The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-10-26
ernas $500 per amman, d, adrance.


AT the meeting of the Corporation Of ~.
Istbmus Canal Company in New York rhn,.
day evening, Secretary Seward made soma tn
terestine remarks which will give clear ,ass
OF the purposes aud hopes OF the projectors Of
| the great enterprise:
=, he alluded to The canal of Pharaoh, across
| the lsthmnS ot Suez, AMI the desire Ter The
| restoration Oh that original and Loaf fa.s Ne
Ghannel OF trade between the Atlantic and
| fadlnc oceans. The explorations of tba
Aneflcan continenr, at the beginning of the
s'1teenth century, disclosed the uecess ties for
| o"iter channel across the continent ami tbss
| better Channel could be construc,ed across
tue lsthmus OF Darien, aud nowhere else. Ey-
cry ADVANCE OF modern civilization In Europe
and tue establishment of a new uatjon n,
America mas increased the al and energy OF
the friends OF progress iu favor OF h.. canal
across the isthmus Of DsrIen. Ch,ef of All
advantages to statesmen of the prese e day in
all countries Is that they can tase part 10 the
construction OF this canal. As Americans,
We are charged with the responsibility of con-
structing, in an American continent, high
order oi civilization. ..... ..
He proceeded to argue that this navigation
must be made Ss cheap, as frequent and as en-
peditious as possible. The navigation OF sail
ing vessels is coming 70 an eud, and commeroo
Is conhdiog the trust of navigation exclusively
to steam vesss Is. Commerce can no IOl2er al
ford To use ci cuitous aud perilous navigation
around The capes II must aud will hive
sborter channels OF communication, and Of
these there can be but two; one cross the
lsthmus OF Suez and the other across the 18th
mus of Daren. rhe canal across the Isthmus
OF Suez approaches complrt on. Ii that channel
Is is"nlaraed AID completely auap'ed 70 the in
tereis tfmodern co nmerc the comme.c even
ot tbe Atidnt,c coast will be turued eastward,
across the Atlantic, and through the Medlter-
ranean and Red Seas aud Indian ocean. to
India and ChIua.
1t would he reproach to American enter
prise aud craftsmanship to sup .ose that we are
mus to becom" tributaries to ancient and ef,te
Egypt, when by piercing the Isthmus of DIri.
en-, We can bri.g the trade Of even the Medi-
terranean and of the EuroOean Atlantic coast,
ihrough the channel OF our own, so pLlpsbly
Indicated oy nature that all tho world has 40
cepted 10 as feasible and necessary.
The DarieD ship canal is the only enterprise
IN the great work OF .vIlzItion which remains
to De undertaken. 70 suppos, We have hiIh-
erlo been Inactive or Idle in this important
matter, is a mistake. We have built n rail-
road across the Istnmus Of Panama and with
IN twelve months more, we shal, have site ch-
ed a railroad across the con inent from N
York to San Francisco. Toese are profitable
and useful only as spies and shadows Of the
Darien ship canal, which we all feel and know
must be transcendently profitable aud useful.
ln conclusion he demonstrated that the ex-
ecutve government of the United States has
adopted The enterprise, detailing the steps
"hich hau oeen; anu were Oelng taken for that
purpose, aud assured them that the president
will go forward VITA re- ea ed zeal and vigor,
on receiving the assurances which they gave
him that the city of New York has named
men who viii undertake thai achievement,
and stand ready to furnish the S100,Oo0,o0o
which it may be expected to cost. He closed
with an ack nowledgmeut Tor courtesies receiv-
ed, aud said that il he should be able 10 idan-
THY his name with theirs 10 the prosecution Of
tnls great enterprise, he should ieel more as
snred hereafter than ever her to. ore, that be
had not lived altogether in vain