The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1869-09-03

Inc ATLANTIC cnDle telis US tnat tuo oueh
canal was opended the day before yesterday.
This Is not true to the extent tho dispatch
indicates, but undoubtedly this grand work,
which ranks beside the Atlantic telegraph
and the Pacific railroad, made an important
step, which insures Its Anal success. b..
Tho design Of connecting the waters of the
Mediterranean with those Of the Red sea
aud Indian ocean by canal Is far older than
the Christian Era. At q historic period Just
this side Of the ages of fable Neoho began
and Darius completed canal by which the
Mediterranean and Red sea were connected
by means Of q canal between the latter sea
and the river Nile, portions of which arc
still visible amid the r sand y.ua or,gna.ca
with the FIRST Napoleon, who employed some
engineers to make preliminary explorations
of the route.
II was not, however, until 1859 that the
project took practical shape. In that year
NJ. dc Lesscps, a Ercnchman, started Joint
st ock company for the purpose Of uniting
the waters OF the Mediterranean and the Red
Sea, and after ten years delay succeeded In
obtaining Nrman from tho Pacha- of
Egypt giving him exclusive authority 10 ex-
ccute the work. Not, however, until 1859
did he secure the subscription Of sufficient
stock Gao, 00o, 000) deemed essential 70 its
successful Inauguration. The work was be
gun In the spring of 1859, and has, with
slight delays, been continuously prosecuted
since. According to the original design, the
canal, which extends from the town of suei
to the Gulf Of Potassium, is to be $50 feet wide
and 20 feet deep at the low water level Of the
Mediterranean.
The isthmus over which the canal passes
is about seyenty-eght miles broad, and has
an elevation of but from Eve to eight feet,
except at two ridges which cross the isthmus
with about thlrty-fve feet elevation. Fresh
water is obtained with difficulty, and with
the exception of the ncighborhood of some
bitter lakes and salt marshes, the whole re-
gion through which the canal passes Ia a
sandy, uninhabitable desert.
The canal as now constructed has neither
the width nor depth of the original design
The bitter lakes of the isthmus lie below tn
sea level, and as they constitute portion o
the line Of the canal, the fret thing to b
done Is to introduce into them by means o
the canal the waters Of the Mediterranean
and thus ill them to the level of that sea.
All that the dispatch Of "the completion
of the canal" means is that tho work Is 81
far finished as to allow the waters of tn,
Mediterranean to flow into these bitter lakes
which arc about twenty-five miles long, ant
cover large area. 1t is obvious that until
this area is filled with water, the canal Is nc
In a situation to be of the slightest advantag
to commerce. How long 1t will take to a
these vast depresslons is question abor
which engineers differ. The engineer
DtIotnUvI. ~ Is tnus mol
than probable that this year will sec Il
opening Of navigation between the Red an
Mediterranean seas. But even then, muc
more work will have to be done, both In Il
way of charging and improving, before
can be said with truth the sucz canal Is cor
pleted.