New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1856-08-02
From London ~ Calcutta st III seven Days

Under the above caption the New York Courier and
Enquirer, Of the 25th ult., has the following interest
ing article on Railroads in the East and West:
This is not ehimera. Rapid and important as have
been the changes in the commercial world during the
first half of the Nineteenth Century there is already
evidence that the second portion of the century will
be equally if not more prolific in those great discoy
cries and improvements which tend to bringa the
We learn from our foreign files Of nespapers that Mr..
Mcdonald Stephenson's plan for railway to India is
fully before the public. He proposes railway from
London to Calcutta direct without any Interruption
save at the Straits of Dover and Bosphorus the dis
tance being accomplished in about week. This is
the ultimate development Of the scheme which he
undertakes to execute in ten years: but in its simplest
form it resolves itself into the completion Of the
European railways to Constantnople, andthe making
of railway from Scutari to Bussora the head Of
the Persian Gulf The route indicated is from Scutad
to Ismd-the Brighton of the ConstantinopoIitans;
thence, by the valley Of the Sakara river, to Sevr-
hissar. and so on to Akserai, and the Ku1in Moun.
tains. Emerging FROM one of the mountain passes,
the line would come upon the head of the Euphfaes
and would proceed by the valley Of this river to the
Persian Gulf, passing to the west of the Sniar Hills
and on by Bagdad to Bassora. There can be little
surveyor has actually been sent to Bussora to take
flying levels. s., = 4ays: 57
In5grtheranee Of this highly important measure,
we learn that the Scinde Railway Company has re-
ceiyed permission to survey the Punjaub, from MoaI
tan to Lahore and Umritser. This line will be $50
miles in length Moultan is on the Chenaub, at the
point where the deep water ceases From Moultan to
Hydrabad the navigation for steamers is open !;
from Hydrabad to kurrachee the line already sane
toned continues the communication to the sea. The
upper line Of railway will be connected with the
lower by means Of steamers OF improved construc-
ton, and by this means Central Asia, the Punjaub,
and the Northwest Provinces will be placed in
steam communication with KuTachee This may
help forward the realization of the plan of connect
ing, by rail and steam, Europe and Central Asia, via
the Euphrates. rsl So 55 4
We learn also from our late English papers that the
Calcutta and Southeastern Railway has baen an
nounced, with capital of f1,000,000 in $4,000
shares, which comes out under the auspices of good
Names and in which the projectors and proprietors
show their confidence by their resolution to carry it
out, though the East India Company declines to add
to the guarantees it has already given. The object Of
this rail is to connect Calcutta with the fertile dis
trics to the southeast Of that city and especially to
connect it with the head of the Mutah, at the dis
tance of 26 miles over dead level and there to con-
struct wet docks in conjunction with the rail- It will
open new communication between Calcutta and the
sea- access to the port of Calcutta being now mprac
tcabe except for vessels of small draft, The Nut
ah offers facilities for navigation superior to those
that existed in the Hooghly at any time. 5f
It would be difficult to conceive what results will
follow from the execution of the plans now alluded
to- AT the present moment, without the aid of rail
roads, the overland mail iscarred from Calcutta to
London in about forty days and we have no doubt
that in three or four years this will be redcued to
eight or ten days @dg
AT the same moment we see Congressional IegsIa
ton at Washington inclined to promote the early com
petion of arairoad from the Mississippi to the Pa
cific There are, we think, nsuperable obstacles to
the construction of railroad in that quarter, north
of Arkansas. At the South however, there would be
no serious obstacle in the winter months, in the
of railroads There is now in course of construction
a road from Shreveport, on the Red River, towards
the N. W. portions Of Texas, which may be made the
beginning Of through road to California. For this
tb0Ucn nt1H nF roilC l1y
cred at New Orleans. Its connection with road now
in course of construction from Shreveport to Vcks
burg, will ultimately accomplish a continuous line
from the Mississippi Cat Vcksburg) to Ell Paso on tht
Rio Grande
These new railroad enterprises in Eastern Europe
and in our Western States show that ere long abun
dant facilities will exist for speedy communication b.
railroad with California and with India. A girdle
will speedily be put around the earth that viii accom-
plish vast benefits to the commercial portions o
Europe and our own country.