The New York herald., 1879-12-10
Light on the Interoceanic Canal.

ance of Saint Paul is in the discourse to
the Corinthians where it is averred that
though one may have all faith so that he can
remove mountains yet without charity he
is nothing. This passage well might have
served Admiral Ammen for text to the ad-
dress to the American Geographical Society
last evening, in which he reviewed the faris
Congress that was convened IN May 10 piah
how mountains should be removed 1or u
passage between the Atlantic ana racine
oceans, and predicted that it must result IN
nothing because selfshness controlled its
proceedings instead of sincere search Tor
scientific truth and an impartial WISH
to benefit mankind. Without any flour
ishes this address expands in very
blunt language, Of which we report
the principal passages, all the charges
against the integrity OF that Con-
press that the Admiral intimated some
time ago in his report to the Secretary of
State after representing our government
in it's sessions Reiterated before such an
assembly, particularly in view of the speedy
arrival of the Vicomte de Lesseps on this
continent, for which he has already sailed,
they must arrest public attention in both
hemispheres. II is no light reproach against
Europe-this repeated accusation of the
official delegate of the United States gov
ernment-that a congress invited to con-
slider, in the most polite capital of the Old
World, the noblest practical scientific and
commercial question of our age. was pre-
arranged by stock jobbers and manipulated
solely in the interest of their pecuniary
speculations. Admiral Ammen's charges
mean precisely this, and they IRE preferred
with the honest indignation Of q sailor,
even if not with the polished rhetoric of q
saint.
The partisans of the Panama project for
an interoceanic canal. who were so success
full in their management of the Paris Con-
gress, have made some sport since of Ad-
miral Ammen because he was unable to
take an active part in its oral debates by
reason of his lack Of fuency in French.
His pungent remarks last evening concern
ing NJ. de Lesseps' expectation of carrying
the work through pAmericaine" certainly
prove that he possesses a nice comprehen-
sion of the language even if he does
not speak it. In brief, his analysis Of
the Congress is substantially this:-
Certain adventures. having obtained
from the Republic of Colombia
on terms that insured them gift of one
tenth of the capital stock, whatever it might
be-ten million dollars if one hundred
millions, twenty if two hundred-induced
the cooperation OF M. de Lesseps by some
means not indicated, and with his aid con-
voked this Congress, in which they them
solves named q majority Of the members.
One-half of oil were Frenchmen, although
the commercial interest 6f France in any
American interoceanic canal was acknowl-
edged by them to be only third of that of
Great Britain and one-sixth Of that of the
United States No less than fourteen ofthese
were employees Of M. de Lesseps on the
Suez Canal, and thirty-four were associates
of the Geographical Society of Paris, a body
which the Admiral plainly implies was un-
der the control of the conspirators. Imme-
diately upon the organization of the Con-
gress NJ. de Lesseps informed it that the
sooner it should carry through drAmfri-
caine-with o rush-the work that was cut
out for it the better for the convenience
of members who were anxious to go
home, and accordingly, with indecorous
haste, in execution Of the preconcerted
programme, vote, from which the
most intelligent and impartial delegates
cd
declaring that ship canal between the At
lantic and Pacific oceans is practicable
at tide level and should be located on the
Panama route. Forthwith subscription
papers were opened for the capital stock,
with one-tenth of which the Adventures
were to reward themselves, but at this
point the plot has failed. By reason of the
intelligence of the people of the United
States scarcely dollar has been obtained
here, and some kind angels infu ence has
guarded the peasants of France from spolia-
ton of their hard earnings. These are hard
words, and as they come from so re-
sponsible a source as Admiral Ammen
the Vicomte de Lesseps scarcely can
rest patient under them with honor
They are especially hard when we re-
member recent vigorous proceedings in
French tribunals against stock jobbing en-
terprises in which Americans have been
concerned. We believe that the Vicomte
de Lesseps does not labor under the dis
ability in respect to oral command of our
language with which Admiral Ammen has
been satirized in respect to his, and there
fore we are confident that he will stand
on the impartial platform Of the American
Geographical Society before many weeks
have passed to answer them.
Meanwhile, quitting this part of the
Admiral's address with the remark that he
is correct in assuming that the American
people generally believe with him that the