RAUL J. GALVO COMISIONISTH. Avenida Norte, No. 70. Apartado de Correo No. 70. SPANAMA. city became the seat of the first court of the Real Audiencia, which obtained in the the Spanish possessions in America from 1535 to 1752. In 1525, a Catholic priest named Hernando Luque celebrated solemn mass in the Cathedral at Old Panama, taking communion with two Spanish explorers and men-atarms, Francisco Pizarro and Diego Almagro. He broke the holy bread into three pieces, taking one, and giving the other pieces to the two men. The significance of this act was no other than the solemnization of a contract between all three to conquer the countries to the South. They shortly afterwards manned several vessels and sailed down the coast, reaching at last the "golden" Peru. Pizarrro's flag used in his conquest is a treasured relic today in the archives at Bogota. Early Trans-Isthmian Routes. Some time after the settlement of Old Panama, an attempt was made to establish land communication from Nombre de Dios, at that time the principal port on the Atlantic, to the new city on the Pacific. Α A road was finally constructed between the two places, which crossed the Chagres River at Cruces. For a part of the way the road was paved, evidences of which remain to this day. Later small vessels commenced to sail from Nombre de Early Trans-Isthmian Route. 17 Dios to the mouth of the Chagres, then up that stream to Cruces, where the cargoes were transferred to the backs of mules. Nombre de Dios was abandoned at the end of the sixteenth century in favor of Porto Bello, known to be one of the best havens on the entire Isthmian coast, south of Chiriqui Lagoon, to which even the steamers of the present day resort when an unusually strong norther is blowing at Colon. Nombre de Dios had long been known as a graveyard for the Spaniards, and its decay was of little moment. After the conquest of Peru, and the development of the gold mines in the Darien, Old Panama sprang rapidly into prominence, All the golden treasure of the West Coast was poured into her lap to be sorted for shipment. Lacroisade & Regis. JEWELERS and WATCHMAKERS. Optical Goods; Guaranteed Jewelry; Fancy Articles; SWISS LONGINES WATCHES, Special Agents of the UNDERWOOD typewriter; Repairing of Fine Watches a Specialty: Special Orders for Europe and United States. 41 Cathedral Square, P. O. Box 72, PANAMA. Lacroisade & Regis. RELOJERIA, JOYERIA Y OPTICA. Joyas Garantizadas; Objetos de Fantasia; RELOJES LONGINES; Unicos Agentes de las Maquinas de Escribir UNDERWOOD; Habilidad y Compe tencia en las Composturas de Relojes; Pedidos especiales á Europa y los Estados Unidos. 41 Parque de la Catedral. Apariadɔ 72. PANAMA. to the mother country. Porto Bello likewise became an important post, and was the scene of great fairs up to the time of its capture by the Pirates under Henry Morgan. THE RAIDS OF THE BUCCANEERS. The attack and pillage of Porto Bello, the capture of Fort San Lorenzo at the mouth of the Chagres River, and lastly and chief of all, the sack and burning of Old Panama, perhaps at the time the most opulent city in all New Spain, by Henry Morgan and his band of seventeenth century buccaneers, pirates and sea rovers, furnishes one of the most thrilling chapters in the early history of the Spanish Main, and some of the most notable events in the piratical record of the West Indies, not only from the boldness and intrepidity of the attack, but for the gallant defence as well. To-day, nearly three hundred and fifty years after, crumbling ruins mark the spots where these occurrences took place, though as the late Mr. James Stanley Gilbert has written in his famous work, "Panama Patchwork": "Cloud-crested San Lorenzo guards The Chagres' entrance still, Tho' o'er each stone dense moss has grown, And earth his moat doth fill. His bastions, feeble with decay, And sternly wait the certain fate To the Americans employed on the Isthmus and the tourists that are coming in ever increasing numbers, the sites of these early Spanish centers of Western civilization have a considerable charm, as is evidenced by the numerous excursions made thereto, especially during the dry season. Of them all Old Panama, perhaps, possesses the greatest attraction. It is easily accessible from the present city, and really interesting, although unfortunately many visitors merely ride over, take a look at the tower and the old bridge, and then come back with the idea that they have seen everything worth while. The tower and bridge are near to the beach, and easily seen, but the dense vegetation with which the greater part of Old Panama is overgrown makes sight-seeing farther in more difficult. There is the old Cathedral, the roof of which has fallen The Raids of the Buccaneers. 19 in, but the walls of which are still standing. This church is mentioned in Esquemeling's narrative of the sack and burning of Old Panama, written in 1678, and reprinted herewith, as the only one left standing after the fire, the which was used for a hospital for the wounded of the buccaneers. The interior of this church has been used in recent times, and is still being used. I understand. by the natives living in the vicinity for a burying place for their dead. Nearby to the church is the Catacumbas, or tombs, upon the roofs of which great trees are now growing vigorously. As one proceeds farther landwards, sections of the ancient city's walls may be seen in various directions, some being only held up by the gigantic roots of trees which have twined and intertwined in and about the stones in such a manner that now it would be difficult even for a pry to dislodge them. Large open wells curbed with stone are scattered about the place, and in these, numerous relics have recently been found, such as parts of copper kettles, pieces of firearms, money, articles used in the churches, etc. If all were cleaned out, no doubt many interesting and perhaps valuable relics could be recovered, inasmuch as the tradition has been handed down, and history in a measure supports it, that the inhabitants of the place in their fright and excitement sought to hide their valuables, and as a last resort threw them into the wells of the city. Be that as it may, the site of Old Panama furnishes a point of interest well worth visiting. The tower at Old Panama, which figures so prominently among Isthmian photographs, and which may be seen on a clear day from high elevations in the new city, formed a part of the castle of St. Jerome. In the papers of a Spanish engineer of that time occurs the following description of it: "This fortification was an excellent piece of workmanship, very strong, being raised in the middle of the port, of quadrangular form, and of very hard stone. Its elevation or height is 88 geometrical feet, its walls being fourteen, and its curtains, seventy-five feet in diameter. DELMONICO GRAN CAFE Y CANTINA. Plaza de la Catedral, Panamá, R. de P. Licores, Víveres, Cervezas, Cigarros y Tabacos de las Mejores Marcas, importados directamente. Sandwiches Variados á Todas Horas SALON RESERVADO DELMONICO, S. WOLFF, Propietario. AMERICAN BAR AND GRILL ROOM. Cathedral Square, Panama, R. P. Finest and Best Imported Liquors and Cigars. S. WOLFF, Proprietor. It was built at the expense of several private persons, the Governor of the city furnishing the principal part of the money, so that it did not cost His Majesty any sum at all.” oc The fragmentary and often inaccurate accounts of Old Panama has not tended to give readers a clear conception of this and attendant events. Nothing has ever appeared in print more truthful and interesting concerning the capture of Porto Bello, and the burning of Panama, than is to be found in John Esquemeling's narrative published in 1678, seven years after the events actually curred. Esquemeling was a member of the pirate band, and therefore an eye witness of the incidents related. Although not definitely known, the author of this narrative is thought to have been a Hollander, inasmuch as his account first appeared in the Dutch language. It was afterwards translated into Spanish, and in recent years into English, the latter translation appearing as a part of the |