246 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 



commerce. Could any other nation blame 

 England for acquiring by the terms of such a 

 treaty the possession of a narrow neck of land^ 

 for the sole purpose of rendering its extra- 

 ordinary position beneficial to the world? 

 Could Russia^ whilst carrying on a war against 

 the innocent Circassians^ to advance her fron- 

 tiers to the east? Could France who^ under 

 colour of resenting a national insult to her 

 consular representative^ is pushing her con- 

 quest in Morocco^ and will^ probably in the 

 end, be appeased with notliing short of the 

 dominion of all that vast territory, lying be- 

 tween the Pillars of Hercules and the confines 

 of Egypt. 



North America is too wise to object to the 

 completion of a design, no matter by what 

 nation, which holds out to her a boundless 

 prospect of future wealth. The people of the 

 isthmus would rejoice with all their hearts in 

 acknowledging so beneficent a sovereign, and 

 New Granada might, in the end, be reconciled 

 to the sacrifice of a small portion of distant and 

 useless territory, for an object which could in 



