedy riches and mos ly adventurers , which directe d itself toward America immediately this latter was o v f . disc ered , had le t but little We may attribute to the

* Ap un tes lex icogrdficos de las lengu as y los dialec tos de los I ndie s de Tala

manc a B . A . B s of C R . San é C s R c a , by Thiel , i hop osta ica Jos de o ta i ,

1882 . a s Tribu di s a M. len u in a d a Ri a D r . s en s e Cost c . See l o y g g , by W Gabb ; pu blish ed in E ngland and also translated for the D ocu men tos p ara la His toria de Costa Rica Don r n an z of L . Fe de , vol . III . COSTA RICA . — poverty of the first inhabitants a poverty which continued — up to the beginning of our century the preservation of the e— principal virtues of the rac sobriety , Simplicity , morality , — and love of work virtues existing to this day in a robust and healthy people .

Despite the spirit of the times , which little by little , the ff s of world over, tends to e ace the distinctive characteristic nations , there still predominates in the country a truly patri fi r archal system . The proprietor of a great co ee o banana plantation is certainly above the p eones who work on his land . on He lives with them , however, a footing of almost com — plete equality at least during the time that he passes in the

country . Never were citizens of a republic more democratic .

No , or very little, distinction of birth , fortune , or position is made ; the individual is judged by his aptitudes and his morality . Respect for order and property is maintained to — the last degree . The people and we refer to the great mass — Of the population obey the laws with exemplary submis

sion , and never resist authority . Crime is extremely rare ,

and property has always been protected , even when political passions have caused the parties to take U p arms . We Should

hasten , however, to add that there are some shadows in the for if picture ; , the Costa Ricans have kept intact the ancient the virtues of the mother country , they have also retained

faults .

The abnormal augmentation of the wealth of the country ,

especially of late years , has not failed to have an unfortunate

influence upon the morals . There is a tendency to luxury f — at the capital . The love O gambling a vice common to all — southern people and to many others as well is perhaps

more largely developed than formerly . The abuse of liquor “r becomes more frequent . e may say that the Costa Rican of has one fault race, owing perhaps to the enervating mild

ness of the climate . He lacks , as a general thing , the initia

TO - mafian a to o tive and resolution . morrow ( ) is a word t f f of en on his lips, as are the aintly a firmative expressions , h ho . as W knows ("uien sabe) Perhaps (Talvez , quiza) He

3 0 COSTA RICA .

lan ua e of is s The g g the country Spanish ; neverthele s , a F many Costa Ric ns know English and rench , which are taught in the schools and the knowledge Of which is more valuable from day to day in proportion as commerce devel f O ps and relations with oreign countries are augmente d . reli ion The g of the land is the Roman Catholic . The con * i n stitut o permits religious worship according to other creeds . fa c The people are in nowise natical , and the greatest toleran e the to F exists from p to the bottom of the social scale . rom lst 1888 of has the of January, , a general registry civil state osé a existed at San J , the c pital of the Republic .

ities an d illa es — T f 2 . C V g he most important center o pop u lation of of the country , from any point view, is without é os . question the capital , San J This city , which contains

to- is day from to inhabitants, situated ' - Its f feet above sea level . 1 foundation hardly began be ore the of was second half the eighteenth century , and it not until the year 1813 that San José received from the Spanish court f Its f the name o city . ortunate location in the midst of the principal centers of population already existing on the pla f of teau central , combined with the ertility the surrounding f lands, gave the new site very speedily an importance o f which its ounders had certainly not dreamed . The princi f of its pal ocus liberal ideas , inhabitants in concert with of of those the city Alajuela , took such a part in the inde en den ce O f 1823 p the little Republic that in , San José became

. n the capital at the expense of Old Cartago Political reaso s , o of ea of au it is true, brought ab ut the transference the s t thorit t y ; nevertheless, the new city deserved , in addition o s Of h other right , to be placed at the head the country as muc because of its most rapid development as because of its cen tral location .

- osé is of Such as it is to day , the city of San J one the most interesting in Central America . Viewed from neighboring

* a 1 1 art. 51. Cons ti tuc ion P olitic , 87 ,

m del Observa torio Mete r i P i ie B let o olo co. Y a 1 H tt r. o 88 . T . g e r 8 3 THE INHABITANTS . 1

a heights , it has a uniform aspect and produces a r ther disa greeable impression with its multitude of slightly sloping f sea of s roo s , a veritable gray tiles , whence emerge rare group

of trees , and here and there the bodies of the principal edi fices ; but the impression changes when one goes about in

. s a the town The house are as a rule low , a good prec ution against earthquakes ; but the streets are regular and well f n kept . Several buildings are worthy o remark and umer on ous new ones are in process of construction every Side . Two principal parks and a quantity of little squares brighten

the city . t San José having always been much visited by s rangers , the hotels there have an international character and Offer

the traveler all desirable comforts . The most striking edi fi ces are the national buildings , such as the presidential pal f n ace and the national palace, where are ou d the various

f . s government O fices The churche , the principal of which , cus the cathedral , has facing it a park Shaded by great fi (a species of fig trees with a diminutive fruit) and maintained

. e with great care Som of the public or private buildings, n besides , attract attention ; amo g these we shall mention the l f of O d o . building the University St Thomas , where are s found the mu eum , the national archives , and the library ; for d the two colleges young men and young la ies, the latter in constru ction ; the covered market ; the Hospital of San Dié s n Juan de ; the insa e asylum , hardly completed ; the ’ La bishop s palace , recently finished , and the Bank of Union . — — Some of these buildings especially the Churches suffered a a at the time of the l st earthquake, but the d mages are being industriously repaired . It is particularly in these later years that the ever- increasing prosperity of San José f has asserted itself in a remarkable ashion . Almost all the buildin gs that we have mentioned are of quite recent con Th osé is so struction . e city of San J being rapidly trans f f ormed that it will not be long , judging rom appearances , i a before it ranks first among Central Amer c n cities .

u - as of The ho ses to day are , a rule, built brick ; very few 3 2 COSTA RICA .

br t e are Of stone , which has to be ought a considerable dis anc old and the cutting of which costs a great deal . The dwell of adobes of ings had their walls made , great bricks beaten or clay mixed with chopped straw, and their partitions their of baha e ue of i h upper stories made j q , trellis reeds covered w t r thick mortar . They all have at the back o in the interior tio r n ot atio or a p a o garden visible from the street . These p s a o f gardens make the house pleas nt, permit the circulation m air, and admit the light . The rooms are too Often s all and

- uncomfortable , except the large reception room .

sé has - San Jo a very complete water works system . The city is lighted by electricity an d the streets are clean and well kept in the most frequented parts . The municipal ts to government exer itself, besides, improve each year the organization of public works . Five or six leagues (about 13 miles) east of San José

of Carta o . is is the city g , the Old capital This city situated ‘ in the center of a charming v a ley at the foot of the v ol 4 e 6 63 3 . F cano Ir z ; its altitude is , feet ounded at the of beginning the settlement of the Spaniards in the country , 1563 to s it may be in , it has retained even the e later days of of its t a certain stamp antiquity , which rebuilding af er of 1841 of the earthquake , which we have already spoken , has not deprived it . Its climate is cooler than that Of é OS r . San J , but the surrounding lands are less fe tile Con n d e c ecte Of lat with the apital by the railroad , Cartago is going to be the head of the line which shall connect the n plateau central with the Atla tic . The influx of foreign labor of late has naturally taken from Cartago a good deal of its former aspect and the city is altering its appear ance . There are already existing fine buildings , like the of L municipal palace , the College San uis , and the barracks ,

to not mention various churches built of stone, which is abundant in the surrounding neighborhood . Recently a

fine market has been built and several private residences . of A tramway connects the city with the baths Agua Caliente , 3 3 THE INHABITANTS . m which we have already mentioned , the trip being ade in t half an hour . Car ago has a population of to The two principal centers of population on the plateau San osé central , a little to the north and west of J , are the es Heredia Ala uela citi of and j , connected with the capital by

- the railroad . Heredia is Situated feet above sea level f an d . Alajuela , eet The climate of the latter city is a of little warmer than that of other parts the plateau . The population of Heredia is estimated at and that of Alajuela at Both present an agreeable aspect and h ave public buildings not lacking in a certain beauty su r r es a ounding their plazas Shaded by great tre on e ch side . a of h Although c pitals provinces, their importance is less t an that of San José or Cartago ; they are inhabited by peace s f loving people of agricultural pursuit who live in com ort, an d are both fairly prosperous . In the neighborhood of the cities we have just mentioned the country is covered with flourishing villages and half hidden with plantations . There it is that the true popula of c f tion Costa Ri a dwells, since it is there that are ound the hardy and Simple toilers who wrest from the earth the pro ducts which form the wealth of the land . An air of ease combined with antique simplicity characterizes the majority s s s to of these village , uperior in many re pects those of certain portions of Old Europe . Outs ide of the plateau central we must mention the two ports of Puntaren as and I/ imon on the two oceans which P wash the shores of Costa Rica , the acific and Atlantic , and i Liber a a . the little city of , c pital of the province of Guanacaste Let b h us pass over this last, which has not over in a itan ts and whose developmentmust necessarily be Slow because i of ts remoteness from other centers of population . Puntarenas and Limon are the principal places of two

- r semi provinces (coma cas) . The first of these two ports was for a long time the principal custom port of the country , for has both importation and exportation . It lost something of this importance as a result of the construction of the railway 3 COSTA RICA .

L its line from imon to Carrillo , on the Atlantic side ; and is n ot as harbor, encroached upon by the sands , frequented often tod ay by foreign vessels as it formerly was . Punta r of a renas enjoys a healthful climate the g eater part the ye r, an d s s - - s serve , indeed , as a pleasure re ort for well to do familie of w ho o of the interior, g there to pass some months the dry

n . L seaso s imon , although possessing little salubrity , like all the ports of the Atlantic coast from the mouth of the to of M to Amazon that the ississippi , is , however, destined a n f grand future . The buildi g o the Reventazon branch of the railway will make of it the port Of easiest access for the inhabitants of the interior and the most advantageous point for unloading merchandise coming from Europe or the

United States . F of rom an administrative point view , Costa Rica is di

ided two - rov in ées v into five provinces and semi p , which in turn are divided into cantons . The following table will en able one to judge of the importance of each of these divis I ons :

tatistics o Y ar 1 S f e 888 .

of 6 a I Province San José ( c ntons) nhabitants . Alajuela (6 cantons) Cartago (3 cantons) Heredia (5 cantons) Guanacaste (5 cantons) Semi -province of Puntarenas (3 cantons) Limon

Total

h overnment— F 15th Of 3 . T e G rom the memorable Sep 1821 a tember , , the day when was proclaimed in Guatemal a the absolute independence of Central America , Costa Ric has remained a representative republic . The present con i n 7th of 18 1 itu t o 7 . st was proclaimed the December, It r to the gua antees notably citizens equality before the law , I THE NHABITANTS.

to a domicile the right hold property , the inviol bility of , 3 r ts of reun ion igh of petition and , liberty of thought and f h b o a eas cor us. speech , and the right p The enjoyment of all these civil rights applies to foreigners as well as to Costa

Ricans . f i The division o power s clearly established . A Congress whose members are named by the electors , upon whom the f r so masses have con er ed the right to do , forms the legisla 2 . 8 tive power This Congress numbers at present members , and is usually in session from the month of May to the end I is e . t . of June oft n prolonged , however , into August Dur ing its annual session it chooses from its midst a p erman en t commission of five members , who occupy themselves during ff f the year with a airs o greatest urgency . The discussion of the budget is always the principal part of the work of Con F r gress . o some years past all contracts to be made by the government with companies or private individuals of the country or foreigners have been submitted for its considera

tion . In their decisions the legislative assemblies of Costa Rica have always given evidence of a true spirit of modera tion and justice and of ardent desire for the progress and f development o the country . The executive power is in the hands O f the P residen t of the Re ublic of Secretaries o p , who exercises it with the assistance f

State chosen by him and forming his Cabinet . The President

for n ot re- is elected four years and is immediately eligible . In case of serious illness or other cause obliging him to re linquish his duties he calls to power one of the three per sons appointed by Congress at the beginning of the presi dential period and bearing each the title of Designado (Des

The President of the Republic is elected by the same body

es n r en n Don B e n a m the c u The pr e t P esid t , Ge eral r rdo Soto , to who o n la el n e for e e me n u r n as fe w a s has try is rg y i debt d its d v lop t d i g the l t ye r , ec n r as n a de e ed u the c n B o i r e tly , for e o s of he lth , liv r p power to the se o d s g n ated Do n s e ns n s u el a u s n ul u n has s ed , A c io E q iv , j ri co s t whose rep tatio pa s

the borders of Costa Ri c a . 3 6 COSTA RICA .

who elect the Congress . He enjoys a sufficiently exte nsiv e : the s o power appointing of the Secretarie of State , Of dipl ts of of n matic agen , and all the employés the Administratio is for for to his du him , and some years past he has joined

ties the command in general of the army . This latte r measu re has given Costa Rica protection from the milita ry

revolutions so frequent in Spanish America . The Presid e nt

s veto r . s a ha the ight, but limited If Congress ust in by a two-thirds vote majority a law passed by it and me t by veto can u his of the Executive , the latter no longer ref se sanction .

to for 1889 e Co According the budget the Pr sident, m

- in - mander Chief of the Army , receives a monthly salary of is nearly There , beside , assigned him a su m of for of outlay representation , and the nation takes a x n of upon itself cert in e pe ses his household . of to The Secretaries State , whom the law , democratic to M an extreme , perhaps , denies the title of inisters , are at

present four in number. Each on e is in charge of several F ffa portfolios . The Secretary of oreign A irs is at the same time Secretary of Justice and Religious Matters ; the Secre tary of the Treasury is also that of Commerce and Public For t Instruction . a long time Cos a Rica had but tw o Sec retaries of State at the side of the President ; but the note worthy development of the coun try during late years h as a rendered necessary a division of incre sed labor . Each Sec retary of State presents annually to Congress a report in de a t il , showing the acts of the Administration in which he e has taken part . The minist rial crises which arrive from as do n ot time to time, in all truly democratic countries , , as ff of ff a general thing, a ect the prosperous march a airs . In

’ any case they leave the vast majority of the population

thoroughly indifferent . At the head of each province is a governor in direct rela tion with the Executive power . The immediate agents of are of the governor placed at the head each canton . They are called p olitical chiefs and their functions somewhat re F semble those of the maires in rance . Beside the p olitical

3 8 COSTA RICA .

eared b ut ta O b p , have secondary impor nce to the impartial can server who, comparing the present with the past , thus f oresee a happy future .

u —I 4 . P blic Life t is customary in E u rOpe and the United States to consider the old countries of Spanish America as the lands par excellence for political struggles with arms f n o . n to and military revolutions This opinion , u ortu ately as true regards many Spanish American republics , is , in

f . re erence to Costa Rica , absolutely false Nothing could be more erroneous than the belief that from the day of the proclamation of its independence began the era of p ron uncia i 1821 mentos for the country . It s true that Since the Presi dents have not always legally succeeded on e to another . There have certainly been struggles where force has overcome right ; some b arracks revolutions are counted in the history of f Costa Rica ; but one may , however, a firm in all justice that the country Should rank in this respect far above many other young American republics . In any case the grea t n mass of the population , the country people , have never take h an active part in these passing agitations . Blood as neve r v flowed on Costa Rican soil shed by fratricidal hands , sa e under such rare and exceptional circumstances that it were not worthy of mention . The political struggles of Costa Rica are characterized by

a . s their c lmness As there exist no clearly defined partie , the candidates are discussed as individuals . In San José an d Cartago , it is true , at the approach Of the time for the election O f the President a number of ephemeral journals appear sufficiently bitter in polemics ; but the people do not care very much to talk politics and the elections always take place with order and quiet . The Foreign Relations have for some time merited high est praise . We have already cited , in speaking of the frontiers c to and the Nicaragua anal , the arbitrations which Costa has ff Rica submitted her di erences with her neighbors , an d Colombia Nicaragua , instead of having recourse to THE INHABITANTS . — arms an ex ample worthy of imitation . Work is also going of on toward a realization , through pacific measures, the union of all the Central American republics . A congress of its was held last year at San José , and a number decisions go to prove that an understanding between the fiv e sister ff nations is not far O . Thus will have been Obtained peace fu u lly that which the too famo s General Barrios , the Guate f to i . mala dictator, sought ach eve by orce arm all The y is composed of the citizens of the Republic , who owe military service between the age of 18 and 50 years So says the law , but practically it is otherwise . Only the t to young men from the coun ry are called , each in his turn, cuartel pass two or three months in the , where they are given f the rudiments O military instruction . This instruction is suffi cient preparation for such gu errilla warfare as might enter Costa Rica if the country should ever cease to be in peaceful relations with its neighbors . Whatever upheavals may yet take place in Central America , Costa Rica will always be pretty safe from foreign invasions , thanks to her protected situation and the concentration of her population upon a plateau of difficult access and costing little to defend . m 1856 The ar y proved its worth in , in taking an active part in the expulsion of the Walker filib u sters who had invaded and conquered the neighboring Republic of Nicaragua . In times of peace the number of soldiers of the standing army can be placed at In case of interior revolution can the armed force be increased to men , and in time of war Costa Rica can summon to arms from to

soldiers . The organization of the p olice has been given especial ' attention by the government . At present it is very satis

f t . ac ory , particularly in the principal cities The members of the force are n ot only remarkable for their activity and

promptness at duty , but also for their admirable appearance f i n d e . s a polit ness Personal sa ety , besides , absolute in any f o . part the country One can , without slightest danger, traverse alone and unarmed the most remote and isolated

sections of the Republic . 40 COSTA RICA .

P ub I t t — has s a ca 5 . lic ns ruc ion I n n o department Co t Ri made greater progress of late years than in that of public is ss is instruction . It but just to say that this progre due above all to the untiring zeal of the Minister in charge dur t f Don M F m ing the pas our years , auro ernandez , who all ’ agree in recognizing as the real organizer of the coun try s

educa tional system . In the budget des tined for the year 1889 a bu dget rs are amounting to a little over four million dolla , is s apportioned to public instruction . This department thu

made to rank third in importance . Primary instruction is gratuitous and obligatory for all em children between seven and fourteen years of age . It c o bra es reading, writing, arithmetic, objective geometry , ge g ra h o n p y, national hist ry , morals, civic instruction , singi g,

as cs . to for o s and gymn ti Added this programme is , b y , for es of military exercises , and those in the country principl r - es of mes ag iculture ; for girls , needle work and principl do

tic ec onomy . of r is a 3 00 an d The number prima y schools at present ne r , t they are at ended by a total of to p u pils . Thes e figures are all the more satisfactory that from the 1883 12 f ce nsus of only per cent . O the population of Costa

Rica could read and write . f a To acilit te the administration of schools , the Repu b li c is divided into especial districts corresponding as well as

to c possible the political divisions of antons . The distrib u tion of the houses in some parts Of the territory preve nts some children from enjoying the benefits of primary in stru c

t . e ion One can fores e , however, that twenty years from n ow the number of the illiterate will have decreased in vast p ro

portion , and that they will constitute n ot the rule but th e

ex ception .

s osé 50 chool in San J , for which it provided scholars hip s .

These are distributed among the various provinces and in

tended for poor and studious young people whose tastes lea d 41 THE INHABITANTS .

them to adopt the profession Of teachers . The normal school from humble beginnings has taken such progress that to - day it is transformed into an academy where nearly 500 chil dren receive primary and secondary instruction . The higher f m course , which embraces our years of study and fro which n 18 of has the pupils are ot raduated under years age, three — g departments classical , commercial , and normal . The acad emy gives to those passing special examinations certificates equivalent to the degree of bachelor of other countries and corresponding to each Of the three departments of which we f havejust spoken . Pro essors from Europe, especially engaged , have charge at present of the higher branches , but the gov ern men t sends a certain number of talented young Costa s of Ricans to study at the universitie or schools Switzerland , F n m t ra ce, and Belgiu , who will cer ainly one day enable their country to be independent of foreign lands in this re spect . Various private institutes existed before the foundation of the academy ; these hav e disappeared and are replaced by a national institute at Alajuela and a private college at

Cartago . Heredia also will soon have its higher educational is im institution . At San J0 3 6 there a seminary under the t media e direction of the bishop . During this year will be witnessed at San José the com ’ pletion of the fine building intended for the Young Ladies Hi h h of g Sc ool. The organization this school is modeled on of t that the academy, and includes a normal departmen is is n which well attended . There also at San José a co vent — school conducted by the Sisters of Sion foreign ers . In 1844 there was founded at San José a higher educa tion al institution with the name of the University of St .

. s for s Thomas Especially de igned legal studie , this univer sit s y wa abolished during last year . It has been replaced School o Law on x by a f , a par with which will ne t be estab lished other special schools, with a view to preparing young men for higher courses in foreign universities .

The general intellectual culture of the country , we must 42 COSTA RICA .

F has f o . add , already arrived at a satis act ry point rom the press of the Nation al Prin ting Oflice are iss ued excellent pub lication s : books intended for the schools ; collections of sta tistics ; bulletins O f the Physico - Geographic Institute and the Museum ; journals of education ; pamphlets of utility to of agriculturists ; legal annals , published by the society law ers ffi s y , not to mention the o cial journal , the annual report

O f ff ts n d . di erent departmen , a many other works The p ress of the country is represented in ordinary times or O f d at by five six journals, nearly all which are printe San José and which devote as much space to literature as to s c politics . In election time , above all the presidential ele m is tion , as we have already said , their nu ber considerably augmented ; but the existence of nearly all these fl edgelin gs i s but brief. n e arts mu sic The Costa Ricans are friends to the fi , and to O ld above all . There w as at San José an municipal theatre r O f e 3 0 1888 dam which the ea thquake Decemb r , , greatly P aged ; a new on e is projected on the same site . assing theatrical companies used to give vaudevilles and op erettas d to . there , and their receipts were always satisfac ry To ay the principal diversion of the people consists in going to the Central Park on Thursdays and Saturdays to hear the con cert which is given there by the military band in the after ’ noon and repeated during the evening before the Presiden t s

palace . A philharmonic society whose members meet tw o or three times a week gives concerts of vocal and in stru

mental music from time to time . In nearly all the houses o rs there are found pianos , which , t uched by skillful finge , enliven the evening reunions or tertu lias and p ermit e n gaged couples to take a turn in the waltz un der the watch

ful eye of the old folks , who discuss gravely the last market

price of coffee or the trivial news of the day .

Forei ners — 12 t n ow 6 . g Article of the cons itution in force says ° F n n oreigners e joy , withi the territory of the Nation , all THE I NHABITANTS .

‘ the civil rights of the citizen . They can prae tice their in du stries u and conduct their b siness , 29W , buy

and sell it, navigate along the coasts or in the rivers , practice v freely their religion , ser e as witnesses , and marry accord

ing to law . They are not obliged to become naturalized f ” or to pay orced and unreasonable contributions .

These privileges have always been faithfully granted , and foreigners have come in large numbers to Costa Rica , especially f ffi o late years . According to o cial statistics their number own this year has reached persons ; our information , however, leads us to believe this figure a litte higher than is t 1 correct, and the true propor ion is something like for eigner to every 25 inhabitants . The European colony most 700 800 numerous is the Spanish , which counts from to ; after in F it come importance the German , English , and rench “ colonies , which are equal to that of the United States , and 200 3 00 are composed of from to members , according to f offi cial statistics . The works o the Reventazon railway branch have been the cause of the temporary increase of some colonies . The Italians , for example , were found to n umber nearly at one time during the past year ; the Jamaica negroes who have replaced them are very numerous

- to day in the province of Cartago . The Nicaraguans and Colombians compose alone a quarter of the entire foreign population . That which in the first place attracts foreigners to the cou ntry is the excellent climacteric conditions which are found in Costa Rica— conditions which permit the Euro pean and the American , as we have already said , to live without danger in almost any part of the country but the influx continues chiefly because O f the decide d protection of the government and the admirable welcome which inhabit ants O f all classes have always extended to the new elements which have come to establish themselves among them. Wiser than many of their too jealous Sister countries over

* C n s uc n li s de Re ti lic a e a 1 1 b d C R 87 . . o tit io po tic la p ost ica , Tit II , 3 art 12 sec . , . . 44 COSTA RICA .

s t c the homogeneousne s of heir population , the little Republi has understood from its birth that it had only advantages to of c the gain from the influx the apital , the ideas, and r r st ong arms which were direc ted toward it . Instead of e n c d him as a pulsi g the stranger it welcomed him , onsidere

s s his . gue t, and made it easier for him to e tablish home Many of the immigran ts who ca me to Costa Rica fifty years a o d of f s so s to g are to ay the heads large amilie , a similated the nation which they have made their second fatherland that it is difficult to distinguish them from families O f purely

Costa Rican origin . The foreign ministers acc redited in the Republic have ordinarily their residence in Guatemala and represent their s r h w a c . a e o v rious countrie in all Central Ameri a There , e r in osé ffi s a s of t e ve , San J o cial repre ent tive the Uni ed Stat s , e F r l G rmany , rance, England , Spain , Italy , and the p incipa f Republics o Central and South America . The Governmen t of Costa Rica has always had amiable dealings with th em in all questions pertaining to the interests of their respective citizen s .

CO STA RICA .

The composition is also varied . The alluvial lands of fer

i - r il u rug n ou s clay and the silico a g o s lands predominate . All over the central plateau the vegetable stratum is of a

remarkable depth . Nearly three- quarters O f all the lands are as yet n ation al h ro ert . r of as p p y Neve theless , a very considerable part them e already be n taken for the benefit of the railroad , and another part specially reserved for the projected line to the u north and for the Nicarag a canal . These conveyances of n n consist alternate sectio s, the gover ment reserving one l t is ot o every two . This measure adopted in order to avoid too the dangers of large holdings by a single owner, often left for a long time unimproved to the hindran ce of progress

in general . The sale of national lands is controlled and the price is l determined by the law . The price very ow and the pu r has for chaser ten years to pay them , by paying an annual e f 6 int rest o per cent . These privileges are causing the lands

to diminish rapidly . The largest extent of lands which the “ 3 t * law permits to be sold to one person is 500 hec ares . The acquisition of these lands makes of them definitive property ; e of however, those situat d on both banks navigable streams a within a kilometre and a half from each Side , and those ne r

- 750 d water routes , within feet, are governe by special regula f tions . They are given gratuitously in lots o 50 hectares on the banks of rivers and O f 6 hectares on the banks of water r n his routes to the first occupant, and they emai property

as long as he lives upon and exploits them . If the land be

abandoned for three years it returns to the government . All land improved and enclosed becomes the property of the

u . person who has th s improved it , without his paying for it The value of lands depends wholly upon their distances from centers and upon the great or less facility of transpor u tation O f their products . It is th s to be foreseen that in the f very near uture , when the projected railroads and water

1 r Z 2 a r s 1 r 3 hecta e c e , ood . perches . L AND AND CULTIVATION .

routes shall permit easy transportation , the land will increase i enormously in value . This r se in worth will make itself felt particularly in regard to the most fertile plains of the north . — — The price of a hectare of forest n ot cleared of govern s f fiv e ment land varie rom three to dollars, Costa Rica money . One can buy from private owners sections already cleared from 850 up . On the plateau central uncultivated l is 200 ff and worth at least $ , and that planted with co ee brings in some places as high as per hectare per acre) . When one considers the comparatively short dis tance from the coast and from the centers of population of on e the lands not yet cleared , cannot avoid regarding them as worthy the attention of American and European capital s ists and laborers . The mis ion lands and those of the Chaco which the Argentine Government sells at the same price , are situated hundreds of leagues in the interior of the coun tr an d as t y, are probably not as good those of Cos a Rica . The laws governing property offer as complete security as that in Europe or America ; and , although the general sur ve is a y may not yet be finished , each individual estate me s u red with care and the plan of the same joined to the title F 1 of the property . The iscal Code p ublished in 88 5 gives the most complete information on this subject and will be consulted advantageously by all who are interested therein . The transmission Of property is made the office of notaries f . o public There is a registry sales and mortgages , which , f to as in Europe, gives full and satis actory guarantee the

owner . There is no land tax ; The owners are simply obliged to em contribute to the keeping in order of roads which lead to

and from their property . The registry tax es and for trans is ferring are very light . There nothing to prevent or Oh struct the reselling or the so desirable division of estates . Large holdings are the rule in all parts remote from the e centers , which are still almost wildern sses ; but where the f population is thick the division is most requent . There are 48 COSTA RICA .

e few f v ry amilies , even among the poor, who do not own to s—it their bit of land , and it is thi should be remarked in — passing to this general character of proprietors that is due the ease of the Costa Ricans and the calm and spirit of in du stry and thrift which distinguish them amon g all Central

American nations .

P rinc i al Cultures — 2 . p The principal cultures are few in

number in Costa Rica . They may be reduced to four : the c ff - s f m o ee, the sugar cane , the corn , and the bean , which or of x the base e portation and of general consumption . ‘ co ee to- f The fl , which is day the principal product o the e f its was n ot country and which unqu stionably orms wealth , a n known in Costa Ric a ce tury back . * The first grains, brought from Havana, were sown at the of a on e Cartago at close the l st century, and may still see e i O f es in that city the trunks, nearly cent nar ans , the tre f s for n c for which urnished seed the e tire ountry, and even all Central America . The hac ie ndas or plantations of coffee an d found in Nicaragua Guatemala were , in truth , origi n ally the work of Costa Ricans . The propagation of the w as s ff rt precious plant accomplished slowly , de pite the e o s e n f of many enlight ned perso s, who oresaw the great devel Opmen t that this culture might on e day attain to an d the th immense advantages that it would bring to e country . It is on ly from the close of the year 1840 that the plantations began to be numerous , thanks , particularly , to the measures a taken by the government, which placed cert in municipal lands for sale with the express con dition that they be 1861 t r planted in coffee . In Cos a Rica was expo ting

u in tals of ff f its has q T co ee , and thence orward production

- increased each year . To day the en tire plateau from Car

* The qu estion of the i n trod u ction of the first coffee plan ts to Costa Ric a r s r u s n s es c a a s c in has give n i e to va io co trover i , whi h h ve but purely hi tori n a s n r u n s n o u an tersat . It is certai th t thi i t od ctio date back f rther th a cen tury .

u n 1"u i n tal 100 po ds . LAND AND CULTIVATION . 49 tago to Alajuela is covered with plantations of magnificent so n aspect in all seasons , but especially in April , whe the branches are covered with their white and delicately fra n or - s gra t flowers , in December, when the cherry red berrie

Shine among the dark green leaves . It is only at the end of the fourth year that the tree has f Six fu reached a height o about feet and is in ll production .

The planting is done in a nursery , and when the trees are a year old they are transplanted to the place they are to occupy permanently . The young trees are usually arranged of in long rows , and succeed one to another at a distance from a yard and a half to two yards . The plantation in i s . quincunx rare Between the plants are set banana trees , whose large leaves protect the coffee from the sun while it

is . s out yet young The e banana trees , which are every year , F r . o are, besides , the only improving that is given the soil some time past various planters have sought to increase their harvests by covering their l ands with guano ; however sat isfactor t u se f y the resul s may have been , the of this ertilizer , n ot which is expensive in Costa Rica , has become general . s ff Beside the bananas , the co ee plantations enclose usually along their principal paths or rising out of the midst of the ff e fi s n co ee , larger tre s , aguacates , g , oranges , anonas , givi g the plateau central afar O ff the aspect of a vast orchard of ever a for few l sting greenness , the species of trees in Costa Rica that Shed their leaves annually replace them immediately . The coffee culture demands almost contin uous labor during the entire yeaf. The fertility of the soil causes weeds to spring up in such quantities that one has hardly done weed n in g a place when he must begin over again . This cleari g is machete done with the shovel and , which makes it very

. on e tedious and expensive On the slopes , and finds many of these on the plateau , which has many deep cuts , the tor rents which sometimes fall during the rainy season carry

of . f away a great deal earth It is necessary , there ore , to

- - recover the half laid bare roots O f the trees quite often . Then one is obliged to scrape the trunk and branches of the 50 COSTA RICA .

s so c n s a tree , which become overed with liche s and mosse th t F the trees would die from them . inally , all the plants are visited after each harvest and all their dry branches carefully

. c to pruned There is , fortunately , no ailment pe uliar the

coffee tree known in Costa Rica . A few isolated cases have been known of loss after the leaves turning yellow an d fall is ing , but the plant ordinarily healthy and vigorous in all

localities . The coffee cultivated in Costa Rica is n ot of any on e

c s . a parti ular specie Beside the ordinary kind , one finds species peculiar to the country and characteriz ed by a shorter a n c a appearing st lk , de ser branches , and a more ompact g glomeration of fruit upon the branches . One gives this ‘ species the name San Ramon cofieefl Despite its fine appear ff n ot ance , the San Ramon co ee is generally cultivated . There has also been introduced during late years a species called Liberia coffee. The experiments have not given thus far satisfactory results . On the plateau this coffee pro r is in con duces ripe be ries all the year round , which a great

en ien ce es a . v , since the harv ting c nnot be done at a fixed time Li Possibly , cultivated in warmer parts of the country , the beria coffee would produce more and its fruit all ripen at a few e fix ed time . Experiments are begun , and in a y ars will have been ascertained what advantages will accrue from the introduction of this species into Costa Rica . The harvest of the coffee is begun at the beginn ing of the dry season and lasts from December to March usually . Some years the ripening of some of the berries is more rapid than

c . The that of others , and a second gathering is ne essary women an d children are entrusted with this labor . It is for f to the sometimes wearisome , the berries hardly ripe all ground and on e must pick them up by going on his hands and knees . The berries which remain on the trees are gath

. b e ered without any great trouble These, however, should for r im necessary , the buds appear on the b anches almost

im an at n s of San Ramon is a place of some port ce the orthea t the plateau . LAND AND CULTIVATION . m f ediately a ter the ripening of the berries, and in picking ’ the latter by handfuls one destroys apart O f the next year s crop . It is unfortunately impossible to pay the laborers by for e the day , the harv sting should be done promptly in order — n s that the preparation the drying and the placi g in acks, — O f which we shall speak further on should be effected before is the return of the rainy season . It espec ially during the season of the coffee harvest that the lack of labor is felt in

Costa Rica . In order to judge of the amount of work performed by the women and children at their task they are given a basket 18 20 15 18 t that will hold to litres ( to quar s), to fill which 12 a six they are paid a real ( 4 cents, Americ n money ; pence, can f 8 10 English) . A good worker fill her basket rom to times in the day . The production of coffee varies naturally according to the i . s es lands It timated , however, that a tree in good condi f ff tion should give a pound and a half o dry co ee . A hectare (2 acres) of very fertile land will produce as much as 50 quintals pounds) of coffee in the sack ; the average i 1 2 i production s 8 to 0 quintals . The production s naturally i subject to the chances of harvest . It s seldom that two o c good years c me su cessively ; nevertheless , the figures are r very satisfactory fo all the late harvests . 1887 In the production was quintals, representing of for 1886 u a a value and , q int ls were to gathered , amounting r f ff to The p ice o co ee continues rise every year . In 1884 10 of 92 1885 it was at $ per quintal ( pounds) ; in , in 1887 18 an d as as 2 we find it quoted at $ , last year high $ 0

22 . a and 8 were paid This rise proceeds from various c uses . Fi is a rst place, there the high price which Cost Rica coffee e on a n has r ached the Europe n market, the E glish market,

* h s ff fr m s n A n ua o E stadistica T ese figure di er a little o tho e give by the ri , 100 n n —100 an s un se e which allows pou ds to the qui tal Sp i h po ds , who w ight m l n u n 46 a . a is a r r is o ly eq ivale t to kilogr mes The do l r the p pe dolla , worth

u 0 n A c n n . abo t 7 ce ts , meri a mo ey 52 COSTA RICA .

as x in particular, a price due much to the recognized e cel lence of the product as to the considerable diminution O f the a b harvest in Brazil of late years . Then there must lso e considered the vast difference in exchange which of late has c m 50 come about in Costa Ri a , where gold is at a premiu of

er . e of c n it p cent ov r the money the ou try, while formerly

2 . brought but 1 per cent to 15 per cent . - is r 65 70 The dollar which to day wo th but to cents , Amer h a was 85 88 s . ic n money , t en worth to cent In making a n of s ff ote thi di erence in exchange, it must still be admitted f ff has i that the price O co ee r sen by a third within fiv e years . The entire country has felt this increase in the value O f its of x its r s e principal product e portation , and vast prog es of lat should be attributed in great proportion to this sudden

augmentation of wealth . Nex t to coffee the prin cipal culture of Costa Rica is that - n O f the sugar ca e. It is cultivated from the coasts to the ff e . plat au However, like the co ee, it does not go above the I n t altitude of to feet . ts products do o figure in

of . the table exportations They are all consumed at home .

- The sugar cane is employed for various purposes . There

are as yet no sugar refineries in the country . Several well appointed and important factories make turbinated sugar n d of a sugar in powder, the consumption which does not go

outside the towns . The country people prefer the coarse s r c uga , which is nothing more than the juice of the ane e of ff thicken d and defecated , which is sold in cakes di erent is sizes , and whose dirty color hardly agreeable to the eye . u du lce This is called d lce. This same is used to make the of a uardiente or uaro o brandy the country , g g , which the g v ern men t e osé distills at a national factory locat d at San J , and h f as . F o which it made the sale a monopoly inally , the - is f sugar cane used to eed the cattle , the draught oxen espe ciall f on n m y, who have no other ood their long jour eys fro to to the plateau central Carrillo or Esparta , the inland ter minus of the railroad coming from Limon or from Punta

renas .

54 COSTA RICA .

mean those which are n ot generally distributed throughout the country and the products of which enter but slightly

into either the exportation or the general consumption . The culture of bananas on a large scale is only known O f

late in Costa Rica . In 1880 the first 3 60 bunches were sent 1884 to the United States ; in , bunches were gath 1888 ered , and in the production reached bunches , representing a value of This culture is mostly confined to the semi - province of L of t imon , in the marshy regions known as the plains San a t e Clara , which are traversed by the Carrillo branch of h rail L a way . Every week steamers leave imon loaded with b i h n an as wh c Y . , they carry to either New Orleans or New ork In these markets a fru it which is hardly known in Europe

becomes daily of greater importance . Unfortunately the so fo r lands on the Atlantic coast, excellently adapted the l n ot . a banana culture , are healthful The mortality has

ways been great among the plantation hands . The negroes of appear best to resist the climate Santa Clara , and they are of n very numerous in this part the cou try , while in other

parts they are rarely seen . We have said previously that the banana is found in all

the coffee plantations . The various sp ecies produced on the plateau central are used for general consumption ; they are

f n . eaten boiled while green , or ried whe ripe We may also

Observe that vinegar is made from them , and that it were well worth the experiment at extracting sugar and starch a O f from them . The banan s would also produce brandy du lce better quality than the and to greater advantage , but f f he o . lt laws the country prohibit this manu acture

The cacao of Costa Rica has not to - day the importance it on formerly had , although it is still cultivated the Atlantic

coast and on the plains of San Carlos . It is of excellent

of M - quality , especially that atina , in the semi province of L of f imon , which has a reputation rivaling that the amous

Mexican Soconusco cacaos. With a view to encourage the 55 LAND A ND CULTIVATION .

of so development the culture of valuable a product , the government has lately awarded premiums of and en to the proprietors of the best plantations . This cou ra emen t of of g to labor and this protection agriculture , f x which urther on will be seen other e amples , have not failed to affect and augment the production of cacao in the 8 . 1 88 country The harvest of was nearly quintals , the value of which is estimated at The most of cacao the is consumed at home , and more is imported from of f Ecuador and Colombia , although relatively in erior quality .

Cereals are not cultivated in Costa Rica as they might be . Rice , however, is harvested in all the provinces except those of Heredia and Limon . The kind that is known in Costa Rica grows very well on the dry lands and needs not to be 1 or . 888 submerged even irrigated In , litres of rice were sown , which produced the reaping being h thus 27 to 1. This reaping is considerably igher in all the f warm regions . The rice o the country is consumed with out being refined ; it is on this account less white than and not of as good appearance as the imported rice, which , how ever , is less nutritious . of wheat d The culture , once quite important, is to ay f almost abandoned . The provinces o Heredia and Alajuela alone cultivate it in small quantities by no means sufficient F of . for the consumption the country lour is imported , chiefly from California, at a low price , which tends to dis as ff courage the wheat culture , particularly co ee brings such a high price . The culture of the latter under the circum stances has become much more remunerative . It would be a good thing for the government to encourage the wheat culture by premiums Similar to thos e which it has awarded f cacao . s o to proprietors The va t consumption corn , which is to hardly conducive perfect health , could thus be replaced by the consumption of wheat . Among the farinaceous roots should be mentioned the sweet man ioca Man i ot uca ( p Aipi), which is called y through 5 6 COSTA RICA .

u t o . e the country, and which is eaten boiled Starch is mad

f as . a maniac atrO ha man i ot so rom it well The re l (J p p ), a is common in South Americ and from which tapioca made , i I s n ot known n the country . The yam and the Sweet potato te o are usually cultiva d on the coasts , but they thrive als n very well o the plateau . The farinaceous and sweet root of of aroidée ti uis ue the a species an , which is called q q in of country (Colocasia Esculenta), is eaten and a number other cha ote roots , such as those of the y , more delicate than the uca arracachos es ta y , the , somewhat r embling potatoes in ste,

etc . . , etc The real potato is cultivated principally in the province t is c of Car ago on the hillsides , where it a little ooler than in ’ f f I r z rI Its is f s the rest o o the a country . production air a to i i n s x . s quantity , while the quality e cellent It a remu erative culture when on e considers the high price paid in the mar ket . During the past year litres were gathered almost entirely in the province we have just mentioned . The potato culture will nec essarily assume greater impor tance on the conclusion of the Reventazon bran ch of the rail for a f c m ro way, the valuable tubercle c nnot ail to be o e a p duct for ex portation to Colombia and neighboring States . where the tropical climate renders its culture impossible . The edible fruits are n ot obj ects of Special culture in the n the country . Everywhere among the plantatio s are found r imes eaches s uin ces . o an es l principal ones g , , p , fig , q , pome f on granates . All fruits imported rom Europe thrive the f plateau . Among indigenous ruits , or of tropical origin, we

ine- a les a uacates an on as sa otes a aws ocotes find p pp , g , , p , p p , j , man le ren adilla cocoanut of g , g , , the fruits several palms , those

O f . of two cacti , and a host others of less importance Among tomato other products serving as food we may mention the , e - lan t imen to ae ggp , p , and the fruits of various cucurbitace

- water melon a ote cha ote z a a ote . ( , y , y , p y )

a and fi s u u n d n a n fe u al The pe ches g , altho gh ab a t , are of very i rior q ity m nd c u u s n are n l nsu n . s i a , rio ly e ough , they o y co med gree It is almo t possible to O btai n them ripe . 57 LAND AND CULTIVATION .

4 N tur — con . ew Cul es The cultures which we have thus far sidered are not the only ones from which it is possible to reap a excellent results in Costa Rica . Many others could cert inly

be introduced with success into the country . Various natural ts es of produc are d erving a special and careful culture, which

in improving them would be achieving great triumphs .

Trials have been made up to the present time, but without fully

u s . n complete res lt These trials have, nevertheless , prove that which it was easy to foresee for a country presenting of such diversity zones , that nearly all known cultures are to at possible in Costa Rica . In order systematize these tempts and to profit by them practically the government has school o a riculture very recently decided to create a f g , or h an experimental ground and garden of acclimatization , w ich will enable to be obtained n ot only the improvement of cult of ures already existing, but also the certain appreciation is the best new cultures . Work upon the new institution a of f alre dy begun , and a corps pro essors , who have studied in the best schools of agriculture Of Belgium and Switzer f land , will soon be occupied with their labors . The ollow in g are the cultures which are the most likely to be intro

du ced ere long into the country . They have all been either already attempted or deserve well to be ’ The vin e is at present the Object of the government s espe cial o s licitude, as well as of all persons interested in new F r cultures . o a long time there have existed in the country

several small graperies , which have borne fruit yearly . The acclimatization has lately been attempted of a quantity of o é California vine stock in the immediate vicinity of San J s . It remains to be seen if this attempt will produce good re l n ot su lts . It is ou r Opinion that the tria s should be made

- of on the plateau central , but on the well exposed slopes the i or on of volcanic cord llera the sides of the mountains , cal

ce f . On reous ormation , which compose the southern chains the argilous plains the products can never be other than of a inferior quality . It is probable that in a few years the v riou s to n as questions relating the culture of the vi e, such 58 COSTA RICA .

for of the time cutting , the mode of culture , and the choice i c . land , w ll be successfully de ided It may be observed that during the period of Spanish dominion the culture of the vine was prohibited . i A Sp ces would doubtless succeed in Costa Rica . s we have s already noted , the country lie in nearly the same latitude as M — the oluccas , Ceylon , the Netherland Indies countries so to to s mo which have had , Speak , up the pre ent time the n o f - t i poly of this production . A species o p epp er plan s cul tiv ated a in the country , the Jamaic pimento , known in

Europe as the allspice , and an attempt has been made to n m n utme clove introduce the cin a on . The g and the are easily z acclimati ed .

Vanilla grows wild in the Virgin forests of the hot lands . Any on e aware of the high price this product brings in the market cannot help thinking that its culture might well repay any one undertaking it . Tobacco was formerly cultivated some distance from San in f w as José , the hills separating that city rom Cartago . It

of excellent quality . Unfortunately the introduction Of the f monopoly o its sale has caused the culture to be prohibited .

f to- Only oreign tobaccos are smoked in the Republic day,

imported mostly from the neighboring Republics , from San t . o Salvador especially There is , nevertheless , good reason believe that soon or late the government will be able to ad just its pecuniary necessities with the interests of the pro rietors p , and that the source of wealth which would certainly

proceed from the tobacco culture is not closed forever . The indigo is easily cultivated and abundant on the Pa

n . cific coast . There is o great profit derived from it at present The culture of dye - plants has lost its importance with the

daily increasing competition of mineral colors . A gardener who would apply himself strictly to the raising of vegetables of for would be certain finding himself amply rewarded , up to the present time there exist only a few kitchen gardens in of the vicinity of San José , and the products these are neither

varied nor abundant . The few horticulturists who have 59 LAND A ND CU LTIVATION.

a est blished themselves in the country have always done well , n ot for the people are fond of flowers . Better earth could be f of a ound for these to bloom in , and with the aid cert in irri gation methods they could continue to blossom unceasingly the year round . sweet man iac as far The , we have already said , is thus the only plant cultivated from an industrial point of View . N t Starch O f good quality is obtained from it . o to prolong indefinitely this list of products whose culture to a state of perfection is desirable , we limit ourselves to remark in addi tion that on e could with excellent chances of success under n of ricin us sesame arachides olives cocoa take plantatio s , , , , and for of oil musa textilis aloes ramie Mexi the production ; of , , , * can icctle cotton mu lberr of , , y, and a great number excellent indigen ous fibrous plants for the production of textile fibres . V arious experiments have been made in this line, which have already given very satisfactory results . The culture on a large scale and the manufacture of home products are

v O f of . not as yet arri ed at, chiefly because the scarcity labor

It is probable, however, that by degrees the population will ff cease to confine itself to the co ee culture , and that in a few years a host of new products will occupy important places in the statistics of exportation . We may add still further that the introduction of the tea culture into the country would not only be desirable but would produce most remunerative results .

Natural ealth o Forest an d Field — y 5 . W f The natural ege of table wealth Costa Rica is so vast and , as yet , has been so little studied that it is diffi cult for us to give other than a cursory glance at it . It is only in the future , when the spe d cies shall have been determine and become better known , and when on e will be edified with the actual value of their of products , that it will be possible to prepare a catalogue

* - s n i The silk worm thrives in Costa Rica . It was to b e ee n perfect c on 1 dition in the N ation al Exposition of 886 . 60 COSTA RICA .

s as r w e thi yet almost unex ploited wealth . Fo the present c onfin e ourselves to the following points As c a the in all the ountries of Central and South Americ , woods of Costa Rica are one of the chief sources of natural

e . ex w alth Up to the present time , they have not been loited to e e p , except a very limit d ext nt and only in the

e - h defi provinc s lying near the sea ports . T ere is a lack of nite knowledge concerning them , and the diversity of names n r given them , accordi g to the various provinces , still fu ther

f . increases the con usion However it may be , the various ’ i c of as as pr vate ollections made the country s woods , well has the curious marquetry which been exhibited abroad , th e have always been admired by connoisseurs . Among principal species we may cite O f woods for cabinet-making maho an bitter cedar cedrela ra ran t cedar e g y, ( ), and f g , us d in

on e for - for u aiac Europe , cigar boxes , the other pencils ; g li n um-vitae cocobola ranadilla lloron mora uiz arra ( g ), , g , , , q , Cortez ronron r w od f f r ose o . O o (Tecoma), , , etc timber build : male cedar cedrela chirraca madera n e ra au l ing The ( ), , g , j , a of nnambar ff of oak uachi elin kind alder ; , di erent kinds , g p , ira of two u aitil laurel z a otillo u anac aste en terolo kinds , g , , p , g ( n is ero H men ea cortez a amarilla or cortez a de bium), p ( y ), , venado m w uiebrahacha as n roble , i perishable ood ; q , hard iro ;

(Tecoma), etc . , etc . We may also men tion among plants which furn ish buil d in can na blanc a g material the , which is used chiefly in the f of of roo s houses covered with tiles, and which are made the of baha e ue braces j q of which we have spoken . All the bam boos grow finely in Costa Rica ; it is to be regretted that they

are not exploited , certain of them being u n rivalled for light

constructions . textile lan ts of The p , natives the country , are numerou s

. cabu lla and produce valuable fibres The principal are the , ita the iti uela . the p , and p The cabulla (Agave sisalan a) is sos uil henne uen Y a c called q or q in uc tan ; in Europe , han vre de Sisol rass hem or g p . In Y ucatan the commerce O f th e of fibres this textile plant amounts an nually to a million

62 COSTA RICA .

n so- industry to be created in the cou try , where the called

as a - Panama hats are yet almost the princip l head covering, is f the manufacture o these hats . The plant which supplies is the raw material in Ecuador the Carludovica p almata . n The leaf of it is split in arrow strips, which are dried in the

sun . n of These strips, u der the action the heat, roll up on both edges and form roun d straws . It only remain s to bleach and to weave them . d e- lants as The y p , we have already Observed , decrease con stan tl y in value, in proportion as the mineral colors may be had at lower prices . Nevertheless , a few will always deserve to be cultivated , and will amply recompense those who de vote attention to them . u There is found in Costa Rica the annotto, which is sed in of f is d coloring all kinds ood , while in Europe it employe to curcuma color butter and cheese ; the (root resemblin g ginger) , in di o u caesal inia on e e the g , vario s p ( of which suppli s the f dra onnier m ora . amous Brazil wood), the g , the , etc The indigo of Cen tral America is of a superior quality and brings a high price in all markets . The native industry utilizes the coloring properties of a great nu mber of other plants which have n o commercial value . nal lants u f Medici p abo nd in all parts o the country . Among castor bean croton cassia them we must mention the , the , the , sarsa arilla i ecacuana in er rhu barb the p , the p , the g g , the , the tamarind a aw licorice n ot , the p p , the , to Speak of a host of others which might well attract the attention of apothecary chemists . To Observe them employed in the country with on e n ot h v ir the greatest success, could doubt t eir curative re tues . There a also found various trees , which are called

u in uin as alsas n n . q q f , whose bark contai s ci chona The real quinquinas would probably grow in the country, but the immense plantation s Of the Indies have so overloaded the n o lon er market that this culture is g remunerative . E ssen ces and various precious products for perfumery pur poses could be obtained from a great number of very common

- flowered . plants . The whorl , bent grass abounds There are AND L LAND CU TIVATION . 63 fo asmine schoen an the stoma sandal und also the j , the , the , the wood Ton uin bean wild vanilla , the q , the , not counting the v of f f arious products the orange amily , well represented rom A to C . s the sweet orange the lemon and itron a rule , the f v Odori erous flowers, such as the ver ain , heliotrope , tube r of ose , etc . , have much more fragrance in the country which

. o n ot we write than in Europe Their exploitation c uld ,

to . therefore , fail prove advantageous The India rubber gathered in the Costa Rica forests is Ob tain ed from the Castilloa elastica . Although we class this t of ree among natural products, we should remark that late years plantations have been begun in various sections of the on country , principally the Atlantic coast and in the San has Carlos region . The government encouraged the culture with premiums of large amounts . This is a matter for con of gratulation , since the ordinary method taking the rubber not infrequen tly results in the complete destruction of the n t for 1888 n ot tree . The amou t of the expor ation did reach

There are found in the forests of the country a vast num of Of resin ber trees and plants producing large quantities , f the greater part o which are absolutely unknown . Several species of quiebrahacha produce a gum Similar to gum-arabic the cop al resin is abundant everywhere in the lowlands of

t . the nor h , but is not exploited On the Pacific littoral there has recently been discovered m rox lu m in great abundance y y of various kinds , which yield the well known balsams of Peru and Tolu . The first O f these tw o balsams particularly I s considered valuable and suggests has the odor of vanilla . Up to the present time it been ob tain ed exclusively from San Salvador . M - any trees have latex rich in gutta percha , particularly Of hi ueron ows mastate a t s o e. several species g (fl ), the and the p This brief review of the natural wealth of Costa Rica will su flice to Show what a vast field the country provides for foreign enterprise, intelligence , and capital . C HAPTE R IV .

I D R I E N U S T S .

A ricultural I n dustr — 1 . g y The cattle of Costa Rica are not ffi ’ su cient for the country s requirements . Herds arrive con stan tl as y from Nicaragua and Colombia, intended , a rule , for consumption . Over head are slaughtered an n u ally the province Of San José consumes fully on e-third

- of the total . The live stock statistics for the past year fu r the : nish following horned animals, horses , and Sheep . x as for The o en , a rule , are remarkable their size and

. for handsome appearance Destined the hardest work , chiefly the carting Of coffee and merchandise from the plateau to vice versa the coast and , they appear well fitted to the serv f O . of ices required them They are not any particular breed , f ff o e . and o er a great variety hid s Having great strength , they en dure exposure and are satisfied with a n ot always

- substantial diet, Of which sugar cane cut up in short lengths forms the principal part . A yoke of ordinary oxen are 120 140 of t worth $ to $ ; the price hese animals has risen , for however, of late years , and a good ox team can be sold O f f to f $170. The usual price animals rom three our years ld o , which are imported from Nicaragua or Colombia , varies f c from $3 0 to $40. They are attened in the ountry before being sent to the abattoir . The native cows are very much degenerated , principally from lack of care . One cannot tell i x what breed they belong to, all the original breeds be ng mi ed by most irregular crossing . They remain the year round an d of in pasturage , they do not give a quarter the milk that might be Obtained from them if they were properly n cared for and fed . The calves are ever separated from their mothers , and the cows are seldom milked more than once a (64) E 65 INDUSTRI S .

m f a day . What is ore , the bulls and the cows are le t the ye r F m round in the same pasture . ro this it results that young heifers are found with calf before they have the nec essary for strength normal gestation , and that their young are nat ll ma as u ra . y weak It y be added that the prairies , a rule, have no great variety Of fodder , and are especially lacking n o f in leguminous plants , and that supplementary odder is of supplied for the cows , not even at the time milking . The poor results thus far need hardly other explanation . To w e m be strictly just, ust add that the errors and de ficien cies which we have just alluded to are recognized by e the greater part of the large owners , and that the latt r are occupied tod ay in the serious consideration of remedying for its has . to en the evils The government, part, wished courage the numerous attempts at improving the breeds of cattle which have been made during the past few years . e B sides having itself introduced various foreign breeds , it has protected the importation of blooded animals by paying the sea freight upon them for the farmers who have bought them in the United States or Europe . to Thanks these measures , a considerable number of head of foreign blooded cattle may be counted tod ay in Costa

c . Ri a With good care and intelligent crossing , these ani n mals will certainly improve the ative breed . As regards ignorance of the true principles of stock -breed ing , the school of agriculture which we have already men tion ed c will probably suc eed in correcting this , by turning out good pupils and organizing meetings to which the agri

culturists will be invited . The Costa Rica farmer is less set * his of in ways than others his class in other countries . He

d u in r o u r ass r n on e c u ms an c in r e n We may a d ce , p oof of e tio , irc t e pa ti I n he e res n u u u n r lar . t v ry poo t habitatio s thro gho t the c o t y the foreigner m -m n s as n s n s w n c n . A l so u c c om fi d , to his to i h e t , the e i g a hi e peop e q i k to pre hen d the u tility of this mac hi ne wo u ld c ertai n ly b e prompt to se i z e u pon the advan tages of other mac hi n es whi c h wo uld simplify their l abor in c u l tiv atin e r lan s and a c an the sc c h g th i d t ke the pla e of h ds , ar ity of whic is a r us a se io drawb ck . 5 66 COSTA RICA .

will certainly see very quickly that there are only adv an t es e his s ag to be derived in alt ring pre ent methods . He will n ew u as f choose ways all the more q ickly, the breeding o and trading in live stock are considered very paying in the

country . of f Y The price an ordinary cow is rom $3 0 to $80. oung animals of foreign breeds recently brought into the country

bring exceedingly high prices . For a bull Of from a yea r 3 00 to 400 * to eighteen months $ $ are paid .

’ m i I B u tcher s eat s . ts e high quality might be bett r, and ’ its unsavory taste comes from the animal s watery and 2 h . ts 5 t ardly varied diet The fillet cos cen s per pound , ordi n a a 20 e ry me t about cents ; and the common people, thos 10 15 e for who eat meat every day , have to pay to c nts i pieces which are not choice . It s almost impossible to oh tain other meat than beef or pork ; the calves are never killed , and mutton is rarely to be had . The dairy p roducts in Costa Rica give evidence O f the in sufficiency of implements and lack of knowledge how to s manufacture them . The dairy industry i as yet in its in f e a a to on e ancy , but it would c rt inly bring we lth any under taking it with proper knowledge . It is not always easy to milk osé is obtain at San J , and that which brought from the f e country arms in tin cans might be bett r in many respects . n of f Without retur ing to the question odder, which we have e touched upon above, we may remark that the present mod of transportation is very poor . The cans are hung on either of on of Side the saddle the back a mule or an Old horse, i is to which s ridden by a boy , and the milk delivered the consumer after having been shaken up Violently for several f hOu rs . The arms lack cellars besides , which are absolutely

" The pri n cipal blood i n trodu ced th us far to improve the n ative bree ds is

am e and D u . are n u be of a o f the D u rh , Jers y , tch There also a m r he d Swiss he Sc hu tz ree c all n ot r t man o cattle of t y b d , whi h have come di ec , but y f u m n s whic h have been bro ght fro the U ited State . INDUSTRIES .

of e u in to necessary , in View the general t mperat re, order -f keep the milk fresh twenty our hours . bu tter is Excellent made, nevertheless, in some of the prov ece in ; in Cartago principally , where the climate is cooler i than in other parts of the country . Only the pr ce of this butter is beyond the reach of moderate purses ; it sells at a F f dollar a pound . or this reason there is a great deal o im ' i ported butter consumed in Costa R ca . This comes in cans its and is usually adulterated with margarine . Despite Often to ff disagreeable taste, the latter , thanks the di erence in — — price nearly 50 per cent offers decided competition to the * n ative butter . The on ly cheese that is made in Costa Rica is a cheese or curds without pressure and Of insipid taste . Various recent x n a e periments have proven , evertheless , th t the manufacture of a good cheese n ot only is possible but would be very prof itab le s so for e , e pecially the farms situat d at some distance f n for of rom the tow s, where the milk is often lost lack being or of h able to sell it knowing ow to utilize it . Hides are an article in commerce whose figures reach to a A hundred thousand dollars . s yet the horns and hoofs are n ot n or utilized , are the bones , which properly rendered f r n could be turned to account o fertilizi g purposes . Of horses is The breeding progressing, but still rather of f slowly . The horses the country are o no especial char e i - acter or bre d , excepting, poss bly , certain lean looking little beasts which are really very strong and incomparable for

. inviern o the mountain roads The heavy mud during the , or n n ot m of rai y season , does per it horses being used as draught animals ; they are then employed exclusively with r m the saddle o as beasts of burden . The u les compete with

i -f s . e has them , but the native horse almost as sure ooted H ,

* c e of 12 15 c n t n u a l h The high pri the milk , to e s per quart , is at r l y t e n h u e el pri n c ipal reason for the dear ess of t e b tt r . W e b ieve we may afiirm a f rme f N e se in a a e nd th t a a r rom the orth , well v r d d iry m tt rs a provided a smal a a for nse es a h n f with l c pit l the first expe of t blis i g himsel , would do l us n s in R c a remarkab e b i e s Costa i a . 68 COSTA RICA .

e of mor over, the advantage an easy gait , similar to that of bidets F of the horses called in rance , while the trot the mule i s exceedingly fatiguing . The price of horses varies greatly according to their 40 quality . An ordinarily good horse is worth $ to Good mules cost more ; pretty fair ones may be found at

from $60 to $80. Improving the horses of the country will very soon be for well under way . Already companies have been formed

the introduction and propagation Of excellent Chili breeds . Sheep are very scarce in the country and Of a kind hardly t wor hy to be mentioned . In all the Republic there may be in counted head . Their introduction and breeding

considerable numbers is highly desirable . A sheep is worth

$10.

The hogs are black in color and very little domesticated .

They are numerous , but yield no such returns as might be i obtained from them if they were properly fattened . It s the custom to let them wander around the houses and along i 4 . s 5 the roadside in the country A young pig worth $ to $ . H f 25 50 . o Well attened , his price would be from $ to $ g f r raising is profitable . All Costa Ricans employ lard o the

cuisine , and great quantities are imported from the United

States .

The p ou ltry business is undoubtedly a paying on e . Hens

are worth forty cents apiece, and the smallest chicken more than half as much . They are very ordinary layers . A of of is number fowls good breed have been introduced , it as di true , but yet there is very little accomplished in this E s n . t rection gg bri g prices according o the seasons . Th e

- i average price is thirty s x cents per dozen . The results from this product are very satisfactoryj

H rses ma b e u n d ro m 10 u here are e rs at ro m 3 00 4 o y fo f $ p ; t oth f $ to $ 00 . The pri c es w e have give n th u s far relate to an i mals ab le to p e rform the h w o rk w hic h o ne as a right to exac t from those oc c u pi ed daily in th e

c o u n try .

V ar us s ec es n c c s are ra se b u t is r l 1 io p i of fighti g o k i d , it p ob ab e that thi s r ll n a S w s e c ease . O nl a c e a n c lass are n eres e in po t i oo h v d y rt i i t t d it , an d the las C n ress dec reed a abs u el r b t o g th t it be ol t y p ohi ited .

70 COSTA RICA . sons ; but the expense of drying in this mamnn er would be so great that they will probably never be uch used . One does not yet find the centrifugal turbine, which is employed elsewhere at present with such success in shortening the of ff r m time of drying . The turbinage the co ee takes f o it

- two thirds O f its superabundant humidity . h r kin — c . T e C ac g When it returns from the patios the ' coffee has its grains hidden in the dry pericarp if it have not been ground at the beginning ; if it have been ground the grains are still covered with a horny substance which s i nothing else than the endocarpe . These coverings must i be broken . This process s performed by means of great wheels traveling in a kind Of circular track half filled with ff r casca illa . dry co ee or , as it is called in the country This machine was formerly worked by oxen ; to- day hydraulic force replaces them nearly everywhere . The P olishin — f is for d. g Be ore it ready consumption the berry has still to undergo a final Operation . It must be freed

from the fine pellicle (episperme) covering each grain . This is done by means of a very Simple machine composed of tw o

cylinders of rugose surface moving in contrary direction .

The coffee passes out of this as it appears in the market . h ortin — a e. T e S g Before it is placed in s cks it is sorted , in order to remove the broken or damaged beans and to arrange is ff a it in size . There , indeed , a notable di erence of be n in the

various qualities . These are known chiefly according to the ff r size and regularity of the grains . The co ee whose berry p o an d n duces but a single grain , round resembli g a large green w pea , ith a lengthwise furrow , is that which is valued most

not because it is better , but because it resembles the grain of the Mocha coffee, an d thus Obtains the preference of the F ff f . o consumers ollowing this come the co ees the first,

an d . second , third classes The sorting is done either by ma chine O r by hand ; in the latter case women an d children are

employed . The coffee benefiting establishmen ts in the country n u m is e on ber at present 256 . This industry naturally cent red INDUSTRIES . 71

e —in osé the plat au the provinces of San J , Cartago , Alajuela , F r has m and Heredia . o several years machinery al ost every where replaced the labor of men and oxen . Small owners send their coffee in the berry to the proprietors of benefiting works, who , for a certain remuneration , return them their coffee in sacks . The machinery used is worked by water

- or . power , either with large water wheels turbines Every year the stock of implements is improved and it is sought to n f replace the laborer by the machi e, the ormer being seen less Often in proportion as the country is developed and i offers a vaster field for divers occupations . It s especially at the time of harvesting and of benefiting the coffee that h f hands are lacking , and that throug out the country is elt the necessity of immigration of robust laborers in large num bers . At present an abundant yield in the country is almost to be dreaded , Since often one hardly knows how to gather harvests that are at all large . The sugar mills are of very simple construction and their du lce product , , although valued by the people, is exceedingly f m primitive . These mills gen erally consist o a syste of rollers between which the cane is crushed more or less per fectly . The boiling and defecation of the syru p are effected ' afterwards in the vats , whence the boiling liquid passes into wooden moulds and congeals in the shapes of truncated

. u l r n cones This is the d ce o thicke ed juice of the cane .

- n Some mills are moved by water power , but ofte er the force is supplied by oxen , or even by the workmen themselves . A person traveling at night in the country often hears near o habitations a lugubrious s und , similar to a long and strident

v . groan , which is repeated at regular inter als He is near some sugar mill . If curiosity induce him to approach he sees in the red glare of the furnaces , which causes them to o i to seem fantastic creatures , men toiling lab r ously move the heavy motive beams of the mill . There are over a thousand dulce mills in Costa Rica ; 619 f o these are built of wood and 449 of iron . We have already mentioned the two well- appointed turbine sugar factories of the country . 72 COSTA RICA .

saw-mills i 74 The , number ng , are very complete in arrange i . s on ment This industry , naturally , carried for the most so t e c is part at me dis ance from the plat au , sin e the latter i u . s v wholly given p to cultivation It , ne ertheless, very a of s of of profit ble , Since the price joist , sawed planks , or a r laths incre ses yearly , according as more houses and a bette * kind of houses are built in the cities .

r us I ndustries — t as 3 . Va io NO grand industry exis s yet in f Costa Rica . The few actories which are found employ but e t a limited numb r Of workmen , and the produc s which they ’ i n t turn out are not su flic e for the country s needs . Agri in r ff culture, t uth , occupies all the hands and O ers such large and certain profits that large capital is n ot devoted to any f n he n o . ev ert thi g except cultivation lands There exist, ou c e of less , a small s ale, a c rtain number industries which i will doubtless be developed when the population s greater .

We Shall allude to them briefly .

lour 18 - The f industry represented by a Single steam mill ,

situated in San José and belonging to a foreign company . With the increase of the wheat culture this industry cannot f ail to attain greater development . There are also found in two starch actories the country or three f , which extract it from

the sweet manioc root .

- B rick making is well represente d . Over a hundred brick ar ilou s t kilns may be counted in the country . The g ear h is on is in great abundance, while stone rare, the plateau of to central . The construction the kilns leaves much be

desired . In Costa Rica they only know the kind called

u for . portable ovens , the f el which is extremely dear This

industry gives considerable profit . Nearly all the building e to in the cities is of brick , although this is hardly adapt d a country subject to earthquakes ; it would better be replaced

by iron and wood .

r n u al e n s e uc on c a e ic The price of boa ds at r ly d pe d v ry m h the rtag , wh h l h n n s u c n s s a is a ways hig . The i tri ic val e of ertai wood which become c rce at e 4 u c in he is n ot to be disregarded . Firewood costs l ast $ per c bi yard t e u n c ities of the plat a ce tral . INDUSTRIES . 73

The tanning busin ess counts a certain number of estab li h n s men ts is . , whence an ordinary leather tur ed out This for f s ft is used in the country the manu acture of saddle , O en gotten up very artistically ; for alforjas or saddle-bags ; for

a e . straps, cruppers, and all th t go s to compose harness Several soap factories supply the trade with a resinous soap

good only for lau ndry purposes . The can dle factories in like manner furnish candles of in f erior quality . t f There are wo oundries at San José . They are certainly of f r v o . great ser ice, but only repairing The metal , in truth , f s al and the coal used by them coming rom abroad , article ready manufactured can be brought and sold much cheaper

f a than those manu actured on the spot . A weaving mill was established several years since at e f f Her dia and is airly success ul . The raw material for the fabrics which are manufactured there come from abroad ; n nevertheless, the ordinary ative cotton cloth can compete with that imported. The Heredia factory gives especial at e to of reboz os t ntion the manufacture (long pieces Of Silk), which the women of the poorer classes u se to cover their Shoulders in the street or wear Over their heads when they f go to church . This sort Of a Shawl is always o some bright n d is n t color a is expensive . It o unusual to meet barefooted country women whose shoulders are wrapped in a rebozo f f worth rom fi tee n to twenty dollars .

Other industries have taken a start in the coun try . The manufacture has been undertaken of castor oil and other

fu e . oils, chocolate, per mery , ice , gaseous wat rs , beer, etc , with n rO en cou r machi ery brought from E u pe or America . To age these industries the government generally ex empts the M machinery imported of duty . any others will doubtless is com have a beginning, once the railroad to the Atlantic pleted and the transportation of heavy pieces of metal is ren dered easier . Beside the foundry which we have mentioned above an d of a liquor factory , which we shall say a few words in con 4 7 COSTA RICA . n ection mon O olies Rem with p , the government has also a in ton cartrid e actor g g f y, which supplies ammunition for the ff army . Imported cartridges are soon a ected by the moist

ure . The railroad company has various workshop s for building f and repairing its stock . A good deal o the fine work of these was much admired at the exposition of 1886 . As h min in in du str n ow we ave already said , the g y, until

. a amounting to very little , has a bright outlook The p plian ces introduced of late will permit the prompt and s of so len ti erious exploitation the ores , which are rich and p

ful in certain parts of the country . Th The p earlfishery is productive on the Pacific coast . e company which n ow has the monopoly makes a specialty O f

- f- n O a d of . mother pearl , employs a number competent divers A concession has recently been granted by Con gress to a

o a of salt-work s C sta Ric n for the establishment , where salt will be Obtain ed by a process similar to that employed in

Europe . w All the industries of hich we have just spoken , although an d conducted on a small scale rather primitively , are , h F nevert eless , paying . oreign manufacturers would cer tain ly find in Costa Rica a most encouraging locality for introduction of new manufactures or the improvement of

those already existing . Streams everywhere furnish the

- f u motive power required . The rapid increase o pop lation

augments daily the consumptio n of products . The neigh as boring Republics , lacking industries , a rule , provide a

large field for exportation . Artisans and men with trades

are certain of making a good living in the country . A good

- carpenter easily earns $3 per day . A cabinet maker or an for upholsterer would easily make twice as much ; , although

a great deal of furniture is imported , that which is made in the country with imperishable woods has always the prefer

- - ence . Pastry cooks , pork butchers , tailors , shoemakers , and bakers who arrived ten years since in the country without ff capital are all well o tod ay . Good salaries and constan t INDUSTRIES .

a - s work can be ssured to good watch makers , printer and

- - - e book binders , stone cutters, masons , and house paint rs ; k n blac smiths, machi ists , coppersmiths , saddlers , umbrella —in makers short, to all those possessing good practical kn owledge and a determination to persevere in any indus

Or m . try , great s all

— 4 Mon o olies. i b e . p There s occasion here to distinguish tween the monopolies granted to private individuals and those whose exploitation is reserved by the government . L C as as iterary and artistic opyrights are protected , well for 73 are inventions, a limited time , by article , paragraph h 20 of t e . , present constitution The monopolies which have been enjoyed or are at presen t enjoyed by certain companies or certain individuals were granted them formerly by Con; V gress for a limited time . They were necessary and just in the time O f the first great enterprises or the du stries to d ay they would be unnecessary and

ta eou s for . g the country Indeed , as we have just seen , industry is no longer to be created ; it has need only of de v elO ment p , and this development will certainly be better and rapider with free competition . This is why it is so dif ficu lt now for a private individual to Obtain the exclu sive right for any exploitation whatever . In the same way the ff contracts made recently by the . government with di erent companies limit the exclusive rights to a few years an d stip u late that , this time having expired , they Shall be granted for to all others who , under the same conditions , shall ask them . The government has reserved for itself two monopolies : f f the sale o tobacco and the manufacture O liquors . We have already alluded to the first in speaking of cultures .

We Shall add here that the cigar industry , reduced at pres ent to the man ufacture of common cigarettes and ugly little ff cigars , would certainly be a orded great scope with the ces h r r sation of the monopoly . The c i cag e tobacco which was formerly harvested between San José and Cartago was of an 76 A COST RICA . undeniably superior quality and was greatly appreciated by f c its n oreign onnoisseurs . Should culture agai become free , i for n ot s it w ll be an Object large exportation , only in leave

- but also in the Shape of home manufactured products . W e

s h n of . hall ave to retur , further on , to the question figures to the We may say , however, that this monopoly gives n ation an annual income of half a million dollars . The manufacture of liquors is centered at San José in a i n Vast establishment . The distillery apparatus s excelle t and the products of the national factory are usually of a fi n e h f r quality . The contraband brandy as a reputation o su eriorit O f p y, which it owes , possibly, to the attractiveness i t f f . s n o orbidden ruit It dangerous to the health , however , being rectified . Despite active surveillance and the severe s penaltie which are imposed upon those caught in the act, it has not been possible to prevent entirely the illicit dis n f tilling . The pri cipal liq uors manu actured are an anisette f the brandy , a white rum, and the pure brandy rom cane , u ar f commonly called g o. The national actory produces some other liquors which are not largely consumed . The intro of f is duction oreign brandies and liquors permitted , and thes e are imported yearly in great quantities ; but such high duty is paid that the consumer finds them very dear . The liquor monopoly gives the government a yearly in come Of nearly a million dollars .

8 7 COSTA RICA . mitted the ex traordinary development of the commerce O f im i n f f h portat o o late . Other acts of less importance explain t e great introduction of foreign merchandise within the past three years . It is within this space that they have begun to introduce into the country a great quantity of machinery for ff for co ee benefiting and various young industries . With ha the abundance of resources s come an increase of needs . For some time past the Costa Rican has traveled for pleasure . He returns from Europe or the United States L with tastes which he had not before setting out . ittle by of f an d in little the love com orts , of luxury even , have been trodu ced , and one in rivalry with another in this direction , the principal business houses have been compelled to satisfy f r new demands . Articles o which there was absolutely no o call a few years Since have come int daily demand . We may remark here that the situation could not but prove dis tressing should a fall in the price of coffee or bad harvests come to diminish the sole resources which at present pay for this comfort and these more and more refined tastes of civil iz ed life . is to articles o ex ortation It useless enumerate here the f p , ff e en since the co ee constitut s nearly the tire amount . We may say that after it the bananas and hides alone are of f of ff importance . Nearly hal the co ee exported is sent to

. e an d England Next in importance come the United Stat s , on afterwards, in somewhat the same way, though at a c sid erable F as distance, Germany and rance , indicated by the following table :

E x orted in 188 p 8 .

u n es . u n als Co tri " i t . England United States Germany France Other countries COMMERCE A ND FINANCE . 79

The principal articles of imp ortation are : fabrics of all u f is kinds ; linens , cloth , st f , and silks, whose value over

underwear, wearing apparel , shoes and stock ff ings, pita hats, sacks for co ee , altogether representing a O f value necessaries of life (rice, flour, sugar, a beans), estim ted at preserves, canned goods, f oils , greases, lard , alcohol and oreign liquors , beer and wines , drugs and medicinal products , tobacco , perfumery , t for f ar icles of luxury , barb wire ences , of f machinery all sorts , In the table o importation for the year 1888 there are also worth of material for the railroad in construction , and a little over

worth of coal . The principal lin es of steamers which touch at the ports of M / Costa Rica are , on the Atlantic side, the Roy al ail Steam v ’ a Packet Company s, whose ste mers leave from Southampton and returning touch at Cherbourg the Atlas line , whose steamers leave fiom New York and touch at Limon weekly ft V m a er having passed Cuba , enezuela , and Colo bia ; a line L direct between imon and New Orleans, engaged chiefly in Hamb u r in e carrying bananas, and a gl , which sends a vessel

. of on every month to Costa Rica The port Puntarenas, the is M Pacific Side , served by the Pacific ail line , which has the a F co sting trade between San rancisco and Panama, and f of vice versa . A ew steamers German companies and occa sion al sailing vessels which double Cape Horn stop in this n ff port, especially duri g the time of the co ee harvest .

1888 140 O f v In , arrivals steamers were counted in Port

Limon and 162 in Puntarenas . The foreign steamers do

ton na e i ht- not pay any g , and are only subject to a l g house 25 on duty of $ entering and leaving the port . The sailing vessels pay 25 cents per ton of registry and $10 light-house n t duty o their arrival and depar ure . The sailing vessels f loaded with ballast or coal are exempt rom tonnage . Ships

* O f this su m the sewi ng- machi n es make u p the amoun t of or more than half. 80 COSTA RICA .

of - ss war, merchant ve els obliged to touch regularly at one s ts d of the Costa Rican port , and boa oblige by unusual cir cu mstan ces r of to anchor in the wate s the Republic , pay no

duty .

2 h — . Financial State of t e B udget The budget of the Re of o as public has followed the progress c mmerce, the follow ing table indicates :

th r State of e Treasu y.

The budget already voted for the economic year 1889 su m of amounts, for outlay , to balanced by a probable receipts of leaving a surplus of over

Of the outlay o n e-half consists of amounts allowed to the different secretaryships ; a quarter is devoted to the my V f a rtisaiin debt ment O the interest and mo n c fl hex ; the fourth quarter is placed on the budget under the head of : Various

expenses and exploitations of monopolies . The receipts account is established by means of the pro

- ducts of custom house , Of exploitation Of monopolies, and f ordinary revenue rom smaller importation . The examination of the figures we have just given leaves no doubt as to the prosperous condition of the country an d O f as to the equilibrium the budget during late years . The PrOs erO F two last administrations , that of Don p ernandez ,

and particularly that of General Don Bernardo Soto, have made it a study to improve the finances and restore the credit COMMERCE AND FINANCE .

’ for V of the country , which had been ten years in regrettable shape . The statement of facts which we have yet to present in the chapter will prove beyond doubt that the end has been ab solu tel d y attained , and that to ay Costa Rica may rightly rejoice over her financial condition . The principal source of income of the nation tod ay is the

- custom house . All goods destined for Costa Rica Should be accompanied by consular invoice . They begin by paying a * whar a e f g at the moment Of unloading, then are sent to the

- P L central custom house at San José . In untarenas and imon there are branch custom -houses where one can obtain his goods on complying with certain formalities ; in Carrillo i there s a great warehouse . com an o a encies to d of A p y f g , which are consigne the most of the vessels which arrive at Costa Rica , usually has charge the transportation of merchandise to the central custom house . dut is r O u t The y ve y high cer ain articles , such as brandy , t t f obacco , Objec s of luxury , silks, urniture, perfumery , and

fir - e . has of arms The government wisely reduced the duty , — i on e s . s late , nec ssary article wines notably It probable also that in the nex t revision of the tariff the duty will be abolished or considerately reduced on raw materials, with the View to l . as ca u encourage young industries Nevertheless , duty is c lated on the gross weight Of the goods it increases in a con siderable proportion the price of the latter . Added to the of the s 0 8 6 expense transportation from port to San J , it may on of be estimated that it will double , an average , the cost

t . the imported ar icles It is nothing astonishing , when one refers to the figures given above as to importations, that the custom -house gives to the State annually over two -fifths of . m i / its actual revenue . The income fro customs s applied 7 first of all to the payment of interest and amortisation of the foreign debt of the Republic ; the surplus goes into the

National Treasury .

The whar a e f g applies to exported good s as well . 82 COSTA RICA .

The custom -house in 1888 produced in 1887 1886 e , and in , This revenu f i e ea . n has there ore doubled in thre y rs We have given , ea of of the x n sp king commerce, some reasons which e plai ns this co iderable augmentation . Will importation always be as great " May a like income from customs be counted upon in years to come These questions are difficult to re f s . o es olve We do not accept, however, the Opinions the p simists f s f ff who , oreseeing oon or late a serious all in co ee ,

m ce . argue a di inution of importation in consequen Speedily , f e a i th e we eel c rtain, new cultures will h ve ncreased vastly fortune of the country ; vast immigration will have poured into a region where natural wealth of every description only cer awaits exploitation . New supply and new demand will f f f l ta n or . as inly compe sate the all , if a l there come In any c e , a a like a wise people, the Cost Ricans have not fallen sleep ' n over their presen t prosperity . Government and private i div idu als to f t as are laboring increase it still ur her, and long as the policy inaugurated by the last two administrations as of t : we have previously remarked , that President So o in u — its partic lar shall be followed , Costa Rica will merit — i e s sa . nam that to y, it will be rich and prosperous The tobacco and liqu or monopolies together constitute an

of - in income equal at least to that the custom house . This c has Of e ome also notably increased lat years, although in s of f 1 les proportion than that the ormer. In 886 it pro du ced 1887 188 in , and in 8 , The net gain for last year is for O f the monopolies liquor and tobacco combined . Among the reven ues of lesser imp ortance we may cite the stamped paper, a tax on the slaughter of animals for butcher * for of purposes, the patents the sale liquors, of beer and f of oreign wines, the registration property and mortgages ,

* “ h s tax s b en n ” T i is called u v tio of war , because it w as established to m s b a orti e the de t contracted on the occasion of the 1856 w ar agai ns t the u a e , . A u is n o w the x filib ster W lk r ltho gh the debt paid , ta has been c on

n n . r er nn ti ed It p oduces about p a um . A D COMMERCE N FINANCE .

th f ffi and e products o post o ce and telegraph . All these revenues together gave for the year 1888 a total of nearly

m a ax The unicip l t es are not high . The owners of real es tate alone are obliged to pay the taxes destined for the n et- mai tenance of the municipal police , the stre lighting, and M k the supply O f water in the houses . erchants and ban ers are subject to certain tax es in accordance with their kind of of e w business , and a small number industri s pay like ise a f municipal tax . All residents o the Rep ublic over twenty a s ye r of age are obliged to contribute a dollar annually , to their respective municipalities for the improvement and keeping in order of roads .

I nterior and E xterior Debt— is 3 . The public debt divided — is — into the interior that , contracted in the country and the exterior, or that contracted abroad . i t r debt t e The n erio is par ly consolidat d and partly floating . The consolidated debt is represented by the capital of various f ns o . i titutions Of education , charity, and of benevolence The . government pays the interest of these capitals to the in stitu n has e for s tions mentio ed , but thought it nec ssary , variou e reasons , to prot ct their having had the covering of the na tion al responsibility . This consolidated debt represents at presen t a total of The floating debt amounts to the su m of It comprises chiefly f of ff of o paper money two di erent issues , which the govern ta ment every year cancels a cer in quantity . The total of the interior debt is which the public treasury ’ is e th to reimburse at a day s notice , when the int rest of e c of t ountry shall require it, in disposing the s ock which shall be returned in the paid capital O f the Railroad Company of * Costa Rica . The exterior debt had its origin in the loans effected in

* For c omplete i n formation o n thi s poi n t and on headi ngs 2 an d 3 in n see R of n n d m ” e an 1 89 . ge eral , the eport Fi a c s Co merce , year 8 84 COSTA RICA .

1871 and 1872 for the construction Of the projected railroad f L P rom imon to untarenas , crossing the plateau central . ' at was d This debt, very great the beginning, consolidate in 1885 and reduced to a sum of with interest at

5 . r per cent , thanks to an ar angement between the govern ff " ts Mr. M . men and the bondholders e ected by inor C eith , whose energy and perseverance we have already had ocea

Sion to praise . The government on one hand recognized definitely a debt which until then had not received complete legal sanction, hypothecated the revenue of its custom- house in order to s s O f on a sure it elf the use, and the other obtained the com lete O f L - of p achievement the imon Cartago railway , vital importance to the country . A company was formed to in

s O f a . was ure the conclusion this gre t work It granted , s of a O f among other privilege , the monopoly the exploit tion t the entire line , including the por ions constructed on the * of plateau central and acres government lands . for its of a The State, part , received a third the capit l judged necessary for the construction of the Reventazon line in u n for s f of encumbered shares , and reserved it elf the hal the product of exploitation or su m resulting from sale O f lands conceded . The p aymen t of in terest on the thus recognized exterior debt began, by Virtue of the arrangements completed by c Costa Rica , the first of July of last year, and sin e then have been continued with scrupulous exactitude . Fifty thousand 1 1888 pounds sterling were thus paid on July , ; on Janu 1 188 1 1889 9 . ary , , and on July , The government has thereby proven not only the admirable condition O f its is c finances, but also that it firmly decided to respe t and to h fulfill the obligations it as contracted . The credit of the reha i i country , formerly much shaken , has been entirely b l

The railway company has lately c eded the lan ds which were comi n g to r n n ac n ew m an —R a e u nd it , acco di g to the co tr t , to a co p y iver Pl t Tr st a n — Loan Age cy CO . which will undertake their exploi tation with briefer n m n delay tha could the co pa y itself.

86 COSTA RICA .

ht ur — l 4 . Mone s W ei s an d Meas es y , g , The money in genera i It m u se in Co sta Rica s the paper dollar . s value is no i c t f nally one hundred en s , five francs , or our English shil is 70 lings , but in reality it worth only about cents , f s 2 10 of ranc , Shillings pence, gold being at a premium s old from 3 0 to 50 per cent . There exist a certain amount of as sh government bills ; but, we have said above, they dimini e to- all very year, and those in circulation day are nearly issued by the Union Bank . This institution has the mo n opoly of fiduciary issue for a su m four times the amoun t r h of its metallic rese ve . The paper money is accepted throug out all the Republic without question , and the Silver money f of the country has no premium over it . The bills o high est denomination are those Of $100 ; the smallest is of o n e dollar . is is s off the The divisional money silver , and truck in

50 25 10 5 . c . ountry There are , , , and cent pieces Their

a 750 . 1876 ssay is thousandths The gold coined up to is ,

- fin d has to day, almost impossible to ; it nearly all gone out f o the country .

The decimal system of money was adopted in 1863 . r 12 The customary in te est on money of per cent . some years back is n ow reduced to 9 per cent . Beside the Union of in Bank , to which is due chiefly this reduction rate of terest a m , one can hardly mention other financial est blish ent

- t e ff n than the Anglo Cos arric nse Bank , whose a airs have bee s very prosperous , but who e Operations have diminished of

late . The metric system of weights and measures was adopted 1884 has of in , and been put in practice since July first A 1886 . S the old system is , however, Often employed as yet , we believe it well to give here the names and equivalents of the principal weights and measures of the country

i hts — is a . ) W e g The Costa Rican pound the Spanish -fi ar pound of 460 grammes . Twenty ve pounds make one COMMERCE AND FINANCE . 87

roba f arrobas i , and our one quintal , the latter weigh ng but

46 kilogrammes .

b easures o a acit — f . ) M f C p y The greatest measure o capacity is an e a f the f g , which contains almost exactly our hectolitres

(a little over 88 gallons) . It is divided into 24 caju elas of

’ r i i litres quarts) each . The cua t llo s the fourth

of ca uela . part the j , about litres quarts) — Long Measu re The Costa Rican vara is nearly the i 3 6 . s ame as the English yard . It s divided into inches The

league equals Spanish feet .

uar asure — d. ) Sq e Me The measure in general use is the

manz ana has . , which square yards In measuring of caballeria 64 great extents land the , containing 2 manzanas,

is employed . e es All thes weights and measures are employed daily , A eciall . S p y in the country is the case everywhere , it will ft be only a er a generation at least that the metric system , w d hich alone is taught in the schools to ay, will prevail and m * the old system and old deno inations be abandoned .

’ * A bu ndan t details as to weights and measures will b e found in Calvo s h C s a R c e . n w c a a a u . o t i a (edit d by L Ty er) , hi we h ve alre dy ll ded to HAPT E V I C R .

T H E F U T U R E .

We have endeavored in the preceding chapters to present

f s so . act , and we have done conscientiously and in all truth It does not seem to u s out of place to draw therefrom some

practical conclusions . Our work has a double purpose : on one hand to dissipate certain geographical and scientific as s a errors, well as certain errors of judgment, re pecting Cost a of Ric ; on the other, to attract the attention European and

r a . American emig ants to this s yet little known Republic . Although the picture that we have sought to draw of the a is country and its inhabit nts remains perforce unfinished , f n ot f e perhaps no more than a aint sketch , we do eel oblig d

to dwell upon this fact . We have attempted above all to be is a as she d just ; that , to make known Cost Rica is to ay . With that View we have drawn from the best sources ; we have even verified the greater part O f the information fur

u s . s v as nished Our e timates and Opinions, which we gi e of authentic , are the results experience acquired by spend

ing considerable time in the country . The study of Costa Rica remains yet to be made ; it will not be for some years that sufficient material will have accumulated to compose a f u r complete work . We claim or o part only the modest of t merit having, af er others, driven a new stake in the line

of a road which is yet to be Opened . The question of immigration is too important for us to n eglect placing in a clearer light some of the conclusions which should result from the facts shown in the course O f

this study . “ on e f Of all social phenomena , emigration is the con orm of ing most to the order nature , the one most lasting in all ”

of . to periods history It is as natural mankind , says Burke (83 ) 89 THE FUTURE .

c to to flock to ountries that are rich and suitable industry, h w ere for any reason the population is scarce , as it is natu ral for compressed air to rush into the couches of rarefied ” f air . This passage , which we borrow rom the savant L n d is M. a economist, Paul eroy Beaulieu , wherein found a f a quoted amous name, politic lly speaking, expresses a n For thought which no o e disputes tod ay . the greater number of European countries emigration is not only a fact ' but an annual necessity ; it is the judicious depletiOII to pre f vent plethora . The tide o emigration from the old world follows in the march of humanity ; it takes a westward

direction .

Beyond the Atlantic two vast continents , known to the of for s s greater part mankind only the pa t four centurie , ff a as o er as yet, an immense unoccupied are , as well incal l i cu able wealth . The tide which has varied in form and n ff has tensity , in di erent periods , at present two principal impulses : one proceeds due west and breaks in waves of

population over the United States ; the other, more recent, Slants southward and enters the estuary of the Rio de la

P . lata , whence it Spreads over the Argentine Republic In f the first centuries ollowing the discovery of America , the t tide of emigration was otherwise . It direc ted itself alone o the Archipelago of the Antilles , and thence radiated over the regions comprised between the two tropics .

The present change Of course is easily explained . That which the great mass of emigrants of the sixteenth and sev en teen th centuries sought in America was rapid fortune ; it w as the gold-mine which enabled them to return to Europe t to rich af er a few years, and end their days in their native

- land . What the emigrant of to day desires is a bit of land an d on which to build a house, fields to sow ; not sudden of fortune but tranquil ease, forgetfulness the misery and t the terrible struggle for existence ; in shor , peace and quiet of i . s in the bosom a new country It understood that, under

“ r m Colo n iz a tion c hez les u l au er -B e u F o p e p es M. P l L oy a l eu a 467. ar s Gu illau min i i , p ge P i , e t C e . 90 COSTA RICA .

a a a these circumst nces , the Europe n bet kes himself by pref erence to the temperate regions to the north and to the s i . s n outh of the tropics It atural , since they , moreover , recall to him the country he has left and obviate his pass o ing through somewhat difficult acclimatization . It is als n e s natural , since, bei g formerly reput d le s rich in precious m a s et ls, they were less populated than the tropical region , an d ff o ered wider field for colonization . i d s . However, the present a critical moment The Unite es an d e Stat the Argentine Republic begin, in spit of their c o immense still unoc upied territ ries , to be over populated in in certain localities . There is already opposition raised

these two countries to the flood of emigration . Hindered e e in its march , the latt r is obliged to se k another route than

that which it has followed so long . Whither will it direct itself " We believe the moment has arrived for it to resume its r - h e earliest cou se . The Spanish American countries av of lost their Eldorado reputation , but they have lost naught

f . h their ertility T ey will always have the true wealth , that f o the soil unceasingly productive . Immense regions await only the shovel and the pick -ax e in order toprodu ce not the treasures for n that have been demanded of them a lo g time ,

n ot of of . but abundant reaping, gold , but golden harvests Among all the Latin Republics of America Costa Rica oc cu ies on e of r t e s e p certainly the fi s plac s , if one class them cording to t he advantages and resources Offered by each to

immigration . Few countries have a brighter future in the distance . is e d The climate salubrious , temperat , and to be likene to a

perpetual spring . The fertility of the soil has yielded the f I present wealth and gives further assurance o it . ts posi

tion is certainly advantageous . The smallness of its popu for lation will enable it to welcome strangers a long time , n ot as a burden, but as a blessing .

Where , indeed , could be found a better spot for immigra tion and the fruitful employment of foreign capital The

agriculture demands laborers , demands them loudly , and THE FUTURE . the more that respond the sooner it will prove the source of wealth for not merely a few; but for the entire country . The n t lands not yet cleared are vast , of recog ized fer ility , and their low price places them within reach of the smallest capital . For those who will improve them they will cost only the labor of the improving . Those who work at trades are sure

. Va of high wages . The industrial field has wide range rion s industries might be introduced with profit into the country . The development of those already begun would as Show admirable results . Capital yields at least double E n tan d if much as in g , one consider alone the rate of inter is if est. This yield much more considerable one consider f or of in the income rom lands , the earnings of commerce ,

du stries .

M is a uch said in Europe , it is true, of the inst bility of the governments and the insecurity of affairs in the Spanish i as far . s American Republics This an erroneous idea , as

Costa Rica is concerned . The country has hardly known

- revolutions . It is wisely governed to day . Its financial Of condition is prosperous , and the state civilization at which i it has arrived places it beyond any retrogress on . All the c O f Of a ountries Central America , from the Isthmus Panam M as to exico , are represented , besides , extremely insalubri f i r P a . s ous . This is wholly alse Costa Rica neithe anam

n or M . The as the osquito Coast climate is , on the contrary, a f fu we have already repe ted several times , per ectly health l m I . f and te perate rather than hot there be , as there are v f e erywhere, unhealth ul regions , these will be rendered healthful by clearing and improvement ; and , besides , the to h for lands be disposed of are so vast, t at a long time yet, the immigrant will not need to establish himself in a lo lit f ca . y not entirely satis actory to him A third great error , too widely spread and one which we have strenuously sought to is f combat, consists in the belief that the country still hal

n . i sunk in ig orance and barbarism This s absolutely untrue . t of s The aspec the cities , the character of the inhabitant , the ’ c of admin is ondition public instruction , the government s A COSTA RIC . trativ e n wisdom , and the developme t of commerce are a ha n of proof of it . Europe no longer s a mo opoly civiliza h f . as o tion True, the light proceeded rom her, but the t rch n ow blazes in many regions once submerged in shadow, and Costa Rica may well boast of having in a few years arrived at an enviable degree of culture . Two other serious objections may be raised against emigra to as t tion Costa Rica , but these are not insurmoun able as they li might appear at first View . The first is the dearness of v ing ; the second may rise from the recollec tion of unfortunate c attempts at olonization , made formerly under deplorable L conditions . The first objection is easily conquered . iving t is com en is dear in Cos a Rica , it is true ; but this dearness p sated by the rate of wages . Living is dear because the coun try is rich ; one need not go deep into political econ omy in order to prove it ; the United States will enable us to dis n ot pense with inopportune demonstrations . Besides , every thing is dear . The stranger arriving in the country should seek to habituate himself promptly to the manner of living e to there . That which is expensive is the att mpt preserve intact the usages of European or North American life . The immigrant from Europe ought to be wise enough to endure some privations , which would only be such until he had d for to . o become used them He would well , instance , to give up the wine which he drinks in France or the beer which costs him almost nothing in Germany . Beans will supply the place of potatoes in his ordinary food . But are " these grave inconveniences We think not, and we should n ot have spoken of such elementary rules of conduct had not experience taught us at various tI mes that it was n eces sary to insist upon this point . From the fact that various attempts made at colonizing Costa Rica have n ot resulted as was expected by those wh o n ot emi have undertaken them , it should be deduced that gration is n ot to be advised . The best of enterprises badly Far conducted may prove disastrous . from us the wish to cast a stone at those who made the first attempts at establishing

4 A 9 COSTA RIC .

of e in process culture to some degre , and in a way to produce

f - food or the first needs of the new comers . t s Cos a Rica, nevertheles , desires immigration . We have is c for shown above that it a ne essity the country , and in any h f case a condition on w ich depends her uture prosperity .

Speaking of colonies , the economist whom we have already “ quoted says : The only immigrants of advantage to a colony are strong young men full of courage and patience ; the English enquiries have proven that under sixteen and over f is for orty , immigration rather a tax upon than a resource Although it may not be a question here of me tro olis l p and co ony , we maintain fully the opinion which we have just quoted . What is wanted in Costa Rica is u or so as do a yo ng men , grown men , long they not pass t stron ull o coura e an d o cer ain age ; but they must be g, f f g f i p atien ce. A common enough error among emigrants s the belief that life will be easier for them in every way in coun n t tries beyond the sea . We do o hesitate to say that it is ff f e . O t n harder at the outset America o ers this advantage , is that the toil more fruitful , more remunerative , and that, f is a the first di ficulties overcome, ease more speedily Obt in is is able . But it not obtained without exertion ; strength necessary , and courage and perseverance .

Yet is . another thing necessary The feeble individual , a the coward , or the unste dy man will not make his living ; n i he who can do nothing will ot succeed . Costa Rica s a new country , but it is also a country which is progressing of constantly . It is required the foreigner not only that he w rk i rk well o . s wo , but that he better than the native He made to repay the hospitality which is generously accorded I . f r him , in lessons he be a good a tisan , good farmer , or c good manufacturer, his merit will be promptly re ognized ; if he work badly , or even but ordinarily , they will turn

n ot . away from him , and without reason It is well , more ’ to to bow . over, have more than one string one s In a coun

-B au u m n n 4 1 8 . P. Leroy e lie , work e tio ed , p . THE FUTURE . 95

try where labor is scarce , one is sometimes obliged to turn t n N his hand o a ything . O one can really count on other

than his own in telligen ce an d p owers. ff im Despite all advantages which may be o ered him , the wi migrant should not arrive absolutely thout resources . has Whatever may be the work that he in View, he will f naturally stand in need of funds for establishing himsel . He will require these also while waiting for his first earn to or to ings , if he does not wish be dependent on others begin by contracting debts which it will take him a long while to get free of. In any event, a small capital will assure him independence ; the entire lack of personal resources will pre vent him from gaining this for a long time . n ot The best immigration , then , does include the feeble ,

- the utterly poverty stricken . Such will not succeed in Costa — . wh Rica The strong, the persevering, the skillful those o — possess some resources have their future there assured .

v a ricu lturists artisan s ood at Abo e all , are required good g , g their trades of , and industrial workmen capable of themselves undertaking the thousand little productive industries which

are yet lacking in the country . Countries which have called for immigration have always t taken measures o aid the immigrants . Costa Rica does

not intend to be behind the others in this respect . In proof Of the assistance we may cite the following fact : At the 1888 close of the year , over a thousand Italians, engaged at

work on the line of railroad in construction , abandoned * d to to own work and deman ed be returned their country . of i Desirous retaining a part, at least, of this immigrat on

It is n ot for us to judge of the differences between the railroad compan y he an s ha e n n a d m s and t d s . W e a a Itali who b e e g ge for the work y y , how a n o on e O f em had the s es c as n m la n in a ever , th t th light t o c io for co p i t reg rd the e C a R a suc c and em m n to p ople of ost ic , who ored harbored th for a y s weeks w ith a ki ndn ess worthy of prai e . V ariou s E u ropean jou rn als pu b ’ lished c orrespon den ce c asti ng the en tire bl ame of the laborers misfortun es the sad n s u n e a an n n —u n u n co eq e ce of th ir b do i g work po the co try . A s c u n e s the c c u nc s el our u ma en o lar wit s of o rre e , we b ieve it d ty to for lly d y e u n u u s s c n n u e au th se tr thf l torie , whi h prove o ly the i gratit de of th ir thors . 96 COSTA RICA .

on ff already the spot, the government immediately o ered to all the Italians who Should desire it to bear the expense of f f bringing out their families or them . Some o them accepted

- ff a . the O er, and are to day permanently loc ted in Costa Rica

The great majority , however, preferred to regain their old homes by means of an arrangement made with a maritime of n agency . The decision the gover ment respecting the Italian families may be taken anew with regard to other f a immigrants . We believe that we may even a firm that considerable amount on the budget will be promptly ap of portioned for the encouragement immigration , either in ’ paying the immigrants passage or in assuring them of im mediate means of subsistence on their arrival in the country . in ti orma on ta . In any case, f will be easily ob ined Costa Rica has consuls in the principal cities of Europe and the h m United States . They will fu rnish to all w o require the desirable explanations , and will transmit willingly to their government propositions made by persons desiring to leave their fatherland . The consul general residing in Paris will an d is Specially undertake to answer questions , it to him * e . that such Should be addr ssed , above all We ourselves are at the disposition of all those who may desire minute par ticu lars on points which may specially interest them . We should be very happy if that which we have stated fran kly of f f and without exaggeration any sort, may be ound use ul to those who are seeking a new country

* l of a R a Rue s Mr . n A ess . ddr C Palacios , co su Cost ic , des Petite Ecuries , s Pari .