New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-12-30
THE LAST GREAT aUMBUG.

coloniziog sppesl to the long'sesled regions VI
the western slope as an evidence that the wilder
ness which they propose to occupy Oh the east
possesses sslubrious climate, aud sol! capable
Of ea.y aud inexpensive cultivation. It i'true
they Il US that the mountains which separate the
two Districts. msrk also certain contrast intie
order Of the seasons and that while on the west,
the rainy period commences in May aud ends IN
November; on the eastern aide of the Cordlileras
the reverse is the case: so that the ralns prevail
only during the months from November to Nay,
leaving the country during tue ress OF the year
visited only by refreshing dew,, aud occasional
summer showers Thus we are taught by the adj
vocstes of this enormous folly thai during ths
Fix months which. 10 our northern zone, are
specislly devoted to the lsbors of the pioneer aud
the husbandmon nature is equally proDitions in
this new snd richer country. Now, we desire
hose OF our resders who are interested in the
subject to be convinced, as they can be by refer
ence to SLY impartial traveller, that all this is
fs'se represent4tion There lie in the entire At
sntic slope of Central America. nosuch exemption
rom rains during any part of the year as pre-
tended. II is true that the proper rainy season
is from November till May, but during the whole
of the other six months OF the year. owing to the
peculiar situation OF the country. heavy rains
Of 40 constant occurrence az serious'y to inter-
fere with any attempt to clear and sub1ue the
land. On the immediate coast these raias are
less continuous, but there the overfo wing Of the
rivers from the showers inland keeps the whole
surface in swampy state and prevents any ad-
| L., t-ta If 4 a rat al ri
weather. Indeed, the rainy season in this country
may be said to last through the year, and, taken
with the astonishing fertility the SOIL the dense
luxuriance of the growths which cover it, and the
masses Of putrd vegetable matter lying every
where, this fact presents an almost infuperable
Obstacle to the settlement of the country. That
it will never be cleared up we do not assume,
but centuries viii elapse before that work can be
successfully undertaken, and we dare say that
the coast of Western Africa will quite asa soon
be redeemed to tie ute Of the cultvator as that
Of tie Mosquito shore.
These simple facts must convince every one
who poIders them that our former representa-
tcps as TO the deadly nature of this climate were
altogether within bounds But there is one cir
cum stance which renders doubt on this subject
impossible, and this il, that while the great pro-
20, ton of this country va totally uninhabted, even
by Indians, those who do attempt TO live there
constantly suffer from feyers though native to the
climate, and u ch better able than any foreigners
to resist lis influence. This being the case, how
utterly preposterous is the project Of cooniziag
this region with North Americans or Europeans.
Such persons cannot hope to survive year. ex-
cept at Dlewfelds or GreytOwn, or one or two
other points upon the sea coast and to invite them
thither with the idea that they can su5jugate and
settle any part of the twenty-five millions OF acres
composing the CompsDy's pretended claim, is a
dect pticn which merits exposure and denunca-
tion.
A striking Illustration Of the impossibility Of
clearing this region may be found in the recent
experience OF the distinguished traveller DR..
Charles scherzer, who has just been in Central
America on mission from the Imperial Academy
Of Sciences st Vienna. In July of last year, this
well known naturalist, accompanied by gentle
man from Philadelphia, man Of energy and de-
termination, with engineer to lead the party,
and an experienced American backwoodsmau,
and some dozen natives laborers and assistants,
started from Cartago, the On cent capital Of Costa
Rica, to penetrate through the forest to the port
of Simon on the Atlantic. A company lad been
chartered to construct road between the two
places and the party proposed simply to de-
teInipe the proper line for the work. The in
tepoed exploration had been publicly announced
in the journals Of the country, and they set ont
with the fixed resolution Of making their way
through to the ies. They entered the forest in
the ,ecord range OF hills about Is miles west of
Cartego; they at once found that the undertaking
was Of more arduOus character than, even in
their experience as travellers aud wooimen,
they had ever encountered. The density of the
forest. even at that hight, is described by DR..
scherzer as surprising all vegetation out
Of the tropics. An mpenetrable tbicket of
foliage presented itself before them; the trunks
Of the trees, surrounded by massive under
growth, interviewer with parasites and creepers
without number, formed barrier as difficult 10
bresk through as the wall of fortress Their
toll was terrible. But though they were Oh the
eastern slope, where it should have been the div
season the raius were nearly constant, and a. the
utmost not more than three or four hours of each
day could be employed in working. They were
among the hills, in region far more tolera,le
than the lowlands which it is now proposed to
colorize; the canopy of the forest overhead ex.
cluded every ray of the sun, but the heat was
most opp e,siye; under foot the rains had con.
verted the soil into mire, in which they sunk to
their knees; and finally, after eighteen days of |
continuous efforts, in which neither energy nor |
ak v-ss nm L. IL