Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1850-07-18

of road, and reflects upon the fact just allud-
ed to, he can scarcely suppress his feelings of
indignation that such country should be called
in history, and on the school maps of his own
native land by the same name which desipnates
his own loved home--tthe home of the free
and the land of the brave The government
of New Grenada is nominally republican, vet
there is not free school, protestant church,
or benevolent institution of any kind worthy
the name in the whole country; neither is
there decent hotel, a rod of railroad, canal,
or even good public road, a steamboat or even
respectable looking sail vessel in the whole re-
public. Notwithstanding all that nature has
done for the land, it is miserable, wretched
place, cursed Of man and apparently forsaken
of God-except in its natural beauty and re-
sources-from which our citizens would flee as
from plague or pestilence. Such is the re-
public of New Grenada miserable govern
mental hoax, which, if blotted from the book of
nations would not be missed by any lover of
freedom-any friend of his race. While upon
this point, | would remark that the country is
divided into provinces, each having its Govern
or and other needful functionaries. The Gov.
| of the Province of Panama resides in this CITY.
pure Castilian, educated and said to be very
polite and gentlemanly. have not seen him.
although his residence is near my hotel, and
he is about the streets more or less daily.
! Cdution.-ln this connection | would intro
duce word of caution to all persons going this
route to California. When in New York thew
will hear and read in the papers much in rela-
ton to the need Of PASSPORTS. A, B, c, and
so on with the whole alphabet, all Notaries
Public, will caution YOU to be sure and supply
yourself with one of these paper projections,
and kindly advise you to call at their respec-
tive offices and procure the needful article for
the low price Of two dollars. Some are so
very thoughtful Of the good of their emigrating
countrymen, as TO propose to furnish them at
the low price of one dollar, Many, very many
are caught in this gull-trap, shaved by New
York sharpers of their money, for which they
obtain piece of paper, of no more practical
use than the fifth wheel to a coach. The truth
| is, there are no passports required here of any
one-no such documents are enauired for.
/ there are no officials to examine them. 1t is
all sheer New York hoax, gotten up to OBJ
tain money; and the newspapers of the United
| States could not perform more acceptable
service in small way, for the thousands of
| California adventurers, than by exposing this
wicked cheat, and guarding the community
against it. | am not one of the sufferers but
| could name any number who have been
robbed in this smooth and apparently philan-
thropic manner.
But to return to the road from Cruces 1t is
called good road BY the natives, but let no
one infer from this that its goodness is to be
estimated by any New England standard. 1t
may be good according to the standard of the
country, but. truth to tell it is Just the worst,
most perpleXing and horrible way that this
! child ever set foot in. 1t winds around hills
and descends deep, sultry valleys, passes
| through deep gorges cut out by the heavy rains
so that at the bottom there is now barely room
for single mule or foot passage, while the
banks rise nearly perpendicularly on each side,
sometimes as high as five and twenty feet
The mud is often deep, the rocks loose and
jagged, the activities and declivities very
steep, and altogether it is the acme of all that
is rough, rocky, muddy and disagreeable, with
| Searcal, braatb of air ctirr o,J ,ha JooJ
ly exhalations often loaded with the effluvia Of
decomposing mules which have fallen by the
| way, and been turned over to gorge the buz-
zard and the beast of prey. A person to see
the road and then look at the poor, starved
staggering mules, with their heavy burdens
wonders how it is possible for them to sustain
the weight piled upon them, much less to
climb over the loose rocks and over the rugged
sleeps Of the way. The steep precipices, how.
ever, down which a single misstep would
plunge both beast and rider headlong, fifty OF
a hundred feet, of which so many have told
and so much has been written, is all a sheer
fable. There are no such places on the route
and he who says to the contrary is either de-
ceived himself or designs to deceive others
They exist only in the imagination of those
who have not made the passage. 1t is not un.
common for mules to fall and cast their riders
over their heads; sometimes they fall in the
narrow defiles and it is impossible for the rider
to dismount on account of the lack of room, in
which case he has only to await the pleasure
of his long-eared animal to arise end pursue
his way. Wo to those who have long legs
unless they can take a reef in them, for they
are in great danger of being splintered. The
passage Is not without its amusement, which
is generally indulged without stint at the ex.
pense of the long spared bipeds referred to-
Ladies make the passage on mules or horses
and those who understand what is before them
and act most prudently, are sure to be provid-
ed with pants, sack coat and hat, and sci
astrlde the animal in real man fashion. Sew
eral of our lady passengers were thus provided
and came through comparatively easy, arriving
at the hotels in Panama perfectly at home in
their saddles, and dismounting with all the
ease and grace of a fashionable riding master.
Let no lady attempt to cross the isthmus with
out being fully equipt for similar transit
shall close this article with few word:
about matters and things in and about this city
of ruins. Panama is walled city, much O