THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 109 



The most advantageous course for great public 

 thoroughfares is usually pointed out by the unerring 

 hand of Nature ; the Indian first adopts it, and af- 

 terward it becomes a mule path, and with the pro- 

 gress of civilization a carriage road is opened, and 

 then a railroad or canal, and perhaps both. Such 

 has been the history of almost every great highway 

 in the American States, and such is most truly the 

 case across the Isthmus of Panama. There is a 

 necessary order to be observed in the accomplish- 

 ment of all great measures for public improvement, 

 and the steps of progress must be regulated by the 

 necessities of the people, and an intermediate meas- 

 ure which may be deemed absolutely essential to 

 the favorable accomplishment of the great work of 

 constructing a ship canal across the Isthmus, is that 

 of a railroad, leaving the still more formidable un- 

 dertaking for future consideration. 



Hitherto all measures for the purpose of connect- 

 ing the two oceans have been deterred, from appre- 

 hension of difficulties, both of a moral and political 

 character ; but since the treaty has been established 

 between the United States and the government of 

 England, pledging the neutrality of the Isthmus, 

 and a better understanding of the climate and its 

 effects on health, these may be considered in a 

 great measure removed, while the physical ob- 

 stacles stand alone with their bold fronts to be con- 

 tended with. In this respect it is not probable that 

 the stupendous character of the enterprise has ever 

 been overrated, while by many it has without doubt 

 been estimated too low. 



