The Virginian

Ship Canal through Central America.

A bill is now passing through the English House of Commons for the incorporation of a company whose purpose is to make a passage for ships from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, through the narrow isthmus of that country which connects North & South America. The immense advantage arising from such an undertaking is apparent to every one who looks at the map of the America. The long and dangerous voyage round the vast South American continent by Cape Horn, will be thereby saved to all vessels going to the Great Southern Sea; while the voyage to India and China will be shortened by 9 to 10,000 miles. The plan is not however the old one of cutting a strait through the Isthmus of Darien—which even at the narrowest part, would be a work of incalculable labor and expense, and indeed would probably never accommodate any vessels larger than barges. A route has been discovered in the new state entitled "the United Provinces of Central America" formed by rivers and lakes, which will only require a canal of twelve miles long. and the clearing of a river channel, to complete an entire water passage for large ships from one ocean to the other. Surveys of the whole communication were found in the office of a late Spanish Minister of Marine; for the bigoted Government of Spain, in conformity with its general colonial policy, kept all information of this kind as secret as possible, lest foreigners should take advantage of it. The proposed capital of the Company is only one million, and it seems that mining in Guatemala is said to be united to the other object. It is thought that the toll which the south sea whalers alone would be willing to pay, would make the proposed canal a profitable scheme. There could not certainly be a better time for trying such a speculation with the requisite spirit.