The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1879-11-08
san BIAS.
A Marylaadcr's Experience il the Tropics

Recently the public have had their in
teres. III .he Amlli.an i>ihm..s aTopseu
to an unusual degree by the spirited dis
cussion Of the inter-occanic canal CUES
ton. Much has been said relative to its
geological and physiological nature and
the possibilities and inpossiblities OF a
canal through its mountain chains and
aio.lg is l,spiu rivers. y iila /: dos not
appear to ycur correspondent that al al
fusion to A&pnvall is fully identical
with sketch Of San Bias, get OH &C
account OF its nearHoSs 10 TIE latter, and
being the port OF entry AID discharge OF
the New l Grk branch OF The Pacific mail
steamships, ii not. ont of respect due
the few very cstiEable gentlemen who
reside there, NC "22ei,.,is 20 say that As
! pinWai is The n0uhall terminus OF the
Panama railroad, which, as We have said.
connects here with the Pacific mail
steamers The town lies 1T the head Of
Navy Bay, 4 small arm of the Caribbean
| Sea. a few miles east Of he mouti, of the
| GhagIes ii,er Outside oi' he :icticity
occasionsd by the rcshipping g! freight.
there is little life in the place. TO be
sure the few merchants Who have located
and supply Tie necessary wants III the
nine hundred or oti" ihuus2md Inhabitants,
| ship some IyGry nE,s, ris'aer ai.d hana-
mas, but ;hey have not 1c"H able "a shake
Of the lethargy tina, hisSytt!cd over this
| tropical io.vn. Hc "'tl};t we hase
10 ADMIRATION FOR AspIHwALI,
having never seen anything to admire.
So far as our cx t,erience goes. we might
say that it is noted for its dirty women,
| ragged children and bless men. and
we're II not FOR The few r2dceuins char
| acter5 we have mentioned. ii does seem
possible that III i,c near future the hurri-
cane completing destruction it has al
ready Threatened may sweep from so fair
. land the last ycStiCc Of This mo,l.rr
SCdon. go
san Bias proper extends castw ward from
Point San Bias one hundred miles to
Cape Theron, the former being las .aos,
western and tie latter its NEST eastern
coast limits; the southern boundary is
probably the center OF the peninsula.
Ten miles to seaward the coast is guard
ed along its entire length by coral
reef which furn,s . safe and secure har.
Dor, one hundred miles long AID tea
miles wide. That portion of San Bias
lying between the reef and the main land
is an archipelago. which We take the ill.,
crty &c cal!
| TiiE AMERICAN ARCHIPELAGO,
although none OF cur biologists have ac-
credited America with sea of islands.
The Gulf of san Bias has never been SUI
veyed: at least there is no chart or sail
ing directions published; and vet it COW
eIes f.,lly Gals t!!,puS,sast s4iara Mills and
is navi.abie. Th!s Large body of Ea,er
is dotted with thousands of islands. green
with the foliage of the cocoa nut palm.
and ranging from one to fifty square
acres in area These islands or Gays are
thicl,iy to-e,ed .si,h colc.. nt, trres, aud
are really sand hills ever whieh time has
laid Il few inches of alluvial soil which
generates from the rapid and constant
decay of vegetation. The majority OF
these Gays have been planted with coc&o
nuts by the Indians many years ago. the
posae>eiioll Ct these they claim having
passed from Ihlir ancestors in the SANG
manner as re@l estate dcscCnds by the
English common law. the only differ
euce we notice is that willie the male
heirs lake actual possession. tie females
hold a C0u'iitiGui,l estate 9th {. re
mainder, which becomes contingent from
the fact that it either vests in her hus.
band at the time Of her marriage OF rc.
verts to the male heirs of the person from
whom she inherited at her death.
There are some Gays on which the CO.
coanuts grow spontaneously, never hay
ing hn"n PLANTED by any one. These be,
| long t. Cad 2.4i Tue ,10uuctS 80 ali, q.
whoever may gather lhsm: thus the lii.
dams have an NnWlittvn law strictly adj.
hcrci to. yet never creating q question OF
owncrship or title. Notwithstanding that
these Gays arc very low. the water is bolt
and deem enough to
TLuAT LARGE: IE:SsEI,:
for safety. however. Il pilot is required
who can he obtained at Porto EeIlo. .
small Spanish town near Aspin0all. Til,
scenory ON the main land is very grand
range OF nigh ahs c:,,i;sr lt:lls te,
mlnatinS at the waters edge. We shat
ever remember oar first sail through Sai
Bias; the most vivid description fails tc
give our experience on that occasion: that
) beautiful sheet of blue .,rccn water, clcal
as The very suI.siIIl,.. save where the lrU
found shadows of the dwar:isu mountain:
slept upon it with weird and stiaus>
effect: the sun WAS hid i,chnA the hills
: ana slowly died away the rosy tint, thai
flushed the miSty clouds; the slort-liyc,
: twilight Of .l;e tropics pG,ekly vanished
bat let the moon full and splendid lli
away in the eastern sky. shining through
Il vii of diamond rain drops falling fl 81
Il passing cloud Breathing the soft
t.!.tl hiurr air. ci i;rii:r ,.ansICri.uIy tyal
: mountain ana seq, syatci.i!,. tic irht
: grow clearer. We le.t all the while tina;
the scenery and tho moonlight and al