The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1849-05-08
DUBUQUE, IOWA, MAY 8, 1849.

! rocky, and mountainous route as il is posi-.
Die to Imagine. l arrived IN Panama about
one o'clock, P. NJ. and although completely
exhausted, assure you it was refreshing to
find or 10 of my old Dubuque friends, viz:
Augustus, John, and Edwin Coricl!, J. Doug
lass, J. Clark, Mccoy, ] Hampstead &C. l
remained in Panama one day, secured our pas
| sage at bargain, $4,000 each, in sal! vessel, J
| became convinced that we had Better dispose
| Of our provisions for whatever: Il could get fer
! them at Gorgona,n rather than pay twice their
original cost forrtransit across the land and re.
turned to report what had done. After hear.
ing my report. it was resolved that myself and
Mr.. Marvin should remain at Gorsona until We
could sell our provisions and the balance OF
the company should start for Panama. We re-
manned four days. during which time we dispo.
scd Of our provisions. and loft for Panama.
When we arrived at the city, We all got to-
gethcr, settled up our accounts, and a fter paw
| ing the expense Of getting our provisions to
Gorgona, each member Of the company rec civ.
ed S5,65: So you see this was rather a poor
speculation. have now been in this primitive
city days, on an expense Of from SO cts. to
ST per day. Everything in the provision line
is very high: and it is only by hiring room in
company with ten others, and living upon the
very pIainest diet, that | manage to get along
So cheap. There arc many here who spend
| not less than $40 per week for board. The
public houses charge from to $3a day. ndc.
pendent Of wines. The ship in which we have
secured passage, is expected on the 18th. She
will remain in port 9 or 3 days, and IGcn we
shall be off for San Francisco 1t IS expected
tina: we will be from 10 to GO DAYS in running
up.
The steamer Oregon left here this morning.
with 23S passengers. The California is daily
expected. There are here more than she can
possibly get on board, who secured their tick
cts in New York, in Dec. 194S, and Mt Chagres
and on the way between here and there, it is
estimated that there twice as many as the
Oregon Gun possibly take on her return There
are from SUI to 1000 Americans in this city.
and it is thought from ten TO twelve hundred
at Chagrcs, and on their way to this city Two
Americans have died since my arrival in this
city, from fever, produced by exposure to the
sun, and too plentiful indul gence in the tro.
pical fruits, which re considered. even BY the
natives, injurious. There are now some IL or
ID sick. With ordinary prudence. those at
tack ed by the fever, recover. lam only sur
prised that many more are not sick ! am as
surcd that the same exposure in their own eli
mate would prove lar more fatal to them. For
one, | could not desire i more hca Itliy climate.
But you must bear in mind that this is the dry
and the healthy season From tho hitter pal
OF Nov. to the middle Of April. there is but lit
tie rain and therefore but little sickness but
the balance Of the year is one almost unintcr-
rnpted season Of rain, and therefore u great
deal of lily. A FrcncI, doctor here, ellis
me, that not more than one out Of four Amcri.
cans survive, VINO venture to remain upon the
Isthmus during the entire season
Panama is Il walled city, and in its more
prosperous day and generation, was no doubt
one OF the most inpcegnablc fortrcsses of the
Spunlards. send you 4 copy Of the Panama
Star an American paper published here, which
contains brief description Of tho city, and
will therefore relieve me from detail of its
character.
What can I say of the nha bitants of this little
nee OF land? Certainty nothing in their ia
Vor They are Il mixture Of Spanish. Indian,
ard Ncgro--thc latter prcdominating TO 4 very
considerable extent. They are u proud, igno
rant d'sslpated. treachcrous, and wing race,
and ! blush TO admit hat little or no effort is
made, by the civil or rccI, siastical authorities
OF the country to mitigate this evil. The most
barc-iaced frauds arc practised upon the Amo-
rIcan:, and the public authorities neither dis
approve nor punish. This species Of outrage
las become so common Of late, that the Amc-
rIcans have finally been thrown upon the dan.
gcrous alternative of assuming the functions of
Judge, jury, and cXccutioner They have Ia
ken the law into their own hands, and when
an imposition is sought to be practiscd upon
them, they chastise with becoming severity
1t has had most beneficial effect upon the A.
mcrcan interest, for 1t has taught the natives
that there is superior race Of moH to them
selves, and that while they respect the laws,
civil and social, Of foreign nation, they will
not allow their property to be wrongfuI!y taken
from them. and their persons insultcd and out
ragged with impunty. Or late, they arc a S tim.
id Of the Amercans,a rs child is wont tn be Oft
cold, misanthropic parent. In fact, they are
a absolutely afraid o them: and how should it be
otherwise? They behold a thousand or fifteen
hundred men and boys. literally loaded down
with guns. pistols. and bowie knives Really,
it is farccal to witness tho enormous oa DIS that
old men Of thrce-score, and boys of tender
years, pack about with them.
VIM: Fl. MERRITT.