The Sun.
London, England, 1870-08-16 00:00:00

REPORT OF THE DARIEN SURVEY.

The New York Tribune gives a short account of Captain
Selfridge's verbal report, dated July 1, of the labours of
himself and party on the Isthmus of Darien, which were
undertaken with the view of verifying the various reports
of other parties as to the capacities of that portion of this
inter-continental Isthmus, for the construction of a Ship
Canal from ocean to ocean. As will be expected, the in-
habitants of Panama are waiting with much interest to
know the conclusions Captain Selridge had come to from
his experience as well as the opinion of the Government at
Washington on hearing his report. A full account of
what the various parties of the expedition saw and did
will doubtless form an interesting Scientific report of
various little known localities on this Isthmus. But the
Canal question must evidontly be considered pretty much
in statu quo. Captain Selfridge with the present know-
ledge gained by the survey evidently inclines to the Sans
Bias route. He admits, however, that he had not got
through with the survey of this latter route when the rains
compelled him to suspend operations. The Caledonia and
Morti routes he pronounces impracticable. As to San
Bias although the Bayamo river is pointed out as avail-
able for twelve miles, with eighteen feet of water at low
and twenty eight feet at high water, yet the " twenty
six miles of mountains or high hills" must na-
turally make the government hesitate in accepting
his as the best' route for a canal. Not until the
whole Isthmus is surveyed can the comparative cost of a
canal be estimated from a secure basis, promising a prac-
ticable outlay. At all events the ships are laid up and
further examination put off until the commencement of
the next dry season. It is satisfactory, however, to be in-
formed of the interest taken in the affair by President
Grant and the members of the Cabinet. The President
particularly expressed himself favourable to the plan of
the United States itself, undertaking the construction of
the canal, instead of Captain Selfridge's suggestion to
make the enterprise an international one. Although, if
subsequent surveys do not show a route with less than
twenty-six miles of mountains to be cut through, any.
single Government might well shrink from the outlay re-
quired. It is to be hoped, however, that the President's
promise to recommend to Congress further appropriations
to finish the survey will be favourably received. The re-
sults, we are sure, will show a much less formidable route
than that of San Bias, where Captain Selfridge , was
obliged to suspend the progress of the survey northwards.
It is satisfactory to learn, for the sanitary reputation of
the Isthmus, that the expedition on both sides was for-
tunate not to have lost even one man by sickness. It says
well for the morale of the entire force that neither exces-
sive fatigue, want of shoes and clothing, could deter them
from finishing their tasks. Neither Chagres fever, nor
the thousand and one dangers which the enemies to the
progress of the Isthmus continually publish and exagge-
rate, deterred brave men from doing a duty the success of
which would be felt by the whole world and generations
yet unborn. As Captain Selfridge has orders to make
preparations for the renewal of the survey next fall, we
trust his name is destined to be associated with the dis-
poirery'of the'most practicable route for the great Ameri-
an Inter-Oceanic Ship Canal through this Isthmus. Such
is not, however, either the belief or the wish of the
Tribune. Captain Selridge's surveys just stopped in time
to furnish a report suitable for the Tribune's views. In a
paragraph of its number of July 6 in noticing a Bill for
the Construction of a Railroad and Ship Canal across the
Ithmus of Tehuantepec, it says, " The definitive failure of
the Darien project clearly brings the Tehuantepec scheme
to the point." The first assertion is not true, and the
second is a gratuitous assumption. If the twenty-six miles
of hill cutting of Captain Selfridge's San Blas route gives
an almost financial impossibility to the adoption of it. as
an enterprise for a single nation, we have yet to be told
that Tehuantepec offers a route where a ship canal could'
be constructed with less money and labour. We have no
fears about the result, if fair play is given to"
the yet unexamined claims of the Isthmus here ;
and look on the contest between the Herald
on behalf of Nicaragua, and the Tribune in favour
of the Mexican route as a gain which the prin-
cipals may lose, but the literary backers are sure to win.
So far as Colombia is concerned, two chances are in her
favour. If the Canal Treaty (now probably passed) is
accepted by the United States Government, and
ticable route is found, we have President's Grant's °pi.;
nion that it should be undertaken Unaided by the Stated
alone. If the great nabobs that form the Tehnantepec
and Nicaragua schemes prevail in frustrating the views of
President Grant, we have the agent of an English or -In-
ternational Company, at Bogota, who offers to deposit any
amount of security that may be asked tor, as guarantee
that the canal will be made, if a treaty is granted for the
purpose, and the United States do not wish to undertake
it.---Panama Star .and Herald.

•
About a hUndred sailors belonging to the German
vessels lying in Falmouth harbour got up a demonstration
*V. Saturday in connection with the recent Prussian vic-
tories. They hired a.stopier and sailed round the har-
bour, a band o -16 d playing national tunes. The
authorities havi refused permission for a procession
through the str, of Falmouth on the ground that it
might lead to Weollision with some Frenchmen who were
in the -town, tbk.Germans landed at Trefusis-wood on the
opposite side of -the harbour, where they drank patriotic
toasts and sang patriotic songs.