The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-06-10

oAuato8 you 1Ot {OuS pV1tS taHU~&s
have the honor 10 sabscribs myself yeefo&
From Ms .Mw York kvs~;sg Pea
Life h TahSsa.
From the last VI charming series Of papes
now appearing in TIE Literary World and Al
tributed to DR.. Francis Tones, who was IA
two years attached as surgeon TO one Of tn
United States mail steamers on the Pacific. Dbl
Tones was one Of the frat to witness the de-
velopment Of the gold fever on the other side a.
the continent, and bis observation ranged over
the whole Of its most interesting phase. We
are encouraged 70 hope from these publications
in tho Literary World. that the doctor designs
to favor the public with full scconnt Of bin
rare and valuable experience We may ~ weIl
add, that Tuboga il little English Island on the
Pacific coast not far above Panama, with bold
coast where, in the absence of more perfect &C.
commodatons, it was and stiI Is we believe Gus
tomary TO shore vessels for repairs. In the fol-
lowing sketch the writer describes his Wait in
quest Of something to eat, to a native hut which
ne finds hid away in tamarind groye.|
In the distance it looks not unlike some huge
birds nest, half covered with the leaves, and thu
languid native girl sswaying in the hammock, and
startled ut our approach, suggests to the fancy
the futtering of feathers. 1t IL in fact native
cane hut, and the hammock il swinging gently
to the langud movement Of 1aboga beauty.
We enter, bending under the low open door
way, pushing inside the leaves, and doffinQ our
Guayaquil sOmebrero and utteri0g our buem0s
dias, iSenorita with the most courtly air ut our
command. After modest futter aud grace
full movement of light drapery that drops like
curtain over the full form and rounded limb that
had been wooing the warm air in unsuspected
secret calliancc, we are c0urteousIy made wei
come TO our question, hay aibanas cosas para
conner? we are answered q satisfactory 81
senior, and pointed to a corner where there il
heaped up against the bamboo walls an album
dance Of plantains. bananas mangoe ., melons.
name apples, pines, and yellow oranges, fragrant
with their mellow odors, and gushing with
ripeness. As we look feasting our eyes on the
luscious heap, we see monster of the alligator
kind, largo, black, soft fleshy thing, that seems
to crawl torpidIy about the heap; it has long
head, like a serpent; its black skin hangs in
loose folds about its throat, looking like the
shrivelled neck of an African bag; its BODY il
thick and faced the back il roughened with
bony ridge, and the belly, glistening with q
Shiny white, falls in folds about its spreading
claws, and its viper tail coils in and out among
the fruit This we are told, il an iguano, and
an innocent and much priced item of the Iarder
and is urged upon us as a decacy that an
Apicius might smack his lips over We shud-
der out mnchas gracias, implying very desi-
ded no, to the offer of cooking this monster for
our dinner.
Our host is notable housekeeper, and while
she is busy making ready our cheer, we have
dropped into her grass hammock, into the very
mould of her graceful form. As we swing IN
the hammock, we sweep the area of the whole
hut, and examine the birdcage-lke structure;
its sides are made of canes placed upright md
joined together at the top and bottom with
cross pieces, fastened by cords made of native
grass; the roof rises in palm-leaf thatch that
ascends in a central ridge and falls with steep
descent, bringing the caves in a leafy fringe low
down over the sides. The doors and windows,
rudely cut out Of the cane walls, open into the
green grove. A great red earthen jar dripping
with moisture, filled with delicious water. al
ways kept cool by the evaporation through the
porous clay of which it is made, standing ia one
corner with goody show of white ca1abashes
arranged about, two or three hides stretched on
the bare ground, some palm leaf baskets living
near, and the swinging hammock fastened to
the ridge pole, moving in its breezy sweep, are
all the simple contents of the palm matched hut,
The goodly housewife, as we look about u.s..
is in the meantime busying herself with the.
preparation of our feast, and although she la
bors with notable zeal, all she does is done
with grace of movement and a soft languid
ease, that tighten all her labor. The plantains
have been thrust into the orange wood fire, lust
outside the door in sight Of the swinging ham,
mock, ard the dame, as abe sits beneath the
shade of spreading tamaIind, is busy dropping
into a calabash of rice, into which has been
poured the milky juice, shower of snow white
meat, which she CRATES with shell from the ripe
cocoanut The mealy plantain has burst its
leathery jacket, and the rice mingled with the
meat and milk of the cocoanut, in done to
turn, and we feast; and our Taboga Hebe pours
out for US calabash bumper of chicha, in which
her health and an eternity to her beauty are of
course feelingly pledged. For dessert we have
no choice to make; we take what IL offered
from the stores of fruit, and are glutted with
the sweets of the orange, the melon, and the
luscious pine. To crown all, all hail our good
friend, the wide worlds friend tobacco We
ask for cigar, and our maiden plies her ready
hand. She has store Of the finest leaf Ia
boga grown, and chilling the choicest from the
heaped-up palm leaf basket, sits at our feet
rolling it into form. She spreads the broad
moist leaves here, and there abe heaps the dYier
fragments, and with her nimble fnpers mould
ing the latter into shape, wraps them into the
f,rmef with n cunning twirl then ahe scala the
envelopes with the exuding juice Of the plantain,
and 10, cigar after cigar rolls out before "a in
tempting abundance. . She is proud Of her skill,
and throws back her unbound hair that had
fallen like thick black veil over her face az she
bent to her work, and turns her dark eyea to-
wards US in the hammock, and there is a smile
of vanity in them, ms she stretches out her hand
grasped full of cigars, her cunning handiwork.
We smoke and puff awav the day in lazy
dream, we do not envy Cuban Don.
BosroN, June 8.