month,
against Lesseps' estimate of two millions. Yet, with all that, it was
calculated that in this year only 1/180th of the material had been taken
out.

The difficulties were enormous. First, there was trouble to find dumping
places, where the earth would not be again washed into the excavations
by heavy floods. Then came the rank vegetation, which was continually
stretching from either side to choke the clearing. Weeds grew six to
eight feet high in a rainy season, and these, with the straggling vines,
kept a little army at work to clear them away from the embankments and
tracks. The workmen suffered greatly from yellow and other fevers, and
L600,000 was spent on hospitals and their appurtenances. Money was spent
profusely on such things as grand offices and a magnificent house to
lodge the President, if he should ever come to inspect the works. All
along the route were ornamental bungalows, and the director-general at
Panama had a salary of L20,000, besides a house and other allowances.
Even he suffered from fever, and his wife and daughter died of it.

Up to 1888 about fifty millions sterling had been spent, and hardly a
fifth of the work was finished. Then financial difficulties led to an
arrangement for merging it in a new Company, which proposed to complete
the canal on a new plan. Notwithstanding all the objections to locks, it
was now proposed to save such an immense work of excavation by erecting
four on either side, thus bringing the highest water level to 123 feet.
Eighteen and a half miles were said to have been completed, of which
five were on the Pacific side and the remainder on the Gulf. To carry
out the new plan, L36,000,000 more were required, but, as a matter of
fact, only a third of the work necessary for this revised scheme had
been done.

Then came the downfall, which has been compared to that of the South Sea
Bubble. When the Company went into liquidation, scores of shady
transactions came to light. Editors of newspapers and deputies had been
bribed to gain their support, and money had been wasted in almost every
possible manner. In February, 1893, M. Ferdinand de Lesseps and four
other directors were prosecuted, with the result that he, MM. C. de
Lesseps, Fontaine, and Cottin, were convicted of breach of trust and
swindling, the two former being sentenced to five years' imprisonment
and 3,000 francs fines each, and the latter two years and 20,000 francs
fines. M. Eiffel, the architect of th