riiittTvu"iT,minriaira,IIICTDEOlHlAt MONDAY, NOV EMBER 15, 18G9. mrtiw4 from 1h W Pa- Bet the lndomtuble De Lesseps did not do Bpalr, although he saw his encampment of twenty thousand laborers broken up and dis persed In a day, leaving only a quantity of tools and tents behind them as evidences of their buy ing been at work In tracing out his canal. He Summoned laborers from Europe, and they came after months of delay; but no sooner had they been organized Into a working force than, through English persuasion, the Imbecile Sultan Issued a firman denylug tho right of the Viceroy to cede the lands through which the canal was to be dug. This was apparently a fatal obstacle, lor 8atd dared not disobey, and a stoppage of two years in the work took place, while M. de Lesseps vainly sought to enlist Influences power ful enough to resist tho.-to brought agaiusi him. His patience and energy were crowned with Buecess at last. The French consul who had op posed the enterprise was recalled from Egypt, and Instructions given to his successor to favor the project, which was, for the first time, thus taken under French protection; and the French Minister at Constantinople, M. Thouvenel, re quested to enlighten the mind of the Sublime Tone ns to tho views and withes of France. At a hlut from a high quarter. Said Pacha submitted the whole matter in controversy between M. de Xc6sep and himself to tho French Emperor; and neither Turkey nor England dared to Interpose any objection, though both felt themselves checkmated by this adroit move of the diplomatic cuttcr-of-canals. The Emperor's decision was given In July, 1814, for this last intervention of his lu the affair was five years later than his first, which settled the preliminary points, and was given after tho tlcath of Said, who died in January, 1803. He decided that the concession of 1854 was binding, and that Egypt should pay an indemnity of $16,800,000. The steps taken by the Emperor in the earlier Stages were simply giving the Suez Canal pro ject the moral aid of the support and sanction of France; and allowing a subscription to be raised In France by popular contribution, under the patronage of tho authorities. From the Lour of the Emperor's intervention the diplo matic interference of England ceased openly; Jjut no opportunity ever was lost, indirectly, to thwart or cripple the enterprise in all its stages. And this aid of the Emperor's came in good time, firstly, to save the scheme in infancy from Jjelng swamped by England; and secondly, to Bave it, at amaturcr period, from the hostility or indifference of Said's successor, Ismail Pacha, -who did not wish to follow in the footsteps of liis predecessor in anything; and against whom this appeal to the Emperor was taken, which resulted in his judgment rendered in 1804, above referred to. Tho plan adopted by M. de Lesseps to frus trate the difficulties raised by the two finnans iorblddiug the compulsory labors of the Fellahs under the corvee system, and refusing also the cession of the lands on each bank of the canal sufficient for the purpose of the enterprise, was as ingenious as it was successful. He succeeded In substituting steam-power for manual labor in a great measure, supplying what was actually needed by importing foreigners, and tempting voluntary native labor by hijjher prices and better treatment than they were accustomed to. The latter point was smoothed over, through the aid of the new French Consul-General aud the Viceroy, and by the tacit consent of the Porte, under the skilful manipulation of M. Thouvenel. And so, at last, the great work was placed on a firm footing, and from 1859 to the present hour has steadily progressed, until now approaching its successful conclusion. (General View of Hie Work. Let the reader imagine a vast ditcb. one hun dred miles in length, three hundred feet wide at the top, one hundred to one hundred and fifty cet wide at the bottom, with an average depth j)f twenty-four feet, connecting four natural akes, bisecting a sandy isthmus at its narrowest j)oint, aud discharging at cither end into a largo Inland sea, and he will have a fair presentment f what the canal is, or rather is intended to be. These lakes are situated at distances ranging from ten to fifteen miles from each other, and form the natural boundaries, so to speak, of the several divisions of the work. The largest nnd deepest of these, called Lav Anient, or Bitter Lakes. extend to within four teen miles of Sue.. The other lakes are failed Thusah, Ballah, and Mcnzalah. The first and smallest of these has long been drying up. To deepen the channel through these lakes; excavate the intervening sections, which, previous to the operations of the coiu pauy, consisted of arid, eandy, treeless, and almost trackless wastes, with an occasional Btratuin of calcareous blue clay running through them; and to build the jetties for the protection of the entrance from either sea, and which now form the harbors of Said and Sue., was really all the compauy had to do. No locks or other artificial appliances will be required, and steamers of the capacity of those now used by the Peninsular and Oriental and Messageries Imperials Companies will, it is believed, be able to pa through from sea to sea without difficulty or detention. Mechanical Appliance. A work of so vast and unique a character, as will readily be conceived, ha culled Into requi sition appliances for construction of a similarly extensive and origiual kind. Indeed, the ma chinery used on this canal forms one of tho most Interesting features of the work. Nothing like It is to be found elsewhere. From the gigantic drague a couloir, down to the smallest drague (dredge), and from the ponderous elecatcur to the smallest drill or baud machine, everything is of the most costly kind and elaborate finish. Two hundred and eighty-five machines, repre senting a force equal to eighteen thousand horses, and consuming twelve thousand two hundred and nineteen tous of coal per month, work day and night on the canal. These ma chines are divided into sixteen classes, two of which are worthy of especial mention. These are the large dredges (dragnet a long couloir) and the ercavateur. The former are similar iu construction to the machines used for dredging purposes in the British and American seaports and rivers, but they are larger, and have an enormous passage, or spout, attached. By means of a steam pump attached to the lighter on which this apparatus Is mouuted, water is mixed with the earth brought up by the dredge, and the semi-fluid mass is discharged through this long pipe, or passage (couloir), on to what ever snot mav be selected, ny means ot this machine the sand eun bo discharged to any tance within two hundred feet beyond the edR of the canal. By this simple contrivance a con tinuous cempact ridge of sand is formed along the entire length of the canal, and this serves to keep out the accumulations of sand which Mown by the frequent storms (Shimaul or JCrutnseen from tho surrounding desert would otherwise be deposited In the canal, and utterly preclude all efforts to Veep it open. The ridge thus formed Is lu some places fully fifty feet Ugh. ' Part Hald, I the northern entrance of the canal. Is situated I on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean, 134 miles north of Alexandria and twenty miles north of Damietta. Externally its appearance Is not unlike that of the majority of mushroom American towns similarly situated. It is an anomalous sort of place. Bounded northward by the ocean and southward by the desert, It is equally the product of both. Viewed goologl tally It Is the practical result of a struggle be tween salt water and sand; commercially, possi bly it is a compound of modern commerce and aboriginal Arab Ignorance and filth. When the works were commenced at Port Said, in 1859, there was only space on the small strip of sand for a few tcuts for the engineers; the first huts erected there were built ou piles; both tho dredgings from harbor and channel made the land, and now one thousand acres have been reclaimed for the company's workshops and building!, nnd the town of Port Said Is as much a creatiou of M. de Lesseps as the canal. The provisions, and even water, bad at first to be brought on camels from Damietta, or by sea, thirty-five miles; but now Ismailia supplies it from Its fresh-water canal, a fifty horse-power engine forcing the water through two pipes to tho northern extremity of tho canal. Now comfort and many of the luxuries of life are easily procurable at all events in much greater abundance and with more facility than in the ancient town of Damietta. It contains nearly one thousand houses, and a population which, though like that of Cairo not the Egyptian, but tho American Cairo largely floating, may be fairly estimated at between 8000 and 10,000. This population 13 thoroughly cosmopolitan in Its character; for small as the town is, it numbers representatives from all parts of the world. Every civilized and uncivilized country apparently sends its delegate to the canal congress. The activity and bustle of the place, heightened as they are by the picturesque effect produced by the motley groups of French, Egyptians, Arabs, English, Americans, Lsvan tincs, Italians, and Greeks working together harmoniously, form its principal attraction. On the occasion of Mr. Hall's visit there in October, 1867, he counted twenty-two large sized vessel lu the avaiil port or basin. Most of them were from North British seaports, and were freighted with coal and other supplies for the company. By far the larger number, fully two-thirds.of the inhabitants arc employed directly or indirectly by the Canal Company or by the contractors, Messrs. Borll, Lavallcy & Co. The.lettli-N. One of the chief difficulties apprehended by the early surveyors and engineers of the canal scheme was the choking up of Port 8aid by the Nile deposits, and these jetties have boeu con structed mainly with a view to obviate this diffi culty, as well as for purposes of protection to the shipping seeking transit through the canal. They are two in number, known respectively as the East and West Jetty. The length of the latter will be 3700 yards and of the former 2000 yards. The distance between their respective ends will be about four hundred metres (1300 feet), and they will form between them, it is estimated, a basin or harbor 500 acres in extent, completely protected from wind or storm, and spacious enough to accommodate all vessels seeking transit through the caual. These jottios are constructed of what appear to be immense blocks of stone. They arc not stone, however, but sand, dredged up from tho bottom of the canal, mixed with hydraulic lime (chaux dit Thitl), and then put into wooden cases or moulds and allowed to dry. The lime is quarried a few miles down the cunal, there ground, and thence transported to the works. Eight mills are kept constantly grinding ou this novel, unique, aud really interesting process. After sufficient time has been allowed to form and harden them, the wooden casings are removed, and the sun's rays, which in this latitude are intensely hot, complete the process of making the block. Two or three months suf fice to harden them. They weigh twenty tons each, and cost about 1000 francs apiece. When sufficiently dry and ready for use, they are lifted up by a travelling steam crane (grue a vapew-) ou to trucks, passed to a tramway, and then pushed by a locomotive down to where the lighters are moored to receive them. They now take a short sea voyage. After being trans ferred from the truck by another travolllug crane, they are deposited in an inclined posi tion, in rows of three, on another lighter, whence they are taken out to the position they are destined to occupy on the jetty, and there sunk. The rate of progress has been from thirty to forty blocks daily. Over 15,000 have been already submerged, and but little remains to be douc to complete these magnificent piers. The dimensions ot these piers, or jetties, are twenty-six yards at the base, six yards at tho summit, and twelve yards in height. DlvUlon of Port Said (Lake 1llru7.aln.l1). This division is fourtccu and a half miles long, extending from Port Said to Kilometre Twenty- three, and includes the heavy work ou tho jetties already described, and tho decpeuiug of tho canal which lies through the middle of Lake Men.alah, which is Itself only separated from the Mediterranean by a low, narrow ridge of sand. The labor performed in this division has been immense. Fears were cutcrlalued by many that the sand thrown up by the dredges to form the banks of the canal would be too weak to withstand the combined action of the wind and waves iu the lake, and the canal would iu con sequence be liable to frequent interruption Fortunately, these fears have proved groundless, and all cause for such apprehension Is now re moved. Iu this division 3(4.3i'7 cubic metres were excavated during the month ending Octo ber 15, 1808, which, added to the previous exca vation of 0,072,723 metres, left a theu total of 2,700,049 metres yet to bo taken out. DIvIhIod of Kl-liiiUr. This is the longest division of the canal, and includes all lying between Kilometre Twenty three and Ismailia, a distance of thirty-five miles. Tho appcarauce of the canal, as far as Kantara, is like that on tho first division, being as straight to use a homely metaphor as a bee-line. South of Kantara the work is very heavy, es pecially at El-Gulsr. Here are the deepest cut tings, extending a distance of five miles to Lake Ballah. Out of a total of 29,859,044 cubic metres, upwards of 9,770,037 yet remain to be excavated to reach the maximum depth of tho canal. Twenty-five dredges aud an Immense force of laborers are engaged upon this division, and they are taking out about (100,000 cubic metres per mouth. In some parts of this division, when the canal is excavated to Its full extent, the per pendicular depth will bo upwards of one hun dn feet. Kantara. The Kseond point of importance on the canal is situate ut the southern extremity of Lake Mcnzalah. v, occupies the site of Mijdol, famous iu the history o( tue Exodus, aud has long been an important trossiug for tho Syrian eumel t rains. It 1 the i-riucipal town lu thU divlslou, Is twenty-eight miles from Port Said, and Is usually reached by the mall boats in about fire hours. In this and in each other division of the work, a basin has been formed In the lake, where tho surplus sand and earth are dumped by light ers. I.nko nnllnh. Eight miles south of Kantara, the canal enters Lake Ballah, aud, soon after parsing the little Arab village EI-Ferdanc, we reach El-Gulsr. The plateau upon which this village (El-Gulsr) stands is the most elevated point, and the cut tings the deepest upon tho whole canal. The labor of twenty thousand Arab fcllahl was re quired for two years in cutting a channel deep enough to float the steam dredges from the Mediterranean to this point, and in filling tho shallow basin of Timsah, formerly fed by the overflowings of the Nilo only. At El-Guisr Mr. Hall found excavators hard at work widening the canal, with construction trains and locomo tives drawn up on tho bank for removing the earth more rapidly than it could bo done by lighters In the canal. There Is yet mere to bo done in this division before it is fit for the pas sage of largo vessels. Inmallla I,nke Tlmnnli. Ismallia, next to Port Said, Is the most im portant point ou the canal. It is not only tho official headquarters of the company, but the residence of the principal officials. Until within a recent period, the offices of the contractors, MM. Borll and Lavalley, were also located hero, but these have been romoved to Port Said. Tho town is pleasantly situated near tho northern shore of Lake Timsah, and is named after the reigning Viceroy, Ismail Pacha, who suc ceeded his uncle, Said Pacha, in January, 1803. Though, like Fort 8ald, It owes its origin and growth entirely to tho canal, the contrast between the two towns is very marked. The fresh-water canal, from the Damietta branch of the Nile, originally extended as far as a town called Zagazlg, about fifty miles to the westward of Ismallia, which was then looked upon as the limit of civilization and habitable villages towards tho east. All beyond was sand, desert, and desolation, with wandering tribes of Be douins to make the desolation dangerous. One of the first operations of the company was to continue the fresh water canal to the cast, and from a point two or three miles west from the present town, then a howling wilderness, its fertilizing waters now flow through the desert to the sea. It has played an essential part in the construction of tho ship, canal. Indeed without it the latter could hardly have been built. Be fore it was finished, three thousand camels and donkeys were required to transport the Nile water necessary for the sustenance of the la borers. When finished, the Egyptian Govern ment purchased it for two million dollars. It runs nearly at right angles to the Maritime Canal. Its width is twenty-six feet, and its aver age depth about four feet. Division of Imnallla. From Ismailia, southward, we enter upon the third grand division of tho canal. This extends through Lake Timsah and the Bitter Lakes to Kilometre One Hundred and Fifteen. Tho northern end of tho Bitter Lakes is sixty miles from Port Said. The lakes themselves are twenty-three and one-half miles long. Up to within a few months past tho navigation of the maritime canal did not extend beyond Ismailia; but, on the 18th of March last, tho waters of the Mediterranean wen :i!mltted Into the Bitter Lakes, and there is now uninterrupted naviga tion to the head of these lakes, and within fif teen miles of Suez, for vessels of ordinary ton nagc. The cuttings ut Toussoum and Serapcum, passed between Lake Timsah and the Bitter Lukes, are deep, and, next to those already seen at El-Gulsr, the most difficult on tho whole length of the canal. The Bitter Lakes constitute the most interest ing feature of this division. They are estimated to contain nine hundred million tous of water, aud it is expected, from their size and situation, they will obviate tho necessity of locks to break the current, whleh would otherwise exist in the canal between the two seas. Through these lakes the cunal flows, between banks of the entire width of three hundred and twenty-eight feet, until it enters the last cutting, about five miles from Chalouf, whence It follows the course of the ancient canal to Seuz. Division ol Suez. This division is twenty-eight miles in length. Tho principal points are Chalouf (El-Tcrraba) and Little Chalouf, or "Eighty-three, "' on tho Freeh-water Canal, where there is a ferry estab lished for the transit of the caravans and trains 4,0 and from Mecca. Tho number of dredges at work on this divi sion is email compared with that engaged upon the preceding sections, the nature of the work requiring a preponderance of hand-labor. Up wards of thirteen thousand men and one thou sand donkeys are engaged upon this division, The majority of this large force are native Arabs (fellahs), and they work hard. In close and curious contrast to these simplo carriers the Titanic engines toll and puff as they drag their ponderous claws along through this vast ditch. Nowhere perhaps in the rorld is the contrast between steam aud man-power more vividly presented than on this great work. Suez. situate at the head of tho gulf of the same name, which Is a prolongation of the Red Sea, and Scripturally famous as the sceuo of tho journey of the Israelitish hosts, has come prominently into notice of late years in connection with the overland route to India and China, and more re ccntly as the southern terminus of the ship canal. It is likewise the place of embarkation for the Mohammedan pilgrims from Egypt, aud the countries of Northern Africa, on their way to tho holy cities. The town is built on a low, sandy tract of land. The works at Suez are not on so large a scale as on tho Mediterranean side, as 110 new Venice had to be made there ou mud or sand Instead of Illes, Suez having long been used as the Bed Sea port of the "P. aud O. steamers, and the fleet of their steamers always anchoring a short distance below it. Still a sea-wall had to bo built there, to pro tect the mouth of the canal, as at Port Said though on a smaller scale, and great workshops erected. From a small Arab village In tho time of Me hcnict All, Suez had grown Into a town of three thousand Inhabitants, chiefly Arabs, 6ix or seven years ago, uuder tho influence of the "P. and O." transit. But it has been galvanized into new life by the new canal works, uud numbers uow twenty-five thousand Inhabitants, being quite a l.usy aud flourishing place, with brighter prospects lor the future. Of tho present population, more than four thousand arc Luropeans. From tho new palace of tho Viceroy to tho north of tho town, tho eye embraces a magnificent series of panoramic views. At tho feet of the gazer Ho stretched out tho town of Suez, the port, aud the roadstead. On his right hand tower up the lofty mountains of AttaLa, which fiowu on the Red Sea. To the eft, high in the heavens, rises the hoary headot Mount Sinai, between sea and desert. In front, far ns the eye can reach, toss and sparkle tho bright blue waves of the sea more azure in hue than those of the Mediterranean. Turning from this refreshing prospect, and looking behind him, he sees stretched in all its sombre simpli city, In great sandy waves, the bare, bleak ex panse of the desert, without tree, shrub, or blade of grass to break its barren and dreary monotony. Tho roadstc-id of Suez and its port are very large and very secure. More than five hundred Tessels can find place there at a time. Much of M. de Lesseps work had already been done here for him by his rivals of tho "P. and O." Com pany. A magnificent dry-dock has been con structed and tho most extensive dredging and jetty-making operations are in progress. The ary-oocK is upward of 400 feet in length, and nearly 100 feet broad, while commodious basins, for the secure anchorage of ships and steamers, are being formed in front of it. The new piers are bclnj connected with the railway to Cairo ana me town 01 euez by branch lines of rail way. Ihe Egyptian government, shamed Into activity by tho gigantic works carried on by the canal company, is constructing piers and basins of Its owu at Suez, and what was twelve years ago one of tho filthiest and most indolent of Eastern cities Is now all life and energy. Practical Heaulta. During 1808 2088 vessels, agsrrctratlmr C74.048 tons burden, arrived at Port Said, and 270,000 tickets were issued by the Transit Service. Ac cording to the estimates of M. de Lesseps this amount will be increased to 3,000,000 tons per annum tho first year after the completion of the canal, and that, during succeeding yoars, this amount will be doubled. But these estimates are based upon tho successful completion of the canal and the navigation of it by steamers draw ing from sixteen to twenty-two feet of water. Tho full purpose of the ship canal will not be at tained until the largest vessels are able to pass tnrougn it irom end to end, so that steamers from Liverpool, London, Southampton, Mar seilles, Trieste, or Brlndlsl may proceed.wlthout transshipment of cargo or delay in Egypt, through the Red Sta to Bombay, Point de Galle, Calcutta, nong Kong, Shanghae, or Yokohama, as may bo desired. Freights to Port Said from British or French ports are no higher than to Alexandria; but if unloading is to be gone through with at the former port, the heavy tolls through the canal, and tho rcshipment at Suez for the East, will outweigh the cost of transport by the present route round tho Cape and practi cally render the canal a financial failure. 11 "1 . 1 1 . .,, .. ueuier 11, win ever pay us constructors as a commercial speculation when fully dug out for the puesage of large vessels remains to be seen. M. de Lesseps and tho French engineers, backed by r rench capital, have constructed the work. British commerce in the East must furnish the tolls and help to make it pay. An Experimental Trip. An American correspondent who visited the Suez Canal in the beginning of this year, thus sketches his Impressions of that division of the works which extends from Ismailia to Port Said Ten miles rapid Bteaming duo east, a sham turn to tho left, and we entered the grand canal so suddenly that we had hardly tlmo to take a lost look at Timsah and Ismailia, the beauties of the desert, ere the sand hills shut them from our sight. V here the canal enters Timsah from the north the cuttings are deep, and the creat hcvos of sand lie an cither side sixty or seventy feet high. Tho channel through which the watftr runs is not ono hundred feet wide, and the dcDth not over twelve feet. Hydraulic engines of enormous power were at work dredging up and puuriD out minimise volumes or will ana sand. Hundreds ol men, mostly Arabs, with barrow, pick and shovel, were movinir the huire henna. or, waist-deep in the water, turning from our path their uncouth boats; for much traffic is even now done upon the canal, and besides the boat loads of stores and provisions belonging to the company, we saw many a cargo thut reminded ns of tho sutlers' stores iu tho "Army of the Potomac." The Timsah cutting extends for perhaps half a mile, and then the desert is scarcely above the level of the water, and, in fact, In many places it Is below It, so that the water covers many hundreds of acres, and the course of the canal Is buoyed out sometimes for nearly a mile. As we left the hills of Timsah, the wind struck us sharply, and ever and anon a quantity of the light sand of the desert would bo caught up by it and sent whirling into the water; and look lug closely, we could see where it had drifted little capes and promontories into the canal. Let us repeat what our captain 6aid upon this subject, being asked: "Yes. monsieur, this drifting in of tho sand certainly seems to be one of our greatest diffi culties, for the wind blows across the caual all the year round six months one way, six moathB back. One ounce of sand per square yard amounts to five hundred tons for the whole canal. If It came in at that rate it would bo a long time before the company would pay any dividend. But we do not intend to let it come in; and this is how we prevent it. This sand extends only to the depth of from 9 to 12 feet below this is a stratum of blue mud, mixed with a sort of clay, in which, by the way, wo find great quantities ol beautiful shells and fossil fish. Well, then, do vou see thoso two huge engines whleh we are approaching one an hydraulic dredger in the middle of the canal, the other an Irou shute (it looked like the walking-beam of uu immense steumer), near the edge? Do you see how the vast masses of sand, mud, aud water come up from tho dredger, are poured out into the shute,' and thence on the ground sixtv or eighty feet from the edge of the canal ? Do' you see how quickly the great heaps rise, and how thoy extend, almost without a break, all along ? Well, monsieur, yon would find these heaps almost immediately baked hard bv the sun, uud as they are firm enough to beaf the railroad which we intend putting upon them the better to expedite the mulls from India, so we hope they v. ill be high enough to keep out tho sand drifts from the canal." "And what are your other great difficulties, mon capitaine?" "Well, monsieur, at Chalouf, uear Scrapeum, we have. struck a peculiar hard stone at the depth of twelve feet, and are obliged to blast to clear it out (it is nxolitc). Then the deposit of the Nile mud near Port Said will always keep us dredging. But what wo fear most is the Red Sea. For a long distance from Suez It is ex tremely shallow: then, lower down, it is very rocky; aud while, this is nothing to Bteamers, which can easily keep the narrow channel, yet with the wind blowing six months one wav and six months the other, It will not be easy "for a heavily-laden clipper to keep the ground. Yet these things will all be set right, for trade will take tho shortest route, and the Suez Canal will be a success, although no nation now believes it except Franco and" (with a bow) "America." The only stopping place from Ismailia to Port Said is Kantara, which means Tho Bridge. A swinging boat answers the purpose now, but the abutments are being built for a more substantial structure. Wc reached Kantara about three o'clock. Here in a little clump of houses thirty one milet; from Port Said, and the canal is almost perfected thus tar; thaf is to say, although tho dredges are still at work, yet for this distance the canal is one hundred yards wide aud of an average depth of twenty-six feet; and these are to be the dimensions for its entire length. A curious feature, which Is visible along tho nar row parts of the canal, is a current flow ing iu from the north at the rate of one and a half kuots per hour. Although it Is many months bIu ' the water attained its lccl, yet this 1 3till continues. Our captain attributed' inraiiou aud absorp tion. It must be remembered that all tho eat- ' tings have been from tho Mediterranean towards Cues, and that the main body of the men cm ployed, numbering eighty-five hundred, are worKirjr at tne new 01 the eanai, wnicn is now advanced as far as Serapenra. Here It is neces sary to cut through a number of sand-hills to the Bitter Lakes, which are a scries of depres sions in the dosert, in the lowest parts of which are marsny ponds. They are twenty-nve nines in extent, and it Is expected that when the water Is let in an area of one hundred and forty thou sand acres will be covered. (This has sinee been done.) Then comes the Chalouf cutting to Suez, sixteen miles, aud the seas meet. After leaving Kantara. for many miles the water overflowed the desert on either side. and we passed along as through an Immense lake. The channel wns buoyed, and as an evi dence of the shallowness of the overflow, flamin goes, pelicans, and a kind of large curlew waded about, intent on fish and regardless of us. while myriads of snipe and sandpipors gazel at us from the little islands which in every direction appeared above the water. After leaving Kan tara wc did not pass a boat nor sco a uuman being until we reached. Port Said. The eve fairly ached with reaching over tho desert dis tance miles upon miles of sand. and. uftcr we left the overflowed land, ono long silver thread of water. Not a tree, not a shrub, not even a good-sized stone, to relieve the Intense mono tony of tho landscape. So when the captain handed u his glass and said that he could sec tno snipping at rort said, we were wen sausuua that our voyage through tho desert was drawing to a close. Ferdinand de I,mifpi. "J'al pour princlpo de cominoncer par avoir la conflance," said M. de Lesseps recently to an English engineer, who was complimenting him on the almost insuperable difficulties he had overcome In the prosecution of his great enter prise, which is to be completed on the 1st of Oc tober, 1809. "My principle, from the commencement, was to have confidence," truly savs M. de Lesseps; for unless he had been animated by an uncon querable enthusiasm, aud belief in himself and his project, it would have been abandoned dur ing the first five weary years which Intervened between his obtaining the concession from Said Pacha, Viceroy of Egypt, in November, 1854, until 1859, when the company was constituted, and the work actually commenced. Ferdinand de Lesseps Is the son of Jean Bap tiste BarthelemI, Baron de Lesseps. who was born at Celto, a French port In tho Gulf of Lyons, in the year 1705. His father was, for five years, French vice-consul at St. Petersburg, In 1785 he accompanied La Perouse on his voy age to Kamtchatka, whence he brought, by land, the papers containing a description of the ex pcdltion. In 1788 he was consul at Kronstadt and St. Petersburg. From St. Petersburg he was called by the Emperor Napoleon I, in the year 1812, to Moscow, and appointed inter.dant of the latter city. In 1814 he proceeded to Lis bon, and was stationed there as consul until 1823. He died in Paris, May . 1:4. His son Ferdinand, the subject of our sketch, was born at Versailles, in 1805, and is, consequently, in his sixtj'-fourth year, though his appearance is thut of a man little past middle age. Iu 1825 he was attache to tho French consulate at Lisbon Two years subsequently found him engaged In the commcrlcal department of the ministry of foreign affairs. During the latter part of 1828 he was attache to the Consul-General at Tunis, and in 1631 was despatched by his Government as Consul to Alexandria in Egypt. Rare work and rapid promotion this for our jeuiw diplomat1, but the most eventful period of his long and active career was yet before him. Seven years subsequent to his appointment at Alexandria. and w hen he was in his thirty-fifth year, he was sent as consul to Rotterdam. From this place he proceeded to Malaga, in 18M0, to negotiate with the Spanish Government in behalf of French commerce. In the latter part of the same year he was transferred to the consulate ut Barcelona, where, during that and the two following years, ho was especially active, and signally distinguished himself against the reign of Espartoro. - In 1854 he received a commission from the Societe. cT Eludes da Canal de Suez, at Paris, to negotiate with Said Pacha for the construction of the canal, first projected in 1810. Accord ingly, towards the close of that year, we again find him on the Isthmus, preparing for his great work. This time he came to conquer. His mission was crowned with success, and the necessary concession was made In November of that year. A palace and retinue of servants were assigned to his use, and he was treated, as a guest of the Viceroy, with the utmost respect. Great opposition followed, especially from Eng land, and it was not till January, 1850, that the second aDd fuller concession was granted by Said Pacha, and the ''International Company" fully organized In 1858 M. de Lesseps scceededin raising two hundred millions of francs in France alone, and in 1859 he proceeded to Egypt, aud planted iu the harbor of the ancient Pelusium, where Port Said now Etands, the Egyptian flag. Laying, at the same time, the foundation-stone for a light house, he proudly proclaimed the work com menced. Fresh difficulties, chieflv of a politi cal nature, iuterposed; but the indefatigable Lesseps never despaired. In 1859 he had the satisfaction of seeing his company and work placed upon a firm footing, though the final dc clbion of the French Emperor was not given till July, 1804, and, from that time to the present hour, the canal has steadily progressed. The personal appearance of M de Lesseps Is very striking. Though long past middle age, he has a fresih aud even youthful appearance. Both face and figure are well preserved; his slightly curling grey hair setting off in pleasing contrast his bronzed, yet clear com plexion, his bright eye, and genial smile. He is soiuewhut over the medium stature, is pos sessed of a compact and well-knit frame, carries his heod erect, and moves about with a buoyancy and animation perfectly marvellous iu one of his years and experience. His address is that of tho well-bred and well-educated French gentle man he is; his manners are winning, his voice clear and under most excellent control, as tho.e who listened to his admirable lectures on the canal at the late Paris Exposition cannot fail to remember. What is, perhaps, the most remark able in a man so bred and constituted is, that with great gentleness of speech and suavity of manner he combines a strength of will and stead fastness of purpose worthy of Napoleon or Ca sar himself. Though beset by difficulties and scoffed and jeered ut alike by friend aud foe, he has never for one moment swerved from his purpose or relaxed his efforts to accomplish it. The Formal Opening-. M. de Lesseps, iu an official letter, says; "The opening of the Suez Canal has been officially fixed for tho 17th November next, the canal, tho lcnsith ol which is 102 kilometres (98 1-10 miles), will then through the whole distance have eight metres (20 feet) depth of water, the w idth on the line of the water will be 100 metres (825 feet), with the execptiou of three passages, where this will be found to be 00 metres (195 feet). "I may further mention that all shipping, whether mercantile or naval, couveying passen gers as visitors for the inauguration, witi be per mitted to pass through the canal free from any payment of canal dues. It will be necessary, however, for such vessels to be at Port Said not later than tho 10th November, in order to Ixi ready to go through the canal, from Port Sail to lake Timsah, on the 17th, remaining the 14th le fore the town of Ismallia, where his Highne the Viceroy of Epypt will give an entertainment. The following day the Bitter Lakes will be traversed and the Red Sea reached, yU., on the 19th November." The arrangements for the opening of the canal on the 17th of November arc fully developed. -The Viceroy of Egypt proposes to entertalu his guests with unprecedented magnificence. On the bank of the canal are being erected lodge, constructed, fitted, and decorated so as to be representatives of tho characteristics ot the several countries to which the guests belong. Public amusements, theatres, circuses, balls, aud fetes are to be provided for the recreation of the assemblage, which promises to be ns brilllaut as varied iu its character. A first-class Italian opera company has been organized, and placed under.the management of E. Mur.lo. It will open the new theatre of Cairo with a season of seven months, extending from October 15 to May 15, giving twenty-five operas and six grand ballets. Tho crowned heads of Europe will cither attend in person or be represented by some royal relative, in order to give fitting eclat to the cere monies. The Emperor Francis Joseph of Aus tria, tho Empress Eugenie, the Sultan Abdul Azls, the King of Greece, tho Prince of Wales, and Prince Humbert, the Italian Crowu Prince, will all be present. Tho French, Austrian, and Turkish fleets accompany the sovereigns In their visit to the Isthmus. Tho French Emperor ha bad manufactured at Lyons a tent woven of silk and worsted, which will cost :)0,000, to be erected for the Empress. This tent will be taken to Paris after the ceremonies and sold at public auction, the proceeds to be distributed amoug the poor. America will also be represented at these festivities. In addition to her enterprising travellers who will atteud, representatives will be present from the commercial boards of New York, Boston, and other leading cities. OlHclnl Regulation. The following are the ofUcial regulations for the navigation f the Suez Canal, as published by M. de Lesseps: First. Navigation on tho Suez Maritime Canal is permitted to all vessels, whatevcrtheir nation ality, provided they do not draw more than seven metres and a half of water, the caual being eight metres deep. Steam vessels may navigate by means of their own steam power. Sailing vessels above fifty tons burden must be towed by the service establishment for this pur pose by the company. Steamers requiring to be towed will arrange by special contract. Each vessel towed will provide Its own tow-line. Second. The maximum speed of vessels on the canul is provisionally fixed at ten kilometres per hour. Third. Every ship exceeding oue hundred tons burden must take a pilot employed bv the company, who is bound to furuish every infor mation as to the route to be followed; the cap tain remaining responsible for the conduct aud handling of the vessel. Fourth. When a vessel requiring to pass the canal has taken up her moorings at Port Said, or at Suez, the captain Is to euter his vessel at the office and pay the passage dues, as well as the pilotage fees, towing and harboring fees, when due. A receipt will be given him, which will be avoilable iu case of need. He will be bound to furnish the following particulars: Name and nationality of the vessel; name of the captain; names of the owners and charterers; port whence sailed and destination: draft of water: number ot passengers; tonnage of the ship according to legal measurement, certified by official documents. Fifth. In the formation of trains, the captain furnished with a number according to his re ceipt, serving us a way bill: and after having received tho pilot on board, will take up the position assigned to him. Sixth. Every vessel about to enter the canal Is to have her yards braced up and booms topped. They must have two anchors oue forward and ono aft to allow of auchoring at the first order of the pilot. Seventh (1.) Every vessel must have, duriug the passage of tho canal, a boat In tow with a hawser ready, in order, in case of need, to carrr out his hawser to oue of the mooring piles placed along the two banks of the caual. (2.) The captain is bound to keep watches ou deck both night and day, to be ready to cast off or cut the tow lines at the first order. (3.) During the night, vessels will keep lights burning a cording to regulations, and a lookout forward. 14.) Every steam-tug or other steamer will whistle at the passage of the corners, at the ap proach of vessels which are to be passed or crossed, and at the approach of dredgiug or other engines which they mav meet. (&) When two vessels proceeding in opposite directions come to sight, they are to slacken speed, each keeping the starboard bank, or stop, according to the order of the pilot. (( ) When a vessel re quires to pass another going In tho same direc tion, warning mii6t be given by signal. The ves sel going at the least speed is to keep close to the starboard bank, and to slacken speed as much as possible. Eighth. (l.)Vesscls which forany cause whatever are obliged to stop iu the cunal" are as soon as Eossible to place themselves on the windward unk, aud move fore and aft. (2.) In all cases of necessary stoppage, and when it is impossi ble to reach a siding, which Is alwavs to be done, if possible, the captain must Immediately give notice by signals by day and by lamps by night, fore und aft. (3.) In case of grounding the agents of the company will have the right to direct the means of getting the vessel o!l. and, if necessary, of unloading tho whole at the ex pense of whoever may have caused the ground intr. Ninth. Captains are forbidden (l)to anchor in the caual, except in case of absolute neces sity, and without the pilot's consent; (2) to throw iuto the canal earth, ashes, cinders, or any other matcrinls: (o) in case of anything falling into the canal a declaration is to bo mude to the pilot, who is bound to transmit it to the agent ut the nearest station; (4) the captain is forbid den to fish up anything fallen iuto the canal ex ec 4 under the direction of tho company's agents: (5) the salvage of all objects fallen Into the caual is at the expense of tho captain, to whom they will be restored on payment of thoso expenses. Tenth. Captains will bind themselves, ou re ceiving a copy of these regulation, to obev every order lor tho purpose of carrying theiii out. 1 Eleventh. The dues to be paid arc calculated on the actual tonnage of the vessel, both us to the transit dues and ibe towing uud harbor dues. This tonnage is determined (until further orders) by the otlieial papers 011 board. Tho transit due from one sea to the other is 10 francs per ton burdeu, and 10 francs per pas senger, payublo at the entrance at Port Said or Suez; the towage dues are fixed at 2 francs per ton: tho harbor dues for anchoring at Port Said, at Ismuilia, and before tho platform at Suck, ailer rcmaiuiug for twentv-fonr hours for twenty dayR ut the utmost. 5 centime per ton per day, at the place assigned by the captain of the port. The pilotage dues for tho passage of the canal nre fixed according to the draft of water as follows: l p to 3 metres, fi francs per decimetre- irom . to 4; metres, 10 francs: from 4'- to B metres, 15 francs; from 0 to 7 metres. 20 francs. Kvcry decimetre to be paid for propor tionally according to tho category to which tha vessel belongs. The pilot kept on board In case of auchoraa- will bo paid 20 fraucs per day. Vessels turd will ixt eutitled to a reduction 'of 25 perjtjut tho pilotage dues.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers