The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-11-05


die eastern and western hemspheres that they each
consist Of two grand divisions united by a narrow
istlmus, but few miles in breadth, where the two
vast seacoasts Of each approach until they nearly
touch together The isthmus of Darien and the 18TH
mus of Suez accordingly possess importance in
the commerce Of their respective hemispheres which
can scarcely be estimated in value.
IL has been said by great British historian. Of
the Isthmus Of Suez and the country of Egypt, that
fits importance has never been duly appreciated,
cept by the greatest conqneors Of ancient and mod
times, Alexander the Great and Napoleon Buona-
parte. The geographical position of this celebrated
country has destined it be the chief emporium of
the commerce Of the world. Placed in the centre
between Europe and Asia, the confines Of eastern
wealth and western civzation--at the extremity
of the African continent and tho shores of the
Mediterranean sea-it is fitted to become the central
point of communication for the varied productions of
these different regions of the globe The waters of
the Mediterranean bring to all the fabrics of Europe,
the Red watts to its shores the riches of India
and China while the Nile floats down to its bosom
the produce of the vast unknown regions Of Africa.
The greatest and most durable monument of human
FINEST works of genius have been raised in this pri
meval seat of mankind. The temples of Rome have
decayed the arts of Athens have persisted but the
pyramids still stand erect and mistaken above the
floods Of the Nile. When in the revolution of ages,
civilization shall have returned to its ancient
cradle-when the desoation of Mahometan rule
shall have ceased and the light of religion have
umined the land of its birth--Egypt win again be-
come one of the great centres of human industry.
The invention of steam has already restored the
munication with the East to its original channel !;
and the nation which shall revive the canal Suez and
open direct communication between the Mediter-
ranean and Red sea, will pour into its bosom those
streams of wealth which in every age have constitu-
ted the principal resources of Europe"
All the striking attributes thus eloquently ascribed
to the Eastern belong emphatcally to the West
ern isthmus The vast western coast of the
American continent which centres in tho bay of
Panama is superior in extent to that of South
ern Asia and Eastern Africa which make angle at
the Red The eastern coast OF the American
continent which centres upon Darien, also equals in
extent that of North and Western Africa and Eu-
rope, which meet the Levant; while the COM
merce which is transported upon the Atlantic
and the Pacific oceans would be as greatly ia
cilitated by transit our Central American
isthmus as across that of Suez and Egypt. With
| the Mediterranean sea of the Eastern Hemisphere
corresponds that beautiful mediterranean sheet of
water of our own continent known in different parts
as the Caribbean sea and the Gulf Of Mexico while
the bay of Panama affords ready approach
| n - A. 49, D-l
sea affords its eastern counterpart from the Indian
| ocean.
| There is as striking a historical geographical
! and commercial parallel between the two isthmus
regions. If Egypt the original cradle of pop
ulation and seat of civilization in the eastern hemis
phere, as attested by the eternal Pyramids; SO 1t
would seem that the ishmus regions of our own CON
tnent were once the seats of the highest civiliza-
| ton and densest population known in its aboriginal
history, as attested by the huge temples and re-
markable monuments and images which still scat
tered over its surface. If successive conquerors
| from the steppes of Asia swept down upon Egypt
and finally reduced it to its present condition OF des-
oation similar has been the fate of the central por
/ tons of our continent and of Mexico, under the
ravages first of more ancient northern tribes and at
a later era of the Camanche and Apache.
In the earlier stages of navigation and ship-build-
/ ing the lsthmus Of Suez possessed importance
which it did not do at later period 1t was before
the invention Of the mariners compass, while the
/ small vessels which carried such trade between diff
ferent cities and nations ventured upon the water
Rugged the Shore and glided timidy and cautiously
| over the safest waters from harbor to harbor. II
was during this period and before the discovery Of
the passage around the Cape of Good Hope that the
| valuable commerce of the East crossed overland at
the Isthmus of Suez successfully building up Alexan
dria, Venice and Genoa into powerful and wealthy
emporiums of commerce.
The doubling of the Cape of Good Hope and after
wards Of Cape Horn concurrently with the great adj
vance which took place in the science of navigation
for a long time entirely diverted the course Of
trade and rendered successfully the cities of Spain
aud Portugal afterwards Amsterdam and still later
/ London and New York, the great entrepots of the
worlds commerce. But, until the application Of
i steam to ocean navigation and the invention of the
telegraph gave time a controlling Importance in the
operations of commerce, it mattered little how leis
urely the voyages to the East accomplished by
those slow and lazy sailers, the huge Dutch and Eng
sh East Indiamen and the short Isthnus transits
of the two bemisnberes were neoected for tho cir