The Sun.
London, England, 1865-08-09 00:00:00

THE ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH.

No news has been received concerning the At-
ltntic Cable since that forwarded by Mr. Glass on
Monday evening from Valentia. This latest tele-
gram, however, seems very confused, and rather
takes away from than adds to the very small amount
of information which the public was till now sup-
posed to possess. Every matter connected with the
mishap is, of course, open to conjecture, but, at
least, it was believed that the electrical tests as to
the fault were beyond a doubt. It appears now,
however, that the fault or faults are supposed to
have shown themselves at a distance of only 1,175
miles from shore, instead of 1,250 miles, up to
which length the telegraph was reported to be per-
fect. The telegram states on Monday night that
" May's tests to-day make the distance of the fault
1,175 miles, taking the temperature of the water at
31. I think the last distance telegraphed is right."
What the previous telegram is which is here
alluded to it is impossible to say, beyond the cer-
tainty that it has not been made public. This pro-
bable confusion as to the distance of the fault, and
evident confusion as to the temperature of the
water, make the whole message in a manner unre-
liable. If, however, it is to be depended upon, it
would be impossible to imagine a message more
fatally injurious to the commercial prospects of the
undertaking, looking at it, as it is viewed by the
general public, as an investment. The last tele-
gram but one from the Great Eastern showed 1,200
miles paid out, and all going well, without fault of insu-
lation or conductivity; the last news of all told 1,250
knots submerged, and still everything was well. It
was only after the receipt of this latest despatch that
the messages became unintelligible. If, however,
Mr. May's tests are to be depended upon, it would
show that a fault suddenly arose in mid-ocean after
no less than 75 miles of rope had been paid out and
safely landed on the bottom. The addenda, too, to
this last telegram are a sort of puzzle, as none seem
to know what the last distance telegraphed is, for
no distance previous to this arrangement save that
of 1,250 miles has been given to the world. If the
latest official news which we publish above is 'cor-
rect, and if it is true that nearly 100 miles of per-
fect cable can be paid out and regularly signalled
through for more than 24 hours, and then suddenly,
without cause.assigned or known, part at the bottom
of the ocean, it is only fair to presume that the
shareholders are embarked in one of the most
hazardous undertakings which even modern share-
holders ever ventured on. Against this unfavour-
able dictum, however, may be fairly set the opinion
of the most eminent electricians in this country
who have been consulted as to the tests, and who
give it as an almost unanimous opinion that the cable
parted from the Great Eastern soon after her unin-
telligible signals were made on Wednesday last.
This afternoon or, at latest, to-morrow morning the
Great Eastern will be able to telegraph her own
account of the disaster, which, we think, will be
found to amount to the simple words that those on
board found the fault after it had been paid out
astern, and in the effort to retrieve the accident, by
hauling in the rope and repairing it, either broke
it or had to cut it on seeing that the attempt was
useless.

Launch of a Peruvian Ironclad Frigate,

Yesterday the Independencia, an iron-plated
ship, combining the principles of an armour-cased
steam-frigate and a steam-ram, was launched from
the building-yard of Messrs. Samuda Brothers, at
Poplar. The Independencia, which is a fine speci-
men of the port-hole class of frigates, is 215 feet in
length, 44 feet 9 inches beam, and 32 feet 6 inches
depth, and measures 2,004 tons. She is built en-
tirely of iron, and is cased with armour plates 4i

inches thick from stem to stern, the armour reach-
ing down to about four feet below the water line
and up to the deck, fore and aft, while in the mid-
slips of the vessel it extends up to the gunwale of
the upper deck. Behind the armour, and between
it and the skin of the ship, a thick backing of
teak is worked in in the usual way. The stem
of the vessel is constructed to be used as a
ram when required, for which purpose the
bowsprit is hinged, so as to be easily
brought in-board. To enable the vessel to make
better use of her sails on her voyage from here to
Peru, or under other circumstances when sailing is
more desirable than steaming, the screw is made to
lift, and this has been arranged without interruption
to the armour which encircles the stern, and with-
out interfering with the stern gun. The armament
is to consist entirely of rifled guns, on Sir William
Armstrong's shunt principle; of these there will be,
on the main or fighting deck, 12 70-pounders, each
weighing four tons, and on the upper deck two large
pivot guns, each 150-pounders, weighing seven tons,
and capable of firing in a line with the keel. The
bottom of the vessel is double, and perfectly water-
tight, the chamber thus formed being intended to be
used as a ballast tank, to keep the height of port
sills a uniform distance from the water as the coal
is burnt out from the bunkers, as also to serve as
an extra security in the event of the bottom of the
vessel getting bilged or otherwise damaged.

In addition to a vast number of transverse bulk-
heads (two of which are covered with armour), there
are also longitudinal or wing bulkheads, to preserve

the flotation of the vessel even if the armour sides
should be pierced, and to allow repairs to the armour
after an action to be easily effected.
The vessel will be fitted with a pair of screw
engines of the collective nominal power of 550
horses, which have been prepared for her by Messrs.
J. Penn and Son, of Greenwich.

The speed expected to be obtained is 12 knots
per kour with all armament, stores, and coal on
board, that is in thorough sea-going trim, when she
will carry her port sills 7 feet out of water.
The dimensions and form of the ship are such as
to warrant the expectation that has been formed of
her that she will be particularly handy and easy of
management, and a great acquisition to the Peruvian
navy. There was a large number of ladies and
gentlemen connected with Peru and the other
South American republics present to witness the
launch. The ceremony of naming was performed by
Madame Barreda, the wife of the Peruvian minister.
While on the stocks the hull had a somewhat un-
wieldy appearance, owing to the comparative short-
ness of her extreme stem and stern dimensions with
her breadth, and the heavy bilge necessary for flota-
tion, considering the heavy weight she has to carry.
This objection, however, vanished the moment she
touched the river, into which she glided with the
ease and grace of a swan, and when fairly resting
upon the water a more sightly or shipshape craft
could hardly be conceived.

The general inspection of the vessel while build-
ing, the arrangement of the armament, and all the
naval details have been entrusted by the Peruvian
Government to Captain Garcia, of the Peruvian
navy, who has been appointed to command her.
She is as soon as cumpleted to proceed to Callao,
where she will take up her station ; but Captain
Garcia says be intends to avoid the Cape Horn
passage, and to run her through the Straits of
Magellan.

THE CAPTIVES IN ABYSSINIA.—By the arrival of
the French mail we have received advices from 'BonMay up
to the 12th of July, or four days' later date than those
brought by the mail on Sunday last. The only item of
additional news is an announcement made by the Bombay.,
Gazette of July 12 concerning the captivity of Mr. Consul
Cameron and others in Abyssinia :—"W e hear, on good
authority, that Sir W. 141. Coghlan, K.C.8., late Political
Resident at Aden, will be sent as Envoy to King Theodo-
sius of Abyssinia, should Mr. Rassam fail in obtaining the
liberation of Mr. Qameron and the other captives.