The Sun.
London, England, 1855-08-21 00:00:00

THE PROPOSED CANAL AT THE MOUTH
OP THE DANUBE.

VIENNA, Aug. 15.—Within the last few weeks
the project has been again brought before the
public for cutting a canal from Czernavoda to Kus-
tendje, in order to evade the necessity of ships
passing the Sulina mouth of the Danube, and steps
are now being taken to form a company for the
execution of the plan, which is warmly supported

by the Austrin internuncio at Constantinople,

who has given himself great trouble to obtain-the

necessary firman from the Porte. This is no more
than natural, for any improvement in the naviga-
tion of the Lower Danube would be an exclusive
boon to Austria, which has completely monopolised
the traffic on that river, and laughs at the idea of
innocent diplomatistr,who refer to the treaty of
Vienna, and talk about the free navigation of the
Danube being guaranteed by all Europe.
In pointing out to your readers some months
ago the Austrian delusion about free trade on the
Danube, I took occasion to show not only that the
whole of the traffic of that noble river was mono-
polised by Austria, but that it was concentrated in
the hands of one single association, the Danubian
Steam-boat Association—who enjoy the exclusive
privilege of trading all the way down to the mouth
of the river, and that there was no chance of other
orations entering into competition, as the Austrian
Government have lately thought proper to renew
the charter of the company and extend their ex-
clusive rights to a period of thirty years. But,
not content with this advantageous position and a
large annual subvention from the Austrian Govern-
ment for carrying the mails up and down the
river,
whose receipts for the past
,
month the company
of July exceed those of the corresponding
month of last year by 400,000 florins, or 40,000/ ;
are at this moment actually negotiating with the
Government for an additional remuneration of
50,000 florins for performing the pest-office packet
service.

It will not have escaped the penetration of your
readers that during the late Vienna conferences
the only question in which Austria took any active
part was the second point, relative to the free
navigation of the Danube—or, more properly
speaking, of the Sulina mouth of the Danube—
and that as soon as that was settled, her plenipo-
tentiaries stood aloof, and allowed the representa-
tives of France and England to fight out the third
point alone with Russia. In fact, the settlement
of the second point was the only one in which
Austria had any direct interest, and, having gained
what she wanted, she turned round and supported
the Russian objections to the third point.
Circumstances, however, have hitherto rendered
the execution of that second point impossible.
The Sulina mouth of the Danube is still not only
choked up by sand, but the depth of water on the
bar is daily growing less and less, and the present
aspect of public affairs is such as to lead to the
belief that the war may be protracted to a very
long period, so that there is no likelihood of the
advantages gained by the second point—even if
they should be confirmed by subsequent eventual
negotiations—coming into practical operation for a
lone- time, and during this protracted period the
Austrian navigation will contniue to languish un-
less some new plan be devised to give it a fresh
impetus.

There are two great impediments to the deve-
lopment of the navigation of the Danube—the
rapids at the so-called Iron Gate, and. the bar at
the Sulina channel. The first may be removed by
Austrian energy and money, for though the south-
ern bank of the river at that spot belongs • to
Servia,, the prince of that territory is not much
better than a vassal of his powerful neighbour, and
has already not only expressed his consent to the
measure, but offered to assist in the operation by
placing 300 workmen at the disposal of the Aus-
trian engineers. The plans are all complete, the
money ready, and the works already commenced.
The channel, which is very narrow at the Iron
Gate, is to be deepened by blasting the rocks tin-
der water so as to allow the largest river vessels to
pass with a full cargo. The total expense of this
gigantic and difficult work is estimated at ten mil-
lions of florins, and will extend over a period of
six years ; but it will be a work of great utility,
and probably render the reign of the present Em-
peror famous in future ages. But to complete the
safe and unobstructed navigation of the Danube,
with free access to the Black Sea, there still re-
mains the difficulty of the Sulina, channel to be
overcome, and it is therefore no wonder that Aus-
tria should lend a favourable ear to the plan—
which has often been talked of, but always aban-
doned as impracticable—of cutting a navigable
canal from Czernavoda to Kustendje, and with the
assistance of the modern improvements ; and in
the present state of engineering science, when all
difficulties may be removed if money is not an ob-
ject, there is no longer any reason to consider the
project impractiCable when- regarded as a scientific
problem, though it liinst be very much doubted
whether it will answer as a successful mercantile
apeaulation.
It is by no means a new idea to cut a canal

through that tract of country known as the Do-
brudcha, and a glance at the map will show what
a'vast saving of time and travelling might be
effected if the plan were really executed. But
there "are difficulties of various sorts to
bf: over-
come, and I consider it right to warn the British
ptithe that the plan is specifically an Austrian one,
and exclusively for Austrian benefit and interest ;
.so that if the project is brought out in London,
and shares are offered on the Stock Exchange,
:your readers may know what value is to be at-
tached to it. " Forewarned is being tore-armed."
As far back as the year 1.840, the Prussian Lieu-
tenant-Colonel. of Engineers, Baron von :Enlace,
published the result of his careful researches and

geological surveys on the spot in the "Transac-
tions of the Berlin Geographical Society," accom-
panied by some diagrams and a plan of the locality
from which it appears that the length of the valley,
from CzeTnavoda to Kustendje, is certainly no great
distance—little more than 30 miles—but the nature
of the soil presents many difficulties. The bed of
the valley rises gradually almost the- whole dis-
tance—that is to say, to within a couple of miles
of Kustencije, where it attains its greatest height,
and is 167 feet above the level of the Black Sea.
The substatum is a hard rock of secondary lime-
stone, to cut through which would be an expen-
sive operation, and cost a vast amount of time and
labour, even supposing the Black Lakes, which are
feet or Wfeet above the level of the river, to be
regarded ai the highest water level.
But if the Danube itself is to be diverted from
- its present channel to feed the proposed canal, the
ground of the canal must be excavated to a much
• deeper extent, say to at least 8 feet below the
lowest water level of the Danube, and 10 feet below
that of the Black Sea, in order to give it the neces-
sary fall, and produce an equality of current.
- Another important objection to the plan is, that
the geographical conformation is of the coastfar
from favourable, as Kustendjo has
only
small harbour, difficult of access, and with very
shallow water, so that it can only be uz,e(Tebry,
caiques and other very small coasting vessels. 'Be-
sides this it is five miles from the end of the valley,
and the coast runs away so gradually into the se:,
• that large ships could only anchor at a great dis-
tance from the shore, and would be exposed to all
the dangers of the Black Sea storms, the violence
of which is proverbial.
Under these circumstances Baron -von' rincke
considers the undertaking both difficult of execu-
tion, in-a technical point of view, and a very ex-
pensive one, though ho admits the many important
advantages that would be derived from the exectt.-
-tion of the plan, and calculates the distance saved
by ships bound from the Black Sea to the ports .of
the Danube, on vice versa, at 200 miles.

NORTE( QCTSENSFERItT, FIFISHIREt, August 18.— I.
terday, at noon, the Duchess of Kent crossed this fercy,
era route to visit the Earl of Elgin, and again passed at
4.30 p.m. on returning to Edinburgh, on both of which
occasions the Coast Guard force stationed here acted as
a guard of honour, and under arms saluted her 'Royal
tHighness. The ferry-boat, and numerous flagstaffs
•
around, were dressed out with flags, and a large assent-
blage•Of well dressed people cheered most lustily, which
' her Royal Highness graciously acknowledged by re-
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