The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-12-30 00:00:00

APPALLING SHIP WRECK.

Our readers will peruse the following narrative;
which is taken from Saunders' News Letter of to-
day, with horror and disgust. Horror at the posi-
tion of the unhappy crew of the sinking ship, and
disgust at the ignorance and incompetence—want
of courage, if not indignation, at the inhumanity
of those seamen who would not make an exertion
to save the lives of so many fellow-creatures, and
fellow-tars. So far as we know, this instance is un-
precedented.
Saunders' newspaper says :
We give the following from an eye-witness :
Athalf-past nine o'clock, a.m., this morning, from on board
the Dublin steam-packet company's boat, the Prince, at
about twenty-five miles east of Kingston harbour, we saw a
ship presenting a strange appearance. Her topmasts were
gone, and all her yards, except the fore top-gallant yard,
which hung loose, with a fragment of canvas attached.
The unfortunate ship was then about two miles south of
our steam-boat. The captain (Dead) with his telescope
discovered that she had hoisted her flag of distress, and
immediately put about to her relief. The sea ran
very high, the weather was bad, and we saw the ship
slowly sinking in the waves as we approached towards
her. First her stern settled down, her prow high out
of the water, not a soul could we see in her masts or
on board ; silently and slowly she disappeared, with-
out scream or cry of distress to announce that human beings
were consigned to a watery grave. Captain Dearl said the
ship must have been abandoned, or that her crew had surely
taken to their boats. Still we bore down to where this
three-mast ship floated a few minutes before. On arriving
at the spot the most agonizing, heartrending scene presented
itself. About twenty individuals were floating on the ice-
cold water, clinging to spars and pieces of wood. They were
drenched or submerged by every wave, as the sea ran high.
Captain Dead ordered the engines to be stopped and the
boats to be lowered. It was fully half an hour before this
could be done, and when the first boat was launched, one of
the two men in her got afraid and jumped back on board
the steamboat, letting tha boat go adrift with only one man
in her, helpless, and at the mercy of the waves. In the
meantime a fishing smack came up, lowered her small boat,
which swam like a duck in perfect safety, the men on aboard
calling out to us, " D—n you, why don't you lower your
boats ?" We then lowered another boat ; one of the davits
broke, and she half-filled with water, so no one would ven-
ture ;board of her. The writer saw one man attempting to
lower another boat without any one to assist. Captain
Dearl was running everwhere, with tears in his eyes, giving
many orders; lint nothing was done. What a fearful scene
then presented itself ! About twenty human beings perish-
ing with cold, being slowly-drowued by frequent submersion,
in vain stretching forth their arms in supplication for aid,
and a steamboat in the midst—within talking distance—yet
could not, or did not, save a single soul. We saw the
wretched men perish slowly before our eyes—one by one
washed from their last plank of safety, and in the deep
bosom of the ocean buried. Our steam-boat, that could go
back orforward at will, and turn like a fish, could do nothing;
all was confusion ; nothing seemed to be in order to meet any
emergency, and if right orders were given they -were not
obeyed. Not so the fishing smack; she lowered her small
tiny boat, and saved six of the sufferers. A more heroic action
never was recorded. Two dauntless and brave men with
immense difficulty and infinite risk, were seen hanging over
the side of their small boat, hauling the drowning men out of
the water, every wave threatening them with instant death.
They seized their man, and never let him go till they hauled
him out of the water and placed him safe in their frail skiff,
and one by one, slowly, and with desperate perseverance,
they saved the lives of six human beings. In a little time
more and all the sufferers disappeared. One wretched being
was washed of his spar—regained it again, and waved his
arm as a fresh signal for aid, which, alas, could not be given;
he soon disappeared to rise no more. This heartrending scene
lasted above an hour, when Captain Dead put about and
made for Kingstown, towing ono of our boats, which had been
launched, but into which none of our men would venture.
With watery eyes and sad hearts we read, hung iTon the
cabin stairs, the government inspector's lying certificate of
the fitness of our life-boats, &c., &c., when if any accident
had happened our ship within a hundred yards of land, not a
soul of us could have been saved. I proposed to one of the
mates or sailors to lasso the drowning men—that is to throw
them a rope's-end with a running knot, by which they could
have been hauled on board, but no effectual effort was made.
The first mate said that each boat on board was in charge of
its allotted men, that the wrong men were ordered to the
boats, hence the confusion and delay • but it is evident that
great blame is to be attached somewhere, as mistakes always
proceed from incompetency and unfitness. For the correct-
ness of the foregoing statement, in addition to my own tes-
timony as a witness, I am authorised to give the names of
William Parsons, Esq., Clontarf-crescent, and George Bran-
don, Esq., 126, Great Brunswick-street, who witnessed the
whole sad scene.

28th Dec., 1863.

DAVID LESLIE.

The following is the account of the foundering
of the vessel, as related by Captain Dearl. We
quote from a Dublin paper :
" At nine o'clock, A.M., Wednesday morning, we sighted
a large vessel, apparently in distress, having her ensign fly-
ing, the Bailey light-house bore west by north, distance about
20 miles. On seeing the ship I gave orders to bear down to
her, and we steered in her direction, steaming at full speed.
We thus proceeded, for about five minutes, when we saw the
ship founder before our eyes. In ten minutes more we reached
the spot where the vessel had gone down. Our boats had
been all got ready for lowering. The first boat for lower-
ing was the waist boat on the larboard aide ; she is a life
boat ; but, unfortunately, owing to the high sea running,
our life boat struck the sponsor in lowering her, and the
plank ends started from her sternpost, when she filled, but
still floated Two men out of the three that were in her
got on board again by the tackling—the third went adrift.
The starboard quarter boat was then attempted to be.lowered,
bat, from the heavy sea, she broke up in pieces alongside.
A fishing trawler (A No. 2) had borne down to the spot
where some of the survivors were clinging to the floating
spars of the ill-fated vessel, and the crew of this smack con-
trived to pick up some six men. With deep regret that our
efforts were unsuccessful, we lay to in the neighbourhood of
the floating spars lest any survivor might still remain, and,
at length, after a strict search, we made for Kingstown har-
bour, which we reached at half-past two o'clock, P.M."
Captain Dearl states that from the great length of the sink-
ing vessel, and the distance of her masts from each other,
he was led to consider her a large screw steamer, but ho
could see no chimney. She had sunk before he could get
sufficiently near to examine her. The prevailing supposi•
tion was, that the foundered vessel was a screw steamer of
large tonnage, bound foreign, from one of the Scotch ports
—that she was struck by a heavy sea, and filled imme-
diately. The men saved from the wreck by the fishing
smack have been conveyed on shore ; three out of the six
are said to have died since from the effects of cold and ex-
haustion.

CRIME IN SCOTLAND.—We have been apprised of a fact
which would almost seem to warrant the presumption of an
improvement in the morality of the people, viz., that there
are no cases for trial in the High Court of Justiciary during
the winter recess. This is a circumstance which has not
occurred during any year since the commencement of this
century.—Edinburgh Advertiser.
TRAVELLERS. SCHOOLS SOCIETY.--Among the contribu-
tions handed in at the annual celebration of this society on
Tuesday night, were the following :—National Mercantile
Institution, 100 guineas ; —Nicholson, Esq., 50 guineas ;
W. Skelton, 30 guineas ; Keens and Evelyn, 25 guineas ;
George Fox, 25 guineas ; collected by Mrs. J. R. Coley,
1144 ; Mr. Robert Bree, £215 ; Mr. George Malden,
£7B; Mr. Martins, 50 guineas; Mr. M'Culloch, 50 guineas;
Mr. Higgins, 50 guineas ; Mr. C. Woolloton, 40 guineas ;
&c. The total amount of subscriptions announced, was
about £2,000. The attendance was not so numerous as we
have witnessed on former occasions.

FOREIGN GOODS UNDER BOND.—AII important conces-
sion has been nude by the commissioners of customs, which
will be a material convenience to the holders and removers
of foreign goods under bond to a considerable extent, by
the issue of an order dispensing with a separate bond on
the occasion of every individual removal of foreign goods of
any kind in bond from one port of the kingdom to another,
and allowing a general bond to be entered into for the pur-
pose, which is to cover all subsequent transactions of this
nature, under certain regulations specially arranged and ap-
proved for the purpose.
FUNERAL OP TAE LATE MARCIIIONESS WELLESLEY.--
The funeral of the late Marchioness Wellesley was by her
own desire strictly, private. Her remains were conveyed
from the palace, Hampton Court, to Cossey Hall, the scat of
Lord Stafford. The funeral obsequies began at half-past
eight on Saturday morning. The service consisted of the
office for the dead, the mass of requiem with solemn music,
and the final absolution or burial service, was performed by
the Very Rev. Dr. Hussenboth, many years chaplain to the
noble family at Cossey Hall. The funeral was attended by,
Lord Stafford, Messrs Alexander M'Tavish, Alfred Mont-
gomery. There were also present her Grace gie„Duchess of
Leeds, and the Dowager Lady Stafford, sisters of the de-
parted marchioness. The deceased was most benevolent and
kind, and her loss will be deeply lamented.
Russu. AS A NAVAL Powsa.—The New York Tribune
has an article in a recent number, detailing sonic efforts of
Russia to establish herself in the Pacific as a naval power—
how she sought to trade with China on that side, and was
refused—how she threatened China in consequence, sent a
fleet to intimidate her, and the issue of that movement.
The latter is thus set down :—Those orders (viz., of the
Czar to his commanders in the Pacific) have been issued,
and are apparently of a menacing nature, since considerable
reinforcements have been forwarded from the Baltic to the
expedition. However, ill-luck has pursued them all. The
first vessel sent reached the East Indies, but lies disabled
somewhere in the Archipelago, beyond the possibility of
reaching her destination. A courier who came by the Suez
route brought this calamitous information to St. Petersburg.
A second large vessel was next shipwrecked on the coast of
England. A third reinforcement succeeded in getting as far
as Norway, and there had to stop; it consisted of frigate of
sixty guns, which ran aground, while a transport vessel ac-
companying her was totally lost—happily, the mainmast fell
on a rock, and the crew saved themselves by this accidental
bridge,

THY CATHEDRAL COMMISSION AND THE
PARISH CHURCH OF MANCHESTER.

From a pamphlet just published we learn that a ser;es
of questions has been submitted by the cathedral coin
missioners, dated Nov. 10, 1853, to the dean and canons
of Manchester. These questions related to the history
and constitution of the collegiate establishment. The
cathedral authorities replied on April 8, 1853. Messrs. R.
Birley, John Morley, and Thomas Clegg, by whim, as
churchwardens in 1850, the parish of Manchester division
act was obtained, have presented a memorial to the' cathe-
dral commissioners, dated Dec. 20, and in a letter to the
bishop of Manchester they state that—
" Answers are not given by the dean and canons to all
the questions of the commissioners ; and in many cases the
answers are evidently so erroneous that, without correction,
there can be no doubt the commissioners will be seriously
deceived as to the constitution of the college, and the
duties and responsibilities of the collegiate body.
In quoting from one portion of the charter, the
dean and canons have substituted the word absentee for
violationis. We have been induced to present this memo-
rial because, as your lordship is well aware, wo were the
churchwardens who obtained the parish of Manchester
division act, of 1850, which act we were enabled to obtain
by proving before committees of both houses of parlia-
ment, that the Manchester Collegiate Church is a strictly
parochial foundation. We are, therefore, naturally anxious
that the cathedral commissioners should be correctly in-
formed on the subject, in order that, in any legislative mea-
sures to which the proceedings of the commissioners may
give rise, care may be taken, not only that the objects of
the parish of Manchester division act be not disturbed,
but that the same be, wherever it is found practicable, fur-
thered and promoted."
To this the bishop returned the following reply
" Sedgely, Manchester, Dec. 21, 1853.
" Gentlemen,—l have the honor to acknowledge, with
thanks, the receipt of a copy of a memorial presented by
you to the members of the cathedral commission. It was
impossible, on a perusal of the answers addressed in the
name of the chapter of Manchester to the questions of her
Majesty's commissioners, not to be struck with the nume-
rous and repeated mis-statements, mis-quotations, and per-
version of some facts, as well as suppression of others, on the
part of the framer of the replies. That you have applied
yourselves to the correction of these mis-slatements is
due to your own characters, as promoters of the parish divi-
sion act, as well as serviceable to the cause of truth, in pre-
venting her Majesty's commissioners being misinformed or
misled, as well as in strict unison with the earnest desire for
improvement in the spiritual provision for Manchester,
evinced consistently by you throughout.—l have the honour
to be, gentlemen, your faithful servant,

"J. P. MANCHESTBIL.
"To Richard Birley, John Morley, Thomas Clegg, Esqs."

BRITISH ROMAN CATHOLICS-FREIBURG.

Soule days since we inserted a letter of Dr. Cumming's,
to the lime., commenting upon an address signed and pre-
sented by a number of English Roman Catholics of high
position, to the Archbishop of Freiburg. The following is
the address, with the signatures :

ADDRESS OF THE CATHOLICS OF GREAT BRITAIN TO ,THE

ARCIIBISHOP OF FREIBURG.
We, the undersigned Catholics of Great Britain, desire to
tender to your grace the tribute of our sincere and earnest
sympathy in the afflictions by which the church in your,
grace's province is at present visited.
We have witnessed with the warmest admiration the calm
courage with which, at a period of life when your grace
might naturally have hoped to reap in peace the fruit of your
long labours in the service of religion, you have maintained
against the usurpation of the civil power, the liberty, inde-
pendence, and imprescriptible rights of the church, the main-
tenance of which in their integrity is alike essential to the
stability of the temporal and spiritual order.
We heartily coner itulate your grace on the spirit which
your clergy has exhibited of unhesitating obedience in a dif-
ficult crisis, and on the self-sacrificing generosity with which
the faithful throughout your grace's province and elsewhere
have testified their anxiety to meet the exigencies of the oc-
casion. Be assured, my lord, that we shall deem it a high,
privilege to bear a share in the burthen which the violent
persecution and unjust exactions of thg„. state have imposed
on your grace and your grace's elergy,Tnd, through you, on
all the members of the Catholic church.
It would be strange if we, the Catholics of Great Britain,
did not take a special interest in the circumstances of your
grace's trials, upon the recollection of the many conflicts of
a like nature which we have had to sustain in times past, and
from the encouragement which we received from your grace's
noble example, and that of the clergy and faithful in your
province against any future struggle.
That it may please our dear Lord to appease the storm
which now rages against the church, and the issue of the
contest may be for the glory of God, for the well being of
religion, and your grace's peace, is the prayer of your grace'svery devoted and humble servants in Christ :—Earl of Arun-
del and Surrey, Earl of Traquair, Viscount Fielding, Lord
Charles Thynne, Lord Stourton, Lord Petre, Lord Armidell
of Wardour, Lord Dormer, Lord Lovat, Hon. Alfred Stour-
ton, Hon. John Arundell, Hon. Charles H. Clifford, Hon.
Thomas Edward Stoner, Hon. Simon Fraser (the Master of
Lovat), Hon. Charles Langdale, Hon. Henry W. Clifford,
Sir J. F. Doaghty Tichborne, Bart., Sir R. Throckmorton,
Bart., Sir Edward Blount, Bart., Sir Thomas Gage, Bart.,
Sir William Lawson, Bart., Sir C. R. Tempest, Bart., The
Count de Torre Diaz, The Chevalier Don Pedro de,Zulueta,
George Bowyer, Esq., D.C.L. ; Aubrey de Vere, Esq., W.
Vavasour, Esq., Thomas Barnewall, Esq., Robert Berkeley,
Esq., Robert Berkeley, jun., Esq., George Clifford, Esq.,
Kenelm H. Digby, Esq., Richard Doyle, Esq., Ferdinand
Eyston, Esq., Charles John Eyston, Esq., A. . Fullerton,
Esq., John H. W. Hibbert, Esq.. Philip H. Howard, Esq..
William J. Leacher, Esq., William N. Marshall, Esq., W.
Constable: Maxwell, Esq., Peter Middleton, Esq., C. (2,,Pag-
lioni, Esq., It. Biddulph Phillipps, Esq., Ambrose L. Phil.
lipps, Esq., R. R. Wegg Prosser, Esq., Thomas Riddell,
Esq., Everard Stourton, Esq., Willi.= Turnbull, 8.D.D.,
W. G. Ward, Esq., Joseph Weld, Esq., C. Weld., Esq., Vis-
count Camden.

Copies of the above address lie for signatures at the prin-
cipal Catholic booksellers in London daring the week.

PO LICE CO UR T.--YRSTERDAT.

Michael Devine, a publican living in Scotland-road, was
charged with assaulting John Hodgson, by cutting off his
hair and whiskers. It appeared that the complainant was
in the habit of indulging himself rather freely in spirituous
liquor at the defendant's house, and on one occasion, for a•
glass of grog, assented to having his whiskers cut off! The
whiskers were accordingly taken off by the defendant, but
on the complainant becoming sober, he felt aggrieved that
his personal appearance should have been thus destroyed,
and sued the defendant for an assault. The magistrates'
dismissed the ease.

John Kelly was fined ss. and costs for destroying a stench
trap, he alleging that he was intoxicated at the time.
PASSING BASE COIN. —John Duffy, and Mary Langhan,
were charged with uttering some base coin, at the shop of
Mrs. M'Kenzie, Lee-street. The two prisoners went into
the shop and tendered a base shilling on the night of Fri._
day last, having been successful on that occasion, they made
a second attempt on Wednesday evening, when they were
given into custody. The fact of the uttering. being-
amply sufficient, the prisoners were committed for trial.
ROBBING A SAILOR.—CIara Robinson, was committed to'
prison for 14 days for illegally pawning the jacket of a
sailor. who had accompanied her to a brothel, and the
pawnbroker was ordered to restore the property, as it was
clearly proved that he had not made sufficient inquiries as
to the owner of the property at the time he lent the money_
upon it.
ROBBING A MISTRESS.--lane Tones was committed
for trial on a charge of stealing a quantity of wearing ap--
parel from her mistress Mrs. Sutton, of Queen's-square.
The prisoner had been a servant for about eleven weeks,'
when she said she was ill, and left. After she had taken
her departure, a great quantity of wearing apparel was
missed, which it was discovered had been taken by the
prisoner, and.pledged at various pawnbrokers. The prisoner
had no excuse to make for her misconduct.
SEAMAN'S CLAIM FOR WAGlS.—Thomas Jones summoned
Edward John Walsh, master of the Dagger, for £l2 2s. 4d.
balance of wages due to him.
Mr. Anderson, who appeared for the compla;nant, said ,
that he had shipped at Demerara, and that the reason the,'
defendant alleged for not paying him was dis-'
obedience of orders and inefficiency. It would 'be proved,
however, that at the time he entered into the agreement
with the defendant he told him that he was no navigator,
but that he understood the management of a vessel and
knew how to take the sun. The vessel arrived safely, and
it would be proved that that circumstance was due to the
exertions of the complainant who had nearly the sole con-
trol of the vessel during her voyage, the captain being in-
capacitated. for duty.
Mr. Owen appeared for the defendant. He said that
there was no log, but that the denial of the claim was based
in the first instance on repeated acts of drunkenness ou the
part of the complainant.
Mr. Mansfield observed that they should go further, and
shew that in consequence of that drunkenness be was incap-
able of doing his duty. He seemed, however, to have had
the sole control of the ship during the voyage ; but the
serious objection on which the defendant should rely was
the fact of the wages being claimed by another party, in
consequence of desertion by the complainant. And until
that claim was disposed of the case could not be adjudicated
on.

Mr. Owen said that they had letters in their possession
which showed that the complainant had deserted from the
James Gibson, and that his wages were claimed by_ the cap-
tain of that vessel.

The cold was very severe in Parir on Tuesday, At sit,
o'clock in the morning the thermometer marked 12 deg.
1-10th below zero of centigrade, and the Seine was full of
enormous blocks of ice.
ACCIDENT THROUGH Duexinorzss.—About 12 o'clock on
Tuesday, a gingleman, named James Kearney, was driving
through Great George's-street, quite drunk, when he came
in contact with Mr—Leally's carriage of Shanakiel, and
the shaft of his car entered the breast of one of Mr. Leahy's
horses, valued about 40 guineas. The horse bled profusely,
a d wse Jlotysilicted to recoyor.—Cerk

THE s'ximr-u-a OF PAIN-AMA.

. .
TO THE EDITOR OF THE NORTHERN-DAILY TIMES. •
SlR,—T4opgh notii-f4i-of our merchants have
crossed. by this route to:- the Pacific, such is the
general ignorance, and. popularly received notions
.
regarding it, that; knowing your desire to spread
commercial intelligence through: the medium of
your wide-spread circulation, 'I feel confidentin-ask,
ing a place for an article or two on a-Matter of such
importance to our community ; . for, on taking but
a cursory view of the 'map of the north, it must be
patent to all, that the value of
.the Isthmus- coin-.
munication cannot be overrated . by a .commercial
and now emigrating nation like Britain; for already
there is'a link of steamers from Panama north to
Oregon, and south to Conception, and, are, many,
months, it will stretch to our own Australian
"colonies. In fact,. the Pacific trade is but in its
infancy ; and when, we . reflect on the „ponderous
and successful enterprise and rapid growth of
American interests on that coast, it cannot but be,
matter of painful yegret,,.that, i.ll,Steita..of wasting
hundreds of valuable lives and hundreds of public
money, endeavouring to proye.to science, that there
is an ocean way through.the eternal- winter of the
.nerth-weat passage, our own government; fostering
-die 'commerce that -has Made Britaingreat,,did not
pioneer, the way from the A.tlantie to The -Pacific,'
when-they had the well-matured plans of
,a patter-,
son, and the interest of a Bolivar, so long and often.-
before them. ~.The„ thing is essentially American,
and a noble and profitable undertaking it is ; and
now that Mr. Gishorne,Dr. Cullen, and their staff,,
have started to re-survey the Darien. Canal, a
little to the south, and the crews of the United,
States and French frigate's in PanaMa Bay had
orders to co-operate with. them, there is at length
every .promise of this, the mightiest scheme of
modern times, being carried out. Ere many years
.
this, must be the highway of the entire Pacific
traffic, as well as to China, &e. •
Last ' year,,l embarked onboard the' Illinois, one
ef-thailarge and.fine fleet of steamers keeping. up
a continuous •strealt otenliktation_ between' New
York„andlCalifornia,;, and:after nine days' passage,
two of which were spent coaling, &c., at Kingston,
Jamaica; ..-we hove in- sight of the mountains •of
Porto-Bello at daybreak.; and after running along
in sight 'of the high land for three or four leagues;
we'got the first glinipadof the .then eihbryo town
of Aspinwall and in an hour more we mewed
.along-
side the ' 'Wharf in Navy Bay-7a, Splendid natural
harbour, with an entrance of about tvfliniles wide,
and. running inland five miles jn. a southerly' direc-
tion. There is
.excellent shelter, being " shut in.
'froth the north and west -by- high land, and abun-
dant depth -of 'water everywhere: for large ships ;
asnithere is only a rise and fall of about two feet
iistlfe, tides. It-is much snperior to Cliagres,,- the
former port, in every respect ;' and though 'Man-
=hills, Island, on which the. town of 'Aspinwall
stands, is evidently a coral formation—thotigh now
coveted with a heavy growth :of iimber—and - the
usual, basin-fotna Making it a pe.4ect swamp during
the rainy seasen-4t is, by no means so inthealthy,
owing to the constant sea-breeze. And as it is
only about four Julies in circumference; now that
the railway company are cutting through, the high
groand on the Pacific side, they are. gradually
levelling off the island' with- the - spare ballast
brought over daily by the return waggons.' A light-
house; several large hotels and stores, have been
erected, and goodatreete, laid out ;Land the-ugh it
is yet but "a wooden town, it proiniseS to be a very ,
important point; the 'New Oranadiag, 'government,
with much forethought, having, in 'IBA, deelared
both it, Panama free- ports. .
Having arrived on Sabbath; and no train running,
I was detained 24 hours at Aspinwall, and had,
therefore, a good oppottinlity of seeing the place,
and 'strolled .halrway fonnd, the island, the -beach
of which is fringed with Cocoa-nut trees,'and inland"
the Manz' anilla tree grows to a large size„ consider
ing the depth'of Soil. Hitherto
,no water springs
have leen struck of conseciaence, and the.inhabit-,
ants are Mainly dependent on the rain tanks.' Navy
bay, with three first class 'ocean steamers lying.at
anchor; besides -a few'large ships,- discharging coal
into the Inlks,;!and several schooners and small
craft, impart a liveliness which even Jamaica" did
nOt"Show, when 'at. Port Royal, a few days pre,
vious 'gilt- in the- gitlf;-`ratter a stiff northern was
bloWing, and 'yet the pal& 'and: unruffled:
and the pelican arka`flatimAgd,lfizijjr skimming along
its boa'cn. Floth ,the NiNi York steam companies
Were erecting extensive offices, and wharves; and:
the royal :West India mail steam company is now
engaged fitting 'up a very complete aceothmodation
and a Wharf,' with depth-of-Water Sufficient. to bring
the- largest. new. steamers alon.gside,:nnd' the rail

way company ace reallyan excellent depot and
wharf; s'o 'that perchandise,, as well as passengers'
,
baggage area' t, once put, into the train withoutexpense, and ''to save all anxiety to travellers re-
garging, the latter„ the excellent ticket system, so
universal in Americo, is adopted.
Immediately- after daybreak-next morning, the
locomotive was, looming to and fro, and by seven

the. train was attached, and started, earkyiiig
mofe than 600 passengeis and-trio vans with goods.
Certainly: the scream of the steam-whistie, awaken-

ing 'the rulers of the forest, and Startling the mon-
keys,panthers,and numerous denizens of the jungle,
had a most Singillar_ofect, and no. less so on `the,
"hombres," 15Itb stood gaping, as we darted
The Isanaina:Railway'Conapany was in
July, 1819, in. New 'Fork; Mr. J. L. Stephen, who
was elected president of the board, being emphati-
eallrthepionoer in this, undertaking ; and though,
when I erossedAhree years had scarcely elapsed—
eighteen months of 'whicb..were employed in= sur-
veying; Vie.,--thirty miles of road were in excellent
working order,• notwithstanding the Many and
serious. hindrances of 'heat, of chills, and con-
tiniinuSlabdur, and the first ten miles of rail:
having, to be
„raid on piles, through swath') fte.;
whe're it 'approaches the right :bank of thei'chagre*
riveri;St.Gatrin. Some, most nreposterOus articles
hang stt late gone the round of the newspapers- os
to the-fatality-of the climate. Although only eight
degrees .north,,-of the -line, Itellowlever is almost
tinktrawn—the :occasions/ deaths from' congestive
fever result Mainly froth great-e3tpCisnre• or intein-•
perance ; and I say this on the authority:Of Pr.
who .whs 'long stationed
Isthiniisr" by
,the Ra4way.Pompany. Theligh the
elitnate is' eneicvatirig to EUropeans, I. venture to
disrithat.the.airerag,e number of deaths .n Tess,
tha4i 14414 country.where even.prdinary nrudenee:
is'exercised." :Altogether,
,the: road, is .substantial
and, creditable to the engineers. It is the:ordinary
American wide image, litid with: leng .T rails, -.and
the-sleepers and. eras tics inostlr.of lignnarvitre
or hic4sl; rind 'the onlirertS, and WiCl*ei'Or the same'
with mahog,any beams, , grow-also to a large'
01 81ritherTithintiS.: that' the effeets 'of the.
rallif.season has been 'fairly tested,' three is no
file lvbsidenee ; and to keep off, the-luxuriant
tfiaer-growth, the forest has Ij#en cleared all _along
the fine about twenty-eight yards . on :either
.side.
With our.monster . train, we .reacheci._Tabernilla, the

temporary terminus, in less titan three hours, 'from
whence began our ascent. of the: Chagre,s river, in
large 'covered boats, which,-the natives pull up
alotrgsthe banks, and againatrthepowerful current
can only make about a,mile au hour. • It was very
deNhtfill, how-eVer, watching-
.the ever changing
scenery ;as each .turn of.' the streana' opened up a
neiv 'Vista'at 'Oneliine of fine 'hills wooded -to. 'the
summit; and another of. cf...,..)eautiftil stretch of
parklike country, with oliitrips,of fine tiMber here
and there, under whieh. the Ranchers' large Spanish
cattle were, ruminating; or endeavouring to keep off
the galling insects,' standitig knee-deep on. the 'river
brink, 'and the only birds- to be were the
übiquitqns, bligzards;andlswn.lkiws,---fai'duririg the'
nootidai heat the. woods "ard' Silent; bUt as the

day declined, and tip, fire,fly could now ;!nd then
be'seen glancing thrbugli'lhe thickets fl-J6
of
~Parrots wheeling', 'round the .-,loft):,Ceclard
screamed shrill' in their airy gambol's, and
merous tribet of plonketyrin„ kept up the
concert -until !noonnse, which shone out. full and
glorious., - • . .
1112ifiglir had the southern .and western
States of Ainerieti, arid threUghmiistudt th9l)kitif.sh,
and Spaplis h Vic9st Indies,-Lhad. nowhere seeri.stieh
luiurianes as.in the Woodlands on the Isthmus,—
the.rainy season had begun abouta month before,'
pad the abundant flow, too, was everywhere !nag-

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