KEVENUE AND INCOME. 
115 
of all the glorious consequences, or even enumerate the changes 
which the opening of the Tehuantepec route is destined to bring? 
Indeed, the mind becomes lost in the magnificent mazes of the 
labyrinth, and our speculations of futurity are but the shadows 
of what is to come. 
But there may be still some skeptic to whose lips will rise the 
involuntary question, " Will it pay ?" Let him ask the Califor- 
nia emigrant how much he would save in time, distance, and 
money. Let him inquire the price of breadstuffs and fabrics 
on the coast of the Pacific, and figure up what has already been 
expended in their purchase. Let him consult the w T haleman on 
the length of his voyage and the meagerness of his returns. Let 
him calculate the difference of insurance, interest, and outlay 
between six months and forty days on a voyage to the Indias. 
Let him look at the expenses of our naval fleet, and see how 
much it costs to send stores around the southern capes to the 
Pacific. Let him glance at the prices current of California, and 
compare the cost with the consumption of coal. Let him inves- 
tigate the demand at home and abroad for valuable woods, trop- 
ical fruits and luxuries. Let him ask the Australian emigrant 
which route he prefers, the Cape of Good Hope or the Isthmus. 
Let him examine the map, and figure out the difference between 
going around and across the world. Let him consider well the 
influences of climate, and reconcile if he can, the discrepancies 
between the number who have sailed to and from California via 
Panama and Nicaragua, and those who have reached their des- 
tination. Perhaps his question then, will be satisfactorily an- 
swered. 
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