Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-08-25 00:00:00

ied, rather snappishly, that
disaster, but he rep.:l
,:
the press had greatly eaggerated the damage
sustained by the Tragsil—th...lt she was an excel-
lent sea ship, and that then she only wanted a
little tightening of her tackle to be, in all
respects, perfectly fit to undertake a voTage of
the longest distance, and over the wildest and
most furious of oceans. At the time whenthis
discussion took place we dissented from the views ,

of Sir CHARLES WooD, and gave it as our opinion
that if again sent to sea some direful mishap
must follow. From first to last the Transit has
proved herself an unmanageable sea tub—alto-
gether unequal to the task of buffeting the roaring
billows of the Pacific—much less navigating the
dangerous and intricate waters of the China Seas.
How far we were correct in our predictions our
readers can guess. She has gone down in the
Straits of Sunda, but the troops on board, as
well as her crew, need not thank the First Lord
of the Admiralty that she did not go down in
the middle of the ocean, far from the shore, and
where all chance of escape would be impossible,
and carry with her all her rotten planks and
every one on board.

Now, had such an unfortunate and melancholy
catastrophe occurred, what would have been the
feelings of the country ? Would not the univer-
sal verdict of the people, without distinction of
sex, age, or creed, have stamped the Lords of the
Admiralty guilty of the lives of soldiers, officers,
and crew ? Would the public indignation have
been satisfied with a cry of guilty ? Certainly
not. We should not have been surprised if the
Admiralty had been gutted from top to bottom,
and the ruling officials compelled to beat a
speedy retreat for safety. It is a serious thing
to evoke public indignation. and to excite the
maddened frenzy of the populace. Although no
lives have been lost yet, we cannot help
charging Sir CHAS. WOOD, and his colleagues.,
with the most reckless and reprehensible conduct
which has ever disgraced the Admiralty of Great
Britain. What confidence can the troops now
going out to India have in the ships selected by
such a band of pig-headed incapablcs ? Are they
certain that one-half of the ships chartered as
Government transports will not prove
second editions of the Transit ? The whole
thing is so outrageous, that we trust Lord PAL-
MERSTON will be taught by the firm and
determined tone of both Houses of Parliament
that Sir CHARLES \\TODD having shown such
glaring instances of incapability and unjustifiable
stubbornness, should no longer preside as
First Lord of the Admiralty. Should they do
so, they may rely that the "spontaneous voice of
the nation will sustain them in their denunciation
of offensive conduct, alike detrimental to the
honour and integrity of the country as it is to
those whom we send forth to fight our battles,
and maintain untarnished the supremacy of the
British 1110. WP shall wait with awzipty to
hear the explanation of the Government on the
subject.

LIST week we referred to the accident which
has befallen the Atlantic Telegraph Cable. Since
that several of our cote mporaries have taken
occasion to make comments as if the accident
were proof of the impracticability of the scheme.
This is not so. The worst that can be made of
the mishap is, that it will delay the completion
of the undertaking probably until next year.
Any one who has perused with attention the
able and succinct report of Mr. C. T. BRIGIIT,
the engineer of the company, must feel satisfied
that the accident was the result of mismanage.
ment, mainly owing to the fact that the parties
employed in paying off the cable were not only
too few in number, but somewhat deficient in
mechanical skill. Instead, then, of indulging in
despondency at the unexpected stop which has
been put to the undertaking pro tern., we should
rejoice that the experience of the past has satis-
factorily demonstrated that we can lay down the
Electric Cable between the Old and the New
World, and that having that done, we can apply
the electric spark to it, and thus communicate
our wants and wishes to our friends and corres-
pondents in America, or receive a notification
of theirs. This we look upon as some kind of
compensation for the disappointment caused by
the snapping of the cable when 214 miles from
the west coast of Ireland ; for, from what Mr,
BRIGHT reports, it is perfectly clear, that had
all the arrangements been complete and perfect
on board the Niagara, the first portion of the
cable would have been safely deposited ere this,
and that on board the Agamemnon would also
have been in a fair way for a safe and certain
deposit in the bottom of the western side of the
Atlantic.

It is not our object to carp at the silliness of
putting to sea on such an important purpose
without being provided with a staff ample in
number and fully qualified by mechanical skill
and ingenuity. The regret is that, as yet, it seems
likely we may lose the greater part, if not all, of

that portion of the cable which now lies at the
bottom of the Atlantic. We trust, however,
that science will overcome this and all other diffi-
culies connected with the undertaking. We
are confirmed in this hope by the announcement
that the I)irectors have come to the determina-

tion of making a renewed attempt in Octiber.
Tll;,s is considered by nautical men a favourable
'month for such an undertaking; and, if the
parties entrusted with the duty of laying down
the cable have profitted by the past, and can
devise means for meeting the consequences or
any disaster, we may consider the Atlantic Tele-
graph an accomplished fact, and that what has
taken place ig only a delay—not a failure.