CHAPTER XXIII.

COSTA RICA.

Gerard at Punta de Arenas, in the Pacific, in 1822--Nicolas Castro worked a gold mine, 1821--Alverado's ore-grinding machine, 1822--Climate of Costa Rica--Mines in the Cordillera--Canal from the river Machuca to Quebrada-honda--Castro's mine--Padre Arias, or the Priest's mine--Trevithick and Gerard's proposal for iron railroads, &c., for the mines of Costa Rica, 1827--New line of road from San Juan, on the Atlantic, to the Costa Rica mines--Serapique River navigable--Trevithick's diary--A mule track easily constructed--Comparative distance to the mines from the head of the Serapique on the Atlantic, and Punta de Arenas on the Pacific--Trevithick nearly drowned in the Serapique--Nearly starved before reaching San Juan--Performs a surgical operation--Designed the locomotive between breakfast and dinner--Robert Stephenson and Trevithick at Carthagena--Nearly drowned in the Magdalena--Saved by Mr. Bruce Napier Hall--Trevithick nursed Robert Stephenson Page 260-275