THE PANAMA CANAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1783, 30 August 1888, Page 3

THE PANAMA CANAL.

A correspondent of the Southland Times, who takes an interest in the subject, writesln past years it has been the fashion for American writers and engineers to deride De Lesseps’ great Panama canal scheme. A change has come over our cousins in this matter, and Harper’s Weekly of a recent issue takes credit that a part of the great undertaking is being done by American contractors and American machinery. Englishmen, too, who hare been somewhat doubtful about it, orat best indifferent, now feel a much greater interest in the connection of two great oceans. The proprietors 'of the Illustrated London News commissioned their chief artist, Mr Melton Prior, to visit Panama, en route to the Melbourne Exhibition, and in the issue of the 16th June are his -first descriptive, sketches and illustrations of the gigantic work which there appears to be now no doubt at all will be completed at a comparatively early day, and at a uniform level from the Atlantic to the Pacific, notwithstanding that some of the hills through which the channel will be cut are over 500 feet high, and that the course of the river Chagres has to be altered and a new channel cut for it. Such an undertaking as thin is one of the marvels of the century, and could only be achieved by indomitable confidence and energy such as few others besides a Be Lesseps posses* The money recently raised by loan in Prance is said to be sufficient to complete the undertaking. De Lesseps hopes the canal will be open for navigation in 1890 or 1891; others estimate the time at 1893 ; but that it will be available for traffic between Europe and New Zealand within a reasonably short time is undoubted, and its effect on the future progress of this colony will be very great, bringing it, as it will, within a 28 or less days’ voyage of England.