wintry wind was howling about us, we would obtain beautiful glimpses of rich green valleys, with silvery streams flowing through them, and here and there a cluster of Indian huts, thousands of feet below us. The road is very rough, and in some places so steep and narrow as to render it difficult for a loaded mule to make much progress. The Indians have worn narrow paths all through these mountains, some of which are frightfully steep. We met hundreds of these natives in parties of from two to twenty, always walking in single file and with a steady, rapid gait. They are gener COFFEE-PLANTING AT LAS NUBES. ally of medium stature and very tough, stop in the having great strength in their necks, and salute backs and legs; in their arms, which they exercise very little, they are comparatively weak. They carry very heavy burdens on their backs for long distances, often as much as one hundred and fifty pounds. The women also carry lighter burdens on their backs, but more frequently upon the head, and when traveling they always carry their young children strapped to their backs. The Indians who are in the habit of visiting the coast or interior towns can, many of them, speak a little Spanish; their own dialects vary greatly in different parts of the country. They are indolent and very superstitious, but generally docile and polite, and they always road to let a traveler pass him, hat in hand, with an "A Dios, señor!" In the warmer parts | as Of Quezaltenango, though it is the second city in size and importance in the republic with a population of some fifteen thousand Indians and Mestizos, we saw but little in our one night's stay. It is situated at the end of a great plain about seven thousand feet above the level of the sea, and is backed by a group of mountains in the center of which is a broken volcano which was last in active eruption nearly a century ago, although smoke still issues from the crater. As we passed on the next morning, this rent and broken mountain towered upon our left, the smoke curling slowly from its ragged edges into the still air, while beyond, the conical and symmetrical Volcan de Santa Maria reared its lofty peak among the clouds. The new plain upon which our road soon brought us is peculiarly sterile, being entirely devoid of verdure, and its baked surface is scattered over with rocks thrown from the volcano many years ago. It is believed by many to have been formerly the bed of a lake, and its general appearance and surroundings certainly tend to confirm that supposition. It ends very abruptly, and from its edge, at an elevation of more than seven thousand feet, we enjoyed an exceedingly grand and extensive view, cover ing the whole country between us and the Pacific Ocean, whose glistening surface, at a distance of twenty leagues, was plainly visi ble. Our descent at first was very steep, and we were frequently obliged to dismount. The road is exceedingly rough, and in the rainy season very dangerous, and often quite impassable. About mid-day we entered the beautiful district known as the Costa Granda. Here we experienced a wonderful change of scene. The air was deliciously soft and balmy, and laden with the fragrance of many fruits and flowers. Our road led us through highly cultivated coffee and sugar plantations; and here and there long hedges of lemon-trees divided one plantation from another. At four o'clock we reached the gates of La Victoria, a beautiful "finca," or coffeeplantation, owned by Don Gregorio Revuelta, to whom I brought letters of introduction. He was expecting me, and received me with great cordiality. He at once turned Rosendo and the beasts over to the care of some of his people, and, presenting me t his "administrador," Señor Ximines, made the cheerful announcement that dinner would be ready in a few moments. Don Gregorio proved to be an exceedingly jolly host, and during my few days' stay at La Victoria, treated me with true Spanish hospitality. Coffee culture is very interesting, and the growing crop is very beautiful. The trees at maturity are from five to eight feet high; they are well shaped and bushy, with a glossy dark-green foliage, and planted eight or nine feet apart. The flowers are in clus ters at the root of the leaves, and are small, but pure white and very fragrant. The fruit has a rich color, and resembles a small cherry or large cranberry; it grows in clusters, close to the branches, and when it becomes a deep red is ripe and ready to be gathered. The trees are raised from seed. and do not begin to yield until the third year. In Central America they bear well for twelve or fifteen years, although, in exceptional cases, trees twenty years old will yield an abundance of fruit. The tree is particularly beautiful when in full bloom or when laden with ripe fruit. The process of preparing coffee for market is as follows: the ripe berries when picked are at first put through a machine called the "despulpador," which removes the pulp; the coffee-grains, of which there are two in each berry, are still covered with a sort of glutinous substance which adheres to the bean; they are now spread out on large "patios," made specially for this purpose, and left there, being occasionally tossed about and turned over with wooden shovels until they are perfectly dry. They are then gathered up and put into the "retrilla," a circular trough in which a heavy wooden wheel, shod with steel, is made to revolve, so as to thoroughly break the husk without crushing the bean. The chaff is separated from the grain by means of a fanning-mill, and the coffee is now thoroughly dry and clean. After this, it is the custom of some planters to have it spread out on long tables and carefully picked over by the Indian women and children, all the bad beans being thrown out. It only remains then to have it put into bags, weighed and marked, before it is ready for shipment to the port. On some of the larger plantations this process is greatly simplified, with considerable saving in time and labor, by the use of improved machinery for drying and cleaning the coffee. After two more days of delicious dreamy idleness in this little paradise, I was obliged to go on as far as Retaluleu, about six leagues nearer the sea, and Don Gregorio, having business there, accompanied me. The road was cool and shady and almost level, there being a continuous but scarcely noticeable descent toward the ocean; and the entrance to the town is through a beautiful grove of cocoa-palms. Coffee, hides, and other produce are brought from the | interior to Retaluleu to be reweighed, marked, and cleared at the custom-house before being forwarded to the ports; it is, therefore, during the shipping season, a very busy and important little place. We spent the day and night there, and the next morning I set out for Champerico. Don Gregorio accompanied us for a short distance on our journey, and then bade us farewell. The heat now became rather oppressive, although the road was in excellent condition, and, for a considerable distance, thickly shaded. In many places the trunks and branches of the trees were hung or draped with vines and creepers, bearing flowers of the most brilliant colors. We passed many shapely orangetrees covered with bright fruit, and rode through several groves of plantains and cocoa-palms. The forests were full of parrots, macaws, cockatoos and other birds of beautiful plumage. There were quantities of iguanas or lizards, varying from a few inches to over three feet in length, running across the road or rustling among the leaves at either side; innumerable vultures were gracefully sailing. about in the air, or swooping down and hopping about in a stealthy and repulsive manner. These disgusting birds are met with in large numbers in almost all parts of Central America; they are the natural scavengers of the country, and no doubt of great use in keeping off plagues and pestilences, specially from the tierras calientes." A stringent law exists against molesting them in any way. 66 After a very hot ride of five hours, we began to feel a gentle breeze and to inhale the refreshing salt air from the sea. Soon we heard the great waves breaking on the shore, and presently descried the masts of two vessels riding at anchor, apparently hardly more than a stone's throw ahead of us. Pushing on over a slight elevation, we CATHEDRAL PLAZA, QUEZALTENANGO. found ourselves entering the town of Champerico, with the unruffled waters of the wide Pacific spread out before us, a white line of seething foam marking its shores as far as the eye could reach, and the grand roar of the surf thundering in our ears. Champerico is probably destined to be the chief port in Central America; it is at present the worst landing-place on the coast. There is no harbor and no pier, and to effect the embarking and disembarking of passengers and freight, great "lanchas" are used, like the one in our first engraving. On the morning of the third day after my arrival, the steamer "Costa Rica" came into port. into port. I jumped into the first launch and went off to the steamer and shortly after daylight the next morning we cast anchor off San José and, immediately after breakfast, some of us went ashore. We found the people considerably excited, having just received the startling intelligence that a revolution had broken out in Honduras which was likely to involve some of the other states in war. It seemed that General Medino, a former president of Honduras, had made a revolution against Leive, the then president, to regain control of the government. It was stated that Medino was supported in this effort by General Barrios of Guatemala, and that the latter, fearing opposition from General Gonzalez, president of San Salvador (who was supposed to be in favor of Leive), had sent two thousand men to the frontier, and that war between the two republics was imminent. It gave us plenty to think about and speculate upon for the rest of the day, as such a war as was expected would materially affect the plans and interests of almost every passenger in the ship; we returned early to the steamer and got under way again before sunset. At Acajutla, where we arrived next morning, I experienced some annoyance from the officials,having no passport, and coming as I did from the then hostile state of Guatemala. Acajutla, the northernmost port of San Salvador, is a small town built on a high bluff which forms one of the few breaks in the long stretch of sand beach that extends almost uninterruptedly from San Benito in Chiapas to Punta Arenas in Costa Rica; it is the port of Sonsonate, a considerable town about five leagues from the coast. I was free at last and was just crossing the street to the hotel when I met, most opportunely, Mr. Henry Jones, an Englishman residing in Sonsonate, to whom I had letters of introduction. He was the agent of the Pacific Mail S. S. Co., and he had come down to the port to look after their interests. The weather being oppressively warm and the town itself presenting no special attractions, I spent most of the day in his office. At about three we took the "diligence" for Sonsonate. The road was very dusty and nearly level, and the surrounding country not quite so rich in vegetation as it is near the coast of Guatemala; there were, however, many beautiful trees and flowers, and we passed through a fine grove of cocoa-palms just before entering the town, which we reached about dusk. As we received no fresh news of an alarming character on the day after my arrival, but, on the contrary, learned that the Salvadorean troops were concentrating in considerable force at Santa Ana, thus giving additional protection to Sonsonate, the people became more quiet and hopeful. Mr. Jones was obliged to go to the capital on the third day after my arrival, and very kindly offered to supply me with mules, if I would accompany him; this of course I was very glad to do. We were obliged to make a very early start the next morning, as we had a long journey before us, and while the moonlight was still struggling with the dawn the mules were brought out into the patio and everything was in readiness. An hour's ride brought us out upon a sort of elevated plain at the farther end of which was the town of Izalco, and beyond rose the famous volcano, its brown sides covered with lava and light smoke issuing from the crater. The Volcan de Izalco is quiet at present, but it has been almost constantly in eruption for many years. This volcano has literally grown out of the earth within the past century. About eighty years ago a small opening in the ground appeared from which smoke issued and small quantities of earth and stones were thrown up by internal explosions. These eruptions have continued, and the pile, which was at first but little larger than an ant-hill, has accumulated from year to year until it has grown into its present form, a great conical mass which rises to an elevation of seven thousand feet. It was almost dark when we entered the capital, having accomplished a distance of more than sixty miles. On the 6th of of January, or "Twelfth-day," I attended the reception at the palace of President. Gonzalez, and was duly presented to him. He rose from the sofa to receive me, and then introduced me, with a wave of his hand, to those immediately around him. He invited me to a seat beside him and |