De Lesseps At Suez

Ferdinand De Lesseps is to have a memorial. It will talie the form of a statue and will guard the entranee of the Suez canal, the one. great project which he originated and pushed to a successful conclusión. So inseparably has De Lesseps' name been connected with the Panama canal scheme that most people have forgotten that he first achleved fame by reason of his connection with the Suez canal. The idea or tne Le .Lieesepa bimu uhS." ated with Prlnce d'Arenberg, an oíd friend of the late promotor. He has lnduced the Suez Canal Company to set aside a liberal snm to defray the expenso of the proposad statue and the ereetlon thereof. A very satistactory model has been produced by M. Fremiet, the sculptor, who has already begun the enlargement of hls work. Hs hopes to complete his task wlthin thf eourse of the coming two years. M. Fremiet makes public the statement that as the banks of the Suez canal at lts beginn'ng are the property of Engllshmen, who would no doubt be onnosed to this gloriflcation of e Frenchman, it has been decided that this monument shall riae from the sea, whlch is a'bout thirty feet in depth at this spot. There will, therefore, be a firm and solid base of granite, which as the bed is sandy, must be verr broad. This platform of granito, which will be entirely surrounded by water, will be reared to the helght of twentytwo feet above lts level, and will also be of six square metres at the top. On this will rest the pedestal of the statue. In its turn the pedestal will be twentytwo feet in altitude, and the statue itself within a few lnches of the same height, while the pedestal, which will be composed of granite quarried and prepared in Brittany, Franoe, wlll be conveyed in a salling vessel to Port Said. The statue will consist of several pieces in brone, which have been made in France. These on arrlval will be all ready to place in position. At the base of the statue will be an immense medaillon containlng the portraits of the Khedives who enoouraged the piercing of the isthmui. Each will be nearly six feet in size, and the medaillons will be environed by large wreaths of laurel, each leaf of which will be about one and one-half feet in height. M. De Lessepa wlll be represented in the garments of modern civillzation, but the prosaic appearance of these will be relieved by a soit of burnoose with big sieeves thrown over his shoulders, the folds thereof being so dlsposed as to present an exceedingly plcturesque effect. Looking in the direction of the sea, M. De Lesseps will be represented as pointing with one hand to the entranee of the canal and holding a plan thereof with the other.