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Peter John, an Amer ican mi ionary; born in Belgium in 1801; came to the United States, in 1821; died i.. 1872. 9 Des Moines, city, port of delivery, and capital of Polk county and of the State of Iowa; at junction of the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers, and on several trunk Jine railroads; 145 miles EH. of Omaha, Neb. It is a large trade distributing center, with heavy shipments of grain, and its varied manufactures, notably of farm implements and machinery, have an annual yalue of over $15,000,000. Besides the usual State and Federa! buildings it is the seat of Drake University, Des Moines College, and Highland Park College. Pop. (1910) 86,368, De Soto, Bernardo, a Costa Riean statesman; born in 1854; elected president of the republic in 1887. Under his administration the finances of the country, disordered by Guardia, were placed on a secure footing, and the work of completing the interoceanic railway from Port Limon, on the Caribbean Sea, to San Jose, the capital, and thence to Punta Arenas, on the Pacific coast, was prosecuted.