ccl GENERAL SUMMARY OF SCIENTIFIC AND 



ing by the Nicaraguan authorities of an official letter on 

 the subject of interoceanic communication to M. de Lesseps, 

 of Suez fame; who, in reply, favors the Nicaragua route as 

 the best, provided it should be found impracticable to build 

 a canal across the Darien isthmus, and proffers his co-opera- 

 tion in the event of the practical undertaking of the work. 

 Finally, perhaps the most inspiring incentive to our govern- 

 ment for the accomplishment of some one of the numerous 

 canals projected across the American isthmus will be found 

 in an examination of the last published report of the Suez 

 Canal Company, which brings forward the statistics of this 

 enterprise to the beginning of April of the year just closed. 

 We append a summary of the more important items of this 

 report : 



The Suez Canal was opened. to international commerce in 

 the month of December, 1869, since which time, up to April 

 1, 1875, 5236 vessels made the transit, 2863 passing through 

 from the Mediterranean, and 2373 from the Red Sea. Of the 

 grand total, 238 were sailing craft and the remainder steam- 

 vessels. The following figures, by years, will best illustrate 

 the progressive increase in traffic : 



Year. Vessels. 



1870 498 



1871 7G3 



1872 1082 



1873 3173 



1871 1264 



First quarter of 1 875 455 



Estimated traffic for the past year 1820 



The canal has become one of the main arteries through 

 which the world's, and especially Great Britain's, traffic 

 moves. The trade of Europe with the East has been virtu- 

 ally revolutionized within five years, inasmuch as the over- 

 land carrying trade lias almost ceased to exist; the gener- 

 al trade of the East being to a great extent carried by the 

 canal. The gist of the report, however, may be condensed 

 in the statement that the great undertaking has commenced 

 to "pay." In 1870, the net tonnage amounted to 436,609, 

 yielding to the company 5,04S,944 francs; in 1874 it had 

 reached 1,631,640, yielding 24,748,900 francs. The compa- 

 ny's annual expenses amount to less than 5,000,000 francs, 



