DARIEN, a district covering the eastern part of the isthmus joining Central and South America. It is mainly within the re public of Panama, and gives its name to a gulf of the Caribbean Sea. Darien is of great interest in the history of geographical dis covery. It was reconnoitred in the first year of the i6th century by Rodrigo Bastidas of Seville; and the first settlement was Santa Maria la Antigua, situated on the small Darien river, north-west of the mouth of the Atrato. In 1513 Vasco Nunez de Balboa stood "silent upon a peak in Darien," and saw the Pacific at his feet stretching inland in the Gulf of San Miguel; and for long this narrow neck of land seemed alternately to proffer and refuse a means of transit between the two oceans. The first serious attempt to turn the isthmus to permanent account as a trade route dates from the beginning of the i8th century, and forms an interesting chapter in Scottish history. In 1695 an act was passed by the Scottish parliament giving extensive powers to a company trading to Africa and the Indies; and this company, under the advice of one of the most remarkable economists of the period, William Paterson (q.v.), determined to establish a colony on the isthmus of Darien midway between Porto Bello and Cartagena, two of Spain's strongholds, and to gain a free trade route to the Pacific "whereby to Britain would be secured the key to the universe, enabling their possessors to give laws to both oceans and to become the arbiters of a commercial world." On July 26, 1698 the pioneers set sail from Leith amid the cheers of an almost envious multitude; and on Nov. 4, with the loss of only 15 out of 1,200 men, they arrived at Darien, and took up their quarters in a well-defended spot, with a good harbour and ex cellent outlook. The country they named New Caledonia, and two sites selected for future cities were designated respectively New Edinburgh and New St. Andrews. At first all seemed to go well; but by and by lack of provisions, sickness and anarchy re duced the settlers to the most miserable plight ; and in June they re-embarked in three vessels, a weak and hopeless company. Meanwhile, a supplementary expedition had been prepared in Scotland; two vessels were despatched in May, and four others followed in August. But this venture proved even more unfor tunate than the former. The last addition to the settlement was the company of Capt. Alexander Campbell of Fonab, who arrived only to learn that a Spanish force of 1,500 or 1,60o men lay en camped at Tubacanti, on the river Santa Maria, waiting for the appearance of a Spanish squadron in order to make a combined attack on the fort. Campbell was at first successful in a surprise attack but after the arrival of the Spanish fleet the garrison was forced to capitulate, and Darien colony was no more. Of those who had taken part in the enterprise only a miserable handful ever reached their native land.
See J. S. Barbour, A History of William Paterson and the Darien Company (19o7) ; A. H. Varrill, Panama, Past and Present (1921) ; E. Cullen, Isthmus of Darien Ship Canal etc. (2d. ed, 18S3) ; J. H. Burton, The Darien Papers (1849) ; and G. P. Insh, Papers Relating to the Ships and Voyages of the Company of Scotland Trading to Africa and the Indies (1924).