20 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[January, 



descanted upiin, and, to some extent, appropriated without ac- 

 kridwled^^ement. 



Tlic general views of the autlior incline to the formation of a 

 sliij) canal, in preference to a railro.id; he denies that there are any 

 ohstades to its accomijlishnient, hut, on flje contrary, asserts so 

 many local advantajres to exist and to he concentrated nearly at 

 one point, that in after ages it will he a matter of wonder wliy so 

 many generations should li:]\e neglected, or refused to render them 

 availahle, towards the estahlisliment of this long-coveted com- 

 munication l)et"een tlie two Oceans. 



Tlie paper lirst reviewed the surveys of Garella, of Morel, and 

 others, wiio had examined the country subsequently to Colonel 

 Llovd. It then examined the v:aious lines proposed, and gave 

 reasons for preferring that which, starting from the beautiful Bay 

 of Limon, would proceed by a short canal, through a flat country, 

 to the River Chagres, thence up the River Trinidad, as far as its 

 dejith would suit, and then cutting a canal into the Rio Grande, 

 debouching at I'anania. Tliis line, it was contended, in the present 

 state of the science of engineering, presented no obstacles, except- 

 ing the climate and the expense, to prevent a canal being cut of 

 sufficient depth and dimensions to float, from one river to the 

 other, the largest shij) in her Majesty's navy. 



The climate was stated, from personal experience, to be quite ns 

 good as in any tropical country, except in some particular spots, 

 where, from local causes, certain complaints were rife. 



The expense could only be accurately estimated by the survey of 

 experienced engineers; but in a country abounding in fine timber, 

 and the best building materials of all kinds, whilst no great chain 

 of mountains, as had been fancifully depicted on suppositious 

 charts, had any existence except in the imagination of the de- 

 signer, it was only fair to allow, that the cost of a canal of such 

 limited length could not be very great, and the supply of water 

 might be presumed to be ample, in a climate where there was 

 copious rain for nine months in each year. 



The disadvantages of a railroad in such a humid climate, were 

 descanted upon at length, and it was shown that the risk of injury 

 to merchandise from that cause alone, indejiendent of tliat to be 

 anticipated from breakage and pilfering, during the various trans- 

 shipments, must induce preference for a canal, through which ves- 

 sels should pass from sea to sea without delay, and continue their 

 voyage to their destination without breaking bulk. 



The means of accomplishing the work were then fully con- 

 sidered. The proposition for a certain number of convicts, to be 

 contributed by Great Britain, France, and America, was shown to 

 be untenable; but it was argued, tliat a portion of the convicts 

 from this country miglit be more advantageously sent there than 

 to our present penal settlements. 'I'he means of preventing their 

 escape were shown, and a proposition made for introducing with 

 them a number of convicts from I$engal, and the other presidencies, 

 M'hose language and habits would eft'ectually prevent their mingling 

 with the British convicts, whilst their power of enduring fatigue 

 under a tropical sun, and during rains, and their simple mode of 

 living, would render them valuable pioneers for the more robust 

 Englishmen. It was stated also, that a great deal of native labour 

 might be obtained at a cheap i-ate; sixpence, or ninepence per day, 

 and his rations, consisting of a pint of rice, a pound of dried beef, 

 and a go!i>e d'ayunrdientr, being the ordinary pay of a "Peon." 

 The chief ])oint, however, insisted on by the author, was the great 

 field opened in the Isthmus, for emigration for the surplus popula- 

 tion of this country. He contended, that it was far preferable to 

 the Canadas, where the poor but industrious and honest mechanic, 

 or labourer, on arriving, found that the rich lands he had heard of 

 could only be reached by a weary journey, and after such hard- 

 ships, in a severe climate, as his limited means and broken strength 

 rendered impossible for liim to bear. Australia, with its arid, 

 trackless wastes, held out still fewer temptations to the emigrant; 

 for the ordeal of misery to be enumerated by the majority, was 

 such as to deter all but the stoutest hearts from encountering it. 

 The Isthmus had none of these disadvantages. It was compara- 

 tively within an easy distance; the emigrant would be .it his desti- 

 nation almost on landing; the resources of the country were great, 

 and the productions varied and cheap, whilst the present popula- 

 tion was infinitely disproportioned to the su])erficial area of the 

 country. This point was strongly insisted on, and it was argued, 

 that a grant of land might be easily obtained, in liijuidation of tlie 

 debt owing by the government of tlie country, and as the Britisli 

 had once possessed an establishment tliere in 1675 to 1090, under 

 the charter of the "Scotch Uarien Company," so a footing being 

 again obtained, a barrier of the most formidable character would 

 be opposed to the annexation propensities of our transatlantic 



brethren, who were making rapid strides towards the possession of 

 this valualde tract. 



Ajqiended to the paper, was a copy of the commission granted 

 to Lieut. -('olonel Lloyd, by General Bolivar, authorising his ex- 

 amination and survey of the Isthmus, and of the rivers, which had 

 previously been most jealously refused to every one. This docu- 

 ment was alluded to with some natural jiride, as proving, that to 

 an English engineer was due the merit of having been the first to 

 examine and pmjiose a work of such vital importance to the whole 

 world, but which had been since claimed, and in fact, appropriated 

 by other persons without acknowledgment. 



Dec. 18. — The annual general meeting of the Institution was 

 held on Tuesday evening, December 18th, when the following gen- 

 tlemen were elected to form the Council for the ensuing year: — 



William Cubitt, PreMdent; I. K. Brunei, J. M. Rendel, J. Simp- 

 son, and R. Stephenson, M.P., Vice Presidents; J. F. Bateman, 

 G. P. Bidder, J. Cubitt, J. E. Errington, J. Fowler, C. H. Gregory, 

 J. Locke, M.P., I. R. iM 'Clean, C. May, and J. Miller, Members; 

 and J. Baxendale and L. Cubitt, Associates of Council. 



The Report of the Council, which was read, alluded to the past 

 season of unexamjiled depression in the engineering world, but 

 at the same time held out hopes of impiovement, on account 

 of the agitation of the subjects of better sujiplies of water and 

 gas, the sewerage and drainage of towns, the construction of 

 abattoirs, and other sanitary questions; whilst the improvement 

 of canals, in their struggle with the railways for the heavy traffic, 

 the construction and amelioration of harbours, the embanking and 

 improving of rivers, the recovery of marsh-lands from the sea, and 

 numerous other works, which had been neglected on account of the 

 more attractive railways, would resume their former importance, 

 and eventually afl^ord ample employment for the majority of the 

 members of the profession. 



It was shown, that the careful administration of the funds had 

 been attended to, and that a considerable quantity of publications 

 had been issued. 



The alteration of the commencement of the session was shown 

 to have worked well; and, in general, the report of the progress 

 of the Society was very satisfactory, in spite of the bad times for 

 engineers. 



The debt contracted for the improvement of the House of the 

 Institution was stated to have been entirely liquidated, by the 

 liberality of a number of the members. 



Telford Medals were presented to Lieut.-Colonel Harry D. Jones, 

 R.E., Mr. R. B. Dockray, and Mr. J. T. Harrison; Council Pre- 

 miums of Books to Messrs. J. T. Harrison and J. Richardson; and 

 Telford Premiums of Books to Messrs. R. B. Grantham, T. R. 

 Crampton, "W. Brown, and C. B. Mansfield; the President address- 

 ing a few complimentary expressions to each of these gentlemen 

 on presenting the premiums. 



Memoirs were read of the following deceased members: — Messrs. 

 J. Green, P. Rothwell, R. Siblev, and D. Wilson, Members; A. 

 Mitchell; Lieut.-Colonel A. W'. Robe, R.E. ; C. K. Sibley, W. 

 Mitchell, and J. C. Prior, Associates; and J. ^\'oods, Graduate. 



The ftdlowing extract from the Memoir of Lieut.-('ol(Miel A. W. 

 Robe, will give a specimen of the manner in which civil engineers 

 treat and speak of the memory of their deceased brethren, whether 

 civil or military: — 



"Lieut.-Colonel Alexander Watt Robe, R.E. , was born at Wool- 

 wich, on the 31st of January, 1793; he commenced his military 

 career, as a gentleman cadet, at Great Marlow, removing from 

 thence to the Royal Military Academy at ^V'oolwich, and ohtaincd 

 a connnission in the corps of the Boyal Engineers, in 1811; finally 

 attaining the rank of Lieut.-Colonel in that distinguished corps, 

 in 1837. By a remarkable combination of circumstances, although 

 he was continually apjiointed for acti\e service, his appearance was 

 generally the harbinger of peace. Ho joined the army of the 

 Pyrenees in 1813, just before the termination of the war in the 

 Peninsula; and in 181+ was attached to the forces under Sir 

 Edward Pakenham, in the expedition to New Orleans, but only 

 arrived at the cessation of hostilities. Immediately on his return 

 to England, he received orders to re-embark for the Netherlands, 

 but only reached the seat of war a few days after the battle of 

 AVaterloo. He remained with the Army of Occupation until 1818, 

 and shortly after his return was appointed to the ( )rdnance Trigono- 

 metrical Sur\ey, the duties of which post he performed with great 

 skill and ability, until 1811, when he proceeded to Halifax, Nova 

 Scotia, as second in command of the Royal Engineers; and in 1813 

 was appointed C'ommandaut of the Royal Engineers at St. John's, 

 Newfiuuidland, in which command his honourable and useful career 



