TEHUANTEPEC. 233 



cumstances navigable for large vessels. A boat 

 canal of communication^ aided by rivers^ would 

 undoubtedly render the internal prosperity of 

 a country^ where the distance from sea to sea is 

 115 geographical miles^ infinitely greater than it 

 is at present ; but the realization of this project 

 is more important to the state of Mexico than 

 to the general interests of the commercial world. 

 The canal to join the Chimilapa with the Rio 

 del Passo would be about 16,000 toises in 

 length. This is not the favourite project in 

 South America as far as my observation goes. 



The second and third are both in Central 

 America, and in the province of 

 Nicaragua. 



Each of these lines would produce much 

 more important results, combining all the ad- 

 vantages necessarily accruing to a number of 

 inland towns directly in the course of the 

 navigation, with the invaluable and extraor- 

 dinary benefit to commerce in general, from the 



