370 DOTTINOS ON THE ROADSIDE. [Chap. XXIII.— B. P. 
lets, as that of the Blewflelds or Escondido, the Great 
River, and the "Wanks. 
As for the Pacific slope, there is hardly a river 
worthy the name on that side, the Guayaquil heing the 
only one in South America navigable for any distance; 
while, to the northward of Panama, the Colorado, the 
Sacramento, and the Columbia, can only he considered 
very second-rate indeed, compared with those empty¬ 
ing themselves into the Atlantic. 
Taking a great interest in the question of u open¬ 
ing up ” the country, I have paid some considerable 
attention to its river system, and have most carefully 
examined the rivers San Juan, Rama, and Blewfields, 
but it is a description of the latter only which I pro¬ 
pose giving in this place. 
The Blewfields river has many mouths, and the hur¬ 
ricane of 1865 has not improved any of them,—in 
several, trees have been blown across or snagged, 
around which a mass of detritus has accumulated, form¬ 
ing in the first instance little islets, and ultimately 
blocking the passage. This, in the case of the smaller 
arms of the river, is not to be regretted, as by driving a 
larger body of water down the main outlet, the ten¬ 
dency will be to keep that at least, deep and open. 
But the best channel even is diffi cult to find without a 
good pilot, owing to the monotonous appearance of the 
mangrove bushes, which extend from the town of Blew¬ 
fields right across the river entrance, to the low neck of 
land connecting u the Bluff ” with the mainland ; not a 
tree or mark of any sort relieves the sameness of their 
outline; and inasmuch as there are no end of little 
