THE ORIGIN OF THE SUEZ CANAL. 299 



was glad to find expressed by so distinguished a 

 company of travellers and savants, in the success of 

 an enterprise certainly destined to enlarge the domain 

 of geographical science and facilitate its discoveries. 

 As I had been told that many of the members present 

 would not be able to remain for the meeting of the 

 Society, I entered into some detail with regard to the 

 explorations of the International Commission and to the 

 result of its labours. Questions were put to me with 

 regard to the danger of an accumulation of sand and 

 the objections urged by the Edinburgh Review, and 

 my replies seemed to satisfy my questioners. I was 

 then taken to the meeting of the Society, which was 

 presided over by Mr. (afterwards Sir) Eoderick Mur- 

 chison, and after several speakers had dwelt upon the 

 importance of opening prompt and easy communica- 

 tions with the various nations of the earth, he called 

 upon me. The meeting was a very crowded one, and 

 included a great number of ladies. My rising was 

 the signal for loud applause, and I was again heartily 

 cheered at the conclusion of my speech, which, at the 

 request of the secretary, I afterwards wrote out and 

 sent to him for publication in the Society's journal. 

 It was as follows : 



" 'Captain Fitzroy, speaking of a project for making 

 a canal through the Isthmus of Darien, told you just 

 now in eloquent terms how the realisation of many 

 great enterprises which seem almost chimerical till 

 they come to be studied, becomes apparent to all the 



