CANAL OF RASPADURA. 249 



as his published information appears generally to 

 have been derived from authentic sources. He 

 was of opinion that Cupica bay merited the 

 serious attention of men of science from the 

 great facilities it presented for solving the 

 problem of a ship-canal. 



The scheme is^ simply to connect Cupica 

 bay in the Pacific with a river flowing into the 

 Atlantic^ by forming a canal across the interval 

 which is ascertained to be a perfect level. 



The course* of the river Naipi^ previous to 

 its confluence with the Atrato^ intersects this 

 level country within five leagues of the bay of 

 Cupica. The Atrato flows through the pro- 

 vince of Choco^ in which it takes its origin, 

 and reaches the Atlantic at the southern end 

 of the gulf of Darien in the bay of Choco. 



Higher up to the souths in the same pro- 

 vince, the river San Juan de Chirambira, 

 which flows into the Pacific, was united some 

 years ago to the river Atrato by the canal of 

 Raspadura, cut through a ravine of the same 



* Vide map of the course of these rivers, in vol. i. 

 M 3 



