The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1848-06-07

~ sbp"o tudk u
e route by Cbagres, Panama, Monterey &
e' Caliiornia,) TO Shangee 10 China, by I'll
Dl Fox Islands and Japan, is The shortest roul
u to The Celestial Empire. Geogrsphers wi
10 be able, however, easily to explain lhs
re which We confess took US by surprise, y he
% We frs. read Lieut.. Maury's letter spper
u ded TO this report, and published 10 the Mes
10 senser about two months ago. When il
70 desirable TO reach any two places Of giea
'e distance apart, al see, Il 10 done by ss,lin
= on what Is called u great circle, When Meth
!. er oil them 10 on the same meridian, nor OF
!. the equator, each Of which Is a great cir
J. Gle. We are accustomed TO Judge OF dis
e latces on the earth by what appears TO U
10 be fiat surface, end on maps by The sam,
J principles. A glance g, a globe vii ex
. pam. at once, what We mean, aud vail a.se
prove shat Lieut.. Maury states, 10 be true
VIZ: that New Orleans Is at leas. Two thou.
. sand miles nearer to China than Panama.
Never having reflected on lbe sui jec,, we
had previously thought tina, Panama was
he nearest point on the Continent, and that
tue Sandwich Islands lay in the di,ec, path
10 the Celestial Empire. We came ~ilh.n
fifteen hundred miles Of the lrult--quile as
near as IS customary IN these days Of pro
sfess. ard quite as near as was TO have been
expected OF one 60 Inexcusably ignorant
upon a subject which every American
should have al his fingers ends, At vitality
afecl'ng The interest Of bis country. Tie
sp'ended PROJECT Of Mr.. Wheaton, SO On.
oetemonlousiy appropriated by a certain
great iunclionaiy, Turns out aitee oil 10 lie
but an empty vision; The Tehuan,cpec canal
has " vanished into air; into thin Dir -
the theft wac useless, for The thing stolen,
though eaudy, was Of no value. The true
line lies no, by Tehuanlepec nor Panama,
bn, hundreds Of mics 10 the North Of both
and even If i, did, Lieut.. Maury has demon.
s'raied hey ond the possibility Of doubt, tina,
It would be impossible ever to complete a
ship canal IN that, the most fatal climate on
eartb: from Ibe difficulty, in The first place,
OF Noeuslng workmen; aud, in the second
OF keeping them alive, even il obtained.
Tha, moreover il " oult necessarily be work
Tor the whole world; on the presen, plan,
We need no assistance from any nation TO
secure the trade Of China.
The InlcllIgenccr endeavors'o divide the
praise OF the suggestions contained in Mr..
Kings Report, equally between himself aud
Lieut.. maury. Mr.. King, IL thinks, con
oeived tie plan, and 10 aid Of it, our great
nautical astronomer loaned him not only his
science, but an Immense deal Of kno ledge,
nautical, Typographical and local, which be
has been collecting for years, and OF which
he appears to possess a most uncommon
quantity; for he seems as familiar with the
great Pacific, and with the shores Of Amer.
lea and China, tho, border on ii, as he 10
with The revolutions Of Jupiter, or The pha.
SEES OF Sa,utn's moons. We really think
there is glory enough for both, aud tina,
each may rest contented With his share.
The one has written the mos, remarkable
paper. aud the Other drawn up The mes, re.
mari abIe report Of the age.
In order TO take ful! advantage of the
newly proposed route, i, will be necessary
10 establish railroad from some point on
tie Mississippi TO San Francisco or Monte.
rey, on the Pacific project which Mr..
King justly denomlnaes the grandes, end
most important Of the day, and which We
fear lstoo much in odrdSce Of the age, TO
be comprehendcd 10 all its strength and
grandeur by II. Men, Mr.. King need mol
he told, ate for the most part common.p place
They can understand VIA, they can see,
snd they can see what is directly under
their own noses, bu, nothing farther OF
The Suggestions Of genius are almost sure,
Il, first, to be treated as the dreams Of mad.
ness, though after they have been carried
out in action, men can comprehend them
easily enough.
10 the meantime, while the great work
exists 10 the minds eye only. we are forced
to run down the coast from New York touch.
my at Havana, and our own Southern ports
on the passage, and across the lsthmus 10
Chagtes. thence along the coast Of the Pa
cihc until We arrive u. the poin, where the
great circle crosses, as before explained,
thence duec, fer China. Mr.. King states
the distance as follows:
From New York to Cbagres. $500 miles.
From thence to Panama, 50 do
From Panama to Monterey or San
Francisco, 300 do.
From San Francisco 10 Shanghas 5400 do
Total distance from New York TO
Shanghae, l0,950 miles.
As the present sailing route from New
Yo'k 10 tho same point, either by the Cape
Of Good Hope or Cape Horn. is Is or 90.
600 miles, by the new passage OF 5000 ms
aboard ship. may be saved; a distance e.
quaI to three crossings of the Atlantic. To
landsman this of itself would be 90 ,ri
fling consideration.
We said lha, this Report was one Of the
mos, remai kable documents Of the day i, |
is also, one Of the most important. We
say nothing, for the present, Of our immense
Empire upon the stores Of the Pacific; az
Empire destined We believe, a. some future
day, to be Of far more importance 10 the
world a, large, than i,s sister Of the Allan.
tic and Mississippi. Unjust. it appears to
ard r H.