the seas in peaceful commerce. England this day carries in her bottoms, as noted heretofore, two-thirds of our exports and imports to and from foreign lands.

As a military desideratum, no statesman can hesitate since the object-lesson was given of the world's greatest battleship, our Own "Oregon," sailing over 15,000 miles around the "Horn" to reach Cuban waters, in time of war. With that ocean ship transit, that splendid war ship could have made the passage from the Golden Gate," via the canal to the West Indian waters, in less than twenty days.

In all these achievements, Japan and the Orient are far more deeply interested than any European Power. The author does not mean to indulge in invidious comparisons, much less impugn the motives of the friendly nations of Europe, but we may venture the opinion and the prediction that should, by untoward fate,

this great canal and transit fail to be constructed, we would listen in vain for any notes of grief or lamentations from England or the Continent. They would possibly not "mock at our calamity," but would be serenely reconciled to America's misfortune.

CHAPTER XXIII.

THE SHIP TRANSIT IN ITS RELATIONS TO SOUTH

AMERICAN AS WELL AS JAPANESE TRADE.

SIDE from the magnificent Oriental commerce, which the ocean transit will pour into our deep

sea harbors on the Pacific, the Gulf, and the Atlantic, the influence will be ever widening, bearing on its changed currents a vast volume of the trade of South as well as North America, and particularly from its western coasts. The opportunity of the closing century is at our doors. The United States has too long folded its tents, and like the Arabs, laid down to pleasant dreams, in fancied commercial security.

With catholic and commercial amity with all nations, our country should remember the

legend of the "Trojan Horse" in classic story. We have, by relying on and boasting of our natural advantages, imagined that we were masters of the situation for all time to come. We have supinely allowed Europe and the "mother country," leading their merchant marine, to come to our very doors and bear away the traffic of half a continent on our southward and of our sister republics. The 36,000,000 of people of South America buy annually, from foreign countries, goods to the value in gold of $376,000,000, while the United States (the treasury department is our authority for the humiliating confession) sells to South America only $33,000,000. The five Central American States have a population of only 35,000,000, yet they buy foreign goods valued at $23,000,000 annually, while of that amount the United States furnishes only $5,320,000. The West Indies, outside of Porto Rico and

Cuba, purchase about $45,000,000 worth of goods, of which this country furnishes only $15,000,000. A ship transit across Nicaraugua will make our Republic the common carrier of that portion of the South American trade (of its western ports) that must and will seek transit through this ship channel to the "Far East." In all this great revolution that is to be, Japan and China, and other Oriental nations are greatly interested.

In connection with the future development of our trade with Japan, recent recent events have tended to bind that island Empire and our Republic with yet stronger cords of friendship, that will not be broken in peace or in war.