chain into irregular masses, should be ascribed to the same period of volcanic activity. Starting from the Gulf of Fonseca, the volcanic coast range with its high, grassy peaks of scoriæ is first crossed, and thereupon the vast masses of white and rose-colored rock, the outliers of the great sandstone nucleus of the central plateaus, is reached. Viewed from a distance they appear like cliffs of trap or basalt and take fantastic castellated forms with the changing positions of the spectator. Among these we find occasional beds of blue limestone and ribs of quartz and greenstone, which here and there boldly protrude through the superincumbent rock. Northward, in the region of the Departments of Olancho and Yoro, the general nature of the volcanic rock and ashes is still apparent. Here are found the extensive basins of gold placers, as well as copper and coal deposits a little farther north. Magnetic iron fields in this neighborhood lie in their pristine state, and these, with the other riches of the earth, still await the hand of man for utilization. Physical geography.-Honduras has a naturally varied and striking physical aspect. The conditions of conformation of coast, of elevation and consequent changes of temperature, the amount of rainfall upon the respective declivities of the Cordilleras, all contribute to diversify the forms under which vegetable life presents itself to the eye. The three great features, nevertheless, are the coast alluvions, generally densely wooded, the elevated valleys of the interior, spreading out in broad savannas, and the high plateaus of the mountains, sustaining an unending forest of scattered pines, relieved occasionally by clumps of oak. Upon the northern coast, in the valley of the Ulua and Plain of Sula, the country is so low as to be overflowed, often to a considerable distance. Farther to the eastward, on the same coast, the heavy forests, confined chiefly to the valleys proper of the rivers, give place at little distance inland to sandy savannas covered with coarser vegetation. The peaks of Congrehoy and the mountains of the Holy Cross, or Poyas, form gigantic landmarks for the mariner in his approach to the coast of Honduras. The alluvions of the Pacific coast are also densely wooded, but are not extensive, and give place to numerous savannas at short distances into the interior. Immense areas of mangrove-tree swamps cover the mud flats in the immediate vicinity of the mainland, and by means of the deep-water channels penetrating them the traveler is enabled to reach solid ground. The valleys of all the rivers on both coasts are heavily wooded and covered with vines; but as they are ascended toward the interior, vegetation diminishes and is reduced to a narrow fringe of trees on the immediate banks. These valleys in the high interior country often expand into broad and beautiful plains, half savanna, half woodland, the common ground where the products of the Tropics and of the Temperate Zone, the palm and the pine, flourish side by side. The mountains which rise above these valleys are ascended by terraces, crowned with forests of pine and oak and covered with grass. The summits of the mountains sometimes run up into peaks, but generally constitute broad table-lands, more or less undulating and often spreading out into rolling country traversed with low ridges of verdure and green belts of trees; but whether in plain, in valley, or on mountain, everywhere the trees are covered with parasitic plants. Cacti and air plants abound at every elevation. In the western part of Honduras, among the Mountains of Corquin, the outline of the country is exceedingly bold and diversified. The rivers, collecting their waters in interior basins, break through the porphyritic mountains and hills which surround them, in deep valleys or gorges with steep and precipitous sides. A greater variety of trees and abundance of verdure cover the hills and mountains of the northern coast, and these have in consequence a less rugged aspect than those on the Pacific declivity, where the rains are not so constant. The hills are more swelling and the mountains, though equally elevated, have a softer and more harmonious outline. They present few cliffs or rocky crests, and in their denser forests afford more congenial retreats to the multitudinous forms of animal life which are nurtured in the Tropics. METEOROLOGY. Climatology. The peculiarities of Honduras in respect to configuration of surface will explain the almost endless variety of climate in this country. Situated between 13° and 16° north latitude, were it not for these features, the general temperature would be somewhat higher than that of the West Indies. As it is, the climate of the coast is nearly the same as that of the islands alluded to and very uniform. It is modified somewhat by the shape and position of the shore and by the proximity of the mountains, as well as by the prevailing winds. The heat on the Pacific coast is not, however, so oppressive as on the Atlantic; less, perhaps, because of any considerable difference of temperature than on account of the greater dryness and purity of the atmosphere. The climate, while hot and in some respects unhealthy on the coasts, is generally delightful inland, the average temperature at Tegucigalpa, Comayagua, Juticalpa, and Gracias, the principal towns, being about 74° F. The so-called "seasons" of the Tropics-namely, the wet and dryare much influenced in their commencement and duration by local causes, so that what is literally true of one place can only be partially so of another. The widest differences are, of course, between the Atlantic and Pacific slopes of the continent. Honduras comes within the zone of the northeast trade winds, which, sweeping across the Atlantic, reach the land almost saturated with moisture. These winds are intercepted by the high mountain centers of Honduras, and the vapor precipitated from them flows down to the Atlantic through many streams. As a consequence the trades, blowing for a great part of the year entirely across the continent, reach the Pacific slope deprived of their moisture and cooled by a passage over the elevated region of the interior. Hence result the great salubrity, the comparative coolness and dryness of its climate. There is, properly speaking, no dry season on the Atlantic littoral. For about four months of the year, from May to October, the trades are intermittent; consequently less moisture is precipitated, and this slope has then its nearest approach to what is called the "dry season." During these same months the Pacific declivity is subject to winds from the west and southwest, which precipitate their waters against the western slopes of the mountains, and constitute the rainy season. It is rare to witness an entire day of rain, although there are occasionally meteoric combinations which produce what are called temporales, or rains of several days' duration. The central plateaus or high table-lands have a climate of their own, subject neither to heavy rains nor excessive droughts. From the circumstance that they lie nearest the Pacific, these plateaus partake most of the climate of that coast, with which their seasons also measurably coincide. On this slope the rains are comparatively long and heavy in the wet season, but during the prevalence of the dry season on the Pacific they are of brief duration at long intervals. The coldest month is December, when the average minimum temperature is about 56° F., and the average maximum about 75° F. The hottest month is May, the minimum average being about 67° F., and the maximum average about 84° F. The highest temperature inland rarely reaches 90° F. The months of October and November exhibit the smallest thermometrical differences, the range running through 13° F., while in March may be noted the greatest difference, the range at that time averaging 22° F. The following table, compiled some years ago, will serve to show the climatic variations in the city of Tegucigalpa, at an altitude of 3,200 feet above sea level; there is little variation in the temperature of the months from year to year, and hence the table may be taken as a fairly accurate standard. The northern and eastern coast of Honduras has unquestionably a higher temperature than any other portion of the State. It diminishes rapidly, however, as the interior is approached. The modifying influence of the neighboring mountains is felt even before the increase in altitude is perceptible. The table-lands have a climate varying with their height above the sea and their exposure to the prevailing winds. Consequently there can be no generalizing on the subject of the climate of Honduras, except to say that it has a variety adapted to every caprice. The rainfall continues throughout the year on the north coast of Honduras, and its frequency lessens as we approach and pass the interior highlands and plateaus. The rainy season begins there in May and continues until the middle of November. This season is called the invierno, or winter. The dry season from November to May is known as the verano, or summer. The average yearly rainfall has been estimated at 48 inches. Severe storms are of rare occurrence, and the hurricanes, so much dreaded in the West Indies, have never visited Honduras. HYDROGRAPHY. Most of the rivers of Honduras rise in the great table-land of the Cordilleras, or main mountain system, which lies in the Department of Comayagua and in that of Tegucigalpa. From this region flow southward the Goascoran, the Nacaome, Choluteca or Rio Grande; northward, the Santa Barbara, Santiago, Sulaco, and Humuya rivers, merging finally into the great Ulua River some 60 miles from its mouth; the Chamelicon also flows northward into the Bay of Honduras; northeasterly, the Mangualil, or Aguan, the Poyas, the Patuca, and the Coco rivers. The first system drains the basin of the Plain of Tegucigalpa, the slope of the Lepaterique Mountains, and the alluvial plain near the Gulf of Fonseca; the second system provides an outlet and drainage for the Plain of Otoro, the Plain of Comayagua, the Plain of Sensenti, and the great lowland Plain of Sula, and discharges into the Bay of Honduras; the third system drains and irrigates the great eastern half of Honduras and empties into the Caribbean Sea. The main watershed is thus in the centrally inhabited portion of the Republic. The Chamelicon is a long stream, flowing northerly into the Gulf of Honduras, but drains a comparatively narrow section of country. It is rapid and filled with shallows. The Ulua River is the largest in Honduras and drains a wide expanse of territory, comprehending nearly one-third of the entire State. It discharges a greater amount of water into the sea than any other river of Central America, with the exception, possibly, of the Segovia or Coco River. Its principal tributaries are the Santiago, Santa Barbara, Blanco, Humuya, and Sulaco. Light-draft vessels may ascend as far as the junction with the Humuya. The Ulua and its tributaries offer many facilities for water communication with the interior, and it is possible with artificial improvements to extend navigation to the Chamelicon and the Santiago. The Alvarado Lagoon, a body of water connected with the Bay of Puerto Cortes by a small canal, is soon to be artificially connected with the Chamelicon and Ulua rivers to obviate the difficulty of passing the bars at the mouths of these rivers. While the harbor of Puerto Cortes is admirably equipped for the shelter of vessels, it is considered that the Alvarado Lagoon, when sufficiently deepened and provided with docks, wharves, and landings, will prove even better. Large plantations on or near the banks of the rivers will then be opened to direct communication with vessels loading their produce. The Aguan and Negro rivers, both over 120 miles in length, drain a considerable part of the northern territory of Honduras. Both these rivers are navigable for light vessels to from 40 to 60 miles. The bars at the mouths are covered by from 5 to 7 feet of water. The river The Patuca River enters the sea by a principal mouth about midway between Brewers and Caratasca lagoons. It is the largest river on the entire northern coast of Honduras between the Ulua and the Coco rivers. It drains the large mineral district of Olancho, as well as the richest and most beautiful basin in Central America. above the coast alluvions has a powerful current and is obstructed by rapids, called chiflones. At one point the river is compressed between high, precipitous walls of rock for a long distance. This place is called Portal del Infierno, or Hell's Gate. The principal mouth of the Patuca opens directly into the sea, and is obstructed by a dangerous shifting bar, on which there is usually from 8 to 10 feet of water. This river flows through one of the richest, if not the richest agricultural region of Honduras. The soil is very fertile and produces rapidly. Cabinet woods, tropical fruits, sarsaparilla, india rubber, vanilla, and other commercial products grow abundantly near its banks. The Coco, Segovia, or Wanks River is the largest river in Central America. Throughout a large part of its course it forms the boundary line between Nicaragua and Honduras. It drains a large area of Honduras, rising in the mountains in the Department of Segovia, Nicaragua, and becoming identified as the boundary line not far from the junction of the eighty-fifth degree west longitude and fourteenth degree north latitude lines. Its total length is about 350 miles, but for 250 miles of its course it flows among high mountains and over a very broken and rocky bed, with a rapid current. The river enters the ocean some distance to the north of the bay or harbor, near Cape Gracias a Dios, with which, however, it is connected by a creek or shallow canal, passable for canoes and capable of being deepened to enable small vessels to avoid the dangerous bar of the river itself, on which there is seldom more than 4 or 5 feet of water. There is little |