A Trip to Panama and Darien. 309 



cated, that these points should be connected by compass lines, 

 and also that cross lines should be run at various points from the 

 Yape to the Capite and from the Capite to the Pucro. It was 

 further decided that as time was limited it would be impracti- 

 cable to run out the fourth side of the figure that would contain 

 the grant, as the country around the headwaters of the streams 

 was known to be exceedingly rough and mountainous, and to 

 follow any straight line would necessarily involve a great amount 

 of laborious cutting and climbing. 



Furthermore, in order to know just what direction this line 

 should follow it would be first necessary to make a connected 

 preliminary survey of the three rivers ; to plot this survey and 

 then by inspection of the map and consideration of various start- 

 ing points to decide on the most available location of the fourth 

 side. 



Instead of this it was considered best and sufiicient to arbitra- 

 rily adopt a certain waterfall on the Rio Yape, the location of 

 which was approximately known from a reconnoisance previously 

 made, as the initial point of the line connecting the upper Yape 

 with the Pucro and closing the figure. Thus it only became nec- 

 essary, as far as the boundaries were concerned, to run a line 

 along the Tuyra, joining the mouths of the Yape and Pucro ; to 

 run a line from the mouth of the Yape to the waterfall above 

 referred to ; and to run up the Pucro sufficiently far to be certain 

 that when the work was completed and plotted, a line drawn 

 from the position of the waterfall on the map in such a way as to 

 include the desired area would intersect the Pucro at some point 

 within the limit of what had been surveyed. I have not time to 

 go into the details of the various trips by land and water neces- 

 sary to carry out these plans. 



Before starting it was known exactly what, was necessary to be 

 done ; each assistant engineer had his work clearly mapped out 

 before him, and each one faithfully performed the task allotted 

 to him, so that the whole survey was brought to a successful 

 completion. This brought to a close all the work in Darien, the 

 other tracts having been surveyed before my arrival and conse- 

 quently the whole expedition returned to Panama, and soon 

 afterwards I returned to this country. 



In going to and returning from Darien, I passed twice over the 

 Panama railroad and along the line of the Panama canal, and I 

 have thought that a few facts relative to the canal and railroad 

 might prove of interest to the Geographical Society, 

 23 



