Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1877-05-24

The iS7M fRANeE.-France has
ceased to be the pivot Of European pol
tiles, and il is no longsr true that when
Paris is disturbed the. whole Continent
rocks. But The crisis which has been
suddenly brought on in French affairs
by what his friends call the 6rmnese
and his enemies the obstinacy Of the
Marshal-President is Of serious. ;mpor-
lance in so far as ii Is or is not likely TO
affect the maintenan oforder in France.
A revolutionary movement in France 1t
this moment would almost inc yitably
force Germany to put her army upon .
war footing. and no prophet need rise
from the dead to tell Us what that would
mean. The withdrawal of NJ. Jules
Simon will, of course. be Interpreted BY
the extrem e. Ultramontane party in aad
out of France as . victory gained by
them: aud if there were any real rea-
son to believe that the Marshal Presi-
dent is prepared to follow, the lead Of
such passionate orators as the Count de
Nun, who little more than. . fortnight
ago made q fierce attack upon the ST.
mon Ministry which. the Mioister Of the
Interior sksllfully and adroitly turned
aside, il might be difficult to see how
Frsnce could escape collision with her
redoubtable and watchful enemy across
the Rhine. But If the reappearance Of
the Duke de Broglie at the head of the
French Cabinet augurs little fog the vi
gor and good sense ofthe Marshal Pres
ident's new administration, il may at least
be taken as atolerably decisive proofthat
the Government will do its best to calm
the excitement which now reigns in
France over the dangerous questions
raised by few injudicious enthusiasts
who insist that the laws OF France are
made only to bind the State to It's du-
ties to the Church, and not at alto bind
the Church to its duties to ahe State.
II can hardly be supposed that the ma
jority of the French people are blind to
the perils in which their country would
inevitably and rapidly be involved By
the surrender Of her public policy 10 the
control Of men who have any other in
terest more at heart than the preserve
ton of the neutrality of France in oil
European questions whatever at this
time. The safety Of France and the
peace of Europe both would be Instant
ly compromised by any aggressive and
exciting policy on the part Of Frencl,
Ministry, and the most hopeful feature,
therefore, Of the situation which has
been created by the quarrel between NJ.
Jules Simon and the Marshal-President
is the retention by the latter of the
Duke Decazes at the head ofthe French
Foreign Office. The circular issued BY
the Duke on the 25th of April last to the
diplomatic representatives of the repub-
lie was as wise and conservative As such
document well could be; end so long
as its author finds it possible to retain
his portfolio in the French Cabinet there
will be ground to hope that the existing
complications in the Old World may not
be intensified aud put beyond all pre-
vision and control BY the breaking OF
the political dykes around Versailles
and Paris.-H. Y. WerId.
The SAnARA CAEAL.--An article in
the last number OF the Scientific .7mer-
lean, Land Below the, Level Of the
Ocean," treats OF thu scheme to con-
vert the Desert Of Sahara into an inland
sea by cutting canal to It from the
ocean. The article gives large figures
and suggests some marvellous results !:
at should be considered that this
large inland lake, If once established,
would have no fresh water supply by
rivers; but the sea water would GER
tainly rush in through the channel. TO
make up for the large evaporation.
which we may safely set down n I 900
pounds Of water per year for every
square foot. This would lower the
level twenty feet per year. which is
one-quarser Of the whole quantity ofthe
lake. This, for q surface Of LOO. 600
square miles. or 100. OO0. 000. 600 900
square feet, gives 2, 0O0. 00O, 0o0. 900 600
cubic feet Of water to be replaced an
-nually from the ocean. or nearly $780,
900, 900. 900 cubic feet per day, OF 49,
600. 00o, 900 cubic feet PER hour. q ~
l66. 666. 666 cubic feet per minute. or
6s.&44.444 cubic feet or 90, Oo0. 600
gallons per second. As the German
Rhine carries only l,O0O. 600 gallons Of
water per second, on an average, the
channel bringing the supply 10 the De-
sert Of Sahara from the ocean would
have to carry as much water - 10 CIR
ried by 525 Eivess like the Rhines and
fron The salt water oaly pure water
woald be evaporated. lcSsisg Tie sait
behind. As this amosnts 30 4 pee
cents q one-twentv~6fth II the 80
water. md n nearly 10 feet. jeeas