Panama, the capital city, is on the shore of the South Sea, is the residence of the Intendant of the province, the seat of a royal audiencia, and the See of a Bishop. It is estimated to contain about 16,000 Inhabitants, a greater proportion of whom are negroes than is usually found in New Granada. It is about a league from the shore, and has no harbour ; but the island of Perico affords both secure shelter and excellent anchorage for vessels of the largest size. It is slightly fortified, and might be easily taken by any power that possessed naval superiority on the Pacific Ocean. The trade of Panama is at present inconsiderable. The treasure from Peru in indeed in some degree conveyed through it, but the facility with which voyages round Cape Horn are made, and the freedom of trade which the court of Spain ex tended in 1786, have reduced its commerce very considerably. It has a fishery for pearls, which is principally carried on by negro slaves. Portobello is the next place of importance, but, though digni fied with the name of a city, it has scarcely any permanent inhabitants. It possesses one of the finest and best defended harbours in the western hemi sphere; but, from the intense heat of the climate, and the excessive rains, it is so unhealthy as to destroy life in an unexampled degree. It is said that no per son born there ever lived to 20 years of age ; and this conviction is so strong, that the wives of such officers as are stationed there remove to more healthy situa tions to bring forth their children. When the com merce of the South Sea was conducted through the isthmus, the fair of Portobello was a great commer cial mart ; and this led to the attack by Admiral Vernon, whose success, though exaggerated at the time, was neither in the transaction nor its conse quences worthy of notice.
The only other place of importance in this pro vince is Nate, or St Jago de Nate. It is about 50 miles south-west of Panama, on the western side of the Andes, on a spacious bay in the Pacific. It is a large town, depending almost wholly for its prospe rity on the fertility of the fields which surround it, and which are highly productive in sugar, cocoa, and indigo, whilst the mountainous districts in its vicinity abound with cattle of every description. Its inhabit ants are wholly either Creoles or Indians, and their intermixtures, with scarcely a single person of the African race.
The third province of Terra Firma, Darien, can scarcely be said to belong to Spain ; for the Indios bravos, notwithstanding repeated attempts, both by missionaries and by arms, to reduce them, have main tained their independence, and destroyed the settle ments that have been attempted to be formed. These Indians are the descendants of those tribes who, during the existence of the bucanneers, gave to those freebooters every assistance they required, conduct ed them from one sea to the other, through ways now never attempted, and were the principal means of the success which attended their excursions. Their animosity to the Spaniards and their re. claimed Indians is still cherished ; and the humi dity, and consequent unhealthiness of the climate, is the powerful weapon which has defended their erratic independence. This province is principally interesting from the river Atrato running through it, by which only a ready communication between the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean can be opened and main. tained. If vessels ascended this river, and a canal were cut from it to the river St Juan, which is a short distance, and through a level country, a junction of the two seas might be effected. In this province the Scottish colony, projected in the year 1695, made an abortive attempt to establish itself,—an attempt which, though it ended in disappointment and ruin to the parties who embarked in it, displayed con siderable expansion of intellect in the projection, but not accompanied with that accurate calculation of obstacles which is indispensably necessary in expe ditions of such magnitude.
The province of Carthagena is the most important of the maritime districts of New Granada. On the sea coast, where the city of Carthagena, the capital of the province, stands, the climate is universally warm, and in most situations humid. Where the latter quality is found, the unhealthiness is most distinctly exhibited in the sallow countenances and attenuated muscles of the inhabitants, who are subject to ma lignant fevers of the most debilitating species, and whose lives, short as they usually are, are periods of sickness and debility. Notwithstanding the perpe
tual recruits which its population has been receiving both from Europe and from Africa, it has not per ceptibly increased for the last century. The prin cipal inducement to the first settlement at Cartha gena was the security of the harbour and the strength of the military position. The fertility of the soil was soon ascertained, and in spite of its unhealthiness the country became settled, and has since, by repeated emigrations, been maintained in a flourishing condi tion. All the tropical productions are cultivated with success. Sugar, cotton, coffee, cocoa, and in digo, are common, and in their cultivation employ considerable numbers of negro slaves, who are; in deed, more numerous in and about Carthagena than in any other part of the viceroyalty. The city of Carthagena is the grand emporium of the central com merce of the whole of New Granada. Whatever of the luxuries of Europe are consumed in the centre of the kingdom must pass through this its only port, and though, from the difficulties of the communica tion, and the abundant supply of all indispensable ar ticles which the interior furnishes, their wants are small when compared with the population, yet the transit to a whole kingdom passing through one port, must make that port the mart for considerable com merce. The interior of New Granada furnishes but few articles for exportation, but what few it does furnish can only pass through the single port of Car thagena. The number of rich merchants thus in duced to settle in it is considerable, and the fortunes amassed are large; but it is observed that none of these capitals remain long stationary,—the possessors generally return to Europe to enjoy them, or re move to the more elevated and healthy situations, where they establish their families in climates fa vourable to longevity, and enjoyment. Before the introduction of what is called, though erro neously, free commerce, the trade of the city of Carthagena was much more considerable than it has since been. It was the port at which the galleons rendezvoused previous to their departure from Eu rope, and thus became a great mart to which the merchants from Lima, Guyaquil, Popayan, Quito, and Santa Fe, repaired, and met those of Europe. From thence the commodities of the old were dis tributed over the new world, and the precious metals shipped to be conveyed to Europe. The deposit of European goods in Carthagena is rendered very ha zardous by the numerous insects, who, with remark able voracity, destroy every thing which comes within their reach, especially all kinds of silks, cloths of lin en, woollen, or cotton. One of these insects is called the Comegan, a kind of moth or maggot, but so expeditious in its depredations, that it soon re duces to dust the contents of any bale or other pack age on which it fastens itself. Without altering the form, it frequently perforates the covering, and with great dexterity consumes the contents, so that, when opened, it is found to contain only small shreds and dust. The strictest attention is necessary to pre serve the goods from such accidents, because the in sect is so small as to be scarcely visible to the naked eye, and yet so active as to destroy all the goods in a warehouse sometimes in a single night. The most effectual precaution is to place the packages in si tuations where they do not touch the walls of the apartment, and to raise them above the floor on stands, whose feet are placed in naphtha or tar, which these insects cannot pass over. Carthagena is strong ly fortified, but military events have shown that it is far from impregnable. The principal defence of the harbours is derived from the numerous shoals at its entrance ; but such obstacles are easily vanquished by the skill of able pilots, who are easily instructed, or soon instruct themselves, as our naval experience in many instances will prove. The streets of the city are broad and well paved, the houses mostly of stone, with virandas and lattices. It is the seat of a bishop, and has a cathedral with several churches and convents. The inhabitants are estimated at 24,000. The greater part are of Indian origin ; the next in number are the Negroes and Mulattoes ; and the white inhabitants, including both Europeans and Creoles, are a very small portion. From the secu rity of its harbour, and its supposed importance, this city has been exposed to successive attacks, and, notwithstanding its strength, each of them has been successful.