The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1849-06-27
From the NJ Y. Epsning Post.

We are reminded, by the return of the talented
corps of American engineers from the survey of
the Isthmus of Panama. of the important advantages
which beginning to be realized by the activity
of commercial interests throughout the world. The
construction of railway, by Rowland & Aspin-
wall, that ishmus is now scarcely doubtful,
and its effect will be to double the value of our pos
sessions in California, and to change the route of
our traffic with the East Indies. Meantime, the
English are not idle in facilitating their means of
intercourse with the East as appears by the recent
and interesting report of the Peninsuar and Orlen-
tai Steam Navigation Company, now lying before
US, from which we gather many important particu-
lars respecting the overland route TO India At the
half-yearly meeting of the proprietors the 3lst
of May, dividend was declared offour per cent for
the previous six months. The insurance fund, not
having been diminished by any casualty, had large
ly increased.
This plan, adopted very generally by the wealthy
English companies, of insuring for themselves, and
of retaining the amount of premiums they would
otherwise have to pay, in their own hands, an
Understanding fund, is found to be very advan-
tageous to the stockholders.
The line of English steamers in the Mediterra-
mean has been in successful operation for many
years but the ascent of the Nile and the transit of
the desert not yet as rapid or easy as they will
be and to bring about change for the better, the
Peninsular company despatched Sir John Pirie,
their deputy chairman, to Alexandria, To see what
could be done with Abbas Pacha, the Viceroy of
Egypt. He had an interview, made an address
to the Pacha, asking him to promote the improve
ment Of the lines of travel; and the Pacha not only
agreed TO do this, but to make his people do so by
the most stringent and rigorous orders"
Some of the immediate consequences of this visit
was an order to obtain another iron steamer from
England, to ply on the Nile, on the viceroy's ac-
count, fitted up with all the modern improvements
and two steamers with paddles, for the Mahmoud-
ish canal, for passengers only The transit of this
canal has been esteemed the most dsagreeable part
of the whole route to India. A small steamer is
now building to be placed at Suez, for the landing
and embarkation Of passengers from the large India
steamers ~ and storehouses have been erected at all
the ports where there is any debarkation. At Al
exandria, the facilities for passengers are very
greatly increased. The canal steamers Of the NAH
moudish will take them on board the Nile steamers
The canal itself Is to be deepened, and there are
three dredging machines at work there. But what
is most remarkable is, that the route between Cairo
and Suez has been partly macadamIzed, and has
been divided into sixteen sections
BY an improvement in the management at the
different stations, the horses changed in eight TO
ten minutes, when formerly it occupied half an
hour TO do so. The vehicles used for the convey
ance of passengers very convenient, and the
whole time Of crossing the isthmus is about egh-
teen hours, only ten of which are actually occupied
in travelling. Hereden Bey, gentlemanly Turk
is the superintendent Of the road and as he has
now employed English servants along the line, and
means to have the travellers fed as much as posi-
BILE in the English style, he is considered almost
good a Christian.
Itappears that the Peninsuar Company contem-
plate running monthly steam packet between
Singapore and Sydney, in Australia, under pro-
position from the government, and have COM
menced similar service with a steamer between
Hong Kong, Macao, and Canton. or course all
these arrangements now have direct bearing on
II
the Pacific, so far as our interests are concerned,
we must have railway communication with the
Pacific. II the earth is TO be girdled, should
take care to keep the fastenings in our hands.