FRANCE IN THE FAR EAST.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2648, 2 October 1882, Page 3

FRANCE IN THE FAR EAST.

[From "St. James’* Budget,” July 2SthJ Events in Kjjypt have conveniently served to conceal French operations in the Bast; the truth being that these same operations menace our in tores:* in the Far Bast most seriously. The French have of late years been vastly extending their territories in the Ohina aea* • but not even the recent annexat on of Tot qcin, opening np to them, as it does, a great portion of the trade of the most fertile of the inland Chinese provinces as far north as Yunan and Sz’chnen, has attracted any considerable attention. And haring now attained the probable limit of their conquests, the French are busily putting the*e acquisitions to the utmost use. One enterprise about to be undertaken affects our interests to as enormous extent. The B>aw Canal is no new idea. The Ma'sy Peninsula, with the many small islands and sandbanks in the surrounding aeas, and !he frequent typhoons which sweep over its waters, bas greatly delayed oommnnication with our Chinese ports. The proposal, therefore, to obviate the necessity of traversing these dangerous sene, as well a* to shorten the route to China by nearly a week, vf.s obviously wall worth thinking of. Bat hitherto with ns the matter has never gone beyond talk. The site of t.ho proposed canal, though close to our territory, is yet so far av ay from ordinary trade routes, and so seldom vielted by any except wandering sportsmen and naturalise, that th« scheme never got beyond the speculative stage. Bat the French, their enterprise in Cochin Ohina being completed, have now set about the matter in earnest; and affairs are go far en train that an officer is already ou hi* way to Siam ta obtain a concession to carry out the work. Moreover, an expedition is about to leave France for the seat of operations, with an experienced naval officer at ila head, a man personally well acquainted with that part of the Malay Peninsula. It now appears, too, that a M. F.-anjpis Delonola has thoroughly surveyed the ground ; bis conclusions being that the natural features of the Isthmus of Ersw offer no great difficulties. On the contrary, the work would bo comparatively easy, as a few details of Hi« scheme will at once make evident.

The Isthmus of Kraw is situated halfway down the Malay Peninsula, as nearly as possible equidistant from Rangoon and Singapore. It adjoins British territory, being only separated by the Renong River from Maliwood, the southernmost point of the provmea of 'i'enaseerim. The territory itself, however, is from sea to sea entirely under Siamese rule. Existing maps are very bad, and give no just idea of either the Bias or the direction of the rivers. The Benong or PektoVian on the western side has for a good many years been regularly navigated by the British India and other local steamers, which go for block-tin from the Chinese worked mines of Rt-nocg. The river runs up fer about forly miles between Siamese and English territory, and there i* thus a natural highway as a beginning. On the other side nature provides another river, the Tayoung, which flows across the isthmus and nearly meets the Paktchan. Between, these two waterways lies a neck of land no more than seven or eight miles wide. The two rivers are, it is true, not at present navigable in their entire length, or indeed for any considerable distance ; but it iB known that the use of powerful dredger* would Boon render them capable of receiving vessels of the heaviest tonnage. As it is they da not lack breadth, varying from two and a half miles to Are or six hundred yards, and there is no lack of water even in the height of the dry season. The neck of land between the two rivers is composed principally of sandy treats, interjected by reins of eoft sandstone j and than the incline is veryslight, varying from 40ft to BStt. The Malay Peninsula is a land of mountains ; but at Kraw there is a sudden depression. By all this it will be seen that everything favor* the construction of the canal. The native* have long used the Kraw ronle for passing from coast to coast, and the journey takes no more than two and a half days. The whole isthmus does not exceed fifty miles in breadth, but at the point on the Renong River, where the canal will branch off dne oast to meet the River Tayoung, the breadth ic only thirty milts. The coast on the Bay of Bengal is low, covered with mangrove 3fTsir.pt, end cut up by la-go shallow lagoons ; but there are abundant bays and safe anchorages either on the coast itself or among the thousand islands of the Merged Archipelago where, farther north, the French fleet anchored under the lea of King’s Islsnd, once escaped the search ot onr turs during the wars of the beginning of the century. The estuary of the Piktohan is spacious, and navigable by the largest vessels; a Siamese lny there for monrhs during the Chinese Kongsee riots of 1874. The coast on the Gulf of Siam, on the opposite side, is low ; and the only estuary accessible to ships of heavy burden is that of the Tayoung. Here also there are many islets which would afford protection from the storms of these seas. The canal will run entirely through Siamese territory, and the consent of Kmg Somdetoh is necessary. This, however, that enlightened monarch is net likely to withhold The first twenty-two milee on the Renong River will require no excavation at all; 'but thence up to the fortieth mile, when the canal quits the bed of the river, the channel will have tabs deepened. The excavation of the eight miles of terra fitau between the two rivers may b* effected with inconsiderable labor ; for there will be no depth of catting except at what VI. Deionole calls the 00l de Kraw—an insignificant elevation. Dredgers will do the chief pp.rt r.f the work, and the total length to bo dredged and excavated is no more than thirty seven mi.rs, the entire canal from sea to EC*, exceeding over eighty miles. This rapid glance at the facts show* that the execution of the scheme will be easy compared with the labor in the sandy,flats of Suez or the rocky sod unhealthy Isthmus of Panama. M. Delcncls estimates that two years would sea the canal finished, and that the coat would not exceed £1 000,000. In no great time this sum would be recovered. The English trade slono is estimated, and not over estimated, at 1,500,000.' tons a year. A duty of about 4s to ba levied on every ton promises a return, in round figures, of £320 COO, yielded ns interest on s capital of £6 400.000, M. Deloncle hopes to commence in the approaching cold season, and to have the canal open in 1885. Tne suddenness with which Iho project ha* been unfolded, and the time chosen, indicate that the French are anxious to keep the ■ichemo in their own hards; and, indeed, the French proas hints that France should referve for herself the sole control. We are able from cur position in Tenosserim to dominate the wjstoru entrance ; but the interests oi our India and China trade invalvsd are so enormous that there is every reason why the Government of India should endeavor to bo asscc’atad in the undertaking. It is evident the canal must become a fact some day, ar.d the present First King of Siam is the V6ty man to iur-hcr the scheme. The •advantage to Ihe Calcutta face in opium and other onmmoditioa with Ch.ua would be inestimable ; while the Indian cotton manxia*tqrha at Madras and Bombay could not fail to bo greatly benefited—to jay nothing of the home trade in tea and manufactured goods with the Flowery Land, Singapore would doubtless suffer ; but the importance of that port since the opening of the Suez O.vnal has been steadily on the wane. The China mails passing overland to Calcutta or Madras would be delivered sooner by many days than ia new possible. The whole scheme is, to sty the Issst, of as great importance to us ao it possibly can be to France ; , end it would bo well ir the Government were i to give immediate attention to the matter-