New Orleans daily crescent., 1859-08-29
Later From Chirioul,
HIGHLY INTERESTING FROM THE AuRlFERous
GRAVE DIGGINas.

GRAVE DIGGINas.
From the Panama Star of the nth Wa ex,roc. N.
following:
The schooner Josefa arrived in port on the n;pbt
Of the 10th inat bringing news from David to. The
18th inst.
The reports continue to be of highly favorable |
character aud large quantities OF gold continue to be
The party who went up to Chiriqui in the Josefa |
on the 10th July, for the purpose Of digging are 80
well satisfied that they have concluded to remain,
Notwithstanding the heavy rains which prevail at this
season. and they are now successfully engaged at the
diggings
taking up another stock Of goods, has brought down
quantity Of very neutrality-suspicious.. He calculates,
after careful investigation, that he has seen at least
two hundred and fifty thousand dollars worth Of these
gold images in the houses Of poor people in David,
but he thinks there must be great deal more be did
not see, as they are very shy about exhibiting them
to strangers |
1t is strange that among all the variety Of figures
which have been found there Is not one which repre-
sens either horse, COW, pig dog, cat or any other
domestic animal, strong proof that they were made
by race who existed prior to the introduction of
such animals to this continent.
The country appears in many places to be covered
with graves for miles, and it is thought that there
will be plenty of occupation for thousands of people
when the dry season sets in which will be in the end
of December.
At present it would be unwise for foreigners to 20
exposure to the rains, and they could make little
progress in prospecting owing to the swollen state
of the streams We would therefore recommend per
sons in the United States who contemplate seeking
fortune in Chriqui to remain at home until De
cember or early in January, when they will have
several months of dry weather before them can be
| traversed without any difficulty
| We learn that the Prefect extended every hospi.
tality to the foreigners visiting David, and has
allowed them the free use Of his lands to dig on.
The province Of Chiriqui is one Of the most healthy
| snk- &c
temperature cool that blankets are required at
nights, and now that we have received satisfactory
confirmation of the reports already published it will
be by no means astonishing to see rush there as
Provisions are reported as being both cheap and
abundant, without any prospect of a rise, as the
country abounds in rice, corn, cattle, ETC., etc.
Since the foregoing was put in print we have seen
a quantity of the earthenware curiosities brought
from Chiriqui by Mr.. Hawes.
They consist Of water jars, cooking pots, images
of men and women etc. all of beautiful workmanship
and many of them painted with strange devices.
Among the rest is large stone for grinding maize
it is carved in the shape OF tiger and is rare
specimen.
The entire lot would be highly priced either in the
States Europe, and it is to be hoped that before
long some light may be thrown the history of the
strange race Of people to whom these antiquities be-
longed for as yet even the age in which they lived
appears to be yelled in mystery.
The following letter from Mr.. Hawes contains in.
teresting particulars:
DAVID, Chiriqui, August 2, 1852
Messrs. Boyd & Po,cer-Gentemen The Josefa
arrived here the Gath with 81 passengers, all in
high spirits. All are now in the gold dggings except
Capt. Patterson and myself.
There has been much larger amount of gold taken
from the huacas' " than any one in Panama has an
idea Of
Some few white people have been into the digging,
but most of the gold dug up to this time has been
taken out by Indians and sold for its weight in Plata
The Indians have much richer huacas" than any
known to the whites.
do not think that any American should expect to
do much until the dry season, and then l think
twenty thousand men can take out fortunes in short
time. Nearly every grave has more or less gold in
it, and there many thousands of these graves
or huacas all over the country, nothing is want
ing but labor to bring the gold out The images are
found from two to four feet below the pottery and
the latter is found four feet below the surface.
No bones are found in the graves and only small
traces of human hair. l have purchased some very
curious articles of pottery and gold. think the abo-
rigines valued copper more than gold, as all the
copper images are much finer wrought than those of
gold Many OF the articles bear unmistakable signs
of Chinese figures. One gold image has the almond
eyes peculiar to the Asatic race.
There are many singular stories brought in by the
Indians All, at least most of them are undoubt-
edly mere fabrications.
One Indian who brought in some six pounds Of
gold images, says that there is Sierra de los Muer-
tos" in the interior, where the gold is plenty
rocks, and where the Indian kings are all buried
but that no white man go there, as the Indians
are very brave and hate the pale faces For tin
cup one Indian promised to show me place where
gold was in the rocks plenty as the rock itself.
have seen some gold dust and some gold quartz
but not enough to make me believe that any has
discovered the mines where the gold was taken from
from which all these "huacas" are filled. One In.
dian says that he take in four days to ruined
city where the houses built of stone and some OF
them have gold nails in the walls, and where they
put gold pots in the graves larger than bis head but
made large discount on what be said, as had
, just given him drink of pure American brandy.
: The quantity of gold which comes in daily proves
beyond doubt that great quantities exist somewhere
near here.
There is French hotel here where the boarding is
about half as much as it is in the cheapest on the
1sthmus. The usual charge for horse to the mines
is two "poco tempo" dollars; the time required to
go up is six hours for peon per day four Dimes
The nights are cool that pair Of thick blankets
feel very comfortable; no mosquitoes-no feas, and
the finest bathing ever saw. The natives are kind
and honest there is need of pistols and knives
Provisions of all kinds are cheap and abundant.