Prodnetions.—This Isthmus is very rich in vegetable productions, especially in trees, useful as timber, dye-woods, or for cabinet-work, and domestic purposes. Some of theme boar eatable fruits. It also produces all the fruits and esculent vegetables cultivated in other Intertropical countries. The cultivated grains are rice and maize. The sugar-cane is grown, but not extensively. Coffee and cacao are cultivated for domestic consumption ; and some cacao is exported. Tha caoutehouetree, milk-tree (Palo de Vaca), sarsaparilla, and vanilla plant grow in the woods. The Slyrax oiVeinalis is vary abundant, and its gum sells very dear. Cattle, horses, and mules are reared in those districts where there are natural prairies or savannahs. The woods are inhabited by numerous wild animals : tiger-cats, which seldom exceed the size of a small Newfoundland dog ; lions, bears, racoons ; Itajinos, or a species of wild boar, deer, conejos, which are somewhat like our rabbits, but larger; hosts of monkeys ; wild turkeys, both black and coloured, and many other birds. The sea abounds with fish, especially sharks, which aro eaten, alligators, and turtle. There are gold-mines in the mountains near Puerto Velo, but their produce is insignificant. Gold is also said to be found on the northern declivity of the table-land of Vcragua, and in the country of the Valientes. Copper and iron are abundant, and tin and mercury are stated to occur.
The Isthmus formerly constituted one of the departments of the republic of New Granada, that of Wino, hut is now included within the department of Caucs. [Saw GRANADA.] The towns are principally of small size.
Peaantd, the principal town, stands on a tongue of land which extends a considerable distance into the Gulf of Panamti, in 8' 57' N. lat., 79' 29' W. long. : the population is about 10,000. The principal streets extend across the peninsula. The houses are of stone, generally two or three stories high, substantially built, and the larger houses have courts, or patios. The public edifices are, a fine cathedral, four convents, a nunnery, and a college. As the sloping shores contiguous to the ground on which the town stands are dry at low-water to a considerable distance, the anchorage is 6 or 7 miles distant, where it is protected by a number of islands, the largest of which is called Perico, a name which is also applied to the harbour. These islands are high and well cultivated, and supplies of ordinary kinds, including excellent water, may be obtained from most of them. Panamd since becoming the port for the traffic with California has greatly increased in importance as a place of trade; its commercial intercourse previously was for the most part with the ports of South America and especially with Guayaquil.
Aspinwall and Chagres are noticed under NAVY BAY and CIIAORES.
On the isthmus, west of Panamd, there are several towns of some local importance. Chorrera, on the Caymito or Chorrera, at its outfall in the Gulf of Panarnd, has 3000 inhabitants; Natd, on Parita Bay, has a population of 4000; and Los Santos, on the south-western aide of the Gulf of Panamd, about 3500 inhabitants. Neither of these places has a harbour. In the province of Vera2,-urt, the capital, Santiago de l'eregua, in the interior, has about 4000 inhabitants ; the town of La Mesa, 4000; and Santiago de 'flange, 2000.
Inhabitants.—A great portion of the isthmus, perhaps one-third, is still in the exclusive possession of the aborigines. These tribes occupy both extremities of the isthmus. Nearly the whole of the isthmus east of the Bay of 31andingo is inhabited by several small tribes, comprehended under the collective appellation of Blandingo or San Blatt Indian*. They are an active hardy race of people, very jealous of their independence, and hostile to the whiten who have settled near them. They cultivate plaintains, bananas, maize, and mandioe. They also rear many fowls. The adjacent sea and the rivers abound in fish and turtle, and the forests in eatable animals. The western portion of the Isthmus, which surrounds the Chiriqui Lagoon, is inha bited by the Valientea, a collective name given by the Spaniards to different tribes inhabiting that part of the country. They are much taller than the Mending° Indians, and seem to have made greater progress in oivilisation. Their extensive plaintain-grounds, maize fields, and mandioo-plantations exhibit a great deal of industry and pre; and among other things they plant the cacao-tree, the produce of which Is extensively used.
The conntriea Inhabited by the Mantling,' and Valientes Indians are annually visited by vessels from Jamaica and elsewhere, which export considerable quantities of tortoiseshell, sarsaparilla, and fustio, and also some cacao; they import manufactured cotton goods, cutlass blades, and a variety of toys and small articles. The port of Chagros was formerly visited by European and American vessels, but it is now abandoned for Navy Bay. There is a considerable trade carried on there and at Panamd, and large quantities of the manufactured goods of Europe and America, with sugar, wine, &c., are imported ; but the articles of export are of little comparative value. The transit trade is of great and growing importance, and will no doubt in a short One produce marked change. in the country.