, 1870-07-02
THE DARIEN EXPEDITION
Return OF tIie Nip<1c-yo Canal
Route Eonntl-If2tcxcAtiz.E Details
OF the Ell plorsAtlcn.

From the St,r rork Tribune, June so
The steamship Sir=ic, Captain T. 0. Sell
fridge one OF the vessels belonging tu tho
Dasien expedition, has returned 10 this port.
She lar in the bay yesterday, and will proba-
Ely put into tie Navy Yard to-day. The OBJ
ject OF the expedition was to explore tho
Isthmus Of Daticn, 10 ascertain il there exist
practicable route by which to run I canal
engaged in the work of ezplorins-tho Nipsic
and Guard on the Atlantic side, and the Nyack
on the Pacific. The only one that has yet got
back Is the Aipsic; but ell hare suspended OPP
cIatlonf, the adverse season having set in.
The dryy season i the only time it is possible
to operate. It extends from January to May,
to which the month Of July Is to be added.
The rest OF the year, Including June, consH-
tutes the rainy season.
The Nipsic started on January e nf this
ycar, md arrived a. Porto BeIlo On February
!. There macheteros-non to cut timber aud
do other necessary work in opening q passage
through wild, woody places were engaged.
Thence the Nipsic proceeded 10 Aspinwall,
where she arrived On February TO- On Feb
Tuaty II she LETT Aspinwal! and returned to
Porto Bello, when the macheteros refused to
remain any longer, terrified By the accounts
given OF the Indians on the fsthuus, The
Nipsic went back to Aspinwall on the same day
aid engaged men at Panama in place OF those
who had left. On February Is the reszel left
AEpinwall again, and proceeded to tho River
Giablo, where pa1ley was held with tho n
dams, to ASCERTAIN tue disposition Of tie lat
lcr. The Indians professed themselves friend
1y, but could not understand what was wanted
with q canal where God Almighty did notmako
one They wetc communicated with through
means OF an Interpreter on board, who spoke
Spanish and lnoian- Some few Of the indians
speak a little Spanish and lit..,,. english b,t
they are ouiy at home in the Indian.
The Nipaic lett the Diablo on February %,
and arrived IN Caledonia Bay February q.
a Here she found ler companion, the Gaarl-
month or two Of tho dry weather having
already passed. A party mainly from tho
Guard started up a river which, being without
name, they called The Washington River,
and soon found that it had it's source in
but found nothing to indicate the existence OF
any in that regiou- The mountain was over
1000 feet high. That route was abandoned.
On February 25 Captain Seifrilge ferned an
exploring party Of eighty men to maize re-
party crossed the Corlilezas and struck the
Scubd Eyer, which belongs TO the Pacific
SIDE. This was 3 pace reconnaissance, in
which eo1ae bearings, barunetric heights, &C.,
were taken. lie conclusion a1117eu at vas
that there vas 70 facility for running canal
81 that route. The route ia the sanaa as tb.t
taken by Lieuterant Strain in 1854.
Inc third exploring party was one Of abo1t
~ men, under Lieutenant shu1tz, OF tile
Guard: On March he started up the Agla
san Nicola liver. Previous experience had
taught the necessity Of having an interior
cnmp supplied with provisions, and accord
ngly ore vas established on the Agla San |
Nicola. Animals Of burden were needed, ana |
so the NiPeic left Caledonia OF March 8, and |
arrived at Catthagepa on the 9Th, where tan |
donkeys were purchased ndse7enteen mache-
teEos hired for three months: On March II
she left Carthagena, and gos back 70 Caledo-
MIA on tho 18th Meantime Lieutenant |
river K, the mountsins- The donkeys we're |
put ashore, and through their means the ex-
p1orers wc1o kept we'll supplied with pro-
risionz. Lieutenant Shu1tz creased the noun |
ta;n and struck the Scubsi River, but without |
fintine apy eligible cana' route. BIZ this time. I
tclegrarhic communication with the shore had
bee6 established, at . cost OF s4,G0O. The e1-
redition was pace Reconnaissance The es-
prloress returned April "A.
Tie fourth expedition consisted Of thirty
men under Lieutenant Hubbard, Of tn, Nip
SIC, and started along the sasartlie River.
March =, having an Indian as guide: They
followed the tzal Of some Indians, and struck
village On the banks Of tho Sasardie- The
Village Is occupied " the Indians only N the
dry season. Around are large plantations OF
bananas, plaintains, and soms coffee. The
Saaardie is fifty feet wide at the place, and its
banks arc lined with Indian hrts, constructed
On stakes and thatched with palms In tito
plantations are also to be fonnd alligator
pears, d peculiarly rich, fine fruit, possessing
a taste and favor unknown in higher lattudes. /
The explorers assembled and crossed the Cor
dileras at the height OF over 1000 feet, and
struck the Morti River, on the Pacific slore.
Previously to ascending the mountain a larga