THE PANAMA CANAL. 



329 



been even roughly explored. Philip II., however, forbade the presentation of any- 

 new plans, since " the will of God had clearly manifested itself by the creation 

 of a continuous isthmus." But when Latin America was finally emancipated from 

 Spanish leading-strings, the undertaking began again to attract attention. So 

 early as 1825 Bolivar took steps to have the isthmus of Panama surveyed with a 



Fig. 150. — Docks and Cottese of the Panama Canal. 

 Sccole 1 : 540,000. 



f _!;'"l|»!^7|!P'^V*';v- rV*V.*"*=^ 



79 55 



\ est oF ureen v cl^ 



79 30 



12 Miles. 



view to the construction of an interoceanic canal. Scientific exploration had 

 thus already begun. 



Amongst the projects based upon local research, the most important in the 

 history of Panama were those of Garella in 1843, and of Lull in 1875. But both 

 of these engineers admitted the possibility only of a canal with locks to ascend the 

 slopes on one side and descend on the other. But in 1879, a more detailed study 

 of the ground enabled MM. Wyse and A. Reclus to present a plan with estimates 

 for a cutting at sea-level, and these propositions were accepted by a congress of 

 engineers, men of science, and capitalists assembled in Paris. The prodigious 

 success of the Suez Canal and the yearly growth of navigation between Europe and 



