478 IZABAL series of memoirs or " Relations." His most important work is a " History of the Chiche- mecas," which, with most of his other writings, was first printed from the MSS. in Mexico by Lord Kingsborough ("Mexican Antiquities," vol. ix.). His works evince a disposition to overestimate the power and policy of the Tez- cucan kings, but are nevertheless interesting, and on the whole trustworthy. IZABAL, a seaport of Guatemala, in the de- partment and 123 m. N. E. of the city of Gua- temala, on the S. shore of Lake Dulce ; pop. about 600. It is a miserable place of about 150 houses, and owes its importance to its being the sole Atlantic port for the trade of the capital. The water being very shallow on the bar at the mouth of the river leading from the gulf to the sea, only vessels of light draught can go up to the town. Large vessels go to Balize, and the merchandise is transmitted by coasting craft to Izabal. IZALCO, a volcano of the republic and 36 m. N. W. of the city of San Salvador, in lat. 13 15' N., Ion. 89 44' "W. It is one of the most curious volcanoes, and except Jorullo in Mexico the only one in the world that has risen from the level of the plain within the memory of man. A priest of Sonsonate, an eye-witness of its origin, related to Mr. Stephens the his- tory and progress of its formation. In 1798, after a series of destructive earthquakes, dust and pebbles were observed rising from a fissure in the plain; soon after lava was upheaved, and this, together with large stones and other substances, gradually accumulated around the orifice until the vast isolated cone as it now stands was formed. It is contiguous to another mountain sufficiently elevated to afford from its crest a distinct view of the burning crater of the volcano ; and the lurid flames and never- ending shower of incandescent stones issuing from it are clearly visible from Sonsonate, near by. Izalco is supposed to have had its origin from a deviation of the subterranean fire which animated the neighboring system of extinct volcanoes clustered around the great peak of Santa Ana. The eruptions, though incessant, are somewhat intermittent in regard to vio- lence, and have often been disastrous to the adjacent town of Izalco. Dense columns of smoke are constantly emitted, and detonations like the rumblings of distant thunder are reg- ularly repeated at intervals of from 5 to 15 minutes. Vegetation is of course impossible on the brown arid flunks of the mountain, down which streams of liquid fire are occa- sionally seen to roll, offering a spectacle of ter- rific grandeur, especially by night. Its height at present is estimated at about 6,000 ft. ; and, IZTACCIHUATL though some 40 m. from the coast, it serves ca a convenient landmark for mariners, among whom it is sometimes designated el faro del Salvador. IZALCO, a town of San Salvador, Central America, situated near the base of the prece- ding volcano, 36 m. N. W. of the city of San Salvador ; pop. 5,000, chiefly Indians. It was once the centre of the most important cacao district in all America, and still preserves many evidences of past importance. Its fine large church was nearly destroyed by the earthquake of Dec. 8, 1859. The country around it is re- markably fertile and well watered. IZARI), a N. county of Arkansas, drained by "White river, which is here navigable; area, 864 sq, m. ; pop. in 1870, 6,806, of whom 182 were colored. It has an uneven surface and a fertile soil. The chief productions in 1870 were 20,076 bushels of wheat, 303,242 of In- dian corn, 17,358 of oats, 11,107 of Irish pota- toes, 13,435 of sweet potatoes, 24,975 Ibs. of tobacco, 92,686 of butter, 10,496 gallons of molasses, and 1,568 bales of cotton. There were 2,293 horses, 2,501 milch cows, 1,392 working oxen, 3,281 other cattle, 4,413 sheep, and 17,276 swine. Capital, Mount Olive. IZARD, Ralph, an American statesman, born near Charleston, S. C., in 1742, died at South Bay, May 30, 1804. He was educated at Cam- bridge, England, inherited an ample fortune, and in 1771 settled in London, from whence the troubled condition of American politics induced him in 1774 to retire to the continent. He subsequently endeavored to impress upon the British ministry the ill-advised nature of the course they were pursuing, but without effect. In 1780 he returned to the United States, where he was instrumental in procuring the appointment of Gen. Greene to the com- mand of the southern army. He also pledged his whole estate as security for funds needed in the purchase of ships of war in Europe. In 1781 ho entered the continental congress; and upon the adoption of the federal constitution he was elected a United States senator from South Carolina. The " Correspondence of Ralph Izard from 1774 to 1804, with a Short Memoir," was published by his daughter (Bos- ton, 1844). IZTACCIHCATL, a volcano of Mexico, 15,705 ft. above the sea, not far from that of Popo- catepetl, near the city of Puebla. It is some- times called the Sierra Nevada, its top being almost always covered with snow. Its name is aboriginal Mexican, from iztac, white, and cihtiatl, woman, suggested by its fancied re- semblance to a woman in a white dress. It has not been active since the conquest.
