New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-05-21
NJ. DE LESSEPS SEES VISIONS.
A TALK WITH THE INDEFATIGABLE PRO
.JECTOR.


on the Ronleyard Haussmann. is n large hotel
The most conspicuous object in the court OF this
hotel is an immense map, showing the various ex-
plorations made in Africa by daring travellers OF
almost every nationality. The long list contains
the names of several famous Americans. Mounting
one of the broad stairways to the floor above one
finds himself in the headquarters of the Suez Canal
Company The genius loci. Ferdinand dc Lesscps,
is found at long table covered with green cloth.
He appears hale, sangune and merry, and only
when he rises and walks does he show his years.
He has Just returned from Egypt. and lis numerous
friends are continually running III to welcome him
back kissing him on both cheeks, saying word.
and then quickly retiring The walls of the presl-
dents room are decorated with large photograph,
taken in the Bots de Boulogne of NJ. dc Lesseps apd
seven of his children ali seated in sort of gig; an
oil painting representing scene in the region OF
the Suz Canal; large oil portrait OF Said Pacha,
the Khedive who gave NJ. dc Lesseps his conces-
sion; bust of Ismail Pacha nephew OF Said, under
whose reign the canal finished; and large
relief model of the Suez Canal itself.
l scrutinizc closely the wonderful person before
me- For who long ago passed his grand
clImateric NJ de Lesseps is a most remarkable
specimen of vitality. His eyes sparkle with humor
and intelligence while his husky voice, thin white
hair and stubhy white moustache his volubility.
his queer chuckling laugh, and that peculiar
" EhT1 with which he addresses one when he
makes good hit. easily recall his appearance not
many years ago in the United States.
The conversation naturally turned on this Amerl-
can trip. When went to your country" began
VI. de Lesseps rapidly 4" it was as the defender OF
the Monroe Doctrine not rs its detractor. In act.
know more about the real nature of this famous
manifesto than most of those Americans who pre-
tend TO see in my Panama project blow at the
Monroe Doctrine. / presided at its birth. was
young man Just taking my first lessons III di-
plomacy in the French Foreign Ollice. when Can
ming in 1923 as English Minister of Foreign Affairs,
determined to try TO stop the Holy Alliance from
checking the growth and development OF liberal
institutions on the Continent. You ere aware that
France. early in that year. was ready to invade
Spain for the purpose of overthrowing the revolu-
tionary Government. The next step might be the
subugation of tho Spanish American Republics,
whose independence had already been recognized
by the United States. Canning Therefore suggested
to Monroe that he protest against any such prob
able act and the President did so in his message of
December in the same year. Now. our Ambassador
IN London kept the French Government informed
in regard to Cannings policy, and copied the
various dispatches relating 90 this subject. So you
see | knew all about the Monroe Doctrine even
before John Quincy Adams formulated It"-and
NJ. de Lesseps INDUCED IN his charac erlstc
chuckle. - SO am defending the Monroe Doctrine
against your attacks on it," he continued, when l
take the position that your Government has no
right to interfere in the internal affairs of another
independent and legitmately constituted nation.
Why it is the violation of the cardinal principle OF
the Monroe Doctrine. At San Francisco | went
step further when | said When your city was
begun was mlddleagcd man so ought to know
more about the Monroe Doctrine than you do'
d" But speaking of the United States. l am
minded of the delightful meeting with many Of your
countryInen which enjoyed the other day at Cairo
nj the Washington's Birthday banquet. was not
down on the Regular list of tOasts. but was called
mp nevertheless, and though did not try to rival
the eloouence of the Americans who spoke-for IN
making money and in making speeches your people
are about equally successful-I may perhaps be
pardoncd IN repeating TO you the gist of my re-
marks Permit me to establish parallel between
OLD Egypt aud young America began. Egypt
which was first in giving to the world examples of
science and civilization is last to proclaim the prn-
ciple of liberty bowed down for thousands of years
under the most absolute desp0tlsm. The Land OF
Washington. whose emancipation dates from
scarcely a century. began by liberty, and has out
stripped in its prosperity all the other nations OF the
globe. ! then spoke of my concession from the
this act Egypt is the first nation to cOnseciate the
freedom of straits which she has asSmilated to the
freedom of the seas This freedom mas been Prac-
tised since the opening of the canal by all nations
they have respected it's neutrality in time OF peace
as well as IN time of war. Last year more than one
hundred thousand soldiers belonging TO all coun-
tries traversed the canal freely from to the
other without inconvenience to anybody. 1t will
be the same with the Panama Canal when it is
opened six years hence. Then universal peace and
fraternity will reign through easy and free relations
between all peoples
"The best way to understand what really mean
to do at Panama." continued VI. de Lesscps after u
pause " is TO see what ! have already accomplished
in that same line. For instance, the Suez Canal
which the world once considered the wild dream of
an enthusiast earned last year 6O,OOO,0OO francs,
that is to saw 6, 100000 tons of shipping passed
through the canal in 1881. 1t has been found that
every ten years the profits double. What "a bright
future alter such dark past! Another favOrte
idea of mine-and it is only Ideals to Join the
railroads of Russia with those of India by building
road through Asia. THIS would he a pacific
measure. as it would bring the two great European
Powers of Asia into closer relations; and it would
also have civiliZng influence on the intermediate
peoples sent my son and an English engineer to
study this project. and they found il feasible. Still
another dream of mine Is a great inland sea in the
Algerian Desert and NJ. de Lesseps began to draw
with his pen a rough diagram explanatory of the
scheme. L" 1 should begin at kabes. in Southeast
Tunis, on the Gulf of Kabes. dig in a westerly di-
rection. crossing the frontier into Southern Algeria
| should make a sea fourteen times larger than
Lake Geneva south of Bskra in the north and
washing the sands of the great Sahara on the south.
If my project were executed, it would be a better
protection for Algeria against predatory Arabs than
hundred armies. Ny is sometimes asso-
cated with the projected cana, in Greece But
have simply been consulted IN the matter. Here is