APPENDIX 351 



one thousand two hundred Egyptians opened a canal from Lake 

 Maxima, which brought the waters of the Nile to Ismailia. 

 During low water, however, in this river the supply failed, and 

 finally, in 1864, the Viceroy of Egypt threw no fewer than 

 eighty thousand men into the deepening and extension of the 

 fresh water canal, so as to secure a supply at all stages of the 

 Nile. At the cutting of the canal at El Guisar in 1862 and 1863, 

 there were eighteen thousand laborers employed. For these tene- 

 ments had to be erected, and a saw-mill was kept in constant 

 operation. At one time there were thirteen thousand eight hun- 

 dred barrows on the ground. At lake Timsah, one of the shallow 

 bodies of water which were utilized in the construction of the 

 canal, and on the banks of which the company's capital (Ismailia) 

 now stands, there were two hundred and eighty-five dredging 

 machines at work with a force equal to eighteen thousand horses, 

 and consuming twelve thousand tons of coal per month. Port 

 Said, the Mediterranean entrance to the canal is a creation of 

 this work. In 1859, when the first spadeful, of sand was turned 

 for the canal, it did not exist; in 1861 it had two thousand in- 

 habitants ; in 1872, eight thousand six hundred, of whom four 

 thousand two hundred were foreigners. A commodious harbor 

 and basin for the accommodation of shipping has been created. 

 T^hirty-five miles of the canal are subject to sand-driftiiig, and 

 sand barriers are erected somewhat similar to the snow fences 

 along the line of our Pacific Eailroad. The town of Suez, the Eed 

 Sea terminus of the canal, contains about thirteen thousand in- 

 habitants, ten thousand of whom are Egyptians, Turks, and Arabs, 

 and the balance principally Europeans. Extensive accommoda- 

 tion has also been here provided for shipping, and Suez is almost as 

 much a creation of the canal as Port Said. The cost of the con- 

 struction and maintenance of the canal has been so great that as 

 yet it, has not paid interest upon its cost ; but the traffic through 

 it is increasing so rapidly, that hopes are entertained of: its soon 

 doing so. Its importance to the world, however, is so great that 

 no fears need ever be entertained that it will not be maintained 

 in an efficient condition. 



As an evidence of the gi-eat increase in its use, the following 

 tables, showing the number of vessels and tonnage passing 



