New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-06-25
ANGLO-AMERICAN TOPICS.
n,.,xrp r,,v SHIP CANALS.

AND TOM HUGHES.
--sou tbs REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE
' T..,,ox Jrne 1s.-Mr. Cyrus w. Field leaves
raodon to-day for New-York after visit OF less
~ a FORTNIGHT. The International Telegraph
cofrs,ce is still in the midst Of IT'S labors, with
,cct of continuing them for four or five weeks
J-bere was a time when Mr.. Field was supposed 10
foe, an interest in telegraphs but that may nave
-, q mistake His present trip Is understood to
have been taken with other motives. hear that us
vovace in the Bothnia most uneomfor'aDle
one and little slower than is usual even Win
the Cunsrders. He reached Liverpool sunday morn
I'M, eleven DAYS out from New-York. His daughter,
Uho accompanied him. was so i'll that she was car
rird on a bed from the ship to the hotel Mr. fie!u
had written 10 Dean Stanley that he should he IN
Westminster Abbey on tins Sunday 10 hear nm
preach Ii appeared, inquiry, that there was no
train from Liverpool which reached London t'h
service was over 1t was now 10 O'Clock. "Can
Ihave special train 2" q1sred Mr.. Field. " Yes
SLOW soon p In twenty minutes" Mhen
shall reach London - "At o'clock" SO twenty
minutes later Mr. Field had caused his daughter
to be carried her bed to the STA
ton. which Is not far from the hotel, and
was in motion for London. The train kept
It's promise, and MI. Field. having first seen his
daughter established in her hotel found himself IN
Westminster Abbey Just as the Dean was begin
ming his at ernoon The story Is character
istic Of the man. dare say yOu have many such IN
America, but there are not many Englishmen who
would have spent all that trouble and energy and
money in order to keep an engagement to hear ser
mon.
II was in the usual course Of things that Mr.. Field
should give a large breakfast on the day
Of his departure. There much dis
tincfI'shed company. Mr.. Bright there.
rs he has often been before. he and Mr. Field being
old friends. Mr. Gladstone, whom one commonly
sees on such occasions. was unable 10 come. Oar
Minister Mr.. Welsh, sat on Mr. Fields right hand,
and not far of were Mr.. Childers, Mr.. Tom Hughes.
Governor Jewell Mr. Osborne, Air. T. B. Potter. Mr..
SCHUYLER. Sir John Hawkshaw, the great engineer;
Mr. : Morgan. the great banker Mr.. Weaver,
the Manager OF the Anglo-AmeTican Telegraph
Compauv and a large number of delegates TO the
Telerraphic Conference.
There were many shrewd, strong faces, belonging
70 men who may or may not be widely known, but
who have specialties and who are supreme IN their
own vocatiOns. The shrewdest and most pow
srfuI of all belonged TO NJ. Ferdinand
lie Les-cps-the one man whose name can
be set beside Mr.. Fields in the history
Of the great enterprises Of this century. NJ. de
Lessons is seventy-three years Of age, and one Of
the Youngest men now living. lie does not look
nav older than when 1 saw him at the opening OF
the Suez Canal IN 1869. He is just as erect IN hg-
ure and alert in manner his eve is as bright and
f1U and his conversation has all the old power and
yIvacitv which coaxed incredulous capitalists into
finding money for piercing the lsthmus He has
now A. you know, embarked on new undertaking,
and Is going 10 make ship canal from the Atlantic
to the Pacific by way of Panama. On this
he talks. as of old, with the utmost free
lom and with a confidence which knows no limits
de discusses il with as much zest and zeal ii he
were boy with the future all before HIM, and bis
iame and fortune yet to make In private and IN
suJic he is the same-enthusiast l was going to
Iav That IL a word with which the world associates
impractical ideas. but NJ. de Lesseps has proved
ihat he knows how to combine enthusiasm with
sonsummdte business talent.
NJ de Lesseps spoke last night at the Lord MAYORS
oint dinner to the Literary Congress aud the Tele-
rraph Conference. lie sure. he said. that the
emitting OF the Panama Canal would be finished IN
igDt wears. In September he viii invite subscrip-
lions for the capital ] don't observe that
ae said how much money he wanted
On that point be contented himself with
acleyer remark. Ii had been said there was some
BODY who had more Wit than NOitaire-it was every
body: and he would say there was somebody who
had more money than Rothscbild or Baring-It
was everybody In the telegraphc report Of the
Paris Congress which resolved on the Panama line
rs the best line for the canal the estimated cost
WAS nut al SsO,OOO,OOO. But 1 am told that the
reports thus published are incomplete and IN some
RESPECTS, misleading. This original estimate had 10
undergo revision. It was pointed out TO the pro-
iectors of the scheme that they bad made an lnsuf-
GcieDt provision for carrying of the water-eourses
which must be diverted from their natural beds by
the cutting Of the canal The plan Is 10
dram away the overflow by tunnel, but calcu-
lations were gone into which showed that the
draI9sge 10 be provided for largely exceeded the
capacifv OF the proposed tunnel. / am not quoting
NJ de Lessons on this point, but very eminent
pDOineer who was present during part of the Paris
Conference and who put his finger on this blot
An enlargement of the tunnel and the estimated
ct Of the canal was the natural result of bis criti
eisn. The official figures VIII presently be pub
Ished and viii speak FOR them selves. Meantime
would rather not say 10 what amount the original
figures are believed 20 have risen; or to what
amount they Will have risen before the gigantic
work is completed. BE II more or less. have not
doubt that NJ. de Lesseps, if he lives.
viii find the money. Not finding canals
and teeeraphs enough to occupy his time,
d. de Lesseps visited the Literary Congress
yesterday. AS his presence was known,
that body elected him president for the day by acca
nation He thereupOn made a speech, disclaimiDg
eli title 10 be considered a literary man, and
promptly introducing the Panama Canal to the at
fentou Of the Congress. BE lie literary man or not,
heartily wish that NJ. de Lesseps could be induced
% take up the copyright question. He would lind a
solution for il which would satisfy authors, pub
FISHERS trausatOrs and readers. Closing this letter
aday later. / may add that this septuagenarian
voutb devoted long afternoon in the City to bust
hess. sat through a long dinner appeared about
midnight at Mrs. Milaiss party, having has hostess
Mrs Douglas Murray, on his arm and spent two or
three Lours in that brilliant company. AT this
morning | saw him Waiting alrily with young
lady VINO might have been bis granddaughter