A Trip to Panama and Darie7i. 305 



hypsometrical and geological conditions of the dam that obstructs 

 the travel and commerce of the world." But strange to say this 

 plan suggested by such an eminent authority as Humboldt and 

 so strongly recommended by common sense, has never been fol- 

 lowed, and to-day after all the money that has been spent and the 

 lives lost in explorations in Darien, thei'e is not suiRcient data 

 collected to prove conclusively that there does not now exist 

 some route for an interoceanic canal that possesses merits superior 

 to any at present known. It is true the dividing ridge would be 

 difficult to follow' on account of the great number of confusing 

 spurs, but I think I am safe in saying that starting from the sum- 

 mit of the main ridge at Culebra pass on the Isthmus of Panama, 

 the dividing ridge extending to the pass at the head waters of 

 the Atrato could be exhaustively followed and studied with as 

 much facility as could either the Tuyra or Atrato rivers, embrac- 

 ing with each their respective tributaries. 



I traveled on some of the high dividing ridges in Darien, and 

 did not find that progress was at all difficult, and especially noted 

 the fact of the absence of tangled undergrow^th and matted vines 

 vs^hich is so characteristic of the Darien forests generally. 



Now a few words about the inhabitants of Panama and Darien, 

 and in referring to these I mean the native inhabitants and not 

 the indiscriminate gathering of all nationalities that were attracted 

 by the Panama Canal. 



In Central and South America, as in North America, the abo- 

 riginal inhabitant was the Indian. When the Spaniards first 

 attempted to colonize Darien they were met and resisted by the 

 native Indian just as our forefathers were in Virginia and Massa- 

 chusetts, and as with us so in Panama and Darien the Indians 

 have been driven back by degrees fi'om the shores of both oceans 

 until now they are found only in the far interior. 



They resemble our Indians in appearance, but are smaller. 

 They are averse to manual labor and live almost entirely by 

 hunting and fishing, although they sometimes have small planta- 

 tions of plantains, bananas, oranges and lemons. The Spaniards 

 in settling in the new country brought very few women with them 

 and the Colombian of to-day is the result of the admixture of the 

 Indian and Spanish blood, and has many of the chai'acteristics of 

 each race. In addition to the Indian and Colombian there are in 

 Panama and Darien a comparatively large number of negroes, 

 who were originally imported as slaves by the early Spaniards, 



