The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1859-10-05
THE NEW YORK SUN.
WEDNESDAY nsORNMG, OCT. 6, 1859.
A Cssresps.de.,'s ysss - ths Isats. Grave.
st ChnvSqst.
FArANA, Sept. II, tS69.


the quantity Of gold obtained from the Indian graves
In the department Of Chiriqu, and Of tho value u
the discovery opening ne = 6eld for INN gratop,
induced me to pay visit to the locality for the pur
pose d obtaining the most reliable infornation.
From Panama to the anchorage Of TIN mouth of the
river on which the town Of David Is stated Is about
- hours voy age by steam, AMI from Coca Chica, tho
landing place, to David occupies from TO 10 hours
in canoc. A short ride Of throe miles, over ano
open country brings the traveller from the river land
ing TO the tosn. The steamer fare was s25 the
boat ut the river charged for At the rate Of 81 80
for each osr and - for tue boat. We had sis row
ers. and our esnoo could comfortably have aocomo-
dated 20 person., sha their baggage. Ahorsc to
the town costs ~ cents. and oS-csts bring in the
baggage At the rate Of 90 cents per package.
David, the capital the department. Is one Of the
few towns that hsye sprung up In New Granada
aimee It's Independence II Is situated In the centre
yoc.n tss It's name implies, an extinct acissnoS a. S
the population may number about 5000, among
whom are a few foreigners, mostly Germans, Ita..
ians and French but heretofore only q fow Of the
Yankee nation had found their way into this quiet
little SPOT, and of those appear to have ttied
down, probably fiom not finding sahclent enter.
n6 Ri%S FSSss e s herds herds amt SS
ing sufeiency Of tue products of the sol for their
support There is pretty good hotel in the town,
men, Two or tSrpS more % Sads S srs sSUu. 'Ss Ssss
opened Heuse.re Is reasonable. Beef and
provisions arc cheap cattle estate may be bought
Tor about 81 head, oil round; horses IRON 81 TO
Of the department Is held under an old Spanish
ceduid real, and In common. Thsre IL no such
thing as ownership, the holder having no title for
longer time than he Is in sctual occupancy. All
lands not thus held may he siuasted upon, and the
sstter's right Is good, and cs"not be hifrnged.
The entire uf the department is abundantly waterod
by streams that rise in the Cordleas, aud run with
quick descent 10 the sea; though they offer some of
the finest mill sites In the world, there is not sing
Ia "a, la rbnla al ~. n
PREF airing cane, &c, II donc by hand. There arc
two seasons-tbe dry, which lasts from December 20
May, and the vet for the rest o the year Ascending
the slope " the volcan, which rises ~ height Of al
most l2.0o0 feet, any temIeratire can be found,
nom the burning tropical 10 thst OF perpetual
Spring from the region q the palm TO that Of the
out the rest Of the department foe villages scat
tered but the gpst part OF the land Ia sntircy
uaocGupied, and TO most Of peops residing there
ton may be useful TO those who propose visiting the
gold dgpingo think OF exploring the ioteor fOr the
rch mines Of the precious metal said 10 exist, AID q
one time to have been immensely productive.
Guaed, not HUdcda nor Huerd, a. generally writ
ten, Is Indian name for the burying Of the
dead referring chiefly to those scpulchrcs dug In the
ground and surmounted with . ciruulAr or oonical
mound Of earth. Its probably OF Peruvian origin,
but is generally uscd throughout Spanish Amer
ic.; and is to be found In SAWS DIctiouary..
The 'Guacas" sbound throughout the provinces Of
Chirq,d, versguas, and Azuero, and their yast
bers prove that NJ period the country must have
been denHey Inhabited. They found Iu ALI
stustons, In tas plains well tho side, Of the
Cordilleras, and the islands u the coast. Those
who have paid most attention 10 the subject say that
nsy seps toward he ives. aud near NJ river @ or %
In Cbirqui they are divided by the people into two
claases-NGuscas de Flarcs," Pillar Guacas, mark
ed by rows Of upright stones, say from eight inches
to foot square, and from one 10 four feet high, and
"Guacss TapedAs or Covered G,iAcss, consisting of
mounds paved overl.id with stones taken inysris-
bly, from some river bed: There exists no di.tin.
g,hsf ing mark by whic9 Guaca containing gold can
he known from one In which only coarse pottery Is
found and is only very careful search IN the earth
at the bottom that onnSs e l'sss the golden tross
ures
The Guaca varies In depth IRON TWO 10 hve Yards
and appears In oil cases To bave been sunk unti tho
hard sub.stratum was reached, on which the stone
coffin or box, containing the remains oil the deceased
was placed THIS conn is made OF species "i nag
stone, found In some o, the rivers, And Is from hvo
70 seven ttet IN length oy eighteen Of twenty INCHES
broad and deep In some cases II Is cpveed on
the toy with two or .hrte 81 these nat stones In
others there Is no cover WITHIN these graves rich
black mold u "nnt-the remains, evidently, Of tho
body-and around II arc placed cathenware
pots and the golden ornaments, with sometimes
stone hatchcts and arruw-heads. When the gold is
not iennd IN The stone inc",n,s re- Is 50 met neimes Oh
casosh has been discovered In late'al ox"aNato's
made at the bottom oi the grave. Tho quantity a.
well @ the quaty OF the gold varies very much
| metal, sndthe uhd plates oi very thin gold are a.
| ways d hiSn se'ndtrd Omt mshy 0i tue larg1s,
auilnas and u,ls Ae \ Shy aIloyed with copper,and
| perhaps some other metal. The la'gest quantity
found i'll any one grave was sad TO be about SIX IDS
but II may be conhiSnt'y asserted that IN the gaVo'
opened, up 70 the present time, not one IN ten ha
contained gold. ! know OF one ATTY who opened
nearly hty nuaSas without hhoing ahytnihs. An
other had sinai sure'w,lghlhg pfoospyo one ounoe
as hn share o. exhteen. Ehesvs.hs o. ~. ousrs were
equally unionunate. ferhapsu Is that the sttAn8ers
who go 10 dg 40 hot know where 10 LOOK iof tne Boo
or perhaps they are 700 hhS'y IN theiI ekalihaunh
but certain 1t s thai most Of the gold has beon dis
covered by natives OF tine country, NlSimposNbie u
arrive AZ anything IKE true estimate OF the quah
| tty discovered up TO Tue present ume thoS
who have leen ortunsto do not like TO let their sno