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NICARAGUA 457 NICABAGXJA the Caribbean Sea. Thick forests clothe extensive areas on this side. Several rivers carry off the surplus water E., a few being of good length, such as the Coco or Wanks (350 miles long), which serves as the conventional N. boundary; the San Juan (125 miles), which drains Lake Nicaragua and separates the State of Nicaragua from Costa Rica on the S.; the Bluefields and the Rio Grande (230 miles). The low coast-belt, called the Mosquito Territory, is lined with salt lagoons — Pearl lagoon having an area of 200 square miles, and Bluefields lagoon half as much. Mineralogy. — The mountain-spurs E. of the main chain are rich in min- erals; gold is mined in the neighbor- hood of Libertad on to Matagalpa, in the heart of the country, and silver near the sources of the Coco in the N.; coal, copper, tin, iron, lead, zinc, antimony, quicksilver, marble, etc., exist, but are not worked. Climate. — As a rule the climate varies between 70° and 90° F., and there is a dry season lasting from about Decem- ber to May. Soil. — The natural products of the soil are tropical. The forest trees include mahogany, rosewood, logwood, fustic, sandalwood, india-rubber, and numerous others that yield fancy woods, mediciral plants, gums and dyewoods. Large herds of cattle are bred and reared on the extensive plains of the center and E. The rich soil of the cultivated W. region yields maize (the staple food of the people), coffee, cocoa, sugar, cotton, rice, tobacco, indigo, and a great variety of tropical fruits. Commerce. — The foreign trade in 1918 amounted to $13,684,743. The imports amounted to $5,929,803 and the exports to $7,754,940. The chief part of the exports were sent to the United States. The principal articles of export were coffee and cabinet woods. A consider- able amount of sugar was also exported. The principal imports were cotton goods, clothing, and manufactures of iron and steel. Religion. — The state religion is the Roman Catholic, but all creeds are toler- ated. Education. — The educational standard is low, in spite of three universities (so- called), at Managua, Leone, and Gra- nada. There are about 350 elementary schools. Government. — The country is gov- erned by a president (elected for four years), a legislative assembly of 40 members, and a senate of 13; both of these bodies are selected by the people, the former for four, the latter for six years. Railroads and Finance. — There are about 150 miles of railway, connecting the chief towns with Corinto. There are several lines of railway. A new line was under construction in 1919 between the Bambana and the Ocongtias rivers, with a total length of V5 miles. Forty miles have been constructed during the year. The total debt in 1918 was about $6,000,000. History. — Nicaragua, like the republic N. of it, was a center of Aztec civiliza- tion; the Aztecs were preceded by an- other race, likewise civilized, who have left stone sculptures and monumental re- mains. The Aztec influence survives in archjeological ruins and relics and in the Indian dialects. Columbus sailed along the Mosquito coast in 1502. Twen- ty years later the country was overrun by the Spaniards under Gil Gonzales D'Avila, and in 1524 the city of Granada was founded. This town soon developed as the head of a stream of commerce that flowed up and down the San Juan river. In 1610 was founded Leon, the democratic rival of the aristocratic Gra- nada. During the Spanish supremacy (after 1550) Nicaragua was a province of Guatemala. In 1821 it asserted^ its independence, and two years later joined the federation of the Central American states, a connection that lasted 16 years. The history of the country after the severance from Spain till 1865 is a record of war and dissension, war with Costa Rica, with Guatemala, and with Great Britain (1848), which had as- serted a protectorate over the Mosquito Coast since 1655. This region was given up to Nicaragua in 1860. Between 1855 and 1860 the aristocratic and the democratic party were fighting, the lat- ter being assisted by the adventurer William Walker. Since then Nicaragua has made laudable efforts to develop her resources and to advance along the path of civilization, and she now compares most favorably with her sister republics in Central America. A bill providing for the construction of a canal across Nicaragua connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans was adopted in the United States Senate, Jan. 21, 1899. It provided that the canal should be completed in six years; should be capable of accommodating the largest ocean steamers; and should cost not over $115,000,000. The bill also guaranteed the neutrality of the canal. Politically, the most important provi- sion of the bill was the authority it gave to the President to open negotia- tions with Great Britain for the abroga- tion of the Clayton-Bulwer treaty. Un- der this last provision a convention was