firmed by the Executive on the 12th of that month,—which promises the sanction and assistance of the state to any parties who would undertake the project, and to recognize, as a public debt, the money expended in the execution of it; the passage dues to be applied to paying off the capital sunk in its opening, and to satisfying the interest thereon, deducting, first, the expenses which the repairs of the said canal shall require, the costs of collecting the dues, and of a garrison for its defence; the navigation to be free to all nations, friendly or neutral, without any privilege or exclusion.
On the 1st August, 1825, the Executive extended the time for receiving proposals to six months longer. The consequence has been that the Dutch, as I have before stated, stepped in and possessed themselves of the undertaking. When I left the republic, I felt assured that it would have been carried into execution by the British, and I cannot suppress my mortification that fo-
