Page:Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London, Volume 1 (2nd edition).djvu/118

96 certain of bringing down as much animal foo as they can consume in a week, with sufficient, besides, to barter at the nearest village or town, for rice and plantains.

With the indolent habits thus acquired by the free population, and the very small number of slaves in the department, it will appear difficult at any time to command the requisite amount of labour for public purposes; and the actual bad state of roads seems to demonstrate that this, among other obstacles, is really felt to stand in the way of great improvements. Mr. Lloyd, however, is of opinion, that this difficulty would not be insurmountable were a considerable work, of undoubted public utility, (as, for example, cutting his new line of road between the two seas,) to be undertaken by a powerful company. 'There are within the province,' he says on this head, 'several regiments of militia formed of the lower classes of people and Indians, excellent workmen in felling timber and clearing ground, and particularly apt in acquiring any mechanical art. They have advantages over Europeans which, from the nature of the climate, will always exist. Their habits are most simple: with a piece of tasajo or dried beef, a few plantains, and some rice, they are provided with the sustenance on which they live from youth to age; and with a skin in their huts on which to sleep, and a block of wood to sit on, their establishment is complete. Their dress never alters, winter or summer; it consists of a short brown holland or check shirt, and a pair of caljonjillas, or drawers, roaching to the knee (which are generally cast off when at work); shoes are known to them only as articles of great luxury; they seldom want anything to protect their feet, and if they do, a piece of hide is used, cut and tied very neatly as a sandal. Their common wages are from two to three reals a-day (from 1s. to 1s. 6d.), with their meals, which, as they are fed, may cost about 4d. per day more. These men, there is no doubt, the government (under particular circumstances) would gladly place at the disposal of a company, with individuals to command and keep them in order; and in one instance this has been already offend, though not accepted, to the extent of one thousand men.'

Trade.—The trade of the isthmus is at present at a very low ebb. On the Atlantic shore it is maintained with Jamaica by a British man-of-war, which sails every month, between the 20th and 28th, for the express purpose of carrying letters and specie,—with Carthagena, by government vessels, twice a month,—and with the same, and a few other points, by independent traders, which bring freight to Chagres, and exchange them. On the Pacific it embraces all parts of the coast, both north and south, which find it their interest to communicate with Europe in this way.

The expense of conveying specie across the isthmus to be embarked at Chagres is as follows:—A mule will carry five thousand