The Sun.
London, England, 1864-03-22 00:00:00

The Indian Telegraph Cable.

Oa the Mekran coast, about 250 miles west of
Xurrachee, the peninsula of Ras Noa is joined to the
mainland by a narrow sandy isthmus, on which is
Gwadar, a wretched town of mat-and-mud•built
houses, inhabited chiefly by Beloochees, but subject
to the Imaum of Muscat, who is represented by an
Arab governor and guard. To the north of Gwadar
the soft friable sandstone, the prevailing formation
along the coast, increases in height and irregularity,
the mountain ridges taking every conceivable form
of pinnacle and buttress until they appear like a
series of vast ruined castles and cathedrals. To the
west extends a circular bay, some nine or ten miles
across, with a regular sandy bottom, admirably
fOapted far receiving a submarine cable, and here
commences the first section of the Indian cable, the
land line eastward to Kurrachee being already com-
pleted and the telegraph-office in full operation, to
the great marvel of the natives as well as of the
chiefs, who came down to G wadur with their re-
tainers as far from the interior as the neighbour-
, hood of Herat.

On the evening of the 4th of February all the
steamers and cables belonging to the section (which
had met at the rendezvous some days previously,
with a punctuality auguring well for the future
success of the expedition), having landed the heavy
shore cable, started westward for Mussendom. The
Victoria had been previously stationed on the
course, some miles out at sea, to mark the first point
where the cable might have otherwise run some
danger of being leid upon an unsuitable bottom.
The Coromandel, with Col. Stewart, R.E., on board,
piloted the course ; following her, the Zenobia towed
the Kirkham, Sir Chas. Bright and his staff laying
and testing the cable from her at the rate of about
five miles an hour.

At noon on the sth, 75 miles were laid, and at
half-past 10 on the morning of the following day,
having finished the 187 miles on board the Kirkham,
the squadron came to anchor in Ist 25 19 N, long 59
E, off Ras Mundanny, a spit of low swampy land
between Ras Tank and ilas Zegin.
On the afternoon of the 7th, having joined the
end to the cßbie on board the Marian Moore, the
ships stnited again, the Kirkham returning to Bom-
bay in tow of the Semiramis. At 9 30 a,m. on the
sth the ships anchored off Ras Jask, at the entrance
to the Gulf, 268 miles being laid, and waited until
the evening, so as to make the Arabian coast on the
following morning.
Shortly after midday on the 9Lh, 357 miles hav•
ing been laid, the Marian Moore anchored near the
landing place at Molcolm's Inlet, a sandy inlet 10
miles in length, surrounded by steep and sterile
mountains, and about 14 miles from Cape Mussen-
dom, which gives its name indefinitely to the adja-
cent land.

The shore-end was landed on the 13th, the in-
terim being occupied in Lrectiug a short length of
land line and fitting up tents and accommodation for
the operators. On the 14th the Marian Moore, with
Messrs. Laws, Webb, Alexander, Lambert, and
other engineers and electricians assisting in the
work, started for Bombay, in tow of the Zenobia,
to prepare and bring up the Tweed and Assaye,
which arrived there with an aggregate of 730 miles
of the cable on Feb. 6 and 13 respectively. So far
nothing could have been more successful, the
cs.,b.e when laid being in very far higher elec-
trical condition than any other line yet submerged,
and having been laid without the smallest draw-
back or embarrassment either mechanical or elec-
trical.
If the other arrangements proceed with equal re-

gnlarity, we may shortly look for the completion of
the gio-Indian Telegraph, though it is probable
that some little time may intervene between the