THE MARITIME CANAL OF SUEZ. 



The Maritime Canal of the Isthmus of Suez, whether considered 

 in its political or scientific character, must ever be regarded as 

 one of the greatest triumphs of the Nineteenth Century, for it 

 has largely accelerated the cause of civilisation, the march of 

 commerce and of industry to enrich the world. 



ITS EARLY HISTORY. 



The achievement of Ferdinand de Lesseps was not the first 

 attempt to unite the Mediterranean and Red Seas, for geologists 

 are of opinion, that a water way had, at some remote period, passed 

 through the Isthmus of Suez. 



The Egyptians of antiquity were celebrated for their great 

 engineering works, and their favourite form of operations were Canals, 

 the remains of which have been found, and are still to be traced, in 

 different parts of Egypt. 



According to Champollion, a complete water-way from sea to sea 

 was achieved by Sesostris about 1300 b.c. ; and Herodotus ascribes 

 its construction to Nechos, son of Psammetichus, 600 b.c. ; whilst 

 other ancient writers assign the honour to Darius, King of Persia. 

 Its course ran from Suez to Tagaziz, a distance of ninety-two 

 miles, and is described by Herodotus as wide enough to carry two 

 vessels abreast ; while Strabo, who lived before the Christian Era, 

 states, it was 150 feet wide and very deep, and that he saw it 

 covered with vessels; Plutarch also refers to Cleopatra, after the 

 Battle of Actium, passing through it with her vessels. 



At a subsequent period it became choked with sand, and was 

 restored by Trajan, a.d. iio, but was again rendered useless from 

 the same cause, until Amrou, the Arab General of the Khalif 



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