New Orleans daily crescent., 1860-11-05

4 =
Wlthoat water for the period Of fifteen days, and
i his case was similar to that Of othera.
--------s~ s--------
Panama Hats.
| Behind the principal chain Of the Andes extends
on the banks of the Ucayae and the Maranors Al
mountain ranges, and which ia called ia Peru the
| Montana Real Under rainy sky, which il often I
disturbed by thunder storms, the eternal yerdure
OF the primordal forests charms the eve of ths
traveller, while the inundations the marshes. ne
| enormous serpents, the nnumerabain insects arrest
| his hestating march. This region, tlrough which
the communications are difficult, 10 called Lower
| There grow, in all the Iuxurianses Of unlimited
vegetation the most beautiful and gigantic plants
the loyehest and most odorousr flowers, the most
useful shrubs, the herbs the richest both as to pre-
ductfon and value, many OF which IRE unknown to
Europe, though emnently appreciated in tho
country ITSELF In Lower Peru grows the bomhon-
AKA, or hat straw, resembling as to- forn tuft or
marsh reeds The color Is deiicate green. Tie
hats called Panama hats, and made from the bonn
| boEaxa have received the name they bear from
having first been imported from Panama into the
United States. In truth, however, the bombonaxa
hats are exported from nearly the whole South
American coast. Certain classes Of Indians devote
themselves exclusively to the making Of these hats.
Tke process Is very long one, and this is
| sob why the price Of these hats IL 50 high. The
minute, deliberate labor is longer or shorter ae-
cording to the quality for whilst common articles
demand scarcely more than two or three days.
those Of the best description require entire months
of care aud attention.
The plating OF these hats occupies the whole 0f
the Indian Colony Of MoYnbamha, on the banks Of
the Amazon, to the north of Lower Perm. In this
i village men and women, children and old men, are
equally busy. The inhabitants are aIi seen seated
before their cottages plating hats and smoking
cigarettes. The straw is plated.oH o thick piece
/ of wood, which the workman holas between his
knees. The center is begun first, and the work
continued outward to the rim. The time the most
favorable for this kind Of work is she morning or
rainy days, when the atmosphere is saturated with
moisture. Atnoon or when the weather ia clear
and dry, the straw is aptt0 break and these break
ings appear in the form of knots when the work is
| ended.
The leaves of the bombonaxa, TO be Git to be
used are gathered before their complete develop
ment. They are steepediin hot water until they
become white. When this operation is terminated,
each plant is separately dried in chamber where
high temperature is kept up- The bombonaxa s
thus prepared is dispatched to all the places where
the inhabitants occupy themselves with plating
hats; and the Indians OF Peru employ the straw
not only for hats, but in making those delicious
little cigar cases, whichare often sold at S5or $40
4. each.
The Indians of Moyobamba evidently sprung from,
the Mongohan race, have large, fat faces. Their
eyes placed obliquely, SO that the grand angle
descends towards the nose. The cheek bones are
prominent; the brow is low and fattened the
hair is black smooth and glossy their skin + ofs
brownsh red color; their figure is tolerably.
I good and regular They live in groups and in lit
Tie tribes, hidden in the virgin forests or disseir,
. mated over the vast pampas OF Lower Peru. 1T H.
: to this race, which IS in the highest degree indor
lent lazy and selfish that the world owes the hon-,
bonaxa hats.
: When an Indian has made dozen or 40 of these
hats he sets out for the residence of dealer in the
!, article and generally arrives in the evening No
u thing is more curious than to see the cunning In
: dian, his merchandise hid under the folds OF his
I poneho advancing towards the house of the sup-
! posed purchaser waiting without stirring, and
looking at the door in silence. When the dealer
examines hat which the Indian has shown him,
the latter asks an enormous price, which is In genr
eral three times the value of the article, and when
! after long discussion, he at last decides con-
: Guiding bargain, one sees him examining with
) distrust the money which he has received, and.
! rubbing it in. order 60 try whether it is good If
the sellers of the hats of the number of two or
y three he.whO has concluded the bargain passes to-
, the others the sum paid, in order that, they may
also see gshether it is honest money. the money
: peases. them the first man draws from his inexr
: haustble peneho second third, q twentieth hat,
as ceniarsr draws every variety of article from
I | q hat; and FOR each of the .Panamas'' the same
scene Of disFust is renewed for the yerfeatien Of
. the Nancy.
! We.oan easily understand the slowness whlasFa-
suits from this mode of sale. It ia dicult to buy
' more than twenty hats day, even il irving the
J best prices. Thus, in order to collect 2aoa hats,
= representing value of 3l000 soiourn OF fkEee or
months in the country is required and astraEsAe-
tions=with sayages, such as those Of Lower PeFus
ars. difficult, dealers are obliged to carry, about
!. | with, them both the money and the merchandise.
Notwithstanding these difficulties, the trade in hats
= is of the sures and most lucrative in the an6.
= = Moyobama exports every year ten or eleven
,, Thousand hats The province of Pannauiy prodsa-
u pes, much more than PERU 1t is supposed that not
T less than sixty eighty thousand hats are anna
= = ally exported from the province Of Papnamy. Il
tho average price of Lat is reckoned at Two pas
u ters their expectation will represent value or
u abont f40,000 The greater part f.the hats are
> exported from Lima, but of late years the eapor-
tation has likewise taken place bysway ofthe AM
. lIaEsA.
Hitherto the high price Of the Panama, has has
lhadered their transportation into, Eprope but as
the average price of hat has fallen to about f1
they are now within the reachof nearly every one
= The Panamas distinguished from. all other hats
I in being single piece, maryelously, liGht and OF
\, incompatible elasticity. Theycan be rolled and
= put in the pocEet without. any dangep of being
" broken. In rainy weather hey became black, but
y they recover their natural color, When stepped in
!. soapy water.
u What constisates and maintains tho aepntation Of
: the Panama hat is that aeither hea5 nor insects,
J. which devogp anything uadar the tonri sun of the
! y equator caa affect the lambOnaxaa In the
long run lethng but humidity, can destroy them.
They last eight times as long as, Leghorn hat.
They sasily carriedAabout. hasy can be folded
T. and rollaa by the dozen, like the Gommonest mer-
chandisa. In short, tha fadein aaaama hats is the
10 very bast in South america, and it would be easy
to ablish in Algeria in the. est Indes and il
IA Guiana
Taeue has been aa importation into France Of Pa
n naElahatS not more than two years. The lmpcSfa'
4 tioaainto England has tbegan but greatly
is toesStend. [London illustrated News.