New-York daily tribune., 1849-08-13

Yearabie Nq- .r, Yts C1sHrrb C.ina's r. .-- 7 Q
Rad % Panema steef and Fcus. Tae Ctli7s
go. TrarftnR a. NiRH. Panama = Lat .Sone
Hords 0boiG f's J0nrHsy.
sg~r Corf..f,.--a,s NJ T.. Tftase
PAxAxA July O. 1883.
Ms-rs Gr,,iey r McElrah
Ilcft the Falcon at day break on Sunday morn
ing Jas, the 22d in the ships boat We rounded the
"a b,ua on which the castle stands, and found b..
yond j, shallow liil- bay the east side % which,
on low ground. stood the huts Of Chagres Phng
~ our baggage on the shore each one sei about
scarchDg flr the canoes which had been Engaged the
uight previous bu;. without single exception. the na
.ir,s were not 10 be found when found had broken
their bargains. Everybody ran hther and ih.iaer I'D
great excitement xlous be ca before every boy
else and hurTyIng up the naked boatmen 81 10 no
uurpose The canoes were besched on the mud and
their owners engaged In thachng their covers with
split leaves Of the palm. The doors Of the huis were
nj ed with men ard women, each in single cotton
garmcnt, conposedy smo king their cigars while mum
bers of childr rem in Natures own clothing, tgmoed
about in the sun Having started without breakfast
went 10 the " Crescent City hotel hu' with noor
% IT, but could get nothing Some Of my friends nad
Jared better Al Of the native huis and eat down
to the remains OF their meal which WAS spread On q
her coop beside the door The pigs Of the vicinity and
several lean dogs suounded me 10 oier their services
bat rnantsined d respectful silence, which IL more
thsn could be said Of pigs al home. Some pieces Of
pork fat with fresh bresd and drsughi oi sweet
spring water from a cocoa shell made me delicious
repsst
A passenger by the Panama was Al the hotel, sho"
ing A lump Of gold weighing about four pounds He
wa. Mr. Williams from Memphis, Tenn. who went
out in December on the first trip Of the Falcon and
was returning with s22 900 in gold which hs had due
with his own hands He stated that many persons
who had gone with him had returned 10 San Francisco
utterly discouraged with scarcely dollar IN their
pockets They were clerks and other persons unused
20 labor who gave up in despair at the hrst ria Mr.
W obtained much as he wanted and was perfectly
satisfied This only added to the excitement about
pushing Of up the river. and my party set about pro
curing canoe As far my experience goes. there
is no agent whom dependence may be placed d.
he matter OF hiring conveyance The traveller mu't I
depend msiny on his own management or luck Ih'
natives ask much they can get, and those who g.
first must pay highest They have not spent the Lac
six months without learning something OF the Amer
can habit Of going at fall speed The word # statn-
used by the boatmen on the Chagres River IS go
ahead A" They know when al the steamers may be-
expected and calculate accordingly In our case tn
Alabama from New Orleans and the English mail steam
er were due the next day, and we saw at once W.
should have TO pay high prices After an hours search
and bargaining, we got canoe for three with baggage
at sl5 each, to Cruces The sharp, narrow canoes
without covers which carry from one to four persons
are much more swift than the broader and safer ones
some Of our passengers paid as high ss s@S and 60
each tor the latter kind hoping to get ahead, and were
dissncod the first day by others who had less haste
and more Judgment
Our men were engaged In thstchng the canoe and
we stayed BY them until al ready aud II had beer
pusbcd through the mud and shoal to the bank
before Rsmos's house, for our baggage Lverythint
was slowed away. we took our seats and raised
umbrellas, but they had gone oh for provisions and
were not TO be found Everybody else was in the
predcament. While sitting patiently in our craft
was much diverted by seeing one Of our passengers
issue from hut with native each arm and march
thes1 rosolutey down to the river. We succeeded in
drumming up own by half past u, and with ie"
strokes Of their broad paddles they took us from the
excitement and noise OF the landing place to the secu
sion aud beauty OF the river scenery
Our chief bostman named Ambrosio Mendez- was OF
the mixed Indian and Spanish race The second Jus'
Crspin Bega belonged the lowest class, almost e-
tirely of negro blood lie strong jovis fellow,
AS 10 relieve Us from all further trouble about them
This propensity is common To all Of his caste on the
I.thmus In addition to these third man was given
10 us with the assurance that he would work his pas
sage but just as leaving we learned that he
was runaway soldier who had been taken up for thef
and was released on paying some sub slcalde three
bottles Of liquor promising to quit the place at once
We were scarcely out Of sight OF the town before be
demanded I'VE dollars day for hislAbor. We refused
and he stopped working. We then threatened to ST,
him ashore in the jungle and he took up the paddle
but used it 50 awkwardy and pervcrsey that our other
men lost all patience We were obliged. however, L.
wait until we could reach GatuH 10 miles distant, be
fore settling matters Juan struck up "Oh sussnnsl
which he sung TO most ludcrous imitation Of the
words and laid back under the palm leaves, looking
out the OF the on the forests OF the Cha
gres River.
There is nothing in the world comparable to these
forests No description that have ever read convey.
an idea Of the splendid overpus OF vegetable life within
the tropics The river. broad ana with swift current
Of the sweetest water ever drank, winds between
walls of foliage that rise from Its very surface All
gorgeous srowths OF al eternal Summer SO mingled
IN one impenstrsble mass that the eye is bewdeTed
From the rank Jungle OF csnes and gigantic lilies and
the trunks Of the mango the cei5a the cocoa the syc
smore and tho superb palm Plantains take root n
the banks hiding the soil with their leaves shaken sno
split into immense planes by the wind and rain The
kspoie with fruit the size Of mans head, the gouTo
tree and other vegetable wonders attracts the eye Oh
all sides Blossoms Of crimson, purple and yellow Of
form magnitude unknown in the North. are mingled
with the leaves and hocks OF parOquets and brilliant
butterflies circle through the like blossoms blown
away. Sometimes spike of scarlet aowers IS thrust
forth like the tongue Of serpent from the heart OF
some convo!uuon OF unfolding leaves, and sometime
cTeePers and parasites drops trails and streSmers
fragrance from boughs that shoot halfway across Ii,
river Every OF the stream only disclosed another
and more magnificent of leaf oough aud blossom
All outline Of the landscape IS lost under this deuge o.
vegetation No trace OF the soil is 10 be lo~snc
ana highland are the same mountain Is but higher
swel! OF The mass OF verdGre. As the ocean you
nave rather than spercepuon Of beauty. Ihs
sharp clear lines OF scenery at home are here
ting What shape the land would be II cleared, you
cannot tell. You gaze upon the scene before you Will
never s4ted delight I'll your brain aches with the ssn.
'@uon and yoa close your eyes overwhelmed with IN,
thought that ali these wonders have been from the De
shnDg-ihH year siter year takes away leaf or