Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1884-05-10

CcleDtatcd engineer ana 'rDNcfnpt OF laItaEc'
no. OF these strong dei.nses the moss-cover
cd walls only remain From ruined baitemenl
and parapet, trees twenty feet and more in
height are growing, while bastion and moat
are grass.grown No need Of -entinels now
for no one comes TO Porto Bello who can avoid
1t, so unhealthy is is climate and dead its trade
Attaining its full growth Turing the commerce
with the gslleonS the reputation Of its great
wealth rendered II a cyuosure fot the envious
eyes Of rival nations; the goal Of the huccan-
Ger, and the prey OF the freebooter. Drake,
Morgan, Vernon in turn assailed, sacked, and
destroyed it, notwithstanding the repairs Of De
Sala, its glory had departed forever.
Making Aspinwal our point Of departure
we secured small boat, and shifting a surf.
heaten shore, down to whose edge the luxuriant
tropical vegetation swept, passed such a sue.
cesSion Of changing views, that the landscape
seemed beautiful kaleidoscope, endless and
ever varying. Dense masses Of underground,
in places, lined the coast, through which lowered
the forest giants, the huge cedro and espabe,
the calabash cocoa.nut around whose trunks
parasitic vines chung in great numbers weaving
gorgeous chaplets, yet, Deliah like, embracing
to destroy. Here and there a little bay set into
the land, and in the black and sleepy waters
alhgatos and turtles found plcsent resting
place. while monkeys and parrots chartered
increasingly among the trees. AT times the
swamps disappeared, and a clear stretch Of
al al
trees, while sparkling cascades fell from the
rocky sides of the mountain slopes. In the
background lowered the Cordlleras, while the
blue waves OF the Caribbean wash the shore.
Sometime Chiriqui hut peeped gu, from the
empowering foliage, while we passed not
few natives bongoes with Indians catching fish,
an article which forms one OF the chief staples
in the domestic trade ofAspinwall. Theharbor
OF Porto Bello justifes its name. Threequarters
Of a mile in width, deep and secure, lined on
both sides by ruined Qualifications, its mouth is
so overgrown with vegetation that one would
almos, pass it by unobserved. Here and there
| through hcfoliage afcscen immense stretches OF
masonwork, with towers and walls, seemingly
as perfect, with caps,one and watch tower, as
when Morgan and Vernon paid their devasta.
ing visits to this unfortunate town. Porto
Bello of the prescn, is less than one tenth as
large as Porto. Belo OF the past. One can
Judge OF what the place must have been from
the huge stone custom-house, the cathedral and
churches, all built in the sixteenth centuary.
The town lies on slope OF a mountain sur
rounding the port, and contains to-day little
more than 200 inhabitants, chiefly negroes and
mulattoes, with scarcely any whites. One
long narrow street passes through the place,
at the eastern extremity Of which is the paved
mule road which led to Panama in the oden
lime. In some places this road is still in an
excellent state of preservation, although in
others all traces of it are swept away. Fol
merly, in the prosperous days Of Spanish wealth
this quarter was one of the most popular por
tons OF the town. Here were many handsome
residences, which, when the gslleons were il
port, were generally rented TO their captains
and officers, and to the merchants OF Peru
Porto Belo for the periodical fair. One OF
two old buildings, rather their foundations,
remain, on which are reared negro huts, Will,
on the moist payemcnts legionS of toads max,
merry. ! say "moist, for deuging rains ar,
frequent, after which the streets are flooded
with streams flowing down the mountain sides
In this then fashionable quarter, houses rented
during time for So 900 and S., 900, while
moderate sized parlor and bedroom could no
be obtained for less than $4,000, so vast wa
the concourse Of people assembled on the oc
casion and great the demand for accommoda
tons. Where now filthy, loin-girded negroc
loll half-drunken, in wIe,ched thached huts
then gayly-dressed signoras carried on hir,a
tons from flower wreathed balconies with gal
; liant capitanos, OF listened wonderingly 10 thei
tales Of adventure on the Spanish Main. Il
the centre of the town is the ancient custom
house.
y Turning from the public square, where for
+ est trees and rank vegetation hold the place o
n booth and merchandise, and where CASTELAR,
; captainshave given place TO filthy mulattoes an,
4 nude little half-breeds, | glanced down tn
street TO its furthest extremity, where the roas
!, stretches away from the city toward the noun
+ tain. There at its starting point, still stands
u large iron cross, mounted on massive ston
q foundation. On every side of the mason. worl
are little inches, on which travellers on tn
:, verge of starting on their dangerous journe
D were accustomed to place votive offerings
y Some few negroes were paying their devotion
IS there as | looked; in some of the inches wer
! burning lighted tapers held by sea.shells 6le'
II with ocoa-nut.oil, while tawdry ornaments Q
s glass beads and tinsel had evidently been offer
Is ed at this still sacred shrine. The kneelnl
and,he tinsel offerings seemeda pitiul burlesqu
d Of the ancient splendor of those Garlic
/. days, with their richly caparisoned mule trains
d and their gallant riders, who once paused t
lay here their tribute of gold and jewels and 81
&c sparting orson. Near by this shrine is a RUNE
Il cathedral, bearing still vestiges of its forme
Re beauty. All the gilded decorations have bee
a destroyed and its shrine rihed OF whatever o
n value il contained. But some OF the antiqu
a carving yet remains-the marble payemen,
e and the irescoed walls. Two or three bell
&c still hang in the dilapitaded tower, but the res
,. lie half buried at the base. From these bell
the notes Of warning rang when Morgan bega
A that terrific attack that ended in the sack an,
c ruin Of the city in 1905. While the canno
o Numbered from fort and castle their wild shr
81 peal sounded clear high amid the fnghtfu
S tumul,. summonng FOR the general defense.
is Al the other extremity Of the street stand
ii the dismantled iort Of rodo Hero, bali hidde
n by the enveloping foliage Of the huge trees tia
Is have taken root within its walls Her
{. Morgan began his attack. lie had long ha