This fort was captured by the English on the 29th of April, 1780. The plan of the expedition was formed by Gen. Sir John Dalling,^[4] and had for its object to get possession of Lake Nicaragua, and the cities of Leon and Granada, and thus to cut off communication between the northern and southern Spanish possessions in America. The land forces were commanded by Colonel Polson, under whose orders Captain Nelson, then in command of the ship “Hinchinbrook,” acted. The Spanish garrison consisted of two hundred and twenty-eight men, under the command of Juan de Ayssa. Notwithstanding the overwhelmingly superior force of the English, the siege was a protracted one. The castle was finally brought to terms by the English obtaining possession of a hill commanding it in the rear. By the terms of capitulation, “in consideration of the gallant defence of the fort,” the garrison was permitted to march out with colors flying, drums beating, with lighted matches, muskets and sidearms, and to be furnished with vessels and provisions to convey them to any port of Spain in America which might be agreed upon.^[5] This triumph was dearly purchased, and was productive of no good results. The entire expedition was a failure, and is passed over very lightly in the English annals. Of the two hundred men comprising the crew of Nelson’s vessel, but ten survived the expedition, and he himself narrowly escaped death. In January, 1781, the English abandoned the castle, and withdrew to Jamaica. Collingwood apologises for the failure of the expedition, on the ground that “it was formed without a sufficient knowledge of the country, and presented difficulties not to be surmounted by human skill and perseverance. It was dangerous to proceed on the river, from the rapidity of the current, and the numerous falls over rocks which intercepted the navigation; the climate, too, was deadly, and no constitution could resist its effects.”^[6]

Some conception of the difficulty of ascending the rapids of the Castillo may be formed from the fact, that it required the utmost exertion of our men, for nearly three hours, to get “La Granadina,” with no freight, past them. The boat once up, the crew made breakfast; and after glancing over the list of the Californian party, who had not neglected to inscribe their names conspicuously on the walls of the fort, we descended, thoroughly drenched with the rain. I had the toothache, and M—— the rheumatism, for a week, “by way of improvement” on our visit to the Castillo. The commandant of the garrison, having found out who were his visitors, was there to receive us; and from him we learned that we were expected in the interior, and that instructions had gone out from the government to all its officers to treat us with every possible respect, and to afford every facility to our progress. He had accordingly come to put himself “at our disposition.” Being hungry, the colloquy took place, on the part of the representative of El Norte, in the intervals which could be spared from Ben’s broiled ham and coffee. For an appetite, and a corresponding contempt for etiquette, I recommend a three hours’ visit to the Castillo Viejo, before breakfast.

A few miles above the Rapides del Castillo, are the Rapides del Toro, which, however, are not strong, and are easily passed. Beyond these the river becomes of very nearly uniform width, and flows with a deep, regular current. This part of the stream is, in fact, a kind of estuary, or extension of Lake Nicaragua. The banks are low, and the feathery palm again appears lining the shores. The whole country on both shores, for a long distance back, is swampy, and in parts covered with water in the rainy season. Quite a number of sluggish streams, nevertheless, flow through it, whose names indicate the character of their banks and the surrounding country. There is the Rio Palo del Arco, “Arched with Trees;” the Rio Poco Sol, “Little Sun;” Rio Roblito, Mosquito, etc.

It was on the morning of the sixth day after our departure from San Juan, that the boat was pushed in to the low bank for breakfast, at a point but five miles below the Fort of San Carlos, situated at the head of the river, on the lake. Myriads of water-fowl lined the shores, and never so much as moved from the trees above us while we breakfasted. Among them Ben discovered a majestic black eagle, which he shot. The bird fell near us, but as we approached him, he threw himself on his back, with open beak, fierce eye, and threatening talons, defiant to the last. I would have given more than one hard dollar to have undone the wanton act, and sent the proud bird unharmed once more, free to his native mountains.

Although the novelty of our ascent, (ninety miles in six days, think of that, ye voyagers on the Hudson or our western rivers!) had in some degree compensated for its tediousness, and we had “put in” the time rather agreeably than otherwise, yet it was with unqualified satisfaction that we learned that we had nearly passed the river. We were impatient to look upon the great lake, of which the world had heard so much but knew so little, and thought our progress, over the intervening five miles, unaccountably slow. At eleven o’clock, however, upon passing a large island, the river opened in a broad reach, and we saw before us the waters of the lake. A commanding eminence, cleared of trees, and surmounted by a few houses and a flag-staff, rose where the lake terminated and the river commenced. The men seemed hardly less pleased than ourselves; but after pulling with great energy for a few minutes, suddenly stopped, and simultaneously plunged overboard. We had become accustomed to all sorts of fantastic freaks, and contented ourselves with looking on without asking questions. After paddling about for a while, they clambered aboard, and then commenced a grand hunt for the clothes which had been so summarily laid aside when we left San Juan. These were dragged to light from all conceivable out-of-the-way nooks, and directly the whole crew was dressed in clean attire, which made us quite ashamed of our soiled garments. The economy, not to say the convenience, of going naked, for the purpose of keeping one’s clothes clean, was never more manifest. Pedro insisted on having the flag unfurled from the pineta, and before we had got within a mile from the fort, produced his conch-shell, and blew an awful blast upon it. A few figures appeared on the hill near the flag-staff, and directly the blue and white flag of Nicaragua, with an oval in the centre, containing three volcanoes and the rising sun, was run to its top. The roll of a drum, and the glancing of polished arms in the sun, showed us that we were recognized, and made us more than ever ashamed of our shabby exteriors. But what was to be done? Our trunks were wedged immovably beneath us, and if once dragged out, to our future eminent discomfort, where and how could we make our toilet? Besides we had no time for operations, the men were pulling with all their force, and we were rapidly nearing the fort. M——, with one foot wrapped in a napkin, (a nigua had unluckily escaped detection at San Juan,) proposed that we should throw our gutta percha ponchos over our garments, and decline going on shore, as the only feasible means of keeping up appearances. This was hardly agreed upon and done, before “La Granadina” dashed round the point, and up to the landing of San Carlos. The commandante and his subordinates, in full uniform, the officers of the Aduana or Custom-House, and a large deputation of the people, were all on the beach to receive us, which they did with a storm of vivas, and before we had well recovered from our surprise, a canoe was placed alongside, and the first Alcalde desired us to land. We were, of course, extremely obliged, but preferred to remain on board, as we should proceed at once. Pedro spoiled this by saying that he must ship his masts here, and that his men must eat, and we knew this double performance was good for five or six hours. So, trusting to the impenetrable ponchos, we got into the canoe, and were guided to the shore. We did not feel particularly imposing while receiving the congratulations of our new friends, and at once accepted the proposal of the commandante to go to his house, which was airily situated at the top of the hill, and within what had been part of the ancient defences. Here about twenty-five men, composing the garrison, were drawn up, who presented arms as we passed.

The commandante’s house, like all the rest, was composed of a substantial frame-work of timber; the sides were made of canes netted together, the roof was thatched, and the floor the natural earth, excepting that of one room, which was paved with brick tiles. A number of pigeons were billing and cooing in a snug place under the eaves; an exceedingly quiet hen sat brooding beneath a table in one corner of the principal room, and through an opening in a cloth partition, we caught sight of a pretty bed, with snow-white curtains, with a gaudy palm mattress spread in front, on which a full-sized, voluptuously-shaped young woman was playfully tossing a naked infant, some six months old, which crowed in very glee, while a young, clumsy little dog leaped around the child, and barked asthmatically from sheer sympathy. The cool wind rustled amidst the palm thatch, while the sunlight stole in checkered mazes between the woven canes. Altogether the scene, combining so much of simplicity and novelty, impressed me more than any I had ever witnessed. I forgot, for the moment, that I was keeping my host standing, and that the servant was holding the hammock, which invariably swings in every dwelling, open for my reception. I apologized, while the little garrison, bringing their arms to shoulder with a clang, defiled before the door, the officer saluting us in a most formal manner. Our host was anxious to have us remove our ponchos, and seemed puzzled at our pertinacity in keeping them on. By-and-by, however, they became insupportably hot, and, as the best way of getting out of them and a scrape together, I frankly told the whole story of our dilemma, and dragged off the abominations. I fear “El Norte” did not cut a very imposing figure, under the close scrutiny to which he was subjected.

The commandante insisted on our dining, and we had no indisposition to do him the favor,—particularly as we had ocular demonstration, in the flitches of dried meat, the luscious-looking plantains, and other edibles, which hung from the rafters, (not less than in the person of our rotund host, whose uniform was strained to the utmost limit in the buttoning,) that his larder was well supplied, and the wants of the inner man properly cared for. Preparatory to taking a walk through the little village, which the commandante told us was “muy pobre,” very poor, we all took a drop of brandy, to his toast complimentary to us, and “to the President of the United States,” “El Esclarecido General Taylor.”

I have said that the house of the commandante stood within the ancient outworks of the strong fort of San Carlos. The rocky summit of the point had been smoothed, and the slopes scarped, so as to render ascent difficult, if not impracticable. A battery, which raked the river for a mile, once existed here; but the few rusty guns which remain are more formidable in appearance than in fact. The fort itself, which formerly communicated with this battery by a covered way, stands some distance back, on the highest point of land in the vicinity. It was very strong, but is now in complete decay, and covered with large trees and bushes, so as to be entirely hidden from view. Within it we observed many very heavy pieces of ordnance, some of which were cast in Manilla, and trees were growing up through heaps of rusty cannon-balls. The position completely commands the entrance to the lake, and from the nature of the surrounding country must have been nearly impregnable.

The present town of San Carlos consists only of some twenty cane or board houses, occupied chiefly by the officers of the customs, and the soldiers with their families. Since the seizure of San Juan, the customs on goods entering the State, via that port, have been collected here. This circumstance, together with the fact that all the boats passing through the river stop here to unship or resume their masts, and renew their supplies, makes it a place of some importance. It is delightfully situated, and from the corridor of the commandant’s house, one of the finest views in the world is presented to the traveller. The broad lake spreads like a mirror in front, its opposite shores marked by the regular volcanic peaks of Orosi, Madeira, and Ometepec, capped with clouds, which rise dim and blue in the distance. Nearer lie the fairy-looking islands of La Boqueta, golden under the tropical sun, while in the foreground the emerald shores stretch their wide arms on either side, a fit setting for so gorgeous a picture. Immediately opposite the town, flowing into the lake, within a few rods of where the San Juan flows out, is the Rio Frio, Cold River, whence the water for consumption in the village is brought. The sources of this river have never been explored, but they are supposed to be somewhere in the mountains of Costa Rica.

A tribe of Indians, called the Guatusos, who hold no communication with the whites, inhabit its banks, and resist all attempts at exploration. The late commandante of the fort, Don Trinidad Salazar, endeavored to ascend the stream a few months previously to our arrival; but on the sixth day he was interrupted by a large body of Indians, and after a sharp contest, in which he was severely wounded, was compelled to retreat. He subsequently gave me a glowing account of the beauty of the stream, and the fertility and luxuriance of its shores. It has a depth of two fathoms of water, for a distance of forty miles above its mouth, and from his account, it could probably be navigated by steamers for twice that distance. The fact that a stream of this size, and the wide extent of country around it, are wholly unknown, would seem to show how much remains to be discovered in Central America, and how broad a field it holds out for enterprise and adventure.

Between the mouth of the Rio Frio and the source of the San Juan, is a broad sand-bar, which seems to be a grand sunning-ground for alligators. Hundreds congregate here during the dry season, when the bar is exposed, and they appear to have an exceedingly good time of it. We could distinctly see their ugly, black carcasses from the commandante’s corridor; and our host showed us a basket of their teeth, which he had picked up on the bar, and which were more pleasant to contemplate in that condition, than when adorning the jaws of the living reptile.

A French officer, in the Nicaraguan service, (who was foolish enough to take part against the government in an attempted revolution shortly after, and got shot for his pains,) gave us some facts relative to alligators, of which we were previously ignorant. Those most satisfactory were that they occasionally have terrible fights among themselves, in which many get killed, and that the males destroy all the eggs of the females they can find, besides, Saturn-like, eating up all the young ones they can catch. We only regretted that they were not more successful in their amiable attentions to their own progeny.