CENTRAL AMERICANSHIP CANAL.

Grey River Argus, Volume XV, Issue 1851, 11 July 1874, Page 2

CENTRAL AMERICANSHIP CANAL.

■:■;.; [ THE TIMES, .FEBRUARY 27.j] Commander Lull, 5 who was chirked by the United Stated Navy Department with the conduct of an expedition ttt survey the route, for .a.ship.canal ( between^he'A I tlanti<} and oceans, 1 to m^ke use of Nicaragua Lake, has presented his report; to the. Secretary ;,of the^Nayy.^The lake is in, the south-westerD part of the State of Nicara^ qua, and is described as from 90 to 110 miles long, and 35 or 40 mUea wide. It is separated ; "from ; the pacific; by", ainarrow 'strip of land/ : and a. union 'might be effected by a canal from] the . lake to the harbor, of Britd, a distance ,bf E a over 16 miles. The highest with is 134 ft above mean' highjake • 11 locks are .proposed to meet thej^jfference of level, the lake being 108 ft higher than the sea. : On: ithe> eastern side of the. lake use may be made of its outlet, the river San Juan;- for above~6o of":the 108 imiles, the -distance; to; - the oGambbean . Sea, and a ., canal n ( with ..locks) would continue, the line to the harbor of San Juan del NorteV Or ! Grey to wnj as the 1 lower part of the iriver is subject tor sudden and violent freshets, i The were conducted under difficulties.. .In the western section " nearly everybody 1 suffered from innumerable' "■■ itching .■■ 'sores; *^ -produced partly, by dietetic, and possibly by climatjp causes, but mainly by thpiV. bites and stings of insects, and. the poisoning of different vines and plants. 'Although the * region in which lihe parties were operating contained several estates more or less cultivated, yet by far the greater part of the line 'was* through an unbroken virgin forest,- the ; ?rauk; tropical ; vegitation in many ,places forming a perfect jungle. Occasionally were met large' aireas filled with the terrible' pica} pica as it is called by the* natives., It. is. a; tall, bush loaded with a kind of bean, whose pods are covered with down consisting of minute

barbed needles. They are detached from the bush at the least shake given to it, and alighting upon the person produce great torture, seeming to penetrate through everything as easily^s into the unprotected skin ; the sensation produced is exactly like that of fire. It was sometimes found impossible to cut through through the pica-pica at all, and slight deflections of the line were caused by it several times. It is only ascertain seasons that the pica-pica is so troublesome, and the expedition experienced it at its worst." In the eastern section the valley of the San Juan was found almost entirely uninhabited. " The line led through an unbroken virgin forest, so interlaced with parasites and undergrowth as to be almost impenetrable, and in most cases altogether so without the vigorous ÜBe of the macheta, making it necessary to cut a trail for every foot of advance, passing sometimes three or four times a day over hills of greater or lesser height, and through streams in every valley. Insects, lizards, &c, had been bo common from the first that the most of them had ceased to be annoying. Mosquitoes at night, and in the swamps at all times; and by day wasps, hornets, and large flies, particularly a large yellow species, which drew the blood every time it alighted upon the skin. Another of the pests of nearly every camp was the alligator ant, which attains a length of nearly an inch, and whose bite is as painful as the sting of the hornet, and apparently even more poisonous. Among the many favors which had been bestowed upon us by Mr Runnels and his family, of Virgin "Bay, was a present to each officer of a cedren bean, said to be a certain remedy for the bites of venomous snakes or the sting of the tarantulas; fortunately, we never had occasion to test its merits, though there were many narrow escapes. Parasite vines of all sizes and colors, and festooned in every imaginable form, were so common that a snake hanging from a limb of a tree would often be unnoticed by the officers and sailors, though never by the macheteroa, who seemed to be on the constant look-out for them. Occaj; sionally, one of the former would sud; denly feel himself seized and jerked back 1 and would find that the keen eye and the strong arm of one of the Natives had rescued him from an enemy that he himself had not seen, though perhaps looking directly towards it, and not a yard from it." Commander Lull goes on to say :— ". There is a very general impression abroad that the whole American isthmus is exceedingly unhealthy, and this, as I conceive, very incorrect idea is entertained by many intelligent persons who have spent longer or shorter periods upon the isthmus. It is true that in former years a large percentage of foreigners who remained upon the isthmus died' or were.broken down in health, but nine but of ten of these cases were due to dissipation or the neglect of the simplest sanitary (For remainder of News, see 4flij)ags.)

precautions, or generally to both. There have been during the last four years three exploring expeditions in Darien and two in Nicaragua. There have been as high 03 300 men employed at once, counting ships companies, subjected to Bevere labor and exposure. Not a single officer or man has been lost from climatic disease. The population of N : oaraoua is variously estimated at from 250,000 to 300,000, and consists of whites/ Indians, and Negroes, and of mixed blood in all degrees. Many of the Indians' are civilised. There are several tribes, however, in as savage a state as when the country was first discovered. These occupy the north-eastern part of the territory. Nicaragua and the neighboring States would supply from 3000 to 5000 laborers. Nicaragua is full of undeveloped sources of wealth. Indigo, coffee, and cocoa, all of excellent quality, are cultivated and exported to some extent. Sugar is raised,, but the machinery used in its manufacture is of the rudest character, and the article produced of very poor quality, though the cane is rich enough to rival the beat in the world. Corn, beans, rice, yams, casmva root, quiquisque, a superior kind of yam, tobacco, plantains, bananas, oranges, limes, pineapples, mangoes, water melons, canteloupes, tomatoes, cocoanuts, nisferas, peppers, and numerous other fruits and vegetables grow in, all parts of the country, and almost spontaneously. Gold and silver are found in paying quantities." The cost of an inter-oceanic ship canal by the route above described is estimated at • 61,400,000d01. It is stated that the lake would furnish a supply of water for both branches of the canal practically inexhaustible. The two branches would be connected by fifty-six miles of lake navigation.