SUEZ CANAL. 



715 



years ago, was an insignificant Egyptian village 

 containing 4,000 inhabitants, but exhibiting no 

 signs of life. The absence of water, and the 

 clearness of provisions, both of which had to 

 be brought from Cairo and the surrounding 

 districts, rendered it as uninviting a spot as can 

 well be imagined. The advent of the Fresh- 

 water Canal (excavated by the Suez Canal Com- 



pany) has brought about a marvellous change. 

 The population has now increased to 25,000, 

 and there is a degree of life and activity about 

 the place clearly indicating the energy that is 

 being displayed on all sides. The principal 

 operations of the company consist : firstly, in 

 constructing a mole 850 yards in length at the 

 mouth of the canal, to serve as a protection 

 against southerly gales, 

 and against the action 

 of the tide at high 

 water ; secondly, in 

 dredging to the requi- 

 site depth the channel 

 leading from the canal 

 to the road of Suez; 

 and thirdly, the recla- 

 mation of land. The 

 mole which projects 

 from the Asiatic shore 

 is nearly completed. 

 It has been construct- 

 ed with a kind of cal- 

 careous rock, quarried 

 on the western shore 

 of the bay." 



Though not yet 

 open to general and 

 through navigation, the 

 canal in its finished 

 portion is, and has 

 been for some time, 

 already in operation, 

 passengers and mer- 

 chandise having been 

 carried through it to 

 a considerable and 

 steadily increasing ex- 

 tent. 



To give an idea on 

 what a scale the com- 

 pany is formed, what 

 sort of enterprise it 

 has engaged in, and 

 its means, we subjoin 

 the final sums of its 

 debit and credit ac- 

 counts, taken from 

 " an abstract of the 

 general account laid 

 before the sharehold- 

 ers April 30, 1868": 

 Total expenditures to 

 April 30, 1868, 11,- 

 532,171. Total re- 

 ceipts to April, 30, 

 1868, 13,853,866. 

 The Viceroy of Egypt 

 is personally interest- 

 ed in the undertaking 

 to such an extent, 

 that he holds 177,642 

 shares of the original 

 capital, which repre- 

 sent a payment on his 

 part of 3,552,840. 



