Billeder på siden
PDF
ePub

and thus produces dysenteries, the last stage of all other distempers, and which the patient very seldom survives. The rivulets, in their descent from the mountains, form little reservoirs or ponds, whose coolness is increased by the shade of the trees; and in these all the inhabitants of the town bathe themselves constantly, every day, at eleven in the morning; and the Europeans fail not to follow an example so pleasant and conducive to health.

As the forests almost border on the houses of the town, the tigers often make incursions into the streets, during the night, carrying off fowls, dogs, and other domestic creatures; and sometimes, even boys have fallen a prey to them; and it is certain, that ravenous beasts, after tasting human flesh, prefer it to all others. Beside the snares usually laid for them, the negroes and mulattoes are very dexterous in encountering the tiger; and some, on account of the slender reward, seek them in their retreats. The arms, in this onset, are only a lance of two or three yards in length, made of a very strong wood, with the point of the same hardened in the fire; and a kind of cimeter, about three quarters of a yard in length. Thus armed, they stay till the creature makes an assault on the left arm, which holds the lance, and is wrapped up in a short cloak of bays. Sometimes the tiger, aware of the danger, seems to decline the combat; but his antagonist provokes him with a slight touch of the lance, in order, while he is defending himself, to strike a sure blow: for as soon as the creature feels the lance, he grasps it with one of his paws, and with the other strikes at the arın which holds it. Then it is that the person nimbly aims a blow with his cimeter, which he kept concealed in the other hand, and hamstrings the tiger, which immediately draws back enraged, but returns to the charge; when, receiving another such stroke, he is totally deprived of his most dangerous weapons, and rendered incapable of moving. After which the person kills him at his leisure; and stripping off his skin, and cutting off the head, and the fore and hind feet, returns to the town, displaying those as the trophies of his victory.

Among the great variety of animals in this country, one of the most remarkable is the Perico ligero, or nimble Peter, an ironical name given it on account of its extreme sluggishness. This disgusting creature is well known to naturalists by the name of the sloth. When he moves, every effort is attended with such a plaintive, and at the same time so disagreeable, a cry, as at once produces pity and disgust. In this cry consists his whole defence; for, it being natural for him to fly at the first hostile approach of any beast, he makes, at every motion, such howlings as are even insupportable to his pursuer, who soon quits him, and even flies beyond the hearing of his horrid noise. Nor is it only during the time he is in motion that he makes these cries; he repeats them while he rests himself, continuing a long time motionless before he takes another march. The food of this creature is generally wild fruits; and when he can find none on the ground, he looks out for a tree well loaded, which, with a great deal of pains, he climbs; and, in order to save himself such another toilsome ascent, plucks off all the fruit, throwing them on the ground; and to avoid the pain of descending the tree, forms himself into a a ball, and drops from the branches. At the foot of this tree he continues till all the fruit is consumed, never stirring till hunger forces him to seek again for food.

Porto Bello becomes, at the time of the galleons, one of the most populous places in all South America. Its situation on the isthmus, betwixt the south and north sea, the goodness of its harbour, and its small distance from Panama, has given it the preference for the rendezvous of the joint commerce of Spain and Peru at its fair.

Soon after the Spanish and French mathematicians arrived at Porto Bello, they sent advice of it to the president of Panama, requesting him to send some of the vessels used in the navigation of the river Chagre, to carry them to Panama; as their instruments rendered it impossible for them to travel through the narrow craggy rocks leading from Porto Bello to that city. He readily complied with their request, and immediately dispatched two vessels to Porto Bello; on board which they all embarked on the 22d of December, and rowed

out of Porto Bello harbour, and at four in the evening, landed at the custom-house, at the mouth of the river Chagre. This river has its source in the mountains near the town of Cruces. Its entrance at the north sea is defended by a fort, situated on a steep rock near the sea-shore, on the east side of the river. About 20 yards from this fort is the town of San Lorenzo de Chagres.

Perhaps nothing can excel the prospects which the rivers of this country exhibit. The most fertile imagination of a painter can never equal the magnificence of the rural landscapes which are here to be seen. The groves, which shade the plains, and extend their branches to the river, are inhabited by an infinite variety of creatures. The different species of monkies, skipping in troops from tree to tree, hanging from the branches; in other places six or eight of them linked together, in order to pass a river; the dams with their young on their shoulders, throwing themselves into odd postures, and making a thousand grimaces, will appear fictitious to those who have never seen them. But if the birds be added, our reason for admiration will be greatly increased: for here is an amazing abundance, whose plumage glitters with all the colours of the rainbow.

On their arrival at Cruces, they were entertained by the alcade of the town; and on the 27th set out on their journey to Panama, which they reached in the evening. The first waited on the president, who received them all in the most cordial and endearing manner. Some indispensable preparations detained them longer at Panama than they expected. But at length every difficulty being surmounted, they embarked in the bay of Panama, and directed their course towards the river Guiaquil.

Panama is built on an isthmus of the same name, the coast of which is washed by the South Sea. From the observations those mathematicians made here, the latitude of this city appears to be 8 deg. 5 min. 48 sec. north. With regard to its longitude it is still doubtful, whether it is on the east or west side of the meridian of Porto Bello.

The houses in general, when our artists visited this city,

were of wood, of one story, and a tiled roof, but large; and their disposition, and the symmetry of their windows, made a handsome appearance: a few were of stone. The streets,

both of the city and suburbs, are straight, broad, and, for the most part paved. In this city is a tribunal, or royal audience, in which the governor of Panama presides; and to this employment is annexed the captain-ship-general of Terra Firma, which is generally conferred on an officer of distinction, though his common title is that of president of Panama; it is a bishopric, and has also a court of inquisition appointed by the tribunal of inquisition at Carthagena.

The harbour of this city is formed in its road, by the shelter of several islands, particularly Isla de Naos, de Perico, and Flamencos; and the anchoring place is before the second, and thence called Perico. The ships here lie very safe, and their distance from the city is about two leagues and a half, or three leagues. Both the road and the whole coast abound in a great variety of excellent fish, among which are two kinds of oysters, one smaller than the other; but the smallest are much the best. At the bottom of the sea are a great number of pearls; and the oysters in which they are found, are remarkably delicious. This kind of fishery is of great advantage to the inhabitants of all the islands in this bay.

The harbour of Perico is the rendezvous of the Peru fleet, during the time of the fair; and is never without barks loaded with provisions from the ports of Peru, and a great number of coasting vessels going from thence to Choco, and parts on the western coast of that kingdom.

The inhabitants of Panama greatly resemble those of Carthagena in their dispositions, except in their being more parsimonious, and more designing; the women imitate the dress of the ladies of Peru. They wear girdles, and five or six chaplets, or rows of fine beads, about their necks, together with two or more gold chains, having some relics appendant from them. Round their arms they wear bracelets of gold, and strings of pearls, corals, or beugles.

Provisions of all kinds are very dear in this city and its district, occasioned by the large quantity required, and the great VOL. I.-(8)

Y

distance which they are brought; but this is amply compensated by the multitude and value of the pearls found in the oysters of the gulph; and particularly those near the Islands del Rey Tabago, and others to the number of forty-three, forming a small archipelago. There are few persons of substance near Panama, who do not employ all, or at least part of, their slaves in this fishery; the manner of which not being commonly known, it will not be improper to describe it here.

The owners of the negroes employ the most proper persons for this fishery; which being performed at the bottom of the sea, they must be both expert swimmers, and capable of holding their breath a long time. These they send to the islands, where they have huts built for their lodgings, and boats which hold eight, ten, or twenty negroes, under the command of an officer. In these boats they go to such parts as are known to produce pearls, and where the depth of the water is not above ten, twelve, or fifteen fathoms. Here they come to an anchor; and the negroes having a rope fastened round their bodies, and the other end to the side of the boat, they take with them a small weight to accelerate their sinking, and plunge into the water. On reaching the bottom, they take up an oyster, which they put under the left arm; the second they hold in their left hand, and the third in their right with these three oysters, and sometimes another in their mouth, they rise to breathe, and put them in a bag. When they have rested themselves a while and recovered their breath, they dive a second time; and thus continue, till they have either completed their task, or strength fails them. Every one of those negro divers, is obliged daily to deliver his master a certain fixed number of pearls; so that when they have got the requisite number of oysters in their bag, they begin to open them, and deliver the pearls to the officer, till they have made up the number due to their master. The remainder is the property of the negroes.

Beside the toil of this fishery, from the oysters strongly adhering to the rocks, they are also in no small danger from some kinds of fish, which either seize the negroes, or by striking on them, crush them to the bottom. The fishery on

« ForrigeFortsæt »