The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1878-04-05
On the Suez Canal.

The idea of a water communication
hotweeu the Red sea and the Mediter-
ronean is not of modern origin. The
f-.t attempt was made in the time of the
Pharaohs, and finally completed under
pselemy Philadelphus. During Cleo
nstra's reign this primitive canal had
become impossible; but again it was re-
stored under the Caliphs in the seven
tpeuth century. One hundred and fifty
years later it was purposely closed for
Military reasons; but about A. ID. 1000
twas again rendered navigable. Finally
the old canal was permanently aban-
doned, and the sand allowed to fill the
channel. The pioneer in more modern
times, to give attention to the project OF
q canal to unite the two seas, was
Napoleon. His engineer, NJ. Lepere,
went so far as to survey route, but the
enterprise received its death blow in the
withdrawal of the French from Egypt.
In 1876 an international commission was
amounted TO inquire into the feasibility
of constructing canal; but its labors
resulted in nothing. excepting to prove
that the difference OF level between
the two seas is but three inches.
Finally, ia 1855, the master mind OF NJ.
/ de Lssseps presented a plan for direct
route through the Bitter lakes, lakes
Timsah Ballah and Menzlleh. In 1856
+ the energetic Frenchman secured the
necessary permission, in spite of the po-
litical opposition of the English govern
ment, and in 1853 he opened the list for
subscribers to the capital. The actual
work wss commenced in the spring of
: 1853, and after various Nicissitudes, too
numerous to detail here, the great under
taking was brought TO a successful COM
pletion in 1869. Ga the 18th of NoveIn-
Der OF that year almost all nations, in
Guiding jealous, doubling England, took
part in the ceremony of declaring the
Suez canal open to the ships Of every
nationality. The entire cost OF the work
will aggregate ABOUT $85, 900, 600. OF
which amount Egypt has borne not less
than one-hslf Through a stress of
financial difficulties the Suez Canal
company was compelled to transfer its
title to the khedive, and he in turn has
but lately made the British government
the owner. And now the visionary
canal" at which Britannia scofed has
become Of such Importance to her inter
ests that the dame has almost deemed it
necessary to involve her people in a de-
structiye war The tariff for the passage
OF vessels is ten francs 1.-TWO dollars) per
passenger, and ten francs per ton, the
latter being rated on the registered ca
paciiy. A vessel sailing from England
through the canal to Bombay will save
nearly FIVE thousand miles over the route
around the Cape of Good Hope. The
length of the canal is just one hundred
miles, of which about one-third was
actually cut, and the lakes which COM
prise the remaining two-thirds were
dredged 10 secure the uniform depth.
The width of the canal where the banks
are low is 32S feet, and where the banks
are high, 100 feet. The width on the
bottom is y feet, and the depth % feet.
The slope of the bank near the water line
is one foot in FIVE, and on the bottom one
foot in every two. When about half way
between Ismailia and Port Said the little
steamer halted at spot called Kantarah
10 enable us 10 procure a meal. And
such meal it was Our eight passengers
were ushered into a rough, loB-ceiling
room, which had bar on one side and
bare table on the other. In the centre,
under a coal oil lamp, was a round table
filed with wine bottles, pipes, cigarettes,
sc, and surrounded by an as forbidding
set OF men as the imagination could
picture. They were far worse than any
group of % forty-niners in California.
The sinister-looking host and his vile set
the table and finally gave US the repast.
II consisted of coffee without milk, an
cmelet, and a leathery article dignifed
with the name of chop. The only salts
faction had from the latter was to feed a
gOod-Datured, hslf-starved dog. who dis
played an inclination to make friends.
The poor brute taxed his powers of mas
tication to the utmost to dispose Of that
chop, and wien it was finally accom-
plished he looked up with a Consciousness
OF at least one superiority over man.
During our meal the round table party
RECALLED us with several rollicking songs
of not the most refined character. Upon
calling for the bill the landlsdy an
nOuDced that the charge was four francs
each. We paid the demand and left, but
our fellow-t-avelers demuTred and re-
ceived a reduction of one franc per
( person. So indignant was the considerate
hostess that the exception should be
taken to her tariff that she called TO the
captain to upset the boat Correspsn-
dent Philadelphia Bulletin.