The Express.
London, England, 1858-10-21 00:00:00

(Stamped ld. Additional.) [TWOPENCE.

THE ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH.

The subject of the Atlantic Telegraph, which but
a short time ago occupied public attention so univer.
sally, seems now almost to be forgotten altogether,
and even the grumblers and disputants who are
generally aroused into activity and abuse by. a failure
are silent on the subject. And yet the officers and
employes of the company are still prosecuting •
searching incieiry into the nature of the fault in the
cable, and the probability of discovering some certain
means of making ft speak even in its present defective
state. Whether these inquiries will lead to a fumed-
ful result or not is a question on which it is impos-
sible to give a decided opinion at present. Even among
those engaged in the work the greatest possible di-
versity of opinion prevails. " Who shall decide
when doctors disagree ? Certainly everything has
been done in the way of experiment which is likely
to throw any light upon the present condition of the
wire, and everything is being done that has the re-
'noted chance of again making the line available. It
will be remembered that daring the latter end of
last month the company feared that the apparent
fault might arise from a want of proper codoert in
the hours of " 'ending " and " receiving " between
both terminals of the line. Accordingly Mr. Lundy,
one of the electrical staff, was despatched to New-
foundland with full instructions to the electricians
there respecting the times of sending and receiving
signals, in order to correct any mistakethat might have
arisen on the subject. The day named for these
new electrical regulations to commence was the 12th
inst., and consequently on that and the three suc-
ceeding days mere than usual vigilance wee cur-
abed at the Valentin terminus to assert in the result
of the change, but awarding to 'the register d all
experiments end e1p111160113, which is regularly kept
by the osetipany's officers, nothing very remarkable
appears to have taken place. However, muck im-
portunes is not attaeked to this fact, as it has since
beau aseertained that, the steamer being delayed on
her voyage, Mr. Lusty did not leave Halifax for
St. John's until the 7th inst., and as from St. Jelui's
to Trinity Bay he would have to makes journey of
more than 100 miles &crow a wild country, it is quits
possible that be did net arrive at the telegraph
station on the sprinted day. Since the commence-
ment of the present month the condition of the cable,
I ea fir as can be judged from the repeated and dis-
tinct indications of signals from Newfoundland,
, seems to be better than it was; bat, not to
'ivories te delusive , it may be se wall to testa-
time es/wally the occasions on which the
Vgailthrough the *able were observed. Oa Std
lotohisr, between 12 and 1 is the afternoon, as
soon as a battery cell was put in connexion with the
wire, some very distinct signals were observed,
which, of °mine, were not interrupted to make
the usual sled:Tied observations am the state
a the fault. They appeared as if theme in
Newfoundland were sending letters by pauses which
could be most distinctly observed, while the varying
natural earth currents were net strong, but the ma-
nage, whatever it was, was lost by the earth currents
increasing in force, and as it were over-balancing the
currents coming from the opposite shores of the
Atlantic. These appearances were observed until
three o'clock, when a message was sent to Newfound.
land by Henley's magnetic mashies to seed Vs
fora quarter of an hour, if they understood. To
this no answer was received, nor indeed did the gal-
vanometer again show signs of activity until the Bth
of October, when good and distinct reversals were
received from 8 in the evening till 1 on the
morning of the 9th. Hoping to re-establish the
commianieation, messages were sent:—" Can you
read us as we get yours ruids ?" This intimation
dome not appear to have reached, foe the
needles again remained peasive until 9 o'clock on
the swamis of the 9th, when again some very de-
aided, though sot intelligible, signals appeared, con-
Saving until 2 °Week. At times daring this period
the currents were so good that if manages had been
sent from the American terminus of the line they
could have been read with the greatest ease. Sig-
nals were, of course, at once sent from Valenti' to
send words, as their reversals were very plainly
read ; but signals soon ceased, and, though again
faintly observed at one and at eleven on the
morning of the 1 1 di, and at two o'clock on the
morning of the 12th, nothing very distinct was ob-
served until between three and four on the afternoon
of the 14th. Again it was evident that words
were being seat term Newfoundland, though what
they were could not, owing to the interference, of
earth currents be ascertained ; but these indications
again (cased, with the exception of some slight oscil-
lations of the needle at midnight, until between three
and four on the following afternoon, the 15th, when
it was evident that words were coming through the
line. But se unfortunately was too often the toes
the earth currents at the time happened to be par-
ticularly strong, and completely threw what wee
said into confusion. A silence of seven hours again
esecaded, after which parts of letters and disjointed
signals were observed, but nothing connected or intel-
ligible could be made of them. Again, after twelve
hours silence, namely, at noon on the 16th, the same
unintelligible signals were observed, and again
between live and six on the same afternoon. On the
17th,between one and two in the morning, signals and
lettere could be read, but nothing connected could be
construed of them. These appearances lasted till
four, and then the galvanometer, after remaining sta-
tionery till 11, span showed signs of vitality. From
this period, far many succeeding hours, the needle
it Professor Thoossoe's reflecting galvanometer con-
nected with the line remained remarkably steady ;
even the earth currents, those never-failing
sources of difficulty and annoyance on long lines of
telegraphs, seemed for a time to rest from their con-
tinued agitation. Between 3 and 4 on the morning
of the 18th the wind rose suddenly, and blew with
considerable violence, and strangely, almost simul.
taneonsly the magnetic needles jumped and escil- '
Wed from end to end of the male with most unto-
countable violence and rapidity. As the wind con-
tinued to increase, which it did to a perfect gale
before daylight, the oscillations and irregular
motions Of the needle became more rapid and
violent, and strangely, this disturbance continued
more or lees while the fotce of the wind lasted. The
extraordinary phenomena of magnetic needles be-
comiag violently disturbed by the prevalence of
storms, either of thunder and lightning and of wind,
has been before remarked, and has been used as an
t to prove that the canes of all great : atmo-
retie disturbances may be mold originally to
e ectricity. The observations recorded above abso-
lutely prove nothing definite with respect to the
condition of the cable, except, perhaps, that it is not
parted. The alternate appearance and disappearance
of signals, which at times came so distinct that
=wages might be read from them and again vanish,
leaving the wits as dead and inanimate as if it were
absolutely gess altogether, tend rather to overthrow
all theorise eespeating the nature of the injury
them to ene. It is unfortunate that the
preesneeetsd experiments at bath ends of the line
should have been postponed owing to the non-
arrival of Mr. Lundy at the Newfoundland statics,
for new nu my days most samearily elapse before
say daubs period eon be named on which they are
to take passe. These experiments, when they do
take plum, will no doubt threw sailicient light on
the true state of the wire to enable the electricians
of the company at ease to determine whether the
line eon ever be mode available as a mesas of win-
between the old and the new world. in
the essestias, eiramistansee have occurred kb&
white essinialy cause matters to look a good
ewe them they did a few weds ago.
When „ wham gnat essiltdenee is
Plooof on a prosuesl ma, flopt trio& hie Loge
maiden apse 111 saba at Vs-
leanCtrakiSib ails wen mileessed se as to
et very high hitemsity, wblsb is
=le be the waist Wad of sleet& use for
pawing a fault balm immolated wire. After working
for a few days the soils were timiged for Own

constructed to produce a great qaantity of electricity
of comparatively low intensity, which experience
has proved to be the best kind of current for sig-
nalling through a badly insulated line. Bat after a
few days the intensity coils were again used, and
were not replaced by the quantity coils until a few
days ago.
- -

according to intelligence received indirectly
from Mr. De Santy, the electrical superintendent of
the company at the Newfoundland station, it appears
that oa those days on which the quantity coils were
used with Mr. Henley's magnets moot distinct signals
were received from Valencia, which ?dr. De Santy used
all the available electrical power at his command to
reply to but with only partial success, ea the incon-
gruous signals recorded at Valentin tastily. The fault
undoubtedly being comparatively near the uterminus of the wire, messages transmittednt:
Newfoundland to Valentin would have a better
chases of being received than those in the contrary
direction. Therefore, if Mr. Henley's magnetic
machine when used with the quantity coils could
make any signal pass from Valencia to Newfound-
land, with a similar instrument at Newfoundland it
would be quits easy to transmit messages freely to
Valentia. There is yet hope, therefore, that with
Mr. Henley's assistance the cable may again be
made partially useful. We believe it is probable
that the company may send out one of these instru-
ments to Newfoundland, to try the experiment.
But as it will occupy a long time in reaching its
destination, if it is sent, both the public and the
shareholders will have to wait a long time before
they can become aequainted with the result. The
small vessel whkh lea Plymouth a short time ago
with some of the share end of the cable, has reached
its destination, having encountered some rather un-
pleasant weather, and the operation of la •g it as
tar as a small reef of rocks called the Coast Guard
Bank will no doubt be commenced immediately.
That the raising of this six or seven miles of the
cable will tend to repair in any material degree the
fault is not supposed, but it will prevent any new
faults occurring from the slender cable being drifted
by the tide across the rocky bottom of the Valentin
aids of Dingle Bay.

[Shortly after this narrative was written, Mr.
Saward's letter announcing the receipt of an in-
telligible niseasge was received.]

NAVAL AND MILITARY.

THE MEDITERRANEAN.
MON OVA OWN omutamstornerrt.)
MALTA, OCT. It.
Her Majesty'. ship Supply is here en route for
Ragland with antiquities from Boudronm. She will sell in •
Mr days fix TenfiCto tete on hoard eatigultim from Car-
shags. Bar Majesty'. ship Wanderer brotight veryans
sereophague of marble from Sidon, which will also be emt to
bit:to bar Majtety's ship Supply. This saroophagne is
6W ewe el thirty, one manta larger than the others,
which are summed to be the tomb, of a monarch and his
tentetymdas Wives. The Su ply is mid to have .boot 400
tole at satignidee from Boodaoam, beside the sarcophagus
sad what else will ship at Toed& This will add so much
more to the abesdy over-crowded British Museum.
The MI6 Begienab materimi ea bona bar Melesly's ship
PerseveMeeem WS Om Wag **mond at Imo to tale via
on, dee Gamma to Rosteal for dot. sad
needved eas2creply I. Os to
ramie In Nam dm absU venml belogropeAd
_al
ems do fled November. regboint wen Imitirobety
Hen m
id
liefiesty's ship Princes. Royal le performing her gue-
reatime, sad will NOWA for the deem, daily expected nom
Oar&
Rat Majesty's ship Recruit I. refitting here. The troops
ere to excellent health. The Ron. Captain Penningtom of
the Riles, proceeds to England by this deje stammer.
Tits Pselosular and Oriental ompsny's steamer Malta
arrived yesterday trom Alexandria with the male rid long
me for Bisgiand, sad the Busing this ...Mai with the
overland pardon.

PORTSMOUTH, Oar. 20.
A meeting of the sub-commustonen of pilotage
was held at the Custom-house, Portsmouth, to-day, to haver
Smite the eiteumeteacee attending. the rueshig ashore of the
Arid (et the Now Tack sad Hamburg line 4 mail peekam)
oa Sums Point, on the 17th of September The inquiry was
Instituted by the Trinity Board. The am.ount gives by the
pilot in charge be to the effect that cm maiming the land on
the west side of the Solent he ordered the helm to be put
sport, end that it wee, by mistake, turned the contrary way.
The Entrain, 61, mow, Captain J. W. Tarleton, C. 8.,
has completed the Wain injury 'MA she sustained by
running sahore off Torbay, on her to Bpithead, end
was taken out of dock to-day and pLosd is the strew Mein.
The Erebus, 18, floating battery, wee laid up off the Ex-
cellent to-day, to try the effect of shot fired on her iron
dd.'.

Tn.laetrious, 72, training ship, Captain R. Bemis, is
dismantling preparatory to turning over to the Britannia,
120, old sailing three-decker.
The Alfred, 50, target ship, which he been moored off the
Excelling, ap Porteesouth harbour, for experinseneal prestico
on the iron plates which encase her rides, las been placed in
the &hip beets The result of the experiments is that several
shots have 'farmed the plates, wkueh ire Mao splintered to
extent.

ADMIRALTY, OCT. 11).—Arrownititen.—Naral
Cadets H. C. limo, W. H. Walpole Gs Ilea d midrhip
man), R. B. Trollop and H. P. Hervey, to the Bronswict,
i 80, screw s the Chem' ; T. 11. Miller, H. W.
DeetStagt awl 11. Mist; to the Oisterlis, 80, EXIMt rseam-
AL" Melltesweenen gliii011; C. B. Waked, to the Victor
intinred, 111 A mew eleseuhlp, In the Chem ; W. A. Hod-
dides area R. W. Evart, to the Reatters,_9l, mew dem-
ob'', la the Chemsel; A. B. laaeorell, P. N. Tyrohltt,
J. B. Ham sad the Hon. B. B. Ellis, to the Conqueror,
101 mew deamobtp, Mediterrammt stades : B. W. timp-
ani, he the hiatiterosch„ 131 Issii
:tbew demehip, Medi-
merman dads' ; B. H. WI C. stnestleTe,
C. I. illooldleld, (1. H. Jervis, end .R. Beam, to the
Peluso Boyd, 91,
spew steamship, Pledliserassen elation;
G. N. HUI, H. F. Geso, and C. J, C. St. Clair, to the
Otioa, 91, mew demoship, in the Channel ; H. Steady,
T. H. Teener, Z. O. Hawke, end N. H. Wird, to the loyal
Aibirkeiaillii, OS= %rah* at Deesnotet.
Y y Gran were Weed that after the launch
Widislrve is Saturday; awake 41-sua aildis to be called
116 Aim, Mt reeled' the elms poperdese, le to be laid
gyms la a. slip. The lidgeoesher laanollieg, sill be
=ewZd to be densleted. Bow interesting
wilt two et Pinkies Bilieste will tete pied at
the time of *girds.