The Democratic pioneer. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1845-1853, 1849-04-20

PANAMA, NEW GRENApA,1
March IS. IS49.

it's Tnha bita nj s-s.Mr. TOWnsiey, OF
CleI mount tcounty--Dr. Smith, of New
ark, Ohio--Parsage up the Chagres---
Trip over the Isthmus-. -Dr. Chamber =
lin colonel Weller and his Missions.
Advice to Immigrant.
Editor Enquirer Col. Weller and his
party reached Chsgrea on the 12,h inst ,
having left New Orleans on the I'd. The
trip dow was made in good time and 10
pleasant weather all the way, without nc,
.cident OF incident out Of the ordinary
course Of events. Chsgres was seen abou,
II o'clock 10 the morning, and reached
by P. n. The 6rst object which met
the eye was an old, ao,iquated, ivy grown
fortress, with tow ers and battery, situated
on high hill, the base washed BY tbe
sea, in the rear a thick jungle, on one
side a beautiful cove, on the other the
little village huts made OF bamboo, GOV.
cred with the palm,leaf The town has
an estimated population Of about 500 of
the oldest looking people the eye ever
INST. They live mostly by canoeing are
simple 10 habits, honest, trusty and Of
good feature. The misrepresentation of
the place, by all the letters ! had read 10
the States, had led us al to expect the
most repulsi,e, godsfrsaken town and
people in creation, ,-instead Of which we
found town occupying position highly
romantic and pleasant and a people, odd
enough, TO be sure. but neither repulsive
nor disgusting. Tire sito is not so low as
represented, nor so sickly. The scenery
around is charming. In the harbor, made
by the mouth Of the river, iUto which the
Alabama entered without d iculty, were
lying several vessels, which had landed
their cargo ofgold seekers, &C.; and a
few rods from the shore the wrecks offour
or Eve others, which had been driven 10
and stranded. Ga the beach, under a
tent, lay Mr, Townsley, OF ClermonI
county sick from exposure 10 escaping
from one Of these wreoks, in sight Of him
the grave of his W ife and child, who day
or two before found resting place b, the
hand ef strangers wife had received
an injury in escaping the wreck and sui
fersd premature birth. On one of the
schooners, delerious and burning up with
fever, lay Dr.. Smith of Newark, Ohio,
talking Of home and friends which lie
would probably never again see.
Leaving Chagres for Gorgona, some
forty. 6vs miles, we took passage on the
nice little steamer Orus, which runs up
the Chagres river eighteen miles, which
gained, we embarked in canoes, peir,.
gues and yawls, propelled BY lus,y natives
ard in two days more reached the head of
navigation in the dry season. The trip
by canoes was delightful; the river about
100 yards vide, clear, rapid and coursing
through wild tropical country, which
presents to the eye something to wonder
At and admire, look where You will. Al
short Intervals small ranches are to be
met with on the banks, the occupants
seemingly as primitive in their manners,
habits, customs aud modes ofliving as the
generation that began with fig leaf cloth
ing. Every curve of the river we reachs
ed would expose to US gold hunters, can.
oss along. loaded down with every verle-
~ of notion and implement. Reaching
Gorgona, a smaller village than Chagres,
we found the landing piled up with boxes
and barrels, and the grounds about dotted
over with tents and booths, the occupants,
gold hunters, awaiting mule transporta.
lion across, some twenty-four miles To
Panama. There are some 500 awaiting
there, and probably 1000
here. and hundreds on the way up who
have landed at Chagres since. AT Cor,
yona We took the mustang and mule line
and reached Panama the same day. The
-oad was over plain, mountain and hill,
through gorges and de6les, now sleep,
md now rugged. now level, but ever,
'ariety Of forest scene, tropical trees and
'rds aud flowers, here an anaconda on
inb, there a panther iu the trail, y onder
cougar sneakIng into the jungle, making
very step novsl, rev and interesting.--
he whole, whatever its hardships aud
exposures, a pleasure trip, which is not
o be met with more than once in a life.
ime. DR.. Chamberlin was the only lucky
unter, having killed good sized cougar
shile walking through the woods below
sorgona; on the 9Th Col. Weller shot an
OF nine feet in length, as it was
anging from limb, but that fact was
nly common-monsters Of that species
re cheap.
From Gorgona here mules and natives
re the only means Of trapsporlatiop.-
Iules will carry 800 lbs, and natives as
igh as 900, over road that has been ,
ravelled siace the conquest Of Cortsz,
nt still mule path and nothing else.
anama is a walled city, most beautiful