IMAGE EVA? UATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // / > «^. ^ :/ CA /. 1.0 I.I 1.25 «i«i. ii^- 2.2 12.0 llllM 1-4 il.6 y V ^S >^^^ ^^5. /J:^ //a op. lliotogi^cipliic: Sciences Cortxrdlion 73 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTIR N Y 14580 ( 7161 B77 4J03 i.-^' €S A^ A k \ \ o \ .■p CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut canadien de microreproductions historiques \v^ ^1987 l/« T" if.hmcai 'ind BiDlioqraphic Notfts/Notes 'acnniques *?i oibtiogrjoriiques The Institute lia» a tempted to obtain the Best original copy avai! .ble tor filming. Features of "his copy which may ' e biblio(:raphically uniaue. which may alter .ny of the images in tha reproduction, or wfiich may significantly change the usual rrath. d of filming, are checked below L'Institut ii microfilme ie meilleur exempiaire qu il lui a ete possible de se procurer Les details de cet exempldire qui sont peut etre uniques du point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier una image reproduite. ou qui peuvent axiger jne modification dans la m^thode normale de HImage sont indiquAs ci-dessous □ Coloii^4a<-' .a • "fits', '-X' 08U35y THE S T B Y OF MY LIFE. nv TIIR SUBMARIK .EGRAPn. ^■^^cv/roi )my. •«. «f 'tat IHk' '■i-^ mM m. fm r, ■ P'it H ^i'. MM^MKII , «)a'9«kr<> IMC< « r M 1 T r >l f I 1 r. Si 1.2 NM r«* •••'*•»• "■II- \t J ^^' ■K I *<• i 4- I I; M rBTt«»oBo«oH c«u«T, yniT rrmMT. ■ ■r I r K ■ •■»'M' • \*j h THE STORY OF MY LIFK. BY THE SUR^rATlINE TELEGnAril. CIIAI'TKli I, Mike Imn tK.eii n. sliorl but rnosl uvpnlful caipor. I am but in my chiliUioixl ypt, although I am several yvnii( of ».tilli. rieiit nautical knowb.l-e to dcpc-^t me safely :.n.i sremdy ui\ it. This ia a aource of great disquietude lo me, for I .im f. ..iful. l,-.t I, wb.), I trust, am yet dii(linlc the patcniily that certain individuals seem desirous of conferring upon mc. Such, indeed, ia llie case ; for however flallercd I may be in the anxiety evinced by thcM gentlemen severally to cl.iini mc aa titcir on»pring, as a proof of my wonderful prccosity aiid ;j;real eminence— i'or none would claim the lowly and ohscurc*— I cannot accept a palernily t') which I am not entitled. Among Ihooc wli<» have been most anxioun to appropriate me aa their own, ?rc Mis-irn. John and Jacrjb Brett. The fin>t.named gen- tlcm.in has recently published a l>oisk, in wiiicb be positively sUtns that I owe my origin to them, and puts forth a variety of dtta and docunicnla in support of their claim. Now I am equally as anxious to disclaim the paternity they would foist upon me. I do this, not from any disrespect or perwuiul feeling toiV2,rds either of those gcn- lleinon, but Itcccnsc it is not tlie fact, and such being the case, it is essential to my own wclllH:ing, and indeed to my very existence, that the public should not be allowed to c.tntinue longer under any dcfti. sion, upon this, to nie, moat important joint. For what confidence can tliey havu in my fjturc success, if they are allowed to coniir.uo nnnate knowk.I.e of dl U.at .p,«rt.m. .0 me. That ,hey were not .0 prepared i. anl:! V .s::; i I cf I! 'torifU', \v!i!l!i lliry l.ave Uii nivslves prochimwl tot!'." ""jrW ; for fivp yearn *flcr, in tin; year 18.'*0, when they were compelled to cairy out llteir agreement to Uj me down Rcrou the chiinnel, from DoM-r to Ciil;ii«, or furfiii llicir contctHion, they made inch a ridU cmI'mis cxiiibiliori of mc, tlini l>ut loo clcxrly demonstntted that tliey kiUMV liillc or iioiiii;:^ r'/oiit mo. As for their Kocoiid pica, with regard to their Printing Innlrumcnt, wliidi w.is to be BO superior to all othera, I do not ncc how it hns any parliciilnr flppHcatiun to nic, even if it had been nucceMful, lie- yonil recordlnL,', lii«c nil other iiistnimenta now in use, all incawgca tin' miu'Iit he carried tliroii^'h tiic walcr by my means, witliout in ilie i> rk.'\ ill merely rc|>cat the epitaph that Mr. John Brett haa himself vTiitten on it, when he itatea that nnfortuna:' ly his broUier had dc\i)l-'urpife4, all ouch instruments hitherto having been too coiiiplicnted to CDinptlc wiih the simple and now universal marking iiislrument of ProfesV)r MorKC." And yet it was this useless and too cntiiplicntcd in^truuiriit that fof meT, inny bo enclosed in sciilcd envelopes, and adly-anant,'(d Post-nilicc to hk 1 1 nil oniinary purposes, and for Bpeci.il ones a well oriraniied i.d •impio and efficacious system of telegraphic commuiucation already established by the Electric Telegraph Company. There is a trifling circumstance which the Messrs. Brett, in ilieii anxiety to adopt mc, have entirely overlooked, and yet it most materially affi:cU their claim, and, indeed, co.npletely ignores it. Tills is, tiial in the year ISI-I, while they had inertly rogistciel n ncheinc, the detail* of which they were unable to cany out upcn a mii'hsmidler scale in 18!i0. llierc was a honn fide n< got i iii'Mi. which I shi\ll presently more fully explain, entered into bi-tweeii ollur parties, to establish a Submarine Tchj^raph across the Channel from Dover to Calais— tliat the sanction of the Governments of I'li^daud and Trance had been given to thc'-.i to carry it out nearly two yens before Messrs. Biclt obtained an ciclu!«i\c conee-sion for a wimili ■ purpose — and what ia of still more importance, that tlic very cable itself, which was then commenced, was constructed ujwn a i>riiirip!c, ano^ of Mcwm. Drclf^ clnim. Tlip commencement of tli.ir iicgo.:iali<)n with the French Govern- mcnt i. iiulicalcd l.y a K-tUr to ll.cni from the prival*! •ccn-t.iry of the Mini!.l.T of Finmicc, dnlcil March 13, 1847, of trl.ii h llic rollo^T. jii:; i-« ^n cxirnct :— " Your .Irnwlnj; of tho lrUp;riiph ii by ihit time in the handi of hi* MtjcMy, Loiiin Philippe ; I gnvo it lliit moraingwith the Ji*patcht» r niiwi by your tclcRraph to '.ho Under Secretary of Stot-, who promUci -a ihow Ihcni to the king." Bv -his it nppram llial tlic defunct printing innlrumr.it was noli, led UK llie"d;iinly d;..ii losrl hdorc the king." aii.l wiiich. it will be f-.uud, fornid the great fcutiire in their •iihswiuen^ correnpondcncc. The two folloniiif,' Icilcm »how that their application to the Oovem- meni depnrtcr'-nt« licrc was made to the Treasury on the 1st of June, and to the Admiralty on the 27th July, 18-17. Itj's Treasury to couYcy to you their usiutii,.. to the undcruking of Mr. Hrctl; but my Lords wil! rc*er»c to thcm»ilve» the ri^jht of stopping the oiK-rstion, if at »riy time it should seem ndvi'.ible to them to pursue such a course. '• I mn, Sir, vour ob( dient Serynut, .- 2... Turliameac Street." " C. TllEVELYAN. " Admiralty, July 27lh, 1847. " .Sin,— ■• I .^ra comnmnd.d by my I-.r.ls ConimiHsioTters c| tho Admiralty tn aniuainl >ou, in reply to yout !• lur of this d:iy's dnto. that there is no ol.je>-u.u on Ihevart ot the A.lrnirnlty I., ibo passing thepropoKid Telegraph It. Ml, DovM to Cal:uH; and tluir U>rvl.liips cnnnot but ui^)loud tho acUrc ami riiierpriMng insenuily whi'.li luui adranced the project to JU present state. " I aro, Sir, your obedient Senrant, -ToW.DarTT.E.q." " W. A. B. HAMILTON. .» uitfiim I II miitft\ii»ditJtaA*tmimammk*mt I After Bonic fuillipr iicgocintion, llicy olitiiiiiod n (•rnnl froiii the French Goveninicnl, on the 9ll> of Doccnibcr, !817, but it cinifirnil no exclueive privileges, and llie pcrmiwiion was lo be nnnullrd if tbc line was not laid down and coinplelL-d witliin two ycnrs from tbc dale of llic grant ; tbc following being '.he conditions under wbicli it was given : — " Article I'' — M. M. llrett t»ont nulotin'n h itnblir » Icurs \r.nf, ct ncuK- mcnl iV titro tl'c>««ai, \nic coiniiiniiu-.itioii t«lr;;raiilii(iuc tl. iiiiiiiif »ihm- marino ilf Ciilnit ik Douvrci. " .V;'iclc i"'— IiC Ministrc tic I'liiti'iicur ic rinTvo Ic droit d'intcrroniprc, s'il lejugo nt'CCKs.iirc, IVprcuvc Jc erttc coinmvinirntion. " Article :!"• — Lc« trnTaux tcront iiimilli* sut In n'ltc dc Fraacc par dc» n(;tnt« dLlijjui's par rndiuinislralion dc* liguct tilfgraphninrs, ct nuoino ii>rcuvc do tiimtilioii nc pourra nvoir litu . sioii to any other applicants ; to which Utter they sent the fulluwing reply :— " Ixindon, 2 lUnovcr S(iu;.rr, M 'v 2;iiil, IM8. SiBS,— "' \Vc li.ivc liic honmir to rrn ivc yoi.r %ity iiulul;:' nl e. 1111111111110.1. tion ri'Kji'cting tlic citsbli'l'iiicnt of our rrir'ini; liUclnr 'l't.ltgr,i|ili, in «cfordiinco with llio grsnts conceded 10 us by the (lOYernniiuU of I'l.iiieo snd I'.nglani' in 1847. •• We hrii the honour lo •Into lo tho liovcrnmciit of I'lance, lli.it we arc ( 10 •clWclf engaged in making two Tcry iupcrior Mid improTed PrinUng KU-ttio Tii«({rBph«, expn..ly for t»io ol.jcct of •ubmitting them U> the FrincU (lovcrnmrnU Wc ai.l.nlly Ik.Ih<1 to ha»e hid tho honour of Hyin" ihcm before iho Friii.h f Joverniiicnt during thi« month ; but we beg pcrin°.>;oii of ihc GuYcrnmint to .Tord u» % delay of • few wccV«, our OMly .Usirc boi.s tliat llicso .lioulJ be .uperior ta any telegroph hitherto cxccuua. The object i.lso of il.p Oceanic Telegraph between CaUu. aud Dover, t.f \sh.cU wo vTL-.c ilic uri;j;nal projector*, rceeiTCi our emmeat attow- tion. una we anticipate iu completion lonf befor* lh« ezpintion of tho period granted to ut by the Frcm h Oovirnmcnt. •• With the a»«»iraiice of our hi^heat catocm. " Wo haTO tho lionour to be, Sira, •' Your very nbclicnt and obliged 8orrant«, " JOHN w. uKE-rr * jacod ijiictt. " M. M. LtMAiTut k Flocon." Here wc liavc llicir printing inwtruinent »gnin, with » request for a few uceks' riirllicr delay, u|k)i» the pica that Uiey were conttnicUiig two ..f thoin which were to " be superior in ertry re«pect to any l.'l.g.aj.U l.itlicilo executed." IIoxt far tl.ey realiwd this ha« al.tady Ueu hIiowii. arul I ^l.all ipccdily a. efTcctuMly ahow the tullar y of llicir »t:>tnnonl of tl.clr h.'lrig the original projeclora of tl.c tclc(,'riiiili l>clwrci» Ci»l:ii» wid Dover. From tliia date nothing more was done. «hcn they forwarilcd the following lo'.ter to Um ijoveriiincnt of L.".l. of .Miy. IH4« ; tbc wimc Uaring „Uo r.'rtiv.,! tho fv.U .imii.m and n.iil.-r.iy of Her Majcaty'a Lorda Coin- mi^M-twr.of lbcTn.i»ury nml A.l.i.ii..li ) in Una country. " \\f bi.ro furih. r to inform your i tcclloncy. that to cITi-ct thi* gttni intent. tional unil.rti.king. an B.l.l.ii.mnl outlay of many ihotiaand jwumla will be ncrrwary; and we arc. r„„«r,,„cn«ly, dcairoua (i^fore Incurring th.-. Hrgo aa.l.l.on..: npendilurc) of r.rei»ing from tU« French Ooyem- mom a luilhcf aaaurancv, that u|.,ii our fulllUing aU tbc eg«dlu.«a of tho II 11 concctaion, tho aoremmcnt will afford u» protection, for at h-ast a ti-riii of ycara, agninit aiiy rival attempt to take ativnntngc uf our invc! aor. uid laudable cd crpritc. " Wo haTe the honour to remain. Sir. " Your moit obedient and obliged sorvanf*, " JOHN W. Dl'ErX * JACOH DllE'lT. " To tho MiRirrra or tub Imtbuiob." The rcKuIt of tliis letter waa, thai IIin Mnjrsty tlic Kinpeior. 1)C- lic\ing llicm to be aa tiiey rcprcpcutcd, llic projectors of tlio Sulc mnrinc TtIet,Maph between Cr.laia and Dover, and from liis known partiality to the arta and aciencca, and bis deairc to promote any object that might prove beneficial to tlic coniinunity at largi*, granted Meaara. Brett an ezclusivo conceaKian for ten jcara. Tliin, liowcver, tiiey were ^tty nearly forfeiiing at lie outset, from tiio bimglin^ and inefBcicnt manner in which they altciuplcd to lay nie iit easay, and he forthwith be^nn my ronstniciion. Doing a rnikir, and at the uune time eonvcniant with eleetricily, he knew will upon what principle I ought to bo constructed to meet, in tite first instance, all electrical difficultict. f ll' IS ami nl «hc Baltic time to fit mc for llic clement which \tm to become my future dcstinntion. I uliall not enter into the details of the earliest years of my iiif iiicy — my ycai-B of probation — all'.ioiigh thry trc far from being uniti- tcrestinp, e«pceir.lly to the scientific world ; I shall mcicly ronlrnt tnywlf by saying, that I was wafclied and tended with the must umTiniiling altrntion and untiring paliiiiic, niul al! my wants ftndicd and anticipated. Pomctiincs I was clollictl in liitiiniinous, sometimes in resinous, and at other times in oli':i'.,'iiions unb'taiici-s. Theso, again, were apidicd sometimes fiin'.,'ly, -n.l r.l otln'r times in combination, but all to no purpose; for as they hanbned ami diird upon me, they cracked upon bending me, and thus destroyed my . insulation. Thia was fatal, for ainuosify wna as necessary to my existence aa even insulation itself. Eventually, liowpvcr, a ma- terial was selected which satisfactorily mrt both these rM«(rilin!s — India rubber. It must be borne in mind, that at tliiH laily porioij of my life, 1841, galta percha was unknown, aiid was not inliodncod into this country, and applied to ihc purposes of insidation, for aereral years after this date, although, if it had been extant at the time, my oriyinator would hay« still used India rubber instead, con- •idcring it even now a much belter material for insulation, for rea- sons which I shall explain when I treat upon tluN sii'ii' ct, and advert more fully to the comparative merits of f'lc two si.bslanccs for this particular purpose. Now although I was pcrfrctly rendy f* — 14 Pcfiire I procrod fmllirr, it iiiny Imto I»e ailvit(a?>le lliat lihoiiMgivc ft ilcurripliou of niyi«olf, nw iniMiNlicil in I he " T!mie$" on\j ft few dnjn ■f^; Tor, »in(;iiitirly cnoii|;li, ii: llial journal of Norember 19, 1868. tlirrc in ftn arliclo in wliicli I nni IIhtc moat acc«intr]y delineated, nitliough the writor lina been iiiadvcrtcntlj led into error upon two mo*oiiilf. In llic firnt pl.icc, I »m not ft "new Sub- mnrlin- Telcgrnpli." Winjj llic firnt ftnd oldcftt one extant; and urcontlly, tlic two iiidiviiiiinU lo whom tliia novelty ia aacribed, have Itnd not=:i'0!. With thia explanation I will cxtra( t from the article I have advcited to the deacription given of me :— " Mfxt of our fCftdrr* wiU rifolii-ct the objection* whick hare been urged, on mn hniiirnl (rrnumlii, on-r unit oTcr ngnin, •((Rinit ihc principle of hnfing •iibmniiiic c.d)lcs c«ur«d with wirr in »i.ir». .' '■!». llic .1 neon Tcni en cc and rinkii nf mrh a mctliod hare Utu Kctiornlljr aum teU— the greatcat being the liiliiliijr of the wire pitlirr fo biconio untwisted or form 'kinkt.' A aiinp'i nrr.-iiipcnu lit to obvi.di- nil tin w tlifficultica liAa now been brought forw-.rtl in a pniriit rope, wliitli au ai, at id the ca«p with iUimc cm I oat. \ In the apira* atrand*. The apccinicn whirh hiui been made conKiata of 12 plaita, eiich plait being cnm- pat 4i f ij % ■1 I 15 objection* which wiw urgod npainst the Atlnntic cnblo by cr^.r en gineor of note wrw the certainty of the o«t«ide gpirnl wirc^ cfn-tiOiin!? ""ibr tenron, while the gutU pcrch« could not. It wan conf,„d.d. aur.r.rc. that the effect of any tcvcre »truin muot brtiik the ii,M.l,,iion in minute place., and. of courte. cxpow the conductor to all those cltdriml .IcinRi- menu which, from aocio cnu^s or other, we have recently seen the Atlnntic c«blc undergo. None ever attempted to dony tl.at tin. mc( Im.iic.il d, f, rt in the prn.ciple of iho .pirnl -virc-a wn« rcnlly of the n.o»t ..-ri,.,., kind n.vl ,t «M only met by ..yin^ tlmt a cable .o eovcral ^l.oul 1 n-t l.J exiKmetl ,0 .cvcre .train of «ny kind. In a pl.itod «i,c. how.v.r, the only effect of the .train would b.-. to comprrs, to the v.ry utmost the inner core and conductor without the Iciat po^ii.ility of c'onKaiins Hum "In the .ptc.men of which wo .pr.ik. an inch ia dia.actcr the outer wire, are plaited .o completely round, that the aection show, th.m r.stin^ M one p.ece. and ihu. in the centre. in«e.vl of one eomlurtor. .unple room i» Ml for four. The.o arc iaanlated not by K'.tta j>erch,-.. „ ha, hitherto nUayn been the ca,e. but with Ind.a-rublM.r. Th.,. thou.-h chctrically Kpcak.ng a worse .>„ulator, poa^cMc. m.my peculiar and im,H,rlaMt adv.n.la.e, the greatest being that it i*. totally i.npern.c.d.le to w.t.r „n,I. r any ^.^s^rc Of course .t would be impoH^ible to eoil a Hubm.riae cable n.ade wnh a plaited outer coYcring. and it would hnvo to Ikj Htowcl in a vosmI in aun.sht lines, running fore and aft. n.is. however, wo.dd be no disadv.in- taije ; on the contrary, in many cases it would be decid. Jly preferable and the only reason which up to the present lime his mnde it ab.oi;,,,!, necessary to eoil all .uhmarine cable, is th.ir extreme liability to " kinks" in any other mode of .lowa«c-a li.-^bihty which even the coding ortrn fails to ov-ercomc. All riak from a fouJ wire breaking and stripping the cable would bo equally done away with on the new priuriplc. In .very point of t.ew. therefore, a. regard, strength, lightness, durability, cap.iei.y (,'r rarry- ing .ereral eondurtoi.. and freedom from nlmo,t all tl.t ncrnkuts ,„ winch past subn.arinc cable, hare been expoM d-the p!;nt. d H.rr , ,.v, ri.r- i, ,Ue great,.,, nnprovenunl Hhid, h.., yu be. n made. (,f . ournr. ao.o..l..." .,. ,1 c ..re and strength of the win- re.,u.re,l. the numb, r of pi o„ n.av 1^ varud from .,x to twelve, while the s.zo of the wire. them.sehe. regulate, the amo' .of fleaibd.iyof the whole.' As I am I.crc rcpres. , 1 to be in 18; 8. sncl. I was prcu.„„ to 1845; but whatever confidence m^ projector mi^l.l h.,vc b.id in my capability, he was unable to instil ll.c ^nmc coi.nd-.nce in me to ollar. u.Ul towavda the cloa.- -,f that ^cnr. when I.e. in conju.r.-.ion witli C.u.l' Taylor. ,v.l|, wl.om i,e was „.».>cia(e,l on tins occasion, mn.!- an .rranseme.ii will. Mr ^-liarlc. Dickens. Mr., now Sir. Jos.,,|. raxloa, and oilier ge,.llc.... ,„ lo lay „,c down across ,|,c Clunnel If) I! I>ol\vccn Dovor and Calais, for lliciu. The preliminary ncgociationn were cotii|ilL-U(l, nubjccl to llic Haiiclfon of the Dritioh and Frencli GovcriinKMitn l>cing oli'ninrd to the project It iru agreed betwten tlietn thnt Mr. Wcstt shouIJ apply fur the pcrmiaiiion of the En(;1i!>)ii while Cn|>t. Taylor fhould do the •amo with rcfpect tu the French aiithoritii H. Ili^ pari of ihu ronlrar-l wnn a very easy one, and aoon n(L«)inpli>liiil, for he wrote to Sir I{.>l»crl I'-wl on the Gth of January, niut received a rcjily on tlic fxtlowiug day to the effect that the Adinimhy Doard waa the propi^r department i apply to, to whom the nppliration had liccn forwarded. lie wrote to the Lorda of the Adniiruliy on thn 9th, nadrccci\ndcnce on the •ulject will ahow :— "January Oih, 1S46. " Mr LoKDa,— " Wo beg to solicit your Lordxliipii' attention to our letter of the 6th inntnnt, aililu-wcti to Sir ]l(il>crt Pt't-I, niiil trnntmitied by the Right Honour- little Uarmirt to jour I/liip*, ulirniii we kxkcd pcrmimion of Her Miiji'ir>l'HM CoMMIMIOXEKa or Tlir. AnMIOALTT." " Admiralty, 1 0th January, 1840. '• OCKTI.IMKW, — " Your letter* of the Glh iuiUnt hnviiig been referred t« thla dcpirt* mont by Sir IdilMrt Peel, I am rommnnu'd bj my Lordf Commimioncra of the A'ltnir.illjr, to iir<(uiiint you thnt n;y I/>rdt have no objeetloa to the proposed uitdertnkinK for rxtnliM^hiii); I'lli-ctric TelegrapUt. " I am, Uentlcmen, your inu^t obedient Serranr, •• W. A. li. HAMILTON. •' Mttfaa. W»-.T k T*vLoa." tu 1 1 In the mean lime Cnnlain Taylor proceeded tr Pnrit, to procure a aiiiiiiar ».-iiic(ioa from ilie Frrucli Government. lie waa funiiMlicd with letlirg of iiitrtKlucliuii, priHiirtu by Mr Charica Dickenaaid Sir Jo«('|ili I'axton to person^of inlliirnce in Paris, among otiiera from Count I)'')rWIV ta Ailmiral I)« I.i Knaai- Imlk nf wknm tti„is„c dc 1 In^ncur ct j a. 1 hcnncur dc vou. informer que jc transmcU voiro dcman.le \ M. Ic Mi.iiMre de cc 'Icpartcm.nt. " liOCOTOi, Monjicur. ras.urancc dc ma p.irf.iitc coiuiidcrntion, " Le Ministro Secriuiic d'Ktat ^ . „ „ " do U Marin i ct dcs Colonies. A. M. Tatm^ Hotel Mit.beau." .. de m ACK AU. It was not, however, until the beginning of April that C.-.j.(.-,in Taylor had any communication from li.e Miniilcr of tho I„urior, when Lo received the following letter :— " Cabinet du Mini»trc dc rint^ricur, "MoH.,KU..- ••raru.lo4AvriU816. " Jni reru la lottro p.r la qucllr rou. domm.l, r n» Oouv.n.c- ment 1 .utor.sal.on d'etal.l.r uno l,^„c ^.Irririqnc .1. C..!,.l. a I)„uvn- i trarcr. la Mancho. d.v.-.. Ic but dc mot.re en communir.tion la M...l.t,rr muo arre Ix>„drr.. .ou. U reserve d'obtenir, en ca. de r,-uM.,c. unc part d.,„, lea STaiitasci qui .Icvraiont en r.-.iiltcr. "AT«nt do prendre nno d.-ci.ion. j-.i or,, devoir inrite le convil dA-t- mmmtrauon du L.gnc Trl^gr^phiT.c a c.aminer rctfc proportion. Aux tcrmc. dc la loi du C Mai 1837. Ic Gouvcmcnunt ."ct cxclu..vc- ■Ill m the Mioiater of the Interior ■»«• forwarded by Admiral do la Sumo to Count D'Oitry for Capuin Taylor, who had left Taria, in which the nmition of tb« French Ooremmcnt wae ^iven to the project, mbjeet to the foUow. lag conditiona prcribus to iu cominencemont :— "Que Toim ju»Hflc» do !'«utoriMt!on do 1* amirautA board. " Que Toua juiiiflca aroir lea fouda neccaaairM pour amener 4 bien cett* •• Quo Totre roio a'arr6tera k Calala et no tnreiMca paa U Franee." Such nun ll.c position of aflaira at the abore date : the negociatlon with tlic !• n,'li«li nuthoriiica wae concluded in Uiree dayi. while tliat witli il.o Minister of ihc Interior had cccu|)ied aa many ironlha. Tl.o cohtiniphi-^J project of m.king me Uie medium ao far back ns 1815.'!^. by nl.itli France and KngUi.d would be brought into immediate intT-comninnicaliofi, waa looked upon with conaidcrable interest, n-; it became known tlirougli tl>o " Timsi," a.id the other journilH of the i»iuMic*Tioi. arTw^r-i Favjica amo EaoLAKo—Amidat tho many w.wi.J.rf.il inxniMMis of ni.Hkrn d.iya whorcia tlM faculties of minhavcnvircoinclitntMliieoappafcnllyJiwurffMninUUe. and made tlbe very clcMicnU tli.-sMH,ln., sulHcrtlml to lii> i-.arer and nac, then arc none mora t ^•Attj.;. (»• imm I li 19 wonderful than that now .bout to be c.rricU out by the o.t«bIi,hment of •ubinanne telegraph., by which an instaiitancow co.Hn.unicatiou wiU bo effected between the coMt. of England «,d France, 'n.o British Oo»cn,. ZZL^ ?\ v*^ Com-niaaicner. of the Adrniralty. and the French aoTemmcnt, by ,h. M.n-ter of the Interior, hay. granted por,„U,ion to frTlT rr* P*:^^"""*' the submarine telograph. to lay it down from e.,a.t to eoaat. The .ito «;Iected u from Cape Orc.nc«. or from Cape Dlancnct. on the French aide, to the So.uh Foreland o« the Engl^.h coaat. The aound.ng, between tl.e.e headland, are gradual, varying from jerenfa.hom. ne,^ ,h„,v.,e on either ,id.. to a mnxi.n.nn of ,l.!r.v.M.vm r«hom. .n mid-eha„„cl. The l^rd. of the A.ln.iruliy have ul«> ^ranUd permiMion to the *.mo genUemrn to lay down a .ubmariao Ulo„r.,,h ^a7«r f " ':' .""''''"'• "'^'•^'' " '"^ »- ---' -' '-" »'•«-• '■-"- hi 1 7 7- r"""' ^ "^^ ""^ "'"' ■'"''' ''°«" ■' 'he n,.t..r.«I. r!!r thu are dready undergo.ng the proeeM of insulation, and are in tliat .,a- , iTo^Z^ -r^^'': '''^^""""^ -—-tioa can be tra .ta.l .neeclr.c telegraph wdl bo e.t«bli.hcd fro... the con,l to I'ari,. .„a I.c.hJ the ir'^ Th.. U.lcgraph .hrouRhout France wil, be im..K.di..u.l.. u.ui..; Ll tJ le^ H- '^""'' ao'c.^nK.nt, a., according ,.. the law of ,8.;r. control and .upenntendence of the Mini.ter of the Intc.ior. U,K,n tho traUon ■ ^h 'T"""'"'" •*"''''"' "'"^ '"'"'""«« °' "'«' French nd..u„i.- ho^cof P " "°X "^ '''"' ''"' ''^ ^°"""""8 ''«» •»»-- "f Africa w.th do .t I'bv ''°"7'""^'»^"" •-•'--" *'--"- ""d Algeria. U han l,.... d o ub cd by ^- oral .c.cnt.Hc men whether ihi. i. ,,r „ ,ic..,l.. a».l. iu,|,....| wUcthor even the project betwe... the co.^t. „f Fnmce «..d i:..,!.. d . :u. bo .ccom,,I..hed : but it ha. been proved by ex.Kri.nenu. the ...,„t .aii.f,. ".^ r;rrar'ar:;r -"^ '- '"-''-'''• '- ^^-- -"--"r Can ai,y fact bo more clearly dcmonslralcd than ll.i«. tl.a. .I.c pr... jcci of connecting ,hc French and EnsliKh coa.t.. and thoso of !• .ancc «nd Algier,, by my instn..ncn..ali,y. w„ not only cn.lc.n. plated, mt th« initiaUve Ukea u, carry it out by Mr. We,e. lo„^ ^-•rore the McKar,. Brett even applied for U.e co.,cea,i..„ to „.e f rench Goreniinent. t I . h M, *^i $Mmm ■**"'-' "**■*" "--tirif '-I -ti •-•"•"T- I i f t i: 20 CHAPTER III. During tliis pc^ioy four, on Smeo's principle. Tl»e drat cx- permunt tried mnt to tent the (rravity of the wire, in onlcr to ascerUin whether, with the nuhfitnnecii uwil to aecurc iniulntion, and those for the out«ide ooTcring, it might ttill prove tw buoyant. Thia, howDTcr, was tatis- foct..Tily proved not to be the ca«r. for upon iM be- .^i paid out from the •tern of her MajeKtyV ahip, Bimir, im grarity was found quite sulhcient tor the dp{-p«iit water. The indea u»cd moat aatisfnctorily tetttcd the capabili- tie* of the inrcntion, being one which hi»d been eoiutnictcd for the conrcy- anrc of tignnlt for »ho.-t diManrea. a mere model made by Mr. H«t. for the ln»iH^tionof the Admiralty, by which communications might bo made from !m I I. I: 21 the bridge of •tcam-TM»cU to the engine-room Udow. I ),c dcclric rtuid wai made to trtrcrne the whole length of the •ubmoriiie tilcgrarh, vhith having been carried out in a biglit from the DUkr, by the boat, in attendance, wn« allowed to tink to the bottom. The tignalu were m j.roinptly shown by the index u though merely transmitted from the deck to the engine- room, ihu* proTing, beyond doubt, the practical nuccew of ihii m.Mlc of conToying intelligence, ercn acroM the .ca. Several oll.cr cxpcriiiirntJ were tried with other wire., .lifferently insulated, but ncillur at regards gravitation nor n» regard* giving • perfect comn.unieation. Mere tl.rv m^odc* of .nsulat.on equal to that decided upmi by the invcuoni. In eM..l.li>l.i..g the electric telegraph ncro,. a harlmur •.> . owd.d with dhii.pi,,;; „ ihm generally i,, the practical difr.eulty oriMug from the po»,ible disturbance <.f the telegraph i* the only one which the projectors have to contend with: for It i» now proTcd, beyond doubt, tl.ut the electric rtuid can be tran- nutted through the water with the same facility a» it i. along the line* in operation on land. The imiK,rtanee of thc«o experimenU ia obvious ; lor if the communicaUon can be carried acrona Port.n.outh Harbour, it followa •• • matter of coume, that it may with at Ica.t e.jual facility, bo carried from headland to headland, where it cnnnot be inierferid with by the •nehornge of numerou. tcsaeU. Thus octween (Jrcat llril.m, and France, or any other country acpnrated only by the .ea. disume is anuilulate.l ; in lact. tl»a new mode of Ulegraphic communi. ation appear, to be one of tho«, wonders which, however .trango now. will be looked upon hereafter MS thing of course, and it is .carcely too much U. expect that in les. th in ftalf a century a merchant may comirunicatc with U., agent* in Calcutta in the moriung. and rcceire hi. reply before .itUng down to hi. .upper in the .u " T',? ^''"'•**"'" Tw-EOKArH AT PonT.MouTii.-AVe are enabled to .upi.ly ho following additional particular. re»,aT. g the Submarine •IM..-r..i.h laid down acroM our harbour. It i. now al.o.a tl.r. c y, .r« sinre tl,e telegraph from the Nine Ivlm, icnniu.., to the trr...i,iu* at (iu.n,„i v,,,s llr,t C^t.blMhed. Sub.e,iur,„|y. from the in. ..Mvenienec ex,Kri>n,c,l at the Admiralty 0(! .0 he.c.l,ecuu,e of ti.e dutunce of ll.c t.l.,rapli s.,ai,.„ the w.rcH were e.„...nued from tl.al place to tlie Royal Clarence V.ird, willi'tl.i, addition, however, although the inconvenien.e wa,, lessened, it wa. far from b,mg removed, the harlM>ur intervening leaving a diRtance of u,,wnrds of a mile to f \- r..r. houw unconneeted. and notwitli.fnndmc the wi.h of the a.tt. ...:„ both here .,, ■ ii, ,.,„don, that th- t.h.raph .hould beear ■■ -,, the K:k Yard, no attempt ha., hitherto been ma,.o to do .0. because it ho. been considered almost imoo^^ible to convey it un.Ur water WhaUver difficullic. may have hitherto interfered to prev nt the establishment of Submarine Telegraph. ,.pponr now to have be-en ntircly overcome, lor tho time occupied from the commrnromont of n.ry. -« tlic telegraph from .hore to shore and transmitting .ignnl. did not ,' rm,v „ qu«tcr of an hour. Th. telegraph, which ha. the api«:arunco of an ordinary n -^ •iMU JJ -^f 11 22 ropt-, wiu ooilwl into one of the dock-yard boctt, owe end ef it bc'.ntt in»de fiut i»i •liorc, knU M the U/nt waa pulled aeroM the huiioar the tclcgrsph rnpo wai* i(r;idiially \m\A out over Ine «(om, ita lupcrior %nMty cmuaing it to link to the bottom im.'irdlntdx- The tolcgraph enntistcd of but this Wnr, •ltd, unlike thoM along titc vnrioiit milwnjr*, required no return wire to com- pluto the circuit. Tlio clcctiic tluid wiia tranainitted ftviA the baCtcrlca in tlie (lock -yard throii|;h the ■ulmirracd inaulatcd wire to the oppoaite ahoto, tlir lliiid nturning to the ncpitivc hole through the water, without the aid of any metallic conductor, excipt a ahort p«eee of wire thrown aeroea the dock-yaid pnrapct into Uie « iticr, and connecting it with the battcriea. The Tact of the water as a rcndy return <-onductor waa eatabliahed beyond quiation; for, to teat thla mot thoroughly, repeated experiments were made in the preacnco of some of the principal dock-yard authoritice, including the hciidii of the rnguircring department. Tlicre can be no lunger niiy duuliU that, without nrirrcuco to distance, the water will act a» a return conductor in coii.jiIlihij ths circuit. It will be recollected, that in IHI3, Mr. Sitow ll^rr- when |>roving ihe cQcicncy of hia lightning conductors in hia cxiioni from this dock yard- to the Creates, esenipliflcd thai water acrvctl to complete the eloetiie eireoit On that ccCBiijn, howcTcr, the distance trarcricd by the return evrrcnt through the water waa but trilling compared with the spaee aeoompliahed in the present Iniitniite. Tho buttciiee used here were Smce'a; an^. a Tcry dclieate and arcur:>t>? gdlvnnic elector, invented by Mr. Hay, the chymical lecturer of the dockyard, who wa* present throughout the whole proceeuinga, waa alaO Lroii^-ht into rcquiMtiun. "Tiie iuccoss of the trial here hss, we vndcratand, determined tho inTcntoni tu lay down their contemplated line aeroes the channel from England to France, under tho sanction of the rospcctiTe OoTCtnmcnta." Unfortunately, the intention of establishing nw between DoTcr and Cnlnis waa not cftrricd out, in oonscquence of th« delay in obtaining the sanction of the French GoTernnicnt having rendered it necessary for .M.-ssrmi«, mo, th.i. .,t nomo future pffiod. wli.n limr should haro more fully dcTclopcd U.C i.rucl.tability of tl.o un.lt.riakin;i. you would gire it your aonoui con- «dir..t.on. At that time I hn.l o;,ly inod o«pcrimcnUlly • 8ubraa»in« Tclouraph acroM rort!.m„u.h ll.rhour ; .ince then, my project of con- nocL.w the ahorea of Kngl..,.d and Pranc. by th« aame meana haa been carried out, though not by mo. •' While I do not pretend to aay tlmt Ihero will be no difRcultiea to contend with .n carry.ng out a project of »... I. v..,t mngnituda aa the eaublwhmcnt of the mean, of ulcsraphic ro,r.m..nie„tion between thia country and the K-u-t In.l.r,. yet tt.r-K, didlrulti,-, ,rc .,ot insurmountable, and X have no hrMi......M ... .r,j-m«.ihit I rn„ r.adily ourcome them, and .uccc«fu..,carrT out II„. important ur.dertnki..,.. A fe* yrar, .p, , p„,po,|,io„ to effect aa almost ,n,tnntanoou. co,„n,.,„i,w,ii.,„ k ,wt^, London and liUnburgh would h .vo hem ronni.lered chimoricl. and iu propounder looked upon a. a fit eand.. .to fur «,nao lunat.c .,yl.,m. ...d j-rt thi. ha. b«m «s*,«pll,hed. »,d ccaacl o»cn to be a womlcr >o the lormcr aeepUc. "A, time ha. therefore d.Teloped that «"««« nouac. 30th April, mi. •• llaviHR 1,,.| I., r.re il„. Court ^f Diroetora of the V.n.t Indi™ Tom piny jr. .r I. ii, r. „.l,„„n.n3 f.,r their ro.i«i.l<.,-r,~. . ■ a lei. .r,.„h iwi- .1 '•"""•.lerntimi a propoaM to rttnbliah a .l.-.r,.,,h «Mtwc^n,l..,count,r and In.l.a. I am commanded, in rrplr to '"' '■•"• ''^' "- ^ ■'-» ■'■• "••« r-' .>..«~>lrea eon.pcu-at, a. prZn ' to ....er .....n a eou.derat.on of iho ..heme to which yourTettc' I'Xl'ce. " I nm. Sir, " Yo.ir met oUd.L-nS kuml.lo Rcrrant, *'C«»aia. WaaT, K«j." "MMBS iiZLVlLL. \i f » 25 .1 hAve slatod that negociatfon, were entered into wi.I. ,l.e Kicctr.c ly'l^a^lTT'"'^'' "" c'own aero, the En,,.,. C.nncl : I ied .„d the dr.n, of the n.rce.ncnt dr. a, ,vi„ ,. ..... f^ he -u ,.,n.cd two ictor, on the snl.j.ct; l„.t h.-e «,.i„ .,,e fi, co,n,.,ct.on of the .rmn,.n.e,.., .ere de...,c.I Aon. li.ne .;, from. I behove, a m.M.nd..rs.an.li,.g l.et.cc. ,l.e KLci. Tel,..,., Com,...,.^. „„.! i,.e So..,h En.lcrn U.llw.y Con„.„,v a, , ,1 ^ cforn^r to .nc the hue of tel...,rn,h fron. Lon.o. ,o Dover Bo that a, .t .nay the delay, fro. .ha.ever cau«.. .a, fa,a. ; for 1 .cnch Governn.ent, which thu, p.even.ed me from bei„, ,.id d„,.. :i" .:::;;;r" °''-""' '"- -- -- •- ^ -^ "OuMTi.rMRN,— " Oftobrr 4, IS17. .i..,h I ,hi„i r„M i™ :; c. ;r,;''""'°" "" •""'■" " "■= " tl..u. rhat .mount. Tl.c m^n ,Tr , ""''•""'''"- >^<^ " ""'"■ - 1... «' the ,virc .haJlum... ...,Ii. ..,.> '^ ' r ''" ""'""" '" '"' ''"'' >' - '""« •»-c ,0 ...ore. Should 0^7 'r '" ''" " "" * '^"^■'- """' '"■"« »".■.>• oxre,..! 22 n..le,. three h,„. • ' J , , r ^''' '""'" " '"'^ "'- ''"'"'<•<' ..1-ic.i to .he io.ooo. .„a ;.".:; tr:::/"' '"^^- "•'•'" '^■'""" th.' «d.l.„o„al .„n,H.nt. The ,,„„ ^,r „ . ^" r'""" '" '"' '"'•' "I"'" .dda.o„„ ...^ .. ,^ re,, i e .'Lf I "r" "''"" "'" "■'"'' - -h exceed .2m.U... ,0 ho p.,.d -a a .eT '; """ '' '"'" "'•"'-'-•""co i.,jury ho r.na.r, ■ .. «,., , '' '' " rcmc-heU i .huuid, 'IcUurUoa whatever «, obcm.de bun, ""'\""^'" '^"-d-.v^ .h.„ „o M4J 26 to be paid u though thora h«d been M tuipciuloii of thfl tekgraphie communicnlioii. " Three hundred pounda per annum to be paid mo for ray pcnontl aupcr. intrnili-nce of the line, while held bjr the Company. "The Company to wo>k the line aubject to any eondittona the French OoTcrnment may impoae. " I will feel obliged if yon will let ms know aa early aa poaaible if the foregoing conditiona meet with your aiiproTal. If ao, perhapa you will inatrtirt yr'ur aoliritor to prepare a draft of agreement, and acnd it to my aoliciinra, St. Bwithfn'a Lone, or I will inatruct them to prepaje the draft, and uanaoit it to your aoUcitor. •• Waiting your reply, " I am, Oenti.^en, " Your ob« licnt Serrant. •ClIAllLES WESr. " Tt. the riuimwAN nnd niRRrmiu of the Klbctbio Tai-aaaArR CoMrAiiT.'* "Febnury 0th. 184S. "DuAKSia,— " Tormit me to call your attention to the aubject of the Sahmanno Tclcprnph lM!twccn Franco an. I RnplanJ. I am perfectly prepared to carry out thu undcruking m aoon at the agrecmenta your aoUcitor hM forwar led to the office »ome lime ainco are »ignelon on Saturday, when I ahall hope to hare the picaauro of mecllng you at Moorgnti; Street. " 1 am yovt obedient Serrant, "CUAIILES \VB8T. *'\V F Cooai, Vj^." il. i « 27 CHAPTER IV. 1 ; • I ' !i DOVEU AND CALAIS, I80O. llAyiwo II1U8 given nn otillinc of my earliest infancy, up to l!ic close of ■'"'t?, (luring wiiieli lime I was brou^jlit, hj the iintirinij care Hnd assiduity of him wliom I have shown hns a just riglil to my pntcrnily, to tliat sUtte of perfection that the Tiimt, now, in 185^, ill the JC'n subjected to total d( KiriK Imiu in the lVcm. of any aeeidenl ha - In mc ; for, by being laid in sertioi.s, (he worst that could befallen me would have been the In^n. of tinl SeCtiuii Ouijr wiiiiii itMKiii l>c injured ; wiiereas, as iii liic rci.ci»l miuamtit mr-tj-^''' ■ le to lay me in my «hi in W-i\. It iw, lla-ri-fne, iiii|H:riiliTo thai the wire of which I am fornu-d sliouUI be covered wilh s non.clcctrie subslnnw, of mich a nature as to secure perfect insuhtion, aid possessing; the least pos- sible indiirtivc c-ipnrity. This nnterial nhouid also be elastic and llexibiu, free fr..M> jioroitily and able to wiUisUnd the action of Uie water. APicr I am llms insulaleti, it is necessary for my protc.ion that I Kboiild \>e ii.innod in an outer covering of adequate strength, fl( \ibiiity, and specific gravity. These are the tr'quircments wbirh he was aware are indispensable lor my contlruclion ac < Submarine Telegraph. There may be other,', of a minor con»iugh the ordeal of a public test. For thiM i»iirpose ho took a part of that portion of me, in the course of construction for the channel, and submerged me bctwcet.j Iler Majesty's ships Pique and IJ.'uke, and afterwards acroat PorUmouth Harbour. These trials took place under the superintendence of Mr. n«y, the chrmical referee of Iler Majesty's Dockyard at Portsmouth, and were higldy satisfactory in their rcsulta. So ililHcult, however, wns it at this time to eradicate the doubU of M)mc. even men of science, of the possibility of sending a current of clrclri< ily through the water without some portion of it dispersing in its IranHiiiixxion, that I hud aftrr»vards to undergo another trial. This was for the satisfaction of a gcnthinnn, an electrician, who, heing one of the ilouhters, wnn '"sirous oi having an antojitical examin.iUon of my capability, and of subjecting me to such tests aa he might con- sider nquicit.'. Upon this occasion I waa submerged across tlie mouth of the M«lina, between Enut and West Cowcs, where I was put iliK.u-h nn orde.d of tlic scverext description, which I bore so adin.rai.ly, that the previous sripiic Iwcatne henceforth one of my firmest converls. Shortly a.ler this, my proj.rtor entered into a negation with th - Kleclric Telegraph Compauy. whiih. though procrastinated for some time, «.!» on llic eve of bcinj; brought to a satisfactory conclusion. \:y which I should have been laid down between France and England in a (i-^ wciks. and at sn eipciisc, as «.iH be seen from the forcgt.ing corrcsiK.udence, of i I , hall now proc.-.d to dcseribe. aLhouKh I approach th t ..,,ect w.th great reluctance, for iu reminiscence i, any thing out plcantng, ' o B.U w..^ I eonr.,. that I feel highly indignant at the treatn.nt to h.J I .,n. tnen exposed, and which, but for the con.i.lnati.,,. .,f H.» M.j...y, ,he En,per.- • ;„. have been f.tal to ,ny pre«,i,e r ever, m order to av„i„ the imputation. ,hat my fecling/hav; l^,! Z to give a dcscr.ption of that occurrence which the faCs do ..ot r;^;, ' -^'-":-'" ^-••'^' ->• «- vor^on of it. but will deer •t '"the woMsoi Mr. John R.ctt himself. That gontlc.nan n a a>.et.ng of the Royal Institution, on the evening of Mar. h 20-.. Ile'LU "'"' "^ "" '"'^"^ ""•'" "" ^^"-^"'"^ «'^'-"-«- '• In 1847 I succeeded in ob.sining permission fron. I. ..;, P|..l,ippc I 3S lo unite England with France \,y a «iil)m»rine line, but failed to ob- Uin the attcnUon of the public, it being considered too hazardoua for Ihrir support. " When the coume of eventt pinred I^uin Napoleon nt the head of the French nation. I brought ••:. iubject under hii notice, aoIiciUng ■uch protection ta I Ihoiijfht would induce t'^s public to support the uiKJerlnlung. Ncvcrlhcles.. X'2.0ed Uie vessel, disnppc,...„g i„ the di-lancc. first the hull, then the funnel, UU the' smoke only could Iw nocn ogninst ihc while cliffy of Grisnci. •• The r.lot Tower at iho IK.^rr IlaiNray affortfed an elevated po. sition from whence, by the aid .,f a glass. I was able to distinguish the light-l.ouse and cliff at Cape Oriai.ci. A declining sun enabled me to di.crm the m Mring .ihadow of ihe Reamer's smoke oo the while cli.T.. thus indicating \ttt progress. At length Ihe shadow ccasi-d lo .noTe. The vessel hud rvi.l.M.iIy come to an anchor. We i» M fi it \ 33 ff»vc them half-nn-hour to convev tl.n n„ i r . . •«gc acroM the Ch.ir.ael • thi, w«. , . , ^^"■"' '""" ••' •"— " f..™.l '.; : r::.!;,; "-": '•■•^"*"" ■ ^"^y were .til, U.Li.,J''Xr ^ h'^' "'^ '""""'^ "'•'-'-• word, 'All well' «„d .o^^/u ."'""""""""""""• "'« -d closed U.eeX " ^"" ''"'"' ^"•^^— ^H. " '" •'^'''''"P'inff to resume communication eirlv iho . , no response could b. obtniued. an'orthy person to Can,, r,- < . "'''''" "*•"' <» ""»t- had Jtn'e „ed t e rc'^e^, "'"' ^ ^''*^"^'= "'« "''--- of a.. ,vho -- -iimed by some" LI • TT''^' "'""• "" "'^ '^"^'"-^ ron.«rded t; :: 2^:::: r;:" 'r r ^•'""^" = •- -- •nother iriaJ was granted/' '' ""^ " ^'''^ «''" t'"- '"- II ■■3li^: ■MiBA< IAUi M CH AFTER V. DOVER AND CALAIS, 1850. Seen ii the dcicription given by Mr. John Brett himtelf of the nltompl he made in ISW to lay mv d.-wn between Dover and Calais. Surely I have greol rrason to coni)>lniii ! It «ppcnr« from this stntc- mcht tliit from 1817 till I8''>. alilion-h he and \in brother Jacob hnil t>1.l linrd the concc'sioii.iiulhiiiR whatever waa done in furtlierance of the ol.ject for which it w;m granted; and lliat, when applied to by the govornraeiit of France in 1818 on the subject, they begged for a furtlier di lay of a few week*, in order to complete two of their rriirtiii.,' Electric Ttlegrapha, upon which they were then engaged, whicl> were to be " aupcrior in every rc"pcct to any telegraph hitherto cxccui'd." They furtlicr added lhr\t "the object alsd ct the Ocrani<: Telegraph b<'lwccn Calais and Doter, of wliich wo were the origuiul proji.'clors, rtcrives our carnont attention, and we anticipate the completion long b;lu into practical development some lime l)tf»rc lliry even rr^'lHti-rcd their oceaiic scheme, and t.a». the project of conncclinu Knj,'laiul and France by my means was on the eve of being hronght to a successful issie in 1846, and would unqar-tionably have been sub-.e.iucntly en ricd out, had not the exclusive privilege accorded to them rendered nugatory the previous Ilrral.^; menu entered into between Mr. W ,-st and the Electric TelcKri'.I'li Company. ijut now Ul me advert to my ron.' jn aAer having received the " earnest attention' of my loi-d -« projectom to fit dm for roy w « »j I "^1 I [f *l m- II i If t I I • i I 'i„iiijui sii mill I;.. r,, .1 .l".o..Sl. « .M period I "J^ ,:•,""•'. ' '■'' "■' "- »-". •-""lion lo „e Id„ „„, , " " ' '"'"■" "f '"•""' «"d Hi.ic.l. »,„mc,cij .nil "" ""■• """'■'•' "- ".. .....I, i„ ,850. wi,h . e.„,„, wi .,1* ,'■""' '^■'°«"'"' "trcngthcn me. or .0 «ivc ,„.. ,l "'■"'° "^ i"-"'"*^^' "' i"v.-.or.^r, ■::;,:: :;::"^'^°--'"^^--,.., Piirtuiiunt moiifes nn T 11 "P-.n.cn of one of nature', or 7 . '" " '^"''""'■"' "'"' V-^"^'^ nor good red hcrr,.-. •_" LTof '" ^ """'" " '^''' «-''' ^-vi. But whore ,r», i^ Vr. ^ "° "'"'^^ ^-^ '•"'■^•'"■-• ^''■" 'fx-y -ore „,,,igc<. to hJo '"• "'"" "'">' '■"'""' '" '^'^ --.ca.e..j.^^:::— -^ ^"-...r- 1 ""• ^a'u 1 not roirccdy. lliat c 2 I I •«■*■ Mill I I I t 3G aUlionph fhcy rrgislen-d a «-l,c.nc in 1815. Uicy were (otnllj uiipriparctl at llmt lime with my plan to carry oat tlic project which or nil ollicm r«i.iiro« the mo«t particul.r orpanixnfion, the grentcflt 'HII. mid n lhoroii;;h. perf.rt, an.l intimntc kmrnlcl-e of nil that «P|H rtni,,, lo mc > That Ihry wore not ^ prepared i. fnliy «howa in th, admiMion, that when they w.rc compcdled to carry out their •grr, ment to lay me down orroaa the channel, or forfeit Uieir con- cewion. they were i.ecc«.it.-.tc.l to adopt a mat.,ial hitherto unknown, but which "opportunely came to th»ir aid about that time." But to proceed. Mr. John Brrlt, in continur.tion, aaya—" The end of the wire nttm he.' I.. In..d w.s carried into a home-box at tho South Ka.tcm Railway Tennin.:,. and we commenced paying out the wire, piccca of lead bcini? fanfriMd lo it at InterTaJs to faciliUle the ainki.ifj." Major Dalferrtiy f..uld not l»c more aatonished at the bowa and nr.owa of the " Children ..f the Miat" than I wa. at thia primitive mode of gning me (he nece»«.ry j^ndcroaily to aubmerge me. Tho provi.lcat old m.ijor. howcv.r. ulii.n.iely found that thcae bowa and arrows ol i. > untutored aonn of the mountain* could be turned to good .iccouni, but I .ma fully aware that in the abacnce of otiier cai.m ■« the piccei of lewl ntmdicd to me .naat alone ineviubly prore my,I.Mn.clion. If I were not p- « aed of adequate conlinuoua aiKcific jyravily in my c.itirriy ic ,.m^ mr . Urn application of weighU at intcrvem„g di.laiiccs would iiavo the effect of ainking and nnrhoring mc at the partir.iiar poii.ta to which the lead mipht be alfac, «d. while the buoyancy of the other portion*, not ao weighted would create con«i.lcrahlc o«:ulati..n and friction, by which, erentually' they vvould he acpaiaiei:nn nt \t n ... _.. . . """"'"• ""'-"lis a«ii-*M uigcnuity and r • I i ' M II I i;H n •"*--«._ •' f N # I' .17 " consUnt atlcntion" wa« noiUm hef .cr ihv, wl.,. . , • •Trdl. experimental thrcnd," and ih, „ "'"""' '" '^' "^ -u.d ...ve Been „pec.., ti.:"!; r.eT;.L r,' "" r'*" ^^'^""^ •'ten.pting to resume con.n.un,, ion e.rlv , " " '■"" '" could be obt.i„.,l and it .onn i ^ ""'"'"♦''• "'^ '"P^"«<^ ^'••ing.. ,ped asunder r^ '" "'"''"= '''''''"'' ^ ''^ 't. And ycf, notwiilmUtidinp tJie acrr.m.t h„ i taking, he sa,.-. r/.M.W ,7 ' / ''" ^'"'•" "'" ""^ ""•'^•'• confess I cannot amvcl* *^""-- —/"/." In.I.c.i ! I or.ucce„^.h thcLt of ;,';'■ r,::/7"'''^ ^'^ •^^^"•'"" 'loxical. and may nuzzin f ' " " ~'"^^*''"l p-^ra- wonder'tHat m7 B et .n ■;;; '""'"^"' -'"'^^ '^^ ""-No -nnonnced that al.o a, b '"'" '" "" ''"•^""■'- '"■'- "-'' cnu.d r..ason :; 7„"J"r" "' ''""• '''"' ^"" "" ^" -"' -.not b- ...a to be l^.uZ.Jl^: '\ "^■"' "^'•^'"- ' 'ike ,he IriM.man-. kettle .. 7Zl1, 7 "'' ' "'"' '''•'"*''• rndd,.ecovcr.Hi,culi.,aVto re 7 ""l !'' '''• ^'^ " ^« --r to brew hia ...^ f K .'n T "i "^'-" '' '" '""'"^ rM..^toi„n,aehi.r^heJol:Xo:Vr^ f"'"^ -nption, of the orien.a. her... ,o ..,..in;c 1 h , f,' '" ,' " '"- "'?'^^'"'" ■'••'-'■)«'« n.j.,i,',';^^ ' -'"^ - -rv.nt .o the u. of „.a„ , .,, ....„,..„. J ^ — -•'--i Hut will, reLMr.l t,, mv .■ ^ ;■- '.^.i o "■" ■•■■ ".» „. .iH: ::'.:,":'' -■' ■ '■- remained of mr n-rn .1 «^«-->" • V4M e^jianNr. All lU, ."~j, «u j: : ■";':;":" """ •" "■■■ p^-. ... ..^ «»• W»*' Uxv I w,»|.cd iLnt .!. ...... .....,= . ai^i »wi MIIJIUMH l«Kl • I mmmmmtmtmtmaJLMm^A 38 Iiavp been rclcawd from llirir tliraWom, nnd ctnicd awny with lliiir iMiojanl hrctliren I But it wns not to be ; and here, like a nnriyr, tied to I he ulakc, [ was compcllrtl to undergo, in my liiilicroiid and pifiablr n{!\t<\ all aorfii of indignities. In thi^ pomtion, evrn the very nnhcn Uu(,'licd and jeered at m«. and eomc of them, iii'.rc learned than the rent, would, when they passed and repitssed mo, sal ir (ally remark — "Si vionimtfiifum qucrru cinumtpiet." These, I »ii!OHed that the Kmperor, witli his acute intellect, was in the lea-t dereixed in the matter. It waa not in consequence of the doc allowed to monopolire ilic liiili-h t.!io;ei«, a:id that they alone should have the privilege of laying down Submarine Cables. They had prc»i(ni«ly askc«l for a grant of i''20,, \tluc h was pr( perly refused them, bat, nothing daunted, I'-ey sent upon this occasion the following letter :■ • " Atigust 30i!i, ISiO. "Mt Ix>sr».— " I have the honour to arqusint y-ur IionUhip*, thnt on W(-y clitlririty ncmw ilic * innol. ^ •• lliwiiv. M early iw July, l,st.',. Imil .^lo honour to Iny before Sir Robert Tccl nnJ A.linirnl Sir llobi ri Cockbuni, »nJ, more rcccnily, the late Lord AuckUnil, nriU other momUrs of Ilcr Jliyesty'i Ooyemmcnl, an original prnpMsiiion (of my hrotbrr and nclf, aa the inrentora and patcntcca of the bubni.irine ami Ekctiic I'rintinn Tclcgmph), and liaTing then proposed th« connecting England and Ireland, and placing Dublin Caatle in inatnnUncoua comm.tnicnti.m with Downing Street, and luring -ow, after yemra of ordu- out lalwur and RTciit cjipcn«c, pr..»itl ihc fact, in oppoaition both to public ©lunioii and that of our mom eminent prnctical men, we haro only to rc- clu->iTc privib ge, auch ■■ is already granted to m by thu French OuTcrnment, for the Cooat of Fnmee, without which its value might be rendered nugntory. " I ha«o the honour to be, " My I/oriU Commiaaionera, •• A'our Lord»lii|i-.' rcry humble and obedient Scrrant, "JOJIX WATKINS UREIT •• For i. W, URBTT ft JACOD BRBIT. " 'i'o the Right lion, the LoRiia CoMMiaHioNiaa " of Uaa Wktnt r'a Wooim and Foaraia." To thif pnrtlc'.ilarlr mocIpHt rvquctt ihrr* coukd, of courm, be on' .iH) annwrr, wliich tras, " thnl it u , /i»i their /^rd»hip$' po-vrr to r/rnnl tjou or any otttcr party tuvh priviUytt or protection at you drmiimi." Ni>w, had Ihey been u iuccwiirul •■ (hey were ihc roTcrM — had tliry re. Ihey ou^'lit to have hnd, instead of showlig that Ihcy actually knew notliiiix whatever of me, and that they were ohli^l to adopt a inatciiil wliich " oj)j>ortiiiiiI) eaiiic lo llieir aid aljout that time" \\m\ iliry, nficr " jrma of nriliioiii libour aiid expense," provnl any ful, •• i:i op|M)tilioii lo publii ii|>iiii<>n, and that of our tnoet eminent jToeiicnl men," instead of making' such an absurd demonstration, it woulit Ntill hnte l)oen a most presum|ituous request : but when it was pn;f( rretl under the circumstances described, it wotild be flattery even tode-ipnnie it by llint term. [■ •• 1 I t i ,^:;Jf^_?5!^^R^ 41 CHAPTER VI. IlAViyo given tlic history of my tinrortuiintc lUliit ncrom ihc Fni.'li?
  • cik1o pan-nlN, Jolm W. aiul Jacob Brolt, \y\\\c\\ certainly does not contiast fuvo\iral>iy wiili the one I mntlc four years pnMiou*ly, in 18 If), Wl wren Her Mnjisly's eliips Pique and Blnke, under the fostering care and altciition of my true one, I will now ^ifocecd to narrate the other occiiriences of my life. In doing this I shall not enter into a h nj;tlu ned deRcription of the various incidents which hefel! me during tin interval of this my first faihire, ajul my snh«e<)uont one ai nis» the Allantie, hut j^liall, with one or two exceptions, confine mysidf to a hrief stat'imnl of the fact*, and merely give n short summary of this part of my history. DOVKR AND CALAIS, IS/il. 4 In , ,ii following ycoi MiRnrs. U tt were more tiurco-bfnl in sub- merging me. UiHjn ihis occasion I was diHeuntly constuKied, Wiif^ comix)f«ed of four wires, snsu!aterii>iil txtiii..i. •r— ^ Jd. ,^mt»m^L.aKm^ 42 I . . I'ORTPATRICK ANi> DONAGHADEE, 1852^3. In 1 652 two attcmpU were made to ntablish me between the Scottish and Iri»h coa«ts, but unHucrctufuMjr. Since then, however, two I'parale Compnnict, or.o in 1853, the other in 1854, have •iiccrcilcd ir. lying me down. My eoneuructioo ie aimilar to the heavy class cables. HOLYHEAD AND DUBLIN, 1852-1854. Tlic importance of the coiin«Hlion between En^and and the Irish capital iicccMxarily led to an early allempt for that purpose, and in 18''2 I was tail! with one conductor, llie principles of my coTistruc* tion was not perfect, liowcvrr, mid my projectors failed. In 185 1 llic attempt war, renewed by othcrs->tlie Electric and Inlernntional Telegraph Company — with success, and shortly after an additicntS cable was laid down ; tbenc have each « single conducting wire. Now it in here worthy of obserrntion, that the Messieurs Brett having bron proj>rTiy rrfuneil both a grant of money and a monopoly of Ibc Kti(;liNb and Irish co.ihIh, the result has been the eslabliah- mcnt of several, iiiMlead of one mraii^ of electric iotercommunicatioo between Oreat Britain and Ireland, DOVER AND OSTEND, 1853. Tbrru is nothing to call for any rem.-irk in my stibmersion between tlietm parts. My conMniction wus upon a similar principle to tliat of the Ciil.tis line, and I was succi'stfully laid in 1853. THE HAGUE, 1853-51. I wa» laid down lt<-iwrcn Orfurdiieiin and the Hague, with s«ic(?css, but frt>iii the nature uf the ix 'an, in whose bed I repose, I have been •ubjectrd to more than ordinary annoyance from ahips' anchorti and oiiicr surface tmcrKreucc, e9|>ci:iaiiy irom the numerous flstiing /. • I \ ! ; )•: ; a ! -^^-^-msm^msM ^.-^^~T^i« ^^^^'^m^ fi...^^: i^t-^^mm •i « 4n smnckfl, coastciv, &c. In oi-dcr to provide ns far as possIMc a^'aiiist those chances of disaster, I, in thin case, have been laid iit four separate cables, with one conductor in each, so that in the event of injur;" to me the others could be still in operation. Two of tlic«c were laid down in 1853, and the others in 1851. In no inRtancc. citiier before or since, have I been paid out with so little loss, in what is technically termed slack. Ilecently, nn addition has been made by a cable with four condurtoi-s, but my woiking lias been uiiuitibfactory- owing to some mishap in submerging mc. THE SOLICNT, 1853. In this little line, which extends from Kcyhaven to Ilurst Castle, and from the Castle to Yarmouth, in the IhIo of \Vi;,'lit,and thence to ('owes and Osbom, for the convenience of the Sovcreijiin and the residents of the inland, I am coni|)oscd of two Btructures. Trom Ilurst Cavilc to Yarmouth, I am formed in the usual manner of gulta pcrclia insulu- lion, and- with iron wire wound spirally run. id tnc, Froni Kiy- haven to Ilurst Castle, however, I am constructed upon a perfectly different princi[>le, both as to,my insulation and my outer covering ; in this case, instead of gutta percha, I am insulated with India rubber, and instead of the wires I irig wound spiially round mc, lliey arc closely plaited upon me. This is part and parcel of the portion of me constructed by my pmjcctor, and intended for submersion between IIul)bca(l and Dublin, but wliiih aas not curiied out in consirjuence of the failure of the Company, and which has been so nnicli lauded by tlic Tintft in November last. I was laid down io 1853, and am •till in active operation. DENM/RK, 1855-50. In 1855, I was siireessfiilly laid nrrnss t!ie fJrrf't Iloll, ■ distnnev of fiOecn miles and a-hslf; aer'Ms the Little Ilelt, fitc miles j and ill the year follewmg across tlie Sound, ten miles. ^*'<*.^^*»«C«sSR' « — ■'^ ■ -~~i { „ t,i ,fc*--^ ■ fc"«»t— .^ Li. 44 FORTH AND TAY, 1855. Ilcr'^ I form n short line or onlj six miiea, and have four con< ductiii',' wires, surruiiiulcti by iron ones. VARNA AND DALAKLAVA, 1855. As I was merely laid down to meet an emergency, tlicre were so many circumMtanccs to prevent my perfection, that I may past over that c|)i(io«lc in my carc-r in iiilcnce. I can, however nay, that for sonic time ! was of con«ideral>lc utility, notwithstanding I was merely submerged as a temporary exitcdicnt, and consequently was not con- structcd upon principles that I should have been, had I been intended for a permanency. HANOVER, 1858. Tlic Stihmarinc Telegraph Com;»any, wlw hare the monopoly of the Eniclish Hlioros with rc«pc-ct to France and Dclgium, being desir- ous of cxtrniling it, have obtained a concession from the King of Hanovir, and in I85H have Inid me down acrom tlie Norlli Sea to that kiniT'loni. In this caiK< I have two conducting wires insulated with gtiUa percha,uilh an ou<' " covering of iron wires wound spirally round me. Tin: CHANNEL ISLANDS, 1858. Tlic (li'itirahility of a coniniimiratton with Jersey and CucriiMV was so ;i|ipaiciit, that the inlmltitants t>r thoac islandn bestirred tlirm- sclvrs, :iiid formed an inde|iciiiicnt rompany, by whom, in the Aulumn «if 1W>jH, I wan ein made by whit h I am working in connection willithe Electric and International Compaiiy and their system. * 'I T lV». ^ .' 45 THE MEDITERRANEAN CAIiLES. 7 have not tnken these in tlieir clironoloi,'ical order willi tlio fore goiiip, considering it licttcr to clans tlicm by thcm<;clvcs. I was in great hopes that by this time the fjpntlrman xtbo liail claiinctl mc as his own, would have become i lore iiitiiii;»t!ly arijuaimcd with my nature, ami have fashioned me in acrordancc wilii the jxiviiion I was required to fill, as it must be self-cviiicnt that my roiiMiucliou for •hallow waters wns totally unsuitable for oceanic depths. Hero again I shall not attempt to describe the occurrences attend- ing the efforts to submerge me, but will leave Mr. Brett him-jelf todo it, in the papers which he has read to the Institute of Civil r.ngineem, and other scientific societies. He says — I SPEZZIA AND CORSICA, \Hr>\. " The two cables he hod laid down in the Mediterranean wei-hed 8 tons the statute mile, or nearly 9 tons the nautical mile. The lenj,Mh laid between Spezzia and Cotsica w;is 90 miles. At the time he started upon that undertakiu!,' he w.is not a^rare of the .leplhs to be traversed. The Sardinian Government placed llurir fincxt vrs«eU at his disposal, and the ministers accompanied him from Genoa to Sper,/,ia, to inaugurate the undnrtakinf,'. Tim qiirKiion .ras put to him by an able government engineer at Genoa, whether he intended to take the straight lino from Sprzri.i. He repli.;d th.it tli:it \va« his intention. He was then told ihr.t in places ilnpilM of lOf) or .'iOO fithom'* woidd he encountered, and to a certainty the cable wmild be lost: whereas, if he made a eireuit of 10 or 12 mileq, tl„. depilm would not be more than 100 or ir,0 fathoms, and the cable woutto cros9, should !>c8otindpd. I was directed to call upon the Minister of Marine, the Empc.or (Killing that he would speak to him on the subject. On seeing the Minister, and naming the size of tlie steamer rrqwircu, I was informed that the Government had not a vessel of this size at their disposal. But the soimdinffs were made, and the rrsults proved drplhs of 3,000 mclrcs, or nearly two miles, being from fifly to si.xly times the depth of llic Kiighsh channel. " The time of the concession, under which I had undertaken at my own expense to complete the fifth link for uniting Afrira, was the point of expiring, so that I was obliged, much against my convic- tions, to charter a sailing vessel , and t)»e result was, that after lay.'.ig down safely sixty miles of cable, our progress by towing tlie vessel had not been such as would give us any hope of roacliing land. I dctcrminrd, therefore, to cut it, and s.ivc the eiglity-four nii!c« remaining on hoard, and wait an opportunity to renew the trial with the steamer, and to raise the sunken cable. # S.\RDINIA AND AF^I^A, (second ArrEMrr) 185C. I " In the cable laid down in IS'tG, another accident took place by a sudden run of the cable, caused, he bclievod, from tliere not being Budicien'. .jms (ou'y three coils) round the drum. Tlie ';ablc having parted, it was decided to return to bind, drag for the cable, and under run it, which they did for eighteen miles. ^Tbe end w.is tlieii uplicetl to the cable on board, and five turns having been taken round the drum, the laying was proceeded with perfectly, even in deptli^^ of 1,600 fathoms, until the cable fell short some milej* from land. He must say, he went to sea so unwisely, liiat parts of the niiicbitiery were received on board in sections (in the river, fron: delay, and from a wish to avoid the heavy expense incurred by the hire of vessel-') and were not put togutlier till they arrived at the spot for roin- mencing operations. This second cable weighed nl.ioiit four tuns llio statute mile. One of the princiisal diirieullies lie ji.ad eneonnt< led in laying cables of great length, was the delivering of tlic cable in I 4A tccorJanco with the progrex^ of llin tc«c1. It was of the ntmoHt importance th»t the wwy wid upecd of the fhip ehould be a^ccrtniffcd by the most nccurmtc meftim, as curreiiU running 2 or 3 knots per hour iniglit be encountered, which would nBaterially influence U»e ship'e oourw. " Fr^m constant cndc»Touri to pny the cable out in sccordsnce with the log, he determined to increase the strain in order to economise the Icnjth, but though this had been done for the last fiO miles, and thoii-h many en board were of o, :=";on that there would be 10 or 12 miles to spare, yet, within a short « '- Of the caLIe .hie Jtf;:; ■,''7'''"^' " ""-'^ -"-e attributed to oihcreaur "'"""'^ '^-t the caau.J.y " i'he fullowini; exirnnt. <■ « .>-thevie.heUKe.ofthe r.^^lr;'"'''^^^^--'' '-"" ''i" gave Mr. Brett to under.Und .TaT I f 'T''""^' "•^' ''*= '^'"""^"y ^ot^-enhin.. M, Del.. Jj t, 7"/^ °" '''""^ ''''^ T^'- ^•Pt^nof theEn,,i,,Mere.:;„ ;' ;;''^":'-'-'-er. -d the •" "o v«y be r.spon.ible for the dir "I K f ""' ""' '"= '^-'^ Drelf- wi«he.. and leare U.e enU „ u """" "'^ °"' Mr. • conii„..e, ,_ "tire re.pon,.biiity to hio, M. L.picrre the --hrrV.?^ ''^e «- „tte.,.t ... .^d.. '"-- which crown Cape sj r ^^ ^ " ^"^ ""'^•' "' ' " ^ • ''' '"^» -re ,.ken at 10 a .n . t ^^ T ''^"""^ ''•*"''- ^--H- •'--cl 120i„the«»,nepCo:r '"" '""'^'^^"' ^^-W - -re .here we wi,hed to b^ aT""'' ""'""^"' "'"-' ''"^t •top wa, given. A few n,inute, .Aer 7"' "" '" "'^ ">"^' '" -^, ".en ceaaed to be conneeM ! r^ '"T ""'^'^ ^^'-' ^"' - •'-.ng been broken by the 11, ''' S,artivento. the cablo '^PPeur «„,fc,, , ,J^^ - '-- employed to .op it (^,. ,, ^••^'t .'.en I had previous ; ' T ""''^ '"• ^'^'"^ "> >'•• *'t"ou,h we .ere no ion^r ^'^^ ;:;7'' '.'T "'^PP^'- AHer .hi:. 8" in conneiion with .q „,■■•■•..= - •- - 1 ••*«. iirvll I t I { 60 V deemed it ntJriKaMc we bIiouUI go on tgiin for two hoars longer, and he (hut inn 10 mile* of hin cable. It wm not till 5 p.m that th« •ij,'nM to atop waa again giren, and I was requested to go on xjard the Dutchman.' " "Another couhcH of ilie before-mentioned persons was now held, and M. Lapterre says, that denpito his protesU that th« ^iaole woald inrMlibly break again, Mi. Drttt's proposition to attempt to recoTcr the cable by means of tiio -vindLiss was ried. The n^alt proved Hint M. Lapicrre had ri^'htly judged the diameter of the windlass to be loo sma'' j allow of tliia peculiar cable v>iling round it, and it •napped again. The French commander's j." ..i to return to the point of departure, and paw the Dutchmin under the cable, as a ferry bail is pasfcd under a rope, was now adopted, and he left th« Kni,'li8h steamer, reluming to the point of departure, while he him- self went off in the Tartirc to C.nglinri for some necessary articles. He then remark«,'that in his first experiment only 36 miles in a direct line had been gone over, but that 60 and one-eighth miles of ca*.:a had l)cen paid out, From this he iiays Mr. Brett -night hare calcu- late«l, that when he cnmc to much deeper water, the proportioa of cable to di^tanre would be far greater. He resumes : — " *On Hie 13th Augimt the Dutchman fished up 14 miles of the broken cable, and then, to my sorrow, Mr. Brett determhcd to abandon die rent, and make fiist In the point of fracture in the line K'ill in connexion with the land. Th're remained now 1 14 miles of cable out of the 160 and a seTciilh Mr. Brett brought with him from F.nglnnd ; but I thought this might suffice, provided the fault of going loo slowly was not committed and abore all, that less cable was paid out than had been done at first; for, from the point where we were (Int. 38 dep. 12 min. ; loti^. 6 deg. 33 min.) to GaUu was 68 niilea. which would require nearly 133 miles of cable. It was deeiilcci to steer S. 1.13 deg. W., and that the speed sbotild be at the rate of from 3 knots to 2.5 knots, which I declared to be much too little.' " *• This rery fault, he contiiinc»i, was committed ; and he enters at leoglh into his reasons for thinking UuU this wai the main cause of S I* i I I \'f i t * I A<;v»- ' : )i 51 the cable falling «horL «h- • • month., b.,c„,,„ .hor„ ' f,"^ "■• ""'>• • "■<■" "'■-• ""•""""". •-." "...■. .K..!;; '7 ':'',■'■"'• •■■■' ■ "«". ... h^d boon , ,.; ^ "'"'• '^"">'- rra„rc .„d aI;' '"""' •"""" '" D 2 I I I I 52 The foregoing. liowcTcr, .l.>c« not tpiienr to be final, for Gith'jnani has annouiced lhi»t.,I am mill a inaHcr of f 1 I M r.. ,, ill U, I CHAPTER VII. I THE NEWFOUNDLAND SUBMARINE TELEGRAPH. . As tl.in in more lmmcf1i«lcljr connected with the prog.^s^ of th« Allni.lic Bchcme, it mnj not be out of place briefly to reriew the hidtory of Submarine Telegraphy in North Anneriem, tnd to trice the ri«e and proyrcM of the com|mnic« originated for »be carrying out of tclrpmpliic communication wilh the casiem-moat point of that country. Tlic Canailae, New Dniimwicli, and Nora Scotia, were aQ well •upplicd wilh lei. graphic Unce, and the Iio« from Halifax hwl pro»?d of grrnt importance to the commercinl world, by the tranMniscioo of European newt uptm the arrival there of the Driliih sUamer. The inhmd of NcwfouiMllniid liwl long btrn dcxiroua of a more freqnent mean* of comniunicntion than a forliiifhUy Mail, and effort* had been mmlc lo make St. Jolm'a a port of cull for Btcnmera, boUi homeward and o.tlwanJ Iwind, and Uio I^giflnliTe Awwnbly had offered • »iilKH«ly fur lueh mail acnrlcc, and appointed Commheionera to ne- jjotiali- upon the eubject. At iLia time (1851) a gentleman of Now York. Mr. Horace D. TebbctU, wae •ndeaToaring to eatabliah a line of atcamera belwocn New York and Oalway, and the Ne-v. r»iiii«llniid CommisKionem enlrutlMl with the matter, applied to him. Tliat project, however, fill iliroiij;li ; but Mr. TebbclU propoeed (lie rpiU»bli«liiiienl of a lino of Telegraph lo St John'a S. ¥., and entered into an nrrangemenl wilh Mr. Frederic N. Olaborao to prx*cd there and pr.K:ure llie necewary charter. The interior of the ialand waa but lilllc known, ami the Anaembly Yoled a aum of money for ita e«pl<>raiion to Cape lUy, to decide upon the practicability of a tele- graphic route. Mr. Oiahome «* m ch«rged with thia duly i and he 1 !i ■i 1! 5S ^-eor Mr. Horace B. rlJi ^^ t 1 " '" """"^'"^ ^ng.ncer. and Mr. Charic, T n Kc' «; " ^^ ^'■-''--. of . favorable character : it :,., .,1 '' r"""^" ^'^ "'- - -a, W-?r«pIn-c line. acroM the islan I 1 ;"" '""'''•^"' •"" --Oin,' '" •■'•^•f -ou,d W been :!:,r ''?"'•"' "» '^-"- «'"- "incral we.J.h. but at that Z^ "' '" "''^"'^ -""""« gr .. '"• rout, intended .a. ^^8^^ --ParativC, unworko... .r af , . • branch fr.. Trepaa^e,™ St j2' ""r^'' ""^ '^ '»-' '- ^--" b, a Submarine 'cabie or :b:;*;r,'"^' ""'' '° ^^P* """•eet with the Nova Scotia ayste n of , " "' '''''"' '" -""'J P*'ty of .h. Government h dT '""• '''"'' '^'"•" ''- l-' ^''•Gi-bome. Di^culne;/;!*:::::.^''- -r>--„.,e,.c; or • "'■"'''^•■•'ion of the Nov. Sroti. «„d V V" '""""'^ ""^ ^^''^"<"y .»b*t it became neceasar, to eV ll^^"^" ^^ Co„,pa„i,., .o •" 'be Sutc of Maine. Jaa tlV ''^'^"'^'''' '"""« ^ reach Calai, ^•- Orlcana. Uc. F.,^ ^ Z^''.' ''"' '^^ '-, ,o Ne,v Yor ;-e,uia.te that the connecLXj/ "T'^' '" ^'"^"^ ^^""^ ''^ I-'-d. the Act for which purZeZl n '' '^""'''' ^''--J- Pnnce Ednard'. !,,.„,,. .„j J^^ ' " " bnc wn, built ,hr„„,.h -'c. b.c,veen Tape Tonncn.i. e and r"""" '""^'"^ "' "'"'>• " " -" -t.l, a d.mculty ,„ pri^^Hng :;;' ^""••"-- '«'^''^ Ti.cre -ck. .nd accord.n,|, a charter ,17 r"""' '*'"' '^^ ^^'Pn,. -- provi^onall, purchaaed • . ' ' *° * '^'"-"" bi a>mp„,.„ other work, in V r '•""-•nicfion of ,(,,. ,. „ , ^' "orh. ,„ ^ewfoun(ilan.l h.d !«..„ '"O'l-way and '^""- bad to be encountered .h^ ''"''"''"'• '"' ""->• ""«- r'«"- " '-»th. the .b Je.r he ■" ""'* '■'''^''""-' «"P- •^"-oMbenece^Mu.rund.o. cd. in . « I 56 Autumn of 1853, the aanpmiiion of the works. Varioua nrgocintions lot.k pince will, a ricw to carry on the Compiuij, and at laat the prcprie- tors transferred it, at considerable aacriflce, to a new Aaeocialion, which procured a fresh charier from the Newfoundland autliorilies, incorpo. rating the "New York, Newfoundland, and London Telegraph Coinpnny." This rhartrr, which wm granted in the spring of 1854, coiilaincd greatly cnhancc.I priviIrRes~*25.000 dollars in cash, 6 per rent, interest for 20 years en 250,000 dollars, and one hundred square miles of land; and, in addition to these adrantages, the Exc i.osrTE right of landing a Submarine Cable upon the shores of Newfoundland and iU de|iendencica, which include the Coast of Laltrndor. The dcsijjTi of the originnl promoters had been with a view of cvciitunlly carrying out an Arlantic Telegraph, but until the science of Hubmaiinc Ttlegraphy hid become more adninccd, they were content with propfwing to send meaangcs ftom const to coast, by steam vessel ; there would in this case, eren, hare been a saving of not less than from fire to six days. It may be asked how was it tliat th* Gorcmment gare such impor- tnnl powers, wliicli virluslly made tlic Atlantic Telegraph landing at Ntwro.in.ll.i.id a nioi.o|..,ly / The Into Company were in debt in the I«InnJ, and tlic people of St. Joh.i's were so elated with the prospect of llicir dcl.t being paid, and t' « line being completed, which would materially enhance the iniporUnce of their city, that they readily bartered away (heir birthright, and pbu»d that which should hare been free to all, in the hands of a company, with lU head quarters at New York. Not conlcnl with stopping every one upon the door- ►lep t.f North Am. riea, the ("Mnpany contrived to lictlge round the (Oftnl for n.ilen and miles, willi tic inipcnetmhlc harrier of mono|>oly. by ohtnining exehmivn privihgcs of landing Fuhmarinc Cables upon tl c eo.isU of Prince E^lward's Isl.ou. Governor, of th* M I / "' I^cpnrtmmt. to the various Uovemor. of the North American Trovinee.. reque.ling then, to re- ZJ Z Tk"""" ""'' "^'""'^^ P"^'"^S- <•- ^'- future B t donrr T ' '"" '''"''• •"' "° --•^-' —re could \^ Miou . ".""' ''"^ '^"" •'•" "-" "'-'^' of St. Tier a. !^ ^l: c;:,V :r''"" ^-^ °' Newfoundland, which bclon,; York V "*; ''■""'"' ^^^ ""^ "''»'•-'" •— of the New Yo k. Newfoundland, and London Telegraph Co.npany. It may .td. be a matter of argument, how far a IVovi ee ha, power origin^ idcTof con T ^"'^"""7-*'>« Company reverted to tho deed, the work was commenced on a Sun.iny. and ,he ch',^ wa. ,o,t-,ome say a, a judgment upon the Co. ... . r^Z g-e „« to .ome litigation, the underwHters refuig'o p^ T -p^vrci.;::: rr nrt::::;:*'' ": -'' - -^ - ;;-^-^-....nergeit.witho:rCarr;:a^:-i::^ ■nu the usual enrwnm>°t>r.>. „/■••! ' "•«-J''*les on Neir- fuunHland, Labrador, and their dependencies. Thu exclusive right embraces a coant line extending from the en- trance of Iluilson's Straits southwardly and westwardly along the coasts of Lalirador, NcwfouiMll.in.l, Trincfi Edward's Island, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, and the State of Maine, and their lespectiva dcjiendcncicB. Oram of nay square miles of land on completion of teli-graph to Capo Jtrcton. Similar conccMion of additional fl/ly squrire miles whrn the cable shall hare been laid between Irelan-l and Newfoind- land. Utiannlce ofintcrcst for twenfy years, at £5 per cent, on £50,000. Grant of £5,000, in money, towards building nmd along the '.ino of the telegraph. llcmission of duties on imporUUoa of aO wires and materials for the use of the Company. II ■I ' 'I 50 \- I « '," PRINCE EDWARDS ISLAND. ^ grant of one thouiand acres of land CANADA. Act authorwing the building of Tdcrr^.h t • Province.. ^ icitgrai-h Line, throughout the RemJMion of dutie. on all .: j of U.e Conyanjr ^ ""*• "^ "'^"•^ -I-rtcd for U.e u.« NOVA SCOTIA. STATE OF MAINE. •Si-nilar grant of e.clu.i^e priTilc«, for |ik, ^ • , , ynr,. „po„ U.C fo. nation of the aLZ T. ^ "^ '''""'^"''^•^ -onopoli„,„„,„,„,^, above thit J '"'•' "^""'''"^^ "'• f'-rred to the All„nUc Comnanv K '^^^'^ Company, .re fmn,. -'« «P"»' of per .nn„. .r . 'rin'::!^: :;;?,rru,"jr^^^ ^''^ J>rgc.t atcamship, in the En.vL '^""^"^ *^^ ^ two of the •"bsidiary .tcamL. *'"^ "'^ ^ '•J' «« «»h'e. with two A Oovcmment -tcamship to tdce furtl.^ ▼tnfjr tho- aJreadj taken. "•*'-*^ •otindingu, «,d ^ UNITED STATES. Tl..: United Sta J "L" '^''":^ ""' ^••'•' »«>««.• ^ S.c...h.p, nC: :;^^^^^^^ •» -k» -d ^nf,.o«nd.„^. Newfoundland. ^^ '"'*^ -ouodwg.^, the CoMt of I !,i '^ . t \ ■ II 61 CHAPTER VIII. r ,« r , '^"^ ATLANTIC. 1857-58. lire- history, for the finish of 2 ' *""' "'^^ P"^^ °f "'7 «-'t feature of „y .h c rir'""- . ^^ '' *''^ -'^ i., J •cibod n. the auc.pt ,o -u o' l""''^'"^, "'« "^ ' '"-« do. to -Inch. i„d,ed. in a,a„y ,0 "r- " "'"" ""= ^''"'"'^•'- '" '850. I'-nd. and could proa.ce:.Xw:-;''''^'r """ '""''^'^"-'^ ''^ " '•« a"c,ed th.t I articulated X1^^':Z''T'''' *""''• '^■"-^' recorded in Roman type but on. 7 '"''''"' ^^'''^'' ^^^^^ «i"'y •'^--leruncr. In .heTr^-n Un.. 7'"^ '"^'^'""^ -« '•-"<1 to -.0. .ith .hi. di^ereCe irrtl^? """^ ""^'^"^ ''»' «-- ''-c hngorud in . doub.fu .ute J,^^ "?' ' "" ^^i--"«^J 'o •'-t during thi. period of T'eoL'." '"-^^ ""^'^' '''"-'''• --• •hortintern,iuinJhroe.of S 7'": '° ''*^'''''' ' -'"^^'^'i ;'.o.o .en,enoe, .,,ch were ^^^^^^ *''"^'' ' ^-^ "«-nce .o 'loctors an.. „ur.c. .ere cal J i^l ' '" "^ "'" '^ "^ ^'.0 I--1 IJ'at ,|.e .cat of n,v 1 ' '"*'• •"'"" «"" «'-» rc- -^'".rcnt in Other poin™ I b h '' ''" ''""■"""^'' '" "- the ....,, have tc. ; j . T" ' "" '^'"" ^^-" ^^ : 7!"'^ '•"«''• -tunn.i.^eab,::,^ .o the f,c,, both .„.Unce. ha.c thc«, .„eged «uccc,r "' '"='"^' »'"' '« 6^ BucccBsw been made th,. ul. r _ I 1 6S •eliciting lh« «id of OoTemincnt, and modcttljr wking, in thia, t grant of money, and in tlie former, a monopoly. It ia to be hoped that the •tmilitudc will be cqtially apparent in the reanlU of these applications. I am no adrocnte for monopoly of any kind, either by grants of money or ciclusire privileges. Even under the most farotirable cir- cumntances it is ohjectionnMe ; but in my case it is especially so. My verj- eiistence depends upon my proper adapUtion to my ocean home, and I am of such an extnin. ly frntjnlc nature, that the slightest flaw in my construction, or error in my submersion, is fnUl to it The full and perfect knowledge of me and my requiremenU, the utmost care and attention to my formal i«iii, and the practical acquaintance Willi the clement to which I am destined, and the mode of placing me therein, arc absolute!/ nccenn.iry to my success, and these can best be obtnincd by leaving me 01^.11 |,. il,c fair and honourable competi- tion of skill and science; but once consign me to the exclusire power and management of incapacity, and no other result can be an. ticipatcd than failure to my consignee, and destrucUon to me. Such has been the case in the Channel, in the Mediterranean, and now, in the Atlantic Wilh rcgnrd to the Allmilic scheme, however, Mr. Duckstone. of the •* Ilayiuarkct," has been more fortunate than the Directors, for there he li.-is mo«l succrwfully inln«luccd me in the Spiril of ik» Watirt, and having now become inured to mislisp and disaster, by so many and repeated failurcn, I can enjoy a good joke, e»ipecially as the satire is not levelled at me, K-it against those under whose mis- m.i..nj,'(:tiici.t I have been so cruelly treated. As to the commercial value which one of Iho clioractcrs in tliis «xttava,jama atUches to the sh.ircs of the Company. K\\\% is a quonUon in which I am not in the least inlcrc«tccl. He may l»c, an.l, indeed, is right, in his estimate of the worth of the shores. It caimot be expected that, in the use. lenri stale in which I now am, I ran be of any markcUble value. To rcBUBcitate mc ia utterly out of the question ; and as to tlie prospect of rccovrring mc, and the cnsily malrria^ of which I am eompo.ied, it is a I.opilciR one. CouUI that be accomplinhed, Uien indeed the bhartlioldcrs rnighl rtaliic a • rifle from my wreck, in tlio sIujm) of •1* ^ » * -. . SI?- '■'1 ' •M. *.■■ ■ !.; I •• 'nn»t be caught and killed bcf„r , ■°"'"' '^''= '"^"^ the prospect of c«tH„"Ll '".:'"" "" ^ '^'^'''"'^ «»-' - to »^^; when. ...Hough not Lc::;:;:!;^^ onlj between fifty ,nd ,i«,- „,;,„ ,,.„^ "'"'' °^^"''^ ^"<^ -ubmcrgcd. When I became acquainted with t.>o fL; tint \1 ' ' ; !- P"tjn requisition acro„ the A„„nuM' fi m7 T"" ""'' °f joy. 1 kneir my po^er and w». i ?^ '"^'''"^ '"" ""»» -M about to be applied to Vnurr ' T"' "' "" "'""^'''^ «'-' ' com.ne..ia. interef.^of , , deni/e„ /. v'^''^''^' '" ""= '•^^'■"' "'"' But .hen I ascertained tt : : :ir ^""' "'^ ""'' ^^'-'^• •hout to be auemptcd, „„d h d , /on,""' ""f "'''^•^^-"' -- r'-h it. ,hi, feeling of joy w^ , 1 ' ' ''" "'"'" '° ~- -y anticipation. The p^a oT I I^^";"" ' '^"' ""^ ^"^ ■" nouncement to iu repeats! alfi„ , , ''"""' '^"" '■"• «^«t „n- - -oh or the .ba^H and Hd: ::':r;'"'^^""'"'^^'^ '''' «""oyance and relation. I h.v- h. • ' ' ""'^'""'^lan.ling my H'c. tolan,h in .pit; ofX;^7" ;:?t'^- •^"'"-'-'''' -- A.imirntio„ Society" eould hav '"''"' "^ ""= "'"^'"tu-'I f"-ne laudation, hj:!':,'""":^' """ ^"'" "'"' '"- -> Pnvate gathering,. ;;;.;;; *''^''''-- '^''i ". tl.cir pu,„i. •'K"ing knave into a Miefil' "? ""'^ "J"'"' ''^ » ^^ -'J- There w.a „« ^ J „f ' '" ^^r "" "*'"'"' '''"'"" ^^ "'o •■--^i Of being tbeeight': ::r;ry7o'^-7^ -".•i.ea.u.ee. °^h one. A. for me. Iw„, total V^ 7"""'"'^'' "'--elves the ^.eat account." It h^ been "^77 " ' " "'"' '^^''^ '" "'^• "'c Emperor, of China. withouT^ ' . "^"" '" '"^^'' «' <"- "^ empire „„i,^ ^„ . ccr J^ ^ T' "' '""'^'■"'' "'« Council „f ,he "'ey would caU ou tb. followi..^ I I MkMBI *t.v i } d«y. and he would then be prr,«red with hi. decision. When lYer «Ka,n waited on him. to thdr .urp,-. he declined the pn,ir..«d honcr Up..n bcin;. ..kcJ why ho oI.j.,ctcd. he .tated U.at he rould w.li...,Oy becmc their i:,n,.c.ror. but he objected to call the ran md moon b.H brx^thcm. Bcin^. howercr. prcwd to reconaider nia decU ..on. the n.«itrr wo. ultimately arranged by hi. ^^ceptinj the throne, u,K,n ibe condition that the ...n «,.d moon .hould :M be comOdettd hi. brother., but looked upon merely a. poor relation.. It » in tbi. light in which I n,u«. . been v>wed by th«e gent e..,cn. On, of tl.cm. indee.I. would, a. I have de.cribed. wi.h u cla.,.. me a, hi. own ; but , > «,„. or poor relaUon, could bavc been more n.yiccted. or more cruelly treated by any inflated k....mnn. than I wa- by thc.c would-be wonder.. When I wa. J«u.ded bke a h.lf.drowncd u. to which anin.al I K„e, upon «.. po...^ at lea-t, a great n^mblanee. that i., In hari^ multiplicity of l.»e. and while I wa. in . mo.t pitiable fcondiUon. hoTering be- tween l.fe and death, they w.-rc beinj. /^/«/. an^ receiring oraUon. l.ke conquering bcroe. ;'• : ...re wm no necessity to bid any one to aound the Irnmpet.." tl.cy ,„nnded tl.cir own trumpet., and ioudly. too-wlnle they were invited to banquets, at which ih.y were footed to IJtcir heart." conttiit : •• And flidn't thoy r"1,l,lr. ,nd .li.ln't they •.uff. And wcro Ihcy noi torrj they hadn't enough V* I do not mean of the crcr ,„ . „.,y ^^^^^^ ,.^ j„^^^ o 11,0.0 ...l „i,„out b ,,d . ,,.,e I .peak of fare more .uit. abl" to .|,c.r palafr._w,.o.e osb.H of mlulation. plentifully gan-: d l^.tl. pr.-.ise an.I flnHor,. wi.l. ,W.ich ll.cy were cran.med. r,nd lon..-^ f<.r more While all tin. rollicking and frolicking wa. goin^ forward -wink the c^nnecr wa, kn;^,,(e,l, „n.I .l.c .l.an.l.old.T- Ae«,>/./r,/- »'" •'- win. ...M. but tl.o«. who lK,n,l.t or held-I wa, left in a .i,.nK'.t..o.,.,.g,ecto.l and deacrfd-hey all. with one excepUon. flo.r fn.n. no a, fn.n. a peH.ilc.ee ; that rxoej.iion i. the electrician. Tha. «rn.lomn.. ea.no to me in the hour of n.y ..fflicion ; and while I wm do.orl«l 1.V .Hhen., an.I l.-ft i„ ...^ f.„, endearoured to r..tor. me to r I V \ 4 r i I " P. ' :• 65 » better taiutary condition. I need not wy, t!.at liii ncrlions were unavailing. From the first moment of hib attendance, after feeling my pul8c, he must have known tim^ my caae was l.o|.cicM. My rul«, unlike that of li-imnn beings, is noi denoted by its bciliigs, but by iu aejjrees of deflection. When I am in a hale and healthy aiate, and i>crfcctly insulated, with the melallic conlacl unbroken, I do not shew the sli^^l.test deflection ; hut if the n.cfdlic contact con. tinucs perfect, and the insuh-lion b.coinc* in)porfort. [ am tl.ii. in » diseased slate, v.d the virulence of n.y disorder is in pn.iv.rtio.i to the number of degrees of dcflcc'.iou shown by the yalvanon.cler. When U.e electrician 'elt my pulse and applied hi^ tuMs, to abcer.aia my sute, he found U>at I exhibited symptoms of the mosr f«rful characfer. and that hia instruments denoted my disorder was so scri- ous as to give nearly seventy degrees of deflection. Struggling agamstlacts, and hoping against hoj)e, he thought it possible hIiII to restore m, , and in the beli.,f il.al the seat of n.y eon.,daint was only a few .n.los oir, he attempted to reach it. w.tl. the int,,,.tion of suh- jecung II,., part of n.a u, . .urgical ope al.on, ... ll.c vain anliopation Ihat by so doi..g he might ulUmatcly restore me to l.eallh. Nothin- however, could ha,e saved me, for a. I have already stated, I w"ai ci.seased m every part of mc. and I d.ed from general deb.lity. 1I„ intcuons were good, and I, ai leaat. am grateful t, l.in.. though it •ppears nis altenUon 'o me w.is ..ol palatable to the other oir.cials- p«s..biy they thought it was a reflection upon them, who l-ft , .e in n.y dy.ng moments, to grasp at nnpty l..„.uurs .re I died Ua the ivo.st Auture i„ this part of roy unfo.t,.n.le l.fe is the rt-pn hcn.il,-, attempt made by p„„,e injudicious friendn of ih.se grntkmen. to i„duc. the nation to commit itself loasolen.n mockory, a..d .nggosfng that a day of public holid..y should be set apart for the cdcbra.ion of their liiini:iiiaiy hucc ■««. And now. b,.f..re I rlo-e the .ul.jrci. let me sllude to the almo.i in. sane cour.atulat.oi.s that U>ok pl..ce on ih. otl.rr si.ie ' tl.p Atlai.iir when .1 wa. .nnounr.,1 th.t > had b m succes.fu. • s..hmr-Ro,.* Our enihL„,.,tic friends in AoM-nca h.rrally went m„| *„f, ,y_ dmners. .ddresaea. a^.d re.cpt.u.« look place, and public procts^ion. I ^^mmm 66 which seemed to be got up for the f-„. .„,. .„„ ,„^ ;, oV,l ,!,:■;;•'"'""'''■' "''''° -b.ch i, .o,„„ Hoi;\:;; ;:;:;;;;^;;:™- "-- ^'- «. "r «nd„..,k,„, ... „ „ of 'L,,, ,::^''';;f,7""-'''' -b ".. the qnr«tion~a rr«ult no,. . "«"""'"'. ''"at failure wn, out „f I a roRult next fo nn iinp„„il,ii„y. :.^.w;:f";:!:;';:;:;":,:::':r"'' °"™" ""- ™— ■ ^ n-op..,.™ of .';.,;'; "'' ■"-p-'- «■■".« .•n.i.r,.,ii„,..„, '"""■'"' --"-"'-"-^mT:::'';::,';;,:';';;:,:,:;;; s 2 thf occurrences that h«Te Ukrn place aince this reriuUe biatory wm pablidhcd. FiraL, then, with reH|>cct to tlie aouiidinga and tlie nature of the bed of that part o( the ocean aelcctcd aa the aita for my Tuture dwelling, thcjr nrc Uiui described bjr onlcr of the directora : — " The iubinarine plateau ia really a grntly lerelled plain, lying just •o deep as to be inaccesnible to the anchors of ships, and to other sources of surface interference, nnd yet not so far deprpssed but that it can be reached by mechanical ingenuity without any Tcry extra.a- gant cITort. " This dtfppe is scarcely 12.000 feet beneath the aurface of the ocean, snd, strange to m Cspe Race, in Newfoundland, to Cape CIrar, hi Ireland, between the 48lh and the 55th parallel of north latitude. Thin submatlnc ledge has been ^ery accurately examined by aoumling, and it io found that it ia nowhere dre|>cr than 12,000 feet (a trifle more thnn two miles). It dips down slightly from either coast, reaching its greateet depression in mid-ocean; but the slope ia a very gradual and easy one, and the aurface ia devoid of all abrupt irregularities. " The surface of the plateau is smoothly strewn with a deposit that Is as fTen as tlio sand of the sea mIknt, in many of the tranquil baya of the Ilritinh Islands. This sMjwrficinl covering of the Atlantic steppe in not. however, saml ; Licre is no sand in iu compoaition ; nothing wJiich seems to have been mechanically abraded and ground, as tl,e siliceous particles have which form true and sandy deposits. Whr-n it is exan.ine Il.ve they l.vcd and died where ,h.:ir skeleton, no^T rest f Wa. this sub.nurine steppe their orij^inal d.vclline place ? By no means. Professor Forbes has shown that there .s no life, either vegeUble or animal, two mile, down in the deep sea These mmute organisms originally Ilred in the tropic.d regions, where the vivyfymg .ua make, the water., a. well a, the land, t^em with viul existence, and their siliceous shield, hare been floated there in countless multitude. d,y after day. yoar after yea., an.l ccnuiry aft.r century by tl perpetually runni..« gulf .tre.vn. and depoLd i„ .ccum,,,u„5 heap. Just beyond the outer edge ol the d.-ep channel of the current u,K,n this strip of submarine Uble l.nd. r.U.r. ro/.n. ^>U.aUr ^ly .. y-^rf. The pressure of this layer of delicate .l-edsupon ,he .urface of the Atlantic plateau proves, beyond all q..e.t.oo that the depth, are there calm and undisturbed If . telegraphic cable were once lod.^ed npon this impalpable d.p...it. .t wou d ^„ i^ .„,y covered over by fresh .etthngs. even .f „ did not at once sink into it by the mere influence of wc.,ht. If .n had prepared a be.l for an oceanic cable, after full deliberation, i, ..nid not ave devLcd any more eomplc. a,rang..,nent th.,. th. pr..A.u.id ce.s of stdl water, pav.l beneutn ,v.th sm,«Hh inipa.pa„e p.,.d,., t .Uo ,H.e..r,. most wonderful t„ .ay. that it i. the n.ture of these drad little monads to agglutinate themsHves round m„.,.-s of ..tal wine are bur.d m their layers, l.n. ..r i...,..,ce. upon i.nmers.o; nj. water, .rs. ac,uire „a coatn.g of ru,t. and th.. c g then form. ...... „f ,o..„,,. „^, ^^ ^^^ ^^ ^,^^^ water. a„d t e« flinty shields, m consequence of the mnn.e. -me other M.t of ,..«. eomb.n.ng with th. o.id-.ed „...„ A-c-ior. «>"• been packed up at .ea encrusted some inrhc. thick wi.h th„ 70 •ponUneouriy prepared concrete. Many excellent •ttthoritiei in tlieao matter* bclieT* that if « tcleffrtiph cable were deposited in thli •uhmarine burial ground of the diatoinn, it would not only b« in a trnmiuil and »ind»»turl>cd retreat, but tliat after a few yearn it would actually be built in there by a flli.ty paTemcnt, which no trifling exertion could manage to penetrate ; that in abort, it woold not only be at the bottom of the ocean, but would become an integral and permanent part of the ocean bed. •' There !« no need, theo, for much deliberation on the part of man, aa to the cstct position the Atlantic Telegraph ia to Uke. Nature bait Iwnc ficcntly decided thin question for him. Nature, indeed, haa made every pnparation for tht work. Newfoundland is stretched forth as the hand of the New World, to meet the gnwp of the British Islet which are extcnn cUhtr roa,t, rrochi^.j if. S>-fe i, n very ,jrndu„l „,ui tmy o„r; and {/„ ,ur/c,cf i, dp..rt. how. ver. of the Ki,;,-;,,. -r of the Co.nj.anv, oOer (he fir,t aboui,. „,u-mpt t. -ay n.c .lown in 1857, specd.Iv dov.-Ioj.ed (he .ll..««ry character of the foregoing description, and p,x,vcd it to bo utterly at vsiianec with the fact. The Jtport Slat. . that "at four o'clock on (he nuTuin.' of the r 72 lOlh, the depth of wattr he/fan to ineretue rapidly Jrom 550 /athomi to 1,750, in a dittanct of tiyht milet. Up to Uiis time 7 cwt strain ■ufBccd to keep the rate of the cable nemr enou^ to that of the ■hip, but u the water dec|>cnt>d the proportionate speed of the cable advanced, and it waa neceinary to augment tlic pressure, by degrees, until, in the depth of 1,700 rathoms, the indicator showed a strain of 15 cwt., while the cable and sliip were running fire and a-half and fire knots resnectirely. At noon we had payed out 259 milef of cable, the ressel baring made 2\i miles from ahore. From this pcno«l, baring reached '2,000 fatliitma water, it waa necessary to in< crease the strain to a ton, by which the rate of ihe cable waa main- tained in due proportion to that of the ship. Shortly after six the speed nf the cable gained considerably upon that of the ship, and up to nine o'clock, while the rate of the latter waa about three knoU, by the log, the cable was running out from fire and a-half to fire and three-quarter knots per hour. The strain waa then raised to 25 cwt, but the wind and sea incresKing, and a current at the same time car* rying the cable at an angle from the direct line of the ship's course, it was not found sudlcient to check the cable, which was at midnight making' two and a Ii4lf knotn nbore the speed of the ship, and some* times imperilling tlic wufc uncoiling in tlie hold. The retarding force wna thrrerorc incrcaitcd, at two o'riorlc. to an amount equiralent to 30 cwt., and then again, in conncqucnce of the speed continuing to be more than it would hare been prudent to permit, to 3-5 cwt By tin», the rate of the cable was brought to a little short of fire knots, at which it continued steadily, until 3 45, when it parted; the length payed onl at that time being 380 statute aniles." Tliiti MtAlcnionl of the < u^'inrur loJaliy annihilates the prerions one Issuetl I'y order of the Directom, sml ^ives a complete refutation to all its rhimprical dogmas. The sIo|M', instcsd of being " a gradual and eauy one," is found " to increase r«|»idly from 550 fathoms to 1,750 in a ditancc of eight miles, and aliurtly after to 2,000 falhoms." The accuracy by which (hix alleged submarine ledge has been "esamineJ by sounding," i« thus fihown u> be most inarcurata. Instea>l of its dipping " down slightly from either coast, reaching ita I' Ik 11 73 ;'>- 'gain. .,„ e^„«...X'r,''',"J^r'"'°'"'''' •n«r IJ,c .peed „f ,^ . I . " "'« "b'P. but ll,a, ,h„„,, -b.n .h. .,r„-„ „„ „i„j ,; *°;'' ;b-b ,„ r.o. ., .,, ^eckod .Jepth or ,,000 r„„o.., .„ nZ tZT", '"" '"' '""• - foil r... U, U,.. of J",^lt j* r '"""'"' ''°' " "'"" • '-»■ o' b,po.h«.., ^..t.i'j,: cr.*::"""' " -^ '"^"™'" I n CIIArTKR X. THE ATLANTIC CONTINUED. NrxT. -.viih rcpcct to tl.o ti,„^ ml, .ted for the coropleUon of the undertaking, the Director. ,re cjually unfortunate, hj rahMquent fact, rxponing the illuwry cimr.eter of their pretiout data. Oo this •ulijcrt thejr nay, in their puMimtion :— " The time for the compl.lion of tl.i, enterprise, by Uie depoait of Ihc enl.lc in ll,e ocean, haa been determined by the aame exertion of pal.rnt invcMipation and .IrlilHritc thought which ha. characteriaed every other pari of the procecling. I.ieutenant Mnury ha. collated olmcrvaUons made in ti.c Atlantic, during 260,000 day., to a«:ert«in the pr.ci.e tin.eof llm year at «hiel, the aUte of the AtlanUc i. mort fnrour.Llc. for the prowjcution of llie work of .ubmergence. The rc«,lt of the laborious invcstijj.iion of the Lieutenant show., that during pummcr the western pnrt of the route of the cable i. entirely exempt from gale, and U.at in June and July the ri.k of galea in the eastern pnrt i. very amall, becoming nim.j.t annihilated in Auguat, excepting ju,t on the coast of Inland. The wctcm side of the route .«. howerer. more liable to fog. than the eastern, especially in Jtine. Ice i»mct on the course which will have to be followed leu fnq..rn,ly from June to Au^uhI than at .ny other «..a«,n, the fre. n-.cnry .l.miniHhing from June to Anu'ust. If fog, alone were the obstntk, lo be avoided, the wi.,Ur n.onth. would be better forth* «-..rk th.n the aummer month,. If i,c were the chief danger, then A..«usl would be the U.-.1 ,Ho„ih. If rtorm. wer* mo,t drx^adcd then the month of June. Taking ice and fog, and atorra. all into' co«Mdrr*t.on together, Lieutrnnnt Maury ha. com, to the concludon lif ^ I 1H li I I. V) 75 ll.at, between the 20th of July and the lOlh of August, both and air are u«ually in the most favourable condiUon for Uie laying down of tlic wire. Accordingly, the vessels will be so dispatched as to reach the mid poinU where the op|io«ilo halves of the cable will b« jv'v • ji soon after the 20th of July as can be accomplished." "' r, Uicre is a portion of tiiis statement which I must confess I cannot comprehend. I cannot uii.leisland from wl..it source Lieutenant Maury, as allrged, •• has collated observations made in Uie Atlantic during 2G0.000 days, to ascertain the precise Un.o of the year at wSVI, the state of the Atlantic is most favourable for the pro- secutio- f the woik of submergence." Two hundred and lixly thoHiand doyi are equivalent to seven hundred and twelve years and four months, which, deducted from 1857. would bring us back to ti.c yoar 11 45. Now, I am at a loss to imnginc who were the navi-at.)r8 at this early pcrio.1, from whose observations this vcrilable^data, after so much " patient investigation and deliberate thou-ht" has been collated, seeing that Christopher Columbus did not, until upwards of three centuries after this dale, discover America, which until ll.eu was a Urra incognita. In history, of an unquestionable character, we find the first navigator to be Noah— but he never was in the Atlantic ; he was mc rely drifted in the ark. to and fro, for a limited number of days, on the surface of those waters which pies^jrvcd him and llx.se Willi him, while they destroyed the world ; nnd which formed a new and temporary ocean, having for its bed what was recently carlh'a surface, on which he floated in safety o'er cilies. and towns, and districts, but a few days previously tecmin- wiU. living being's, until the deluge ceased, and the waters subsided, when ihc ark was deposited upon the summit of Mount Ararat, in the Ea^t. I have gone back to the days of Noah, for I wi^h to begin at the beginning, and have in vain endeavoured to ascertain if any navigator since hi. time to the period when Christopher Columbus discovered America ever crossed the Atlantic. I find, however, there is no record of any one having done so. ScepUcs have taken this fact as one of the points upon which they rely for doubling the truth of the .acred writings i and ask how it is possible for the Western IJemispl.crc to 76 hare become populated in the ftlmcnce of luch communicatioa. Thia it a queation that ii Tcrjr caaily aniinered ; and the fact of there not having brrn any early intercourse with America by meant of thebroai Atl.-ititic, tends rather to eonflrm thnn to throw a doubt on the truth of siicrcd history. It will be home in mind that all its earliest acenea arc l:tid in Ania. Tliere the ark was drixMited on Mount Ararat after the flood, from which Noah, and his wife, and his sons, and hia sons' wires, were bid to go forth and repopulate the world. Now the Nortlt Eastern part of this very quarter of the globe almost joint the North Western part of the vast Amen -an Continent. They are separated from each other by a very narrow strait only, and tlicre it no diiHcidty in geltiii}; frutn tl)o on<: to tlie other. By this natural and facilt cliannc! of intcrconiiniinicniion liave some of the descendants of Nunh emigrated from At>ia to America, and populated that country ; to that, in after ages, when it wan discovered by Columbua, he found it inhabited by people of primitive habits aiid customs. Since the comparatively short period its existence hat become known to the Kuropcan world, frCHh settlers from this quarter of the globe have uccu|)ic(l its most fertile t]wtH, under whom its resources have been dfvr1i>|>cd : cities and towns have been built, and large tracts of land and wliole diiitricts, formerly wild prairies, and primaval forests, have heen brought into cultivation ; and, in fact, the wliole rharacter of the cotintry changrd and i-ivilizrd, ao that now it haa become a powerful nation, with iia trade and commerce extending to every part of Uir known world. Dm to rexuino my story, from >vliich I have been digressing. Ilavin.; looked in vain in every accredited history for the navigators from whose voyages " observations made in the Atlantic during two hundnd and n'\x\y thousand days, to ascertain the precise time of the year at which the state of the Atlantic is most favourable for the pro* secution uf Uie work of sulnuergcncc," have been collated, I have h«(i rccounie to hiidury of a more apocryphal character; but here, alito, I have been equally unHiiiTcssrul. I had heard of tlie won- derful voyages of " Siiibad the Sailor," but this 9*rkM$ mariner tellt such " tough yams," and adverts toscenea and placet which I canu^. TV ! !■-!■ f: » i. ' 'ill t-:.. if i' H n find I.ia down on nnf chart, that I h.v derlred no bcncHt in over, .auhng h« ,0,. One thing, howe.er. i. certain, which i,. .hat o dZ "■ '" *''"/'''""^- ^"^ I l>«l'-g>'t ™c of the .. Flying D..tchman.- but he h„ left no log to overhaul, for. a» U.e .tory T. any jnfor.na.ion he might ,ive wa. .ure to prove faLl to theTelll -I bc.de, .Hid, the cruising ground whc'c thi« .id D c Cr Van .e Ken .. aUcgcd to have displayed his extraordinary .^Z •nd expio.ts. wasconfmed to the vicinity of the Cine of r . u t of ';:!''* r"""'' ''- -^ '^"'«-^«' -i-. -- 1.. vc Ho:::t^.^ri::;r:/t^rr:"-T'' nothing of the north AtlanUc. and cou d noL ti f ' '"'^" more favourable circumauncen have^ H ^ r"'* "'" ""'" particular point. I„ the sen e ht f '"' I"'""""''"" "' ''"' -ho were the raviga.or. wh:!:^;:,!^;'^: ^-^."r " ob.crval.uns were collated. I „,u.i i^^e ,,;. • '"" for the consideration of my reader . ' '"'"^'^ POMibly enable them toarrivea'tamo::;.:;^:^ """"^" """^^ I candidly confesa. I can obUin J^. ^'"^''^'y '■'°-'--n than. to the alleged re.u.U of ^J^^:]:! ''''' '' '''"' «• to the Bo..rce from which th.v «, ,'°"'' "'"'^ ""^ ^"""tr comment -oHectH. that inlst l^r rYoM;: ^^" '^''^' '' '''' ^ n.cr,c,.ce were con.plete untij . L " ,''77»"-" ^- '-y «ub- -ould almost appear that the . '"'1 ""'' '""'"" ^ '"^ '» '--omecti":;ri::r:;;;r::t;!:'-^ Tc«t...a.ion and deliberate thouehu" 1.-, . . '"""" '"- "taking ice. and fogs. SZt» il I! "" ''' '"'"'''^'••" ^'""• between the 20th of^uly „d t '.OU T. '=°""'^"«"- t'^'^-"-. ^-••"% in .. most L^i: r:i:L:ne^:;:v''"; the w.rc; accordingly the vessels will be so di. L I i '^ " °^ the 20th of July „ po«,i„e.-- a wa/n.t ho ' ' " ""' ''^" expiration of this .peeified ti Jthr.. ' '""" "'-"'^ "'« fking. They put^^ la or.he 5 Tr 7" ""'''""''•' "'''^" l»o were of opink>R— "That the conRtniction of tlic cable is suited for the object in Tiewt and Uiat no aid ration llKrciit \i cxpt-flicnt." " That the cause of the act idcnt nrose from an appHcatioa of the brake, at a time when the ship was Hicm down in the sea." ** Tliat considerable chanj;c awl mo«lific«tion will be required in portions of the paying-out TnacI iiicry, before making another attempt to lay the cable." " That alihough on the prrwnt occasion the commencement of operations at the coiist has been »t*«tkded with some adrantage, it will in future be desirable to begin paying out Iha cable in mid-ocean." " That the shore ends should bo laid by wparata Teasels, Irrespective of those containiiii? the main cable." The preparations were mr.dc, in conformity with these nsolutions, for my submergence in the follmvitig year, 1858, and being complete at a much earlier perio«l of the ttcason, the squadron did not wait for what was alleged the previous year to be the most favourable time, between the 20th of July ana and oflirers, who, however, had no voice in the matter, — tuat she wrs ill preparnl to meet anything like foul weather ; but that of courw, ft ',« the- report publiiihed by ordrr of the directors, was not at all to be eipcctcii ; and yet, despite of the delusive hopes it held out tLit a storm was next to an imposRihiliiy, the Agamemnon had scarcely left it;- 'J the port three dayi, when .he had to encounter nn severe ^ gnle n, e7er nras known in the Atlantic, and which ccntinurnl for a whole week, dp- ig which a scrie. of disastcm occurred from the violence of t... rtorni. and the bwd stownp? of the cable, that would inevitably hare proved faUl to the Mfety of the M.ip. but for the indomitable cour..ge and nntirinff e orgy displayed by n, enllant captain officer,, and crew. The correspondent of the Tnn.s, who wn. on board the Agamemnon, has Riven a most be,-u..f„l and graphtc description of the storm. That Rc.tleman. in a.lvertin;, to the trim of the vessel when she startea from Plymouth, states that ..she had 2.810 tons of dead weight in hor, a monMrou. load for any ship of her tonnage, hut ma.'e still more ( having only fine weather, he aayt, — " Your reader* arc already aware, tliat both the * wiro' ships quitted Enj;Up ' in the most unfaioumbie trim poMible for bad wcnlher. Aceorditif; to appeal aiica at sturliiig, however, bad xrealhcf «ccii;ed, of ail ollicra, the risk 'cant likely to be encuuii'ered ; so everything had been forcaccn, prognottlicated, and protided for, but a gale; tliat, of courae, was out of the (lucstion. That traditional veteran. Brown, of the tranaatJaiitic line, who had weathered so many storms in the Atlantic, ahowed V^w in June one never had occurred, while Jones proved how it wuu.dn't, and Rubinaon made all ' serene,' by demon- stratini; clearly liow it couldn't iiap|>cn. We mi^^ht meet ^\g\\i winda, and encounter aome delay from calms and sultry weather, but a gale — • regular Atlantic storm — the very idea was food for laughter. So the wire squadron went to sea with tLe Ito chief vessels laden almost to the water's edge, and in all other respects so little fitted for rough weather, that had a lithe of '^n^ tremendous weather they ex* peril-need been fur^acea at Lome, nut a ship would have moved from Piymoutli .Sound." Whatever nughi have boc.i the opinion of those who bad the luanngcment of my submersion, as to the non-probability of storms in lliL month of June, it certainly nas most reprehensible on their psrt to prureed to sea in surii a trim as though storms never had occurrpd, and it was almost a matter of imposaibi'.ity they could occur in tliat month. B tended as the hand of the 'Jid World. Exactly where these hands •re lichl towarda each other, and lu'iwren them, a amootli, softly- paved led^e ia laid down to rcci-ive tlie cord that may c(>mp^naate for tlie aliurtness of Ihcir riach. and this ledgs is placed exactly at the depth which ia required for the srcunty of Uiis connecting curd, and Just beyond tlie e«1gs of the ce the only one m which the undcrtalung can be carried out. Among ,l,e lattrr •• a project, for which a company ha. been formed. „.,d registered under the title of the ■'South Atlantic Telegraph Company.' wl... ,. propose, to lay me down from the Land's End to G.I.. altar., hence to Cananes. the Cape de Ver.1. St. Paul, and Fernando de No.onha Islands and t ence to Pemambuco. tho West Indiu I.-land.. and s« on to New Orlean.. A member of the Institution of Ciul i;.,,,,.,.,. h«. recent y p.bl.hed a p.an, t on this pr,,,... ... .:.., , ,^ J* 890 md. A ca le for thi. length could I. carried on board a single - Kl. .f n.nu.red. would 1. ,.,, i. . comparatively .|..rt time, ll, M h„ ,.«.„ .,.o.„ .bove. msy ,. ^ Ues.gned. that wh.„ ,.i., i,..,. CO Id be ea.dy worked through with currenU not e.ece g in .„. tcn.ity the lunit. of wfcty. *• ' / ■«4i 1- li / I ; 82 " It ii bcliercd that, tcilh a luitabU conductor, a apccd of from six to ten worcia per minute mny be nttained. The 'oaa, moreoTcr, of thia or any otlicr of llic lcii(;(hH. no«ild involve the lots of onlj a small proi>or(ion of tlic cnpilnl of the company 'instead of llie whole. " The dcplliB cnniiiKtcml hy the Atlantic Telegraph ranpcd from two niiici lo t\To niilc* nnd a half, extending OTcr about 1,500 miles in a »; -Icnfjth; thr rcmnindcr of the course was in eaay soundings. Tlic greatest depth lay in the middle of the stretch, the easy portions were tlio«c adjoining cillicr sliorc. " The Soorn Atlantic TKr.EOR Arn route (according t • Maury's chnrt) \% nerytchere in enty tofmrlt'nyt, exeepl/of abont 800 •. /&« r.mtr th* lilnntt of Si. Paul. A portion of this deep part - between St. Paid Ii«land ami Cape de Vcnl I^ nndw, and the remnindcr between St Pnul IplnnH nnd the U\:Kn<\ of Fernando de Noronha. The Island of St. Paul is about iho middle o.' the deepest part, and the soundings in itN immediate ricinil sre gi»rn by the san. j authority as something over three? miles. T .k arc th' only difficult depths to be encoun- trrcd during »lie whole route. "Th'' Mlnrnvj rfimnte of {\\r North Atlantic, in the Intitu'ic where the Athndc Cal>tf \n laid. i« well known; while at Paul Irland, on the ronlrnry. wliich l« nilliin one d' ijree of the equator, the »wa is roo^t prnpitioiis to^uch iindrrtakingfi ; all the other Stretches will be laid in df'ptht where the cnVft* of wiml ard tide are of littK conncquenre." Thi» at first *ij;lil appears to he a gigantic undertaking, but i» «n real'iy far more ea^dy lo be accomplished than the recent one from Ifiand to Ncwfnimr.iand, notwiijistanding the highly coloured dc- teripiioii I hav aiivcrt.d to, of the site selected for that occasion, an. I the alleged farilitie't it pTopN. Here there are considerably less dilHeultics, both jiilicnl an.! eleeirical, to be encountered than under an\ rircum^taneea liavi to be met in the North Atlantic ; N/hile, in the e\ int r>f any mi ...ip. r, nei linn only of the cable woidd be lost ; whereas, as in the recent ii»lance, any ar> idrni befalling a cable laid in one leu'^th, Ik ntail the loss of titc wliole capital cf the Sharcholden. 83 CIIAPTnR XI. I CUTTA PEIlCirV AND INDIA RUIIDKR. I HAVF. now lo approach r miI.j.cI wl.irli, of all otlirrs, U Ihe most impo.tnnt ..i.c of the wlu.le, and u,,on ul.ich my vny «iMci.ct- is dcprn.lei.t; it i,, i„ fact, the iine qua non of n.y s.kccm. ^^ hclLcr I may be laid d.nrn in the North Atlantic, or i.. tl,. n.oro f..c.lc route of the South Atlantic ocran, unlcM I an, adc.,ua.cl> ,,ro. T.d.d for on this parlic.lar and special point, failar- n.u.t be the u.cM.al.l.. rc.ull_I allude to my ,r,u/al.on. Without tin, i. perfect I may he .ncccMfnlly ,uhn.c■r^'cd, I may be carrir.l from .horc to' shore. d..p,te of Morms .nd d.iRcuIti.., I may Ix; the n..a,.; A cnMiu^ Ireland .nd Newfoundland to «l,akc h.ud. «iih each oth.-r ' but for .11 practical purpows I should be utterly useless. It is. in fact, the very essencfc of my vitality Without it I could no m'oro exist, than man without the ve:y air which he breathes. Vet, •lran(,'e and incredible as it may npncar. even this most .ssentiaJ re- quir. mn.t was not only not j.rovide.l for. but abs.,lutd) di.-x'ard.d lH.l«.thMandin^' the csp-ml atlenlion of .he D.r.cio.H was duee.ej to this all-im,K.rali»e ,H,mt by their eleelrici..-,. Mr, Whit, hou^e. ihey cannot be i^-uoranl of this f,,rt. for in (JKir o>*u re,,orl. or rallu-r. m ih,.- descriptive lu.tory publish, d by th.ir or.l... tb. • um.a that pnl!eman-N authorily, nuii.e ibe following Malrn.r.t •_ ' "A coil of the complete! cabh, whid. H'a»e only '>nc. decree, "f .lefl-H.o„ :„ the n,..dlc of the ;;ah.n.M,-...ter.as ll,, measure - f ..nperfcUion wh. n the Ihrrmom. irr .to ,| a jj .l.^^ees. ^.a^e (. I de grees of d.fl. ..tion as the n.cmure of in,,K-rfec.i„n when th,- leume ralurc of the air rose to CD d.grce, of TuhrenlK it. Mr. Wh.t.l.ou.o remarks, that the excelhnre of the insulation e,,,. ,.,ne. ae...rdincly as tlu. sky .s . h-ar or rou-red will. rIvu.N. Sun-lMuc n.ak. , .be ,. 11 tale needle ..art out direr^-ently. .,m„csi i.. an u... an.l cloud. r 2 n / 84 «, Immcaiatclf l.ring it back townnl. t).c ncutrtl line. It » «nt?ci- pntcd nnd greatly dcircl that tl.o Iwltom of the AUacUc, .long the line of Lieutenant Maury's pl»U.u. trill be found to po«e« steadily and unvarying about the f .Tonmblc tcmpcmtore of 47 degrcet. It will Ik: at once obV.ous how fAVOumUy this proof of thr desirability of a steady, low tcmrcraturo nroi.nd the coated wire bears upon the question of Mnrinc TrV^-mpby at large. It U highly probable Ihat itn, sea will ultim.lcly prove to be by far the beet nediuoi in which greatly lengthened wires can be lakl." Now, here, from the experiments made by then- electrician, they are ,hown that the variation of tc.n,.rralure h.s a most derided effect upon the insulating mclium tl.ry a.loptcd; so much so, Umt in • di(Tcrc.»ce of only 17 degree., an.1 ihat at the very low m^mum of only 69 degree, of tem,H.rature. the galvanometer gave out as the measure of Imperfection 61 d. grecs-vh., three degree, at « degrees Fnl.renheat, and sixty-four at 59 degrees. , ^ .. , Wi.h this fact before then., and submitted to their notice by their own .-(Bcer, whose special duty was directed to this particuUr and .mporlant point, surely common prudence ought to have dicUted to ,hcm the necessity of ascertainiug what was the temperature of the ocean at the depths which wore to form my bed. They ought not to hsve assumed that ii w.s only M. d.grees. It may be that tempera- ture, or even lower, or it may l« co.uilderably higher, but U... ta a point they should hare made themselves fully acquainted w.th before thry submrrKxd me at a hatard involving the total loM of a sum of rtoney to the extent of nearly halt a million. In the previous part of tic Iloport. puhli.lH^ by thrir order, and to w:>ich I have already . Iv.ntcd, they spraK of the niMcriaN which were to form my oceanic bc.l. r,nd Hale that tl.cy wore engendered under the vivifying influence of the heat in the tropical rrnions. where the sun makes the waters, „ well as tlK- land, teem with vital existence, and the siliceous shields of thcc little dear Diatoms and Monads have been floated thence m coimtlrsa m.dtitu.lrvdny an. r d.^y. year after year, and century after century, by the prrpctual'y r.inning j^ilf stream, and deposited m .rcumulaling heap« just Uyoud iIk- outer eilffe of the deep channel of the current, upon Hie -trip of .ubn.arine Uble-land which had been \ ♦ : I 85 selected for my future restinsj-placc. Now Iicre. ivl.en it wm wi.Iica to a^ow the comforUblc nature of the bod upon wliicli I was to re- pow. they " blow hot." but when it wiu nccewary to get over tiio difHcully of imperfect iusuhUon, which would be faUl to my viUilily, and which it hiu been .hown would naturally accrue by iubmcrgi,,^' mo in water of e- -i by no mean, a hi^h tcmpirafuie. they " blow cold," and M«umo that the bottom of the Allanlic. along ihe variou. depths of the line where I was to be placed '• will be found to pos- •ese steadily and unvaryingly about the favourable temperature of 42 degrees." This may or may not be the case, but surely it wo dd have been advi^iblc to have osccrUiucl the fact before Ih.y sub- merged me. and not have placed the success of the undertaking in jeopardy for want of correct information on such an important p^int "ut were there not other circumstances with reference to the .nsulaUng medium they adopted, i„ „ddi,ion to it. being so c.«.ly affected by temperature, as reported by their elec.ririan. wh.ch should have induced them to have used the utmost caution, and to hav?apphc.d every test for their yuldance. before they ,l„.dly •elected .t as the sheath in which I wa.. to be n,cx,e.l ? Since the period when gulU perclm ao opportunely came to the aid of ihe McMrs. Brcit. in 1850. had there been ..olhing to throw . doubt on .U efficacy to meet nil the requiren.ents essential to it, becoming a perfect and durable insulator? Had not inm,enso .u„.s of moL been expended and Um, in using it for sul..crran.,u, p,.rp.,.e, > Did rot the PrusMan Governme... V. the outset adopt it „ ,Uc n.e .„. A.r carrying out their system of telegraphy. ...J ^Qer U h:.d been buru-d .„ ,he „rth buta ,ery short time, were they not oblig,.! to Uke the whole of it up .gam. from its ha- n,g l.come decomposed •H>d uselcM? Had not s.milar result, oeeuned .,. other par.s of '"'"''"• "'"' '" '^'^^ E-' I"-'- ? And eu,. here, at home, had not n,.:..n.us instance, Uken place d,.l, oi g„„„ pcreha covered v.re. |>e„.g ,„Un up m the streets of I h„, ,.,,i„^, »,.„ f, I an Ity. „,lcr having been hid down onl, a cou.p.u.U.w l/ .1..,. t ,..,.. , lud not the same results occurred m the provine.s, in tl.e Km..l.„ly covered s..l-,errancan wire, of all ,;. .degraph con,.,nie,. and more espccaiiy. ha.' not the whole of the wire, of the Suh.uanno ^1' Telegraph Company, cf whi.h Mr, John Brett is » tlirector, • well M of tl»e Atlnnlic T«lef(mph Company, between London and Dover been Piind «o utterly uorkft" nnd tlcromponed, that it became abe«v lutdy iicccwnry to cxluimc tlicm, niul replace them with others, after a service of litilo more than two years duration ? With these facts before ihcm. in addition to liie one submittrd to their attention by their elr-etrician, with rcfcrcnro to the gutU percha insulation of the cable being so readily afTeclcd by temperature, it might have been oxpcctrd that the gentlemen to whom the task of preparing me for the important duty I had to f.dfd. had been intrusted, would have cxerciwd a prndcntial caution, and sron that I was in every way nm d for my d.'ttlincd position, and lliat with no many causes for throwii.,' a doubt on the . fTicacy of the inaulating medium employed, iJiey would have applied evtry known test to have ascertained how far it was efllcacious in this instance, at least And yet ihi« eswntial and all imperative point was entirely neglected. IncrediMe as it may appear, yet "'tis true 'tis pity; and pity 'tis, '\w true." / «». .3 tr^trd in my endrrt^ in the eUmmt for vhieh T ionM itntlned, and in ir.!rh,in th" prr/rcfion of my tntirtttf alone, eouU any tr/Hctalin ht r griinomnon, to rei»«-il the atlrmp» in ttie following year without h'\vin:j a.li.p'.ed thin precaution wa^ not only mont unwise, but repre- Iirn«;bIo. Ample time wns ofTnrded lo accomplinh this during the ei-M or nine month* I wn^ stoi. I at K-jham Docks, yet, strange to »iy. this favourable opportunity was n. -lecled, and the ships were allowed to procrrd to sea for llic eecond trial willwut the test, so pMlshiyrequiMto.hsving been made. And what was the consequence? Wli] 87 out, oven M I lay coiled ui>ori ihe drckn, while tlic remaining poriion which was laid down wta in that diseased state, that no otlicr result could have been anticii)atcd than lliat which has been attained — total fuilurc, ill the uitcr inability to traiistuit the electric fluid Ihrotujh so faulty a medium. But in addition to the known dificiencics of jjulta pcrcha as an insulator, which alone should have induced those «lio had the manngc- nienl of my construction to have paused before tliey inclosi-d mc in BO faulty a material, there is another defect, of so serioui a character, Uiat must necessarily preclude the use of ^'ulla pcrcha in cables t>f great length. The defect I allude to in liic material in, that it is unable to withstand powerful currents of electricity, which have thr eflect of working through it, and destroying the insulation. Mr. Window, in adverting to Uiis subject in his pamphlet, t^ayn that tli< re in an obhtruction which " arises from the n-bislaiite o/T rod by llic conducting wire to the passage of the tlcclrical current, and by tho creation of an induced charge on the outside of the insul.iting medium, to o\crcome which, it is necessary to use powerful currents of electricity, which speedily burst the gutta pcrcha coaling, and destroy all insulation. It may be lessened by increasing the sixe of the conducting wire, and the thickness of t!ie covering of gutta percha ; but these augmentations mu«l be liniilcd, as is evident \>y the extra cost they entail. It is not at all probable that a cable, rosling even £500 a mile, could be made to conduct elect litity upon a 2,000 nnie length with greater facility than Ihe wires first l.ii.I fium England to Holland, a distance of 111 miles, yet the insid.uion of these wires was frciiuently destroyed — in fact, several times every year, by tiie current bursling through the gutta pcrcha. owing to ilia coi.juetor and insuliitnig coat being both too Bm:>'l. Tiic-c wires, be it observed, were laid in shallow WBt( i , and wire, con'oipirntly, reiKiiied with ca»^ ; but % fnult upon ti.e Athmtic rnhle, nn J,nt Imn ilemonttrattfi, incolvci the Mat iott cj /.',« Cvrnpfitii/'ii rnjn/af" The repeated fiilur- of gulta p(.rcha as an insulnling meur|)oi>e(<, and liave induce*! them to flcck for mmc more luitablo mrttcrial. I hare •Ircady Btatcd that Mr. Wc»t, many ycarB berore gulta perch* wM known in this country, constructed me with India rubber, and eren after it liad been introduced here, and ao hastily adopted and exten- •ivcly used l»y other constructors, lie still gun the preference to India rubber. Rcecrtt events liave shown that he was not wrong in his estimate of tiie comparslive merits of the two ^ms for the purposes of insulation. The attention of scienti6e men has been directed to tlie endeavour to find a substitute for gutta percha. Araonf; others the Messrs. Silver, cxtcnsiTe manufacturers of India rublKr, liave been mnking nonic inipdrtunt experiments with tliis view ; and the results, as rci>orted in the daily and other journals, are so pertinent, and so fully justify Mr. Went in his prcdiliction for India rubber, that I am induced to give the following extract The 7im«t, of April IG, 1859, snys:— " Some interesting nnd valu.-\1)lc experiments hare recently been made nt Gilvertown, llie maniifirtory of Messrs. Silver and Co., the outntteni, with a view of displaying the advantngcs gained by subsU> tuting India rubber for gutta percha as an insulator for submarine wires. The tests were priiMi|»;illy cuiidueted to prove tliat, in an clcctricDl point of view, India rul)bcr ivas as good a non-conducting medium n« gut .4 percha, while, in nil llic requisites of witlistanding great heat and the riio«t dense prrssnrc, it was incomparably superior. When tlie first submarine cables were commenced, in 1841, gutta percha was unknown in England, nnd India rubber only was employed as a means of insulating the conductor. The great variety of pur- poses, however, for wliich India rubber was then used made the de- mand for it so great, as to rrmlrr not only its cost high, btit the amount of its pfooscd to this pressure, the most •ensilive of Mr. Ilenlcj's galvanometers allowed the insulation perfect. An attempt to apply a higher rate of pressure than this terminated, aa mi^jht luivc been expected, io the bursting i,! the hydraulic cylinder under the trcmcntlons strain. When it is recollected that 5 tons prcsduro to the square inch crushes granite, it will be seen that a more complete test of the value of India rubber as on insulator to rcnisl preosure could hanlly have been devised. Tlie importance of its possessing this quality Ih far greater thrn would at first sight be supposed. A pressure of 7 J 'ons to the inch is equal to the prcHSure causcil by the wiight of water at a depth of eight »mi!e«. The greatest depth at witicl. the Atlantic cable was sub- merged wns three miles, and the wt.iglit of this mass of water upon tlie ropo at the bottom of the sea was olwul 2^ tons. Gutta perch* at such a pressure is reduced to los than half its bulk. To this apparently insignificant fact is it doubth-ss owing that the cable is now useless, for it follows, as a matter of course, than win n the core of the rope shrank to half its original diauaU-r, llic outsii wires stretched in proportion, while the gulta pcrciis could not buc tear under Ilia strain, and li-ave the comluctor eiposed in many places. The advan- lage, therefore, of India rubber over ptilta pcrcha in this respect is at once apparent, since it exactly rrvi^rMes the unfavourable conditions of the laltm c% 'r* > > //T# KJ 7 Fii()tc)^ ^1^ '4^ "1"^ V 13 WIST MAIN STRfET WEBSTER N Y I 4)10 I ;I6| (72 4&03 Ks t^ 1 pcrcha mcJls easily .1 100 degree. It i,. of cou,.e. rcry tn,c. tl.nt submarine cables when laid ar« not required to ccounlcr a heal of 212 degrees, but it is well known that while in process of mariufac lure, and especially when packed in ships' holds for the purpose of being submerged, they are often exposed to an amount of heat to trhich gutta pereha yiel.N. This melting at a low temperature, to- gether wuh the wire being ha.'ly centred nt the Gulla Tcrcha Co.np.ny's Works.wns a source of incessant anxiety to thowon Iward the Ag.mem- non and Niagara, during the expedition of last sunmor. The deck coils, from bung exposed to the sun. were more liable than others to tins danger, and some portions of then had to be cut out, in consc- quence of the copper wire baring pushed through the soft gulla pcrcha. On both these imporUnt points, therefore, the intr«|.,ction of Ind.a rubber would hf. of inuncn-c benefit, and wc Muw if it was once clearly .hown that the supply of material might be d.-pcdcd on :»nd the rate at which wires could bo corcrcd would be equal to the demand. .1 would .oon entirely supcn-ede gulfa p«.rcha a. a means of insulation. Experiments are nlso being carried out by another firm for the purpose of devising an insulator from a combination of In.Iia rubber and shellac. The«, tests, however, are not sunicienily advanced to be made public, though the results up to the present give promise of the most complete success. When such cfT.ntn arc n...k.ng on all sides, it seems improbable that the use of a faulty and expennve insuln'or like gutta pcrcha will In: much longer co.:tinucd - I mny add. that in addition to the fure,'oi,.g firn.s already au^crtcd to .n the r,^e,, there arc others conneclcl with the manufacture of I.Klm rubber, who are cngagd in the atlem;.t. by their own several peculiar proc,-..c.. to ad.-,pt this n.ate.iM to the pur,K,sc- of fu,„rc ..sula.ion Whether any of them will be uMe to pro*j»"f' »«v,'^ mrt^'-^'-tr 03 of Ihc AUantic Tclcgn.pl. Compnny nrc n bo the dirrrlor# to offer any inaurmcuntable obaUcler, yet i.rvcrtl..lcPB required tlu- mo«l careful conaidcralion tt their hand..." Such is the dewripli.m given by the chairman of the pecuniary pro.pccta of the company. It it 'inden.tood that the chief cnditioni. to which he refer, as being desired by the government are, that the company should give «p the monopolies, which I have alrca.ly described it posx-Hi-e*, «nd ti.at the payment of the guarantee of eigJit per cent, shall ..ot commence unUlarter the cable is eucccs^ fully laid down, and rfmll continue only so long as it remains in working order. These comlillons are fair and reawmaWe, and do not, as the chairman justly ob«:rves, offer any insurmountable obstaries. The variotia and nncon-litutional powers obtained by the company, to the excluMon of all otlirri.. and, in.lc-d. interfering with the rights of the crown itstlf, arc extremely unpopular, and the cancelling them «ould not bo at all detriincnlal to Uic interesU of the company ; for thrre is ample room for a d-ien caMrs, which, if they were all in Bucce^sful operation, would «til! Ins inadequate to meet the demand that w.iuld l»c mad'? ii|".n them. Thr second ron liti-.n in.po-.d l.y the governn-. .<, that the eight percent, ohali not Ik; paid cxupt dtiiing the succcMful working of the cnMc, w al^o moot cqiiilriblo. anvilh..«t even M.bj.xling n,e t<. the nce.ssary teM. -if, insle.a of doing thi«. the di.ccto... will invite the co-operal..... of ll.c Rcicnlific world, will call to their «Hsi,stancc men a. .piainted xvilh the i..di>pen.ab;c re.p.lrements for my ronstrndion, and ^eek the aid and advice of thoRC po^fCMing a practical knowle.lj,'c of the clement to which I am destined, and of the n.odc of placi..- ...e there —if they will do lhi^ and collect, collate, and cuU frt.m ...ol. "o.nces oil that may l>r d.emed valuable, and reject nil that is pr<>bl«..atieal— if they will conduct this search in a spirit of humility, at.d ..ot of Brif.«..niciency. and place lb. ir reliance up..:. «n All «isc Providence for their ^ui.lance-.f ihi. be done, I re,,cat th;.t I have no heMtat.on in predicting, that their next altemj.t to establish me aer..s8 the Atlat.lic will be as suere-sfnl as their recent oneshaxe been dis:,.iro..H, D..t it i* not in the Atlantic ah.ne wheie my Kciviresa.c at j-ic. net to 1.0 placd in imn.ed.ate rcp.iMtion. The »rh,n..-. «hi.h I h.ivc ..hca.ly .i.eutioncd in the ea.iiei part of my hiMury, n.y i.n.- jcctor propos. .1 w far back as tl.irle. n yea.s a-o. to the Directors of the r.ast India Pon.pany, is now being curried out— that of c..n..ecting this cnuutry with the Kast In.lics. That p.Ttion of mt intend. -1 for the lle.l Sea is now a-ftally b. ing dei^sitcl there, b.-lNvcen Aden nn.l Suei; a.id nlthuugl. the Kurope;... route bihcled i-- not in accordance with the one n.y pr..jcctcr then pn.pouud..l, thee i» M«y 06 little d..ul>t, for obvious rraKOMS Jl.ai 1 «»•«'" CTcnlua!ly be Wd bet^?»^en tliin counliy and Gibraltar, ami tlicncc to MalU. Ilavingr brought inv narrative to the present period, M*y 1859, there remains little to' be said of the past. The first chapter of my life is in il« l.ut lines ; the second is about lo open ; and who c*ii say what pcricnl of thu worUVs history viU witness the end? The years of infancy and boyhood ar*^ behir.d nic| and Uiougli they hare "been attended with tdver»ity and disappointment, with occasional intervals of success. I trust that hn..pier and brighter daya are dawning upon me, and that when I rc'umc my history, which I pur- pose doing, and this at no .i.tnnt perio-l, I shall have it in my power to record, from time to tin.e. that I have been prosperous in the unprccckuted career before me. I trust ere long, through the inslrumer.Ulily of man, he hin.srlf being but the humble instrument in carrying out the bchesU of IIiM whose Divine will alone ia Uw, that I sliall be the medium of electric intcrcommunicaUon, not only with the New World, and with Uie VmI Indies, but alao with oUicr nationa and colonics, however remots, and that I ahtU ioon become an cstftblished fact, beneficial to th« world at large. riNii. John K. «:li«#m m and r