HONDURAS. 41 



comparatively shallow, and part of its bottom is covered by beds 

 of oysters. From its shore a grassy savanna extends to the 

 southward. Over this Consul Burchard, General Gross and 

 others, including the government explorers whose report is quoted 

 on page 12, traveled for days without reaching the end. The grass 

 is good and might afford abundant grazing for thousands of 

 stock, but the entire tract, is practically unoccupied. Nearly 

 half of the waters of the Patuca flow into Brus lagoon at its east- 

 ern end, through the broad channel, called Toomtoom, or Tcina- 

 maya, " the white lily mouth " or entrance. Through this channel 

 boats of large size and drawing two or three feet of water can 

 have easy access to the Patuca, which is Ihe largest river in the 

 Republic, and for all purposes of navigation and lumbering 

 is the most valuable. Squier describes the Patuca and the 

 country along its banks as follows : 



The Patook river (written Patuca by the Spaniards) enters the sea 

 by a principal mouth about midway between Cartine (also called by the 

 Spaniards Brus, and by the English Brewer's) and Cartago, or Carat- 

 asca lagoons. It appears to be the largest river on the entire northern 

 coast of Honduras, between the Ulua and Herbias, or Cape Gracias a 

 Dios rivers. It takes its rise in the very heart of the Department of 

 Olancho, in the vicinity of the large Spanish town of Juticalpa (capital 

 of the department), and the great Indian town of Catacamas. The 

 principal streams which unite to form the Patuca are the rivers Jalan, 

 Tinto de Olancho, and the Guyape or (Guallape) and Guallambre. The 

 two last named are celebrated for their extensive gold washings, to 

 which reference is elsewhere made . The geographical basin in which 

 this river collects its waters is one of the richest and most beautiful in 

 all Central America. It is separated from the transverse valley of the 

 Rio Herbias or Segovia by a high, narrow chain of mountains, steep on 

 the south, but subsiding by terraces toward the north. Seiior Herrera, 

 in his report already alluded to, state? that the Patuca is navigable for 

 canoes as high as the junction of the Jalan with the Guyape. The river, 

 however, above the coast alluvions has a powerful current and is inter- 

 rupted by rapids called "chiflones." At the mouth of the Guallambre 

 is what is called Puerto de Delon ; below this point are numerous " chi- 

 flones," the principal of which are those of Campanera and Caoba. At 

 one point the river is compressed between high, precipitous walls of 

 rock for a long distance . The place is called " Portal del Infierno," or 

 Hell's Mouth, and probably gave rise to the story recorded by Roberts, 



