The Sun.
London, England, 1869-04-12 00:00:00

THE SUEZ CANAL.

The same correspondent gives some interesting details of
the progress of the works at the Suez Canal :—" There is not
much to recommend ' the Egyptian Bosphorus,' as M. de
Lesseps loves to call it, to the eye. As an enterprise it maybe
considered one of the most interesting sights in the world,
perhaps it may prove to be one of the most important.
As an object to look at it is nothing but a trench in a
desert ; broad and deep it is true, but a trench for all that.
As the work of excavating and deepening the canal
proceeds the banks increase in height and shut out the
view, such as it used to be, more and more. When
I voyaged between Port Said and Ismailia some
two months ago a great part of Lake Trenzaleh was
to be seen above the banks on the right, and the
sportman's gaze could rest with pleasure on the fleets of
pelican riding at anchor on the shallow water—on banks
of duck, widgeon, and teal close at hand, and on vast
armies of spoonbills, waders, gulls, geese, and cranes on
the shallows. Now only glimpses are to be had of the
further waters, and of the islets which float on the wings
of the mirage aloft in the flickering air. The French
townlets on the verge of the canal—El Ferdone, Kantara,
El Guisir, &c.—of course form so many pleasant gaps in
the dead framework of the picture, but the enjoyment of
their charms will be reserved for the people who inhabit
them. And who will they be ? I think, notwithstanding
all the pains lavished on these pretty creations, few of the
present employes will remain if they can help it when
their work is done. The Desert air is the sweetest in the
world, and a ride over the downs so free is inexpressibly
exhilarating and delightful ; but, after all, to the French-
man, and to the Frenchwoman, there is only exile in the
life which they have made so pleasant and so graceful to
others. The hour of triumph is near at hand, and then
the conquerors will retire from the battle-field to enjoy
the honours they have won so well. None but themselves
can know what they have gone through fur weary years
of conflict, when they ate their bread in fear and trem-
bling, and when the future seemed hopeless. Now all is
radiant, and the combatants are sustained by the full
assurance that on the appointed hour the victory
is theirs. The portion of the canal which is made is far
less interesting than that which is yet to be completed.
There is no life upon it except where dredges are at work
or a or a small steamer passes, while the excavations
swarm with men and resound with the clang of machinery.
Although the project has been so long before the public,
it may be said that the works are only two years old, as
three years were spent in getting ready the plant and the
machinery, and the contractors, MM. Borel and Lavalley,
began to excavate in 1806. At present they excavate
60,000,000 cubic feet a month ; and one important matter
to be noted is that the profile of the canal is of such a
nature that they are quite ready to make a contract tc
double the present size of the canal, giving it a breadth of
44 metres, or of neilrly 1-14 ft., at the bottom, and of a pro.
portionate width at the top, for the coin of £2,000,000. On
the 23rd of this month the work which remained to be
excavated amounted to 3,100,003 colic metres, of which
1,600,000 must be done by dredges and 1,500,000 by hand,
or a sec. Now, a month's work has been estimated at
about, 2,500,000, so that there is no reason why all the
mere excavating labour should not be over by the end of
May ; but then there is the filling of the Bitter Lakes to be
accomplished, uniformity of depth to be sectued, banks tc
be dressed, sloped, and properly beached, sidings to be
made, warp pillars to be placed, moorings and lights to be
fixed—in fact, an enormous aggregate of operations to be
accomplished before October 18. 1 o use an illustration of
M. de Lesseps, a month's work represents a mass of
matter which would occupy the whole space of the Place
Vendome, and reach five times as high as the ireseu
houses, and would fill the avenue of the QUgsja '1
to tha toast tha howls/11NA Sigt9.lll.l .