THE INTEROCEANIC CANAL. 179 



the canal would have upon the trade and industry of 

 each nation, and what new markets it would open to 

 the trade of the whole world. The second commission, 

 for which M. Simonin acted as reporter, was charged 

 with the examination of the economical and financial 

 results of the enterprise. The province of the third 

 section was a more technical one, and it was composed 

 of sailors, who discussed the influence of the canal 

 upon shipbuilding, elucidated the regime of the winds 

 and currents near the various canal routes submitted 

 to the consideration of the jury, and pointed out under 

 what conditions the safety and facility of the passage 

 through the canal could be secured. This commission 

 made an estimate of the speed of the vessels in pro- 

 portion to the draught of water, and gave its opinions 

 as to the effect of locks and tunnels in a canal intended 

 to be used by the largest ships in existence. 



The fourth commission was appointed to report 

 upon the different routes for the canal submitted to 

 the congress by their respective authors. Differing 

 in this respect from the other sections, its functions 

 were of a more general kind, as it had to discuss each 

 project from an engineering point of view, to indicate 

 the advantages and drawbacks of each, and fix what 

 each would cost, both for construction and annual 

 maintenance. The fifth commission was known as 

 that of ways and means, and its duty was to complete, 

 by entering into more details as to figures, the work 

 of the second commission, and to name definitely the 



