NAUTICAL ITEMS.

Patea Mail, 22 April 1882, Page 3

NAUTICAL ITEMS.

The Panama Canal.—-The November rains delayed the progress -of the works, and the accounts now received by mail do not give much- of interest as the result of the labors of that month. The steam sloop Nina, a fiat-bottomed lighter, and three barges have been launched at Colon. The third excavator and two steam windlasses.-have been, set up, and rails laid down - temporarily .■ on the newly-purchased; land : in connection with the railway at. Folks River. Similar preparatory work has been carried on at other stations, ami. Lesscps City/ has made: progress. New viilageshave been marked out at Gamboa arid Emperador ; the old village at the .forriier/pface will be submerged when the great artificial lake is formed. The San Fablo sounding has only gone 20ft deep as, yet; and has found a superficial layer of vegetable

soil, utider/which, is.a soft; argillaceous tufa. Opposite Gamboa hard rock has been met with at a depth of 10ft, and as its surface is sharply'inclined/ soundings are being riiade to ascertain its slope/ At the ! Cerro‘ ! Obisp6 -ri-vCry hard .black rock has been found at 20ft, which ' is 'believed to : be ddleritic. and hydrographical observations have been .carefully carried oil, but no remarkable phenomena have .pccqrred.,,. The fall of raiiijin the interior 'of - the '‘isthmus is not 1 so great as it is at Colon, and is still less at Panama. It is. so pposed that, tlie ,Gord i 1 lerss/ca tgh some of the rainrilari'ds'-'corili'ttgf froth the north, and cause them to discharge upon tlid Atlantic coast., , . The temperature during , the month of . November has varied within the following 'limits;—- ’ Colon, maxiirinth 31dog. smin. cent., minimum 2(ideg. 6miri.; Gamboa, maximum. 37deg. smin., minimnm % 2odeg.;; Island of Naos (Panama),; maximum 33deg, smin., minimum 22d eg^Engf ■ neering, V