, 1876-06-13


thing connected with staying in tho world.
Why should there not bo progress in the |
Of getting out Of it?
TILE GRAND CANAL DU M1D1.
Franco, not content with tho glory Of tho
sucz Cannl, ianow agitating tho question Of tho
" Grand Cana1 dn Midi" running from tie
ocean to tho Mediterranean. The project is
already so fur advanced TINT delegates from
tho Chamber of Commerce have been ap-
pointed to consider the project, estimates
hive been made, and tho Minister of Public
Works has mado several favorable reports
upon it. Tho general course of this water-
why will bo southeast from ttayro to Mar
aeilles The Seino River is nnvigablo for
$40 miles. From tho Yonne River, which iu
tho principal tributary Of the Seine on the
southeast, there Is already spall canal, the
Canal do Dourgogue, Which WINS cotn-
mcncod century ago, mud which con-
meets tho Yonno with the Saonc.
BY this river tho lido Of commerce
will DO cnrriod nearly duo Houth by Ly-
ons into tho Rhono, and on to the A1editer-
rauea1 at Alarseilles, Tho proposal of the
engineers is to widen and deepen tho chan
mel already provided so thnt it shall bo 300
fcot in width and 10 feet in depth through
out, md the Minister Of Public Works esti-
mates TINT tho whole cost Of providing Buch
a passage for vessels Of 200 tons burden
would only be about $s1.,5oo,ooo. Tho En-
glish, of course, nro deeply Interested in tho
construction Of tho canal, as it will savo
their szuall vessels bound for tho Mediterra-
moan from 300 to 900 miles, and, in fact, will
complement tho Suez Canal, being, with IT.
gard to England, tho missing link in the wa-
ter-wny to Inlia. Tho London Times, speak-
ing of the possibilities Of its construction,
Gays:
Though tho length Of line in the case Of tho pro.
posed Grand Canal u Midi IL So much greater. tho
width md depth suggested arc not 70 great, and
much Of the work IN Arcady done. The course ot
the Seine fur Ionne ID remarkably even. There
Is no stsung current ouch rs an engineer who pro-
posed to mike the Rhine channel Of communication
would hayc 10 provlde for. The Barra, ono Of the
Incidents ot tho great estuary ut 1iayre, s somo.
what similar to tho bore tho Severn. but this s
tnt Of auch character as to prevent tho profitable
navigation Of tie river from thu sea for mhny milcs
in14nl, md, were D way once clear betW cen tho
North OF Europe and tho Mediterranean. such M
vessels coul pass which ARC lndfsposcd or nnsntcl
10 tsnvcrse the stormy atu.s OF the lay Of n!scay
u tfdu Of commerce would 1c ret flowing which
would sweep away any remaining difficulties anl
exercise permanent Influence or tho history of
the world.
Tho last point Indicated" tho stormy
l}ay Of Discay "--s q very important one, as
its navigation il always dangerous, mud its
shores aro atrown with wrecks at all times in
the year. BY the construction Of this ship
canal all this dangerous navigation will he
avoided, and veasols bound for tie Meliter-
ranean will llavo nothing worso to encounter
than tho peril Of "tho raging canawl." The
originator OF thc Bchotno R!so writes to tue
Times, md, in addition to tho ofrecting OF a
safo and speedy passago from tho oconn to
tho Mediterranean, enumeratos other atlvau-
tages TINT will flow from it. 1Io c1nims tlnt
it will freq for ever tho South Of Franco from
nil inunda.ions; that it will receive above
lo,o0o, 900 tons Of shipping per annum; that
| it will enable the ownors to disposo Of M
average Of u, ,000, 900 cubic yards Of water
n year for irrigation or motive power,
md that "if the whole OF this wntor
woro used for tho wnuts of industry alone, it
would giyo in tho Wiley Of tho Garonno
four tilnea the power required for tic
cotton mills OF the whole world" Apart
FROM tho Immense advantages to be derived
from this great project, tho spectacle q!
France agitnting this colossal ByHtom Of in
ternnl Improvement, while tho other Euro,
pcan powers aro wrestling with tho question
Of wnr, is choorful onu. Franco is tho in
yentor Of tho system Of canalizing rivers, OF
at lenst was the flrat to adopt it. The Canal
do Languedoc, conuucting tho Atlantic with
tho Mediterranean, was developed by la1cuE
LIEU md completed iu the reign Of Lou1'
XIV, but oil her humorous canal hcho,ne:
Aave boon small Oh compared with tho Grant
Caual du Midi, which now socms likely to b.
completed, aud to make revolution in com
ncrco.
The United States Suprclne Court has mad