The Express.
London, England, 1852-05-10 00:00:00

CENTRAL AMERICA.

A correspondent, writing from Orey Town, says :
" Thisinfant colony is doing well, and must flourish
unless deserted by its kind nurse, Old England.
Articles of food were rather scarce and dear during
our stay, but this may be attributed to the arrival of
upwards of 400 emigrants from America, on their
way to California, and whose ravages on their small
resources resemble an invasion of locusts. Their con-
dition was very distressing, as the steamer which
was to convey them up the river was on shore. and
the North America on the Pacific side had been
totally wrecked, 30 miles south of Acapulco. H.M.B.
Sappho, on April 4th, was waiting the arrival
of the Persian to relieve her. The American cor-
vette Decatur had sailed on a cruise. _ _

"Many persons are leaving Chagres for Navy Bay,
and when the railway is complete Chagres will lose
much of its late importance, especially when the
Royal Mail steamers quit its dismal sickly shore. The
river at Cruces was so shallow that some difficulty
I was experienced in conveying down the last of the
freight for the Medway. The railway is fast pro-
gressing. Trains run daily for some 19 miles,
and the whole distance to Gorgon will be accom-
plished in a twelvemonth aFould the season prove as
favourable as the last. Much anxiety prevailed at
Chagres in consequence of the number of ditorderly
characters taking every opportunity of doing mis-
chief.

" On the night of the 2nd instant, a Jamaica ne-
grois of the name of Johnston had a ' fandango' at
her house, and to which none but the Jamaica
negroes were admitted. • During the evening some
of the natives (Grenadian.) went to look on, but as
soon as they entered they were maltreated by the
Jamaicans. This roused their Spanish blood, and
they immediately crossed the river to the Spanish
side and mustered about two hundred of their
countrymen, who immediately armed themselves
with knives, swords, and fire-arms, and went over
to the American side, entered Mrs. Johnston's
premises, cleared her house, and made a complete
wreck of everything. The Jamaicans fled in all
directions, finding they were overmatched. As
soon as the Spanish authorities knew of the
transaction they brought over the soldiers, made
several arrests, and continued doing so until yester-
day evening (3rd inst.), when they had upwards of
30 in custody in the fort, and all of them in a most
deplorable condition. Several of them are so severely
wounded as to show they must have been cut and
mangled in a mast brutal manner, as their arms and
ler are only hanging to their bodice, and they are
without medical aid, so that it is quite apparent that
if they do not die from starvation (which is not un-
likely, us the Spaniards do not feed prisoners in the
Fort, but leave them to their own resources), they
are almost sure to die from neglect of their wounds.
" An order had been received at Chagres in the
early part of the week to send off ,all the troops per
British mail to Carthiv,rena to quell a disturbance
which had broken out there, so on the morning of
the 3rd, a courier was despatched to Panama, pray-
ing the authorities there not to allow the troops to
be sent away, but rather to send more to guard the
safety of the place."