420 THE CITY OF PANAMA. 



administered. More than this, it was beautified by 200 houses of prodigious structure, habited 

 by the richest merchants, to say nothing of 500 others, more or less valuable, for the rest of the 

 inhabitants. It had many stables for the horses that ordinarily carried the silver to the northern 

 coast. In its environs and neighborhood there were many rich plantations and fruitful gardens, 

 making delicious perspectives all the year. 



"The Genoese had a magnificent house that served as a counting-house in the commerce that 

 they made of negroes ; which was also ordered by Morgan to be fired, as was done. This, with 

 others amounting to the number of 200 magazines, were burned to the very ground, together 

 with a large number of slaves who had concealed themselves in them, and an infinite number 

 of sacks of flour, which continued burning for four weeks after the fire commenced. The greater 

 part of the pirates were some time without the city and became timid, believing that the Spaniards 

 would come to renew the combat with them, knowing that they had incomparably more troops 

 than themselves ; and so they retired to unite their forces, which were much diminished by the 

 preceding losses and because there were many wounded, whom they conveyed to a church, the 

 only one remaining standing ; and, moreover, Morgan had sent a convoy of 150 men to the castle 

 of Chagres to announce the victory obtained at Panama." 



And so fell Panama the old ; twelve hundred vagabonds against the population of a city 

 needing 5,200, or, as others have it, 7,000 houses for their accommodation! 



