The Express.
London, England, 1866-08-03 00:00:00

THE ATLANTIC CABLES.

Now that the cable of 1866 is an established suc-
cess, the prospects of picking up the one of 1865 are
being eagerly canvassed. With the morning's news
from New York published, as it has been, in Lon-
don et three o'clock in the afternoon of the same
day, the question of supply and demand assumes
a tangible shape, and men already ask each other
how far the single coil is likely to meet the custom
for it. That the needs of Europe and America—
the old world and the new—will keep two or more
lines of cable continuously employed there is little
doubt, and the second act of the expedition upon
which her Masty's ships Terrible and the Albany
started from Newfoundland on Wednesday is, in a
commercial sense, quite as important as the first.
It will be useful, therefore, to briefly recapitulate
the position of the broken end, the efforts made to
retrieve it, and the causes leading up to the diaap-
pointment of last year, as well as the sanguine hopes
which followed. Upon the 2nd of August, 1865,
when the Great Eastern was in 2,000 fathom
water and 1,062 miles from Valenti*, the cable
parted. The distance from Heart's Content was
606 miles, let. 51 deg. 25 min., lon. 39 deg. 6 min.
For this point the Terrible and Albsay sailed on
Wednesday, and assuming these vessels to steam
eight knota an hour, they would arrive there some
itkaiie during Saturday. It matters little whether the
1
cease buoys left by the Great Eastern to mark the
have survived the Atlantic storms of
, e winter. Until waves are found to wash
%)°t
amyl, the sun tie leaders of this expedition
can afford to smile at the half-hearted doubts
of those who make the discovery of the broken
cable depend upon the substantiality of a red
flag, a black ball, and &mushroom anchor. Ilia well
, known that CeptainAndersou and Staff Commander
Moriarty, R.N., took independent observations
, daily, and never varied so much as a quarter of a
mile in the bearings given. There is no reason-
able doubt, therefore, that the ships despatched
yesterday will arrive at and be marking the spot
for grappling before the Great Eastern comes up.
' The latter has to take in a supply of coals before
leaving Newfoundland with the Medway, and it
may be that the honour of picking up the cable's
end will be gained by the Albany. For, in order
that no time shall be lost, the latter has been
amply supplied with picking-up and recovering
gear, and when once the spot has been ascertained
the process of grappling will commence. The
time this will occupy, and the period to
elapse before those watchers in the telegraph-
house at Foilhummerhum are gladdened by a
communication through the cable of 1865, will
depend greatly upon the weather. It is unneoes-
nary to say that a portion of the large telegraphic
staff at Valentin are now told off to watch the old
cable day and night, and that the instant its end
is recovered the glad news will be telegraphed
through. Calculations as to time must, as we
have already hinted, be received with some reserve,
but the proceedings of last year afford fair data
upon which to base an hypothesis. Referring to
the published record we find that grappling com-
menced and the hauling in of the cable set in
the very day after its fracture ; then came the first
disheartening failure of material. The rope used
for the grspnel was divided into lengths of 100
fathoms, each having a shackle at the end,
Iwith a heavy iron swivel. One of these
swivels gave way, the drum flew round
rapidly, and the tail of the picking-up rope
flourished in the air, while the cable sank back
I into its oozy bed. This was on the 3rd August.
Then came fog and drifting, at the end of which
the great ship was 46 miles from the spot wt. ere
1 the cable parted. It was then resolved to place a
buoy to mark the latter piece as soon as it was re-
gained, which was accordingly done. The 4th,
sth, and 6th of August ware spent in dense fog and
drizzling rain, and it was only on the 7th that
attempts at picking up could be renewed. On this
latter day the grapnel, with 2,500 fathoms of rope,
was for the second time cast out to seek its fortune.
The cable was caught again. A moonlight night, a
smooth sea, and a favouring breeze facilitated opera-
tions, the signal "Going on hopefully" was passed
to the Terrible—then, as now, the government
consort of the expedition—when the head of a
swivel-pin gave way and the shackle leaped into
the sea to join the buried cable. The unswerving
instruments showed that the latter had been
raised one mile from its resting place, and it was
when the anxious hopes of the operators were at
their highest that the machinery yielded to the
strain upon it. A second buoy was lowered about
ten miles west of the first, and where this lost
swivel broke, and both Great Eastern and Terrible
lay to until midnight, when the wind rose and
they paFted company. The 9th of August was oc-
cupied in preparing for the third and last attempt
at picking up. A summer gale set in, and the great
ship moved gently to the waves. This made it
impossible to keep close to the buoy, and thirty-
five miles from it were run. On the 10th
i the grapnel was lowered, and after seeking for some
hours, it became plain that the ship bad passed
over the place without finding the cable. The
grapnel rope was hauled in, when it was found that
the chain attached to the shank had taken half a
hitch round one of the flukes, and that the instru-
ment could not possibly catch anything at the
bottom. The now damaged rope was examined
and rep, a shorter grapnel substituted, and
the cableaired was eventually caught for the third time.
Seven hundred and sixty-five fathoms, more than
a fourth of the entire distance, were hauled in,
when a shackle on the hemp hawser passed through
the machinery, and the rope parted near the cap-
stan, and flew over the bow with a whistling sound
like that of round shot. So ended the
attempts of 1865. They were frustrated in
every instance by inadequate machinery, and the
Albany commences her work to-morrow or Sunday
with every advantage over the Great Eastern of
last year. Ropes, shackles, swivel, and gear, are,
humanly speaking, the perfection of strength and
adaptability ; and it may be fairly hoped that a
message from ship to shore through the cable of
1865 will be received next week. The spot will of
course be as easy to find from Newfoundland as
when the Great Eastern drifted 46 and 35 miles
from it. The ooze forming the Atlantic's bed is,
it may be repeated, of almost the same specific gra-
vity as the iron wire, and the latter will not sink
beyond its own depth. The constant tests show its
electrical condition to have steadily improved since
it was broken,
i and it only needs average good for-
tune to place n a few days a second working cable
between Europe and America at the disposal of
the spirited Anglo-American Company which now
has first ownership in both.
So long as electric communication across the
Atlantic was only believed in by a few enthu-
siastic supporters, the prices to be charged for
messages, and the revenue to be drawn, passed
without comment. Whether five or fifty, ten or
one hundred per cent. will be derived from a given
contingency, is profoundly uninteresting as long as
the contingency itself is scoffed at ; but it is curious
Ito note the rapidity with which the outer world
The Royal Mail Company's steamer Oneida, , seized
liupon the tariff and pronounced it enor-
Captain Woolcott, with the Brazil mails, arrived at ueiyigh after the line was fairly open.
Southampton yesterday afternoon. She brings
Twenty pounds for one hundred letters, or say
specie, 28,1331. ; precious stones, 2,0001. ; and five ' twenty words, and an average speed of seven words
packages diamonds, value not stated.
!
- p
cueer
tomers whominute give such astounding results that
Dssearce or TILE Wzsr INDIA Maria.—Soya-moves, Auccer 2—The Royal Mail Company's steamer
Ansi°, Captain Jelliooe, sailed hence this rdtenacan with ;
probability of a reduced rate. On this bead
1.
ent are W
y counting the cost and canvassing
feel their transactions must be fro
-
the mails for the British and Foreign West In Mexico, ;
the Pacific, California, Central America, Australia, New the annexed letter from Mr. Cromwell Varley,
Zealand, he. she took out 96 pssessgers sad a full carp, i written last September, is of interest now :
including silver coin for Demerara, 20,800 X. ; silver eosin :
for Aana, 3,0001. ;Preach jewellery, 13,0141.; English 1 THE TARIFF THROUGH THE ATLANTIC CABLE.
jewellery, 1,3681. ; ten boxes breeze MIMI, 9961. ; three I London, September 1, 1866.
bales cop
colar 6°l• ; 'Rd 610 bottle quicksilver, value . My dear n,—ln the Loudon prom salenthtleas of the
5,0001. prefits of an Atlantis cable have appeared ; these otheula-
SPAIN AND Can I.—The steamer Cyclone of lions are based upon the ides of charging only ss. • word.
Glaegoar, was deigned' in Great Yarmouth Reads yerner. A telegraph to be of use must be expeditious sad soya-
, deq, cea suspicion of inhinging the isestrality redeem- rate. It will, therefore, be necessary tolimit thrt sesento
I Ike wick respoot to theft countries. to be Hued through tbo table to wok as =toot

PRUSSIA AND HANOVER.
BERLIN, AuGuar 2.

The Official Gazette of to-day comments upon the
Hanoverian despatch, referring to the negotiations
between Prussia and Hanover from the 24th to
the 28th June. The Gazette publishes an authentic
account of these negotiations, and accuses the
Hanoverian despatch of having falsified the facts.
The official paper also calls attention to a former
Hanoverian despatch of the 15th May, and avers
that the Hanoverian government carried on nego-
tiations with Prussia for a treaty of neutrality
at the same time that it was arranging with
Austria for a junction of the Hanoverian army
with the Austrian forces under General von
Gablens. " Hanover thus displayed a disregard for
that public morality," says the Gazette, " which
is the sole basis of political relations between dif-
ferent States." The semi-official North German
Gazette of to-day alludes to the explanations the
King's speech from the throne, upon opining the.
Chambers, will contain relative to Changes of ten+
tonal possession in North Germany. . After
pointing out that Prussia's right to incor—
porate the conquered States is indispntable
upon the basis of international law, _ the
writer continues :—" Political ocsaideratinns also
speak in favour of this course, at Federal relations
with sovereigns hostile to Prussia, and further-
more, at variance with the representative bodies of
their own dominions, offer no prospect of dura-
bility. The extensive intrigues of the expelled
princes for the assembly of a Congress are being
energetically supported by North German agents.
These schemes, however, will not succeed with
France. The Emperor is disinclined to a Con-
gress. He judges very justly that the successes of
Prussia, if submitted to the deciaion of a Congress,
would plunge Europe into profound disaster. The
Emperor Napoleon's attitude is based upon a deep
conviction of the value the friendship of a strong
Prussia will always have for France."

THE KING OF PRUSSIA'S RETURN TO

BERLIN.
NIICOISBURG, ALMOST 2.
The Ring will leave Prague on Saturday morning
for Gorlita, where his Majesty will dine at 5 p.m.,
and arrive at Berlin at 11 the same evening.

THE ARMISTICE.

BKRLIN, ArGU!? 2.

The Official Gazette of to-day says :—" We are
authorised to repudiate as a malicious calumny the
intelligence propagated by the Official Bavarian
Gazette, that the Prussian army had, contrary to
the conditions of the armistice, continued its march
into Bavaria, after the 29th July, and inflicted con-
siderable loupes upon the Bavarian troops. The
terms of the armistice agreed to by Herr von der
Pfordten at Nikolaburg on the 28th July, stipulated
in Art I. that a three weeks' suspension
of hostilities between the opposing Prussian
and Bavarian forces should commence from
the 2nd of .A.u,guat ;. and,. in Art. 11., that
the military details of the said armistice and the
line of demarcation to be observed by both armies
should be settled by the Prussian and Bavarian
commanders-in-chief on the basis of the uti pow-
detis. There could be no question, therefore, of
the right of the Prussians to advance and continue
the war until the 2nd of August, or at least until
a line of demarcation had been agreed upon."

THE LATE GERMAN DIET.

AUGSBURG, Auo. 1, Evxwnlo.

The French, Belgian, and Spanish ministers
accredited to the late Germanic Diet have left
this city. The English minister had already taken
his departure. The Russian minister alone re-
mains.

AIISTRIA AND ITALY.
FLORENCE, Auausr 2, Eviumga.

The Italian government has agreed to the con-
clusion of an armistice of four weeks, dating from
to-day.
The union of Venetia to Italy is assured without
any condition. The question of frontiers is re-
served for the peace negotiations. The armistice
is concluded upon the basis of the military wti
possedetis.
A royal decree has been published ordering a
forced currency for the notes of the National Bank
in the Venetian provinces occupied by the Italians.

NEW ITALIAN LOAN.

FLORENCE, Amon 2.

A royal decree has been issued to-day ordering a
national loan of 350,000,000 his. The issue price
will be 95 per cent., an will be payable in six in-
stalments extending from Bth October, 1866, until
the Ist April, 1867. It will bear interest on the
nominal value at the rate of six per cent., of which
five per cent. will be paid by coupon and one per
cent. in prizes. The interest will be payable every
six months, the first payment falling due on the
Ist April, 1867. The first drawing for prizes will
take place in October, 1870. The prizes will range
from 100 to 100,000 lira.

SWITZERLAND.

BERNE, Ara. t

On account of the conclusion of the preliminaries
of peace the Federal council has disbanded a por-
tion of the troops who were guarding the frontier
between Switzerland and Italy.

AMERICA.
(BY ATLANTIC TELIGIAPH.)
NEW YORK, JULY 30.
The neutrality laws have been modified by Con-
gress.

NNW YORK. JULY 31.
A political riot has taken place at New Orleans
necessitating the proclamation of martial law.