ACROSS THE ISTHMUS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1739, 13 January 1888, Page 4

ACROSS THE ISTHMUS.

New Zealanders are especially interested m the great enterprises going on upon the Isthmus of Panama, the abject of which is to give a continuous waterway from the Old World to the New righ through the Isthmus of Panama, from Chagres (Baron Lessep's scheme), and from Greytown via the Nicaragua lake, and thence to the Pacific upon the plans of Mr Menocal, and known as tfie Nicaragua Canal. As regards the former, the Panama Canal, the information received for a long time past has been of the most contradictory nature. For example, we publish m anoth» column news by the last 'Frisco mail, which represents that 1 M. de Lesseps has informed the " Sun " . that tbe^feat is nearly half[finished, that it ts open at present, twenty kilometres on the Atlantic side, and five on the Pacific side, or twentyfirei* all out of seventy-four, and that fcweaty-four metres more will be completed by Juty next, leaving only ' twenty-five to be thereafter done. He gives it as his opinion thaft ships will be able to pass-Tight thiough m January, 189 1. On the oiier hand, we find it stated by " the Australasian and South American " of 9th December last, just to hand, that " it karns from various sources that work is practically suspended on the Isthmus* of Panama, j and that several of the contractors who cannot get their mqney from the canal company are said to be financially embarrassed. Several important judgments have been recorded against the company and several seizures and sales advertised?' This does not look like the realisation of M. d» Lesseps, anticipations it nrujt be confessed, and further details of what appears to be a very unsatisfcctory state of things are also giviw by the journal above quoted. " For iexample, it says :— " Bad whiskey smugged into the camps, the deadly climate dnd general recklessness with regard to human life, kill the laborers - off by hundreds, and it is becoming mare and more difficult to fill their places. Of 282 sturdy Liberians, brought from the home of deadly fevers on the west cost of Africa, thirty-six died within four months. The statement of M. Blanchert, m his recenf. %York on the Panama Canal, that the canal has already cost over 40,000 lives,, is believed by careful observers on the spot to be no exaggeration. The government of Jamaica ordered an investigation and sent Dr Gaylord to the Isthmus. It is expected that his findings will laad the Governor of Jamaica to issue a proclamation warning ijamaicans against going to the Isthmps." We also learn from the same sour«e that " Some t f the most successful Belgian engirieere, together with the , -.expert appointed by the government of the Republic of Colombia, have only recently made a report m which they dall attention to the almost insurmountable difficulties that will tend to prevent the consummation of the undertaking, no matter what amount ot money may be forthcoming m aid of the enterprise." It is, however, added that " there is a possibility of a proposition beieg made to the French Government to finish the canal as a government enterprise, and we should think that the French nation would, if appealed to, tajke up the matter from a sentiment of national pride, and carry it to completion. Failing that, it is to be hoped that M. de Lesseps will appeal to the United States which, with its huge annual surplus, could readily find the needful fa*3s, however large, and would, w.e imagine, be ready to do so, inasmuch as that country would then have the Canal under its exclusive control. In one way or other, we have Do doubt the great enterprise will be successfully accomplished, and, that, before another five years have passed away, thje Panama Canal will have become a great highway of commerce. Of the progress of the rival project [the Nicaragua Canal 1 , the following in- ■ (teresting particulars are supplied by the jotirftal f|3m which we have taken the abdve' ; give« information : — " The pro- -, jectors of the Nicaragua canal are pushing ahead with their preparations, and a surveying. party headed by Mr A. G. Mgnocal,.who drafted the original pfans . -for.; the. work, is already en toute to . ftiqaragua. They ejKpect to complete their work, including the hydrographic details, borings to determine the geological features, of the route, etc., by the beginning ol* April, 1888, when the proposed final location of the canal and revised estimates of the cost of construction wilF Ke submitted for the inspection and approval of a board composed of the most distinguised engineers of the worlci, including disinterested representatives of England, France, Germany, and the United States. After the route and plans for the 'construction ;of the canal have received the approval;- iff. this board of eminent engineer's,', the^. axial location will be finally determi^e^ and construction will be tommenfiert/^I/, as is now confidently expected, wan^ begins by July next, and no uoexpec^difficulties are encountered; the cdnjpetion of the canal within six years is looked forward to,"