THE ISTHMIAN CANAL.

North Otago Times, 5 August 1903, Page 3

THE ISTHMIAN CANAL.

A FRENCHMAN'S PROPHECY,

(Per Sonoma, at Auckland.) San Francisco, July Hi, The following arc extracts lrom an article written tor the Paris Figaro by Jean Izourct, and translated for the Boston Transcript: "Is the United Slates snatching away our canal, our original idea, our halfaccomplished work, our almost attained glory and our lavishly spent money? Is the United States snatching from Colombia the sovereignty of the isthmus and more or less of the entire country ? Is the United States snatching from England Hie mastery of the sens V Such performances as these are merely the ' free show at the door' and the introduction to the play. Let us look further and deeper, A supreme revolution, at once geographical, commercial, and political, the supreme revolution upon this planet of ours, is about to he accomplished before our eyes, eyes blind until now to the significance of a world movement. For thousands of years the Mediterranean Sea, in the midst of the nations, was the centre of the world's commerce, wealth and power. 'With the discovery and development of the New World the centre shifted to the Atlantic, During the twentieth century it will pass to the Pacific, which will become and will for ever remain the sea in the midst of tlio nations, the new Mediterranean, This is the last supreme revolution. We are at the beginning of a new cycle, There are no longer undiscovered countries, The westward migrations and consequent westward march of empire have reached their limit with the Occident. We look from the Golden Gate into the very face of the Orient. The sceptre of world power has for ever passed into younger hands. Hence the importance—l had almost said planetary importante—of the Isthmian Canal. To pierce the isthmus is to bring about, till;' last geographical event of the first order. There are no more isthmuses whose cutting through would displace the commerce of the world, 'lhe Suez Canal gave England an immense advantage. The Panama Canal will transfer this advantage to the United States, with the certitude that it can never be displaced by a geographic cause. Commercial supremacy upon the Pacific will he the final supremacy. Look at the circumference of the Pacific, measure the lands that border it. It is a striking fact that of the great, undeveloped and habitable portions of the world all saving only Africa, are ranged about the Pacific. If the natural resources of the American continent were fully developed it would support three billion five hundred million inhabitants. Australia will, one day. without difficulty, support a large portion of the world's population. Long before the close of the present century Siberia will have a great population which will be tributary to the Pacific." A brilliant, picture of mineral and other wealth and future development of lands bordering on the Pacific follows, together with a sad prophecy of the fate of Europe. " Europe will sink, that is the word. Russia and the United States will face the Pacific. The Atlantic will be nothing but a ditch. The eviction and decadence of "Europe through .default, and. the abdication of France, such is the hitter spectacle which must be presented to us that wo may at least learn from it a sad lesson,"