Page:Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London, Volume 1 (2nd edition).djvu/102

80 rate abate. At that town, which is twenty-three miles direct from the sea, forty-four as the river winds, it seldom exceeds three to three and a half miles per hour, even in the rainy season. At Peña-Blanca it runs two miles; at Gatun scarcely one; and at Brusa the current is in summer imperceptible.

'Few rivers of its size present more beautiful scenery on its banks than does the Chagres above Cruces. For miles together, it is bounded by enormous, abrupt masses of limestone, of the most curious and fantastic forms; in other pars, savannas extend to the very edge of the river, covered with a particularly fine grass called grammalotti; and the noble bongo tree is seen studding the banks, something in the shape of a well-trimmed yew-try, but growing to a much larger size. In most places the river is shaded from the sun's rays by a large tree called jigeron, which extends its branches across the river, its leaves being eagerly sought by the fish. The water generally runs over a bed of various descriptions of pebbles; and is in summer most brilliantly clear. In many places, near its souse, it is much wider than at its mouth, occasionally breaking into distinct channels, and foxing small islands; but in the rainy season thee are all connected, and constitute one broad stream, with strong sets and eddies, caused by the abrupt turns, which render its navigation peculiarly perilous. Many years ago, from repeated and long-continued rains, the river roe until it arrived at the foundation of the church at Cruces, situate on a small rise, about forty or fifty feet above the present level; the greater part of the town was submerged, and no intercourse could take place among the inhabitants for some weeks, unless by canoes. But towards its mouth, as far up as the river Trinidad, it has never been known to rise more than six or eight feet, and this height the banks easily confine.'

The river Trinidad enters the Chagres about twenty-four miles from its mouth; and h also a large river. It rises very near the south coast, not far from the town of Chorrera, which, as will afterwards be seen, gives its name to a considerable river on its other side, flowing into the Pacific. Canoes of various descriptions navigate the Trinidad as far as a large town called Capua, which lies south-west of Chorrera and bring down produce to Chagres. As high as Mr. Lloyd went up, which was not, however, to this point, the breadth was about two hundred feet, the depth from twenty-eight to twenty feet, the reaches (calles) long and straight, without falls or any other impediment to easy navigation.

The Gatun is also of considerable consequence, though neither deep nor wide. It rises in the mountains east of Porto Bello, and crossing both the roads leading from that city to Panamà, joins the Chagres in front of the town of Gatun, about eight