the grounds quite good enough for ‘outside bar 
barianB.’ 
tress and things to our liking, look about over 
the spacious, airy, elegant steamer, cast another 
glance at that odd, mysterious, curious, uninvi¬ 
ting sea port left behind, when the gun announced 
that we were off again. s. b. r. 
and importunity is king of the edible mart The 
trains are filled, and under each car window, 
raised upon the head of a flauntily-dressed col¬ 
ored girl, is presented the last golden offer. Some 
bargains are drove in spite of hissing engines and 
belching 9 moke-pipes, and, in the exchange, these 
yellow merchants experienced, doubtless, as much 
genuine satisfaction as does J. J. Astok, Jr., in 
salting down his daily interest money of about 
$11,540. But more anon. s. b. r. 
The Chinese have even gone so far as 
to nuke imitations of the twisted tea leaves of 
tissue paper, coloring and glazing them so as to 
deceive the eye perfectly—a fact that shows how 
cheap human labor is. But us to deadly and insid¬ 
ious poisons, we don't believe a word. The idea 
exists only among members of Congress who 
think all the rest of the world as corrupt as their 
associates. Our faith in tea and the Chinese is 
still unshaken, and we pass for the second and 
third cup without a misgiving." 
[Special Correspondence of Moore’s Rural New-Yorker.] 
A TRIP TO CALIFORNIA. 
Ride across the Isthmus— Scenes r. n route— Panama— 
Present and farmer condition—Its military — Men-of- 
Ji'ar in the Harbor—Conveyance- to the “Golden Age." 
I’a.vama, New (Iranada, January 2S, IS;'*). 
At 5 o’clock in the morning, the three several 
trains are ready to dash off for the Pacific coast. 
Those who wait for the last train find ample 
room and abundant accommodations. The cars 
are light and airy, built to admit every breath of 
air and only to shut out the sun and rain. I had 
heard much of the terrible heat of this ride, and 
had prepared to be well used up at Its end, but 
was much disappointed. We accomplished it in 
three hours, and would have been better pleased 
if it bad taken five. It was, certainly, hot, but 
the motion of the curs produced a qualifying 
breeze, and, on the whole, the ride was a delight¬ 
ful one. The rank vegetation,—the trees all new 
to a northern eye,—the gorgeous flowers, in plen- 
taous profusion,—the parasitic vines, climbing to 
every tall trunk, forming festoons and drooping 
Horn one should arrange his baggage — A morning in 
Atpintcall — Its inhabitants — Fruit dealers — Restau¬ 
rants and Hotels —Departure of the trains for Pana¬ 
ma — Fall in the Fruit Market. 
January 2Stll, I860. 
CORAL FORMATIONS. 
WUA you pletu»e tell us how the cocoa, which we buy 
at the stores, is made, and what from? Also, is it a 
healthy and nutritions beverage, or is it injurious? 
Smyrna, N. Y , I860. B. L 
Cocoa ( Theobroma cacao) is a species of bean, 
growing upon a tree, found wild, and also culti¬ 
vated extensively in Mexico and other parts of 
Central America, in South America, in the West 
Indies, in Spain, France, Italy, etc. 
Hills have been levelled, valleys filled up, and 
cities built, by the might of man, and bis works 
have been justly considered as great and mighty 
productions. But if man has built proud cities, 
lie may justly feel humbled in comparing his 
works with the little coraline insects of the sen, 
who have built islands in the deep ocean, with no 
other material for their walls than the matter 
held in solution by the waters. Coral is a atony 
product of the sea, resembling the productions 
of the garden, rivaling trees and shrubs in the 
gracefulness and delicacy of their forms. In 
olden times it was believed that coral was a pet¬ 
rified vegetable production, as it wa3 well known 
that vegetation could produce stately forests and 
minute plants; and when it was first suggested 
that it was the work of little jelly-like animals, by 
the naturalist, Peysonncl, in 1751, scientific men 
pronounced the idea absurd. 
It is well known that coral is the stouy frames 
belonging to coraline insects, and a piece of it 
may be said to be composed of millious of their 
skeletons. We have received a large specimen of 
this marine marble flora, sent to us by Coo. K. 
Harkness, engineer of Fort Jefferson, Florida.— 
It is of the kind found at the Tortngas Islands, 
and is very beautiful, branching out into broad 
leaves, rivaling, in their tiny tracery, the works of 
the most skillful sculptors. Coral is principally 
composed of lime; the insects secrete it from the 
waters of the sea, and as each generation expires, 
its successors continue the building until it arises 
from the ocean as coral rocks aud islands. The 
operations of these marine insects are principally 
confined to the warmer waters of the ocean, such 
as in the Gulf of Florida, and the Indian aud Pa¬ 
cific Oceans. It is remarkable thaJ, at 50 miles 
back from the sea-coast, in tho Carolinas, as per¬ 
fect specimens of coral are frequently dug from 
the marl pits as thoBC obtained fresh from the sea. 
The limestone of Now Jersey and of Missouri 
give evidence of their coraline origin, thus afford¬ 
ing proof that many extensive tracts of this 
country were once under the waters of the great 
deep, and that these little creatures were the 
builders of many of the rocks aud much of the 
dry land. 
but the coral insects perform another great 
office beside ind^^in'? the i boundaries of the 
land. It is well known that silica, lime, magnesia, 
alumina, oxyds of iron, and other soluble impur¬ 
ities, are carried down into tho ocean by the 
waters from rivers. The little coniines act the 
part of scavengers of the sea, as they secrete only 
the impurities, and refuse the salts of sodium, and 
thus they build their houses from the very mate¬ 
rial which otherwise would accumulate a.id ren¬ 
der the ocean waters as bitter as those of the Sea 
of Sodom. Tho coral insects and marine shell 
fish store away the excess of lime-water in tho 
sea, and tend to purify its waters, iu the same 
manner that trees and vegetation absorb carbonic 
acid from the atmosphere, and keep it pure for 
the welfare of man. It is thus that the operations 
of nature arc conducted upon a wise, simple, and 
sublime plan, by the great Author of Creation.— 
Scientific American. 
Aspinwam. 
Friday morning tho sun was out gloriously, 
the "Crooked Ishind Pass," and wicked Gulf, 
leagues astern. The Panama Railroad Company 
sends over an agent every trip, who weighs tho 
baggage before getting to A3pinwall, takes the ten 
rents a pound for all that each man’s "traps'! 
weigh over fifty ponuds, checks the whole, and 
surrender* It, when demanded, on the Pacific side. 
The baggage-room of the Atlantic was opened 
every day, unless it was rough, at 11 o'clock. 
With the baggage of eight hundred persons stow 
ed closely in the hold, and each man’s, practi¬ 
cally, at the bottom of all. It may be readily 
guessed, that when it was open one might search 
for hours, aud sweat like a race horse, under whip 
and spur, without finding it. For a fee, the por¬ 
ter will undertake in your behalf, but unless the 
offer is a tempting one, ho may be t wo days about 
it, and fail you at last. But the day before arriv¬ 
ing at AspinwOll the weighing begins, which is 
conducted in the hold. The owner must be on 
band to designate his own, and that of all the 
widows who rely upon his gallantry for aid, drag 
the luggage to tho beam, and take bis checks. 
Then, for three days, he will see it no more. 
These baggage hunts, at the best, tend to provoke 
a deal of bad temper. In praise of tho official ill 
this “vexed" department, we can truly say, that, 
though he is the most run after, and teased, and 
annoyed, of all men on shipboard, he answers the 
thousandth question as courteously as the first, 
and spares no pains to make the nuisance as tol 
crable as possible. 
But a word of advice for your 100,000 readers, 
many of whom may have occasion to use it with¬ 
in a twelve month. Take a carpet bag with you 
of such capacity as to contaiu all you need for a 
week,— take, (as it is no easy matter to provide 
against the emergencies of hottest summer and a 
New York winter,) also, a strong cotton or can¬ 
vass sack on board, to stuff soiled linen and thick 
clothing into, and you need not Buffer but one 
severe sweat, on your trunk’s account, on each 
ocean. Let every trunk be as tough as sole 
leather, and strong as iron, and well strapped 
around. Cheap trunks meet with little sympathy— 
they rather provoke special hatred. At Aspin- 
wall, tho negros Blide them from the bulwarks 
down to the dock, to the measure of double-quick 
lime, and in such a zigzag manner as to cause a 
trunk maker’s heart to leap for joy. Let the blame 
rest, however, on the excessive haste of the 
Company to unlade their vessel, rather than on 
the immoderate carelessness of those iu their 
employ. 
By day light, on Saturday morning, the Atlantic 
had disgorged her immense contents, and three 
trains of cars were made up to transport every¬ 
thing to the Pacific side. It was a starlight, 
misty morning. Emerging from the steamer Was 
like taking a vapor bath. The Company’s grounds; 
through which you pass from the wharf to the 
town,—are planted with coconuts, bananas, date 
palms, and tlie paw-paw tree, so that yon feel at once 
that the land that presses your feet, for the first 
time since leaving New York, is a tropical country. 
Aspinwall dates back some six years, and num¬ 
bers about two thousand inhabitants, composed of 
Spaniards, Frenchmen, Yankees, and Jamaica 
negroes, the latter largely predominating, I judge. 
The main street fronts the harbor, and is closely 
backed Avith stores, shops, restaurants, and hotels, 
/as they are called by courtesy.) The street is 
filled with fruit stands, near which sits or stands 
a half naked negress, hoping to sell you bananas, 
oranges, or sweet cake. The steerage pitch into 
the fresh oranges, bananas, aud cakes, us though 
they were bent on expelling any suspected scurvy, 
aud breaking the long fast from fruit. But curi¬ 
osity, the strange scenery, and the advice of old 
travelers, frighten you out of too abundant an ap¬ 
propriation of fruit at first You pass along, and 
are jostled in your walk by young negresses, 
crowdiug along with large, broad, wooden plat¬ 
ters on their heads, filled with fruits, c>vkes, aud 
bottles of claret, and advertising their wares by 
their tall, erect figures, many of Avhom were 
dressed cleanly and quite showily, und all in¬ 
dulged in “low necks” or bare busts, Avith the 
vanity and fastidiousness of a belle in a New 
England ball room. Curiosity impclls you on; 
and now rings out npon your ear, the voice of a 
stout negro—” Here gernmena, your nice break¬ 
fast, only five dimes, and every man has three 
eggs and a cigar." But the live dime breakfast 
don’t look temptingly, and you pass along to the 
Ht. Charles, and, for one dollar, get a luke-wartu 
dish of coffee, with meats and potatoes, that, in 
any other than in a hot country, would have 
chilled the thorax in their descent to the stomach. 
The town is the oddest mixture of Yankee en¬ 
terprise, West India shrewdness, and Isthmus 
shiftlessness. The trades-people, who make such 
a bustle with their wares, are sharp for a bargain, 
witty, and lull of merriment. They gabble in an 
uuknoAvn tongue togtber, but many of them talk 
English, fluently. The natiA’es, or New Grana¬ 
dians, lazily look on, and worry nobody to trade 
with them. The young children toddle about 
stark naked, or go dressed up only iu a hat. As 
the hour for the departure of the tralus ap¬ 
proaches, the maiu street is all alive Avith passen¬ 
gers, and the zeal of the fruit-sellers is largely 
increased. A crisiB has arrived, — stocks fall, 
rates cheapen, low prices rule the fruit market,— 
ROTTEN GLASS. 
afford pasturage for their cows and mules. Their 
means of support comes from the wood they cut 
and nell to the railroad company. It was truly a 
laughable scone to Avitness a party of negroes, 
and their mules, or horses, carrying or transport 
ing cordwood on their backs to the roadside. 
Each animal carried about a wheelbarrowful, and 
handled his backload with nicety and care, as he 
wended his way through tangled brushwood and 
fallen trees. The cattle along the route were 
small, of a dark, dun color, with black lines on 
the back, dark noses and leg«, and very long 
black boms,— they looked smart and in good 
trim. Whenever we stopped to wood up, there 
was a rush of natives with fruit to sell, claret, 
lime juice, and Ice-water. 
We arrived at Panama about 0 o'clock, hence 
we had plenty of time to visit this ancient adobe 
town, the narrow streets of which, between high 
houses, shut out the sun, and render it cool aud 
refreshing. This is an old town, built by the 
Spanish in the Sixteenth Century. It is decidedly 
a historic curiosity. It was once ft walled city, 
strongly fortified and protected. It is this no 
longer,—its walls arc torn down, its forts and 
strongholds are haunts for Hwine and turkey 
buzzards,—its once imposing and costly cathe¬ 
drals are in ruins, and the swalloAvs and bats 
The Gulp Stream. —There is a river in the 
ocean. In the severest drouth it never fails, mid 
in the mightiest floods it never overflows. Its 
banks and its bottoms are of cold water, while its 
current is of warm. The Gulf of Mexico is its 
fountain, and its mouth is the Arctic Reas. Tt is 
tho Gulf Stream. There is in the Avorld no other 
such majestic Hoav of water. Its current is more 
rapid than the Mississippi or tho Amazon, and its 
volume more than ten times greater. Its waters, 
as far out from the Gulf as tho Carolina coasts, 
arc of an indigo blue. They are so distinctly 
marked, that this lino of junction with the com¬ 
mon sea water may be traced by the eye. Often 
one half of the vessel may be perceived floating 
In the Gulf Stream water, while the other half is 
in tho common water of the sea, so sharp is the 
line and the want of affinity between these waters; 
and such, too, the reluctance, so to speak, on the 
part of the Gulf Stream, to mingle with the com¬ 
mon water of the sea. — I.ient. Maury. 
The engraving shoAvs the general form of the 
cocoa tree, growing 12 to 18 feet iu height; and 
also the leaf, flower, and fruit,—these aro largely 
magnified, as compared with the engraving of 
the tree. The fruit grows directly from the stem 
and principal branches. It Is In tho form of a 
thick cucumber, or small, oblong melon, four to 
live inches in length, like 2 In the figure. This pod 
eontaius from ten to thirty beaus or seeds, embed¬ 
ded in rows, in a pulp or spongy substance, like 
that of a watermelon. These seeds are taken out 
when ripe, cleaned and dried, and are then ready 
for market. 
The seeds are subsequently prepared iu several 
ways. 1. The beans are freed from the surround¬ 
ing husks, and broken or ground into conjee 
fragments. These are sold like coffee, and after¬ 
ward treated and prepared for the table in a sim¬ 
ilar manner, 2. The bean, including the husk, 
(which forma about one-tenth of its weight,) is 
roasted and made into a paste by beating in a 
mortar, or grinding between hot rollers. This 
paste is then mixed with various ingredients, 
such as starch, sugar, etc., aud often much adul¬ 
terated. It is made into cakes and sold as cocoa, 
rock cocoa, or soluble cocoa. 3, The hulled 
beans are ground into a paste by means of hot 
rollers, which partially roast them at tho same 
time; sugar, and various kinds of seasoning, such 
ns vanilla, cinnamon, cloves, etc., aro added.— 
This forma the well-known chocolate. Its value, 
tastfe, and flavor depend upon the skill or taste, or 
honesty of the particular manufacturer. The 
narhe chocolate is derived from the Mexican nume 
of the plant “ Choeollatl." (t is said to have been 
used by the Mexicans from time immemorial.— 
The Spaniards found it in common use so long 
ago us A. D. 1520, and brought it thence to 
Europe. Linnaeus was so exceedingly fond of the 
beverage prepared from the cocoa, that in naming 
the plant he called it Theo-broma, or Food of the 
Gods, (from Theos, god, and broma, food.) 
Chocolate, prepared as above, is made up into 
sweet cakes, and eaten as a nutritious and solid 
food. It is also scraped into powder and dis¬ 
solved in water, forming a thick, nutritious bev¬ 
erage or soup. The husks of the beans are also 
used alone in preparing what is called cocoa-tea. 
They can usually be bought separately. 
Cocoa, and its preparations, chocolate, etc., are 
somewhat stimulant, like tea and coffee, anil pro¬ 
duce similar effects upon the system, though in a 
much less degree. It is far more nutritious, con¬ 
taining a large amount of oil, as well as a consid¬ 
erable proportion Of gluten, starch, gum, etc. 
The amount of oil renders it harder to digest 
than milk, beef-tea, and other similar beverages, 
and it docs not agree with some persons; but 
when ground with sugar, starch, ote., as in choc¬ 
olate, it is usually a very good diet, especially for 
invalids, since it combines nourishment with mod¬ 
erate tonic and exhilarating properties. 
Dkaic Rural: —Inclosed I send you a sample of adul¬ 
terated tea. The article that I »eud you was bought by 
roy broth Hi' for tea, hut appears to bo a mixture of poison¬ 
ous drugs, and makes silver black as Iron- If convenient, 
will you please got this (what shall 1 call it?) stuff ana- 
lyxed by some experienced chemist, and give the result 
iu your columns, that all may read nnJ know the impo¬ 
sitions practiced upon them. I do not wish to be tedious, 
and will not write aoy more at present, but would like to 
have attention called to this subject, aud hope that some 
of your correspondents wilt give their opinions In regard 
to this matter. G. C. 
Kinsman, Trurn. Co., Ohio, 1860. 
Tub article sent us with the above, is a misera¬ 
ble-looking compound, neither green nor black, 
but of various shades of brown and yellow, and 
something that, at one time, no doubt, Avas 
intended for green. If this is tea, it lias probably 
been damaged by being wet with sea water. On 
some of the leaves, there aro white-spots, showing 
the appearance of plaster. It would require a 
thorough analysis to exhibit the composition of 
this tea, and this we cannot give at the present. 
The adulteration of tea has recently been bro’t 
to the attention of Congress, by a motion instruct¬ 
ing the Committee on Commerce to inquire into the 
expediency of preventing the importation of adul¬ 
terated or spurious teas. The member introduced 
bis resolve with a statement in the preamble that 
certain parties are preparing to send to America, 
as tea, certain substances, some of which are of u 
deadly nature, and others calculated to bring on 
the most fearful disorders in the human frame.” 
On this subject the Springfield Republican 
makes the following remarks:— 1 "To allay all un¬ 
necessary squeamishness in the lovers of the fra¬ 
grant drink, that ‘cheers, but not inebriates,’ it 
should bo stated that the ankoi, or wild tea of 
China, with which the cheap black teas are large¬ 
ly adulterated, is quite as harmless as the tame 
tea, and the only objection to it is its disagree¬ 
able flavor. Then there arc the ‘Canton-made’ 
teas, imitations of green teas, some of them being 
the grounds re-dried after the Chinese have drawn 
its first flavor, and mixed Avith old tea dust to give 
them an uroraa. 
When you find tea that is fragrant to the smell, 
but yields little strength in the tea-pot, the pre- 
The Consulate for Life; Napoleon—August I sumption is that it lias already done service in 
;02, to May IS, 1801. some economical Chinese family, who considered 
FRENCH HISTORY IN A NUTSHELL. 
the eye at every corner. It is truly a forsaken 
and sad-looking place. 
It would appear that in the constant war of 
races, the old Castilian blood is nearly merged in 
that of the native and negro stripe. We saw 
only a few specimens of the Spanish gentleman. 
The uatives and negroes have patched up the 
toAvn and contrived to have some 0,000 people 
stay there, beside all their dogs and hogs, mon¬ 
keys and mules, hens aud turkey-buzzards. Filth 
is aa essential ingredient in all the suburbs. 
Children are reared naked until pix or eight years 
old, and half of the male negroes seem happiest 
when the stump of a sleeveless shirt makes their 
entire costume. Nude babies, in the arms of 
nurses and mothers, they themselves with bare 
busts or a naked arm and shoulder, and a half 
dozen others, from two to live aud six years,—all 
as naked as when they came into existence,— 
unite to form a spectacle unusual, to say the 
least, to a refined northern eye. Bat the heat of 
the climate may be their excuse, lame as it is. 
The New Granada government keeps and sus¬ 
tains an armed native soldiery here to prevent 
any feuds between travelers and the inhabitants. 
Some forty black soldiers, with a white captain, 
all uniformed, and equipped with bristling guns, 
manuge to make a show and cower tho quarrel¬ 
some. They look strongest in the distance. On 
close inspection 1 found them mostly beardless 
boys, sleepy and dull-looking,—just fit to charge 
on a hen roost and carry it. Anchored in the 
harbor is one British man-of-war, also two Araeri 
can steam frigates, each carrying 112 guns, and 
manned with from four to five hundred sailors 
and mariues. Thus our shipping interests arc 
protected at the main port of New Granada. 
A barge transported the passengers and freight 
from the dock to the steamer, which lay an¬ 
chored some two mileB out, beyond shoal 
water, and near tho islands (two or three iu num¬ 
ber) on Avhich the company have their machine 
shops. We left Panama at 4, and before 5 found 
ourselves on board the Golden Age, which had 
been put in best order for our reception. We 
had just time to find oar state room, adjust mat- 
zEneas Sylvius had three Avays of proving a 
man a fool. He is a fool who seeks that he can 
not find; he is a fool who seeks that AA'bich, if 
found, will do him more harm than good; he is a 
fool who, having several ways to bring him to his 
journey’s end, selects the Avorst one. 
Wit is not the produce of study, it conics 
almost as unexpectedly on the speaker as on the 
hearer, one of the first principles of it is good 
temper; the arrows of ivit ought always to bo 
feathered with smiles—-when they fail in that they 
become a sarcasm. 
Don’t live in hope Avith your arms folded; for¬ 
tune smiles on those avIio roll up their sleeves, 
and put their shoulders to the wheel. 
ft 
