The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-03-22
IFron, the French O6fciat Woniteu,..

| The NICARAGUA CANAL.-A transit contract. by
! the lsthmus OF Nicaragua has Just been signed by
M. ihome de Gamond, in the name of the Commit
| tee having the concession Of the Nicaragua Canal
ana Sir Rodney Croskey. The object of this tran
sit service is, while waiting for the completion of
the canal, to Immediately connect together the
lines OF steamers which powerful Anglo-A American
Company is about to establish on the two oceans.
under the name of Oceanic Packets Two of these
lines will cross the Atlantic; one starting from Hal
flax, and touching at New York, will run to Grey
| Iown; the other, leaving Southampton will unite
| Europe to Nicaragua. Two other lines will ira
! verse the Pacific, one running from Salinas Bay to
the English possessions of Vancouver, touching at
San francisco, and the other from Salinas Bay to
Australia by the Marquesas. These four lines have
been adopted, and will employ twelve steamers A
nith line is In contemplatiOn-from Salinas Bay to
Shanghae by the Sandwich Islands, having for OBJ
ect TO introduce Chinese emigrants to the Antilles
| by the transit OF Nicaragua. The Oceanic Compa-
| ny undertakes to make the passage from Southamp-
ton to Nicaragua in sirtecn days.
| SOUTHAMPTON Correspondence Of the Paris Preset
announced to you in my last the departure Of a
| nrst company OF engineers, of master workmen,
| and laborers of every description, for Nicaragua
under the conduct of NJ. Felix Belly.
| 1t was through mistake | told you that Prince
Camille de Pognac intrusted with the military
defence of the Nicaragua Canal There had been
at one time some thought of placing at the disposal
OF M. Belly some Indigenous troops to protect the
workmen, but the present state of Central America
which enjoys the profoundest peace and the effec
tive protection of England in that Quarter renders
all precautions of the Sort to saw the least useless
The mission of Prince Polignac is, therefore con-
hnea 10 preserving good order among the throng
OF aborers who are about to take part in the enter
| prise A second company will depart on March q
In connection with the new lines of steamers lust
| lnaugurated temporary railroad across the 18TH
mus VIII assure promptitude and facility to trans
portation 1t will be so constructed as to admit of
the movement of trains of two hundred tons bur-
den.
A Loss OF THREE THOUSAND LrvEs.-Near Tapan
rog, on the Sea of AZof, catastrophe occurred
about the beginning of February last, which in.
vowed loss OF life unparalleled except by memo.
rabe earthquakes or volcanic eruptions 1t appears
that some three thousand inhabitants of Taganrog
relying upon the promise of fair weather made by
the genial atmosphere and the cloudless sky, pro
ceeded to the AZof Sea to indulge in the sport of
fishing beneath the ice-a favorte passtime of that
| region The atmosphere continuing serene the
| party were lulled into a feeling of security and
Ventured further than usual upon the ice, in the
| hope OF obtaining good haul. Suddenly breeze
| sprung up from the east, which, growing bolster
| Gus by degrees, whirled the loose snow and fine
particles of ice in all directions and before long
| succeeded in detaching the ice from the shore 9
The large icefeld then broke into numerous pieces,
| which, with their terrified and helpless human
| freight, drifted towards the open sea. No assis-
tanee could be rendered the unhappy beings by
! their frantic relatives and friends on shore and
within two hours not sign of life was visible ON
| the surface of the On the following day
cake of ice drifted in shore upon which were five
| OF the eunfortunates-three OF them dead and the
| other two numb and insensible. The two latter-a
girl and an old man-were restored by means of
the usual appliances, the girl, however, survived
but few hours; the man recovered, but lost the
use of his tongue-a consequence, probably, of the
fright caused by the scene he had passed through
| He prepared written narrative of the occurren-
ces of that fearful night on the Azoff.
BY this catastrophe at least three thousand per-
sons found watery grave.
| The Boston Post publishes letter from ex-Presi
dent Pierce, dated Sorrento, Feb. IL, and address
ed b. NJ. Farley, Esq, of Hollis, N. H., in which
Mr.. Pierce says:-'I cannot speak with any GER
tanty as to the period of our return, but, whether
il be earlier or later, you may be quite that
SHALL under no possible circumstances, consent to the
use of my name in manner calculated to disturb
the tranquil pursuits which alone pertain to the
life of private citizen"
Two persons in Chicago are about completing a
a scow, twelve feet in width by thirty-fve in
length, to be propelled by an engine of the power
of twelve horses, with which they win leave Chica-
GO for Pixies Peak, by the Chicago river, down the
Illinois Canal and River to the Mississippi, down
that river to the Missouri and up the Missouri to
the mouth of the Platte up the Platte to the second
branch OF the same, up that stream passing St