Guatemala, the capital, is the largest city in Central America. The location is unusually healthy, being 5,000 feet above sea level. The city is laid out on a splendid scale with many fine avenues and parks. It is improving its system of tramways by changing to electricity as the motor power. The public buildings are especially notable. Among the principal ones are the Palaces of the Government, the Presidency, the Legislative Power, the Judicial Power, the Municipality, and the Archbishopric; the Cathedral and other magnificent churches; the Ministry of Public Improvement (Fomento), the Mint, the Conservatory of Music, the general offices of accounts, of police, and of liquors and internal revenue; the custom-house, the national institutes of young men, of young ladies and of the native race, the first of which is provided with a meteorological observatory; the schools of law, medicine, engineering, polytechny, and arts; the children's college and a large number of public schools; the Colon theatre; the registry of real estate, the national printing-office, the post-office, the National Museum; the military hospital, and the general hospitals, the asylums for the insane and for convalescents and invalids; the central and the Calvary markets; the penitentiary and the artillery, cavalry, and Guard of Honor and San Francisco barracks; San José and Matamoros forts, and a very large number of other imposing edifices. The American Club, which has several hundred members, mostly citizens of the United States, occupies fine quarters. Some of the parks, plazas, and public drives are adorned with very beautiful marble or bronze statues. Among the principal ones are the bronze monument of Christopher Columbus in the central park and the marble one of the same historic personage in the garden of the Colon Theatre; that of General J. Rufino Barrios and that of Don Miguel Garcia Granados in the boulevard of the Reforma; and that of Friar Bartolomew de Las Casas in the campus of the Institute of the Indian race. The last three statues are of bronze. The seaports of Guatemala are of a varied character. Their value grows every day because of the increased commerce that is resulting from the development of the country under the industrial policies of President Estrada Cabrera. On the Atlantic the leading ports are Livingston, Izabal, Santo Tomas, and Puerto Barrios. Of these Puerto Barrios is easily first. It lies at the extremity of the Gulf of Amatique, is spacious and is well protected against winds. As the terminus of the Guatemalan Northern Railway it is assured of a very extensive trade both in exports and in imports. Puerto Barrios is not only a receiving and distributing center for Guatemala, but also for a considerable portion of the neighboring Republic of Salvador, which has no port on the Atlantic.