laugh the destroyer to scorn, and enjoy a prosperity which the utmost efforts of his power and his rage could never disturb.

In enumerating, however, the advantages of a commercial na ture, which would assuredly spring from the emancipation of South America, we have not yet noticed the greatest, perhaps, of all, the mightiest event, probably, in favour of the peaceful intercourse of nations, which the physical circumstances of the globe present to the enterprize of man-we mean, the formation of a navigable passage across the isthmus of Panama,-the junction of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It is remarkable, that this magnificent undertaking, pregnant with consequences so important to mankind, and about which so little is known in this country, is so far from being a romantic and chimerical project, that it is not only practicable, but easy. The river Chagré, which falls into the Atlantic at the town of the same name, about eighteen leagues to the westward of Porto Bello, is navigable as far as Cruzes, within five leagues of Panama. But though the formation of a canal from this place to Panama, facilitated by the valley through which the present road passes, appears to present no very formidable obstacles, there is still a better expedient. At the distance of about five leagues from the mouth of the Chagré, it receives the river Trinidad, which is navigable to Embarcadero ; and from that place to Panama is a distance of about thirty miles, through a level country, with a fine river to supply water for the canal, and no difficulty whatever to counteract the noble undertaking. The ground has been surveyed; and not the practicability only, but the facility of the work, completely ascertained. In the next place, the important requisite of safe harbours, at the two extremities of the canal, is here supplied to the extent of our utmost wishes. At the mouth of the Chagré is a fine bay, which received the British 74 gun ships, in 1740, when Captain Knowles bombarded the castle of St Lorenzo;-and at the other extremity is the famous harbour of Pananma. * Nor is this the only expe

dient

*For the accuracy of these statements, may be consulted a curious and instructive work, drawn up and published, in 1762, by Thomas Jefferys, geographer to his Majesty; from the draughts and surveys found on board the Spanish prizes; from other accessible documents, and the statements of eyewitnesses. The title of the book, as it is now but little known, it may be worth while to transcribe. • A Description of the Spanish Islands and Settlements on the Coast of the West Indies; compiled from authentic Memoirs; revised by Gentlemen who have resided many Years in the Spanish Settlements; and illustrated with Thirty-two Maps and Plans, chiefly from ori ginal Drawings taken from the Spaniards in the last War, and ongraved by Thomas Jefferys,' &c.

sea.

**

dient for opening the important navigation between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Further north, is the grand lake of Nicaraguay, which, by itself, almost extends the navigation from sea to Into the Atlantic Ocean it falls by a navigable river, and reaches to within three leagues of the Gulf of Papagayo in the Pacific. Mr Jefferys tells us, it was the instruction of the King of Spain to the Governor of St John's Castle, not to permit any British subject to pass either up or down this lake; ' for, if ever the English came to a knowledge of its importance and value, they would soon make themselves masters of this part of the country.' +

We are tempted to dwell for a moment upon the profpects which the accomplishment of this fplendid, but not difficult enterprife, opens to our nation. It is not merely the immenfe commerce of the western fhores of America, extending almost from pole to pole, that is brought, as it were, to our door; it is not the intrinfically important, though comparatively moderate branch of our commerce, that of the South Sea whalers, that will alone undergo a complete revolution, by faving the tedious and dangerous voyage round Cape Horn :-the whole of thofe immenfe interefts which we hold depofited in the regions of Afia, become augmented in value, to a degree which, at prefent, it is not easy to conT 2 ceive,

* The reader may consult, on the facility and importance of effecting a navigation from sea to sea by this extraordinary lake, a curious memoir by M. Martin de la Bastide, ancien secretaire de M. le comte de Broglio, published in the second volume of " Histoire Abregée de la mer du Sud, par M. de Laborde. "

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+ See p. 43. of " A Description, "&c. above cited. What Alcedò tells us is still more extraordinary, that it was even interdicted, ́on pain of death, to propose opening the navigation between the two seas. En tiempo de Felipe II.' says he, se proyectó cortarlo, y communicar los dos mares por medio de un canal, y á este efecto se enviaron para reconocerlo dos Ingenieros Flamencos; pero encontraron dificultades insuperables, y el consejo de Indias representó los perjuicios que de ello se seguirian a la monarquia, por cuya razon mandó aquel Monarca que nadie propusiese ó tratase de ello en adelante, pena de la vida.' Alcedo, Diccionario Geografico-Historico

de las Indias Occidentales, &c. ad verbum Istmo. A similar interdiction and penalty was ordained, respecting the navigation of the Atrato, where there is only an interval of a few miles between the navigable parts of the two rivers. Es navigable por muchas leguas, pero esta prohibida su navegacion con pena de la vida, sin excepcion de persona alguna, para evitar los perjuicios que se seguirian a las provincias del Nuevo Reyno, por la facilidad con que se podrian internar por el. Ibid. ad verbum Atrato.

ceive, by obtaining direct access to them across the Pacific Ocean. It is the fame thing as if, by fome great revolution of the globe, our Eastern poffeflions were brought nearer to us. The voyage across the Pacific, the winds both for the Eaftern and Weftern paffage being fair and conftant, is fo expeditious and steady, that the arrival of the fhips may be calculated almoft with the accuracy of a mail coach. * Immenfe would be the traffic which would immediately begin to cover that ocean, by denomination Pacific. All the riches of India and of China would move towards America. The riches of Europe and of America would move towards Afia. Vaft, depôts would be formed at the great commercial towns which would immediately arife at the two extremities of the central canal; the goods would be in a courfe of perpetual paf fage from the one depot to the other; and would be received by the fhips, as they arrived, which were prepared to convey them to their ultimate destination.

Is it too much to hope, that China and Japan themselves, thus brought so much nearer the influence of European civilizationmuch more conftantly and powerfully fubject to its operation -would not be able to refift the falutary impreffion, but would foon receive important changes in ideas, arts, manners and institutions? The hope refts, at least, on fuch ftrong foundations, that it feems to rife even to certainty and then, what glorious refults might be expected for the whole of Afia, that valt proportion of the earth, which, even in its most favoured parts, has been in all ages condemned to femi-barbarifm, and the miferies of defpotic power?

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One

On the surprising facilities of this navigation, there is some in teresting information given in an Account of an intended expedi tion into the South Seas, by private persons,' printed in the Appen dix to the third volume of Sir John Dalrymple's Memoirs of Great Britain and Ireland. From the Bay of Panama,' says that document, ships are carried to the East Indies, by the great Trade wind, at the rate of above an hundred miles a day. From the East In. dies to the South Seas, there are two passages.-One by the north, to sail to the latitude of 40° north, in order to get into the great West wind, which, about that latitude, blows ten months in the year; and which, being strong, carries vessels with quickness to the northern part of the coast of Mexico. From the extreme point of Mexi co, in the north, there is a north wind which blows all the way to the Bay of Panama, which never varies, and which carries ships a bove a hundred miles a day, reaching to the distance of a hundred leagues from the coast.-The other passage is at 40° south, and is in all respects similar to that in the north, a land-wind blowing from the coast of Chili to the Bay of Panama, of the very same description with that which blows along the coast of Mexico.'

One thing, at leaft, is certain, that South America, which stands fo much in need of industrious inhabitants, would receive myriads of laborious Chinefe, who already fwarm in all parts of the Eastern Archipelago in queft of employment and of food. This, to her, would be an acquifition of incredible importance and the connexion thus formed between the two countries, would still further tend to accelerate the acquifition of enlightened views and civilized manners in China herself.

Such are a few of the refults which there is reason to expect from a regulation of the affairs of South America. Never, perhaps, was an opportunity offered to a nation, of effecting so great a change in behalf of human kind, as Great Britain, from a wonderful combination of circumftances, is now called upon, by fo many motives, to help South America to accomplish. The meafure has, for a confiderable number of years, been mingled, in her councils, among the number of her refolves; and a fhort hiftorywhich, from peculiar circumftances, we are enabled to give with unufual accuracy-cannot be without intereft, of what has been done in preparation towards an event which will hereafter occupy fo great a place in the history of the world.

Though projects of hoftility-fome of them for plunder, fome for permanent conqueft-had been undertaken, during the wars between this country and Spain, against particular parts of her "Tranfatlantic dominions, the first time, we believe, that a general fcheme of emancipation was prefented to the mind of a British minifter, was in the beginning of 1790, when the measure was proposed to Mr Pitt by General Miranda. It met, from that minifter, with the most cordial reception; and, as the difpute refpecting Nootka Sound was then fubfifting, it was refolved, if Spain did not prevent hoftilities by fubmiffion, to carry the plan into immediate execution. When an accommodation was effected, and peace at laft decreed, Mr Pitt ftill affured the General, that the fcheme of emancipating South America was a measure that would not be loft fight of, but would infallibly engage the attention of every minifter of this country.

The man by whom this important fuggeftion was made, and in whofe breaft the fcheme of emancipation, if not first conceived, feems at least to have been firft matured, is a native of Caraccas in South America; defcended from one of the principal families of the country. At the early age of 17, he repaired to Spain, and, by the influence of his family, obtained a captain's commiffion in the Spanish army. Early fmit by the love of letters, he was anxious to proceed to France for the profecution of his edu cation; but permiflion was denied him; and he was forced to

bring the mafters, whom he could not procure in Spain, from France, at his own charges. It is an anecdote, not unworthy of record, that when the Inquifition ordered his books to be taken from him and burnt, he applied to Count O'Reilly, inspector general of the Spanish army, to fee if the order could not be recalled; but the Inspector told him, that all he could do was to condole with him, for that the fame misfortune had happened to himself.

When France and Spain refolved to take a fhare in the war which was carried on between Great Britain and her American colonies, it happened that Miranda was in that part of the Spanish army which was destined to cooperate with the French. Acting thus, and converfing with the members of a more enlightened nation than any he had yet feen, the ideas of the young American received that improvement after which he aspired; and, in a scene where the cause of liberty was the object of all men's zeal and enthusiasm, and in a country, the fituation of which in fo many refpects resembled his own, a fimilar destiny for this last was naturally prefented to his wifhes. So deeply was the impreffion ftruck, that he has dedicated to this one defign almoft the whole of his life, and has been the prime mover in every scheme that has been propofed for the emancipation of the Spanish colonies in America.

After the renunciation, or rather the poftponement of the defign, on the part of Mr Pitt, the next project for changing the condition of South America, was started by the republican rulers of France; as part of their scheme for revolutionizing the whole of the Spanish dominions. But Miranda forefaw the dangers with which that defign was pregnant,-and fortunately had fufficient influence to perfuade its renunciation. To prepare the reader fufficiently for the particulars of this curious affair, it may not be uselefs to run over haftily the fteps by which the General had been brought to the fituation in which he then stood.

At the termination of the American war, he resigned his situation in the service of Spain, and repaired to Europe, with a view to study the institutions of the most enlightened nations, and to draw from them instruction for the benefit of his native country. this purpose, he came first to Great Britain,

For

and proceeded af

terwards

*There is a curious proof of the notice which he and his cause attracted in this country, even at this early period, in the Political Herald and Review' for the year 1785, pp. 29, 30.

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The flame which was kindled in North America,' says the writer in that work, as was foreseen, has made its way into the American dominions