A Trip to Panama and Darien. 301 



A TRIP TO PANAMA AND DARIEN. 



By Richard U. Goode. 



The Government of the United States of Colombia in its act 

 of Concession to the Panama Canal Company provided that it 

 should give to the latter " gratuitement et avec toiites les mines 

 quHls pourront contenir'''' 500,000 hectares of land. 



Some of the conditions attached to this grant were, that the 

 land should be selected within certain limits and surveyed by 

 the Canal Company ; that a topographical map should be made of 

 the areas surveyed and that an amount, equal to that surveyed for 

 the canal should also be surveyed for the benefit of the Colombian 

 Government. It was also further agreed that it would not be 

 necessary to complete the canal before any of the land should be 

 granted, but that it would be given at different times in amounts 

 proportional to the amount of work accomplished. 



Thus in 1887, the Government agreed to consider that one-half 

 of the work on the canal had been finished and that the canal 

 was consequently entitled to 250,000 hectares of land, upon the 

 completion of the necessary surveys, etc. 



The land was eventually chosen partly in Darien and partly in 

 Chiriqui as follows : 



In Darien three lots, one between the Pay a and Mangle rivers, 

 one between the Maria and Pirri rivers, the two amounting to 

 100,000 hectares, and one lot of 25,000 hectares between the 

 Yape and Pucro rivers. 



In Chiriqui, which is a Province of Panama just east of Costa 

 Rica, two lots were chosen amounting to 125,000 hectares, one 

 between the Sigsola and Rabalo rivers, and the other between the 

 Catabella and San Pedro rivers. 



The Canal Company wanted the title to the land in order that 

 it might be used as collateral security in bolstering up the 

 finances of the corporation, and the Colombian Government was 

 doubtless very willing to let the- Canal Company have this amount 

 or as much more as was wanted, both parties being equally aware 

 of the valueless character of the land for any practical purposes. 



My services were engaged in 1888 in connection with the astro- 



