The traffic on the Canal has increased during the last few years, and
especially during the last few months; on an average four or five
ships passed through every day. To-day they took 6,000_l_. at the Suez
Office alone. They have an excellent plan of the Canal there, and
little models of ships, which are arranged according to the telegrams
constantly received, so that the chief officers at each end of the
Canal know exactly where every ship is. Instant information is of
course sent of any stoppage or any accident, but these occur
comparatively seldom. Some time ago M. Lesseps bought a small canal
partially stopped up leading from the Nile at Cairo to Ismailia. It
has been widened and deepened, and was opened a few weeks ago with
great ceremony and grand doings. Now any vessel not drawing more than
fourteen feet can go direct from Suez or Port Said to Cairo. If we had
had time, we might have done it in the yacht, and lain at anchor
almost under the shadow of the Pyramids of Cheops. The special object
of the new canal is to make Cairo and Ismailia Egyptian ports as well
as Alexandria, thereby saving much land carriage and labour of
shifting. Already several ships laden with grain, from Upper Egypt,
have availed themselves of this new means of communication.
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