Page:Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London, Volume 1 (2nd edition).djvu/111

Rh Gold Mines.—Mr. Lloyd visited the gold mines of Santa Rita and Pequeni, both in the mountains of Porto-Bello, but could discover nothing but a few shafts, or rather holes, of little depth, which if they ever.were productive, seem now exhausted. He very much doubts, indeed, whether the places shown him as the mines are really those where (according to tradition) large quantities of ore were once obtained; and thinks that some deception was employed,—probably to deceive the Spanish' government—when they were in activity. They are now almost abandoned.

The present department of the Isthmus is divided into two provinces, viz. Panamà, which includes the Darien, and Veragua; and these again are divided into cantons, having a certain number of parishes in each, as follows, according to a census taken in 1822.