American telegraph. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1851-1851, 1851-06-05
Correspondence OF the New York Herald

PANAMA. April %, 1851.
The population Of Panama-Inpropement il. the CITY
Splendid Wtd1i"g-Aagn.fcent Dresses Of TIE scao'tt
My last, from Lima, perceive you received;
but whether you found anything in it worth
printing, IS u case OF Quten sa6e. | have been
mere nearly a month, and have seen about ali
there is TO be seen in this half-Spansh, half
American city.
/ am told that Panama contains about 7, 900
inhabitants, and | should judge that this is
pretty near the truth. OF this number there
are, perhaps, one hundred Spanish families,
and the rest, with the exception Of perhaps Ave
hundred Americans, are mixture of the Indian
and negro race. The Spanish families are
mostly OF the best blood of old Spain, polished
and well educated, but generally without that
hduter and reserve that distinguish the people
OF the present country. Many, even among the
negroes, have good common-school education
was astonished, on entering school outside
the walls, the other day, to lind from one hun
dred to two hundred muchachos as black as
ink, with their states before them, figuring up
sums set by their Indian masters, which i,
would puzzle children Of the same age to solve
in your New York schools.
The city is undergoing complete transfer
nation. Every one is brushing up his house.
and the shops are being repaired and beautifed,
American lessees, who occupy all the best To-
Gated buildings in town. From present ap-
pearances, Panama is to be completely resusci-
tated, and will be, ere long, one of the most
beautiful, as well as one OF the most wealthy
cities of the Pacific.
A week since, one Of the most elegant we'd
dings took place which has ever been witnessed
in Panama The parties were Francis W. Rice
one of the editors of the California Courier, ana
Senorita Dona Josefa Dolores Afosemcna. Mr..
Rice has the reputation Of a sparkling news.
paper editor, both ON the Atlantic and IN Cali
fornia, and, report says has gathered a rea-
sonable pile of the ore in I'll Dorado. The lady
is the youngest daughter Of one of the most
distinguished and talented citizens Of New
Granada, Senior Don Mariana Arosemena.
The Senorita Josefa is about 10 years Of age
petite, but extremely elegant and brilliant
speaks fuently three or four languages, and has
broken the hearts of Mt least dozen of the young
Panamanos. But somehow or other, editors
are great favorites with the women, and it is
folly for outsiders to expect to compete with
them before the shrine Of Venus.
| was perfectly astonished to meet 80 many
splendid women in Panama as graced these
nuptials Their dresses were Of the most ele-
CANT description, and the charm of their man
ners was a perfect delight to me. The bride
was dressed magnifcently, but with the most
perfect good taste. She wore in her dark hair
beautiful gold comb, apparently made Of Cali
fornia specimens covered by long white veil,
trailing almost to the ground, and surrounding
the whole was crown of white roses One OF
my female acquaintance tells me, that her robe
was composed of the fibres of the pineapple.
richly embroidered by hand, which cost the
labor Of two years, of the handiwork of Lusan.
in India, and was purchased for at least $500
or $500. Among the distinguished guests pre-
sent were the Governor, American Consul.
Captain Sir Henry We're Huntley of II. b. Ms
service, and Allan A. Hall, editor Of the Wash
ington Republic.
La Cronica Official, speaking of this wedding,
states that Pope Pho Mono granted to the late
Bishop Manfred five dispensatons for ladies of
the Catholic faith, in New Granada, to marry
Protestants; and that the one given to Senorita
Josefa, by Bishop Barrera, was the last of the
five. No more marriages of the like nature can
take place until new licenses arrived from
Rome. The Cronica thinks that the govern
ment Of New Granada ought to ask of Rome to
empower her bishops TO grant these dispense
tons, as the number of North Americans and
Europeans are largely on the increase in Pana-
ma, and the senoritas are very captivating. If
Mr. Rice had not luckily been an editor, and
the senorita's father been q grandee amongst
us, he would have had to sigh q while longer
for his bride, as dozen young men we're teas.
ing the life out of the bishop for the last dis
pensation." CosMoPoLITE.