The New York herald., 1869-11-29

structfOn Of a canal.h To DIT. thllenS preference
for this route all others we attach no parttcula
value; 1t was natural that he should defend an'
praise what we may not inappropra term Ill
own discovery. St, much attentio must be pait
TO bis language. Certainly nothing can be NOR
explicit than his words That his statements ar
s.mere assertions unaccompanied Dy notes or mea
surementsn we admit and regret with Admiral Fit
Roy ana Admiral Davis; but The fact does not prov
baIIuc,uatIon That ms report differs from the eX
perences OF Provost and Osborne arises from IN
fact winch we VIII hereafter show that both these
last named gentlemen did not follow the track ait
down by Dr.. Cullen, but diverged widely from II
The plan OF Dr. Cullen, as given in his ''Isthmus o
Darien Ship Cana,n Is clear, lucid and unmls
takeable II commenced from Port Escosce
and the Channel OF Sarssard, III Caledonia Bay
on the Atlantic SIDE. through the plain and IN,
depresslons OF the Cordlleras to the junction OF the
rivers savanna and Lara; down the savanna TO its
mouth IN the Gulf OF San Miguel on the Pacific
side He claims that no locks are necessary on this
route; no dams required; no artificial harbors, piers
and MISUNDERSTANDING but simple cut Tor a
distance OF twentveight miles, the remaining eleven
comprising The river savanna which great depth
and width. The greatest depth or cutting necessary
IS stated AT .l5J feet for scarcely two miles. No
dredging or depressing or rivers or other works,
Wonld be reQuIrsd. The canal could be made nayl-
gaDle for ships OF the greatest depth, and by thus
route the transit could be effected IN six hours" Dr.
Cullen estimated the cost or such canal-which he
projected thirty feet deep and 40 feet IN width az the
With regard to the narbors on both sides OF the
isthmus tnere IS but one opinion and that is un-
limited In their praise. ON Tue Atantlc Port
Escosces and the channel OF the Sarssard, in Gale
d0nla DaS, nave ian extent OF eleven miles of safe
Passing over TO the Pacific lind the Gulf OF san
Miguel INTO which flows the Boca Cnlca, one OF the
mouths oi the savanna. capable Of holding the ship
ping OF the word ana WeH protected from the dan
gers OF bad weather. Thus IL would appear that in
the matter OF harbors too much cannot be written
1aVOr OF this route.
EXPLORATIONS OF OSBORNE PROVOST AND OTHERS.
In HunDOldt's "AspeclS OF NatureO he refers
''almost with bitterness to the long delayed en-
ployment OF our means for Obtaining precise mea
surements OF the lsthmuseS In a letter addressed
TO Dr. Cullen, and dated June L. 1858, the great Ger.
2fnfr fnpfa
canal on the san Miguel route:--"The undertaking
is by no means aoove the intellectual and material
power which civilized nations have attained
The WORK should be 80 last ior ever; 1t should
not commence with a canal with locks, like the
magnificent Caledonlan canal: II must be a really
oceanic canal, without locks; free passage from
sea 10 across winch the speed or the navigation
Will be modified but not interrupted Dy The difference
In height and pon-colncldence OF the udes.n Hum
boldt also expressed the opinion that the ISlhmus
OF Darlen better adapted tue construction OF
canal ''than any other portion OF the entire neck"
of land
Airiau who paid much attention TO the subject,
declares hls belief that the san Mguel is the most
practicable route. He says that AT this point the
Cordneras descend great deal, and are really bur
"a range or hills or Isolated peaks the bases OF
which are lntersected oY ravlnes which point out
the engineer the true route OF the canal" And he
further saws though on mere rumour, thar "the
Indians III tue nelghbourhood Of Caledonia Bay make
use OF these passages.n Admiral Fitz Roy, too, an
authority entitled 10 the highest consideration, ey
pressed himself In the most emphatic terms In
approval OF a canal this part or the stnmus
Mr. Osborne, an English surveyor, maze
ploratlon OF the region, entering at Caledonia Bay
pushed through the country unull he reached the
summit OF the Cordilleras, when he returned and
abandoned the undertaking. In his report to the
Royal Geographical Socleiy he says that he ascer-
talned the summit Of the level to he 150 feet formed
by narrow range OF hills and gradually rising
plains al the foot OF each side. Further on he saws
that "there Is every reason to believe that more
detailed examination OF tins DIVISION OF waters VIII
result IN a considerably lower summit being found"
We have already sRetcned the roads followed by
Dampier, Wafer and other buccaneers in 1850, and
the course pursued by Lieutenant Mi!la OF the
spanish army, IN 1885, as well as regular eXplora-
tors. We now arrive at the expedition of com.
mander Provost OF the British Navy. Fhe interest
excited by the narrative OF DR.. Cullen Influenced the
British government 10 order a survey OF the 18TH
mus Accordingly on the lIth OF December, 1883,
the war vessel Nirago passed through the channel OF
Boca Chlca and anchored IN i've fathoms OF water in
the Savanna river. On the same day Commander
Provost, accompanied by Mr. William Kennsh the
well known civil engineer OF New York, proceeded
TO the village of Chaplsana, on the Tuyra river.
Here they remained until the 10th wnen the entire
exploring party started In boats ana went up the
savanna river TO the village OF Puerto del Principe a
distance OF twenty miles, and on the following day,
alter gong up two miles aud finding that the boats
could 20 no further, established permanent depot.
The next day they commenced the overland Jour
ney, travelling IN north-northeast direction
through dense forests, which so smut out the ligh
tnat OBJECTS ~ distance OF twenty YARDS
could hardly be seen. For ten days they travelled
over line iertiie, well watered plain, at no time
over NIFTY leet above the level OF the sea-" OI
December 30 they reached large river moving east
some 300 feet IN width, and not laid down IN any o
their maps. New Years day Mr. kennlsh and Ave
forded this stream, travelled three miles over
broken country, when they came up with another
river fowlng In the same direction through the
mountains. Through one OF the gaps IN the Cordll-
leras he caught glimpse OF the Atlantic ocean,
some SIX or seven miles distant in northeast dreu-
tIon The next day the party made an ascent OF the
mountain, at the bottom OF which river OF con-
Siderable magnitude was seen nowing north, from
which direction the conclusion was formed that II
emptied into me Atlantic. On January this river
was lost sight Of but another WAS discovered nowlng
northeast; 1t was traced for two miles over mag
nlfcent waterfall, ana 1t became evident that 1t
also ei into tue Atlantic the party started on their
return, the provisions beng nearly exhausted
At numerous points on tue route pursued ranchos
had been established at No. l0 Of which four men
had been Lett. on reaching this the place was found
deserted aud robbed, aad between raGehOs Nos. 8
and the dead bodies of three OF the were dis
covered; the body OF tue fourth man was not found.
They had all been evidently murdered Dy the abor
gnes, VINO regard with great jealousy every at
Tempt al exploring their country. The party
returned in SAFETY 10 the snip Vlrago In his offcial
report OF this survey Commander Provost says
although nHdng ourselves Ia the centre or the
Cordileras, and believe, within very few miles
OF the object oil my search, yet having already ex
ceeded the limits 0f our stay, 10 became my duty to
Join the snip without deley, stl feeling confident
that mad our time ana PROVISIONS allowed us we
should eventually have reached the Atlantic snores
and llat easily, by following one OF the several
rivers or streams, Whicl appear 10 exist IN this
range or hills forming certain passages to the sea-.
But the most noteworthy thing Is the statement
that WINE tue exploration demonstrated the exist
ence OF leVe ground ying between tile river savanna
and the nils on the Atlantic sde, the reports ana
maps OF Dr. Cullen and Mr. Osborne were OF very
little service the experience OF the party differing
materially irom tnese Now we can understand this
statement as applied 70 Dr. Cullen but IL seems in
explicable when applied to DIR. Osborne, whose
route Commander freyost's own map shows hlm TO
have substantially followed. Win regard to DR..
cullen, mere glance al the map Will show tnat
Provost did not follow his route. The former ira
yelied from the confluence or the Savanna and Lara
rivers in straight northeast direction; the latter
pushed UP the savanna above ITS confluence with the
1avlha, and pursued somewhat slnuous course in
northnortneast direction. Cullen's road led hin
10 the Atlantic, at Port Escosces, IN Caledonia Bay.
Had Provost been able 10 make the entire transit
the isthnus he would nave appeared on the shores
OF the Atlantic somewhere In the northeast vicinity
OF GienaJa de Putrlgundi or opposite Cayo Arenas
some miles northwest OF PORT Escosces Thus, II
cannot be SAID that Provost disputed Cuien's state
ment regarding the comparatively low ground be
tween the oceans even though We may feel inclined
(Which few persons do) 10 believe shat ms informa
tlou was derived from rumor and not from actual
experience.
About the time that Prevosts expedition returned
one sent by the United States started. It was com