Delaware inquirer. (Wilmington, Del.) 1859-18??, 1859-10-29
OLD PANAMA

days in the ruins of the old city of Panama.
Messrs. Fry, Bell, vandervoort, and myself, tool
tent and cooking utensils, and camped on th'
site of tho city, near small river Tho cit,
covered large plain about twelve feet abov,
high water mark, and was built mostly of ston,
and brick But you had best search for som,
historical description of the city, as 1t was il
its palmiost days, and will tell you what i
now 10. A forest now covers the whole plain,i
heavy growth of timber something like mapl'
forest in Maine, and a thick underbrush,so tina
walls now standing, say thirty to seventy fec
high, cannot be seen more than q hundred
aud in many instances fifty feet. Immensi
blocks of buildings, half fallen down, and sec
tions of walls, peering up among the trunk'
of trees form striking picture to the cyo o
the traveller. One immense cathedral is stand
ing, except one end which has tumbled in.-
Within its walls stands cottonwood tree meas
uring eighteen feet in circumference, of grea
height and on one of the arches, about thirty
feet high, grows tree, some thirty feet high
One wall, thirty feot high, is supported by 9
large tree which has grown exactly on the tor
of it, and sent down its roots on either side into
the ground, forming perfect Van Burenite
and this stone wall stands per force, with q
heavy tree astride of it. Old cisterns and wells
half caved in are scattered around. The only
tower standing is one hundred feet by forty feet
square al the base, and thirty az the top, the
4 walls seven feet thick of solid brick and stone
masonry, evidently watch tower, as there are
loop-holes, out Of which to fire npon an enc
my. There was once stone winding staircase
up tho inside of the tower, but it has felt the
hand of Time and tumbled down, except about
twelve feet, Small trees arc growing on toT
of the tower, and vines running around and W
its sides, so as to make it look like growing
mass. This city, once so wealthy and populous
is now tho abode of wild beasts, which have
driven man from its vicinity. We saU tigers
alligators, deer, wild boar, monkeys, snakes
iguanos, squirrels, cormorants owls, pigeons
doves, parrots, bats, and any quantity of brick
bate. In our ramble among the ruins, tgei
sprang from tree within fifty feet of mo, ant
ran as though Barnum was after him. Othe
tho deserted arches unmolested. Is 1t no
strange that such a city, within seven miles o
the present Panama, should SO soon havo beer
SO completely destroyed and oyergrown, as tt
make it impossible 10 discover where the street;
were, or to what use the buildings were appro
propriated, and to be the fixed abode of vii
beasts of prey? was surprised to find how
| ignorant the natives are in regard to the histo
ries and localities of the old city. | had grea.
difficulty to get man to 60 as guide. We
pitched our tent near the arch crossing the riy-
er, on the road to Gorgona and Cruces. TIL
arch is nearly perfect. Mr.. Bell is an ornithol-
ogist of some note in New York, and Mr. Fry u
scientific gentleman, formerly of the firm OF
| Fry & Shaw, mathematical instrument-makers
in New York city. pleasant party of US.
They shot game, and assisted the servant to
put it in "pot-pie" ORDER for the mutual susie
nance of the party. Mr.. Bell, Oh an excursion
after birds, fell in with two wild hogs and thei
pigs. He blazed away, with a charge of No. {
shot, and killed the pig aimed at, when the ole
boar made grab at him, and he barely escaped
a serious encounter, by turning not only hi.
thoughts upwards, but his corporation aftei
them, in double quick time, up the nearest tree
gun in hand but before he could charge hi
piece with buckshot the animals took to then
heels, gnashing their tusks in an interesting
manner. That same pig made the best dinner
ever sat down to. / picked up a terrapin
without an owner, and friend Fry killed several
pigeons and squirrels; and on our return to
the tent, our boy had six foot alligator tied up
to a stick of wood This we considered great
days work, and Mr.. Brinsmade fortunately ar
rived on a visit, just in time to help US discuss
the merits of the plunder, bringing with him
| SIr. Eigenbrot; and such dinner is not often
laid before keen appetite,as we then and there
enjoyed The next morning Mr.. Vandervoort
fred at tiger, and missed him, within hun
dred rods of our tent but Mr. Bell made up
| for it by shooting nine-foot snake, much like
a whip-snake, but without iangsi at least, we
could not discover any, though our guide went
half way into commissions with fear that we
should be bitten and killed by examining his
jaws. In following up old Panama river,l found
chalcedony, which send you by the bearer.
Friday morning, at daybreak, goth, our ma
tive boy came in with the intelligence that a
deer was near us. Bell and vandervoort took
their guns and went in pursuit; but instead of
deer, they saw a large tiger that had been fol-
lowing IT, Bell snapped at him with charge
of buckshot but his gun missed FIRE. Wander
wort fred rife ball, and missed him, or slight
ly wounded him.
Yesterday, Saturday morning, 2lst, Mr.. Bell
killed large boar, and brought him in,without
accident. They arc a curious ANIMAL with fe.
rocious tusks and teeth, no tail, rather fox CO.
lor, having musk-bag or teat, on the top o.
the rump, which 1t is unpleasant to disturb.-
This is used as means Of defence, the same
as a certain other little animal wc wot of would
do. That nuisance removed, the flesh of the
young boar Is delicious the elder ones rather
strong in favor. Wc brought the large one III
last night, and our landlord is TO give US Sun
day dinner off it to-day. 1t is about half grown,
and we think will cook up well. Weremained
from Tuesday morning to Saturday evening,
and moro pleasant, exciting week never
passed. Perhaps shall try it again next week,
if no steamer arrives, which we fear will be
tho case have become deeply interested in
tire past history of Panama, but cannot find q
man or book here that eau give mo any infor-
nation OF the time the city was founded, or
when and how destroyed There are no such
records here. believe 1t was sacked, and de-
stroyed by the Buccaneers, and the inhabitants