264 



between Carthagena and the province of Quito, 

 and between the port of Santa Marta and 

 Peru. We shall observe, at the close of this 

 discussion, that the ministry of Madrid never 

 enjoined the viceroy of Santa-Fe to fill up the 

 ravine of Raspadura, or to punish with death ; 

 those who attempted to re-establish a canal at 

 Choco, as has been asserted in a work recently 

 published. This supicious policy may indeed 

 remind us of the order given to the Viceroy of 

 New Spain during my stay in America, to root 

 up the stocks of the vines in the provi?icias in- 

 ternets ; but the hatred borne towards the cul- 

 ture of the vine in the colonies was owing to 

 the influence of some merchants of Cadiz, who 

 were jealous of what they called their ancient 

 monopoly, while a small ravine that crosses the 

 forests of Choco, escaped more easily the vigi- 

 lance of the ministry, and the jealousy of the 

 mother country *. 



After having examined the localities of the 

 different points of partition, according to the 

 imperfect information which I have hitherto 

 been able to collect, it remains to prove, by the 

 analogy of what men have executed in the state 

 of modern civilization, the possibility of realiz- 

 ing the junction of the two oceans. In propor- 

 tion as problems become complicated, and de- 



* Robinson, Vol. ii, p. 266. 



