Thursday 28th June 2012 (Letter 17th April 1881)

GCC travels by steamer down the Pacific coast of Central America, and begins his two years in Panama Having completed his two years of insect collecting in Guatemala, my great grandfather makes the long but relatively comfortable journey down to Panama City, passing frustratingly close to his final destination in the westernmost state of Panama, Chiriquí, but the ship does not call there. He is disappointed to find that his friend and future brother-in-law James Walker's Royal Navy ship, H M S Kingfisher, is not in port, only her sister ship H M S Pelican. RAILROAD HOTEL, PANAMA, UNITED STATES OF COLOMBIA April 17th 1881 My dear Mother, I left Guatemala city on Sunday morning April 3rd, by the diligence for Escuintla, on the way to the port of San José and on the 7th left by Pacific Mail steamer “Costa Rica” for Panama, arriving yesterday. We had a very pleasant and smooth passage (except for the heat) and as we called at many ports on the way down; I had opportunities of landing in Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. I probably leave Panama by the steamer of the 20th for David, Chiriquí, about two days’ journey in the direction of Guatemala, we passed nearby coming from San José, but the large steamers do not call there. Panama is quite a large town, full of people from all parts of the world, any quantity of negroes and Chinese, have never seen such a mixture before, but Oh, so filthy and dirty, I don’t wonder at it being so sickly a place, shall be very glad to get away, no drainage and swarming with pigs and dogs. Lots of French engineers etc. here, the people have ‘Canal’ on the brain. Am stopping at a small place on the beach, pleasant enough at high water, but at low tide the mud smells very bad; this hotel is a miserable hole, but very handy to the landing place, there is only one decent hotel (The Grand Hotel) in Panama, and they, owing to the Canal business, have put up their prices so much that I cannot stand it, so have to put up with this place.

Walker’s ship is not here unfortunately, only the ‘Pelican’ and an American man-of-war, the ‘Alaska’. From the time I left Guatemala until today - about a fortnight ago - my expenses have been nearly £40, all along this coast, everything is very dear and my Guatemala money is at 20% discount.

I send the photo, I don’t know what you will think of it, the hands have come out about twice their proper size, but there was no time to sit again. I bought a 125lb sack of coffee in Guatemala before I left, and left instructions for it to be sent on to London to you, you will probably receive notice by post when it arrives and have to send for it, there will be charges of 7/- or 8/- probably (this cannot be paid in Guatemala). I hope it will keep you going for some time, people in these countries grind and toast a little fresh, and do not use chicory. Address me, care of C. W. Bennet Esq, Acting British Consul, Panama, for the present. I write again from Chiriquí on arrival. Letters arrived in Guatemala City for me the day I left San José, goodness knows when I shall get them. There is an enormous box here waiting me from Mr. Salvin, I suppose it contains a waterproof coat etc, apparently enough supplies to last a century. I shall not open it in Panama, but wait till I reach David. At present, I am not greatly smitten with what I have seen of the United States of Colombia, I hope to find Chiriquí a little better. The people will almost take the coat off your back, but I now have had a little experience of these Spanish American gentry, so am on my guard; there are the same parasites about the wharf and railway station as when I passed through two years ago, I know them now.

I got the first decent meal for two years on board of the ‘Costa Rica’, no black beans or tortillas there, spent Good Friday on board, at most of the ports we took in lots of coffee, hides, shells, India rubber, balsam of copaiba and at most of these ports as soon as we arrived, the Indians and negroes came off in small boats with fruit, live parrots (selling them at about 12/- each), all the time these people made a terrific noise, squarrelling themselves and nearly pushing one another into the water, I was much amused watching these different people, also at their ???, all these Indians are very fond of laughing and joking, least thing sets them off. The only thing is when they are drunk, they are only too ready with their knives. We had very few (passengers?) so I had a cabin to myself. Nearly everybody takes me for a German (the Germans even sometimes begin to talk to me in German), or a Swede, very few for an Englishman; many of the English-speaking people you meet in these places, I must say are anything but a credit to their country, and strange tales circulate about their reasons for leaving home. I would like you to see some of the black people of Panama, they mostly dress in muslin and wear straw hats, dress and hat ornamented all over with gay coloured pieces, artificial flowers etc, the hair done up in two great chignon bunches, one on each side of the head, so that at the rear, as if they had three heads; the hair they also ornament with artificial flowers and to finish up, green or red boots, together all colours of the rainbow. Today, Sunday, there were many disporting themselves on the small esplanade, they think a great deal of themselves, I can tell you. A good many watchmakers in Panama, they are nearly all Jews, Sunday just the same as in Guatemala, market and shops open and busier if anything than during the week. Numbers of public houses wide open always, ice is put into nearly every in the share of drink, and the people seem to do nothing but drink all the time, but scarcely any beer; all spirits, but mixed with all sorts of things, quite different to what we have at home. Many of these mixtures are very nice in these hot places where water is quite insipid without ice. In my next letter, I hope to reply with my new field of exploration, where I believe everything is quite different to what I have been accustomed to in Guatemala. I miss the Indians, who are very useful in many ways, I am sure. One thing I know, I shall have a great deal of wet weather here. 

The country is I believe very thinly peopled and the only town on the coast. With best love to all, and hoping soon to hear from you. I remain,