The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-12-25
THE DARIEs CANAL PROJECT.


supposed to have superior opportunities oil ac-
cess to the mysteries of Mr. Stewards diplo-
macy, credits the report that Mr.. Cushings
mission abroad has for its specific object to
obtain the cession of the right of way for the
Darien Ship Canal 1t is no secret that the
government, since the presidency of MIR. john
son, has been prepared to give active support
to some plan for solving the long poudered,
but heretofore perplexed and bafiied problem
of canaling through the narrow neck OF land
that separates the Atlantic from the Pacitic' so
as to shorten navigation from ocean to ocean
by the whole length of South America. The
idea is as old as the conquests OF Cortes and
Pzarro. 1t must have flashed upon Balboa
when he stood upon the western slope OF the
Darien ridge and chIistened the placid ex-
panse of water that met his gaze. To the |
,.frst that ever burst into that silent sea" the
thought of uniting it artihclally with the
vexed Atlantic, presented less obstacles than
subsequent investigation has revealed In |
this particular science has reversed its
usual order, and instead of conquering ap-
parent impossibilities has conceded the char
acter of impossibil1ties, for the time being at
least, to what were previously regarded as
superable difficulties. Many an enthusiast,
specula.ing in advance of his time, has
wrecked his fortune and his life upon the
dream of piercing the thin wall, SO that ships
bearing the riches Of India, of America and OF
Europe, argosies surprising all tabled splen-
doris. would sail between the discovered halves
of the Western World. More than a century
and half ago, a Scotch colony, bitterly de-
luded by this premature dream, almost en-
tirely persisted by pestilence and famine in
the sultry wilds of the Darien region.
Bat at length, there is reason to believe,
science, and capital, and enterprise are pre-
pared for a victorious solution of the problem.
, If the tendencies of commerce are, on the
one hand, to supersede with railroads In
terror channels of navigation, natural or
artificial, they are, on the other hand, to re-
duce the routes of ocean navigation to the
lowest attainable minimum of distance by
shortening river outlets and cutting through
isthmuses The operation OF these ten
denotes. increasing steadily in force, is the
strongest assurance of the construction, at no
very remote day, of the Darien ship canal
If Mr.. Seward should hasten this event by
securing the route of the canal against OBJ
struction or interruption by the petty govern
ments in its vicinity which are in a chronic
state of revolution, he will accomplish for
American commerce the most brilliant SER
vice which diplomacy has rendered 1T since
the purchase of Louisiana by Thomas Jeffer-
son. But let him not fancy that he has, in
any part of the foreign policy and interna-
tional dealings of the State department
under his administration, done any
thing to promote the comnercial
greatness Of the country comparable to the
master stroke of craftsmanship which &C
ouired the western expanse of the Missis-
sippi valley and extended the domain OF the
United States to the Pacific ocean. His
Alaska acquisition, whatever aspect it may
wear in the course of future eventualities, it
is now difficult even in diplomatic circles, re-
strained as they are by traditions of courtly
gravity, to contemplate with straight face or
without an explosion of laughter He must
do something else in the way of annexation,
and much further from the north pole, if he
would have his name enrolled among such an
nexationists as jefferson, who gave the conn
try Louisiana, and Polk, who gave it Cali
fornia And this project of securing the site OF
the Darien canal, for which he is said to have
commenced negotiations, is well calculated
, to suggest scheme of annexation which, II
successful, would render him worthy OF his
toric companionship with the above named
} statesmen.
> The development of this scheme would be
as meridional, bright and benefcent, as the
3 Alaska purchase is septentrional, bleak, misty
| and murky. The annexation of Cuba, OF
4 course, would be one Of its essential features
Indeed, American commerce, even with the
advantage of the Darien canal, can never be
: properly and comfortably at home in the
, Gulf of Mexican, the Caribbean sea, and the
portion of the Pacific ocean beyond, until 1
e shall have firm basis in the Antilles. TIT
= possibilities of commercial growth in th'
!, direction of these islands, and thence to thu
g Mexican and Central American coasts, and t
); both shores of South America, are vastl.
!; greater, in fact, than in the direction o
9 China and Japan across the mid Pacific
Look southwark and South Americaward
!. should be the motto of the commercial enter
}. prise of this country there lies more thai
the equivalent of India.
a 1t is to be hoped, then, that the reported
= delegation by Mr.. Seward of an envoy t
|. initiate negotiations for the purchase o
e Cuba, may prove not to be unfounded
E although the rumor that Mr.. Gushing wa
' selected for this mission may turn out t.
}, have been mistake-a mistake induced, per
= haps, by the state department itself in orde
!, to prevent premature publicity regarding
!. diplomatic projects looking TO importan
L annexations.