images of public domain material from   
the ,google ,print project47            
,transcriber's ,note3 ,every effort has 
been made to replicate this text as     
faithfully as possible1 including       
obsolete and variant spellings and other
 inconsistencies4 ,text that has been   
changed to correct an obvious error is  
noted at the end of this ebook4     ,a  
,,succinct ,,view  ,,of ,,the           
,,importance ,,and ,,practicability     
,,of ,,forming  ,a ,,ship ,,canal       
,,across ,,the  ,,isthmus ,,of ,,panama4
    ,by ,h4 ,r4 ,,hill4    ,,london3    
,,wm4 ,h4 ,,allen1  ,,co41  #g1         
,,leadenhall-,,street4    #ahde4    ,w4 
,,lewis ,,and ,,son1 ,,printers1 #ba1   
,,finch-,,lane1 ,,london4               
,,advertisement4   ,the following       
observations were thrown together as the
 result of communications with several  
gentlemen locally acquainted with the   
,isthmus of ,panama1 and who expressed  
to the writer their astonishment1 that  
amidst the numerous undertakings1 of    

more or less utility1 which science has 
realised in our time1 one so important  
to the whole commercial world1 so easy  
of accomplishment1 and so certain to be 
productive of ample remuneration to the 
undertakers1 as a ,ship ,canal through  
that ,isthmus1 had not been taken up4   
,the idle objection1 that if practicable
 it would not have been left unattempted
 for the last three hundred years1 they 
considered1 would have no weight in an  
age in which we have seen accomplished  
works that in our fathers' time1 nay1   
even within our own memory1 it would    
have been considered madness to         
propose1--witness steam-navigation and  
railways4 ,it is not twenty years since 
,dr4 ,lardner1 the author of a popular  
work on the steam-engine1 then supposed 
to be a most competent authority1       
declared in his lectures that the       
application of steam-navigation to the  
voyage across the ,atlantic was a mere  
chimera4 ,so it has been with railways4 
,would not any man who fifty1 or even   

twenty years ago1 had predicted that the
 journey from ,london to ,exeter would  
be accomplished in five hours1 have been
 deemed a fit tenant for ,bedlam8 ,to   
contend that because a great undertaking
 has remained unattempted for a long    
series of years1 therefore it is        
impracticable1 is to put a stop to all  
improvement4 ,at the suggestion of the  
friends before referred to1 the writer  
is induced to print the following pages1
 with the hope of drawing to the subject
 of which they treat the attention of   
the mercantile and shipping interests4  
,if they awaken an interest in the      
subject in those quarters1 they will not
 be thrown away1 and he is fully        
convinced that the more the subject is  
examined the stronger will be the       
conviction of the practicability of the 
undertaking4    #bc1 ,throgmorton       
,street1     ,february1 #ahde4     ,a   
,,succinct ,,view1 c4   ,from the first 
discovery of the ,american continent    
down to the present time1 a shorter     

passage from the ,north ,atlantic to the
 ,pacific ocean than the tedious and    
dangerous voyage round ,cape ,horn has  
been a desideratum in navigation4       
,during the dominion of old ,spain in   
the ,new ,world the colonial policy and 
principles of that jealous nation1 to   
which ,central ,america belonged1       
opposed insurmountable obstacles to any 
proposal for effecting this great       
object2 but the emancipation of the     
,spanish ,colonies1 and the erection of 
independent ,states in their stead1 has 
broken down the barrier which ,spanish  
jealousy had erected4 ,the rulers of    
these states are not devoid of          
discernment to perceive that the        
exclusion of ,european ,nations from the
 shores of the ,pacific would be        
productive of immense injury to         
themselves1 and that by making their own
 territory the high-road to the         
countries which are becoming important  
marts for the commerce of ,europe1 they 
are bringing wealth to their own doors1 

and increasing their own political      
importance4  ,in this1 as in most other 
cases1 individual and general benefit go
 hand in hand2 for it cannot be doubted 
that were such a communication between  
the two ,oceans made through ,central   
,america1 it would prove of incalculable
 utility to all nations engaged in      
maritime commerce1--and sooner or later 
it will unquestionably be opened4 ,this 
would be the shortest route from        
,europe1 ,north ,america1 and the       
western coast of ,africa to every part  
of the western coast of the ,new ,world1
 to ,australia1 ,new ,zealand1 the      
numerous islands of the ,pacific and the
 eastern coast of ,asia1#a as will be   
seen by a glance at the outline map of  
the world on ,mercator's projection     
annexed to this pamphlet4 ,the advantage
 of a ,canal of sufficient size to allow
 large vessels to proceed through the   
,isthmus is therefore obvious4  ,but by 
whom is this work to be undertaken8 the 
question is certainly not a ,british one

 alone1 although the ,british ,trade    
would derive immense benefit from its   
solution3 it is a question in which the 
whole commercial world is more or less  
interested4  ,there must be either a    
combination of governments formed to    
defray so much each of the expense1 or  
the work must be accomplished by a      
,joint ,stock ,company of individuals1  
who will indemnify themselves for their 
outlay by levying tolls upon those who  
avail themselves of the communication4  
,as to such a combination of            
governments1 the difficulty of procuring
 a sufficient grant of public money     
opposes a great obstacle to the         
realization of any such project4  ,to   
private enterprize chiefly then it must 
be committed2 yet it may reasonably be  
expected that such countenance and      
support as the governments of the       
principal maritime powers can give1 will
 be readily yielded to any association  
that will undertake the work4  ,there   
are several considerations which point  

out the present as the most auspicious  
moment for attaining the object in view4
 ,the profound peace with which ,europe 
and the whole civilized world is now    
blessed1 the abundance of capital in the
 money market1 the present low rate of  
interest1 and the difficulty of finding 
investments1 are all favorable to the   
raising of the necessary funds2 the     
immense strides which science has made  
in overcoming natural difficulties1 once
 deemed insuperable1 add to the means of
 accomplishment1 while the growing      
importance of ,british ,colonies in and 
about ,new ,zealand1 the inevitable     
impulse that recent events must give to 
the ,china trade1#b and the efforts of  
all maritime nations to make            
establishments in the ,polynesian       
,islands will render the ,canal a       
certain source of profit and honor to   
those who will aid in its formation4    
,several parts of the ,isthmus of       
,america have been proposed for the     
communication between the two seas1 such

 as the ,province of ,nicaragua1 the    
,isthmus of ,tehuantepec1 c42 but       
invincible obstacles occur in all those 
localities1 while on the contrary the   
,isthmus of ,panama is beyond doubt the 
most favorable point1 according to the  
opinion of all the scientific and       
practical men who have visited that part
 of the new world4#c ,we shall proceed1 
therefore1 to describe that ,isthmus as 
far as is necessary for the present     
purpose4  ,the ,isthmus of ,panama#d may
 be considered as extending from the    
,meridian of #gg to that of #ha ,w4 of  
,greenwich4 ,its breadth at the         
narrowest point1 opposite to the city of
 ,panama1 is about thirty miles4 ,the   
general feature of the ,isthmus on the  
map is that of an arc1 or bow1 the chord
 of which lies nearly east and west4 ,it
 now forms a province of the republic of
 ,new ,granada4  ,it may appear strange1
 yet it is now well known to be the     
fact1 that although the small width of  
the ,isthmus was ascertained soon after 

the discovery of ,america1 its natural  
features remained entirely unknown for  
three hundred years4 ,robertson1 in his 
,history of ,america1 states that the   
,isthmus is traversed in all its length 
by a range of high mountains1 and it was
 reserved for our scientific countryman1
 ,lloyd1 who surveyed the ,isthmus in   
#ahbh and #ahbi1 by direction of        
,bolivar1 then president of the         
,republic of ,colombia1 to dispel the   
illusion4 ,from his observations1       
confirmed by more recent travellers1 it 
is now ascertained that the chain of the
 ,andes terminates near ,porto ,bello to
 the east of the ,bay of ,limon1        
otherwise called ,navy ,bay1 and that   
the ,isthmus is1 in this part1          
throughout its whole width1 a flat      
country4 ,it was also long supposed that
 there was an enormous difference       
between the rise and fall of the tide in
 the ,pacific and ,atlantic ,oceans on  
either side of the ,isthmus1 and that   
the opening of a communication between  

the two seas would be productive of     
danger to a large portion of the        
,american continent4 ,it is now1        
however1 ascertained that the difference
 of altitude is very trifling1 not more 
than thirteen feet at high water4#e ,the
 prevalence of these errors may have    
tended1 in combination with ,spanish    
jealousy1 unhealthiness of climate on   
the ,atlantic side1 the denseness of the
 forests1 and the unsettled state of the
 ,government for some years after the   
,spanish yoke was shaken off1 to prevent
 the undertaking now proposed from being
 seriously considered4  ,panama is the  
principal city on the ,isthmus4 ,its    
site has been once changed4 ,when the   
,spaniards first visited the ,isthmus in
 #aeab1 the spot on which the old city  
was afterwards built1 was already       
occupied by an ,indian population1      
attracted by the abundance of fish on   
the coast1 and who are said to have     
named it ,panama from this circumstance1
 the word signifying much fish4 ,they1  

however1 were speedily dispossessed2 and
 even so early as #aeba1 the title and  
privileges of a city were conferred on  
the ,spanish town by the emperor1       
,charles the ,fifth4 ,in the year #afgj1
 it was sacked and reduced to ashes by  
the buccaneer1 ,morgan1 and was         
subsequently built where it now stands4 
,the position of the present town of    
,panama is in latitude #h #eg' ,n42     
longitude #gi #cj' ,w4 of ,greenwich1 on
 a tongue of land1 shaped nearly like a 
spear head1 extending a considerable    
distance out to sea1 and gradually      
swelling towards the middle4 ,its       
harbour is protected by a number of     
islands1 a short distance from the main 
land1 some of which are of considerable 
size1 and highly cultivated4  ,there is 
good anchorage at each of these islands1
 and supplies of ordinary kinds1        
including excellent water1 which may be 
obtained from several of them4#f  ,the  
city of ,panama was1 in the #agth       
century1 a place of great importance1   

but has gradually sunk into comparative 
insignificance4 ,the policy of the      
present ,government of ,new ,granada is 
to restore this city to its pristine    
importance1 and for this reason1 one    
terminus of the intended ,ship ,canal   
should be at1 or as near as conveniently
 may be to1 this position4  ,the natural
 obstacles to be overcome in forming a  
,canal between ,panama1 and the nearest 
point of the opposite coast1 which is   
the ,gulph of ,san ,blas 7likewise      
called the ,bay of ,mandingo71 render it
 expedient to select a position west of 
that line1 and the happy coincidence of 
two navigable rivers1 traversing the low
 lands to the west of ,porto ,bello1 the
 one falling into the ,atlantic1 and the
 other into the ,pacific ,ocean1 which  
may either form part of the navigation1 
or be used to feed the ,canal1 renders  
that part of the ,isthmus the most      
eligible for this purpose4 ,the rivers  
alluded to1 are the ,chagres and the    
,rio ,grande4  ,the town of ,chagres1 at

 the mouth of the river of the same     
name1 is about thirty-two miles west of 
,porto ,bello 7,puerto ,velo72 it is    
situated on the north bank of the river1
 which falls into the ,caribbean ,sea4  
,the harbour formed by the mouth of the 
river having been greatly neglected1 has
 been much choked up2 but it would be   
unnecessary to incur the expense of     
improving it1 for ,navy ,bay1 called    
also the ,bay of ,limon1 lying          
immediately to the eastward of ,chagres1
 is a large and spacious harbour1 being 
three miles wide at the mouth1 and      
having sufficient draught of water for  
the largest ships in the ,british ,navy4
 ,the river ,chagres approaches within  
three miles of the head of this ,bay2   
the ground between is a dead level1#g   
and all writers agree that1 the         
difficulties of the harbour being       
surmounted1 there is abundance of water 
in the ,chagres4 ,it is1 therefore1     
proposed either to cut a ,canal from    
,navy ,bay to the ,chagres1 and then to 

ascend that river as far as its junction
 with the river ,trinidad1 and after    
traversing a part of the latter1 to     
construct a canal which shall connect   
the ,trinidad with the ,river ,farfan1 a
 branch of the ,rio ,grande1 and to     
proceed by that river to ,panama2 or    
should the ,bay of ,chorrera1 which is  
laid down in the plan1 be deemed a      
preferable harbour1 to branch off to    
that bay2 or to make the ,canal across  
the whole width of the isthmus1 from the
 ,bay of ,limon to that of ,panama1     
using the rivers ,trinidad1 ,farfan1 and
 ,bernardino1 and other streams which   
cross the line1 for the supply of the   
,canal4  ,the plan annexed to this      
pamphlet will exhibit the two lines1 and
 the reader will perceive that a small  
,lake1 called the ,lake of ,vino ,tinto1
 may1 if the first proposal is adopted1 
be made available1 and so lessen the    
extent of the ,canal4 ,if the ,rivers   
are used as a part of the ,navigation1  
the distance between that point of the  

,river ,trinidad at which the ,canal    
would commence1 as shewn in the plan1   
and the point where the ,farfan ceases  
to be navigable1 is only #be miles1 and 
there is no high land intervening1 the  
chain of the ,andes terminating several 
miles to the eastward of the valley of  
the ,chagres1 as before mentioned4 ,if  
the other plan be adopted1 the length of
 the ,canal will be #eh miles4          
,although at first sight it may appear  
to be a work of supererogation1 to carry
 the ,canal over that part of the       
,isthmus which is traversed by navigable
 rivers1 it is by many engineers        
considered preferable in forming a      
,canal1 to use the rivers in its        
vicinity only for the purpose of        
supplying the ,canal with water1 and not
 as a continuation of the inland        
navigation1 on account of the variation 
in the depth of rivers from floods1 or  
other accidents4 ,which of these two    
courses would be most expedient in the  
present instance1 may be safely left to 

the determination of the engineer       
selected to carry out the               
undertaking2--it is sufficient to know  
that either is practicable1 and that the
 expense of cutting the ,canal the whole
 width of the isthmus would meet with a 
corresponding return to the undertakers4
  ,the principal difficulty anticipated 
in the execution of the work1 arises    
from the unhealthiness of the climate on
 the ,atlantic side of the isthmus--a   
difficulty to which the writer is by no 
means insensible4 ,it has1 however1 been
 exaggerated1 and by proper arrangements
 may be surmounted4 ,the causes of this 
unhealthiness are chiefly the swampy    
state of the ground on the ,atlantic    
side of the ,isthmus 7which the ,canal  
itself1 acting as a drain upon the      
surrounding country1 will greatly tend  
to remove71 and the malaria engendered  
by the closeness of the woods1 and by   
the accumulation of decayed vegetable   
substances1 which the opening of the    
country1 incidental to the formation of 

the ,canal now proposed1 and the road   
afterwards adverted to1 will tend to    
alleviate2 and after all1 those who have
 visited this part of the ,isthmus1     
concur in stating that the mortality in 
the low lands about ,chagres is         
principally owing to the imprudence of  
the ,europeans visiting the country1 in 
exposing themselves to the night dews by
 sleeping in the open air1 and indulging
 in habits of intemperance4#h ,if an    
association were formed for carrying out
 the work now projected1 one of the     
first cares of the managers should be to
 erect huts or barracks for the         
protection of the workmen against       
exposure to the weather1 and the        
appointment of a medical officer1 who   
should be entrusted with sufficient     
powers to ensure obedience to his       
regulations4  ,if the industry of the   
native population could be depended     
upon1 there would be no want of         
labourers inured to the climate1 but the
 inertness of the natives renders it    

inexpedient to rely upon them alone2    
although1 working in conjunction with   
,europeans1 and stimulated by their     
example1 and by the love of gain1 their 
services may1 no doubt1 be made         
available4 ,there is1 however1 no       
difficulty in collecting from the       
,southern ,states of ,north ,america a  
sufficient number of ,irish labourers   
inured to a tropical climate1 as was    
lately clearly shewn by the formation of
 a railway at the ,havanna1 which was   
almost entirely constructed by this     
class of men4  ,any deficiency of       
labourers1 it is considered1 could      
easily be drawn from the mining         
districts of ,cornwall1 from ,ireland   
itself1 or from ,scotland1 or the ,north
 of ,england4  ,the next consideration  
is the expense of constructing a ,ship  
,canal across the ,isthmus1 and the     
probable returns4 ,the estimates which  
have been made1 and of which the result 
is given below1 suppose the ,canal to be
 cut through the whole width of the     

,isthmus1 from the ,bay of ,limon to    
that of ,chorrera1 and they include a   
large outlay for improving the harbours 
formed by the two bays4  ,the first item
 that would occur in an undertaking of  
the same nature in this country1 would  
be the purchase of the land4 ,here a    
great advantage presents itself in the  
present enterprise2 for the ,government 
of ,new ,granada1 fully appreciating the
 permanent advantages to be derived to  
the state from the execution of a work1 
which it is unequal to accomplish by its
 own resources1 has repeatedly offered  
to grant the land required1 for #fj1    
#gj1 or #hj years1 according to the     
magnitude of the works1 free of rent1 or
 burdens of any kind1 and to admit the  
importation1 free of duty1 of all       
materials and provisions necessary for  
the undertaking4   ,,expenses4    ,the  
expenses of cutting the ,canal1   and of
 the direction and management of   a    
,company constituted for that purpose1  
up to the period of the opening of the  

,canal have been estimated at#i         
#a1gac1agg    ,but if it be deemed      
expedient to raise   two millions1 in   
order to provide for any   unforseen    
casualties1 the difference will   be    
#bhf1hbc                                
----------       ,total outlay          
#b1jjj1jjj   ,,returns4  ,from          
information derived from official       
sources in ,england1 ,france1 and the   
,united ,states of ,america1 it is      
estimated that the tonnage of vessels   
belonging to those countries and to     
,holland1 trading in countries to which 
the ,canal through the ,isthmus will be 
the shortest voyage1 amount to #gii1dbg 
tons per annum2 and there can be no     
doubt that the opening of the ,canal    
would create a great extension of trade 
to the ,south ,seas1 as well as induce  
the owners of many of the vessels now   
using the navigation by the ,cape of    
,good ,hope to prefer the shorter voyage
 through the ,isthmus2 and when we add  
to this consideration1 the fact that the

 above calculations do not include the  
vessels belonging to ,spain1 ,sardinia1 
the ,hanse ,towns1 and other nations of 
minor importance as maritime powers1 but
 possessing in the aggregate a trade not
 altogether inconsiderable1 nor the     
traffic that may be expected to flow to 
the ,pacific from the ,west ,indies1 the
 ,british ,colonies in ,north ,america1 
and the countries on the north east     
coast of ,south ,america1 the tonnage of
 vessels that will be attracted to the  
,canal may be fairly estimated at       
#hjj1jjj tons4    ,a tonnage duty of #b 
per ton1 on   #hjj1jjj tons will produce
 #a1fjj1jjj1   equal1 at #ds4 #b;d41 to 
#ccc1ccc    ,allowing a deduction for   
the annual   expenses of a sum much     
larger than will   probably be required1
 say                                    
#dj1jjj                                 
--------   ,there will remain a ,balance
 of annual   profit of                  
#bic1ccc  ,this in turn will give       
upwards of #ad-a_/b per cent4 profit on 

the above outlay of #b1jjj1jjj4  ,the   
,isthmus has recently been surveyed by  
,m4 ,garella1 an eminent ,french        
,engineer1 whose opinions will be found 
in the extract from the ,moniteur1      
contained in the ,appendix4 ,he was     
employed to make the survey by the      
,french ,government1 and his official   
,report has not yet been made public4   
,he differs in several material points  
from ,m4 ,morel1 another ,french        
gentleman1 who is stated to have lately 
surveyed the ,isthmus2#aj but if the    
formation of a canal should be          
undertaken by an ,english company1 the  
parties engaged in the enterprize would 
doubtless be guided by the ,english     
engineer whom they would employ1 in the 
selection of the most eligible line1    
while the labours of his predecessors   
would greatly aid him in his survey4    
,as subservient to the grand project of 
a ,ship ,canal1 an improved road across 
the ,isthmus has been projected4 ,the   
abundance of hard wood to be found on   

the spot1 would furnish a cheap material
 for converting it into a tram-road4    
,the expense has been estimated by      
,french engineers at #dj1jjj sterling1  
and the returns1 even according to the  
present transit of goods and passengers 
across the ,isthmus by the miserable    
road now existing from ,cruces to       
,panama1 would1 at a very moderate toll1
 be enormous on that outlay4            
,,appendix4   ,the following ,extracts  
from ,authors who have treated of the   
,isthmus of ,panama will tend to        
illustrate the subject of the foregoing 
pages4   ,dampier1 7#afha74  ,panama    
enjoys a good air1 lying open to the    
sea-wind4 ,there are no woods nor       
marshes near ,panama1 but a brave dry   
champaign land1 not subject to fogs nor 
mists4   ,humboldt1 7#ahjc74  ,it       
appears that we find a prolongation of  
the ,andes towards the ,south ,sea1     
between ,cruces and ,panama4 ,however1  
,lionel ,wafer assures us that the hills
 which form the central chain1 are      

separated from one another by valleys1  
which allow free course for passage of  
the rivers2 if this last assertion be   
founded1 we might believe in the        
possibility of a canal from ,cruces to  
,panama1 of which the navigation would  
only be interrupted by a very few locks4
   ,the ,edinburgh ,review1 for ,jan4   
#ahji1 ,art4 ,,ii4 page #bhb4  ,in      
enumerating1 however1 the advantages of 
a commercial nature which would         
assuredly spring from the emancipation  
of ,south ,america1 we have not yet     
noticed the greatest1 perhaps1 of       
all1--the mightiest event probably in   
favor of the peaceful intercourse of    
nations which the physical circumstances
 of the globe present to the enterprise 
of man1--we mean the formation of a     
navigable passage across the ,isthmus of
 ,panama1 the junction of the ,atlantic 
and ,pacific ,oceans4 ,it is remarkable 
that this magnificent undertaking1      
pregnant with consequences so important 
to mankind1 and about which so little is

 known in this country1 is so far from  
being a romantic or chimerical project1 
that1 it is not only practicable but    
easy4 ,the ,river ,chagres1 which falls 
into the ,atlantic at the town of the   
same name1 about #ah leagues to the     
westward of ,porto ,bello is navigable  
as far as ,cruces1 within five leagues  
of ,panama2 but though the formation of 
a ,canal from this place to ,panama1    
facilitated by the valleys through which
 the present road passes1 appears to    
present no very formidable obstacles1   
there is still a better expedient4 ,at  
the distance of about five leagues from 
the mouth of the ,chagres it receives   
the river ,trinidad1 which is navigable 
to ,embarcadero2 and from that place to 
,panama is a distance of about #cj      
miles1 through a level country1 with a  
fine river1#aa to supply water for the  
,canal1 and no difficulty whatever to   
counteract the noble undertaking4 ,the  
ground has been surveyed1 and not the   
practicability only1 but the facility of

 the work completely ascertained4 ,in   
the next place1 the important requisite 
of safe harbours1 at the two extremities
 of a ,canal1 is here supplied to the   
extent of our utmost wishes4 ,at the    
mouth of the ,chagres is a fine ,bay1   
which received the ,british #gd         
gun-ships in #agdj1 and at the other    
extremity is the famous harbour of      
,panama4   ,j4 ,a4 ,lloyd1 ,f4 ,r4 ,s4  
,it is generally supposed in ,europe    
that the great chain of mountains1 which
 in ,south ,america forms the ,andes1   
and in ,north ,america the ,mexican and 
,rocky ,mountains1 continues nearly     
unbroken through the ,isthmus4 ,this1   
however1 is not the case3 the ,northern 
,cordillera breaks into detached        
mountains on the eastern side of the    
province of ,veragua4 ,these are of     
considerable height1 extremely abrupt   
and rugged1 and frequently exhibit an   
almost perpendicular face of bare rock4 
,to these succeed numerous conical      
mountains rising out of ,savannahs and  

plains1 and seldom exceeding from #cjj  
to #ejj feet in height4 ,finally between
 ,chagres on the ,atlantic side1 and    
,chorrera on the ,pacific side1 the     
conical mountains are not so numerous1  
having plains of great extent           
interspersed1 with occasional insulated 
ranges of hills of inconsiderable height
 and extent4 ,from this description it  
will be seen that the spot where the    
continent of ,america is reduced to     
nearly its narrowest limits1 is also    
distinguished by a break for a few miles
 of the ,great chain of ,mountains1     
which otherwise extends1 with but few   
exceptions1 to its extreme northern and 
southern limits4 ,this combination of   
circumstances points out the peculiar   
fitness of the ,isthmus of ,panama for  
the establishment of a communication    
across4                ,philosophical   
,transactions1 #ahcj1 ,part ,i41 p4 #fe4
   ,should a time arrive when a project 
of a water communication across the     
,isthmus may be entertained1 the river  

,trinidad will probably appear the most 
favourable route4 ,the river is for some
 distance both broad and deep4 ,its     
banks are also well suited for wharfs4  
,philosophical ,transactions1 ibid1 p4  
#ff4   ,the river1 its channel1 and the 
banks1 which1 in the dry season1        
embarrass its navigation1 are laid down 
in the manuscript plan with great care  
and minuteness4 ,it is subject to one   
great inconvenience1 that vessels       
drawing more than #ab feet water1 cannot
 enter the river1 even in perfectly calm
 weather1 on account of a stratum of    
slaty limestone1 which runs at a depth  
at high water of fifteen feet1 from a   
point on the main land to some rocks in 
the middle of the entrance of the       
harbour1 and which are just even with   
the water's edge2 which1 together with  
the lee current that sets on the        
southern shore1 particularly in the     
rainy season1 renders the entrance      
extremely difficult and dangerous4444   
,the value of the ,chagres1 considered  

as the port of entrance for all         
communications1 whether by the river    
,chagres1 ,trinidad1 or by railroads    
across the plains1 is greatly limited   
from the above mentioned cause4 ,it     
would prove in all cases a serious      
disqualification1 were it not one which 
admits of a simple and effectual remedy1
 arising from the proximity of the ,bay 
of ,limon1 otherwise called ,navy ,bay1 
with which the river might easily be    
connected4 ,the coves of this bay afford
 excellent and secure anchorage in its  
present state1 and the whole harbour is 
capable of being rendered1 by obvious   
and not very expensive means1 one of the
 most commodious and safe harbours in   
the world4         99       99       99 
99       99  ,by the good offices of ,h4
 ,m4 ,consul in ,panama1#ab and the     
kindness of the ,commander of ,h4 ,m4   
,ship ,victor1 ,i obtained the use of   
that ship and her boats in making the   
accompanying plan of this bay4444 ,the  
soundings were taken by myself1 with the

 assistance of the master4 ,it will be  
seen from this plan1 that the distance  
from one of the best coves 7in respect  
to anchorage71 across the separating    
country from the ,chagres1 and in the   
most convenient track1 is something less
 than three miles to a point in the     
river about three miles from its mouth4 
,i have traversed the intervening land  
which is particularly level1 and in all 
respects suitable for a canal1 which1   
being required for so short a distance1 
might well be of sufficient depth to    
admit vessels of any reasonable draft of
 water1 and would obviate the           
inconvenience of the shallow water at   
the entrance of the ,chagres4           
,ibid1 p4 #fh4   ,extract from the      
,moniteur ,parisien of ,monday1 ,october
 #ad1 #ahdd4  ,some of the public papers
 in announcing the return of ,m4        
,garella to ,paris1 have asserted that  
the surveys made by that ,engineer on   
the ,isthmus of ,panama have led him to 
conclude that the formation of a canal  

in that ,country which should unite the 
two oceans is impossible4 ,this         
assertion is completely erroneous4 ,the 
,report that this ,engineer intends to  
lay before the ,ministers is not yet    
completed2 but the principal results of 
his voyage are already known1 and which 
far from having established the         
impossibility of the execution of the   
projected work1 prove on the contrary   
that the soil of this portion of the    
,isthmus is not such as to threaten any 
serious obstruction to the performance  
of a work of the kind4  ,the line which 
has been explored by ,m4 ,garella1 seems
 to be about #gf kilometres 7#df-a_/b   
miles7 in length4 ,its point of         
termination upon the side of the        
,atlantic is in the ,bay of ,limon      
7,puerto de ,naos7 situated a little    
east of the mouth of the ,rio ,chagres1 
and already indicated five years ago by 
,mr4 ,lloyd1 where there is a depth of  
water of #aj metres 7#ce ft4 #e in471   
and where it will be easy to form an    

excellent port at a small expense4 ,by  
this means may be avoided the village of
 ,chagres1 situated at the month of the 
river of that name1 but of which the    
real unhealthiness has been so much     
exaggerated1 as to create an unfounded  
alarm among too many travellers4 ,on the
 ,pacific ,ocean the ,canal should      
terminate at a little bay named         
,ensenada de ,voca de ,monte1 situated  
between ,panama and the mouth of the    
,caimito1 where there is four metres    
7#ac ft4 #a in47 depth of water at low  
tide1 which1 with #c metres #bj         
centimetres 7#aj-a_/b ft471 which       
represent the difference at high tide1  
gives a sufficient depth of water for   
the largest merchant ships4  ,the       
rigidly exact levellings which have been
 taken by ,m4 ,garella1 establish that  
the mean level of the ,pacific ,ocean is
 two metres #hj centimetres 7#i ft4 #b  
in47 higher than that of the ,atlantic1 
and that the minimum point of the chain 
to overcome1 which will be the most     

elevated point of the line of the work1 
is #abj metres 7#aca yards#ac7 above the
 height of the sea at ,panama4 ,the     
surveys which have been made1 prove at  
the same time that the height may be    
reduced to #ij metres 7#ij yards and a  
half7 by a trench from four to five     
kilometres 7between two and three miles7
 in length1 which1 although             
considerable1 has nothing discouraging1 
considering the powers which science    
puts at the disposal of the engineer4   
,this height will render it necessary to
 form #cj locks at each of the          
declivities4  ,m4 ,garella is convinced1
 as much by his own observations1 as by 
the information that he has been able to
 obtain upon the spot1 that all that has
 been said of the unhealthiness of the  
,isthmus has been exaggerated4 ,panama  
is1 of all the towns upon the coast of  
,america which are situated between the 
,tropics1 the most healthy1 and perhaps 
the only town where the yellow fever has
 never appeared4 ,the interior of the   

,isthmus1 through which water courses   
find a rapid passage1 is equally        
healthy1 and is inhabited by a robust   
and hospitable population1 which1       
although thinly spread over a large     
tract of country1 as in almost all the  
countries of ,central and ,south        
,america1 together with that of the     
neighbouring countries1 may amply supply
 the labourers necessary for the work1  
in case of its execution4 ,chagres is   
the only point where the climate has any
 degree of unhealthiness1 owing to pure 
local circumstances2 but this point will
 be avoided by the line contemplated by 
,m4 ,garella4 ,then in the unhealthiness
 of the climate there is nothing to be  
dreaded for such artizans as masons and 
carpenters1 whom it would be necessary  
to send out from ,europe4  ,on the other
 hand the soil is of wonderful          
fertility4 ,the cattle1 far from being  
scarce in that part are1 on the         
contrary1 abundant1 especially in the   
,canton of ,chiriqui1 on the ,pacific   

,ocean1 a little to the west of ,panama4
 ,there will1 therefore1 be easily found
 within the country the means of        
provisioning a large number of workmen4 
,the exact estimate of the expense      
attending the formation of a ,canal at  
,panama cannot be known until the report
 of ,m4 ,garella shall be completed4    
,but the foregoing explanations are of  
sufficient weight1 as a decided result  
of his surveys1 to enable us to see     
that1 against the undeniable utility of 
a ,canal that should be of sufficient   
dimensions to allow the passage of the  
largest merchants' ships1 we can hardly 
place in the balance the consideration  
of any expenses whatsoever1 nor question
 the long series and increasing         
importance of the advantages which must 
arise from it4         99       99      
99       99       99  ,by way of        
summary3 the opinion of this engineer on
 the possibility of the formation of the
 ,canal in question1 is contained in the
 following lines of a letter addressed  

by him to the ,governor of ,panama1     
dated the #gth ,july1 #ahdd1 and a few  
days before his departure from that     
country1 translated from the ,cartilla  
,popular1 a public paper published at   
,panama1 and written in ,spanish4       
99       99       99       99       99  
,i am nevertheless partly able to       
satisfy your just and natural           
impatience1 in announcing to you that a 
,canal across the ,isthmus between the  
river ,chagres1 and a point of the coast
 of the ,pacific ,ocean1 in the environs
 of ,panama1 is a work of very possible 
execution1 and even easier than that of 
many ,canals which have been formed in  
,europe4   ,m4 ,morel4  ,the author has 
been furnished with the following       
summary of the opinions of ,m4 ,morel1  
who has been a resident for some years  
at ,panama4 ,m4 ,morel is stated to have
 surveyed the whole line of country     
destined to be appropriated to a road1  
as well as the ground through which a   
,canal might be opened1 and as the      

result of his surveys and observations1 
he is reported to state--  #a4 ,that the
 width of the ,isthmus of ,panama1 in a 
direct line1 does not exceed #cc miles4 
#b4 ,that the chain of mountains which  
incloses the country terminates         
precisely between ,chagres and ,panama1 
and forms a valley1 which is crossed in 
all directions by numerous streams4  #c4
 ,that besides those streams1 four      
rivers of more importance1 the ,chagres 
and ,trinidad1 which flow into the      
,atlantic1 and the ,farfan and ,rio     
,grande1 which discharge themselves into
 the ,pacific1 in the immediate vicinity
 of ,panama1 can be made available4  #d4
 ,that the soundings of the ,river      
,chagres show its depth to be from      
#af-a_/b to #bb feet1 to its junction   
with the river ,trinidad1 the tide being
 felt for four miles up the last named  
river4 ,the breadth of the ,chagres is  
#bbj feet from its mouth to the         
,trinidad4  #e4 ,that it becomes only   
necessary to unite these rivers by a    

,canal1 the length of which would not   
exceed #be miles1 and which would be    
abundantly supplied by the numerous     
streams already mentioned4  #f4 ,that   
the land through which this ,canal is to
 pass1 is almost on a level with the    
sea1 the highest point being #cf feet1  
thus presenting none of those serious   
difficulties which generally attend a   
work of this description4#ad  #g4 ,that 
the country abounds with the necessary  
materials for building1 such as         
free-stone1 clay1 lime1 and wood4  #h4  
,that there can exist no fear of a      
scarcity of labourers and workmen1 from 
the number who have already been        
enrolled by the government of ,new      
,granada1 which amounts to #djjj and    
upwards4  #i4 ,that the objection which 
has often been started against the      
possibility of forming a water          
communication across the ,isthmus of    
,panama1 founded on the difference      
supposed to exist between the levels of 
the two seas1 is totally at variance    

with the natural state of things1 the   
tides rising to different heights at    
,chagres and at ,panama1 thus placing   
the ,pacific sometimes above1 and       
sometimes below the ,atlantic4  ,lastly1
 ,m4 ,morel remarks1 that ,baron de     
,humboldt1 the celebrated ,geographer1  
,m4 ,arago1 the eminent ,astronomer1    
,f4,r4,s41 and ,commander ,garnier1 of  
the ,french ,brig of ,war1 ,le ,laurier1
 have proved that if there be any       
inequality of height1 the average       
difference of level cannot exceed one   
metre 7about one yard ,english74        
,,postscript4   ,since the foregoing    
pamphlet was in print1 an ,article has  
appeared in the ,morning ,chronicle of  
the #afth ,may1 #ahde1 in which it is   
alleged1 upon the authority of an       
,article in the ,journal des ,debats1   
that ,m4 ,garella has given in his      
,report to the ,french ,government1 and 
that he reports in favour of the        
practicability of the scheme1 but that  
he found the lowest elevation between   

the two oceans to amount to1 from #abj  
to #afj metres1 and that this being1 as 
he says1 too great an elevation for a   
,ship ,canal1 he proposes an enormous   
,tunnel capable of allowing ,frigates to
 pass through--that he thinks from      
examination of the soil1 that a ,tunnel 
of #ajj feet in height above the surface
 of the ,canal will be practicable1 and 
might be made with a reasonable outlay  
of money2 and that the length of the    
,tunnel would be #e1cej metres1 and the 
expense of it about #dd millions of     
francs 7#a1gfj1jjj74  ,it is impossible 
to read this statement without feeling a
 strong suspicion that1 for some object 
which does not appear1 it is the wish of
 the ,french ,government1 or those who  
have put the statement forth1 to deter  
others from embarking in the formation  
of a ,canal across the ,isthmus of      
,panama2 for the recommendation of a    
,tunnel of #e1cej metres 7about three   
miles7 in length1 and #ajj feet in      
height1 is not only preposterous in     

itself1 as applied to a ,ship ,canal1   
but is wholly at variance with ,m4      
,garella's own letter to the ,governor  
of ,panama 7ante p4 #bf71 and with the  
statement of his opinions in the        
,article in the ,moniteur ,parisien     
7ante p4 #bc71 which ,article is        
believed to have been written by        
himself4 ,it is true that ,m4 ,garella1 
being a ,mining ,engineer 7,ingnieur des
 ,mines7 may have a partiality for      
subterraneous works2 and this refection 
provokes the observation1 that it is    
singular that the ,french ,government   
should have selected1 for this very     
important survey1 an ,engineer of ,mines
 7however eminent in his department71   
rather than one experienced in the      
formation of ,canals1 when it had so    
many of the latter at command4  ,it is  
difficult to conceive that the writer of
 the letter to the ,governor of ,panama1
 and of the ,article in the ,moniteur   
,parisien can be sincere in recommending
 a ,tunnel2 and the conclusion is       

irresistible1 that if the ,article in   
the ,debats has any foundation in the   
forthcoming ,report1 it is a stroke of  
policy on the part of the ,french       
,government1 to discourage an           
undertaking which its own subjects have 
not sufficient enterprize to accomplish1
 and which it would object to see       
executed by other nations4  ,in the     
present state of the question1 it may   
not be immaterial to remark1 that on a  
comparison lately made by an ,english   
,engineer of ,mr4 ,lloyd's levels1 with 
the survey alleged to have been made by 
,m4 ,morel 7the accuracy of which is    
necessarily impugned by ,m4 ,garella1 if
 he asserts that an elevation of #abj   
metres must be overcome71 it appears    
that the levels ascribed to ,m4 ,morel1 
very nearly agree with those of ,mr4    
,lloyd1 and are substantially           
corroborated by his survey4             
,,footnotes3  #a ,the reader will       
remember that to discover a more direct 
passage to ,india than the voyage round 

,africa1 which the ,portuguese were then
 exploring1 was the object of ,columbus'
 voyage which led to the discovery of   
,america1 and the present proposal is to
 realize the project of that great      
navigator4 ,the name of ,indies was     
given to his discoveries1 under a belief
 that he had actually reached ,india1 a 
name still preserved in our ,west       
,indies4--,robertson's ,america1 book   
ii41 vol4 i1 pp4 #gj and #abd-e1 7edit4 
of #ahba74 ,it may well excite          
astonishment that more than three       
centuries should have been allowed to   
elapse before the full accomplishment of
 this great man's undertaking4  #b ,the 
intelligent observer of passing events  
will not fail to see in the signs of the
 times indications that the day is not  
far distant when the important ,empire  
of ,japan will follow the example of    
,china1 and throw open its harbours to  
,european commerce--a consummation      
devoutly to be wished--and which the    
present expedition to those shores1     

under the command of ,sir ,edward       
,belcher1 is likely to accelerate4  ,a  
more immediate development of commercial
 enterprise cannot fail to result from  
the opening of a ,ship ,canal through   
the ,isthmus of ,panama2 viz41 a direct 
trade between the ,west ,india ,islands1
 ,english1 ,french1 and ,spanish1 and   
the countries which have been named4    
,from this consideration1 the ,west     
,india proprietors and merchants1 whose 
property in those colonies has been of  
late years so much depreciated1 are     
deeply interested in the success of this
 undertaking4  #c ,the opinions of      
writers who have visited the locality1  
will be found in the ,appendix4 ,to     
those of ,mr4 ,lloyd1 who was sent by   
,bolivar to survey the ,isthmus in      
#ahbg1 in particular1 great weight is   
due4  #d ,it was formerly called the    
,isthmus of ,darien1 but that name has  
fallen into disuse among all persons who
 have any intercourse with that part of 
the globe1 though still preserved in    

some of the atlases4  #e ,j4 ,a4 ,lloyd1
 ,f4 ,r4 ,s41 ,philosophical            
,transactions of the ,royal ,society of 
,london1 #ahcj1 ,part ,i4 pp4 #fb1 #fc4 
#f ,j4 ,a4 ,lloyd1 ,f4 ,r4 ,s41         
,geographical ,society's ,transactions1 
vol4 ,i4  #g ,j4 ,a4 ,lloyd4 ,see       
,appendix4  #h ,the writer has conferred
 with several gentlemen who have visited
 the ,isthmus1 and who agree in this    
opinion4  #i ,it may be here stated that
 the ,caledonian ,canal1 and the ,canal 
from ,amsterdam to ,niewdiep1 the two   
most expensive ,ship ,canals which have 
been made in ,europe 7and which         
approximate in magnitude the ,canal now 
projected71 were formed at a much less  
expense per mile than has been allowed  
in this estimate4  #aj ,see ,appendix1  
page #bf4  #aa ,probably the ,farfan4   
#ab ,malcolm ,mac,gregor1 ,esq4  #ac    
,the ,canal of ,languedoc is at its     
highest point #fjj feet above the level 
of the sea4--,m',culloch's ,commercial  
,dict41 ,art4 ,canals4  #ad ,it may be  

possible to reconcile the apparent      
contradiction between the fact here     
stated by ,m4 ,morel1 and the report of 
,m4 ,garella1 by mentioning that the    
latter suggests the propriety of        
carrying the ,canal over a hill #abj    
yards high1 and thus shortening its     
length1 rather than to adopt ,m4        
,morel's line of survey along the flat  
and low lands1 which is the longest of  
the two4   ,,the ,,end4   ,w4 ,,lewis   
,,and ,,son1 ,,printers1 #ba1           
,,finch-,,lane1 ,,london4          99   
99       99       99       99           
,transcriber's ,notes3  ,the transcriber
 made these changes to the text to      
correct obvious errors3   #a4 p4 #ba1   
propably -- probably  #b4 p4 #bi1       
impunged -- impugned