216 Travels and Adventures 



there are also hordes of Chinese, a few Arabs and 

 coolies, a company of Frenchmen, a few English and 

 Americans, Spaniards, Cubans, and Colombians ; and 

 occasionally a band of half-civilised Indians from the 

 interior may be seen moving about amongst the stores, 

 making purchases, always in company. Here every- 

 thing has an air of neglected dissipation, and the motto 

 of Jew and Gentile seems to be either to kill them- 

 selves with rum or make a fortune. 



The place has suffered very much from fire, having 

 been twice almost entirely swept away. The part 

 of the town adjoining the entrance to the canal is 

 called the Quartier Francais. An avenue of cocoanut- 

 palms, which were planted some years ago, now form 

 a pretty and an agreeable shade. In this neighbour- 

 hood are situated the houses of the Frenchmen 

 employed in directing the work of the canal ; they 

 are neat little cottages, built of wood, and pro- 

 vided with a verandah where the new imports 

 from Paris can swine in their hammocks and 

 contemplate the ocean or sunny France on the 

 distant other side. Just at the point of the entrance 

 to the canal two spacious wooden houses have been 

 built for the use of the famous engineer, M. Ferdinand 

 de Lesseps, while in front of these, on the very edge 

 of the water, is placed a beautiful bronze statue of 

 Christopher Columbus protecting an Indian. This was 



