The Express.
London, England, 1852-05-21 00:00:00

PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEES.

TILE ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH rxl
day the committee resumed their inquiry, Right lion_
Lord Moth= in the chair. Mr. J. C. Cubbold, M.P., as
' director of the British Telegraph Company end Chairman
of the Eastern Union Railway, was the first witness called.
Ile deposed that he had been induced to juin the British
Company on the faith and in the expectation that the
London and North Western Railway would have allowed
' the British Company to lay their telegraph wires over that
line, which would have been beneficial both to the railway
company and the public, by catablishieg duplicate lines.
Was a opinion tthat the British Company would not bo
able to raise the money they required by means of shares
to an extent sufficient to carry out the undertaking, unless
the legislature gave them the limited liability now sought
for by the bill.
Mr. Kershaw, stock-broker of Leeds, and member of tho
Leeds Stock Exchange, examined; deposed that in the
opinion of the member% of that body, Lei cis was imperfectly
served by the existing telegraphic communication. Com-
plaints were constantly occurring, on the score of inaccuracy
and delays, arising from pressure of dispatches ; and the in-
terests of the people of Leeds would be largely served by
the establishment of a second line of telegraph. The charge,
prior to November last, fur a message between Leeds ;and
Loudon, was tts., now it was fro. 6,1. Anticipated a great
increase in the transmission of messages, as far as the clubs
and commercial houses were concerned, from reduction of
charge. As an illustration of the errors that occurred he
might state, that recently in the transmission of a message
from Leeds to Manchester, the order by telegraph wax,
" Order 30 casks (instead of shares) at 171 per share;" and
in another case of a message to London, " Sell 100 shares,"
was telegraphed instead of " Sell 1,000."
Mr. J. Greig, proprietor and editor of the Scottish Press
newspaper, had frequently had his attention drawn by the
commercial and mtuticipal bodies of Edinburgh to the pre-
sent state of their telegraphic communication, and knew
that their feeling was one of dissatisfaction regarding it.
Paid, in conjunction with other Edinburgh newspaper pro-
prietors, an annual sum to the Electric Telegraph Company
for the receipt of the latest intelligence of interest ; and
the services of the telegraph with reference to this parti-
cular contract were very indifferently performed. Bo-
'Weed ho did not bring out a single paper that did
not contain a blunder arising from inaccurate tele-
graphic transmission, and it cog him more labour
to bring the telegraphic department of intelligence into an
accurate shape than anything connected with his editorial
labours. Ile would state some of the inconveniences. It
was of essential importance to the Edinburgh papers that
they should not miss the morning mails, because in Scot-
land some of the large manufacturing towns had only a
single post a day, and if that were missed the paper was a
day old before it arrived, and was in a great measure use-
less. The early mail from Edinburgh was despatched at
four in the morning, and the telegraphic intelligence from
London did not reach the paper until between one and two
in the morning, and sometimes not until five o'clock, an
hour atter the mail had left. Inaccuracies occurred in the
transmission both of commercial and political matters, and
at one time he was absolutely afraid to go up the street lest
he should be attacked by the subscribers to his paper
—(laughter)—in consequence of the erroneous telegraphic
information he had published as to the price of stocks and
staples. (Laughter.) In political matters he had frequently,
as a general rule, to correct by an erratum the real state of the
case by way of apology to political readers far the blunders
of a previous publication. (Laughter.) In witness's opinion
the mechanical power for working the telegraph was not Bur-
fficient. When the wires got of work, being dependent on a
single line of telegraph, the paper had to come out with a
blank—(laughter)—they had no telegraphic intelligence.
The Edinburgh papers had to insert disappointing announce-
ments on these occasions to the effect 'we learn from the
office of the electric telegraph that from some cause as yet un-
known no communication has been made to-day which will
account for the paucity of our latest news." These com-
plaints wete not confined to his own paper alone, and the
general feeling was, it was only to be remedied by the esta-
blishment of a competing company, with limited liability,
which in his opinion was indispensable.
Cross. examined—Paid U. per month or 001. a year to the
'Electric Telegraph Company for the intelligence trans-
mitted. The company collected the information in London,
and the average quantity of intelligence on each occasion
was three-quarters of a column twice a week. Iffissetimes
the telegraph gave them a long debate, but " shut them
out" from the "divisions," which were far more interest-
ing than long speeches. (Loud laughter.) The result was
much more important than the speeches—(laughter)—and
they frequently got the division after the mail had gone.
Had nu bargain with the telegraph that they should have
precedence over private commercial messages. Excepting
during periods of great pressure, there might not be more
than one telegraph company could do between Edinburgh
and London, but if they bad two companies could get intel-
ligence earlier and more rapidly.
Mr. T. Reid, of the Stock Exchange, Glasgow, spoke to
the way .n which the telegraphic service was performed for
that community. On one occasion the telegraph had trans-
mogrified a meume, and gave orders to eell shares instead
of to buy them—(laughter)—and had he not been fortu-
nately in time to send a countermand message, he should
have lost on Caledonians from 21. to 31. On another occa-
sion there was a substitution of " sell Bury preferences,"
for " Abcrdeens." (Laughter.) The company had never
discovered the cause of it, and perhaps never would. Now,
to insure correctness, he generally made the clerk write to
his dictation.

Mr. A. Ashton, member of the Liverpool Stock Ex-
change, deposed that the members of it were diesatisfied
with the mode in which the telegraphic communication
between London and Liverpool was conducted. Had not
positive evidence of the fact that the messages of ono person
were sent preferentially to another; but frequently mes-
sages had not been correctly transmitted. Had been in
the habit of paying the company 3001. a year for telegraph
messages in respect of his private transactions, but these
wero not so large as formerly ; and he had almost given the
telegraph up. Competition was desirable, and probably
the business between London and Liverpool would be
sufficient to maintain two lines of telegraph. The old com-
pany had, within a short period, reduced their rates 50
per cent., and when they found the mistakes were theirs
they returned the money.
'She committee at this point adjourned to this day.

SHREWSBURY AND CHEATER RAlLWAY.—Yceter-
day the preamble of this company's bill, for power to run
over neighbouring railways and London and North
Western, was declared proved.

SIIIPWRECEED CREW IN THE ARCTIC SEAS.—.
Yesterday, the following details of the loss of a sealer, the
Joseph Green, Stewart, muter, of Peterhead, and the
sufferings endured by the crew, were received at Lloyd's:—
The above-named vessel, shortly after her arrival on the
fishing-ground, and before she had taken any seals, was
stove by a floating block of ice at 3.30 a.m. on the 20th of
March, and instantly began to fill; the crew endeavoured
to keep her clear until 4 p.m. on the same day, when she
capsized, and Captain Stewart, who was standing near tho
main hatchway at the moment, was precipitated into the
hold, and either killed or drowned, uhe was not seen
afterwards; one of the crew, who was confined to his berth
in the forecastle with a broken arm, was unable to save
himself, and perished when the vessel eansized. The re-
mainder of the crew (59 men) took to the boats, but with a
heavy gale blowing at the time, there was little probability
of the boats living, particularly as they were surrounded
with large masses of loose ice. As a last resource, they
betook themselves to one of the largest floes (dusting ice),
upon which they hauled the boats. In this situation, with.
out any shelter, except what the lee of the boats afforded,
they remained from Saturday night until 10 A.m. oa Monday,
when they launched the boats, the weather having become
more moderate, with the intention of making for the dreary
and inhospitable coast of Iceland, if Providence did not;throw
some sealing vessel or whaler in their way. They were,
however, hut badly provided for such a voyage, having
saved nothing but what they stood in, and their provisions
consisted only of some salt pork and a bag of eel bread.
Previous to starting for that island they proceeded to the
wreck, in the hope of obtaining some more stores and
clothing, the latter of which they stood much in need of.
About 4 p.m. they providentially fell in with the Marin-
thiae, Burueh, mast, r, of Peterhead, who on sighting
them, immediately bore up and took thou on isoard. Falling
in with the Intrepid soon alter, the shipwrecked crew were
divided between the two vessels, and subsequently further
dist' ibuted amongst the fleet on arriving at the fishing
ground. Although thus rescued from almost inevitable
death, a very great number are suffering from their
lengthened exposure to the inclement weather. Mr. Wil-
liam Lillie, surgeon, and John Lawson, the steward, have
died from injuries received on the ice, conjointly with the
i•ffect of the frost. The Felix. Hay, arrived at Banff on
the 18th inst., and brought home fifteen of the survivors,
all suffering more or less from being frost-kitten.
FEMALE EMIGRATION TO AUSTRALIA.—At tho
last inteting of the board of guardians of the Holborn
Union, Mr. Pearson proposed that application be made •
to the emigratioa commissioners to allow 12 young women
in the workhouse to emigrate to Australia. They were
about 20 years of age, he said, and whenever they obtained
lsituations in service they soon returned to the house, and
if they were sent to ' .
nently settled there.
had been obtained son
commissioners would

workhouses, but such
iu the present state o°

felt chit they had t.
they were tired of
Lloyd said that u tht
170,0001. to facilitate

to Make suck an application.
lutiva, which was - -

to Australia they would become perms-
re. Mr. James said that several orders
some time since for that purpo
add not then take you• • sk .. e ,
ouch • rule might, perh . . ~ssiMisse ;. , ..;
eof those colonies. Th ...„" •• • w en r. ' ~,
• home in the workhou ••"1' 'LL .'' ••4 'i ..
of their situations returns. ^1 L ..`1::,1 w,
the government had nowilk Z;." I,l* . . • jX,
tate emigration it was a ,1,•4.1• .qv 61.- tli
,pplication. Mr. Cottle ""•'•
.1' •. ,
a-
~ :in tumultuously adopted. s., ~. ..
-t. '
• .. v 4,
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