The daily national Whig. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1847-1849, 1849-02-23

To he Editor " The National Wig
| Any person OF common perception will AT once sec
that single rail road across the lsihmus of Darien
would not offer sufficient facilities for the transit Of
the amount Of trade across. II Is here proposed 70
concentrate the whole trade with India, China, Pa
cifc islands and coast Europe and the United
States. Take survey Of the route and you will al
once see that twenty roads would not be sufficient
for the transit and there is no harbor or anchorage
ON either side of the Isthmus for ffticth of tho
number of vessels which would assemble at Chagrcs
or Panama. From all accounts and actual survey
made of this route 1t has been pretty well asceraincd
there will be room for but or TWO roads from
Cruces 10 Panama. and the river TO the former is Sc
narrow and stream so active that II will be difficult
for vessels to penetrate higher up than seven or eight
miles, Compare. then. Chagres with New York har-
Dor and the trade Of New York with that which
would necessarily stop at Chagres New York has
canal many rail roads, and two important rivers TO
receive and convey the trade Of her port to different
points, and yet her capacious harbor and facilities OF
conveyance is hardly adequate her necessities. Yet
New York does not receive the whole trade of Eu-
rope and the United States, but she Is competitor
with many other Cities and yet II Is proposed 10
construct single rail road across the lsthmus OF
Darlen for the trade Of the world. Itisabsurd, and
one of those wild and visionary schemes proposed
by mere spectators. If we must have transit
across foreign country let II be Mexico. Here we
may have two routes, one by Huashnhaulco the
other by rail road 10 the city OF Mexico; 10 the lake
Chapala and then down the Rio Grande to the Pa
cc This last 10 even shorter and better route than
Tehuantepec; but why leave our own country TO
cross that Of any !other A rail road terminating at
Puget sound in Oregon with branch to California
would be far better and easier built thnn one
Tehnaniepec or Panama But US commerce appears
to demand route across of these points and our
own commerce would be safer from foreign aggres-
sion In the Gulf than in the Caribbean Sea, would
prefer the Gulf Should II then become absolutely
necessary for the benefit Of our commerce. that a
route should be selected at Hunshahaulco, 1t viii
then be absolutely necessary that Cuba should either
become part of the United States or an independ
ent nation under the protection Of this Government.
This could no doubt be accomplished either by pur-
chase and assuming the debt Of Spain TO England,
or by 1t becoming the settled policy Of the United
States, to make Cuba an Independent Nation On
this question, in my opinion ieA turn the merit Prssi-
Dental election. Cuba Is seven hundred miles long
and one hundred and sixty In Its widest part and
capable Of sustaining II 000 900 Of people. With nat
ural advantages greater than those Of England, ii
completely guards and protects the Gull of Mexico
and the whole trade of the Mississippi valley
The great struggle for commercial prosperity thro'
out the world has been the trade to India and China
The English knew this fact and have been for many
years past seeking north west passage-that is a
short passage TO India and China. Time, in com
mercial transactions, is every thing and could we
shorten our route to China and India day shorter
than could be done by the European powersit would
divert the whole commerce Of Europe, and give us
the balance of trade. Let us suppose 1t possible,
which II no doubt is, to construct rail road from
Prairie du Chen to Pugefs sound, with branch to
San Francisco we would then have the following
distances from our commercial cities to the starting
point: