G U A T I MAL A, GOZTEMA LA, Or, as it is sometimes called, GUALTIBIALA, is an extensive dominion of Spain, in North America, lying between the Car ribean See and the Pacific Ocean, and abounding with rivers, which empty themselves into both seas. it is about 750 miles in length, on the frontier towards the Pacific Ocean ; but, on account of the various in dentations, the extent of coast it presents to the Carribean Sea is nearly twice as long. Its breadth varies very considerably, in some parts not more than seventy miles, and us others exceeding four hundred. Its western boundary is the river Huesaculco, which runs to the Gulf of Mexico ; and a line drawn from the source of that river dee south to the bay of Tecoantepec. These limits divide it from the province of Oaxaca, in Mexico. It is di vided, on its eastern frontier, from the provinces of Verague and Costa.rica, in the viceroyalty of New Granada, by a line beginning a little to the eastward of Carthago, and terminating at the head of Golfo Dolce, in the Pa6fic Ocean. As the whole country is an isthmus, its other boundaries are the two seas which have already been stated to wash its shores.
This territory is called a Captain-Generalship, as distinguishing it from a Viceroyalty, which, though it gives to the delegated governor a higher title, con fers no greater degree of authority. The Captain general of Guatimala is commander of the army, the navy, the revenue, and police ; and the same system of government prevails as in the other Spanish do minions, as is described under the article GRANADA, New. The inhabitants are the same classes as are there noted, with a small variation in their relative numbers. The Indians who live its their own towns are mixed with Europeans, and more numerous than in any other Spanish province; and the number of the mixed races less. There are few negro slaves ; nor do the white Creoles bear so large a proportion to the whole number of inhabitants as in the vice royalty of New Granada. The European settlers, on the other hand, are a more numerous body, in pro portion to the whole. The total number of inhabit ants which people this extensive country, on a surface of 26,150 square leagues, amounts, according to the most accurate calculation, to about 1,350,000. Thus the human beings do not amount to more than one to each eleven hundred acres of land. In the more
populous countries of Europe, such as England, France, and Belgium, the average rate may be esti mated at one person to four acres ' • thus maintaining a density of population, when compared with Guatima• la, as 270 to 1. If the whole of Guatimala were as well peopled as England, it would contain more than 36,000,000 of human beings ; and, as the nature of its productions is such as to afford a greater portion of food, according to the extent of the land, time any European soil ; and farther, as the cultivation of the soil would improve the climate, the population, at some distant period, may very far outnumber the proportion which exists in any part of the ancient world.
Guatimala, like the other peavessions of Spain in North America, is forbid, by the scarcity of har bours, and the impediments at the months of its va rious broad and deep navigable rivers, from becoming a country of extensive commerce. It does not pos sess, either in the Carribean Sea or in the Pacific Ocean, a port capable of receiving a large ship ; and hence there is no other than a coasting trade, by which some of hs surplus produce is disposed of to the neighbouring colonies. This circumstance has been a check to cultivation, and pvevented that in• crease of wealth which other provinces have experi enced. The face of the country, generally speaking, is covered with mountains; none of which, however, are so high as to enter the regions of perpetual frost and snow. We are very ittmetffictly acquainted ' both with their directions end eteratiefis. A chain of mountains is through the proeinceb of Veragua and Nicaragua ; but, whether they are disjointed and broken, as the course of the rivers would indicate, or form a continuous cordillera, has not yet been ac curately investigated. The 'allies between them en joy a rich soil, and produce, with little effort, all the tropical fruits in full perfection. The sides of the mountains yield excellent wheat, barley, and the other grains of Europe, whilst vast plains are covered with cattle, in almost a state of nature. The principal food of the inhabitants, however, is maize; and as it is of all, crops the most fluctuating in its produce, sometimes a considerable surplus is afforded ; and, at other seasons, scarcity, and even famine, are felt.