The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1877-09-13

plants. Great palms. acasas and a
k1aA sf tres samcphst ressmbiaz ibe
live aak eacn tower hst above tic
saroua8lue frrat There 4 nothing
fsc uniformity il hisht - win ~ The
lower trees ata nsuaNy mos, beautiful.
3rapti aud sometimes esiirely con.
eealed With luxaraat vines, many q
then gcmmA with brilliant blossoms
Tic TAN trees sppear 70 be tied to the
ground by those singular parasitic
growihs. resembling cord, and varying
Is size ffom a thrca3likc 6ueness 10 the
thickness q cable These parasite
hong trees la,e often been compared
Il lhe masts Of a ship and the compar.
ison is not iaapt, The sides Of the read
are for many miles completely over
grown with the singular sensitive plant
The leaf resembles the acacia leai,
with the exception that il is much
finer and very much more delicate
At The slightest touch every leaf upon
the entire plant closes. but opens when
the hand is removed You can imagine
how much enjoyed those forty seven
miles across the lthmus had never
seen "a many varieties OF the vegetable
creation 10 al NY life before. Such
profusion Of flowers. such gorgeous
colors aud exquisite shapes The popu-
lar idea that the flowers Of the tropics
are gauiy aud coarse is q SANDER. /
never saw more beautiful aad delicate
flowers than the lsthmus produces.
The Negro and lndian villages through
which we passed gave a pleasant di-
ycrsity TO the ride, and furnished an
opportunity Of studying human nature,
as well as plant life in the tropics.
These opportunities Of studying could
not well be surpassed, as human nature
is revealed in all its primitive simplicity
indeed very little Of il is 10 any way
concealed All the inhabitants OF the
village turn out to see the train pass
and the scene from the car window is
novel 10 the extreme. The clothing OF
the women is quite neat. as far as it
goes, and consists Of one flowing robe.
White seems to be the fashionable
color The women wear sort of
! flounce or ruille of lowered muslin
around their shoulders forming a sort
of waist and seaves, Others wear less or
nothing above their waist The men
for the most part wear blue trowsers
and the children in the black, brown,
or cream colored garments of nature,
in other words, stark naked. The
houses of the natives are very pictur-
esque, built of canes sometimes plas
tered with mud and with high conical
roofs Of heavy thatch. The doors
standing open and | noticed few win
dows, the crevices between the canes
anording, presume, ample light. One
village made quite an impressive pic
ture. 1t consisted Of some forty or fifty
/ huts on the other side Of the Chagres
River; many dug-out canoes Of pecu-
| lier shape were stranded in front of the
village, in the rear too were plantations
Of bananas aud cocoanut, in front the
turbid, sluggish river, and all around
the beautiful strange forest. Another
circumstance struck me as singular,
viz, the tameness Of tho birds. We
passed quantities Of birds feeding along
/ the track, none Of them took the slight
est notice Of the train and many were
almost within arm $ reach. Quantities
of parrots in the trees would cock theiI
heads on one side and look at US be.
nignly, | believe that the birds are af
lazy as the natives and would rather be
killed than move. About noon, with.
out the slightest indication to warn us
of our approach TO civilization, we
found ourselves in the suburbs Of Pan
ana. The railroad does not enter the
city proper at all but passes to the left
or south east Of the town, 1t was the
greatest Of aggrayatious to be 80 neat
the city and not be able to 60 over it.
After leaving the cars at the wharf ",
we're hurried through the pier pas
great hogsheads Of whale oil from thC
South Seas aud piles Of mahogany logs
After embarking on the steam launch
which conveys passengers to the steam
4 ship anchored five miles down the bay
we bad time to look at The quaint old
Spanish city. Il preseated almost ex
actly the appearance | had expected,
Bull, on a little peniuaala iulting out
into the bay, an old ceumbling sea wal
falling into ruin around it. Broad two
storied houses with balconies on the
second floor oyerha5giog the side walk
where the dark skinned senoritas swing
10 their hammocks and enjoy their Gig
aretts low rooted churches, with mas
siye towers Of Moorish architecture
their quaint carving furnishing foothold
! for rank grasses aud iringes Of parasitic
I plants, the fpAl crosses hung with
wreaths Of living verdure the old
Cathedral ia tho center Of the city with