THE NEW EARTH 



the northern portion is open during the period 

 of the year when traffic of the upper country 

 is heaviest. Immediately tributary to this 

 river are ten states comprising over twenty- 

 two miUions of inhabitants and producing 

 every important staple, — the heart of the great 

 Mississippi Valley, one of the richest regions 

 on the globe. At the outlet of the great river 

 lies the Gulf of Mexico, and, beyond, the east 

 and west oceans. When the Isthmian canal is 

 once opened, the market of the Orient will be 

 directly accessible. Note the distances at 

 present from New Orleans to various foreign 

 ports and the distances when this canal shall 

 have been completed: To San Francisco 

 via Cape Horn, 15,052 miles, via the canal, 

 4,047 miles, distance saved, 11,005 miles; to 

 Acapulco, via Cape Horn, 13,283, via canal, 

 2,409, distance saved, 10,874 miles; to Callao 

 via Cape Horn, 10,901, via canal, 3,000, dis- 

 tance saved, 7,901 miles; to Valparaiso, via 

 Cape Horn, 9,962, via canal, 3,987, distance 

 saved, 5,975 miles. From New Orleans to 

 Yokahama, via the Suez canal is 14,929 miles, 

 via Panama, 9,234, a saving of 5,695 miles ; 

 to Hong Kong, via Suez, 13,020 miles, via 



306 



