Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-11-19
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER.
INTER OCEANIC CANAL.

tween the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, across the
Isthmus which connects the two Americas. This
great project, the Importance of which has been
duly appreciated By the navigating countries Of the
world, and been talked of from time to time for
half century or more, has lately, IT appears, been
revived with increased earnestness, and on the part
Of persons in Eagland who in number and resources
give promise that the gigantic work will at last be
undertaken and carried forward to completion
Numerous notices Of the scheme have appeared IN
the New York papers, and among them letter from
Washington in the Journal of Commerce, which
was in most particulars accurate, but IN others not
entirely so. a gentleman well acquainted with the
subject has taken the trouble to rectify these par
ticulars and amplify some others, and has favored
us with the article in the following revised shape
The project Of ship canal the Isthmus CT Darien
engages the attention of enterprsng men, both in
Europe and in this country 1t has also received the ia
vorabe attention OF foreign Governments, and is now
brought the notice of our Government The pro-
ject in its present matured its origin great
degree to intelligent Anerican DR.. BLACK, native
of the State of Kentucky and formerly physician in
Philadelphia but for the last twenty years resident of
London Dr. BLACK has conducted the matter to highly
promising condition. and still las the exclusive charge Of
he j. NOM IN jus suCu iepiesen-
taons to the Government in relation to the subject as
will induce il to direct survey of the route by sua-
bic corps, with view test its practcability. The
project is one Of vast interest the whole commercial
world but particularly so to the United States. This
country will share more largely and prominently in its
benefits than any other if suppose that
pansiy tendency should be arrested before shall have
absorbed the Isthmus itself and all the nteroceanc
municaton The sailing distance from New York to San
Francisco by the Horn is about eighteen thousand miles,
and by Daren it would be but five thousand miles.
Neither railroads canals will suffice for the vast COM
merce that shall soon have between the Atlantic and
Pacific though there will be full employment for
many Of these can be made both within our own ter
ritory and what is now foreign territory.
The ship canal now proposed will be ample for the pur
pose permitting ships of the largest size TO pass each
other in continuous line, without delay, from TO
ocean, rs through natural strait. An ordinary canal,
with locks and feeders would attended with delay and
when lock gets out Of order vessels would suffer Sc
yerey from detention men would be exposed IN tropi-
cal climate disease and commodities TO deterioration.
To conceive the special Importance of this work to the
United States il is only necessary to reflect to the
language the memorial which the Memphis Convention
addressed Congress the subject OF Pacific railway
that the Gulf of Mexico with its twin-born the Carib
bean Sea- drains the extensive and fertile system of
river basins in the world that this nertropca is
supported by back country that embraces greater
rety of climate than all the commercial rivers put toge
Their in the Old World; back country large that it
could contain all the valleys Of all the rivers of Europe
and Africa with half those Of ASIA that discharge them
selves into the commercial ports the The river
basins Of Europe, ASIA and India contain SS50,000
square miles; those which supply this utertropcal
Of America embrace greater by more than half
million of square miles, market-way to the Pacific
Ocean is TO be supplied for all this immense region, and
for this purpose well for the opening Of the
merce Of the Pacific; ship canal is necessary. Even
number of railways would be inadequate for the com
mercial operations Of the United States The Memphis
Convention while they show the advantages Of the
templated railroad the continent urged also the
necessity Of ship canal railroad the Isthmus Of
Tehuantepec, Nicaragua, Panama, across them all
For the last three centuries the nteroceanic communi
cation across the lstnmus has engaged the attention oil
The world but it TO have been LEFT in the
der of Providence to be accomplished thoroughly and
but IN many ehsnAsls by the people Of this
great Republic The commercial and social and poti-
cal interests that require most consideration have
been here gradually growing up, while the Isthmuses
were left unexplorel and almost uninhabted The dis
covery by Columbus Of a world was he him
self considered, incomplete until channel should be
found for nteroceauic communication between the
two worlds. But this final consummatlon Of his work
was, or ! mistaken foreshadoKed 70 him in vision
while sick bed the river Beleu, when voice said
10 him, God has made your great and given you
The keys 10 unbar the gates Of the ocean"
The celebrated letter Of Lieut. VI. +. MAuRY 10 the de-
legates Of the Memphis Convention remarks that with
y shp-canal the Isthmus the raft which floats
down the Mississippi river the boat for navigating the
Illinois canal might, arriving New Orleans and not
finding market there stick up pole for n mast, and
setting sail, 20 the Sandwich Islands Manila, and
perhaps Asia. Getting through the gulf thescanal
would be the most difficult part Of the voyage" BY
Of a shp-canal vessels laden with the produce OF our
basins, coal vessels from the Chesapeake and
ships heavily laden with merchandise from New York aud
Boston, reach the markets Of China India and New
Holland and with much less expense Of cutft and with
but fourth Of the crew which is required to take them
around Cape Horn
Lieut. Maury says that in sixty instead Of hun
dred and fifty days the voyage from Northern ports
10 China might be performed by the Ishmus canal and
then the ship might have the choice Of home
ward either around the Cape Of Good Hope taking
the in the outward voyage We find that all
the winds and currents Mr. Maury shows,
70 favor the Isthmus canal route.
In this Mediterranean Of the world what
ofpover wealth, and greatness, excaims Mr. Maury do
We not clustering? |" A ship canal he says, would
make il the focus Of the worlds commerce Here the
commerce Of the atlantic would converge, from here the
commerce Of the Pacific would dyerge; and ships deeply
laden shps from the four Of the EARTH would
crowd into H." Mr.. Maury speaks only Of projects for
ship canal across the lhmu Of Panama and OF the prac
tcabihty Of the Nicaragua for a ship canal. lie
does not conhne his views, however, 70 any particular
route but looks to any that may be found practical
bic and with good harbors.
The Committee Of the Memphis Convention wind mn
their report with the remark that an I.thnus sbip ca
nal, properly GUARANTEED and regulated would make the
commercial nations OF the earth dependant on the United
States 10 such degree materially lessen the chances
and liabilities Of ever involving this country in war"
The facts above given will suffice show that in the
project Of the Darien Ship Canal the United States as
country has deeper interest than all the rest OF the
world beside and therefore ought take leading part
ed and also in its ultimate prosecution and manage
ment.
The questions are, whether the proposed Darien
Ship Canal is practicable and, il So BY what it
is to be made
As to the FIRST point, have such information to