These islands, in the aggregate, form an area--allowing 40,000 square miles to Hayti and her adjunct islands, and something for those the statistics of which are unknown--of about 103,000, or equal in extent to Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, and little less than the United Kingdom of England, Scotland, Ireland, and the principality of Wales.
The population being, on the above date, 1840, 3,115,000 (three millions one hundred and fifteen thousand), and allowing an increase of _ten per cent._ in ten years, on the entire population, there are now 3,250,000 (three millions two hundred and fifty thousand) inhabitants, who comprise the people of these islands.
Guatemala, 800,000 San Salvador, 350,000 Honduras, 250,000 Costa Rica, 150,000 Nicaragua, 250,000
These consist of five states, as shown in the above statistics, the united population of which, in 1840, amounted to 1,800,000 (one million eight hundred thousand) inhabitants. The number at present being estimated at 2,500,000 (two and a half millions), shows in thirteen years, 700,000 (seven hundred thousand), being one third and one eighteenth of an increase in population.
New Grenada, 450,000 1,687,000 Venezuela, 420,000 900,000 Ecuador, 280,000 600,000 Guiana, 160,000 182,000 Brazil, 3,390,000 5,000,000 North Peru, 300,000 700,000 South Peru, 130,000 800,000 Bolivia, 450,000 1,716,000 Buenos Ayres, 750,000 700,000 Paraguay, 88,000 150,000 Uruguay, 92,000 75,000 Chili, 170,000 1,500,000 Patagonia, 370,000 30,000
The total area of these states is 7,050,000 (seven millions and fifty thousand) square miles; but comparatively little (450,000 square miles) less than the whole area of North America, in which we live.
But one state in South America, Brazil, is an abject slaveholding state; and even here all free men are socially and politically equal, negroes and colored men partly of African descent holding offices of honor, trust, and rank, without restriction. In the other states slavery is not known, all the inhabitants enjoying political equality, restrictions on account of color being entirely unknown, unless, indeed, necessity induces it, when, in all such cases, the preference is given to the colored man, to put a check to European assumption and insufferable Yankee intrusion and impudence.
