The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-11-19 00:00:00

PROPOSED RAILROAD BETWEEN SUEZ
RO.

The idea of a ship-canal across the Isthmus of Suez
was entertained long before railways were known, and
would no doubt be of vast advantage to the commerce
of Europe with the East Indies, and now with China,—
more especially, we think, to England, whose eastern
possessions are much more extensive than those of all
European states, and who possesses (or has the means of
possessing) an almost illimitable mercantile marine, whe-
ther as regal ds vessels of wood, or of iron,—sailing ships
or steam ships. The rage for railways has, however, ex-
tended to such a degree, that our countryman, Mr. Wag-
horn, (a gentleman of undoubted ability) has recently—
repudiating the project of a ship canal in that quarter—
set the scientific and speculative world into a fever of ex-
citement, by proposing a railroad from Cairo to Suez in
preference to a large canal. We are not in possession of
that information in detail that enables us to pronounce a
definitive opinion on the policy of this proposition, but
from what we can learn we are much inclined to conclude,
that if both a railway and a canal cannot a priori be ac-
complished—and the probable trade and passenger transit
would, we conjecture, justify both, if properly regulated
for the mutual advantage of the European family—the

most feasible, and the most useful of the two, would be
the ship canal, by which large and valuably laden vessels
passing to and from the east would be sated some thou-
sand leagues of course now incurred by the circuitous
route round the Cape of Good Hope. The great advan-
tage of heavy ships being enabled, at a comparatively
cheap rate, to pass from the eastern end of the Mediter-
ranean into the Indian Ocean, by a cutting of less than.
30 leagues, without transhipment of goods or passengers,
is by no means likely to be compensated for by a railway,
especially as it appears that the line, if constructed, must
be much longer, and the rates indubitably much higher.
Several of the most popular and scientific Parisian jour-
nals have taken up the subject, and argue on this side of
the question with, to say the least, a plausibility that ap-
pears to be grounded on facts. A letter, published by
Mr. Waghorn in the London Times, advocating the ex-
pediency of a railroad from Cairo to Surz, has drawn
forth a long article from the Journal des Dibats, in which
the writer ably opposes such a mode of transit, and pro-
poses the cutting of a canal direct from Suez to the spot
on the Mediterranean coast, where formerly stood the
city of Pelusium, now the site of an inconsiderable village.
The importance of the subject, not only to commercial
men, but to all persons who have an interest in speedy
communication with the east, induces us to quote the fol-
lowing passage from that paper:—
" A railroad from Suez to Cairo would serve only for the advan-
tage of travellers and the carriage of mails. With a railroad, the
passage across the Isthmus would remain of considerable length'
for in that case it would continue to be made from Alexandria to
Suez, and to require the troublesome journey from Alexandria to
Cairo. The isthmus will not be properly pierced until it shall
offer a breach through which ships may pass without striking their
masts. European commerce is at present pressing towards the
Indian Ocean. The number of ships which now double Cape Horn
and the Cape of Good Hope amounts to 3,000, with a tonnage of
more than 1,300,000 tons. The rapid progress of the flourishing
Dutch and English colonies in the Indian seas, and the accelerated
march of the production of cotton in India, would be sufficient to
give even a more rapid increase to this trade. What will it be now
that the great wall of China is removed, and that the moment may
be safely anticipated when, by fair means or force, a vast exchange
will be established between European manufactures and 300,000,000
inhabitants of the Celestial Empire ? All amongst these 3,000 ships
which return to Europe round the Cape of Good Hope would save
by the piercing of the Isthmus of Suez more than 3,000 leagues.
For this reason a canal cannot be abandoned in favour of a rail-
road, unless there be extraordinary difficulties. But those difficul-
ties are not insuperable. There is a mode of piercing the Isthmus
completely through without going round by Cairo, or without un-
dergoing the enormous expense of an artificial navigation between
Cairo and Alexandria. This mode consists of attacking the Isthmus
precisely where it is most narrow, from Suez to the coast of Fara-
mah, on the borders of the Mediterranean, where formerly stood
Pelusium, and where at present there is only to be seen the mise-
rable village of Thyneh. Everything tends to the construction of a
canal. The distance is short From Suez to Thyneh, in a bird's-
eye, view, is but 30 leagues; and even within this saace is to be
found the basin of the Bitter Lakes, in which the bed of the canal is
naturally formed to the extent of 10 leagues, together with the lake
Menzaleh, which it would be merely necessary to deepen. The
Soil from Suez to Pelusium is so level that there is not an elevation
of more than three feet above the highest flood at Suez, nor more
than 33 feet above the Mediterranean at Thyneh. In fine, the Red
Sea at Suez being at least 24 feet higher than the Mediterranean,
the canal would be easily supplied from the waters of the Red Sea.
Everything is therefore favourable except one, which is, that there
is not a good harbour on the Mediterranean at the extremity of this
line. The port of Pelusium is filled up, and sands are consequently
accumulated there by the force of the current. But this disadvan-
tage, which was irremediable at the period when Alexandria was
built by Alexander the Great, is no longer so at present. The art
of hydraulic construction has made immense progress. At present,
engineers are possessed of a force by which harbours can be kept
clear of any accumulation of sand collected by the currents of the
sea. This has been proved in our port of Cette. The construction
of a harbour at Pelusium is not more difficult than the great works
which have been constructed at Cherbourg, nor than the new har-
bour which is being constructed at Frioul, near Marseilles, by virtue
of a bill passed last session. The question remains to be solved by
whom should the canal be executed. As it is of universal interest,
and as it is of the greatest service which could be rendered to com-
merce in general, and that the real and immediate utility of a mari-
time canal in the Isthmus of Suez surpasses even that of a canal
through the Isthmus of Panama, as nothing is less founded than
the assertion of Mr. Waghorn, according to whose authority the
Isthmus of Suez would transport to Trieste the prosperity of Mar.
seilles, all maritime nations might combine in order to take the
enterprise under their patronage, and give their guarantee that th
Isthmus of Suez may be made a neutral passage. But the work is
entirely within the capacity of the Pasha of Egypt without any fo-
reign assistance."

The Constitutionnel concurs with the writer quotei,
but throws out some insinuations with respect to the po-
licy of this country, which are not perhaps justifiable. lie
imputes the desire of England to have a railroad to the
wish to transport easily to India troops and the materiel
of war, and to secure to herself " the protectorate, which
that passage of troops and the residence of an English
company in possession of the railroad would enable it to
exercise over Egypt." We do not believe that England
entertains any such exclusive wish. Her only profitable
object must be the promotion of our traffic with the east,
and troops can neither command trade nor secure it,
saving in the quelling of insurrections of the vast and scat-
tered population of our territories. The writer adds that
the Pasha of Egypt has not the means to construct a rail-
way, but that England has; and that the objections of the
former to a railway owned by foreigners disappear when
the communication is to be by canal, which he contends
the Pasha cculd execute himself. He then concludes :
" A canal which would join the Nile to the Red Sea would
procure to Cairo and Alexandria considerable commercial
advantages, impart a great activity to navigation in the
Red Sea and the Nile, and probably fertilize a long zone
of the desert extending on both its banks. A loan con-
tracted for the execution of the undertaking, and mort-
gaged on the revenues of the canal itself, might come in
aid to the finances of the Pasha without endangering in
the least his political independence. Such an undertaking
would prove advantageous to England as well as to the
rest of Europe, and deserves to be encouraged by all those
who feel an interest in the prosperity of Egypt and the
progress of civilisation."

Some idea of the extent to which the new railway pro-
jects have already arrived may be gathered from the
monthly circular of Messrs. Railton and Son, share-
brokers, Manchester, issued on Monday last. Messrs.
Railton say—" Since our last monthly circular of the
14th ultimo, there have been put forth forty-one pros-
pectuses of railway schemes, and the shares applied for in
each have far exceeded the number to be issued. Taking
the above forty-one lines into the account, the following
will result :—On the 14 of August upwards of ninety new

lines, requiring more than £60,600,00.00f subscribed capital
to complete them, were put forward to which add the
above forty.one, stating a requirement of £35,265,000.,
together upwarps of 131, needing an investment of
£95,265,000., with the power of borrowing one-third
more, devoted to the same object ; making a grand total
of £127,020,000." It ought, however, to be taken into
consideration that many of the projected railways are du-
plicate lines, and, as the legislative sanction must be
refused to a great number, the amount of capital required
may be fairly reduced to one-third.

SPO an-NG INTELLIGENCE.

MANCHESTER, FRIDAY EVENING.
DERBY.
_

Connaught Ranger yesterday was laid against by one party,
in the first instance, to lose £l,OOO at 40 to 1, and afterwards,
in two or three bets with another party, to lose ..t.'10,000 more at
the same terms, but, from the magnitude of the Etter sum, We
are unable to say whether it was bona fide betting or not ; 25 to
1 was also laid ag inst Old England, 1,000 to 30 against Young
Eclipse, and 500 to 13 agst Anti-Repealer. To-day, there was
not a single bet laid, with the exception of 500 to 3 agst Hermit.
The only offers were-5 to 1 agst John Day's lot, 20 to 1 against
Cobweb colt, 25 to 1 agst Old England (offered freely, takers at
five points more), 500 to 15 against Connaught Ranger, 40 to 1
agst Weatherbit, 40 to I agst Cabin Boy (take 55 to 1), and 1000
to 20 agst Flahwolagh (take 1000 to 15.) 3) to I was wanted
about Newsmonger.

TATTERSALL'S, THURSDAY.
DERBY.

The only bets laid in the afternoon were-200 to 10 against
Cobweb colt; 2000 to 70, 900 to 30, and 750 to 25 agst Idas ; 25
to 1 to about -t..100 agst Pam ; 35 to 1, to a pony, agst Young
Eclipse ; 1000 to 25 agst Anti-Repealer ; 1000 to 20, four or five
times, agst Cabin Boy; 1000 to 21 agst Black Prince; 1000 to 15
each apt Flahowlagh, the Carlotta colt, and Seaman; and 1000
to 10 each agst the Christina colt, John Davis, and The Hermit.
3JO to 10 was laid agst Lady Wildair, for the Oaks.