Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/190

 oldest

European city  now  standing  on  the  mainland  of  the two Americas.

In the  year  1515,  the  story  goes,  Pedrarias  Davila, governor of  Castilla  del  Oro,  despatched  from  Santa Maria de  la  Antigua  del  Darien,  the  first  settlement of the  Spaniards  on  the  mainland  of  America,  situated on the  gulf  of  Darien,  then  called  Uraba,  but  whose traces are  now  wholly  obliterated,  Antonio  Tello  de Guzman,  a  native  of  Toledo,  with  one  hundred  men, and instructions  to  cross  the  Isthmus  to  the  South  Sea, and establish  there  a  settlement  from  which  to  prose- cute discoveries along  the  shores  of  the  Pacific. After several conflicts  with  the  natives  the  journey  was  ac- complished. As he  approached  the  borders  of  the southern sea,  Tello  de  Guzman  heard  much  of  a  place called by  the  natives  Panamd,,  famous,  as  the  Spaniards supposed, for  its  wealth ;  but  in  truth,  only  a  collection of fishermen's  huts,  the  name  signifying  in  the  aborig- inal tongue, "a  place  where  many  fish  are  taken."

This was  the  discovery  and  origin  of  the  site  of  old Panamd ;  and  although  nothing  further  was  accom- plished toward a  settlement  during  this  expedition, subsequently, from  the  reports  given  by  Tello  de Guzman,  Pedrarias  founded  the  metropolis  of  his government. There, after  the  chivalrous  Vasco Nunez and  his  comrades  had  been  beheaded  at  Ada, the surly  old  governor  quarrelled  with  Oviedo,  and plotted against  his  best  friends. Thence Pedrarias proceeded to  pacify  Nicaragua,  and  thence  Francisco Pizarro and  his  bloody  crew  sailed  for  the  conquest of Peru. "Very noble  and  very  loyal"  Charles  V. called  the  town  in  those  days,  meaning  thereby  very much gold,  very  much  gold! Now the  spot  is  so  si- lent and dead,  so  crumbled  and  forest-enclosed,  that  on one  side  3^ou  may  pass  within  ten  steps  of  its  ancient walls and  discover  no  city,  while  from  the  bay  a  soli- tary ivy-covered tower  is  seen,  which  marks  the  tomb of crumbled  splendor  scattered  round  its  base. In 1671  the  buccaneers  under  Henry  Morgan,  sacked