OCR Text |
Show THE SHIP CANAL. Lesseps ibe ilero ol Ihe Boor. Paris, 7. A magnificent banquet was given to-night at the Grand Hotel to Lessepe, by members of the old Dtrien Canal Company, in cole-braiioa cole-braiioa of the signing of the transfer to him of rights ar,d concessions lor a water way across the isthmus. General Turr presided. Speeches were made by General Turr, Lesseps, Nathan Appleton, Isaao Percere and others. Percere proposed Commander Com-mander Belfridge's health, and announced, an-nounced, amid great cboeringa, that that the next vessel of Cumpaguie Transatlantique would be called the Selfridge. All the Bpeakers were emphatic em-phatic in deoiaring that the Panama project was universal, lhat it was not intended to give predominance to one particular national interest, but was a purely commercial enterprise. Paris, 8. De Leaaeps stated at the last meeting ot the Geographical Society that he does not think the total ot the expeneeB of tbe const r a c lion of tbe Darien Canal will exceed 250,000,000 franca. The difficulties oflered are not so formidable aa those which had to be overcome in the construction con-struction of the Suez Canal, as a railway rail-way already existed along the course , of the proposed Panama Canal, with i a large town at each extremity, ' New York, 8 Sun's Washington special: An officer who has accom- ' panied various survey parties in search of a feasible route for a nhip canal acrosB Central America, says ' nothing practicable can come from the present agitation in Europe upon the subject uuless thia government takes the initiative. He says, also, bad it not been for Hamilton FibIi'b yielding to the influences of the Pa-cifio Pa-cifio Mail Company, the canal would already be under way, with the United States government at the bead of the enterprise. He then relates how, during Grant's administration, and under his direotion, the commis-Bion commis-Bion was formed, with Admiral Ami-uen Ami-uen at the head, which decided in lavor of the Nicaraguan route; how Fish invited the oouperatiun of European powers, tho Nicaraguan government sending here an ambassador ambas-sador to the negotiation, and how tbe Pacific Mail, seeing luin for the Panama Raiiroad, made Buch a pres-Biue pres-Biue on Fish that be abandoned the scheme. Here the matter has rested bo far as government is concerned. Friends of the old plan are again trying to brine government once moro to assume the initiative, claiming that it cinnot a fiord to allow any foreign government to strike a ppade in this project, except under the auspices oi the United States. But the ad minis tration doeB not take any interest in the scheme. It is stated that De Lesseps fully expects commencing work on the canal next New Year'B Day, employing 30.000 or 40,000 workmen, some of tbera Chinese, and 15,000 Brazilian negroes. He bo announced an-nounced recently in Amiens. |