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Thou in thy solitary grace,

Wreath of the tomb! art there.

Thou, o'er the shrines of fallen gods,
On classic plains dost mantling spread,
And veils the desolate abodes,

And Cities of the dead.
Deserted palaces of kings,

Arches of triumph, long o'erthrown,
And all once glorious earthly things,
At length are thine alone.

Oh! many a temple, once sublime,
Beneath the blue Italian sky,
Hath nought of beauty left by time,
Save thy wild tapestry ;

And rear'd midst crags and clouds, 'tis thine
To wave where banners wav'd of yore;
O'er mouldering towers, by lovely Rhine
Cresting the rocky shore.

High from the fields of air look down
Those eyries of a vanished race,
Homes of the mighty, whose renown
Hath pass'd, and left no trace.

But thou art there-thy foliage bright,

Unchang'd the mountain storm can brave, Thou that wilt climb the loftiest height, And deck the humblest grave.

The breathing forms of Parian stone,

That rise round grandeur's marble halls, The vivid hues, by painting thrown Rich o'er the glowing walls; Th' Acanthus, on Corinthian fanes, In sculptur'd beauty waving fair; These perish all-and what remains? Thou, thou alone art there!

'Tis still the same-where'er we tread, The wrecks of human power we see,

The marvels of all ages fled,

Left to Decay and thee!

And still let man his fabrics rear,

August in beauty, grace, and strength,

Days pass-Thou Ivy art not sere,

And all is thine at length!

UNION OF THE PACIFIC AND ATLANTIC OCEANS.

Or all the projects which the genius of commercial enterprise has suggested, in modern times, we know of none more big with comprehensive influence upon the future destiny of nations-the future growth and direction of commerce, and the prosperity of generations unborn, than that of uniting the Pacífic and Atlantic Oceans. The attempt of the Ptolomies of Egypt to cut a canal through the Isthmus of Suez was of much less consequence, either in a general or national point of view. Some timid reasoners have surmised, that it may produce consequences injurious to English maritime supremacy, drawing their analogy from the effect produced on the commerce of the world, by Gama's discovery of the passage to the East Indies, round the Cape of Good Hope. That discovery, in fact, transferred the sceptre of commercial dominion to Portugal, from the hands of Venice; although the latter power was then in the zenith of her prosperity. But the position of England is very different: the columns of her prosperity are too deeply embedded beneath the foundations of the world's social structure-too firmly incorporated with its moral opinion-too closely rivetted with the genius, character and position of her inhabitants, and too strongly corroborated by the lapse of ages, to be so shaken or subverted. The ultimate results of the undertaking are likely to be very distant; but, whether distant or near, it is quite obvious, and it has been practically proved, that England cannot do otherwise than profit by all that imparts facility or impetus to commercial intercommunication. The strength and wealth of other nations constitute the legitimate sources of her strength and wealth.

Many different spots have been suggested by Humboldt and others, in which the desired communication might be most advantageously effected; and many more might be referred to, with equal claims to attention. One project has been to descend the Rio del Norte from the Gulf of Mexico, and to unite it with the head of the Rio Colorado, by a cut across the mountains. This is far too circuitous to combine advantage with practicability. The scheme of uniting the head of the river Huafualco, which falls into the Gulf of Mexico, in about 18 deg. 30' lat. with the head of the river Chimalapor, which falls into the bay of Tehuantepec, at about 16 deg. 30' by a canal of about twenty miles, is more feasible: but the great difficulty is the rocky central barrier through which this canal must be cut. The same advantage and the same objection apply to many places in the provinces of Costa Rica and Viragua, in Guat

imala, where, as far as the Isthmus of Panama, a central ridge of rocky mountains intersects the entire country; from which ridge a regular series of rivers, whose heads are not more distant from each other than the above-named, fall in parallel lines into the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. The Isthmus of Panama, however, has been the favorite spot selected for the project of the canal, on account of the narrowness of the Isthmus in that quarter; but the mountainous and unproductive character of the country, and the little knowledge which is possessed of its topographical detail, has always contributed to thwart the views of the projectors. There is, at present, a more practicable design on foot, and which we have little doubt will be carried into speedy execution, viz. to effect the desired communication in the direction of Lake Nicaragua. A glance at the map will show the facilities which are offered by that portion of the terra firma of Guatimala. On the east, the lake communicates with the Atlantic by means of the river St. Juan, which is sixty four miles in length, and although not at present navigable, except for flat bottomed vessels, is capable of being rendered navigable for ships of large burden, throughout its whole extent. It is proposed, we understand, to make a cut in the south side of the lake, about fourteen miles in length (as it is calculated,) and navigable for ships of large burden; which cut is to communicate with the bay of Nicoya, in the Pacific Ocean, in lat. 10 deg.

With the general views of the projectors, as far as the lake Nicaragua is made the centre of operations, we concur, as we have said; but with its details we totally disagree. As far, also, as the river St. Juan is concerned, nothing can be objected. The course of that river is through a country replete with animal and vegetable productions; rich in mineral wealth, and redundant with commercial capabilities. The great labor, with regard to the eastern or Atlantic side of the lake, is accomplished to the hands of the projectors, and nothing remains but to open a communication on the western, or Pacific side. Here nothing opposes itself but a narrow unobstructed strip of land, in some places fifteen, in others not more than ten miles in breadth. For what purpose then prolong the distance of the communication over a tract of country forty miles in length, and over a mountainous ridge, which separates the district of Nicaragua from that of Nicoya? The head of the river Nicoya is on the southernmost side of this ridge; but we are greatly mistaken, if a canal of less than twenty or twenty four miles in length (and not fourteen,) will reach it from the southernmost point

of the lake Nicaragua. It is suggested, we presume, on account of the natural advantages of the Gulph of Salinas, into which the river Nicoya falls, as a sea port; but the Gulph of Papagayo offers scarcely less advantage on the western side of the strip of land which divides lake Nicaragua from the Pacific Ocean. In short, it is a remarkable fact which appears to have escaped the projectors, of the Nicoya line, that the communication on the western side is already completed by nature, as well as on the east; and all that nature wants is a little art, in order to improve the advantage she offers for the river De Partido, which runs from east to west, through the upper part of the province of Nicoya, communicates by an arm of not more than ten miles in length, with lake Nicaragua, and falls at the distance of another ten miles, into the bay of Papagayo, at Brito Creek, where there is an excellent roadstead for shipping. The communication we now recommend, is, therefore, to ascend the river De Partido at Brito Creek to enter lake Nicaragua, traverse the lake from west to east, skirting the volcanic and romantic islet of Ometepec, and so descend, by means of the river St. Juan, into the Atlantic. The harbor of St. John forms the eastern, the harbor of Brito the western points of the line.

We will now give a few topographical details of the province of Nicaragua, which are interesting in point of novelty, and are necessary to a perfect view of the practicability and advantage of the projected communication.

The lake of Nicaragua may rank among the most extensive of the world; being more than 180 miles long from west to east, and nearly 100 broad from north to south. It has every where a depth of ten fathoms, with a muddy bottom, except along the shore, where there is a clear sand. The city is supplied with water from the lake, which also furnishes an inexhaustible abundance of fine fish. It is rendered extremely picturesque, by the numerous small islands with which the surface is studded. These are all uncultivated, except Ometep, which is inhabited, and on which there is a lofty volcano of a conical shape, which emits both flames and smoke. Although a great number of rivers fall into this basin, and the river St. Juan is the only visible outlet; it is remarked, as an extraordinary phenomenon, that there is no indication, at any time, of increase or decrease of the waters. On the north, the district of Matagalpa, and many large farms for breeding cattle, border the lake. On the east, the river St. Juan communicates with the Atlantic, and on the west is the lake of Leon, which is connected by a canal with

that of Nicaragua, and extends upwards of fifty miles in length, by thirty in breadth.

The principal towns in the district of Nicaragua are Granada, New Segova, and Leon.

merce.

Granada is a handsome and agreeable city on the margin of the great lake of Nicaragua; its figure is that of a parallelogram, fortified by natural dykes which serve as fosses. The situation of this city, close to the lake, by which there is a direct communication with the Atlantic, and its contiguity to the Pacific Ocean, affords the most advantageous facilities for carrying on an extensive comThe population is about 8,000 souls. New Segovia, through the residence of the Deputy Intendant General of Leon, is small, containing not more than 1,000 souls, Spaniards and Ladinos. The city was repeatedly ravaged by the Mosquito Indians, aided by English pirates, which obliged the inhabitants to change the situation of their abode three several times. The city of Leon was founded in 1523, by Fernandez de Cordova. It contains a cathedral church; three convents; a college, and the treasury of the intendency. Its population is between 7,000 and 8,000.

In the neighborhood of New Segovia is El Corpus, which was considered, at one time, as the richest mine in the kingdom of Guatimala. It produced gold in so great a quantity, as to excite, at first, a suspicion as to the reality of the metal; and a treasury was established on the spot, for the sole purpose of receiving the king's fifths.

The district of Nicoya, which is bounded by the Pacific on the west, and the lake Nicaragua on the north, stretches twenty three leagues east and west, by twenty, north and south. The land is of a very fertile description, though it yields but little for want of hands to cultivate it; scarcely producing maize enough for the consumption of the inhabitants, who, in addition to the scanty harvest, rear a few heads of cattle. Pearls are found on the coast, and a species of shell fish (the ancient muryx,) out of which they press a fluid that will dye cotton or woollen, of a permanent and beautiful purple. The climate is hot and humid; and the population so thin as hardly to number 3,000 souls, comprising all the farms, and the only village of the district. The latter is called Nicoya, and is situated on a river of the same name, navigable from the sea for vessels of moderate tonnage. This short sketch of the topography of the district, corroborates the views we have antecedently taken of the impolicy and impracticability of conducting an artificial com

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