f a triangle, stuck through the inside of the nose. The old men wear a
number of strands of coral beads around their necks, and hanging down on
their bosoms. The sookerman wears two or three pounds of large coral
beads hanging closely about the neck, and the old men wear their shirt
flaps inside of their waist-bands as a mark of their dignity. From the
best information I can obtain, St. Blas is the oldest Republic on the
Continent of America, and should be a model government for Mexico and
the South American Republics, which are constantly driving their rulers
out of the country and changing Republics into Empires.

The soil of St. Blas produces an abundance of bread-stuffs, such as
yams, sweet potatoes, cassader, eddies, plantains, &c. Also cocoa-nuts,
lemons, oranges, sugar cane and cocoa. They here breed a great number
of hogs, poultry, &c. The country abounds with large quantities of wild
hogs, mountain cows, armadillas, deer, conies, and innumerable wild
fowl. The whole coast swarms with turtle, craw-fish, manatee's, and a
great variety of shell-fish. There are some four hundred islands, lying
from two to four miles from the main land-shore, which forms an inland
sea, making the whole coast a good harbor. Every one of these islands
produces limes, or lemons, bird, cayenne, gourd and squash peppers. When
a table is set in this country a green pepper and lemon are placed by
the side of your plate, which serves for pepper and vinegar to season
your meat or vegetables. After clearing up half an acre of ground, ten
days labor of one man in each year would produce bread-stuffs sufficient
for a family of fifteen persons. Plantains set out on good soil will
yield a crop, every nine months, for twenty years. Yams and sweet
potatoes require planting and digging yearly.

Having given the reader a short description of St. Blas, which may
appear somewhat imperfect, I hope it will be recollected, should there
be any imperfections, that I have no history of that country to refer
to; most of my information having been obtained from the natives, who
speak broken English. On taking leave of St. Blas I proceeded to St.
Andreas, at which place I arrived after a passage of two days. Here I
met General McGregor, who appeared much dejected, having among other
losses left all his clothing behind, which fell into the hands of the
enemy. Lieutenant Coakley came on board my vessel and related to me all
the particulars of the expedition which