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Inquiry into the means of establishing a ship navigation between the Mediterranean and Red seas : illustrated by a map / by James Vetch
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between the two seas of about eighty-five miles. This is the line we have designated as project No. 3, or The Has el Moyeh Line.

The Bays of Suez and Tineh are common to all the projects as the termini of the lines of canal navigation, and require to be considered.

The port of Suez is reported to be well sheltered, with a good anchorage, the bottom being mud and sand. At the village of Suez the creek is shallow, and the place can only be approached by boats. At the mouth of the creek, how­ever, and about two miles from Suez, in a direct line, the depth is four fathoms, and continues to deepen seaward. It will, therefore, be pretty evident, that were a channel of running water established between the two seas, the in­draught at the mouth would speedily open a deep channel through the mud and sand; and it would even be necessary, by means of a strong gauge of masonry at the entrance, to prevent the channel or bed being scoured deeper than the proposed bottom of the canal. At Tineh, the sea is shallow for a considerable distance, from the depositions of the mud of the Nile, and it presents no natural harbour for any but vessels of a small draught of water, a circum­stance presenting the first, though a serious difficulty to the success of the undertaking; but a mode of overcoming or obviating this obstruction does present itself, and will be noticed in its proper place.

We now turn to the consideration of the most direct chan­nel of communication between the two seas, viz. that of conducting a salt water river from the Gulph of Suez across the Isthmus, by the shortest practicable route, to the Bay of Pelusium; and the success of this project (No. 1) seems chiefly to depend on the fortunate circumstance, that it would have a fall of 2957 English feet from the mean