JUNCTION OF THE TWO OCEANS. 431 



an hour's travelling, I came to the rising 

 ground that divides this stream from the one 

 on the Citera side. I particularly inspected 

 it, and found the distance from one stream to 

 the other to be about four hundred yards, and 

 the height of the ground necessary to cut 

 through, about seventy feet ; but after digging 

 a very few feet you come to solid rock, which 

 would make the undertaking expensive : be- 

 sides, it would be necessary to deepen each 

 stream for about a league, so that, I think, the 

 least cost would be five hundred thousand 

 dollars, to make a good communication from 

 the Atrato to the San Juan; — a most desirable 

 object ; but I scarcely think it will be com- 

 menced these fifty years, unless the govern- 

 ment becomes rich enough to advance the 

 money, or , some foreigners undertake it ; for 

 the natives have not capital sufficient, and if 

 they had, they are too indolent to attempt any 

 thing that may present the least trouble or 

 difficulty, — future reward being with them no 

 temptation to present labour. But it would 

 certainly be a long time before any duty that 

 could be levied, would pay the interest of the 



