The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-05-11
BALTIMORE.
TUESDAY, MAY IL, 1853.

If Africa were an island, instead OF Delhg po'Ao
TO the continent of Asia by narrow lg&nent oil
rcck and sand, European navigators co.iu very
easily accomplish voyage TO the lnoleS Ill thr'y
days. But the Isthmus of Suez, by seoaratng
the Mediterranean Sea from the Arabian Gull,
forces all who traffic with the East Indies to take
the lone and dangerous route by way OF the
Cane o. Good Hope. If then, we bear in mind
the fact, that by simply cutting ship canal
across the Isthmus of Suez, an outlet to the In
dian Ocean would be formed, by which the ne
cessty of coasting almost the entire continent of
Africa would be avoided, and the length of the
VOYAGE shortened by several months, we may
readily understand the importance which the
French journalists attach to the construction of
the proposed canal, and may surmise the reason
why England condemns the project as vsionat :
and impracticable, while, at the same time, she
guards herself against the consequences which
might arise from its possible completion, by seiz-
ing and fortifying the Island of Perrin. Assuming
that engineering skill succeeds finally in surmount-
ing the natural Instructions that are alleged 10 ex-
ist vessels bound for India, instead of making
that voyage by way of the North and South At
lantic Oceans, would sail up the Mediterranean,
pass through the Ship Canal, run down the narrow
elongated ellipse of the Arabian Gulf-or Red Sea,
as it is more commonly called-and enter the IN
dian Ocean w the strait of Bah el Mindeb. The
distance from the mouth of the Red Sea to EoT-
bav roughly estimated, being but fifteen hundred
miles is, even now, easily accomplished by steam
in the course of few days. Now, every mariner
who has been to the port of Mocha, for a freight
IL 41,nt
nearly midway between Alden and Mocha, at the
mouth of the Red Sea, and where tie shores of
Asia and Africa most closely approach each other
an island has been formed which commands the
entrance to the strait of Bah e Mandb and which if
properly fortified and in the hands of power
capable of holding it, would effectually exclude an
hostile fleet from sailing into the Indian Ocean.
This island, so advantageously situated, is the
Perrin which England is now proceeding to fori-
fy, and against whose occupancy the French jour
nalists so vehemently profess.
EnglarG justiies the act as a measure of pre-
cquton adopted for the protection of her overland
travel % India and the security of her commercial
interests Her statesm2n well know that it has
been for ages the a.ajis.cn of France to found an
Empire in the East, and that for the last .wo
hundred years. this idea of territorial expansion
has been especially fostered and encourage. The
elder NAPOLEON, in his Invasion of Egypt did ut
attemp. to carry out project that was frequently
discussed century and half earlier by LOUIS
XIV; but the execution of which was procras-
mated until the war with WILLIAM OF ORANGE, and
the subsequent victories of MARLBOROUGH diverted
his thoughts from foreign conquest by constantine
him to protect his possessions at home.
Egypt was justly regarded by NAPOLEON
as the key to the East and if during their
discussions at Tilsit he could have induced
the CAR to cooperate with him in subjecting
that territory to the rule Of France, without
conceding to Russia the possession of Constan-
tinople it would have taxed all the energies of Eng
land to defend her Inj:ca En- from the conse-
quences of so powerful and so menaCing an alliance
But England, even then, was perfectly aware of
the value of the little rock of Perrin. As the ally
of Turkey in !EG, she seized and fortified it, Int
abandoned ii again in 1901 upon the expulsion of
the French armies from Egypt. She now resumes
the occupancy, and claims that while Turkey, to
whom it properly belongs, does not object to the
transfer, no other nation has right to interpose.
Whether France, acting in the interest of European
commerce, and in furtherance of her own views of
territorial ACKNOWLEDGEMENT in the Fest, can force
England to unloose her grasp of this important but
long neglected position yet remains to be seen. If
ship canal across the lsthmus of Suez is practical
ble-a point upon which French and English engi-
neers are at varance-and ifFrench diplomacy sue
ceeds in overcoming the reluctance of the Moslem a-
thores tc its construction it will doubtless enlist
many ofthe power. ofEurope in its favo- land if Eng
land still persists in building up second Gibraltar
in the straits of Bah el SL,adeb, the controversy
may finally end in forming new and unexpected
combinations In the meantime she has constitu-
ted herself the Warder of the Gate Of Misery-for
such by Interpretation is Bah Ell MandeJ-and from
what we know of her aatecedents we may safely
assert that she will not retire from her post except
upon compulsion.