The Sun.
London, England, 1856-12-10 00:00:00

THE DARIEN CANAL.

To THE EDITOR OF THE SEN.
Sir,--The expedition sent cut by the Governments of
England, France, and the United States of America, in
December, 11853, to survey the proposed canal route
across the Igthmus of Darien from Caledonia Bay on the
Atlantic coast to the Gulf of San Miguel on that of the
Pacific, is generAlly supposed to have proved a complete
failure, anti- indeed the circumstance that none of the en-
gineers engaged in it has made any report would seem to
justify that supposition. It can, however, be easily shown
that, notwithstanding the deplorable mismanagement of
the expedition, and the very hasty and incomplete exa-
mination-made of the country, with a tunnel of three
miles in length a canal between these two points is prac-
ticable. The only published accounts of the expedition
are Commander Prevost's " official account." in the
"Journal of the Royal Geographical Society" for 1855,
and a pamphlet b) Dr. Cullen, entitled "The Mismanaged
Darien Expedition of 1854," published by Effingham
Wilson. , Commander Prevost'e report has no bearing on
the question of the practicability of the canal, as the
course he took from the Pacific side was three points of
the compass westward of the proper route. Appended
to it, however, there is a section of the isthmus, and
a very accurate map, compiled, I believe, by Captain
Fitzroy and Mr. Arrowsesith, in which the longitude
of each coast is corrected in accordance with the
surveys of Commander Parsons and Captain Kellett.
The rivers Sucubti and Chuquanaqua are in it laid
down from an accurate Spanish survey, found
in the archives of Bogota. The levels are those
taken by Mr. Gisborne and his assistants,
Messrs. Bennett, Armstrong, Devenish, and Bond.
From this map aed section the following facts appear to
be established :-
1. The harbours on both coasts are admirably adapted
for termini of a grand ship 'Canal.
2. The Savana river is quite free from obstructions,
and is navigable to the mouth of the tiara.
3. From the junction of the Lara with the Sevens to
the Chuquanaqua, opposite the mouth of the Sucubti,
a distance of 12 miles, the country is of such a character
as to present no engineering difficulties, nor for that
distance would any deep cutting be required in the con-
struction of a canal.
4. The next stage, from the Chuquanaqua,to the con-
fluence of the rivers Asnati and Sucubti, a distance of 9
miles, the country is of the same character.
5. From the confluence of the Asnati and Sucnbti for
the next six miles, to the little Indian hantlet of Sucubti,
there is no difficulty to bo surmounted.
6. For the next three miles the land gradually rises
from 180 feet to an elevation of 420 feet.
7. In the next three miles, in the direction of the At-
lantic, the ground rises into a peak 930 feet high, so
that here a tunnel would be required.
8. From the foot of this peak to the Atlantic sea
hoard, a distance of only two miles, the ground is very
low, and presents no difficulty whatsoever.
9. The whole length of the canal to be cut would .
be 35 miles.
Such are the facts, and it should be bores in mind
that in the map and section-f,which I have mentioned
above the existence of a valley across the Cordillera is
not taken into account, and I regret to say no search
was made for it. I myself have repeatedly and dis-
tinctly seen it from Caledonian bay, and taken the bearing
of its entrance, which was nearly due west of Isla del
Oro, or Golden Island. The mountain which, acoording
to Mr. Gisborne, would require tunnelling is south-east
of it. This mountain, Dr. Cullen says, is called Agla
by the Indians.
The country being overgrown by a dense forest of tall
tees and high brui-hwood, and Mr. Gisborne having
made only a very hurried examination of it, the valley
remained unseen by him, and its existence was there-,
fore ignored. 'lt is. however, very plainly marked on
Commander Parsons's survey of Caledonia-bay and Port
Escoses, 1854, lately published by the Hydrographic-
office.
Again, Dr. Ross, who accompanied Commander Pre-
vost, in a conversation which I had with him a few weeks
ago distinctly informed me that he descended into an-
other valley transverse to the Cordillera, several miles
to the N.W. of that opposite Golden Island. This would
show that the mountain running pat allel to the shore of
Caledonia Bay, instead of being, as is generally sup-
p.sed, part of an unbroken range, is really isolated.
Mr. Gisborne himself, in a letter to Commander Han-
cock, dated her Majesty's ship Espiegle, Caledonia Bay,
April 4, 1854, says :—" I am quite aware that in now
concluding my surveying operations there is a great deal
of interesting information still wanting, and that the
examination of the isthmus is not so perfect as I had
hoped to make it."
Commander Prevost, in a despatch to Rear-Admiral
Fairfax Moresby, C. 8., at Callao, dated her Majesty's
ship Virago, Savanna River, Jan. 7. 1854, says—
" Fording the river (the Chuquanaqua), we began to
ascend, entering, as we supposed, the Cordillera, and
during our progress passed over several hills, the highest
of Which. we estimated at 700 andrgaSoo 44 in height.
From this and other summits we were able to see.
though indistinctly, over the surrounding country, which
showed the ranges of hills to be broken, assuming a
sugar loaf form, apparently baying narrow passes or
valleys at their ba'es, along which several rivers and
mountain streams may find their way into the Atlantic."
In fine, I think there are sufficient grounds to justify
her Majesty's Government in sending a few vessels of
war to Caledonia-bay and the Gult of San Miguel,
whence parties of sailors, marines, and engineers might
be landed to survey the four or five miles of ground
which separate the head waters of the Aglaseniqua and
the Tucubti, and which are, I believe, traversed by a

I have the honour to be, Sir,
Your obedient bumble servant,
WILLIAM M`DERNIOTT, M.D., Surgeon
R.N., late of her Majesty's Ship Espiegle, on
the Darien Expedition.
23, Northumberland-street, Strand, Dec. 8.