The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1878-05-18
ON THE OCEAN WAVE.
San Francisco to Panama.--Steam-
ship Georgia.
Mexico--San Bias, Manzanilla and Acapulco.


PANAMA, April odd, 1873.
1t was late in the evening as we came TO anchor
off the town OF
which consisted of Il custom house, u few adobe
buildings and nuts. The place is simply an en-
try port for the interior of the state. As we had
but little freight for this port, long before the
gray dawn of morning we were again on the
bounding pillows. San Bias is looked upon as
little republic in itself Although recognizing
the fact that they are part Of the Mexican Re
public, they do business on their own hook, 1t is
said that here may DC found the finest land in
Mexico and perhaps in the world. They raise
three crops year without much trouble. Corn,
cotton and maize may be raised on the same
ground within the same year. " 1t is, without
any exception" continued my informant "the
finest grazing land on the Pacific coast | am an
Englishman, and think ] ought to know what
good land is For sheep there is no finer place
on earth, but there is no sale for them or the
WOOL so the people do not pay much attention
to that kind Of stock in this state. If you buy
certain amount Of land from the government or
private individuals, they give a certain number Of
sheep with it as a stock. Still, even with these
extraordinary Inducements few take advantage
OF it. The mines in this locality are good-somc
very rich, but 1t would not be safe to work them
while this state is so thinly populated by foreign
ers. The cause of this is owing to the discon.
tented element which prevails in certain sections
Of the republic, and will never be eradicaed un-
I'll the present generation is past and gone, and
perhaps for three or four TO come. They are
more favorably inclined towards Germans than
any other class Of people, but dislike Americans
above all. II may be that this is owing to the
border troubles, and the way they have for show
ing their contempt or scorn for annexation. As
to annexation, | am Of the opinion, from what /
have learned from parties who were posted, that
the majority Of the population would reject such
. move with scorn and fight it TO the bitter end.
SO far have seen great deal of Mexico on this
and the Atlantic side, and have talked much on
the prospects Of war and annexation, and am
convinced that in the event of n contest the Uni
ted States would have no easy conquest in Mexi-
co. An invasion of Mexican soil by our army
would be the means OF uniting all the conflicting
elements of the country, and the war of 1916
would not be a skrmish compared to what a war
at this time would he. Whatever may be said of
the MeXcans regarding their social or political
troubles, they are faultcssly patriotic, and 4
time -honOrcd sentiment among them is "My
country, right or wrong"
MASZANuLA,
another Of those small Mexican ports was our
next stop. The entrance to this town is very pic
turQsquc and may say sublime in many respects
Sttaminc up the channel which leads from the
ocean, we observe high, rugged hills, which rise
abruptly from the waters edge on either side
and seem 10 slope back on the other side until
about the same level of the ocean is reached.
Presently we find ourselves in a lovely and well
protected bay, where the depth of water is suili-
cicut 10 float the largest vessel or steamer in the
world !; is Of an oval shape and almost entirely
surrounded by high, soping hills, very much the
same as those we observed while coming up The
channel IN one corner Of this bay reposcs The
unpretcntious town Of Manzanilla, whose popu
lation numbers but few hundreds; aud yet Tho
officials whose laboriOus work is TO board YES
Eel o. two every month put on as many airs as
though the town was equal TO cities OF some i'm
pOlJance. To see one Of those Mexican custom
house officials board vessel one would think
so.a, Amy aud navy commander with his entire
Official outfit had honored us with VISIT or some
duke Of count had come 10 take command, Like
nearly all Mexican towns, this is composed o
huts and adobes; but the style and layout Of thi;
city is oval shape, rs the bay admits. There il
but one street. and that very narrow one, fol
the mountain pens 1t in on one side and the watel
on the other. Not three hundred feet from th'
waters Of the bay on one side you land upon th'
sa-ra. Of a forty mile lake Of fresh wafer Suci
thing is really remarkable, inasmuch as tn
water Of the lake is fresh and on level with tina
e To- ocean. This lake abounds with alligator
=ad snakes Of the hercest and most deadly kinds