Weekly national intelligencer., 1850-11-16
THE GATEWAY OF THE OCEANS.


5f%l From rHs LONDON SPECTATOR.
orcin of the barrier which for hundreds Of years has
and iEDerlled the commerce Of the world now
nt At hnd. One-half Of the contract for the junction
4 Atianic and the Pacific, obtained from the State Of
lat year by the prompttude of the Americans, is
H "a atlhe option of English capitalists and an under
i length announced that, if the contemplated ship
ID RECONSTRUCTED on conditions that shall leave
~ the pro6ablen Of the enterprise, it is to be
forward with the influence Of our highest mercantile
immdste steps now in course Of adoption may be ex-
- in few words. At present the transit across the
Of lanams occupies four days. and its inconvenences
= neenare notorious. At Nicaragua il is represented
st nay possibly be effected in day, and this by
nus team route, with the exception Of fifteen miles by
omibus The passage would be up the San Juan,
akd Nicaragua the town Of that name, and thence
bort " San Juan del Sur, ON the Pacific. On arriving
W lsrnnus (Which Ia considerably south Of ha con-
"a p the permanent canal, namely, Reaejo) the pas
~ Wold find himself som six seven hundred miles
tptsliiornia than be had crossed at the Ishmus of
and rs the Of speed Of the American steamers
onshs sss y upwards Of three hundred miles day. his
sasing Of three days in crossing, coupled with the saving in
sea dstane, would be equivalent TO total Of een hundred
miles, meursd in relation to what accomplished by those
vessels lower charge Of the transit and comparatively
healthy climate also additional inducements; and under
these circumstances antcipatons entertained that the
great tide afc Will be turned IN the new dectl0n his
tide accotng to the last from Panama, kept
up at theate of seventy thousand persons year, and it
expected 10 increase.
The nEgably Of the San Juan however, in its present
state, retains yet TO be tested. The American company
who hay obtained the privilege Of the route have sent down
vessels of light draught the Director and Nicaragua for
the purpse Of forthwith placing the matter beyond doubt
At the date the Director had safely crossed the bar its
mouth, hnd preparing to ascend the Nicaragua had
previoy gone up the Colorado, branch river where, is
haze hal
agroub upon sand bank though without sustaining any
dama The next accounts will possess great interest
Whaer may be the real capabilities Of the river accidents
and days be anticipated in the first trial Of
mehd of navigating it. Even in the Thames, the first
steaut could scarcely have been expected to make trip
from London bridge to Richmond without some mshap.
Sho therefore, the present experiment show any clear in
dicabns of there will be reasonable ground for
grataton and it forms important chapter in the his
tory H enterprise that all must regard with good wishes
Iths temporary transit should realize the expectations
seems to warrant there be little doubt the completion
the tanal will be commenced with ardor. Supposing
the rveys show cost not exceeding the sum estimated in
1881 by Lieut. Baiy the prospect of the return would there
is ason believe, be much larger than the public have al
any been accustomed to suppose There is also the fact
that the increase Of these returns know limit long
as he commerce of the world shall increase and indeed
already idea Of the gains appears have STRUCK
some minds with such force to lead them to question thu
privileges which have been granted not of kind
traordnsy favorable that they will later be repu
dated By the State Of Nicaragua No such DANGER however
exists the company guaranteed in the safe possession
of all heir rights by the treaty of protection which has bee
ratified between Great Britain and the United States