EDUCATION AND RELIGION. Education is in a very backward condition, and the majority of the people are illiterate. Less than 20.000 pupils attend the elementary schools. The universities at Leon and Granada, with instruction in law and medicine, have been consolidated. There are ten colleges. The only public library is supported by the Government at _Managua, and is free to the piddle. A National Industrial, Commercial, and Scientific Museum has also been established there. The Roman Catholic• faith is recognized in the Constitution as the State religion, but other forms of faith arc not molested.
litsrmtv. The coast, of Nicaragua was first seen by Columbus in 1502 or 1503. In 1522 Oil Gonzales DIvila discovered Lake Nicaragua. and in 152G Pedrarias Width led an expedition into the country. It was organized as an intendencia of the Captain-Generaley of Guatemala in 1528. In 1821 Nicaragua, in common with the other Central American States. revolted from Spain, and was annexed to the :Mexican Empire of !tar bide. Upon the downfall of that leader Nica ragua becante an independent State, but joined the C'onfederation of Central America in 1823. That federation dissolved in 1839, and Nicaragua became °nee more independent. The strife of parties, however. and the play of personal ambi tion gave the country little peace. 111 1541 a dis pute arose with Great Britain concerning the rights of a native chief on the Mosquito Coast. This threatened at one time to lead to hostilities, but the matter was finally settled by a clause inserted in the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty of 1550 and by n separate treaty, in which Great Brit ain eeded all right; of a protectorate over the disputed territory to Niearagua. The year 1555 was signalized by the famous filibuster ing expedition of William \Walker• (q.v.). whose attempt to establish a slaveholding State in Cen tral Ameriea for once impelled the different States to common action. Walker wa-s driven out in 1556. and upon Id; renewin“ 11 is attempt was eaptured and shot (1850). There followed
for Nicaragua :1 long period of peace, broken in 1893 by a struggle for the Presideney, whiell in tarn led to war with Honduras, owing to the unwarrantable interference of that State. Under the energetic administration of President Zelaya. Nicaragua proceeded to annex the Mosquito Ter ritory in 1894, and entered thereby into strained relations with Great Britain, which demanded compensation for its subjects. In 1895 Nica ragua, Salvador, and Honduras united to form the Greater 1Zepublic of Central America, With provisions for the subsequent admission of Gua temala and Costa Rica. A constitution was adopted and went into effect on November 1, 1898; but one month later, owing to the dissatis faction of 11(mduras, the union was dissolved.
BIBLIOGRAPHY. Squier, icaraguu, Its People, Bibliography. Squier, icaraguu, Its People, Scenery, Monuments. and the Proposed. Inter Clet'a )1 ic Canal (2d ed., London, 1871) ; Levy, Notas geogrdficas y ccontimicas sob re in remlblica de Nicaragua (I'sris, 1873) ; Belt, The Natural ist in Nicaragua (London, 1873) ; Bancroft, His tory of the Pacific States, vols. i.-iii., Central America (San Francisco, 1882) : Bovallins, 'Nicaraguan nt iquities (Stockholm, ISS6); Child. The Spanish-American Republics (New York, 1591) ; Kalb, in A mcrieua Urographical Society (New York, 1893) : Peetor, Etude ('c(motn sun• la n'publique de Nicaragua (NenchAtel, 1893) ; Ortega, Nicurogeo en los fH•IIIurr0.c aiios de an emancipacion politica (Paris, 1894) ; Colquhoun, The Key of the Pacific (Lon don. Lucas, Nicaragua, War of the Fili busters (New York, 1896) Niederlein, Tim State of Nicaragua (Philadelphia, MIS); Medi I, Nicaragua en 1900 (Paris• 19011) United States Consular Reports (Washington, 1900): Walker, Ocean to Ocean: An Account, Personal and 11istw•ical. of Nicaragua (Chicago. 1902). Consult also the authorities referred to under NICARAGUA CANAL.