Guatemala : $b the land of the quetzal; a sketchBrigham, William Tufts
History
Guatemala : $b the land of the quetzal; a sketch
Brigham, William Tufts
Central America -- Bibliography; Guatemala -- Antiquities; Guatemala -- Description and travel
In stating that the scenes illustrated in this book are all from
photographs, it may be added that the clearness of the atmosphere enables
a distant view to be taken with great distinctness (unfortunately lost
in the mechanical reproductions) even in minute details. The lens used
for views not requiring extreme rapidity was the Dallmeyer single
landscape,—a lens unsurpassed for its purpose; while for architectural
subjects, or those in motion, a Ross rapid rectilinear was generally
used. The plates were those prepared by Allen & Rowell, of Boston,—as
usual, of the finest quality. For apparatus, the camera was a 5 × 8
size of the American Optical Company’s make, fitted with a changing
box containing eighteen plates, and also with an attachment, arranged
by the author, for making two or three smaller pictures on the 5 × 8
plate. I carried no tent, but changed my plates at night under a blanket,
depending on touch rather than sight. For the stereoscopic pictures, I
used a pair of Euryscope No. 0 lenses. The plates were developed months
afterwards, with a very small percentage of failures. In later journeys
in Guatemala I have used plates of the 8 × 10 size; but for all purposes
of illustration the 4 × 5 size is to be preferred. For packing the plates
I have used a strong barrel and cork-dust with complete success. It is a
matter of deep regret that the method of mechanical reproduction utterly
destroys all the beauty of the original photographs. In cases where
phototypes are presented from ink-drawings, these have generally been
drawn directly from a transparency which I have made from the original
negative and projected in the lantern. The drawings are of large size,
and reduced to one quarter, or even less, in the phototype. This method
insures at least accuracy of outline.
MONEY IN GUATEMALA.
Persons interested in silver coinage might have a good field for
collection here; and one of the Government collectors, who had a fancy
for numismatics, showed me a curious lot he had received in payment of
taxes. Maximilian coins from Mexico were the rarest; but every country of
Central and South America was well represented. Among current coins the
dollar of Peru and Chili (_sols_) are most common; and the smaller change
is mainly in Guatemalan and Hondureñan currency. The dollar (_peso_,
piece of eight) contains eight reals, and the real two medios, or four
cuartillos. This last is the smallest coin used, although the cent
(_centavo_) has been coined. A real is twelve and a half cents, a medio
six and a quarter, and a cuartillo three and an eighth; but in the text
I have spoken of these coins as valued in gold, or, approximately, ten,
five, and three cents.
CERTAIN HEIGHTS DETERMINED BY THE FRENCH EXPEDITION.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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