Weekly Trinity Journal

not content with diverting the commerce of the
world and carrying ships across the isthmus, he
now contemplates a project for remodelling a
continent and creating a new ocean. He has ascertained that the general level of the desert of
Sahara is below that of the water of the Red
sea, and he is represented to be thinking of cutting
a passage for it into the interior If the
idea proves feasible a new Mediterranean might
be called into existence "to redress the balance
of the old." As soon as the great Frenchman
had announced the sea of Sahara ready for the
occupation of gentlemen about to found an em-
pire, a second Aeneas might set out on a voyage
of discovery, and a new Romulus might go to
work on the most desirable peninsula he could
find to lay the keel of a future Rome. The
phalanx of strong-minded women who threaten
to storm the bastion in this country could surely
supply a modern Dido, able to devote herself to
the erection of a new Carthage, and sufficiently
familiar with the world to resist the dangerous
fascinations of wandering youths in distress.
The history of the world might be recommenced
de novo in the new arena provided for the enter-
prise of the nineteenth century by the daring
engineer of the Suez canal. A second edition
of Greece and Rome could be issued to posterity,
with all the mistakes in the original carefully
revised and corrected. "The vast republics,
mentioned by Tennyson " that may grow, the
federations and the powers," are no doubt des-
tined to line the shores of M. de Lesseps' new
sea. The Laureate did not say where they were
to spring up, exactly, but perhaps this detail
was not stated in the inspiration he received
upon the subject. There is something almost
absurd in the idea of making a new sea, but
next to the audacity of the project the most re-
markable thing about it seems its wonderful
simplicity. If only those figures ascertained by
M. de Lesseps are true, what is to prevent the
desert from becoming a vast lake of salt water?
The surveyors sent to investigate the matter de-
clare that the ground slopes down to an average
level of twenty-seven metres below that of the
adjacent gulf. Cut a canal through the inter-
vening patch of high land, and what is to pre-
vent the water from flowing in? If the Red sea
were itself a lake the proceeding might drain it ;
but if it had been, no doubt the great recon-
structor of the earth would have mercifully held
his hand. We may presume that he remem-
bered the straits of Babel Mandel and reflected
that the Arabian sea would make good the loss
of salt water which the Red sea might suffer on
his account. It is becoming evident that M. de
Lesseps is not a man to be trifled with, and we
sincerely hope he will not find the British islands
anyhow in his way, or he might propose to
dredge them off the map of Europe. In the
present instance, however, he is beneficent to
the human race in general, and the only persons
who might not quite seem to see the beauty of
his new scheme would be those Africans-if
there are any such-imprudent enough to have
taken up their residence twenty-seven metres be-
low the level of the Red sea. Meanwhile, after
the success of the Suez canal who shall venture
to treat any plan proposed by the author of that
undertaking with disrespect? M. de Lesseps
seems to be abolishing not only the isthmus of
Suez but "the impossible." If he disestablishes
the desert of Sahara nothing will stop him after-
ward, and we shall expect to see him undertak-
ing to warm the North pole, or getting up a com-
pany for supplying the world with inland lakes,
rivers, forests, and all physical phenomena on
the lowest terms. Mountains removed in town
or country. Agencies in all parts of the solar
system.-Morning Standard.