October i, 1851.] 
TMT TROPICAL AORtOULTURlST. 
227 
nhould have been given to agriouUate and induitry 
Yet we find that in the first century of the Tokugawa 
rule the relative increase of the rice crop was only 
40 per cent., and the aolual increase 7,300.000 kok\i ; 
while in the period of fif'y-Bix years from 1882 to 
1888, the relative increase was 20 par cent., and the 
actual increase 8,086,608 koku. It is iaiorosting also 
to note that those figure furnish an Bpp,ireHly 
Irnstworthy ealimatB of the productiveness of Japanese 
soil for purpnsns of rice cnlture, the aysrago yield 
over the whole country in 1598 and in 1888 alike 
having been 29 bu‘hels per anre. Perhaps wo may 
add that the figures show a'so how nniforra havo 
been the methods of the Japanese farmer during 
the past three centuries . — Japan Weehlp Mail. 
« 
NOTES OP A TRIP TO THE LAND OP 
the INCAS. 
Panama, 19th June, 189li 
My dear , — There is no doubt good Bishop 
Ilebcr unwittingly libelled Oeyion,* but hia lines — 
Whore every prospect p'o ses. 
An I only man is vile, 
might mnal appropriately ho applied to Pannirn. 
I do not believo it would be possible to find on 
the lauo of tlrs earth a more repulsive lot of 
luttliroats tliaii Iho people who at present inhabit 
this istlimus— a legacy 1 ft to it by Lcsssps. Ten 
years ago tiie degenerate sciun of ail natious sermed 
to flock hers to help to spend the Frouchmeu’e 
money. Never botore was such gigButio corrupliou, 
deprcvily, and swindling hoard of. Tho s- tiuel 
we now .see in palatial buildings abandoned, tliousanria 
of pondeiuiH machines, teas of thousands of Inicke 
and barrows, iron bridge-', mill s'.up-'ndous dredges 
all ru.siing in I ho mala,rimiH jungle. Acres of iron 
eottagea now tenanted on'y, by vermin or the 
hungry -lookiiu; ghosts of caral laboururs. One spot 
I visited iJbo told ite saJ tale — the ceinolory 
siluattd mar Panama, an ample acreage, but 
crowded to ov-. rlluwing. On the right as wo drove 
along were the remains ot tho ooinnion heid, 
the little wooden crosses being simply numltrved 
and dated, ohieily 1883 4; on the other cido a 
smaller enclocuro contained mould of an apparently 
more select kind, the maiMc and Aberdi-eu 
granite headstones teetifying to tlio gjodntrs, 
greatness, or pro'wces rf tho dopnited. 
But a considerable number of the old canal 
ctnployii still reinaio, some of the Europeans 
being employed on tbo railway, the nondtsoripls— 
heaven knows how! though iloubtiuss the robbing 
of passengers forms their most lucrative rcoupation. 
On tlio arrival of every boat down rush the 
motley crowd, and lot them but once point 
a linger to your lu.ggagn end down mn..t go the 
dollars or a bowie-knife fight ensues, llo ob iging 
porters hrre ; no policemen visible ; oven ilie 
Htationmaster has to be bribed to let you havo 
your ticket in time lor liie train. The worst 
loafers at Eastern ports arc angelic croature.s 
compared with Uio dreadful inflians who swarm 
in this oountry. And yet it is a very lovi'l.i ojuntry : 
the more I look at it tho more int, realeii aud 
enchanted I am, though its depljiably bed name 
IB rnough to frighten anyone. Over and over 
again wo were warned not to stay a nig'.U iiort', 
but it docs m-t lake long to liud out other 
causes for its deudlincss than tbo climate — cbicl 
* E*eu our frlen,! A. 8. can make a slip Ileber did 
justice to Cleylonjaiid reociitdevolopmontBofniiirilerous 
crime gives us pause iu supposing that li-i lilielli- l i « 
P^oplg when ho cbaractorisgd thorn as vilci— Ei«, I', -1 ^ 
among which are dirt and bad drink. Their drinking 
wells are a perfeot “ sounner’’ ; not a drop of 
decently pure water to be had. And yet about 
100 inches of rain per annum— tho purest dis- 
tilled water— is pouted upon this favoured land 
from the Atlantic and Paciflo- tlve times as much 
as Australia gets, and four times as much as on 
the East of Scotland. And yet they have nothing 
to drink! A’ou rennember that for two years tho 
purest and best water we ever had was distilled 
water from the Pacific. As to the climate, as far 
as I can judge or learn from the more intelligent 
of the irhabi'anis, it is neither better nor worse 
than that of Col -mbo, thoUo'h such is its repute 
that we may not say so in Ceylon ! The soil is 
infinitely better than the average of Ceylon, and 
the vegetation proportionately good. The onrious 
thing is tbo number ot plants common to both 
countrii-s, many of which must, of course, have 
been introduced here, tbe Mangoe tree, for instance, 
growing so luxuriously snd bearing so enormously, 
the Coconut, the Breadfruit, Plantain, and Papaw, 
the Oleander, Shoeflower, and all the variedly 
beautiful Crotons, Ac., A-o. Ceifee I saw none of 
but fe-l sure it would grow and bear well. There 
is an impression abrnad that this Central America 
is a barren, insalubrious strip of land— lashed 
and blown by both monsoons. It is nothing of 
the kind, and, other things being equal, I should 
not hesitate about forming a home on yonder hill's 
sheer rise to 3000 feet above sea le,vel. 
Panama, in short, unlike some other places I 
have visited, is, as regards tbo climate, soil, and 
produclivcncss, better that it was painted. If 
such bo tbe case — and I believe it is -generally 
oti tliis isthmus, how. It may bo asked, came 
our oountryra'n ti such utter grief with their 
Darien schemo'i' Thore wore vaiious ciui-trs (or 
this t.iiluro beside the fact that they were unsuilod 
for labouring in the tropics — tho clitef reason beirg 
tho hordes of rufli tniy .Spaniards that periodioiilly 
attacked tbo unprotocted colonists -dastardly 
attacks, whi-ih, wo fear, were only winked at 
by o'jr E-^glish friends of that day, who were really 
je-alous ot the ambitious Soot. They have come 
to know ys letter now, hut I have never been 
able to quite forgive our southern friends for 
this perfidy. The tame drawback may bo said 
to exi t still, vix, the want of protection and a 
oivilisoJ Government : but the day must soon oome 
when, situated as it is, Central America will prove 
it'olf one of the most t'alttable and productive 
spots on earth, aud poor Paterson to have been 
100 years ohead of his day. 'I’he bay in which 
1 now write is indeed a thing of beauty, the 
derp blue, atilt water being litorallv studded with 
little gems of green isleudi’ from one to l.'iO 
serfs ill extent. Within 100 yards of where (he 
" Santiago ” is anchored is an isle exactly resembling 
Helen's Isle in sine and nhapc, but tho jungle 
is more dense and the creepers hang down in 
richer feetoons. kiSting the rising tide. If my Kodak 
tells tho truthyou will Sf-e it for yourselves aome day. 
Tho tide rises hero about 23 some say .TO 
feet; on tho Ailantic die about 3 feet. This 
formed one of the difiiouUiee wliiirh Iio.seps had 
to face, but by no moans the chief. 
Tho one insuperable difficulty seemed, after all, 
the impossibility of obtaiuhig honest men as 
pub coiitraotorH. 'I'lic extent of duliberute swindling 
that si’ome to have t.akon place is shocking to hear 
of. llnndrod.s of advinlnrots made stupendou.s 
fortunes out of the savings of the frugal but 
misguided French investors. 
'This lott.r is posted in Guayaiiuil, the chief 
p . 1 -, i f Kinind r. sfiii; ileicrip' ion ot which 
^ ,^11 Villi li-iw rn my next. 
