The Sun.
London, England, 1870-03-05 00:00:00

THE SUEZ CANAL.

Messrs. C. Cadoret and Co., of Alexandria and Pori!
Said, have issued a report upon the condition of the Suez;
Canal at the beginning of February. They say the canal
may be considered as having actually at its shallowest)
points a depth of six metres, corresponding to 23 English!
feA. But this is not considered sufficient for vessels ofj
very large size, and the company's contractors are!
still at work, dredging those shallow parts which!
were discovered at the inauguration, blasting the!
rocky bottom existing at the point called the Serapeum(,,l
and also widening those parts where the curves were tool
sharp. All these works are carried on without interfer-
ing with the traffic, and they are to be completed on the
Ist April next, at latest. Then no portion of the Canal I
will have less than 7 metres, or about 27i English feet of;
water. All vessels whose draught of water is below 241
feet can and do pass actually; and within less than;
two months hence a good and safe passage will have
been made for vessels of a still superior draught, up to;
about 27i feet. Small mail steamers ply daily between!
Ismailia and Port Said. Several large steamships are to
be observed proceeding through the canal with the ut-
most facility. " Nee have heard (continue Messrs.
Cadoret), it is true, that several vessels have partially'
grounded, on either bank, and that similar trivial acci-'
dents might still be expected to occur. But it must be
borne in mind that these accidents, when they happen,;
are not attended with the least damage to the vessels?!
owing to the soft nature of the banks which are composed!
only of sand and earth. Vessels which have thus partially'
grounded are got off, without the least difficulty, by small!
stow-boats, which the company always keep in readines
for that purpose, and the only inconvenience consists in.;
the short delay (of a few hours at most) 'which they
are subjected to until those boats can et to
the spot where they are wanted. A good staff
of pilots has been formed by the company, and when they
become sufficiently experienced, such small accidents will;
every day be more more unlikely ; they have been causedl
in almost every case through bad steerage at points wherel
curves occur. There are no sand-drifts of any important
to be feared in any part of the canal, the banks holdin
remarkably well, in spite of their soft nature, 9,n
the few that might occur, would soon bed
removed by means of the dredges that willal
always be left on the canal for that purpose. The firmness)
of the banks is due principally to a proper declivity havingi
been given to them by the Company's engineers. Thal
voyage through the entire length of the canal (86k
can be accomplished in seventeen hours ; the company/
having given instructions to the effect that vessels shouldi
not go at a speed exceeding five knots an hour. We are
opinion that the canal, as it now is, is availabksl
for the greater part of commercial steamers, and that
within two months hence, it will be so for the largest vessels.i
We have heard that already some of the principal navi-)
gation companies, such as the Austrian Lloyds, the Mes.•
sageries Impdriales, the Brindisi Company, and others?!
are going to use the canal for their regular service, and.;
that their first voyages will take place towards the latter,
part of this month, or the beginning of the next. Already)
many commercial steamers (among which are some of large;
size) have passed through, and we see by the public jour"i
nals that many more are fitting out for that purpose from
the principal ports of the Continent and the United Xing
dom."

Three fishing smacks from Scheveningne,
driven by stress of weather, endeavoured three days back to,'
put into the port of Vlieland, but the wind and waves'
were so great that two of them were capsized, and the
crews, consisting of fourteen men, drowned. Although
the thit d boat was greatly damaged the mon on board:
were saved.

Relapsing fever has (the Lancet states) in
itself in Now I ork somewhat unexpectedly. Dr. •
eanitare superintendent of the city, has publishot
166 cases verified by the medical officers of the
Health. We gather that the same defect exists in
tary organisation of New York as we have to lam'
namely, the absence of returns of sickness ; for it ",
the disease has existed in the city for weeks uususpe
In the matter of the Wicklow Peerage'
order has been served upon Mrs. Howard by the
the House of Lords, ordering her to attend at
ships' bar on Monday next, to be examined as
In connection with this case an advertisement has
this morning to the effect that the two ladies wht
the child of ono Mary Best., from the Liverpool w
Su August, 1864, aN3 earnesly requested to comm.
once with a firm of solicitors in London.

Sir Henry Light, K.C.8., formerly Go
British Guiana, died at Falmouth yesterday. Ifi
in 1783, and was educated at Rugby and Wool
entered the army in 1799, and served in the Boys:
until 1824. In 1836 Ito was appointed Lieutenant
of-Antigua' d
and in 1838 Governor and Command
of British Guiana, holding that office until 1841
retired. lle was created K.G.B. (civil) in that
Henry married, in 1819, the daughter of Mr. Rich
of Wai (i4l, Berko, and whose death on the 2i
announced yesterday. Sir Henry Light was the
s,ver4l buoks of travel, the principal Leing "
La) p!," Views in Sicily," &c.
•
The Bristol Liberals bell a meeting last
Colston Hall, to receive the report of the
a-dpaintecl by the Liberal Registration Associ
to select a candidate for the representation of
There is no vacancy at present, but the ma
prompted by the serious illhess of Mr. Berke
Kirkman Hodgson, director of the Bank of In;
a partner in the house of Baring Brothers, was
date selected by the committee, and he add
at some length, explaining his opinia
coincided with Mr. Berkeley's. It suggest
preliminary ballot should be taken to decide be
rival Liberal candidates for a borough not yet v.

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