The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1847-04-26
From the Philadelphia Spirit OF the Times
The Inthmus OF Tehuantcpec.


From the Philadelphia Spirit OF the Times
The IsthnAus OF Tehuantspec.
Tho following letter from the wee fIesideh, o.
the United States, addressed to gentleman OF lhis
city, and which we have kindly been allowed 70 copy is
on most interesting subject. and we solicit Tor an
attentive and thoughtful perusal =
r.f., WAsHrseroN 10th March. 1877.
My DEAss am not surprised ina, you n Ave. 0s en
peared in the newspapers and only regret that IN an
swering your inquiries fully as you insist upon
shall be obliged TO make pretty large draught on your
patience The truth is the subject is not one which can
be satisfactorily handled by mere generalhes and IN
order TO meet your desire and expectations, have been
obliged TO examine it with somewhat more care than
heretofore Ii has expanded under this process until
am quite sure shall be tedious IN following OUT 10
YOU il'4 p t,u 90
count 1t may be made TO produce consequences lar
more important than the mere acquisition OF territory
properly ended it must lead to almost boundiesS en-
largement OF commerce to new channels ana sPee'
OF trade and great markets for our produce ana manu-
features The American people, by single ana enelgeto
movement of their government, can soon Nc p,"'ao
the van of all competition, securing the peace, acou
mulang the wealth. and extending the civilization OIL
the world. ~ a., - -
Sush results do not generally flow from wars
Military glory, indicated honor present power anu PC
curtv and perhaps widened limits, are the best effects
usually expected II stue, these are valuable; but the
attainment of what have referred to would ovefslladow
them in magnitude and permanently.
would seem to be understood That one OIL e onects
at which the government will aim when negotiating
peace Win NleXCO II tuc purchase VI 81 SUI VI
The concession of much irevocable jurisdiction as
may enable to unite by canal or railway the Atlantic
and Pacific the lsthinus OF Tehuantepec Ana
this, conceive, il promptly and vigorously carried ou';
must be followed by consequences whose vastness and
benefcence cannot be easily exaggerated The subject
of interest, and deserves to be universally as
well as accurately appreciated will, therefore, make
some remarks and compile some facts IN illustration OF
it. and do rapidly as more imperative engagements
will allow. because am deeply impressed with me con
yiction that this Mexican war (Which may possibly be
brought to an early cose) offers the golden opportunity
which, if neglected. may never return
To abndge the tedious ana dangerous voyage round
Cape Horn, and give navigation direct and safe ac
cess to the shores of the Pacific has been favor
lite scheme for centuries OF scientific exploration and oil
nny nnn was disputed Tie best Inquiries left in
doubt Every portion OF the continent OF Amer
lea has undergone examination; has, Tor while, been
regarded with preference and has again been abandoned
Difficulties spang up as TO each and comparison OF
their relative advantages affected more or less by the de-
OF the respective engineers and explorers to render
the junction of the two specially servceabe TO their
own countries excited apprehensions TO all Still, ]
abundany satisfied that the project not only prac
tcabe but practicable under the Joint auspices OF the
United States and Mexico, at moderate cost and within
short time.
Fire routes for crossing have attracted special notice
l. Blythe isthnus Of Pa"amG. 2 By The tsthmus Of Da-
4rato, from the Gulf Daren, running south through
Choco in New Grenada, until it nearly meets the San
Juan which emptes itself into the Pacific at the port Of
Charambiro and S. BY The ,sihmus Of Iehuanfepec Oh
these routes, may in general be said that the
the ishmus OF Panama and the one by the lake of Mica
ragua have been heretofore best explored and most ap
proved. In 1905 Baron Humboldt who enumerated four
additional routes, discouraged rs to that by Panama,
because "no Of eeration and tetei hdd
get been erecuted that fstaus and from all the jnfo
nation he could procure, appeared TO him that the
pectation OF ship channel by canal across that sthmus
fought 10 be completely abaadoned" Since that period
however the topography of the region has been carefully
and closely investigated Steam powerani railways have
become adjuncve clements Tor calculation and arrange
ment, and conclusions much more favorable well as
better founded, may be drawn. In 1925 we'll
reasoned but still imperfect Judgment in favor Of the Pan
route published and several others have since
appeared but the last and lar the most impressive is
Partisan pamphlet puporing TO be an abstract from
port made to Mr. Guizot, the minister OF Foreign Affairs,
by Napoleon Garre engineer IN chief attached TO the
royal mining corps in 1915 and to set ont pyoe for
uniting the atlantic and Pacific By canal
the isttmus Of Panama. In 1929 G. A. Thomson, dip
lomatc agent of the British government, published his
"O6cid Iis't TO Guoemaa : and he therein describes
the route BY the lake of Nicaragua and the steps
which had been taken lin 1929 as well by the King Of
the Netherlands BY great banking houses in England,
with the legislative sanction and aid of the local govern
ment, to form navigabe communication between the
by OF that lake and the river San Juan
This mode of efectng the object has commended itself
fs aSoed 5y came Scarlet B sraih
eer, in his lively work "South America and the Pac
tic,' printed in 1888.
You cannot, however be benefited by my considering
farther infinitely the facilities difficulties Of the Pan.
anna and Nicaragua routes. Whatever may be the supe-
rority Of their advantages not in such relation
deliberately into their development Let me fix your
attention exclusively the route by the isthmus of Te-
huanteJ,ec; a route which, If practicable, almost any
rems recommend itself all others, by being
it were, at the very outlets of estuaries
commercial threshold.
This route runs through Mexican territory. 1t com.
at the mouth Of river called the Huasacualco,
emPyng itself into the southern section of the Gulf OF
Mexico it thence takes generally southern and west
direction until il reaches Tarfa. at which town
nal railroad begins and the with it continues in
the to western lakes which then furnish IA
huantepec the Pacific. The topography of this 18TH
mus has been investigated with care it might in
deed be unwise to begin practical operations without
fresh and thorough survey but enough is known
der quite certain that the communication be open
ed without unreasonable expenditure of labor money
The width of the ishmus from the mouth of the Huas-
acuco the Mexican gulf to the shores OF the Pacific
at Tehuantepec, is about one hundred and thirty five
miles The central mountainous chain, which, conform
ably its relative position throughout both Americas, is
hibs here depression which continues from Santa Ma.
ria Patdpa to Miguel de Chimolapa: for a distance Of
about twenty FIVE miles, summtevel plain is form
ed whose streams flow north, and whose boundaries al
the south and southeast chain of small hills called
Cerros (hghlands) Of Maalma, and Of Epnosa, which
south, and between which, here and there are pas
sages, such the PoIo (gate) Of Chpoa and the Por
tHlo of Tdritd. Streams starting from this space
of depression in the great mountainous ridge, and
running north, empty themselves in the Huasacuaco
those running south empty themselves in the Chcapa,
antepec and or both of these rversHuasacu-
alec and Chicapa-whch may be employed in effect
ing the transit across the lshmus by uniting them either
by z canal, railway, or good Nlacadamised road
Tins route for the junction pointed out by Fernan-
do Cortcz the conqeror long ago the year 1920
thron nal rpttfas tn yhirh hav