COLOSSAL PROJECTS OF THE PRESENT TIME.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVI, Issue 113, 13 May 1881, Page 4

COLOSSAL PROJECTS OF THE PRESENT TIME.

It teems to be the object of the preeent age to set on foot gigantib enterprises and undertakings by which to increese and perfect tbe system cf the world's commerce to such an extent that coming generations will find but little to do in that direction. Among them must be counted the sub-marine; telegraphs, the successful piercing of the Alps for railroad purpcss, the great lines of steamships for transportation of passengers and freight, and above all the construction of the Suez canal, and last, but not least, tbe tremendous railroad network all over Amerioa as well ac over Europe. Since the unhappy fffrcts and consequences of tbe year 1873 hove gradually died away, innumerable plans and projects for gigantic measures to increase tbe facilities for the commercial intercourse of the world have made tbeir appearance, and roany of them have been partly executed already, while others; will soon be tsken in hand. Promi* nent among the latter are the construe- j tion of the Panama and Nicaragua Canals, and a project of Captain Eade, to biiild a railroad acrosß the Isthmus of Tehuan tepee, in Mexico, on wbich he proposes to carry ships of any and all sizes from ocean to ocean. In connection with these projects stands the con-; struotion of a complete railroad net all ! over Mexico by American capitalists, and the finishing of the Southern, Northern, . and Canedian Pacific Railroads. The laying of a sub-marine cable from San Francisco to Japan and China will be the logical sequence of the construction of all theae Pacific roads. As far as our own Americau navigation ard shipping if concerned, there is in contemplation a stock company, whose object is to build one hundred irou steamships for coast, river, and lake navigation ; the first seven of these steamships ere cow io process of construction. The mouth of the Mississippi is now passable to the largest vessels, &nd great projects are being planned for the general improvement of the hve 8 : of that river. A navigation company has len formed at New Orleans for tbe purpose of monopolising the total navigation of the Father of Rivers aod its tributaries. Western Europe is busy in the construction of steam transports in order to handle and move tbe tremendous American freight" and the constantly inoreasing 'emigration to the United States; Hamburg and Bremen are chiefly engaged in such enterprises. In Franoe the construction of canals aod railroads is pushed forward; it is the intention of that country to spend ond thousand millions of dollars in sucb improvements. In the East, Russia is energetically pushing the completion of its railroads towards the South and Asia. Austria intends to construct an important railroad from the Danube, through Servia and Bulgeria, towards Constantinople. The project of Lesseps to pierce the Isthmus of Corinth 6esms to have been pushed into the background through the Panama Canal project. In Asia, also, great railroad enterprises are planned and partly in construction. The Chinese, who only a short while ego destroyed and demolished a little railroad built by Europeans at Canton, because they regarded the locomotive as being built in the devil's workshops, have now concluded to construct a railroad aystem on their own responsibility, in order to connect all cbief cities of the interior of that vast Empire with Pekin. Undoubtedly tbe pigtails are driven to these enterprises by their fear of the Bussians, wbo are tearing piece after piece from the borders of the Celestial Empire, and wbo at the present time are preparing for a general attack. That' England, like Russia, entertains its plans and projeote for the construction oi railroads through Asia, towards India, is a well known fact. Wben England secured the possession of Cyprus, it was generally admitted to be proof of the fact that that coantry intended to build a railrcad in Asia Minor afe a point nearest and most convenient to the island, which should run along the River Euphrates towards the Gulfof Persia. Preliminaty surveys have already been mnde; but when this plan willbe executed the English Government seems to regard as a secret. As edtopared wilh England, the Russian plans and projects in Asia are simply tremendous. It is Russians intention not alone to connect the Caspian Sea with the Sea of Aral, but also to make the River Amur-Darj. navigable as far as Tashkend. Russia bas already a large number' of steam vessels on that river, which run into the very heart of Central Asia as far 83 the frontiers of China* and Afghanistan. Tbere is no doubt that Lesseps bas his. hand in all these Russian plans; be has^ travelled through the interior of Asia for tbis purpdffe.^ The construction of a railroad through the desettv along the Persian border toward the chief cities of the Turcoman and GepkTejpe and Merv must be regarded, as the beginning of tne Russian Central Railroad. It cannot be long before that roed will be poshed towards Herat in Afghanistan, and in tn easterly direction toward the frontier of China. Besting upon the beginning in the construction of his road, General Skobeloff iB now beeeiging Geok-Tepe, b fortified town of the Turcomans, and it will not be very far in the future when other Russian Generals will appear before Merv and Herat. Even for Africa great plsns end enterprises are intended. M. Lesseps must also be regarded as the first instigator of these plans. At first the idea was entertained at Paris to flood tbe Little Sahara Desert and make it part of the Mediterranean Sea. But the impossibility of successfully executing tbis plan soon became apparent ; and, even if it were - possible, it would have proved to be unprofitable. Tbe newest plan is the construction of a railroad through the Desert of Sahara toward Soudan and Central Africa. Several exploring parties left Algiers to locate tbe line of this road, by the aid of which the Frenoh hope to conquer the whole of north-east Africa. Thousands of millions of dollars are necessary to execute all these planß and project?, but everywhere enough capital m to fw£ w Nb. !? seeking (lasting-

and profitable investmeDt.-^-Chioegd liibune.