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NARRATIVE OP A 



ing to the statement of a Spanish engineer who executed a 

 survey in 1781, is forty-six feet above the level of the Pa- 

 cific ; its depth, about fifteen fathoms. The distance from 

 that sea to the south-western extremity of the lake of 

 Leon, which communicates, as before stated, with that of 

 Nicaragua, is, by the report of the said engineer, fifteen 

 geographical miles, arid the intervening land is said to be 

 sufficiently level to admit of the opening of a canal that 

 should unite those lakes with the Pacific. 



Should the grand work of uniting the waters of the 

 two oceans be undertaken and accomplished, a revolution 

 would be caused in the commercial world, attended with 

 results in the highest degree beneficial to the inhabitants 

 of both hemispheres. This part of the continent would 

 become the great thoroughfare of nations ; and Central 

 America would at once rise to an importance, both com- 

 mercial and political, which otherwise she never can 

 attain. 



Proposals for opening this communication were made 

 by a company of English merchants in 1824, The fol- 

 lowing year similar proposals were made by some mer- 

 chants of the United States. But in neither case does it 

 appear that any specific attention was given to the subject 

 by the Government of the country. Subsequently, a pro- 

 position to the same effect was made by the Dutch, which 

 was admitted, and the King of the Netherlands was to be 

 stockholder to the amount of one half of the capital that 

 might be invested. But, from whatever cause, this plan 

 also fell through, and matters remain in the same state as 

 before. 



It seems singular that a subject so peculiarly interesting 

 to the United States should not have attracted more atten- 

 tion in our country. The enterprize, however, could only be 

 successfully undertaken under the auspices of the Govern- 

 ment, and with the sanction of Congress. Were the sub- 

 ject properly recommended to the consideration of the na- 

 tional legislature, its importance could hardly fail of being 



