PANAMA. 



189 



seen nothings except Rio Harbour^ equal in 

 beauty to the situation of this Port. The 

 city, which is walled, and has ramparts all 

 round it^ stands upon a tongue of land, washed 

 on both sides by the Pacific, and from its 

 numerous churches, stone houses with tiled 

 roofs, and old architectural convents, with trees 

 growing in the midst of some that are in ruins, 

 it presents towards the sea, a very picturesque, 

 and agreeable view. It is situated at the base 

 of a range of soft green, undulating hills^ which 

 are covered with tropical woods, and form the 

 foreground to a higher class of mountains^ 

 stretching like a barrier between the two 

 oceans. 



The highest mountains, however, on the 

 isthmus are never so lofty, as to be destitute of 

 foliage, even to their summits. 



The immediate neighbourhood of Panama is 



