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Grand Opening of the Suez Canal

LL boys and girls who have from the city of Geneva to the foot of studied geography know Mt. Blanc, which was constructed by that the Isthmus of Suez Napoleon. This is one of the most connects the continents famous roads in the world, fifty feet in of Asia and Africa. Be-width, very smooth and well kept, and tween the Mediterranean stage coaches make the whole distance Sea on the north and the Red between the rising and setting of the Sea on the south, there is a sun. narrow strip of land. The sur- Napoleon was a man of large schemes, rounding country just there is believed in public improvements, and not very productive; there is a when he had his army in the east h desert of sand and barren soil which is revived the project of a Suez Canal, which very unpleasant to the eye. had been talked about for 2,500 years.

Several attempts in ancient times to He had a survey made by a corps of construct a Canal across this narrow engineers who, strange to say, reported isthmus were made. If this could be that the level of the Red Sea was thirty done, ships could sail down the Mediter- feet higher than that of the Mediterranean, pass through the Canal into the ranean, an error which remained undis- Red Sea, and in this way could make puted till 1840, when an eastern officer, their voyage to India and other eastern while making measures with his baromcountries very much shorter. In modern eter, was led to the conclusion that the times, the subject of a Canal was first seas had nearly if not quite the same brought to attention by Napoleon I dur- level. Several engineers, including Robing his invasion of Egypt. All personsert Stephenson, rather doubted the posmust have read of Napoleon and his won-sibility of constructing a Canal for ships derful victories. He was a great genius, from one sea to the other. very ambitious, very successful in his It remained for M. de Lesseps, a famous undertakings, and for a time it looked as French engineer, to take up the project, if he would make himself emperor of the and by his great genius and energy to whole continent of Europe. There is now carry it through. He proposed a little a road fifty miles in length, extending different route from those which had been THE TOILET OF A LADY OF ANCIENT EGYPT.