New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1852-07-28

-. FE7* '71 - ''F
From the New York Sunday Times
THE S0UTH.sEA MARAUDERS.
CAPTURE OF PANAMA IN 1872.
1t used to be a common phrase among the |
most rowing and wild class Of sailors. that there
was no peace south of the line. This was cer-
tainly the case during the chief part of the six
teenth and seventeenth centuries, when the
tropical regions of the West were SO dreadfnlly
| infested by buccaneers or pirates, These des-
peradoes belonged to mostly all European na- 4
tions, but were chiefly English, Dutch and
French, and the whole burden Of their cruelty
AMI rapac IT, fell upon the Spaniards- Against
the g Dons,'' as they called them, they waged
continual war, and, as it appeared, on the spe-
cious pretenceof reyenging the cruelties which
the Spanish nation had committed upon the In
| dians. Somuch did the Spaniards suffer in this
way. that they at length adopted the inglorious
expedient of desisting from carrying on an In
teroourse with their South American colonies.
This, however, served but to excite instead Of
allaying the plundering propensities OF the buc-
/ cancers, who now landed from their ships and
attacked the coonists in their cities. Cnriously
enough these depredatons met with little atten-
ton in England, or in any country to which the
pirates belonged. At this period, the English
and other courts of Europe generally winked Mt
the evil deeds Of the buccaneers, except when
pressed to convict and punish them TOR their
murders and robberies on the high seas So far
as the English were concerned in these enter
prises. there can be little reason to doubt that
the antipathy which both the nation and the
Government had to the Spaniards-an Antipathy
originating, in a great measure. in the attempt
of the Spanish Armada ON the country, in Queen
e Eiizabeths times and which lasted even mp till
l the middle of last century--was one of the pre-
$ yailing causes of the piratical aggressions and
! xuhi fbav 1yar committed
One of the most audacious piratical leaders,
s about the middle of the seventeenth century,
= was Henry Morgan, a Welshman, who contrived
to gain the favor and patronage OF Charles LII.
= Morgan levied war on his own account, and
: that of his companions, on great scale. In
1870, he undertook a grand expedition against
the Spanish South American colonies, with ~
: sail Of vessels and 1000 men, the vessels being
we'll proyisioned, and the crews armed to the
s teeth After holding a council of war at Cape
. THEREON, it was determined to proceed to attack
/ and plunder the rich town of Panama. But this
city was situated on the Pacific side of the South
j. American continent, and the vessels OF the
pirates we're in the Atlantic 1t was hence pro-
e posed to leave the ships on the coast, and march
!; overland to the place of meditated destruction.
The daring project, which would have daunted
less resolute men, was instantly put into execu-
ton. Morgan landed at Fort San Lorenzo on
the West India side of the Isthmus of Darien.
n Having captured this stronghold, in which he
left garrison of 500 of his men, and having
is committed the charge of the ships to 100 more
l. the advance towards the shore of the Pacific
was commenced At first, like our own Califor.
is MIA emigrants, the party assembled the riyel
Chagres in canoes, which took them certain
a length. After surmounting incredible dithcul
e. ties, both on the river and on land, and endur
ing dreadful fatigue in carrying along thell
artillery over huge mountains, as well as suffer
ing from famine, they at length, on the nintl
day, saw the expense of the Pacific, or Soutl
Sea, spread out before them. As evening ap
lie preached, they came in sight Of the churcl
la towers of Panama, when they halted, ant
>: waited impatiently for the morrow. At thi
neriod Panama consisted of 1000 houses, ant
If was q place of considerable magnifcence ant
wealth. ,.-ys-. =,
es When the buccaneers resumed their march a
an early hour next morning, the Spaniards
III once guessed their desperate intentions, and de
termined on giving them battle. They marehe
te out from the, city to meet them, preceded b
b. herds of wild bulls, which they drove upon th
adyenturers to disorder their ranks. But til
Mt buccaneers, as hunters Of these wild animal
u were too we'll acquainted with their habits to
discomposed by them, and this attack Of Il
IN van does not seem to have had much effect. III
spanards, however, must have made an obst
Vs nate resistance for it was night before they ga,
:, city. During the long battle, and indeed a
~ ~ that day and night, the buccaneers gave Z
lee Quarter: 900 Spanlards fell. The loss OF tt
buccaneers is not specified, but it appears
- have been very considerable.
Ia When masters of the city, Morgan was afra
tbat his men might get drunk and be surprise
efs and cut off by the spaniards, To prevent thi
he a co,,sed ii to be reported that all the wine
. the CITY had been expressly poisoned by the IL
ol hobitants. The dread of poison kept the fello1
lte- sober But Morgan had scarcely taken up b
!. Quarters in Panama when several parts OF ci
ae burst out into flames, which, fed by the ced'
au wood and other combustible materials OF whit
= the houses were chiefly built, spread so rapid
sh- 1 ,aV ~, +" H. e,,o,,,d II has heen disnut
en- whether this was done by design or accident
by the buccaneers Or by the despairing Spa
aos jards; but it appears that Morgan, who alwa
charged il upon the Spaniards, gave all the q
sistance he could to such of the inhabitants
endeavored to stop the progress OF the HI
l. which, however, was not quite extinguished
du weeks. Among the buildings destroyed was
factory house, belonging to the Genoese, W
A then carried on the trade of supplying t
eur Spaniards with slaves from Africa.
'ous The llcentlousness, rapaclty' anu oroe1'y
,seil the buccaneers, had no bounds. They spar'
in these their cruelties to no sex or condlt
,ens whatever As to religious persons, monks a
eres nuns and priests-they granted them less qu
ter than others. unless they procured a cons
ndre rable sum OF money for their ransom. Deta
DUN ments secured the country 10 pluhuer anu
bring in prisoners. Many of the unfortun
atre inhabitants escaped with their effects, by
IS ct and reached the ISLANDS that are thichiy VI
Ia tered in the Bay of Panama. But Morgan fol
q larpa boat aground in the pOrt, which