The Sun.
London, England, 1870-05-23 00:00:00

THE bUN, LONDON, MONDAY, MAY 23, 1870.

THE SUCCESS OF THE SUEZ CANAL

Notwithstanding the ersisteut opposition of English in-
terests, the misrepresentations of jealous foes and the
scarcel! less embarrassing hints of doubting friends, the
great canal which unites the commerce of the Mediter.
ranean and of the waters of the East is a complete success.
For a time rumour after rumour came to us of this, that, and
the other difficulty in the way of a noble enterprise which
had been inaugurated amid the a plause of Christendom,
and in the presence of some of its most distinguished repre-
sentatives. All this cavilling hai been practically set at
rest by a statement which has recently been issued by the
directors of the Suez Company. It yields striking evidence
of rapid progress. The report eitends from the 20th of
November, 1869, the opening day, until the Ist of March,
1870. in that time fifty-five large vessels had passed
through the canal, their trips being subdivided as fol-
lows :—Cne in November, nine in December, six-
teen in January and twenty-nine in February. The
tolls taken increased from about seventy-five thousand
francs in the first to nearly three hundred and forty-one
thousand in the last named month. The number of larger
vessels is, exclusive of five hundred and seventy-five trading
boats or barks, paying a smaller percentage of toll. Thus it
will be seen that traffic on the new channel has grown
nearly fivefold in the first quarter of its first year of exist-
ence, in spite of all drawbacks. March opened full of pro-
mise, and would at least double the work of Februry. In
the meantime the French steamship companies at Marseilles,
the Italians at Genoa, Leghorn, and Naples and the Aus-
trian Lloyds at Trieste, are establishing lines of service
direct for the Red Sea and the further East via Suez, with
every prospect of accumulating trade. French Oriental com-
merce amounts already to nearly 800,000,000 dollars to and
fro per annum. 0 this a very large pro ortion, if not all,
must be attracted to the canal; with what results for that
work we leave our readers to conclude. One thing is quite evi-
dent—viz., that the Suez Canal, spacious as it is, will soon
be crowded and another outlet will be needed from the At-
lantic to the Eastern marts. Visible testimony points with
unerring directness to the proposed canal through the Isth-
mus of Darien. To restore equilibrium, adjust the differences
of trade and open the natural charm is which commerce is
seeking on all sides to accele ate her onward march ; that
crowning work has become a ne essity for the present gene-
ration. Ten years hence our Southern in-lets and the Gulf
of Mexico will be teeming with trade, and our Pacific co: st,
encrusted with maritime cities, be flashing their steam and
electricity, in continuous currents, to the marts at the mouth
of the Amoor river and along the eager shores of (hina and
Japan. With both Suez and Darien open the great republic
would sit enthroned Upon the central seat among the nations,
dispensing, on the right hand and the left, the ma chless in-
fluenc which, beginning in riendly and lucrative trade,
becomes at last a fraternal boad between all tongues and
peoples. - Weep York Herald.

POSTAGE TO THE SANDWICH ISLANDS.
A postal convention, establishing and regulating the
exchange of correspondence between the United States
and the Hawaiian Islands, has been concluded and will be
carried into operation on the Ist of July, 1870. It i)ro-
vides for a regular exchange of correspondence between
the two countries by means of the United States steamers
plying between San Francisco and Honolulu, as well as
by occasional steamers and sailing vessels plying between
Honolulu and San Frapciso, Portland, Oregon, or the
ports on Puget's Sound, 'comprising letters, newspapers
and printed matter of every kind originating in either
country and addressed to and deliverable in the other
country: San Francisco, New York, Boston, Portland,
Oregan, Teekalet, Olympia, and Port Townshend, Wash-
ington Territory, are the offices of exchange on
the side of the United State, and Honolulu and
Hilo the Hawaiian offices of exchange. The rates of
postage to be levied and collected in the United States,
on and after July 1, 1870, on correspondence addressed
to or received from the Hawaiian Kingdom will be as
follows, viz. :—On letters, six cents per each single rate
of half an ounce or under, to be fully prepaid at the
mailing-office in all cases by means of United States
postage stamps. If not 'fully prepaid they cannot .be
forwarded. Letters received in either country from the
other are to be delivered free of all charges whatsover.
Second—On' newspapers sent or received the regular
rates of United States domestic postage are to be levied
and collected ; if transient papers two cents. per each
four ounces or fraction thereof ; and if sent to regular
subscribers the prepaid quarterly rates: Third—On
other printed matter, four cents. per each weight of four
ounces or fraction thereof, whether sent or received.
Postmasters will levy and collect postage accordingly on
and after July 1, 1870.