The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-08-25

bic than Touson against aggression from
the sea. The Arab town Of Bizsrta lies
near Cape Blaneo, the most northeriy
point Of the Africaa continent, and 10
within two miles OF ths course OF all ships
canal. The natural harbor. vhich 10
itself entered by narrow passage. Is
separated by a ridge of land from .
large and deep lake twenty miles
long and Ten broad. WAT the French en-
gineers have done, besides dredging and
otherwise improving the natural har5or
and its entrance. is 70 give access 70 this
interior lake by means Of \ canal. They
have thus converted what was once an en-
tireIy iandlocked basin into huge haven
OF refuge, which will afford safe anchorage
TO feet OF any size, and where feet
once anchored will be completely hidden
and ont Of the range Of the guns OF ships
lying outside the outer harbor. The works
will De entirely completed in the spring
OF 1896 and IL 10 expected that ships viii
be able 70 use the port in the beginning Of
next year.
In other words, France on grand scale
Is trying 20 do sn Tnnis what Seattle IL
trying 20 do in the matter Of harbor In
provement in Seattle France Is trying 10
develop the natural resources OF Tunis by
the opening Of q new port and By rail-
way now in course of construction. which,
when finished next spring. will connect
Bizerta with the North African line run
ming from oran to Tunis.
The creation OF this new seaport at
Bizerta Is nothing bat the execution of an
old idea, for Bizerts was a seaport under
the rule Of Carthage. The canal through
the Isthmus of Corinth, which was re-
Gently opened by the king of Greece, was
Lesseps. and IL vas q French company,
too. that began the work in 1889. although
bankruptcy came &c e and the enterprise
had TO be contaminated finally by Greek
capital. The Corinth canal is about four
miles long. with an average width OF 100
feet and minimum depth Of twenty-five
feet. II has cost about 81, 400, 000 to con-
struct. not counting the capital sunk by the
original French company. twill be OF es-
pecial advantage TO commerce between the
ports on the Airiatic sea and points in the
Grecian archipelago and Asiatic Turkey.
This Corinth canal has cost $l3. $50. 900.
The suez canal 10 chiefly used by Eng
lish vessels, and yet il has diverted trade
from English ports The commerce of
Asia thirty years ago passed around
Africa to London and Liverpool, and the
tea, coffee. silk. spices and wool, with all
else that makes up the trade of India,
China and Australia and the coasts be-
tween, was distributed from English ports
all over Europe aud the Mediterranean.
Since the Suez canal was opened this
traffic for Southern and Central Europe
passes direct from the Suez canal to Sa-
lonica and the Black sea. to Venice and
Trieste. to Marseilles and Barcelona. All
these cities have gained greatly in the past
twenty-five years. and as railroads are
built they gain more and more of q trade
that once filed the docks Of Liverpool and
London. The Corinth canal gives short
| cut for all the trade of Trieste and Venice
with the Levant and part of their Suez
| canal trade. As the canal draws twenty
sir feet II will admit nearly all sea-iaring
steamers with light coal bunkers.