12 
CALIFORNIA ILLUSTRATED. 
New Grenada; at 6 P. M., the captain cries out from the mast¬ 
head, “Land Ho!” We shorten sail, and on the morning of 
the 14th are standing in for the port of Chagres. 
A most beautiful scene is spread out before us; we are mak¬ 
ing directly for the mouth of the river, the left point of the 
entrance being a bold, rocky promontory, surmounted by forti¬ 
fications. (See Plate). The coast to the left is bold and rocky, 
extending a distance of five miles, and terminating in a rocky 
promontory, one of the points to the entrance of Navy Bay, 
the anticipated terminus of the Panama railroad. The coast 
to the right is low, stretching away as far as the eye can reach. 
In the background is a succession of elevations, terminating in 
mountains of considerable height, the valleys, as well as the 
crests of the hills, being covered with a most luxuriant growth 
of vegetation, together with the palm, cocoa-nut, and other trop- - 
ical trees of the most gigantic size. As we neared the port, 
we passed around the steamer Falcon, which had just come to 
anchor, and passing on to within half a mile of the mouth of 
the river, we rounded to, and let go our anchor. 
