THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 49 



and the light of civilization and intelligence shall 

 break in upon the moral darkness that has hitherto 

 hung over their people, and kept them in the pro- 

 foundest ignorance and superstition. 



That most beautiful of all trees, which is peculiar 

 to the inter-tropical landscape, the Palm, is found 

 here in a great number of its varieties, from the 

 humble plant, so much used in the manufacture of 

 hats, to the Palma Real, which grows to the height 

 of one hundred and twenty feet, and is one of the 

 most majestic and beautiful of the natural produc- 

 tions of the earth. The Cocoanut Palm is far infe- 

 rior in appearance. It is not so large, and its trunk 

 is more or less curved, especially near the ground ; 

 but with its clusters of fruit, in every stage of matu- 

 rity, it is a marked example in nature of unpretend- 

 ing utility, contrasting widely with its fellow, the 

 Palma Real, of towering beauty, but comparative 

 unproductiveness. 



There are a great many varieties of this most inter- 

 esting class, variously estimated from one hundred 

 and ninety to near a thousand, and it is supposed that 

 there are some not yet described. Several varieties 

 are common upon the Isthmus, but they vary lxiuch 

 in different districts. The Palma Real is not seen 

 in crossing the country, until arriving at Barbacoa ; 

 while the Cocoanut is found upon the coast, and 

 again at Gorgona, but most frequently near the sea 

 shore, where it grows in great abundance. 



The great characteristic of the Palm is its man- 

 ner of growth, or, technically, it is endogenous. The 



