The Hawaiian gazette., 1879-06-25
An Important Work

The newspapers by the late steamer from
the East bring the intelligence that the Inter-
national Congress of representatives from
England, France and America, have finally
determined upon the route and location of the
| projected canal across the Isthmus of Darien,
to connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
The Congress met at Paris, and among the
representatives, was the celebrated French
Engineer, NJ. Lessepes, the man who carried
to completion the Suez Ship Canal, that has
revolutioned the commerce of the East and we
may say of the world.
The completion of the ship canal across the
1sthmus of Darien will have the effect of
shortening the route between Europe and the
western coast range so much that the COM
merce of the world will pass through that
canal in preference to taking the roundabout
and perilOus route via Cape Horn. This pro-
ject of constructing ship canal across the
Isthmus of Darien has occupied the thoughts
OF the best minds in Europe and America for
many years, and now that it has been made
the subject of discussion by an International
Congress, and the route has been definitely
determined upon by that Congress. the next
step is to procure the means to commence and
complete this important project.
The cost of constructing the canal has been
matter of prime Importance as the great
factor and motive power to complete this
great work. The estimates of the compara-
tive cost of the several routes proposed for
the ship canal across the isthmus are as fol-
lows:
The subcommittee on the cost of the work
reported 10 the Congress that the Tehuantepec
project would cost E46,OOO,OOO without in
Guiding the cost of terminal ports; the Mica
ragua f2s, 500, 600; the Panama $4,000, 900.
exclusive of indemnity to the railway COM
pany; the San Bias ESP 200, 900, and the
Atrato Nipipi route s44.OOO 600. The Panama
route is the one determined on by the Con-
gress as the most practicable of all the rest,
and the estimated cost is set down at $685.
100000. The Committee of Ways and Means
OF the Darien Canal Company, at Paris on the
27th of May, reported to the Congress a tran
sit duty OF 10 francs per ton, at which rate it
is estimated that the gross receipts of the
canal will reach f3,6OO,OOO per annum. The
committee is opposed to Government aid to
the enterprise. The Commercial Committee
of the Congress considers the transit duty too
high.
In the year 1870 Captains Selfredge and
Lull made the survey of the isthmus, and we
believe Capt. Selfredge made second survey
in 1871 under the directions of the United
States Navy Department Reports of the
work under the above officers were made but
we are not aware whether any farther steps
were taken by the United States, up to the
meeting of the International Congress at Paris
during the past month. The question now
arises, where is the money to come from to
build this stupendous work which, according
to the United States naval officers above
named will be 100000, OOo? We are inclined
to think that this latter sum is the correct
estimate, and indeed it may exceed that. The
Americans have generally favored the Pana-
ma route next to that of Nicaragua. In 1850
when the Nicaragua route was the favorite
with the people of the United States, as well
as OF England and France, treaty was en-
tered into between Great Britain and the
United States, giving an international guar
antee OF the project. Both nations then agreed
to protect the property of any company who
would undertake the construction of the canal
from unjust detention, confscation. seizure o,
any violence whatever" and agreed that il
case Of war vessels should be exempt from
blockade or capture within reasonable dis
lance of the entrance of the canal on both
oceans. The Panama Canal will pass through