DISEASES OF THE PHILIPPINES 123 



The canal as proposed starts froin Bassiii d'Arcachon, on the 

 Atlantic Ocean; thence, with a branch to Bordeaux, passes through 

 Marmande, Agen, Castelsarrasin, Toulouse, Carcassonne, Narbonne, 

 and finall}^ terminates in the Etang de Sijean, on the Mediterranean 

 Sen. The entire length of the canal will be about 280 miles. The plans 

 that have been prepared provide for a width of 37 meters, increased 

 at intervals to 61 meters to allow vessels to pass each other, and for a 

 deptli of eight and one-half meters, and nine meters in the locks. 

 Tiie highest point of the canal, about 655 feet above sea-level, it is 

 estimated would be on the hill of Naurouse, which is the loAvest ])oint 

 in the watershed of the Garonne and of the river flowing into the 

 ^lediterranean. To reach this elevation 22, or perhaps only 18, locks 

 will be necessar3^ 



According to careful estimates prepared by some of the most expe- 

 rienced engineers of France, the total cost would be about $160,000,000. 

 The annual receipts, on the other hand, based at 75 cents per ton, will 

 easily reach $13,000,000 a year. The expense of maintenance, repairs, 

 etc., is estimated at $2,000,000 annually, and the interest at four })er 

 cent on the investment at $6,400,000, making a total annual expense 

 of about $8,500,000 a year. There would thus be a net profit of about 

 $4,500,000 a year. It is stated that the canal could be completed 

 within five years, allowing one year for the preparation of the neces- 

 sary plans, charts, etc., and four years for tlieir actual construction. 



By the construction of this canal the water route from Isle d'Oues- 

 sant, on the northwest coast of France, to the island of Malta, in the 

 Mediterranean Sea, would be shortened b}^ 1,090 miles. Vessels mov- 

 ing at the rate of six and one-half miles an hour could, including time 

 lost in the locks, easily accomplish the passage in 58 hours. 



DISEASES OF THE PHILIPPINES 



The expedition ,«eiit out l)y tlie .Tolms Hopkins University to investigate the 

 previilent diseases in the Philii)pines has sul:)niitte(l its report to the University 

 Medical Scliool. Noticesof the plansof the expedition have previously appeared 

 ill the Nationai, CiEOfiRAiMiu: ."M acazinii:. (See vol. X, pp. 280, 421.) Two 

 months, I\hiy and June, were spent in the study of disease ainonjj the natives 

 and American troojw in IManila and at Cavite. Owing to the military siluation, 

 it was found impracticable to visit other jwrts in the Archipelago or to penetrate 

 into the interior of the island of ]AV/.on. 



Of the diseases affecting the natives, smalljiox is the most prevalent. This 



