The Sun.
London, England, 1856-09-23 00:00:00

(From Dr. Ross's Journal, 11!melt 17, 1854.)
Left the ship at Ip.m. in medical charge of an expedition
letached to ascend the River Chuquanaqua. The following
are the names of the individuals engaged in this service :
NE., W. C. Forsyth, senior lieutenant ; Mr. Henry Hills,
acting paymaster (volunteer) ; Dr. Wm. Ross, assistant-
geon ; Mr. G. Parsons, gunner ; Wm. Polling, captain
of the forecastle; Win. Ashcroft, Wm. Jeffery, Wm.
Dunsford, Thomas Aikenhead, Win. Chandler, Wm.
Hockey, R. Blake, Win. Behema, R. Kingswell, Job u
Walsh, John Tower, and Gallagher, able seamen, with G.
Julier, T. Orral, R.M. A.
The object of this expedition is to search for a missing
party of 27 officers and men who left the United States ship
Cyane, in Port Escoces, Caledonia Bay, Atlantic, on the
19th of January last, with the intention of exploring the
isthmus in a south-westerly direction to Darien harbour.
Theyhave not since been heard of, but are said to have boon
traced to the left bank of the Chuquanaqua by Indians,
who carried the intelligence to Port Escoces. It is pre-
sumed that, mistaking this river for the Savanna, they
are now wandering on its banks in a state of starvation,
as it is known they only took eight days' provision with
them; or that they have been destroyed by the same
hostile Indians 'who waylaid and murdered our own
men. The former supposition is borne out with some
degree of probability by the fact, that the course of
the latter river is only 20 miles from the former, where
it is a considerable stream; and near which, coming
from the Atlantic, it is likely they would strike it ;
and that the Chuquanaqua, after a very winding course
along the centre of the isthmus, it is said of above
150 miles, terminates in the Tuyra, which empties itself
into Darien harbour within a mile of the mouth of the SA.
vana. As remarked on the 7th Jan., in the description of
this river, it opens into Darien harbour after nearly a
straight course of between 25 and 30 miles. The latter
supposition is not probable, as the party was well armed,
and not likely, from what is known of Indian character, to
have been faced by treble their number of imperfectly
armed savages. The American exploring party had for
its object the isthmus, and reporting to Government as to
the possibility of cutting a ship canal from sea to sea. The
searching expedition returned at 1 a.m. of the 30th March,
after the absence of a fortnight. The following is an account
of our proceedings, taken from a daily journal kept by me :
" We left the ship at anchor in Darien harbour, and em-
barking in one of the paddlebox-boats, we took advantage
of the flood tide, and ascended the river Tuyra, a distance
of about 20 miles, anchoring, when the ebb commenced, at
3 a.m. By noon the tide turned, and again getting under
a ay, we arrived at the village of Yavisa at 9 p.m. ; this
place is 15 miles from Darien harbour, and is spoken of as
the capital of the Isthmus of Darien ; it is simply a collec-
tion of bamboo houses or huts covered with palm leaves,
irregularly arranged, or rather strewed, about a level piece
of ground on the right bank of the river. Its population
consists of 250 or 300 mulattoes, whose language is broken
Spanish, and who are presided over by an official termed
Jefe Politico,' appointed by the New Granadian Govern-
ment, which claims jurisdiction over this part of the Ame-
rican continent. These people obtain a miserable liveli-
hood, partly by hunting and cultivating maize and plan:.
tains ; in winter they saw up trees, the growth of the neigh-
bouring forest, which they transport to Panama in large
canoes in the shape of planks, and there dispose of them
for spirits, clothing, Scc. At its mouth the Tuyra is about
one and a half or two miles wide, but at Chapigana, a
village on its left bank, eight miles up, it narrows to loss
than one mile, and gradually contracting at Yavisa, it s
only 40 yards aide; it has a depth of from three to four
fathoms, which it carries a little above Chapigana ; becom-
ing shallower at the place where we anchored, it expands
into a wide bay, in which are numerous sand and mud
banks, rendering navigation rather difficult, except at high
or low water, the former carrying you over all these impe-
diments, and the latter rendering them visible. The deepest
part here is close to the sight bank. The mangrove is not
so abundant on this river as on the Savannah. It is more
common for a distance of 7 or 8 miles above Chapigana
than below it. This river extends itself inland on both
sides into several creeks, which, in one or two places, spread
out and have the appearance of lakes. The only tributary
of any consequence is the Molineca, which joins it on its
leftbank, about midway between Chapigana and Yavisa.
The water here is perfectly fresh, and of a delicious, s meet,
and pleasant flavour.
"The Tuyra has a very varied course ; ascending from
Darien harbour to Chapigana, it is easterly ; it then goes'
fer 8 miles nearly due south, and suddenly bends, fur a
short distance, at right angles to the eastward ; it. now
takes a south-easterly direction for about 5 or 6 miles ; for
the 10 succeeding miles it goes nearly north ; and finally
bending and turning on itself for almost 6 miles it arrives
at Yavisa. Opposite this village is the junction of the Chu-
quanaqua and Yavisa rivers. At Yavisa we obtained six
canoes and 11 natives to assist in navigating them, and at
1) a.m. of the 18th, we started in the canoes, being taken
in tow by the paddle-box boat ; assisted by the flood, we
rapidly ascended the Chug unaqua, anchoring at sunset in
mid-channel, and spending the night in the boat. We hero
had a narrow escape from destruction, for about midnight
an immense forest tree, growing close to the water's edge,
the roots of which had been denuded by the current of sur-
rounding earth, became loosened and fell with a tremen-
dous crash into the water, just clearing by a foot or two
boat,ocaunroes,w or
ifnittusnfaatleyllcutting off the stern of one of our
had been moored alongside, but
being larger than the boat, projected beyondits stern. This
was a salutary caution, and in future, when selecting our
bivouac on shore, we did not neglect to examine as to the
stability of the adjacent trees. At 6 o'clock on the morn-
ing of the 19th we again commenced our journey, anchor-
ing at noon close to the first rapids, which are distant above
Yavisa about 18 miles. From the latter place to these the
river carries a pretty uniform depth of three fathoms, ave-
rage 70 feet wide, and has nearly a direot course stretch-
ing towards the N.N.W. It now became necessary to take
to the canoes, not so much from the general shallowness of
the!water as from the commencement of the rapids and the
numerous snags and trees which obstructed our passage.
The boat we left at 2 p.m. of the 19th, the following indi-
viduals remaining in charge, with directions to await our
return—viz., Mr. Parsons, gunner ; Jeffery, Dunsford,
Aikinhead, Hockin, Walsh, and Gallagher, seamen ; and,
accompanied by the blacks, we commenced the second part
of our journey. After much labour and difficulty we were
only able to accomplish a distance of about three miles,
-owing to the rapidity of the current, before sunset. We
moored the canoes to branches of trees, and, landing, pre-
pared our evening meal, retiring to rest on a dry and ele-
vated mud-bank, without any protection from the night
daw, a blanket excepted. The remainder of our journey
up may be briefly condensed by stating that during the
next four days we ascended the river a distance of 67 miles
that it had a most tortuous course, which reaches approach.
ing almost to every point in the compass, but in the mean
taking a north-north-westerly direction—that its banks
were wooded by forest trees and beautiful flowering plants
close to the water's edge, among which were conspicuous
palm, mahogany, caoutchouc, and cedar trees; with con-
volvulus in abundance—that it had in general high banks,
bearing evidence of having been recently subjected to the
torrent of the river in a swollen condition, and that it re-
ceived numerous and considerable tributaries, the most
important of which, rising in the Cordilleras, opened from
its left bank.
"In this period we were all exposed to the most fatigu-
ing exertions— in paddling the canoes in deep water, pul-
ling them over shallows, and dragging them over trees ;
besides, in one or two instances, where fallen trees stretched
from bank to bank, digging a canal around their roots.
Meanwhile, we were day by day exposed to the intense heat
of a vertical sun, and at night to heavy dews and rain,
which completely saturated our blankets, and added to the
annoyance of millions of the most voracious mosquitos I
ever met with. This river abounds in alligators ; but, ex-
cept in particular localities, fish are rare. The upper part
of the Chuquanaqua and its tributaries are inhabited dur-
ing the dry season by the Indians, who come from the
more interior parts of the country to fish on its banks.
We also observed numerous evidences, along the banks of
their having lately visited these places, in deserted ranchos,
and frameworks for drying fish. Thes6 savages are a war-
like race, well armed, and have never yet been conquered,
either by the old Spaniards or their descendants, although
their territory is nominally under the sway of the Grana-
dians. To the Spaniards, as well as the blacks, they have
an inveterate hatred, from remembrance of former wrone.s.
They aro said invariably to kill the latter when found
within their territory ; this was lately carried out in the
case of five unfortunate negroo3 who not long ago strayed
too far into the wood; they were seized by the Indians,
killed, and, some say, eaten. An ancient law exists among
them denouncing death upon all white men found without
permission in their dominions; this was but too rigorously
enforced in the case of our own men. At 5 p.m. of the
231 we were rejoiced by the cry of smoke being seen
ahead ; several muskets were fired, and a cheer given ;
these were answered, the latter but faintly, from the right
bank of the river, a little in advance. Presently several
people wore seen emerging from the woods, and crawling
down the steep bank. They proved to be of the lost party,
and a more wretched set of human beings were never be-
held ; so emaciated were they that, clothed in their rags,
they appeared like spectres ; some had retained their arms
and blankets, while others, scarcely able to drag along their
own bodies, had thrown theirs away. Our first surmise
attributing to them their having mistaken the Chuqua-
naqua for the So.vana proved to be but too well founded.
They had left the Cyane, 27 in number, on the 19th of
January, with eight days' provisions ; these were partly
destroyed by their having boon upset in the surf in laud-
ing. They Wicended. the Caledonia river for some distance

in search of a gap iu the Cordilleras, said to exist in that
neighbourhood, but, failing to find out this, crossed the
summit of the range at a supposed elevation of 1,300 feet.
On the third day out two officers and throe men strayed
from the party and lost themselves ; they were. however,
fortunate enough to reach the ship in safety. This intelli-
gence we received before leaving Panama. The main body,
under Lieutenant Strain, continued its course to the Peels
fic, being guided by natives engaged from Port Escoces for
the purpose, down a stream on which was an Indian vils
lags in flames,* to the Chequanaqua, which they were in-
formed was the Savana. They struck the river on the 28th
January, and when they had finished the last of their pro-
visions. Knowing that the Savana gained the sea after a
course of 25 miles, and calculating to arrive at Darien
harbour at furthest in three or four days, during which
they imagined they could find sufficient sustenance on its
banks, they determined on prosecuting their journey, al-
though now deserted by their guides. They continued
following the river, which they crossed, suffering much
from want of food and lacerated feet, until the 13th of
February, when the marches became so short, owing to
the debilitated state of the greater number, that it was
resolved to send a party in advance tasobtain assistance.
Accordingly on this day Lieutenant Strain and three others
of the strongest detached themselves from the party, and
after suffering great hardships, sometimes travelling along
the banks, and at other times progressing by means of
rafts, which they formed, and which in succession were
destroyed by rapids and snags, they arrived at Yavisa on
the 9th of March, in nearly a perishing condition.
" Almost naked, and with their bodies lacerated in
a shocking manner from the brushwood, &c., they there
engaged several canoes, and despatched them to the aid
of their comrades, with provisions and the other neces-
saries of which their companions were in want. On
the 17th this relief party returned• to Yavisa, having
ascended the river a distance of 60 miles. Having
reached a point on the left bank where they ieuad a. newly
made grave, and a letter addressed to Mr. Strain, they
returned on their way down. A little below this they
picked up one man who had strayed from the main body ;
he, however, could give but little account of himself, as he
soon became delirious and died. The letter was from the
officer left in command, dated the 6th of March, and to the
effect that they had followed the river thus far, where one
man had died of starvation ; that, seeing no probability of
a near approach to the sea, and despairing of aid from be-
low, they bad determined to make a retrograde movement
and attempt to regain their ship. On receiving this Mr.
Strain attempted to persuade the people to return in the
canoes and follow them, at the same time offering to ac-
company them, but they declined, from dread of the In-
dians. Failing of this, and hearing of the Virago having
arrived at Darien harbour, he immediately started theuce
to ask assistance. We fortunately met him 18 miles be-
low Yavisa, and he returned with us. The main body we
came up with, as they had halted for the night. In addi-
tion to the two deaths already noticed, they had lost one
seaman and two New Grenadian commissioners, who had
died of starvation. It was evident to us that i❑ not many
days nearly all would have died from the same cause. 'From
the 27th of February to the 22d of March they had existed
chiefly on several species of palm nuts ; one of these, when
roasted, was rather sweet and palatable ; another so in-
tenEely acid as to have completely divested their teeth of
enamel. Of these they ate immense quantities ; but they
afforded little nourishment; they were excessively astrin-
gent in their nature, and caused long-continued constipa-
tion, lasting, in one instance, 22 days. In nearly all the
intellect was in a slight degree affected, as evinced by
childish and silly remark, although their memory and the
recollection of their sufferings were unimpaired. Individu-
ally they had given themselves up for lost ; and their
excessive joy at being unexpectedly snatched from death
was, in some measure, sufficient to account for this.
Bodily they had all suffered severely. All, on leaving
the ship, had been stout, healthy men ; now they were
literally living skeletons, covered with foul ulcers and
phlegmons. From retracing their former route, in which
they had cut down nearly all the palm trees affording nuts,
these were getting scarce ; and, as game is hardly seen on
the banks of this river, it is more than probable that a few
days would have finished the whole of the party. They
were, of course, ravenous for food, and it is singular that
their first request should have been for sugar and tobacco.
They being handed over to my care, I gave directions that
nothing should be given to them except what I ordered
myself. I had prepared for them some weak soup and
bouilli, with rice, giving them each meanwhile a small
quantity of port wine and water. On the morning of the
24th, notwithstanding they ha' „mrtaken of such nourish-
ment as they had not even hoard of for 57 days, many of
them could not move, and had to be carried into the ca-
noes. They had discovered their own weakness, in feeling
now that all necessity for exertion on their part was ended.
In our journey down the river we numbered 37—quite as
many as the canoes could with safety hold. The same
nourishment as given on the 23d was repeated frequently,
and in small quantities. Ore the 26th we arrived at the
boat. Here one of the party, owing to the mistaken kind-
ness of those about him, had an epileptic fit, brought on
by over-repletion. On the evening of the 27th we are iced
at Yavisa, where I regret to say one of the party died ; he
was in the last stage of debility, and, during the journey
down, had only been kept alive by stimulants. On the
30th we arrivei on board. Part of the Americans are 10.
ceted on shore at a neighbouring village called La Palma.
They are rationed from the ship, and have whatever else
they require from our mess, and are visited daily by my-
self or Dr. Travan. All are still in a debilitate i state,
but, with one exception, are recovering. This individual
is a civil engines, attached to the party.
" Regarding the effects produced on our own men dur-
leg this expedition, I have only to remark that, as yet,
none of them have complained. Quinine was every morn-
ing issued to them as a preventive of fever. Purgative
medicine he I once or twice to be given for constipation ;
from the quantity of vegetable matter contained in the
river, of the water of which we drank abundantly, quite
the reverse state of the bowels might have bean expected.
During our absence a mica of levels have been cairied
across the isthmus, along our route from the Savana to the
Chuquenaqua, the right bank of the latter being found to
be Ir.o fs 3t, and the bed of the river 97 feet above the level
of the sea."

* Sucubti.

Naval and triiiitary Intelligence.

The authoriti:-.3 at the War Department having de-
cided that the whole of the depots of the British regi-
ments stationed at the Provisional Battalion, Chatham,
shall be formed into four company depots, each company
consisting of not fewer than 50 rank and file, the ar-
rangement will be cara::d into effect irnm liately it has
been decided to what station the Br:t'sh depots are to
be attached on their • aaternpla;;;:d re naval from Chat.
ham barracks. The depots which will come under the
above arrangement are the 12 As, the Ire- Aquarters of
which are in Australia ; the 37th, now stationed in
Ceylon ; the 40:,h, the service comp of which are
in Van Diemen's Land, ar:d the 45th, now doing duty
at the Cape of Good Hope.
The prelim:nrry ri.angementi for removing the mili-
tary clothing rstablishmelt from the Royal Arsenal at
Woolwich ore concluded. Tae nece: -ail sp.;.ce of ground
within the encir u-e facia.; the Ordnance Hospital,
known as the Giatid Depot, has been cleared for the
purpose of coronae co:thwith the erection of a com-
modious range or builci;pgs to Lerve as military clothing
stares and their requ'site offices, so as to form a separate
tablishment in Woolwich garrison.
The Dido is ordc 'el to be paid off at Sheerness on
Friday next
The screw steam-sloop Cruizer, 17, from Portsmouth
for the East Indies, put into Plymouth on Saturday.
A Turkish two-deckrd shin-of-war was off Plymouth
Sound yesterday morning, so.
.roped to be bound to De-
vonport Dockyard, to receive machinery and a screw
propeller.
The naval authorities have received instructions to pre-
pare transport conveyance for uniforms in readiness to
be despatched for the two companies of the Royal Sap-
pers and Miners stationed ,at Gibraltar, two companies
at Malta, one company at Corfu, one at Halifax, and one
at the Cape of Good Hope.
The transport British Lion, Capt. Palethorpe, arrived
at Woolwich on Sunday, laden with 200 tons of miscel-
laneous stores and 400 tons of provisions returned from
Balaklava. The latter will be landed and stored at Dept-
ford.
The following appointments were made yesterday at
the Admiralty :
Captain Thomas Sparke Thompson to the Colossus ;
Henry Sutton, blaster's-Assistant, to the Dauntless ;
W. H. E. Mitchell, Assistant• Clerk, to the Scourge.