Martinsburg Gazette And Public Advertiser

PANAMA.-- As this Spanish city has become famous of late, and will probably be more so, a brief account of it may be pleasing to our readers.

Salmon tells us that Panama is the capital of the province of Darien, that it is situated at lat. 9, upon a capacious bay of the pacific ocean; but we think it is more correct to say that the province of Panama was in the Viceroyalty of New Granada, and that it is bounded east by the province of Darien. We may not be correct in the new denominations of some of these old Spanish settlements. Ships cannot come nearer than three miles to the city of Panama, but are obliged to unload at the island of Perico, such is the shallowness of the water.

Panama was the see of a Bishop and the residence of the Governor of the Province; and it was once the depot of the riches of Peru, and there stored in magazines, before transporting them to Europe; and here, too, was the deposit of the various merchandise of Europe, to be disposed of at enormous prices, to the oppressed colonists, for the kings of Spain monopolized every thing valuable in commerce.

Old Panama stood about four miles from the present city. It was taken by Sir Henry Morgan, and was destroyed by fire while the English possessed it, probably in order to rid themselves of the plunderers. The old city was built of wood--the new one chiefly of stone, and pretty well fortified.--There is a little doubt but it will become a place of great importance, and be named as often in America, as Utrecht has been since 1713 in Europe, and from a similar cause.

Panama is pronounced in the last syllable broad; not so as rhyme with law; but with the interjection, ah! And so too of Cumana. The fashionable mode of pronouncing Niagara, by laying the accent on the g, is a deviation from the original Indian. The name Panama has reference to the resemblance in shape to a loaf of bread.

Boston Pat.