190 



PANAMA. 



laid out in gardens, pasturage, and orchards, 

 and there are a few villas which give it a polished 

 air, and contrast prettily with the solemn gran- 

 deur of the forests beyond. These stretch 

 entirely across the isthmus, in an unbroken 

 mass, except at intervals, where the axe of the 

 negro, has here and there cleared a space suf- 

 ficient for the rude hut of some solitary family, 

 whose habitation interrupts the uniformity of 

 the sylvan scene. 



When I landed I went at once to the house of 

 Mr. Russell, the vice-consul. He was unable 

 to accommodate me with a bed, but very kindly 

 procured a large apartment for me in a street 

 not very far from his residence, where I am 

 tolerably lodged, but breakfast and dine every 

 day with him. He performs the rights of hos- 

 pitality as well as the opportunities of the place 

 will permit. The culinary art, however, is 



