126 NICARAGUA. 



CHAPTER XII. 



Projects for opening Interoceanic Canals by Nicaragua, Panama, 

 Darien and Tehiiantepec — Manuel Alfonso de la Cerda — John 

 Bailly — Pierre Rouhaud — Napoleon Garella — Napoleon Bonaparte 

 — Vanderbilt Company — What the South American Republics 

 ought to do — Felix Belly — The Maritime Canal Company of 

 Nicaragua — My Opinion about the Cost of Opening a Canal — 

 Certainty of the Opening of the Panama and Nicaragua Can9.1s 

 in the Future. 



^HE idea of an Interoceanic Canal in the Isthmus of 

 Nicaragua is not a new one. We may say that since 

 the discovery of America by Christopher Colombus, the 

 Emperor, Charles Qitiitt, recommended to Cortez not to lose 

 sight of el secreto del estrecho (the secret of the Straits), and 

 the discovery of the Straits of MageUan in 15 19, was hailed 

 with much satisfaction, and contributed to the belief that 

 another strait, somewhere in the Isthmus of Panama and 

 Nicaragua could exist. Many were the expeditions sent into 

 these countries with this object ; but an exact knowledge of 

 the Continent shewed that no such thing existed. 



From that moment arose the idea of establishing a 

 communication bew^een the two Oceans by a canal. 



Gomara, in his history of the Indies says:— "The voyage 

 between Spain and the Philippines, by the Straits of 

 Magellan, is so long and dangerous, that, having spoken 

 many times with illustrious travellers, historians, and navi- 

 gators, I heard from them about the possibility of opening 

 other passages much shorter, and very profitable to the trade 

 and to enterprisers. 



The first could avail itself of the Lagartos River, which 

 source is about sixteen miles from Panama, and would 

 terminate at Nombre de Dios (Chagres). The second could 

 make use of the river San Juan, which joins the Nicaragua 

 Lake with the Atlantic Ocean. By both these rivers the 

 passage is already half done. The third would be from the 

 river Vera Cruz (he meant the river Goatzacualco) to 

 Tecoantepec (Tehuantepec), where the inhabitants of New 

 Spain carried boats from one sea to the other. // is a fact that 



