The Sun.
London, England, 1865-04-25 00:00:00

The Atlantic Telegraph Cable,

The work connected with the equipment and pre-
paration of the Great Eastern steamship for laying
down the Atlantic telegraph cable between this
country and America during the approaching sum-
mer is being carried on in the most expeditious
manner at the vessel's moorings, Saltpan-reach, be-
tween Chatham and Sheerness. Already consider-
ably more than 1,000 miles of the cable have been
placed on board, the total length deposited in the
tanks constructed between the decks for the recep-
tion of the cable up to Saturday evening being
1,220 statute miles, rather more than half the quan-
tity intended to be shipped. The total length of
cable required to stretch from the starting point in
Ireland to the spot where it is intended to land on
the American side is exactly 2,253 miles ; but, ac-
cording to present arrangements, it is intended to
place at least 2,400 miles on board, the few addi-
tional hundred miles' length being allowed for
" slack," the action for currents, and other such like
contingencies. The smallest of the three monster
tanks in which the cable is deposited when received
on bdard the Great Eastern—that in the forward
part of the ship—is now full, the total length stowed
away within it being exactly 633 miles. The largest
of the tanks—that in the after part of the vessel—is
intended to receive between 800 and 900 miles of
the cable, and already a total quantity of 520 miles
has been deposited in it, the filling of this tank
being temporarily suspended to admit.the third, or
midship tank, which is constructed to holdt urn on
about
820 820 miles, being proceeded with. The
Saturday evening gave a length of 62 milesrea
thesdepo-
sited in the last of the three tanks. During.
time the cable is on board it is kept submerged, the
tanks, for this purpose, being always filled with
waetr. Electricians are constantly employed on
board in a portion of the Great Eastern appro-
priated for their accommodation, and by means of
the most sensitive and delicate instruments every
portion of the cable is subjected to the most careful
and rigid tests, as it is received from the hulks and
deposited in the tanks, in order that the most trifling
defect may be discovered. Up to the present time,
however, not the slightest break or flaw in the
whole of the 1,200 miles' length of cable has
been detected, notwithstanding that during every
minute of the day a constant current of electricity
is passing through the coils, and there is little doubt,
therefore, that, so far as its electric capabilities are
concerned, the cable will leave this country in the
highest possible state of perfection, and with the
improved instruments intended to be used capable
of transmitting messages between this country and
America at the rate of 12 words per minute, or
more than double the number which could be forced

JNEWSPAPEI;:.
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through the~,l"A,
old Atlantic telegrap,kl, -fe A
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at which the cable has been siiii*eli:4
varied from 20 to 30 miles /:,I,_°4-da -;: fes
calculated that, providing no dela kes4laccatt
the works of Messrs. Glass, Elliot, and Co., of
Morden-wharf, Greenwich, where the cable is
manufactured at the rate of 100 miles per week, the
entire quantity will be shipped by the first week
in June, and the Great Eastern ready to take her
departure towards the latter end of the same month,
so as to fall in with the best possible weather to be
met with in the Atlantic. Although the construc-
tion of the tanks is complete, a numerous body of
mechanics and workmen are employed on board in
strengthening the ship by means of a system of
knees, butts, and deck beams, so as to support the
additional dead weight of the cable, and to over-
come the lateral pressure of the mass by confining
its dead weight to the centre of the ship, and thus
to lessen as much as possible the rolling propensity
of the Great Eastern when at sea with the three
tanks filled with the cable and water. The weight
of the new Atlantic cable is nearly double that of
the one originally
laid, the weight of the entire
insulation of the cable submerged in 1858 being
2611 b. per nautical mile, while that of the new
cable is 400 lb. per nautical mile. The weight of
the new cable in air is 35 cwt. 3 qrs. per nautical
mile, and in water 14 cwt. per knot, or equal to
11 times its weight in water per knot ; or, in other
words, it will bear its own
depth of water. The original in 11 miles' Atlantic telegraph
cable weighed but 20 cwt, per mile in the air,
and rather more than 13 cwt. per nautical mile
in water, which would be equal to 4.85 times
irs weight in water per knot. In the cable
now in course of shipment the breaking
strength is 7 tons 15 cwt., 41Phile the breaking
strength of the first laid cable was only 31-
tons, and the contract strain equal to 4.85 its
weight per knot in water. The contract strain of
the new cable is equal to 11 times its weight per
mile in water, or more than double the strength of
the cable first laid between this countryandAmerica.
The whole of the arrangements connected with the
shipment of the cable, and, indeed, with the equip-
ment and preparation of the Great Eastern, are
most ably carried out by Mr. Canning, the com-
pany's engineer, who has had the great advantage
of being similarly engaged on the occasion of the
first Atlantic cable being submerged. The Great
Eastern has commenced shipping her coals, about
2,000 tons of the 8,000 she will require having been
already received on board. The restrictions as to
the admission of visitors have recentlybeen removed,
and the public are now admitted to inspect the great
ship and witness the operation of shipping the
Atlantic cable on board.

Theatres and other Places of Dramatic
Entertainment Bill.

The following explanatory observations on this
bill have been transmitted to us by a gentleman
who is thoroughly conversant with the subject :
The main object of this bill is to give greater facilities for
the establishment of theatres and other places of dramatic
entertainment, subject always to the censorship of the Lord
Chamberlain with respect to the character of the plays and.
other entertainments there presented (see clause 5).
The bill does not take away any existing authority for
licensing (see clause 4). It creates an additional authority.
The subject of theatrical and musical entertainments was
considered by a select committee of the House of Commons
in 1853 and 1854. The committee comprised Mr. Villiers,
Sir George Grey, Sir J. Pakington, Mr. Sothern,•and Mr.
Lowe. The committee observe in their report (p. 26) that
"dramatic and musical entertainments hare a tendency,
under strict censorship, to raise the character of the people ;
and there is evidence of a growing taste for such entertain-
ments among the working classes, and which it appears to
your committee may be made to serve as a powerful coun-
ter attraction to the public-house."

The committee further report that on consideration of
the whole of the evidence, and the public and private inte-
rests concerned, they had agreed to certain resolutions,
among which are the following :

" That no public theatrical or musical performance, pic-
torial or other representation or exhibition, should be per-
mitted without a licence.

" That it should be open to all persons to obtain such
licence from the Lord Chamberlain, or other competent
authority, on payment of a sum notexceedingfs per annum,
and on giving bond and sureties for the observance of the
law and conditions of the licence."
(Report on Public-houses, &c., July 13, 1854.)
Tho recommendation of the committee is, in effect, that
there should be what has been called free trade in theatres,
subject only to the payment of a small fee in each case, and
to the giving of security for proper management. There
would, according to the plan of the committee, be no dis-
cretion as to the grant of a licence. An applicant would be
entitled to one, as of course, on paying the fee and giving the
security.
The promoters of the present bill might, relying on the
authority of this influential committee, have proposed a sys-
tem such as the report suggests. But they have limited
themselves to seeking the creation of an additional licensing
authority; not taking away the discretion, but trusting to
its proper exercise.

The new licensing authority they propose is the justices
in quarter sessions.

If the function of licensing places of theatrical entertain-
ment throughout Great Rritain was assigned to tho Lord
Chamberlain (which is suggested as one alternative by the
select committee), a staff and establishment entailing con-
siderable expense would most probably be requisite. Ob-
jections o f other kinds might be suggested.

The bill takes the existing act, which empowers quarter
sessions to license music halls and dancing saloons, and
gives it a twofold extension. (1.) It extends the operation
of the act to Great Britain generally, the act being limited
in operation to London and Westminster and twenty miles
round. (2.) It extends the scope of the act, so as to em-
brace all places for the public performance of stage plays
not authorised under some other enactment or privilege.
It is proposed that every licence under the act of Geo. IL
should, ipso facto, sanction the performance of any enter-
tainment being a stage play within the meaning of that
term as used in the bill. There seems no good reason why
a license for music or for dancing should not carry the right
to the performance of an opera or burletta (forinsta.nce), or
of a ballet. Refined distinctions as to what is and is not a
stage play will be got rid of.

.This effect, however, will not be given unconditionally to
a licence granted for ahouse orplace which had been already
licensed before the passing of the proposed act. The music
or dancing licence of such a house or place will not carry a
dramatic licence unless the construction and arrangements
of the house or place are such as would be required on the
grant of a licence for the first timo after the proposed act
(see the latter part of clause 2).

Clause 2 prescribes the rules for the safety of the public
which experience has shown to be necessary, with an ex-
ception for places already licensed.
Clause 3 gets rid of the restriction imposed by section 3
of the Act of George 11., preventing music halls, &c, being
opened before five p.m. This restriction is condemned in
the report of the select committee already referred to (p.
24). The other regulation, as to the in)Eseeclrtsipextoin,enn)dr:amtoaaul
pro-
posed to be also repealed as useless.
Acts(aosf applied to
places C l Clause e
licensed
has
under
nt
dwe or f
theol d oApeetraotfi oGonef.ort.E(::lp.
the proposed Act) the
provisions of
ofplays,lB" and
wlottercoofratphr:svire oardnisereof
&e. Those
1842, for the protection of the eonl
to
provisions extend at present
composer of the air has
entertainmpernotiwahoinite
extends
terms
the
eotyuh
hich
under those acts.
•
Clause B—The enactment here referred to (among other
am
songusi c hall.the
things) empowers the Excise• authorities to grant a retail
licence to any person to sell bee; spirits, and wine in any
theatre or other place of public entertainment licensed by
justices, without the production of any certificate or autho-
rity for him to keep a common inn, alehouse, &c. It isun-
derstood that this enactment is (in pursuance of an opinion)
of the Attorney-General of some years ago) regarded as
mandatory to the Excise authorities, so that, in practice,
any person having a theatre licensed by justices obtains
from the Excise authorities, on demand, a licence to sell
beer, &c., therein.
It is not thought expedient that this right should be con-
ferred on the licensees of quarter sessions under the
proposed Act. It is considered better that they should
be entirely under the control of the justices with respect
to licences for sale of beer, &c. Clause 8 therefore
negatives the application in the case of the enactment
referred to.

• NEW SCHEME OF LAW REPORTING:—We learn,
on reliable authority, that the proposition that Sergeant's-
inn should send a member to the new council of reporting,
has been rejected by that body, all the judges present hav-
ing expressed themselves as opposed to the scheme.—
Solicitors' Journal.

FOUND DROWNED.—Yesterday Mr. H. J. Payne,
the coroner, held an inquest upon the body of a
young woman picked up off liorsolydown. The waterman
who found-the body said it was that of a woman of about
21, and had been in the water above two months. The
.beadle, George Muwmery, said the woman had been dressed
in a black silk dress, black shawl, and striped stockings,
but nearly all her apparel had been rotted off by the action
of the water, and the bodywas quite decomposed. A verdict
of "Found drowned" was at once returned. .

,'THEATRE-ROYAL, E-R 0 Y AL, DRURY-LANE,
Managers. Messrs. E. Falconer and F. 13. Chatterton.
THIS EVENING, Shakelpere's Play of HENRY HTE
EIGHTH, terminating with the fall of Wolsey. Messrs.
Phelps, Walter Lacy ; Miss Atklnson.
After which, on a scale of great splendour, Milton's Mask
of COMUS : Messrs. Walter Lacy, NV ilbye Cooper, Henri
Drayton, Miss Poole, Miss Augusta Thomson, and Mrs. H.
Tezin.

HEATR E-R OYA L, HAYMARKET.
T Lessee. Mr. Buckstone.
THIS EVENING the performance will commence with
THREE WEEK'S AFTER MA KRIAGE. Mr. Chippen-
dale, Mr.W. Farren, Mr. Gordon, &c.; Mesdames Frzwilliam,
Snowdon, &c.
After which, THE WOMAN IN MAUVE. Messts
Sothern, Compton, Howe, Farren, Braid, &c ; Mesdamve
Stuart, Lovell, Buckstone, &c.
Followed by LORD DUNDREARY MARRIED AND
DONE FOR Dundreary, Mr. Sothern.
And FAMILY JARS. Mr. Compton, &3.
To commence at 7.

NEW THEATRE-ROYAL, ADELPHI.-
~,,, ritwei.tor and llittLlS44'ol'. 31 IV eUnir r.
THIS EVE \'ING (by d sire\ MASKS AND FACES ;
or, Before and Behind the Curtain. Mr. lienjamin Webster,
Messrs. Paul Bedford, Biilington, Ashley, Stuart, C. Smith,
Mrs. Stirling, Miss H. Simm,. and Mrs. Billing-,ton.
Atter wnich, 13th time, a new Extravaganza, entitled
PAN ; or, The Loves of Echo and Narcissus. Messrs. J. L.
Toole, Paul Bedford, O. J. Smith, It. isomer, Miss Woolgar,
Miss K. Kelly, Miss Lillian Bruce, and Miss A. Seam .n.
To conclude with THE STEEPLECHASE; or, In the
Pigskin. Messrs. J. L. Toole, Paul Bedford ; Miss K. Kelly.