The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1885-05-30

shaped mountains whose rugged lines
were softened by a thin silvery mist
which hung over them, together pre-
sented picture of exquisite harmony
too subtle for pen to portray, too vast
for the pencil Of an artist to depict.
There were no central figures all seemed
accessories and were single detail lost
the harmony would have been destroyed.
The insurgents were in possession of
every commanding position and each day
their lines were drawn q little closer
around the devoted city. It's capitula.
ton seemingly could not much longer be
delayed. From its walls came no throb
of martial music, no tramp of marching
squadrons, nothing but death like stills
ness and the beams of tropic sun
"seemed to mock with burning ardor
Clouds that round the city lay"
Our stay was limited to two days at
the operation of which time we sailed
leaving Carthegena and its fortunes Tor
misfortunes) behind US. This time we
were bound for "home." Here let me
observe that it is typical of sailors
character to designate in comprehen.
sive sense any place he has just sailed
from and is returning to as home. But
while we could not grow very sentiment
tai on this home voyage. nor enthusiastic
about its sweetness, yet we can lay our
hands on our hearts and solemnly affirm,
that in our humble opinion there is no
place like it.
In due course of time we arrived at
this Walholla and found to our sorrow
that no more Improvements had been
made. But the war cloud had nearly
passed and "the plying eye of peace"
seemed once more about to beam over
its long forgotten Isthmus, the distracted
land where discord is the rule and peace
the exception-where the lawless are in
keeping with custom and tradition and
the peaceful in dissonance with both.
Here freedom is 30 unboupded' that it
has ceased to be liberty and has become
lawlcssness. Whether the revolutions
which at short intervals sweep over the
country leaving each time bloody trail
behind, will ever bring any revolution
of ideas, or new conditions of exis>
tence is an enigma too vast for us. AS
tits, it requires nimble mind and kind
of mutual gymnastics to keep up with
the rapid changes among the parties and
those who rule them. One month more
than usually prolific of variety, saw
four rulers over one of the Columbian
States. The incoming party always
shifts its appellation OF "Rebel" to the
deposed one-who in turn depose them
and the deposed and usurping power as.
sumes again their respective rules, until
another revolution and another turn Of
the wheel Of fortune reverses them again
and so on to the end of the chapter.
Whatever may be the characteristics
of these people docility cannot be count
ed as one of them. This considering the
tranquillizing influence which an extreme
southern climate is supposed to exert, is
somewhat perplexing and it would seem
more in the eternal fitness of things for
endurance to offer pleasanter remedy
to oppression than resistance. But it is
not so. To them, whatever isis
wrong" and they are constantly on the
alert to adjust in their own peculiar way
their real or imaginary wrongs. What
is stranger still they have an inclination
for this kind of diversion that urges an
affection. True they have few other
amusements, no Sunday School picnics,
no John L. Sullivan. but they have their
revolution. They may be deprived Of
balls and operas, but they have a
revolution to console them and a revo-
luton seems to panacea for every other
inconvenience, woe or i'll that South
American flesh is heir too.
The present condition of affairs is this;
The State of Panama belongs to the
the United States of Columbia, but is
neutral in the war that is threatening
desolation of that Union. But by way
of keeping up with the times, it inaugu-
rated an independant war OF its own.
This with the war over the confederation
among the Central American States
completed the picture and we had the
enlivening spectacle Of three separate
wars in as many adjoining districts. But
the complications did not end even here.
In the Columbian States the factions are
like ancient Gaul divided into three
parts, the unionist who support and de-
fend tho existing government. The
insurgents who are employing their ready
time aud talent to overthrow the same
and the last disturbing element is the
amiable Prestan and his followers, who
has been outlawed by both parties and is
fighting merely for existence. Two OF
his men were executed here yesterday
They were tried by military court mar
tial and sentenced "to be hung over the
ashes of the city they burnt"
All of our men have been recalled
from Panama and the city is now in the
possession of the government troops, com,
manded by man chiefly remarkable for
his youth, though he has obtained some
reputation as military leader "He is
a young man of great PROMISE" says a
news bulletin who is. trying to make a
President of him. He may be, but "the
world" yet as Swift, ,once sarcastically re-
marked, "is full of bad kings and prom
Using princes" W: :: M.
Aspinwall, U. s. G., May 7th 1885.