The New York herald., 1869-05-03
TAE EUEZ CANAL.


AiLIA' CENTRE or TIE IsrnMus OF suEz,
April 10, 1869. J
Ihe NEW crxS HERALD must again assert Its su-
.tt all other journals, not only for enter
p'' ~at for the veracity Of the intelligence whr II
e furnishes TO It's thousands Of readers.
Until seven months ago very little Vas known in
America in Great Britain Of te great undertaking
now IN progress In Egypt which is known as the
"Suez Maritime Canal.n Your correspondent, then
In Egypt and just returned from Abyssinia through
instructions received from the HERALD office, Wis.
tied the great Suez Canal. He travelled along It's
whole route from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean,
and In a seven column letter to your paper gave a
full and detailed report OF its progress besides
complete history Of all the canals known to have
existed in Egypt from the time Of Pharoah-Necho
and Psammetichus TO the reign OF the present Vice.
roy OF Egypt. When the HERALD number which
contained that letter arrived Europe the British
and German press bestrred themselves, and sent
their specials also TO the Isthmus OF Suez. The
London Times, the great organ OF England, sent
two-Mr. J. b. McGregor, OF the celebrated Rob Roy
cause and t6at enterprlsng gentleman pen-trotter
1t has become notorious fact that the British
government does not look upon this French under
taking kindly ana, or course, II could not be e&-
pected that any journal OF England. especially one
processing 10 be an exponent OF governmental
views, would look upon 1t either with an unpreju-
diced and dspassionate eye, and neither could these
two special correspondents MIR. j. b. Macgregor
predicted that 1t would be failure from two rea-
sOnS-FrSt, because the canal was not wide enough;
second, because 1t was French company who had
charge OF Its construction. MIR. Bull Run Russell
(who is In Egypt now does not regard 1t as "pay-
ing concern;'' IN short have heard him pooh pooh
ing il dozen times-to the Duke Of Sutherland, to
his Royal Hlghness the Prince OF Wales and to every
one VINO was compassionate enough 10 listen To
hm-and after q short account OF what he saw OF 1t
near Suez, up the Nile Mr.. Bull Run Russell jour
neyed, pooh-poohlng as he went thoroughly salts;
fed in his own mind that the Suez Maritime Canal
was gigantic bubble u greater one and more am
bilious tnan the famous south sea bubble.
But l0 let your readers observe well the or
events. On the very morning that he arrived at
CAIRO, with the Prince OF Waes on his return from
up the Nile, q telegram was handed the Prince, from
the Viceroy Of Egypt containing the notable words,
'Ihe Suez canal IS success; the waters OF the
Mediterranean are now flowing into the Bitter
Lakes" We may imagine Mr.. Russes consterna-
tion from the facj that he ceased poOhpoohing I'M
mediaIey, and with virtuous determination pro-
ceeded from Cairo to lsmaiia to behold the de1acle
That was grandly howing into the Bitter Lakes.
You may shortly expect u change OF sentiments in
the Times, because Mr. Russell has seen with his
own eyes what he verify believed would ever remain
an impossoillty. This was main feature OF his
ob)ectons:-he could not comprehend how the Bit
ter Lakes could be hled nor TO say the TRUTH have
confess Ss hat he e9W gould be dune
hsy sns what As Would 81 e resa sad
why, assure you, Sir, the lsthmus will be lnun.
dated, and II not just that the silt 'eXcavatcd
VIII be all swept away ana the canal hlled up
great deal faster than 1t was dug out" Well the
locks haye been drawn up and the great body Of
wafer now moving into the huge bowl OF the hitherto
empty Bitter Lakes quite under the control Of the
French engineers ana there IS no fear entertained
by any unbeeymg EnglishInen or any other unbe-
iieving person that there will be any such caiam
tous catastrophe as mas Peea loretod by adderdeaf
men. --'' - ,"-Sa'- ~ :ss-,z .:T7@:1,
Besides Engishmen there were other people who
dreamed predicted failures. and chief
these was Hekekyan Bey, Egyptian author and
a historian. But, then, hekeKyan was educated
tered by Engllshmen Hekekyan Bey believes IN
them as If they were so many aAloms. In thls case,
his objection was quite the reverse. Ever
since your correspondence concerning the
sdez Canal appeared IN Egypt, hekekyan
10 prove that the Suel Canal was nothing but 'bg
humoug.n Aud the great fact which was tee-
Ryan Bey arduously ploddlng and toillng on a
literary work to prove tnat II the acD could never
be accomplished !. e. that the dry pasn OF the BIT
ble telegram wnIch astonshed Mr.. Bull Run Russell
totally upset the equanimity OF the historian and
modern AlIergan, Hekekyan Bey. God be praised.
II may also be stated that your correspondence
concerning the Sue1 Canal not only awakened the
British and German press TO the TACT that an I'M
portant work was progressing III Egypt successfully
past AL belef, but IL also admonished American
tourists that there was more 10 be seen in the neigh
Dorhood OF the Nile than temples, oDeiisks and pyra
mlds, and 1t IL lndisputabe that more Americans
visited Egypt this winter than ever known yet
and two-thirds Of these tourists had copies or
the suez Canal letter. which they used as their guide
across the sthmus, ana TO indicate to them the most
interesting point along the Maritime Canal will
now proceed to describe In detail what was lately
done, which have no doubt Win cause sensation
over Great Britain when the news reaches that
cOuntry.
Lake I1gpsah is supposed 10 be precisely half way
between Port SAID aud ouez. In ancient times it
was known as the Crocodile Lake. IL extends over
an area OF i've square miles, since the introduction
OF the waters OF tne Mediterranean into II py Mon
sieur Lesseps y Co., a new town mas sprung up on
its banks, which has been named alter the reignng
ViceToY, lsmall Pasha, lsmailia 1t has now popu-
latiOn vi 5000 people OF all classes. Last july when
your correspondent first visited the isthmus, this
lake was the then termination OF the working part
OF the Maritime Canal asked Monsieur Lesseps
then what time it would require to open the canal
throughout its whole length. he said:-"Allowing
three or four months as a margin TO guard against
any contingencies that may arse think may safely
say that by the LIST OF October, 1859, the Maritime
Canal VIII be opened for the commerce OF the word.r
AT that time there were forty five miles unopened-
1iteen OF which. however comprised the dry bed Of
the Bitter Lahes, wnere there was nothing TO exca-
yate.
The Bitter Lakes were fifteen miles from Lake
Tlmsah on the north and It's extreme southern end
was Just hfteen miles nom the rOadstead OF the SueZ.
SO an that remained to do TO unite the Red sea with
the Mediterranean was 10 open the ilrst fifteen miles
from Lake iinsah To the Bitter Lakes, and after per-
mittlng The waters OF the Mediterranean TO now into
the latter basin, already prepared for them by
nature there were lett but the fifteen miles from the
latter lake TO the Red sea.
Since last July "a. Lesseps has been diligently at
work, ana to-day witnessed the commencement OF the
ming oil the Bitter Lakes On the 27th ult. Ismai
pasha arrived at hls palace at Ismaila from Cairo
and to-day, attended by ms SUITE many OF the Con-
suls General and the most influential merchants OF
AeNandrla and cairo, as well as thousands OF Egyp-
tlans. he jourueyed TO Serapium a canal station
seven miles from the basin OF the Bitter Lakes where
the l0cA was situated. About noon when the Pasna
and his people were assembled, NJ Lesseps advancing
close 10 the engineers deputed TO open the gates
loudly said:-"ln tue name OF his Hignness Ismai
Pasha, Nlceroy OF Egypt command that the waters
OF Mediterranean let the Filter Lakes.