The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1863-04-23
Leaves from a Tourists Journal.


DEAR SHIT may be uninteresting to many
Of your readers to give Of what one has
seen and heard a voyage per to the United
States. If not Objectionable, you welcome the
following from my journal. Yours, respectfully,
PAUL Pay.
TUESDAY, April 8, 1862-The Pacific Steam
Mail Co.'S vessel Golden .4ge arrived at Acapulco
this day 81 P NJ. Took in water, (Which was
pumped into the tanks of the steamer from an i'm
boat.) also cattle. pigs poultry vege-
tables, &c. for stores; also boxes specie, hides and
bales Of cotton, for cargo.
Harbor of Acapulco
The last 20 miles sail before we entered Acapulco
we could see beautiful white sand beach all the
way, aud behind the same a large tract of fiat
country before you to the mountains. This
level plain, well the sides of the uplands, is
well adapted for cotton growng-in fact, the whole
Mexican coast is good for cotton cultivation. The
entrance to Acapulco is most romantic, and well
land locked, that l. although old traveller, have
never seen the like before. l should think the har-
Dor is about two miles broad and three or four miles
long, with deep mostly around it. At anchor
found a clipper ship disch lrgng coal. the rate
of sixty tons per day, which fast it can be re-
ceived. There also two English and two French
men-of-war; one of each admiral's ship,
Plenty of liberty money flying about the old
Spanish town. 1t is, in regard to improvements,
much the it three hundred years
ago, and as when the Spanish galleons visited the
harbor and took the of the country to Ma
Mia.
High Duties and Cotton.
Spanish firm here is said import from Eng
land upwards OF $500 900 per annum. Some foreign
ers have been successful They have very high du-
ties and a matter of there is great induce
ment to smuggling. The duty all cotton goods is
five cents per yard Hats of every kind, 50 EACH
duty. Iron goods, duty from to cents per pound
according the description The barber of the
Golden .4ge has a little of clothing &C..
in his establishment board the vessel, procur red
a matter of course in San Francisco. | was quiz
zing about like another 90 Paul Pry' and discovered
a of foreign residents buying Shirts hats, &C..
and putting them on, nstructing the merchant bar
Der 80 to bring larger sizes time 1t made my
fingers quite itch for trade The quality of the 200
bales of took in here is said be SUPERIOR
and is worth here, clean. in bales, IS per h.
The produce is 500 to 1000 lbs. to the acre They
purchase from the natives for four cents unceaned
and it takes about three pounds in the seed state to
make pound of cleaned The former steamer /
took to Panama about 600 bales; the freight to New
York via Panama. is three cents per pound. 4 large
quantity of hides taken board, value here II !
cents per pound The above freight is forwarded by
Brig Line from Aspinwall to New York, which is I
owned by the Panama Railroad Company. There .
was also about SsO.00O treasure shipped, consisting
Of silver coin packed in small boxes This last pays
In export duty of per cent. and | know Of some .
more smuggled of, which did not pay x
port duty
Some foreigners settled in the country
featuring cloth, hats &c, and have made for
tunes. The Incidence of the inhabitants is n great
drawback to this country, which has good climate
md vast mineral resources, besides the good cot
ton lands, it is splendid country for sugar, coffee,
chocolate, Sc. The last the cotton crop has
been in great a failure in consequence of
he caterpillar, insect, that has destroyed
he plants. They plant again in September, about
he end Of the rainy season, and gather their
harvest in February. March and April. There is a
good deal of Indignation manifested here in conse-
Iuence of notice from the government that all
property of every kind in Mexico, will be taxed
,er cent, for the purpose of dscharginy the national
Obligations England and France The American
consul has protested against the measure. He is the
gent of the Pacific VI. S. 5. Co., who have a large
AMOUNT of property in the place.
Life IN Mexico.
| fear all the yarns in regard Mexico true
n respect Of government priests, women, indolence
nd a thousand and one other evils The foreign in
abitants of the Sandwich Islands, by comparison,
nay say, ." the lines have fallen to in pleasant
aces.'' Instances of life in Mexico may be inter
sting, and will give the following, which
AVE received with many others from passenger
rom Acapulco, bound TO Yankeedom for his wife and
hree children. He informs me he has lived in Mex
20 years and has been employed in putting up
otton mills, wheels, cotton gins, sc. feel
lre such an institution would be paying at the
andwch Islands. My informant i much such
'ankee genius as Mr.. II. employed by the Honolulu
iide Awake Flour Co. He says the people on
be Pacific coast comparatively honest and
G has not lost 80 worth Of tools goods, since
g has been in the country. although he has left
lem often lying about when he was working.
u his return TO this country he calculated in five
ears more to be independent for life.
The FIRST instance he gave me was of Spanish
eutleman who resided on the Pacific coast. one of
le same for whom he had been 10 work. He started
ON his residence to Mexico City. which was about
ID miles distant, and on his seized by
,bbers placed in chains and almost starved to
eath for he purpose of extortng money from him,
) he was known be wealthy. At last they
ranged for his ransom by his giving an order for
1OOOO on his friends, which was duly paid. and
e merchant was released and returned safely home.
The other instance Of cruelty ne had received
ON the best authority IN the place Ii happened