VICOMTE FERDINAND DE LESSEPS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 4, Issue 1008, 25 February 1882, Page 1 (Supplement)

VICOMTE FERDINAND DE LESSEPS.

Engineer of-: i; tiie '"Panama' Oceanic 1 We this tve&°prCsdnt' bur 'readers with a iportraiV'of-lhe illUstrlous^Frendhiriata'-'whq )Bjit 'present in'-pietcingthci Isthmus : .of'Baimma, find uniting'by means of -ti 'canal theAtlantio'yd'pamnC 'oceans. 1 'Although: 'approaching Mi'eightieth yearj -Ferdinanclde Lesaepshab'toigA'gedin this. Colossal 1 onto* ! priSff with to 'light' a = heart: abparently 1 sia if he were yet'in. the'ptf me bf life,' 1 The great' engineer' wtf born'At 'Versailles;! 1805, and bought hiiritfelf into notice by the 'ability he tliaplayed l 'tfhile'holding VariourcMular offices in Eiifope a'nd the East;-' '"His-fatne"' (het6 we qli'bte : fi'6in tlie Wiyof}tht'Tlmes) i f'rests 1 chiefly .b'rhis : schemb% pierce tlio' Isthrinis of Suez'by* means Of a' canal;' and in successfully' Carrying it out he .showed miich : lvlibii ! 'iui'Egy.pt'^n : a> :i "'"'' to■ ileheiiiet 1 Saiil, : th'at hebpened the project'to ' Said•• P.lßhai'tfho, 1 seeing 1 thfc : ad- ! Vantage :: tha't Hiignt be'ex- 1 n to n abol'ue' frofti 'its , 1 fx'edution, J ifiviiJe'd him- tb" dr&w a" .mMPrial" on the- : 4ubjbbti' ; ' J Thid [jwai'.'dolie • With fiill detail^, 1 iindqr'thb title of "Pere'omenFfle : rlsthme de Sue^pjipos^.et,// Documents JJ., ae eceived fi firm an " r saiibtiomrig, the''enterprise. ,in'• 1854,', dji'd' 1 if. l letfe, ; <jf , .by , tho'Vicerpy .in,' Jamlaryj 1856^' Eminent English, .'engineers' (and atheljiteG.Stepn* ' erisonj Questioned its' ( prac-. ' .< inability,' yfticli',' 'however,' i£ts eiiicebe'eu.clearly.,de* . noMtrateil..'.'Tljo', ,'wbrlis.' commenced aoon,aftcyr. the "cqiiijja'iiy' Was', qonatflut'eid|':p. /8,59,; large, sums... . aubsenufiiit lyexpetidet| Pasha'of|lgypt\. umber',of-ysliares ii the;; indprt'alcing,' ( . besides v';permilting M,' de, tesseps to,,' Employ ■ t This sohcnie was ati nrst : |avpred by pprtion., if tlie., commercial.' body, in... Engi^| ; |i(a'jfielief sq'pii,, ialned gro'nnd. j&at the ( pro': (l jeot lyv.aa Virtually,a, pqliticaj < bne','j'!and) I !in;' this.joirit, jifview.^t r '''receivM, 'nq, Iriqpuragera eijt,"! v frorn, the. ; ; Iritisti Government. ,'Qji, ■. lie death of tUe late . 'aslia of A! k ' ( 863i-.the question oLthe.sanction of the Ottowas. liiore: actively'd i Sciisaed, and jhe.'.rightiOf-itlio- Sultan to gmnt it formally 1 insisted .upon.The result was the withdrAwl if .the .permission to)the company to hold any portion.of! Egyptian/ territory-the supposed . oovertidesiga of the. project ;' and after much • i dispute .be.tweenMjdeLessepsaqd the' Egypt*. j ikn Government the claim for componsatTon to : the. qOiripanyiho .l'eprcsentediwas left'tb tlio arbitration • of ithe'Emperol' of the! French', . who,'imposed certain con'ditions 'on ; : boih' pal'; 1 , tieg,i'3ud< allowed, the: woiks'to'be bontiiined:'' A oanalj; with-sufficient water to' admit Of the : jiassage.of' steamboats was oponed off the 15 th' August,! 1865.:u8y degrees, : owilig to the em-. : : ployment ; of- gigantic dredges : and 'a novel' rsyStem-'of- machines for'raising'arid'carrying' away the sand, the toed'ofi the : cariill \vas enlarged; iso that 'small ships and schooners : to pass through in' March', 18G7; lengthuthenvatersiof; the ; 'Mediterrauean :

! ; .'Chinese theatricals; . J »!:.> .■-'■By"RoiiiN , 'Gftoi)FeLLi)ff^ : 1 '■''' •• ' B9B® twenty ywi-rs since, it was, f # experiei\ce of '|iy||, Chinese manners and ous'tomsi.to f extent; Imaclo 'appge-fp.to speak-headlong into: China, •'apd' all iny, surrouiidmgs i became Celestial. 1 Since'.thin immigrants'from the flowery land. haVe'lrad to me an. unvfontcd interest., ..-A Jdtowiiig'uppn paper, ' onco so spicily lmeaningi. may represent . to . mo an *4<Sw JSpefiy. and idrai p atlc' ; ; my .willo>v'-pattoi , n platea appear each o' them astoi-jr 'j even: a fat mandarin ' 0 r • f e Pl a 1 o ten' 1 ,aslc'riotwith"t aniri'g'his stolid, pas-,. 's: onless fade—whetjier'' "h i loved and was merry, ■h ited ai(diwiSisail; flewii 1 ii to passions, wm stirred. bv feelings, of revenge, '](nlousty, V (I or ] 'despair,' li ie'-iOther. men£,From", '■\vfliat. was ..imparted to (ll he jf'mner Chinese, I^o,, 'I should: jmagifle. .jthe; <« me, party.'s.j.epnduct,; under tliVcuTumstee?,. been not a' lijitle remarkable, f ■ . . jTliejvaylcpinjnenced thisstudyandmymetliod $ study iwere;as follows •'■MA,' company .of : actors , : frfmi. !pekiii ; ;had. • taken j, "possession a-jMel;,.. bourne-: theatre; .andr thiljheiy for tiiree'iweeks,. diU;i,repair ; eye'ry night J ere t)ie,curlaiiirpse, and,, inlinfully sit out the per-,., foniiance, until .ihe.gas, ■ ; tulracd,half-w/iy dp,wji;j)y >. tlilj!. prompter,, j .warped •; me to .depart., During;) these y isita I jnadp spine. strange kw'someialtogether ioxpectcd sights, and;, learned not a little c.0.n.- ' celling which 1 had no ' idoa before,'.; o ; . Pur '"audience was,, neatly, ex-, 'clusively' of Chinamen,. Among these' ail. ranks, : of life were represented, aUi seeiniiig to be", greatly,", amused.' : "Jolin" .at' our' own' tlieatres,'■ is ever at a disadvantage,, but tMlr^n//o, l .he'looked on',, with' an attention 1 Which, was something ' moro 'thiin' mere puzzled per-; pjexity.. .The' dre^es. Used ?,upon ' the" stage were'gorgeous m,'th'e ex- y . tfemo, ',far .exceeding in- richness, anything ' ever attcihptedup,on;,the English'. boards mid the actors. iljeir. compatriots told me,,'!!'weUy.good,!^f.fiist.chop, V-so : that ' what was. witnessed 'gave'as, : gpod an idea;of, !tlie Celestial drama as,'if : .the : same had -been 'an spe'ciajly proyided for the' cVel^c^atidn, great,eiriperor himself,-!,,, E leamedj'."fqi-Jjej^inple, r , that; the stage "[Bottom, were niofe'.uian,parallelediaiifiong '' tb'e'" brethren of tkelmii and moon." With-

mm'gleS l 'w;ih > i those' ofl'the Md I 'S^'mthe' Bftttf 1 IJtilMj' il'7th ''August, \Vhibh' wilir* db\nihambt , jite i d : by at 1 Suez; and on lath Noveifiber i- tho ! danal Hvas' fownally at - Port Srtid aiiiid i) Series jof festivities participated in by the Empress iof •Crpwn Prince of P.riissi% Prj pee of Orange, the English amh&'iaprs 1 M Cpnstiantihople, and ; a' latge' riiinib'er .of' Engliah 'aiticV.' Coutluent'al' mtrchahts' and 1 ' jonrnalistT.!'' ! A , ' 1 pSsionltl'fleet, 1 (ioniposeddf'forty Vesselaj th'iri 1 jsot rout" for ■ Port ; Said 'in ;• the' direction - of : ■lamaila'. ini Ai 'daysaftdr 'tho 1 inaugural (tionj!- M.da 'Lesseps imamed .Mdllo. Autard.!deißraird, -ai.yery,young Creole.of (English' |erfraojiion, jijJij; j&leteuaryi, .187Qi; tlip.;. Pari?■ jSpciete.cle Empress's np^",prize. of j l(),000 ; fcanca, toj M.yde Les-r aeps,. ; wlio gave the inoney'as tioii; jto Ihe BoofetyV' proj joypedition f tc} ! ISquatdrial"- Africa. to'ltlie i'knk bf <iraud r ' Cro&9 ',of tUd Lsgioh of 1 Honori 19tli Nb^efnhk'^lß69'received

tho,cordon,. of fhe Italian .St, , Maurice,in December,. 18G9 ; ; and.was.nqmin-. aji6(lbyQueeti .Victoria an .honorary Knight... Grand Commander of tlie .Order of the Star of India; 19th I ,August, 'lß7o'. ' The' honorary ; Ifie'iidbm'of'thoCity of Lbhclon waapublicly . 'presented to hiin, 30th July, lS^O:'] In July; 1873,; ! the Paris Academy of Sbiene'es chose M. de'Lessepa a free f inember in the sace : of ; M< : tto.Yefneuil deceased. 1in1875 lie published i ■ Letters, journal,' et document pour servir i • l'histoiroidu canal de Suqz," '; For this work ; the Frenph-Acjide,my,awarded ,to ; hitn' ; t|io i 'lvlarcelin Gucrini.prize of. 5000 francoM, ~ ])e Leggepa is nqijv. devoting hip hardy;old,ag6 , 'to another gigantic, Wienie, which, if hp lives', to 'accomplish, will certainly doulile tlie'fame 'already won''for, hitn by' his 1 'Suez! Canal.'' This new'scheme is,.as'every one knows; tlie"' cutting of a 'canal''across' the Isthmus of Panama; to-■ connect''wiiih! Europe "'and' the • Atlantic coasts'the vast' and' rich; countries

: out scenery I discovered that scenes coiild be cxteiWpbrisetyalinost'ins'tantanebusly.' A'slip .of piper laid iippn the 'ground becaihe airim- ; iliassablo 1 Hvef! ; Two ; pocket' handkerchiefs: laVc fixed upon a tabic, and a bed is'improvised immediately." Bf-standing upon a chair and speaking over its back to a crowd ojf fourj liichisivo'pf- tfi'ef'prompter,- an- actor if supposed.»to iaddreas -aniarmyirom the •walls,pfia, bplcaguore.d city.p,One moment;' ithe chair, - - baize,, .is. a mossy,'.BiiuiJ aiiil,. aucjii, by.aid "of ,a strip' of, black ; calicoj ir| darkness;. .Onlhe ,iiight,of i^iy this article! of. "fumitiire.*su<j<sessiy.ely.stpod for, ( au , f applc tree,.a precipice,,' (iho.fbjti'css, a,tyi,'ant defied :lifs people, "ship .tossed by/tlib ,the

•temporary,resting .place of a dcpavted spirit ivisiting.the: :eavt% and the .stago whereon a /virtuous imaid toryant.'cnds her daya ; by •auicidal.hanging, .i. r:: ilt has .ofteuibeen .-my. lotitOi obaervo., how 'Euglislv stage, character, leaves marks,- upon itho, physiognomy.': [(Turpitude, for l example,- ; seetas specially-to; f affect tlio Eyebrows . ■ and blackness of sotfljs; generally manifested by 'an of: this predisposition among Celestials is still more remarkable, Villainy comes upon the

ibath'ed by tHe 'Pacific Q.cealc ''it'wpuld'iin-' d^'Wa 1 s'{)MM (^^^^ last' t|i6 dfeaitf wh'iplv has mol'e 'thtahfee 'centiihes { : ' arijf.'thifc j witF' out 1 the'letet doubt, id'wli'stt is'abtu'ally l h'6' done, for' liiiS'said'it, -That iwhiehiwas.tlie dream .olsYawof Nunez,!: Ballioa! atid: JGortea; seems destined to faun, fait ' aicmpti'. Jin the hands of;'tjie illustrious engineer who |eiie9ted,tho.piM!ifip conquest oj :i Suezi : i" After- ! making;» profound' study, of ,tfae spotaeieoted jfov the canal, and 'as«?^.j^uM^ l i(hfti,tho. , woi'k could be Lessep'a : hiniaelf; at ithe head of tile at. one? every difficulty;?eeins tb'haveyanisb?d, ,Gaii^a'|of ; laborers,, as we ; learn ' from''the publi o papers, have been e'neampfe'd foi J sevei'al : months on the track of the projected' roiitfe, jmder the 'direction of experienced- arid'able leaders. Much preliminary work-'has been pone; the -toilsome process of digging.has already begun, •p4sin : BXsy.ea»,-.we arenas-. pnred.it willbecoinpleted. j'SouthAmerica jivilli'then.bo an iramense island,' and vessels; ,wi.U.. paps',,in ,a, few, .hours between the. Atlantic Ocean, .and ; tlio PaoificV •