The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-04-23
WESTERN AND EASTERN ROUTES TO
FARTHESr ASIA.

Some rather fanciful calculations have been
published with reference to shortened high
ways of oriental commerce. One journal
makes the mistake of concluding that the
shortest distances from New York or Phila-
delphia, by way of the Pacific railroad when
completed, to Yokohama and Shanghae, as
compared with the distances from London or
Paris. by way of the Isthmus of Suez to the
same places, would induce Western Europe
to prefer the American route for commercial
communication with China and Japan. This
conclusion strangely takes no account of the
space which has first to be traversed over the
Atlantic. Admit, as it is stated, that from
London to Shanghae, by way of Suez, the dis
lance is 10, 469 miles, while from Shanghae to
New York or Philadelphia, by way of San
Francisco, it is about $3.50 miles. 1t does not
follow, as further stated, that these figures
show difference in favor of the United States
railway transit, for trading purposes between
Western Europe and the farthest east, of more
than 2100 miles. Not only is this assumed
advantage destroyed by the Atlantic voyage
of upwards of 5000 miles, but the addition of
this voyage to the American route shows
difference of more than 1000 miles in favor of
the Suez route. These estimates refer only
to those points in the great area of Oriental
trade which are most remote from the western
extremity of Europe; and they take no ac-
count of the various projects, which
are now being pushed under the rival
auspices of England and Russia, for extend
ing the railway system of Europe into the
heart of Asia. The British Indian govern
ment, especially, is making extraordinary
efforts to promote chain of railways such
as would ultimately connect Calcutta with
the Mediterranean Sea. Meanwhile it has
not relinquished the scheme which, as long
ago as 1850, received the sanction of Lord
Palmerston, for a line from Belgrad to Con-
stantinople, and thence to Bussorah on the
Persian Gull, with a branch to Seleucia or
some other port of the Levant. That the
Mediterranean will at no distant day be
linked by railway to the Persian Gulf is be-
yond reasonable question. This will bring
back to the Euphrates valley, in three-fold
greatness and splendor perhaps, its ancient
and departed riches and glories. Nature
seems to have destined this valley to be the
chief highway of the east for countries bor-
dering on the Mediterranean. That this des-
tiny has suffered so long an interruption is
owing not to natural, but to social, political
and religious causes; and it will revive at the
touch of the reAux of that tide of civilization
which for so many years has been setting in
an opposite direction.
By glance at map of the two hemi-
spheres, it will be seen that the possibilities
OF combined water and railway communica-
ton between London and the regions border
ing on the Sea of China and the Indian
Ocean, by an eastward route, as compared
with like possibilities by a westward route,
are in favor of the former route to the extent
of not less than fifty per cent. in saving of
both time and distance.
But if there has been much exaggeration in
the views Of American writers who have sup
posed that the opening of railway transit
from New York to San Francisco would effect
permanent diversion of the Oriental trade of
Western Europe, via the Isthmus of Suez,
the magnitude of the trade, having its sources
in Japan, China, British India, Australia and
New Zealand, which would ultimately flow
over such transit to the Atlantic and Gulf
cities of the United States can scarcely be
exaggerated by the utmost stretch of either
computation or fancy. And this aspect of
the subject opens a very important field of