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THE HUMMING BIRD. 



[February i, 1891 



qui n'ayant pas grand'chose à risquer accordaient tout 

 ce qu'on leur demandait. La Colombie aurait cepen- 

 dant dû comprendre qu'il était de son intérêt bien 

 entendu de faciliter par tous les moyens l'achève- 

 ment du canal et non pas de mettre des entraves ou 

 d'augmenter les difficultés déjà considérables que ren- 

 contre la constitution d'une Société nouvelle. 



C'est, en effet, la Société destinée à se substituer à 

 la Compagnie de Panama qui devra assumer les 

 charges imposées par la Colombie. La liquidation 

 ne peut le faire, elle n'en a pas les moyens. 



Jusqu'à présent, le texte du traité passé par M. 

 Wyse n'est pas encore connu du liquidateur, M. Mon- 

 chicourt, et celui-ci ne veut donner sa ratification 

 que lorsqu'il l'aura sous les yeux. Il lui importe 

 de savoir si les clauses onéreuses imposées par la 

 Colombie sont en corrélation avec les demandes de 

 la liquidation qui veut surtout et avant tout être 

 assurée que le gouvernement colombien mettra à la 

 disposition de la Société d'achèvement les terrains sur 

 le tracé du canal sans que celle-ci ait à faire des 

 expropriations. 



Ce point est très important. Diverses questions 

 doivent être réglées en outre par le traité concernant 

 le Panama railroad dont la Compagnie est, on le sait, 

 le principal et presque l'unique actionnaire. 



Il faut donc attendre que le texte du traité soit 

 arrivé à Paris avant de savoir quelle tournure peuvent 

 prendre les affaires de la liquidation, avant de pro- 

 céder surtout à la formation d'une Société d'achève- 

 ment, ce qui n'est pas, tant s'en faut, la partie la plus 

 aisée de la tâche du liquidateur." 



I approve highly of all the observations made by 

 the author of this notice, except in one point, when 

 he says: — Ces conditions sont quelque peu draconiennes. 

 (These conditions are somewhat Draconian.) 



I object entirely to somewhat, being altogether more 

 than Draconian. 



It is just as much as if the Government of 

 Columbia did not care about the termination of the 

 Canal, and by what I know of Don Raphael Nunez, 

 the President of the Republic of Colombia, and of some 

 other Eminent Colombians, it would never have 

 entered my mind that some obstacles for the termina- 

 tion of the Canal could come from that quarter ; and 

 I really believe that the information sent to the Petit 

 Journal cannot be relied upon. 



Every Colombian well knows that the Canal is of 

 vital importance to them. When finished, it is the 

 beginning of a neiv era for that country, which is 

 destined to attain an importance which could not be 

 thought of a few years back. 



Not only is it the interest of Colombia not to put 

 any obstacles in the way of the Canal, but everyone 

 of its inhabitants, from the President of the Republic 

 to the humblest of the Indians, ought to make the 

 strongest efforts in helping, either by cash or bodily 

 contributions, to finish this magnificent work, which 

 is sure to attract to their country thousands of families 

 of the old world, and will be the means to make it 

 one of the finest and richest of America. 



Even at the cost of half the land of all Colombia 

 as a gift to the New Company, which may undertake 

 the termination of the Canal, they would be still the 

 gainers, but nobody asks so much. 



That is why I cannot believe that Colombia ask 

 from a New Company ten millions of francs, five 

 millions of Shares, and to take at their charge the 

 maintenance of the Army in the State of Panama. 

 If this was true, it would have been much better for 

 Colombia to say at once to the Representative of the 

 800,000 Share and Bondholders of the Panama 

 Canal : — " I know that you have spent already about 

 one milliard, 200 millions of francs, of which the 

 greatest part has Remained in this country ; that you 

 have made stupendous efforts for the digging of an 

 Inter-oceanic Canal in our country, but I don't care. 

 You have twt done it according to Contract, and, there- 

 fore, you had better go away, and I will take possession 

 of all that you have done, of all your machinery, houses, 

 properties, etc., and will do what I like with them." 

 It would not be very delicate, nor in the interest of 

 Colombia, but it would be plain speaking ; better 

 than to put such obstacles as those mentioned by the 

 Correspondent of the Petit Journal, which are their 

 equivalent. 



I am sure that Columbians know better, and will 

 do all what they can to facilitate means of opening the 

 Canal at an early date, and will morally and financially 

 co-operate to attain this result, which will change 

 entirely the future of their country. 



Actually Colombia, although a very large country 

 in size, is thinly inhabited, and very little known, 

 and the financial crisis is actually rather acute ; but it 

 cannot last long, and it is not a reason why they 

 should try to make money with the Canal. On the 

 contrary, they must show to the world at large that 

 they know how to appreciate the gigantic efforts made 

 by the Company of the Inter-oceanic Canal by 

 facilitating, by all means, the purchase of all the 

 assets of the Old Company by a New One. 



I will say even more, that Colombia being the most 

 interested in the making of the Canal, the best policy 

 which could be pursued by that country would be to 

 make the most strenuous efforts in Europe for the loan 

 of one or two hundred millions of francs, so as to 

 guarantee with that money a minimum dividend of 

 3 per cent, to the Share and Bondholders of the New 

 Company during all the time of the works ; a sum 

 which could be repaid to the Government in annuities 

 nfter the opening of the Canal. 



By so doing, Colombia will prove to all the world 

 that it is not in vain that it is called Colombia, from 

 the great man who re-discovered America, and it 

 would be quite just to change the name of the 

 Panama Canal into that of Colombus Canal. It 

 would be a feeble homage rendered to the memory 

 of the Great Navigator and Explorer, Christopher 

 Colomb. 



To be continued. 



SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 



The Museum of la Plata and my Idea of a 

 Typical and Practical Museum of Natural 

 History. 



I have just received a pamphlet entitled The 

 Museum of la Plata. It contains seven plates and 

 one plan, giving a good idea of what is the Museum. 



