large recompense, they will not go to their trades. Apparently, the women are more inclined to be industrious; but, under the influence of an enervating climate, a very large number of them fully appreciate the "dolce far niente." With a tunic of some white or fancy colored muslin, having a broad fringed ruffle extending from the neck half to the elbows, a skirt of similar though different colored material, with wide flounces from the knees downward, and their toes stuck in slippers, they lounge all day about the doors or balconies in hammocks or deep-seated chairs. Like all Spanish women, they arrange their hair with taste, and when walking in the sun wear Guayaquil hats very jauntily. Until six or seven years of age nature supplies all the clothing of both sexes.

These remarks must not be understood to include citizens of the better classes. They probably possess greater energy and self-respect; but it was not my good fortune to be associated with them, and I have only their dignified deportment as they passed through the streets to sustain me in the belief. Such had been the conduct of emigrants, that ladies have been compelled to withdraw wholly from the streets, and in a great measure from their churches; and I could not but feel mortified in acknowledging as countrymen the drunken vagabonds daily encountered. Their behavior, of course, influences the reception of all Americans; and so strong had already become the aversion of some Panameños to us, that the name of the nation to which we belonged was quite sufficient to exclude one from rooms the proprietor would gladly have rented. And there is no remedy for this. They are (soi-disant) free and independent citizens of the United States-a fact which they conceive gives them the right to trample on any weaker unresisting creature; and when about to leave, may, if they please, commit nuisances of every description in the rented apartments of unsuspecting people; because, forsooth, the agents of the New York steamboat company fail to despatch them to the (accursed) golden country on the appointed day! However disgraceful, these traits are not the only tokens of brutalization generated by the unhallowed thirst, as the following will show.

On the third day after our arrival, and when some forty or fifty of the passengers by the Empire City had got over, a report was current that a man wrapped in an American blanket, and lying within twenty feet of the road, had been passed by two or three of the parties. Only one of them went near enough to satisfy himself that the body before him was that of a dead American: no one had dismounted! Who or whence he was, it mattered not to them -nor whether he should be food for buzzards or worms. They feared he might have died suddenly of cholera or other infectious disease, and left him unknown and unsepultured, without examining for a word which would have served to relieve the agonizing suspense of loving kindred in his distant home! As soon as we had obtained facts that would enable us to find the body, Mr. R. and myself at once made arrangements to go and bury him; but just as we were without the city other passengers came in who had seen a newly made grave at the very spot, and we found the man who had started from Cruces with him some fifteen days previously. The natives had shown more humanity than his fellow-countrymen! Shocking accounts have been given me, by those returning from California, of the utterly brutalized wretches who compose a large number of the gold-diggers. They assure me that there are many who would not turn aside to give a dying brother a drink of water; and as to burying dead men, it was regarded as waste of time.

The only wild animals seen were a species of catamount and several wild boars, all of which had been shot in the woods just without the city. It is not very uncommon to destroy the former in some of the gardens within the walls, and the latter are never difficult to find by hunters. The domestic horned-cattle are small, and, though well conditioned, the meat is neither tender nor juicy. They are inclined to be of a uniform dun color. For the number of cows to be seen without the enclosures, milk is scarce, and, indeed, that of the cow is of so little repute that the main reliance is on goats. It is offered with tea and coffee at most gentlemen's houses, but its bluish appearance is not very inviting. One of the vilest-looking animals encountered is a hairless dog, belonging (they tell me) to a Chinese breed. The beasts are as

smooth as newly-shaven pigs, (glossy, fat, and lazy,) yet are peculiar pets: the fatter and more glossy the skin appears, the greater the admiration of the mistress. One usually admires contrasts with one's self; and the Panameñas are so nearly naked, I should rather have thought they would give preference to well clad curs.

The most numerous of the feathered tribe are the buzzards. Look where you will, from house-top to garden-wall or public thoroughfare, there the creature may be seen scratching fleshy morsels from the offal, or devouring some choice bit of a decaying carcass unmolested by the passer by, because protected in his enjoyments by the laws of the land. In some cities of South America, the fine for killing one of these public scavengers is twenty dollars. Though not so large as his relative with us, he is a more horrid and filthy-looking wretch, whose exterior brought many a one to sudden end by Yankee bullets, fines to the contrary notwithstanding. Next them in number are brown-backed pelicans, oceanic vultures, that frequent the beaches in very large numbers, and in great apparent delight dash beneath the breaking surf to seize their prey. Curlew plovers, several varieties of snipes, and sand-birds, are also quite numerous, and would be an acquisition to the tables of Panama if there were energy enough among its lazy people to shoot them. Swallows and wrens also frequent the habitations of man, their plumage and habits closely resembling those of our northern birds, though the song of the latter differs through one half its notes. Several varieties of parrots and parroquets have been found in the neighborhood, and, as usual, are great pets with the old ladies when they can be caught. Twice each day an abundance of good fish are taken from the bay with hook and line. Those caught in the morning are considered unfit for use by dinner-hour. An edible oyster and another very excellent shell-fish resembling in form the Choro (mytilus) are supplied from the same source. Occasionally, moderate-sized alligators so far forget their proper cruisingground in the Rio Grande as to be caught napping on the volcanic ledges under the batteries, and in consequence are apt to be inspected in the plaza. One measuring twelve feet was killed very shortly after our arrival, and brought up for the Yankees to wonder at. On the spot where the boys subsequently tore it in pieces, there were patches of phosphorescent light for several evenings afterwards. Sharks abound in the bay, rendering its waters dangerous to bathers. Pirate-crabs may be found on every part of the beach, and often among the gardenplants and shrubbery within the walls. I have sometimes thought them seeking some of the smaller lizards, for whose capture their peculiar habitations and short, strong claw so well fit them; but such an encounter was never witnessed. Lizards there are of all sizes from an inch to more than a foot in length, and of all colors from light green and blue, through speckled browns, to black. They are graceful little creatures, and many of them will sit and watch you, whisking their tails from side to side, or run to holes of the wall as you approach, and instantly · poke out their heads again, as though inviting a game at romps. No one molests them even in the houses.

The British steamer had gone when I arrived, and it was no easy matter to pass four weeks without society, and almost without books, in such a place as Panama. In anticipation of passing direct through to Valparaiso, only an aneroid barometer and one thermometer, together with three or four volumes, had been retained. The record of the aneroid, which had been kept at sea for the purpose of testing its usefulness as a marine instrument, was continued here. The observations at length will be found in Appendix C. From its indications, there is a region commencing just south of San Domingo (latitude 17° N.), and terminating near latitude 1o N. on the west coast of South America, where the atmospheric pressure rarely exceeded 29.85 inches; and in that whole distance, occupying me from August 24th to October 2d, it was only once so great as 29.90 inches. A mean of the observations at Panama, made regularly at 9 A. M., 3 P. M., and 9 P. M., gave 29.795 inches, with a mean diurnal fall from the first to the second hour of .08 inch. The mean temperature for the same hours was 81°, with a mean range of only 20.9. Though rain fell no more frequently than often occurs during the same season in the United States, the atmosphere was so nearly saturated with moisture that clothing could only

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be dried by exposure to the direct action of the sun or fire, and any damp articles left in the shade became mouldy in forty-eight hours. The light wind experienced during the day was almost constantly from the northward and westward; at night it was variable. Meteorological observations from March to May of the same year, by Col. Emory, U. S. A., published in the Mem. Amer. Academy, Vol. V, New Series, show a greater mean pressure, a temperature nearly 2o less, and the same prevailing light winds. This officer found the latitude of the northwest bastion of the fortification to be 8° 57′ 12′′ N., its longitude 79° 29′ 24′′ W.

I will close this account of the Isthmus by a free translation of a few extracts from a work entitled Piratas de la America, y luz en la defensa de las costas de las Indias occidentales. Segunda impression. En Colonia Agrippina, 1687. "On the 18th January, 1670, Morgan set out from the castle of Chagres with 1,200 men, five boats with artillery, and thirty-two canoes filled with these people, directing his course up the stream for the city of Panama.

After many difficulties, on the seventh day they arrived at a point on the river called "Cruces, a village in latitude 9° 02′ N., sixteen Spanish leagues distant from the mouth of the river Chagres, and eight leagues from Panama. This is the highest place to which one may travel in boats; for which reason storehouses have been erected here, where goods may be preserved until they come from Panama to seek them with troops of mules." There Morgan was obliged to leave his canoes, and place them under the protection of a proper guard, in order that his return down the river might be perfectly secured.

On the ninth day they saw Panama and the islands from a high mountain, and, as is customary with freebooters when the object of their wishes is in sight, they stole every animal from the harmless people around them, and gorged themselves with eating and drinking.

"The tenth day all the men were placed in order, and, to the sound of drums, they pursued their march directly for the city. But one of the guides advised Morgan not to take the great road, because he believed they would find much resistance from parties in ambush; he therefore selected another route that penetrated the forest, and was very difficult and toilsome. Then the Spaniards, seeing that the pirates did not pursue the road they expected, were obliged to leave their fortresses and come to the encounter of their enemies. The Spanish General placed his troops in order, consisting in squadrons, four battalions of infantry, and a very large number of fierce bulls that many Indians, with some negroes and others, had brought to this end.

"The pirates found themselves on a hill, from whence they could see to a long distance; and discovering the extent of the forces from Panama, they feared them so much that every one wished himself free from the obligation to fight or die. But now they were obliged to make a virtue of necessity, and they resolved to die on the field of battle, knowing that there would be no quarter shown them; and thus they resolved to shed the last drops of their blood. They afterwards divided into three battalions, sending in advance 200 buccaneers, who are very dexterous with fire-arms. The pirates left the hill, and, descending, marched straight against the Spaniards, who were posted on a good field, awaiting their opportune arrival. When the enemy got near, they shouted 'Viva el rey!' and immediately made a charge against the pirates; but, as there are many swampy places in the country, they could not skirmish as they wished. The 200 buccaneers knelt down and fired on them, whereupon a great battle commenced, on which occasion they defended themselves valiantly, doing their best to throw the pirates into disorder. And thus the infantry had to follow to second the cavalry, but the enemy made them separate; so that, seeing the impossibility, they endeavored to drive the bulls behind the pirates; but the greater part of them ran away, and those which passed through their lines did no other harm than tear some English banners, and the pirates, shooting them, did not permit one to remain alive.

"Two hours passed in the combat, the larger portion of the Spanish cavalry being destroyed, and almost all dead, the rest escaped. The infantry, seeing this, and that there was no chance to conquer, discharged their muskets, threw them away, and every man took to flight, the best that he could. It was impossible for the pirates to follow them, because they were tired after

the long journey they had just made. Many who were wounded hid themselves among the thick bushes that are on the shores of the river; but they were very unfortunate, because the pirates, finding them very soon, killed them without showing quarter to a single person, just as if they were so many beasts of the field. They brought a large number of friars (religiosos) to the presence of Morgan, who, without caring to hear their prayers and supplications, caused them to be put to death with pistols. They afterward conducted to him a captain who had been wounded in the combat, and Morgan examined him about a diversity of things, asking him what the forces of Panama consisted of; to which he replied that his hopes were based on 400 cavalry, 24 companies of infantry of 100 men or Indians each, and some negroes, who managed 2,000 bulls, that were to be driven on the pirates and totally ruin them. He also discovered that they had made trenches in divers parts of the city, in all of which they had planted artillery, and that at the entrance of the road they had built a fortress, where there were planted eight brass guns, with fifty men.

"Morgan immediately gave orders to take another road, and made a review of his men, of whom the dead and wounded were a considerable number, and more than he had thought. Of the Spaniards they counted more than 600 dead on the field, besides wounded and prisoners. Although they saw themselves less numerous, the pirates were not disheartened, but rather, considering the great advantage they had gained over their enemies, they were full of pride; and as soon as they had reposed a little, prepared to march on the city, swearing to fight until the last one of them should perish; and so they started vigorously to the conquest, taking all the prisoners with them.

“They found great difficulty in reaching the city, because they had placed heavy artillery in divers quartels within it-some loaded with pieces of iron, and others with musket-balls-with all which they saluted the pirates, killing many of them. But they did not stop advancing even in the face of these manifest dangers; and although the Spaniards fired opportunely, they found themselves forced to surrender the city after a combat of three hours, the pirates becoming possessors, killing and destroying all who defended themselves. The inhabitants had already caused all of their most valuable property to be transported to the most occult places. Nevertheless, the warehouses were well filled with all sorts of merchandise, as well silks and cloths as linens, and other things of importance. When the first rush was over, Morgan ordered that all his troops should meet at a certain spot named by him; and there he commanded that no one should dare to drink or taste of wine under the gravest penalties, because the Spaniards had poisoned it; but we should believe that this prudent order was to prevent his companions from becoming drunk, fearing that the Spaniards would rally a sufficient number of persons and fail upon them.

"Thus Morgan having garrisoned the quartels that he found in and without the city, he sent twenty-five men to take a vessel that had remained for want of water, because the tide, which was very low in the port at that time, left it all muddy. Then (already near noon) he caused fire to be communicated to many edifices of the city, in such manner that it could not be certain he had been the incendiary; but so rapidly did it burn, that before night almost all Panama was in flames. Morgan intended to make the public believe that the Spaniards had caused it; and such a rumor was urgently spread among his own people. Many of the conquered and some others endeavored to stop the fire by blowing up some houses with powder in order to make spaces between them; but their labor was useless, for in less than half an hour one entire street was enveloped. All the buildings were of cedar, well and curiously wrought and richly adorned within, principally with magnificent pictures and paintings; of which a part of the jewels were removed, and others perished in the devouring flames.

"Eight convents decorated this episcopal city; seven houses belonging to other religious persons, and one of nuns; as also two sumptuous churches, magnificently adorned with portraits and very fine paintings; much gold and silver, all of which the ecclesiastics had concealed; and a hospital, where the poor and sick found the charity of its founders very exactly

administered. More than this, it was beautified by 200 houses of prodigious structure, habited by the richest merchants, to say nothing of 500 others, more or less valuable, for the rest of the inhabitants. It had many stables for the horses that ordinarily carried the silver to the northern coast. In its environs and neighborhood there were many rich plantations and fruitful gardens, making delicious perspectives all the year.

"The Genoese had a magnificent house that served as a counting-house in the commerce that they made of negroes; which was also ordered by Morgan to be fired, as was done. This, with others amounting to the number of 200 magazines, were burned to the very ground, together with a large number of slaves who had concealed themselves in them, and an infinite number of sacks of flour, which continued burning for four weeks after the fire commenced. The greater part of the pirates were some time without the city and became timid, believing that the Spaniards would come to renew the combat with them, knowing that they had incomparably more troops than themselves; and so they retired to unite their forces, which were much diminished by the preceding losses and because there were many wounded, whom they conveyed to a church, the only one remaining standing; and, moreover, Morgan had sent a convoy of 150 men to the castle of Chagres to announce the victory obtained at Panama."

And so fell Panama the old; twelve hundred vagabonds against the population of a city needing 5,200, or, as others have it, 7,000 houses for their accommodation!

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