360 
DOTTINGS ON THE ROADSIDE. [" Chap. XXII._ B. P. 
and, through the Due de Bassano, I was introduced, 
by his Majesty’s orders, to certain leading French 
capitalists. The idea of a canal, however, was para¬ 
mount, and therefore the practical support I had hoped 
for was not forthcoming. 
(I see that the Nicaraguan Congress has just ratified 
a canal concession (March, 1869), in favour of the 
celebrated Monsieur Chevalier, of Paris; I trust he 
may meet with more success in the thorny path he 
has chosen than has fallen to my lot.) 
In March, 1863, I went to Nicaragua, accompanied 
by two civil engineers, to make a thorough ex¬ 
amination of the nature of the country interve ning 
between the Atlantic and the Great Lake. A road 
* 
was cut through the dense primeval forest, with great 
labour and expense (a large force of Indians and 
Caribs having been employed), for about eighty miles 
from Pirn’s Bay towards the lake, the section of which 
fully confirmed the practicability of the projected route, 
and proved that none of the insurmountable physical 
difficulties which had been foretold had any existence 
in reality. 
While the survey was progressing, I endeavoured 
to supplement the concession from the King of Mos¬ 
quito, already in my possession, by another from the 
Government of Nicaragua; but in this respect I was 
doomed to disappointment. Not only was Nicaragua 
at war with the neighbouring republic of San Salvador, 
but a revolution had broken out, threate nin g the most 
disastrous consequences; so that it was quite out of 
the question to do more than merely open negotiations 
with the Government. 
