The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-12-10

another, they came to naught. In 1886
the United States senate passed a resolu.
ton in favor of building the canal and
Mr.. Biddle was deputed by President jack
son to examine all routes and negotiate for
a concession, Biddle went to the isthmus
but returned without having made an in
| spection.
For the next five years few attempts
at solving the problem resulted in moth
Ing more than keeping alive interest in
the project. Don Francisco Castellon OF
Nicaragua visited France and endeavored
to induce Louis Philippe to establish a
protectorate over his country and to take
up the question of an nteroceanic canal.
| Other interests interviewed and the embas-
sador was forced to solicit in other quar-
tiers. He hit upon Louis Napoleon Bona
parte, then prisoner at Ham. The prince
studied the subject. became impressed,
and. early in 1916, received from the Mica
raguan government the authority to organ
! ize a company in Europe to carry out the
! work under the title "Canale Napoleone de
Nicaragua"
Just at this juncture arose one OF those
circumstances upon which history hinges
| Louis Napoleon petitioned that he might
| be released from Imprisonment and al
lowed to go to Tuscany for few months
after which he promised to depart for
America to pursue the canal project 10
|
to do so, or only to use the freedom
sought to further his designs upon the
lettering throne of the Bourbons, is not
known. AT any rate he was denied and
the illustrious prisoner, who had written
in one of his letters, With the name |
bear, must have the light of the throne
or the obscurity of the dungeon was not
given the chance to try his prentice hand
as a farmer general of the finances of a
great canal. Had he really been sincere
in this profession. there might have hesn
Bourbon with pear-shaped head on
the throne of France today; there certainly
would have been no coup detat of the I'd
OF December; there most likely would
have been no Sedan; no German occupation
of Paris; no red commune; hardly the
glorious French republic of the present.
There might have been a Napoleonic
waterway across the isthmus and world
of civilized nations applaudins the name
that most of them had plenty cause to
dread.
| 1t was not to be, however. Louis
Philippe feared Louis Napoleon too mut h
Ia give him liberty. What was withheld
had to be taken. On the 25th of May fol-
lowing, the prisoner took French leave
Two years later the last Bourbon king
fled from Paris, the third Napoleon be-
came the first president OF a French re-
pubic In the succeeding December. Thres
years later the enstwhile prisoner of Ham
became Napoleon III. and the dazzling
second empire was erected on the ruins
OF monarchy that had served its time.
Hall, Napoleon Farewell, canal!
The English government hit upon these
times TO urge Its claims, based upon its
Mosquito protectorate, to control any pro-
posed lnteroceanic waterway In January.
ls9s, an expedition, under Captain Lock,
seized Granada, and did not retire till
the Nicaraguan government had signed the
Treaty of the Hundred Isles" by which
II undertook no longer to modest the Mos
quito territory or interfere with the oc-
cupation OF San Juan del Norte, renamed
Greytown, In honor of Governor Grey Tho
Nicaraguan government. however. acting
with the approval and support Of the
United States, that were anxious TO i'm
prove their communications with the Pa
cihc coast, had, meantime. entered into a
contract with firm for making canal
This concession lapsed but in lS4e,
contract was signed with Cornelius Van
derbilt and his associates for regular
transportation service across Nicaragua
from ocean TO ocean, The Selva- H!se con-
vention between the United States and
Nicaragua which, by the way. was quite
by the United States, was
agreed upon January 81. 1S4s, but never
submitted to congress The concession to
the United States. an instruction in the |