New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-05-30
HIGHLY INTERESTING FRO.S CENTRAL
AMERICA.
Cc-Te-r. nience Il II. n Tribune
UNITED STsTEs SHIP ST. LorIs. I


d,tel! 10 Ssrr Juau del Nortc. and keep sigIlsnt
lcokout for flIibu.ters We da'y arrived here on
tie 10th Of February, ard. with the exception OF
few days cruising have remained mere ever since
On our arrival, We found m port II. b. VI. ships
Casar, Diadem and NalorCus. Thc-e vessels re-
maibed here until tie 2lst OF March, hen they all
departed for Vera Cruz A rrr,or Of the riti6ca
tou Of the Nicaragasn treaty by the British Gov
erDment having reached the esrs Of the British
Naval Commander. he opiaed that the large force
concentrated at Sac Jusl could be dispensed with.
ard therefore dispatched them 10 Vera Cruz TO
keep On eye OF American movements there. A few
days subsequently,, tie British guc-bost Basll'.k
and schooner Kingston arrived, having orders to
remain here, and furnish protection to the people
Of Grey town IN the event Of any disturbance. Up
to date, however, the country wears a trao0ul APP
pearsbce, notwithstanding the games Of Intrigue
and diplomatic chicAnery xhch are being carried
on. The course Whieh the United Staies proposes
Ia pursue in the Central American question IS BET
ter known to your readers titan TO Us out here;
but. whatever me 3 be the policy determined np"n
BY our Govern men', it is 10 be hoped tnst it viii
not fail into any such bunders A. befure:
There Is much speculation here 10 regard to the
probability Of reopeuirg the transit. Vanderbilt
plays .hrewd game, aud has msnrged to check
mate all competitors: h,s money au inference
curjointIy haze crushed the sp.smodc attempts
latterly msde Ia gain toe privilege for any oth-r
line. Certain IT is to all that, if the Nicaragus
route is agsn in operation, it will be through the
Interference, directly or Indirectly Of Vanderbilt
himself
Your readers have undoubtedly Heard Of the
landing Of the French Compauy's Surveyors uuder
the immediate direction of Monsieur Belly who en-
joys quite an eny liable reputation 10 his own coun
try. | have taken much pains to famarze myself
With tie movements Of bis troupe. Some two
weeks since, the Monsieur ssceod-d the Sac juan
River in his little steamer called the Virgin, to
Lale Nicaragua, taking with hun small detach-
npDt of engineers and surveyors. On The 80 inst,
while thus employed on The Lake sudden tornado
struck bis frail vessel and instantly capszed 1t.
Several Of b S meu were drowned, but Monsieur
himself escaped By swimming. Tbs News WAS
brought down The river By a bungo. or native boat,
aud has Just arrived; of course allowance must BE-
made for the NIcaraguan want of verseity. The
remaining portion OF the surveying party have
been employ ed in the vicinity of Gre, town, opera
ting on the River san Juan, near its connecting
e.tusry with the River Colorado. Bat they have
been very unfortunate, tie ufsj"ry Of them having
been seized Nth the fever. AT midnight on the
llth ult., message came of t. our chip solcit'og
medical assistance. Our Assistant Surgeon Bur.
nett volunteered his services, aud though sick hum
self departed on his crrand of mercy. Bat be ar
rived too latt-Une was d corpse five mlLutes alter
bis arrival and all h. could do was To prescribe for
the living. few such episodes AS these will ma
terialy dampen the ardor Of the Saoguiue French.
men who oo not seen to possess the necessary
stamina for their hazardous enterprise. The ronte
has been survey ed before by an Engshman named
Bailey uhose survey is IN possession of the English
Beard Of IIy typography. JOHN l.. Stevens, IN his
work ON Central America. gives the main features
Of the survey in an appendix to his second volume
which Was contributed by Mr. Ba Icy himself.
have peruscd several articles, in relation to the
purpose OF constituting Greytown the Atlantic ter
minus Of the canal What ever induced those
gentlemen t. suppose it to be impossible, ams at
lors to conjecture. 1t has been said, very errone
oUry that formidable b,r is stretching across the
mouth of the ha Dor, in consequence OF auvi,l de-
poslts from the mountains, thus creating an imped
pleRt Ia navigation. To show how substantially
incorrect is this assertion, would state that there
are no auvial deposits at the mouth of the river.
The old chaDne is gradually closing up aud d uew
one is IL process of formations; aud it is strkingy
Noticeable, that in proportion as the old chsnnel
closes il, the new one expands and deepens. The
bar at the rivers mouth is composed of quick, or
shiiIlpg sands collected from the ordioary dctritds
of sliceOu- rocks, and, although but feS fest of
water on it at present, yet 1t steadily increases,
aud presume that when the rainy season fairly
sets m, there will be water enough GA
tbs bar to enable the st. Louis t. go.
over with safety. San Juan, 'or all practical pur-
poses, is as good seaport as il ever vas.
When We consider the yastness-oi this csus
er t.rprse and the crest benefit to b. derived from
uniting the waters Of the two great oceans for
the social ard commercial intercourse of toe
whole civilized world we capnet but heartily
With for its success. But wtea the obstacles
are considered which stand IN the way
such As the elevation of the lake above the level Of
the ocesn; the gradual rise AID degradation OF the
mountains toward the Pacific sud the peculiar eco.
Ssnrstion Of the cosst at the PaciGc terminus then
We cannot help feeling that the result is ee'y
probemstcal We mu.t also not forget thsex-
IRENE ilsalubrity of the atmosphere, tue eide Uic
diseases ard those fatal feyers which have already
decimDaied the ranks Of the new comers and tho
hostility Of the interior native Indians.
On the 4th Glt., tie Auericac, bark White Cloud
arrived % days from New York Her commander
reported having lighted reef about 20 miles from
Punts Auren,s, which was rot laid down upon any
chart in bis possession. on learning this, T.. b. NJ.
steamer Btsalsb steamed up ard proceeded to sea
to investigate the matter. After a weeks absence
she return ed, her officers ansthematI-icg, in 20
mild manner. al stupid Yankees 10 general aud the
captain Of the W hlte Cloud in particular She re-
ported having encountered. IN the reeio1-@here the
reef was Iuted to lie enormous schonl Of fish
ax.etdiug several miles from y. y. t. t. W. 5. W.
The captain of the Whit Cloud, however, Is dog
uafIea III bis assertion tsst be s.w -eef; but the
Bssalisk Thoroughly surveyed the region and dis.
covered Lotbing save ihe fish Possibly there
might have been reef there caused By sudden.
~. hes ssl ard almost as sudden sUJsldence, busit
| is barely probable.
The country is Gov very unhealthy. Fever q
| accomplishing its work. Our sSrgcons have 70
several instsures vsTy huuaneIy t,ndered their SET
vcss to the afflicted, by permissi.,a of Capt oEaen.
So lar the sar;tesy condition 81 the chip Is coz
cs5ted, We hays avery reason tc.be thankful. rsN
| SIX is augmeuaDe, ho~ever, and tolni- al1t