Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1850-06-29

Neltner England United States would like
form part Of their history, that the human race bad been kent
for two three years. from witnessing the junction
Of the Atlantic and the Pacific, because their foreign minis
tiers had been unable to adjust wrange whom belonged
right Of concedng some seventy miles Of the desoate
j track through which the work would pass.
In the projects for the Nicaragua canal hitherto put for.
ward the estimated cost has been the actual
outlay being reckoned at e. 60O 900, and the remaining
being allowed for casual expenses These calcu
aton poessedy made the high scale Of the Caeo-
nan canal where the expenditure VIGOROUSLY reckless
and at period when the mechanical facilities for such UNDER
akngs very imperfect compared with the present
time. They based however, upon the surveys Of Mr.
Baiy, which regarded having been made with degree
of conscientious emitting them to the highest credit
Hence in the calculations in question, there no existing
points of engineering difficulty which comprised
and may accordingly be inferred that if they under
the mark the deficiency simply caused by not allowing
enough for labor materials and interest of money. Theim
Provemens in mechanical science and the dmnuton in the
of materials during the last ten years. would
may at least be assumed make up large amount on
the other sde and allowing therefore, for the invaabe ex
perence which attends all estimates there snow
suppose that under any circumstances, the cost could
coed the total that has been contemplated This is
what less than half the amount that has been expended
for the Dover railway, and about two thirds of the expend
! ture for the Brighton.
The revenue which calculated years ago when the ORR
gina schemes propounded, taken upon 900
TONS and the contemplated toll per ton shngs for
European and twenty shngs for United States vessels the
whole producing about f600 year. which, after leaving
two per cent for maintenance, and per for sinking
fund, would yield return Of twelve per cent the capital
An examination Of these estimates however, produces no
conviction Of their correctness All the materials on which
they founded extremely vague much reliance
placed the change of route to nda and the proposed
difference in toll to American vessels would moreover
be tolerated This difference suggested the idea that
as the average saving of time TO United States vessels
would be two months, and to European vessels only one
month, toll should be exacted in proporonae ratio but
would introduce an entirely new principle into the univer
M nd
and that would be found mpacticabs as it would be
! unjust and absurd. t.# NJ.
But since these statements made in 1885, the traffic
with South America has greatly increased and Australia and
Zealand have been growing in importance. STILL with
these changes capitalists would possibly have regarded the
experiment with hesitation At all events twoud have been
one Of anxiety II is we have already Observed the dis
covery Of the gold mines in California that has alone altered
the whole aspect of the affair." and rendered such as will be
pursued with eagerness. .@,E
While the Panama railway will take the whole Of the pas
sengers for the western ports of South America the Ncara
qua command the entire traffic to California the
moment it shall be rendered practicable by mixture of
water and land conveyance On the completion of the canal
it will Of in addition monopoize all the shipping
trade between the two but of its startling
results will be witnessed long before that period The distance
saved by the Nicaragua route in the journey to California as
compared with the Panama. is sufficient prevent the posi-
by Of competition and apart from this the attractive fea
OF the former are such as TO give it unquesonabe
superiority. Now, the emigration to California from the
United States has recently been 900 1000 persons each
month, or at the rate Of 600 per annum and pecu
liar feature Of that emigration to consist the fact that
at whatever rate may continue it will always be of shift
ing knd-that is to say, there will always be tide of per-
sons both going and returning Gold digging can only be
carried for about five months of the twelve and during
the idle would be far economical to return to
the States than to live at San Francisco The operation
self is also which only disposed to pursue tenn
porary, that after little while each miner is content to
return and to leave his place to This has been
particularly e1emplfed during the past auumn-both the
influx aud eux OF passengers having been enormous and
that the ux not caused by persons who returning
in Disappointment has been abundany shown by the fact Of
their temperance in the United States having led to the
slightest dmnution in the number of those who were still
eager to emgae According to the last accounts ships of
still larger and finer class than those hitherto employed were
being placed upon the SERVICE and every ticket in the three
of steamers had been taken up May June There
consequently ground to calculate stream both
ways The certainty Of this is indeed demonstrabe At
present the average each miner least five dollars per
days and supposng the supply Of gold continue at this
rate, population must steadily flow in until the of wages
for similar days labor after making allowance for the
pense OF passage money, &C., shall have been eauazed
throughout the world Each mail repeats the story that no
one in the country doubts the supply be comparatively in
exhaustbe By the last advice Colonel Fremont moreover
had discovered between San Francisco and Montery vein
In the mountains which yielded the extraordinary proportion
Of one Of gold twenty pounds rock Quick
silver and silver mines also waiting only for machinery
and labor Instead of dminution Of activity in this dec
ton, every thing therefore indicates an increase
However much may be disposed to dsrust the twelve
per cent estimate Of those who in former years proposed the
execution Of the work, must under these circumstances
admit that there can be little fear of its present results We
must look not only the traffic which now before us
but we must take into account it's natural increase from the
greater cheapness and apdy Of the route. We must
also look at the growing importance Of Oregon and the
certainty Of the crowd Of small that will rapidly ac
cumulate on the Pacific from the smoohness of its waters
and the abundance Of the easily worked of
Island.
We may rely that the day is gone by when the
could be neglected for want Of funds If carried ont ENTIRELY
by capitalists in the United States will probably be pushed
forward with less rapdiy than would otherwise be the case
pu ibis Will be far more than compensated by the exercise
greater economy and certainty Meanwhile stems have AL
ready been taken for asceanng what will be
render the route Immediately available for and for
placing steamers upon the river San Juan and the lakes
Inc chairman OF the company Mr. Vanderbilt who it is
SAID mas been more largely and protaby connected with
steam navigation than any other citizen of New York.
some months back upon personal survey Of the en-
tire districts and he and his friends are understood To
prepared to subscribe for very considerable portion Of the
required capital report may be expected in which contrary
to English usage the interests Of the stakeholder will be con-
suited before those Of the engineer -
Inc certainty OF these two of Panama and Mica
ragua being speedily carried out in more or less perfect de-
places the rapid settlement Of Central America beyond
oil doubt and hence gives all personal descriptions Of the
country such as those which have been furnished by Mr.
bay and Mr. Byam interest that comes home TO our
dy business Let the reader imagine what must be the eff
ct even OF an annual transit of $4,000 100 900 adven
turous and weinormed people through s,rp of country
scarcely one hundred and fifty miles broad vet COMMANDING
the ocean intercourse with Europe on one side and with
ASA on the Other favorable to beah and Astounding at the
same time, owing to the inequalities of its rce with every
natural product that can be found distributed elsewhere