Page:The National geographic magazine, volume 1.djvu/375



Government of the United States of Colombia in its act of Concession to the Panama Canal Company provided that it should give to the latter "gratuitement et avec toutes les mines qu'ils pourront contenir" 500,000 hectares of land.

Some of the conditions attached to this grant were, that the land should be selected within certain limits and surveyed by the Canal Company; that a topographical map should be made of the areas surveyed and that an amount equal to that surveyed for the canal should also be surveyed for the benefit of the Colombian Government. It was also further agreed that it would not be necessary to complete the canal before any of the land should be granted, but that it would be given at different times in amounts proportional to the amount of work accomplished.

Thus in 1887, the Government agreed to consider that one-half of the work on the canal had been finished and that the canal was consequently entitled to 250,000 hectares of land, upon the completion of the necessary surveys, etc.

The land was eventually chosen partly in Darien and partly in Chiriqui as follows:

In Darien three lots, one between the Paya and Mangle rivers, one between the Maria and Pirri rivers, the two amounting to 100,000 hectares, and one lot of 25,000 hectares between the Yape and Pucro rivers.

In Chiriqui, which is a Province of Panama just east of Costa Rica, two lots were chosen amounting to 125,000 hectares, one between the Sigsola and Rabalo rivers, and the other between the Catabella and San Pedro rivers.

The Canal Company wanted the title to the land in order that it might be used as collateral security in bolstering up the finances of the corporation, and the Colombian Government was doubtless very willing to let the Canal Company have this amount or as much more as was wanted, both parties being equally aware of the valueless character of the land for any practical purposes.

My services were engaged in 1888 in connection with the astro-