239 



Trench people in M. Lesseps' ability to carry out his scheme. 

 In fact, his name exercises a spell over the majority of French- 

 men, who are looking forward with implicit confidence to the 

 time when this great highway shall be opened. 



It is more than 300 years ago since this project was first 

 brought into notice by a Portuguese navigator (Antonio 

 Galvao), and varying attempts have been made to carry out 

 the undertaking. The great difficulty to be encountered will 

 be in dealing with the valley of the Chagres River, which is 

 known to be subjected to heavy and practically uncontrollable 

 floods, which rise to a height of 40 feet in 24 hours. It is in- 

 tended that this shall be a sea-level canal, but it is not impro- 

 bable that if it is ever built at all it will be made with locks. 



BALTIC CANAL. 



Another scheme for a ship canal is that contemplated between 

 the Baltic and North Seas, as well as the 



MANCHESTER SHIP CANAL, 



for which a charter has been obtained from the British Parlia- 

 ment, but from the latest advices there appears to be some 

 difficulty in floating the latter scheme, owing to the opposition 

 of the Eailway Companies interested. 



RE'CENT ATLANTIC STEAALEliS. 



The transition from ship canals to steamships is an easy one, 

 and as a mark of the recent progress made in marine engineer- 

 ing as applied to transatlantic steamships I would refer briefly 

 to the record of the steamship America, built for a British 

 Company by Messrs. Thomson, the well-known Clydebank 

 builders. This vessel is really an innovation in transatlantic 

 voyaging, and was designed to steam through the water at the 

 rate of 18 to 19 knots an hour continuously, and has proved 

 equal to the tests imposed, not only in regard to her speed, 

 but likewise in her consumption of fuel, as she burns only 180 

 to 190 tons of coal per diem when steaming at the above 

 speeds, whereas the usual consumption of similar steamers at 

 a much reduced speed is from 300 to 350 tons of coals per diem. 

 She is built on the principles laid down by the late Mr. Proude, 

 viz., that a comparatively short and broad vessel with a fine 

 entrance and run aft, carried on continuous curving lines, 

 could be driven through the water at a higher velocity than a 

 long and narrow vessel of the same capacity, but with fine 

 entrance and parallel sides. 



The s.s. America is 459 feet long, 51 feet wide, and 38| feet 

 deep amidships. Her tonnage is 8,830, and carrying capacity 

 2,830 tons ; her engines are 7,000 horse power, and at 66 revo- 

 lutions give a speed in smooth water of 18 knots, and with 



