"On the other side of the square there were several plain-looking buildings, with dwellings on the upper stories and stores below; some of them were old, while others were new, and there were two or three gaps where nothing but ruins was visible. Panama has suffered severely from fires. It was almost entirely destroyed in 1737, but was quickly rebuilt, as its business was then prosperous. In 1784 there was another serious fire, and since 1864 there have been three extensive conflagrations whose traces are still visible. The gaps around the plaza are the result of these later disasters. [Illustration: GATE OF THE MONKS.] "We crossed the plaza and continued on to the _Postiga de las Monas_, or 'Gate of the Monks,' which is crowned by a watch-tower, and leads through the ruined wall to the beach. A woman and child were sitting under the shadow of the gateway, and people were coming and going, on foot or in the saddle. When we reached the beach the tide was out and there was a large expanse of coral reef visible; it was alive with crabs, shrimps, cuttle-fishes, and other marine products, and we picked up lots and lots of shells of curious form and color. It is a splendid place for conchologists, and if the sun had not been so hot we would have stayed there an hour or two. [Illustration: RUINS OF CHURCH OF SAN DOMINGO.] "We came back through the gateway, and met one of our late companions of the train. He took us to see the ruins of the Church of San Domingo, which was built soon after the founding of the city, and burned more than a hundred years ago. In its time, it was the finest church in Panama, and was said to possess a great store of silver and gold images and other treasures. [Illustration: REMARKABLE ARCHWAY.] "Dr. Bronson was anxious to see a remarkable arch which was said to exist in the ruins of the church, and our friend offered to point it out. We passed among the walls, which were thickly overgrown with vines and bushes, and finally came to the archway. It is forty feet long, and has a perpendicular radius at the keystone of only two feet; it is made of brick, and is said to be a wonderful piece of work. Our friend said he had never heard of anything like it, and that many architects passing through Panama in the last twenty years had seen and admired it. "Some of the bells of the church were lying where they fell at the time of the fire, and others were hung upon timbers a few feet from the ground, where they could be rung as in the olden time. Our guide told us an interesting story about the way these bells were made and given to the church.