The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-08-01

the Darien, but soon Spain attacked the set
tiers. Help, there was none; and, after 6
gallant but Intellectual resistance, the colonists
were defeated and the colony utterly de-
stroyed. Patterson became deranged by the
/ failure of his project and was one Of the few
survivors who gained their native shore.
= Before we proceed further to review In de-
tail the two schemes for constructing navi-
gable ship canals across the Isthnas, as well
as that proposed for connecting the two
oceans by way of the San Juan river and Lake
of Nicaragua first let us dispose of question
upon which there has been much dsquisi-
tion, namely, the relative level Of the two
oceans at the point near which it Is proposed
to effect the junction. Our authority is Col
Lloyd, who tells us that after 935 carefully
verified pairs of dwellings, in eighty-two miles
ne found that the mean height Of the Pacific,
al high Water, at Panama was 13 IS Feet above
the Atlantic at high water at La Bruia, near
Chagres. The time Of high water at Panama
and Chagres he found to be nearly the same
at 3h. 20m. at full and change.
The summary of the matter may, there
fore, be thus briefly given: Height of the
Pacific at nigh water. 1856 above the At
and above the Pacific, 65l feet; mean height
Tfle Atlantic and PacIIc.
The popular notion which had 50 long pre-
vailed that the Atlantic ocean was many feet
higher than the Pacific at the Isthmus Of
Panama, and that 1t would prevent the con-
verting the Isthmus into strait,
has been exploded. Capt. Totten has
decided, after a series OF careful tidal
observations taken at Panama and Aspinwall
Bay, and corrected by accurate levels along
the line Of railroad, that the mean height Of
the two oceans Is exactly the same; although
owing to the difference in the rise Of tide at
both places, there are, OF course, times when
one of the oceans Is higher or lower than the
other, but their height at half tide is now
proved to be precisely the same. This COM
pletely defeats Lloyd's version and proves
that his levels were not accurate, and his de-
ductions less 50. The Nicaragua route was
ably supported at the meeting of Lesseps
and his associate, but the majority, influenced
by the great engineers experience, decided
that the cut should be made near the Darien.
Lesseps, when told by one Of the congress
that the difficulties were insurmountable, re-
| piled with smile: "Laissez-moi faire; ce
nest que lc premier pas qui coute."
And when it was urged against the Chagres
route that the near settlers and dlaborers would
perish from the prevailing fevers, and that
the place was a sepuichre for Europeans, he
exclaimed "Nous dgoRs changer tout celia,
and doubtless when the canal is cut through
| it will materially drain the surrounding coun-
try. The iungles will be cleared away, and
/ ~ Toi
When the bonds of these two mighty oceans
are burst assunder, the waters Of the bolster
Gus Atlantic will merrily mingle with the
placid and peaceful Pacific, both finding at
once one level.
Oh, science, great civizer and demonstration
OF facts incontrovertible, how satisfactory are
I thy deductionsi
The various statements made by COL Lloyd
Com'r Maclean Evan Hopkins and other civil
engineers are SO much at variance as regards
the population, the physical appearance of
| the country, its healthiness and its unhealthi-
ness, that we are disposed to put aside all
that has been said and yield to Lesseps
views-upon these subjects at east-that the
canal is feasible, that the difficulties sci
ence can overcome, and treasure will do the
rest.
The Nicaragua Route.
We are disposed to lean toward the Mic
aragua scheme because it is two or three
hundred miles nearer to United States ports,
and we trust that an American congress will
be convened at no remote date, where the
merits of each of these routes may be consid-
cred from an American standpoint.
The commerce of this country will be yitaily
affected by the solution OF this great question
and it is high time that American tinanciers
and commercial representatives We're aroused
to a consideration Of their interests.
The scheme was to render the River sar
Juan. which flows into the Bocca-aeI Zorro OF
the Mosquito coast or Greytown, northwest
of the Isthmus, and south Of Cape Gracios g
Dios, navigable for large ships to the great
Lake of Nicaragua, body Of water 140 mile:
in length, forty In breadth and 128 feet above
the level Of the Pacific at low water. The