New-York tribune., 1868-12-26
TIE STEZ CANAL,

Almost simultaneously with the completion
OF the railway which is to connect the oppo-
site coasts Of the North American continent,
we shall probably have to record the triumph
of another great work of human ingenuity and
perseverance, which is to unite the Mcdltcrra-
mean and Indian seas. The project of cutting
ship canal through the hundred miles OF
sand which unite the continents of Africa ana
Asia is as old as the ago Of the Pharaohs, ana
nearly twenty five centuries ago channel was
finished from the Nile to the Gulf OF Snez, two
thirds of il, or about go miles, cut by the Ia
Dor of man. II was repeatedly chOkcd up with
the drifting sands of the desert, and repeatedly
reopened. AT last, over thousand years ago,
il was finally abandoned. The first Napoleon
designed q new canal, but was deferred 10y the
renort of his engineers who decided that the level
of the Mediterranean WAS 30 feet below the level
of the Red Sea. This proved 10 he an error,
for the two bodies of wafer have exactly
the same mean level; and when this
fact was asceItaiued, more than half the
diffciltirs in the way Of the undertaking dis
appeared. The cuttings have now been going
on under the direction OF that onterprlsing
French gentleman, NJ. dc LesSeps, for nearly
ten years. and one or perhaps two years more
will see the end of them His plan makes no
use of the Nile, except a. feeder, but the
canal runs in noaIly straight line across the
istmus, from Port Said on the Mediterranean
10 sucz MT the head Of the Gulf of the same
name. which sets mp from the Red Sea. At
each end an enormous polt has to be con
siructed running tie ono three and the other
five miles ont from land, in order t0 secure
permanent depth of water sufficient for large
ships and also al the Mediterranean end to
protect the canal flom the enormous deposits
of mud which arc continually carried down by
tho Milo and swept eastward along the shore
The canal is about 100 miles long and 100 yards
wide and when finished will be 90 feet deep.
Already 80 mhcs Of 1t have been cXcavated
To the full width and opened to the
sea. and forty enormous dredging machines
float on il, digging out the channel to the re-
qnrcd depth. The remaining 90 miles pIe y
various stages Of progress bit . hayigable
passage has been opened, Spd hOl long since
French war vessel ns<se1 through oil the way
to Madagascar. his was not the first ship,
however. thab Crossed the isthmus Of Suez.
Dnr'".g the Abyssiniau war British .gnnboats
took the same routo, and "a early indeed ;LS
August 1885. a vessel OF some sort,-probably OF
very light draught,-was also ioated through
The complete success of NJ Dc Lesseps scheme
gyoIyes no c,isy pfobleSis ..h4r"fore. thHn TING
and l5aty v(fy little time and u great deal
90 inGh6y. Tie into al expenditure now is
above Si2|00000 q year. and after the work is
finished the keeping il in order will he very
costly. Beside the difficulty of protecting tho
banks, exposed as they will be to driving winds
aud the wash of large steamers. there will be
another serious trouble IN the 800 tuns of sand
which IL is calculated will be dIifted into the
canal from the desert every day. These dh.
cultcs Ic by no means nsupcablc. nor eyru
seriously pcrpleAing; but they will prove cx-
QFnSlve.