The Sun.
London, England, 1858-08-11 00:00:00

ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH EXPEDITION.

As your readers have already been informed by telegraph,
the submarine communication between the Old and New
Worlds is now an accomplished fact. In the face of difficulties
and dangers, the magnitude of which cannot be properly
appreciated by those not engaged in the work, the engineers
had, with almost untiring energy, adhered to their all but
hopeless task with that perseverance which is sure, sooner or
later, to lead to success. There were but few some 20 days
ago who, after the return of the squadron to Queenstown
from their late unsuccessful attempt,would have dared to pre-
dict such a speedy and glorious to ruination to all the trials
and difficulties that the promoters of the nndertakiug have
undergone. The final accomplishment of the scheme seemed
indeed, up to the last moment,to hang upon a hair. Many se-
rion's difficulties bad to be encountered during the` six days
and a half that the operations lasted, any one of which, had
not chance favoured us, might have ruined the expedition,
and delayed the advance of ocean telegraphs perhaps more
than half a century. But the arduous task has now been
accomplished, and it but remains for us to accept the bene-
fits which it will undoubtedly confer. Wonderful as the
conception of conveying sensations from continent to con-
tinent.across the almost unknown depths of the ocean may
seem to us now, yet in a very little time we shall forget the
marvel while profiting by the fact, and without remember-
ing the years of anxious toil and discouragement which
those who have secured this boon to the community
have undergone. The wonder will be, not that the
undertaking was carried out at all, but that it had not
been accomplished long before. It has been the cus-
tom of mankind to honour the lives and celebrate the deeds
of great statesmen, successful warriors, and eminent divines
—indeed, of such materials are the links in the chain of his-
tory chiefly compe'cd. But those men who, by patient
thought and persevering action, have achieved victories over
matters which secure to the community permanent advan-
tages very often have their trouble for their reward. It is
to be hoped that this, may not be the case with those who
have been mainly instrumental in bringing this great scheme
to a successful termination. It must be confessed that the
prospects of success were very remote when the squadron
left Queenstown on the 17th of last month. The amount of
cable in the two ships had been reduced by nearly 400 miles,
the recollection of three separate and most unaccountable
breakages was still fresh in the minds of all who accompanied
the first expedition, and there was no reason whatever for sup-
posing that the very same thing might not occur again. The
cable might, and eventually did, as far as the contractors are
concerned, fulfil all the guaranteed requirements, and the
numerous accidents which occurred might be due to the
cable having become injured during the gale. This suppo-
sition, though it may be gratifying to Messrs. Glass and
Co., was no consolation to either the engineers or the share-
holders. Under these circumstances, it is not surprising
that many regarded the prosecution of the scheme as a
waste of the shareholders' money. However, in spite of
the most vehement opposition, the majority of the direc-
tors determined to dispatch the expedition to try their
fortune again in mid ocean before they abandoned the
scheme altogether as impracticable. Accordingly, on the
morning of Saturday, the 17th of June, the Valorous, the
Gorgon, and the Niagara, having completed coaling,
steamed away from Queenstown for the rendezvous. The
Agamemnon, having to wait for Professor W. Thomson, one
of the directors, who took charge of the electrical depart-
ment on hoard, did not weigh anchor until two o'clock on
the following morning. As the ships left the harbour there
was apparently no notice taken of their departure by those
on shore or in the vessels anchored around them. Every
one seemed impressed with the conviction. that we were en-
gaged in a hopeless enterprise, and the squadron seemed
rather to have slunk away on some discreditable mission
than to have sailed for the accomplishment of a grand
national scheme. It was just dawn when the Agamemnon
got clear of Queenstown harbour; but as the wind blew
stiffly from the south-west it was nearly 10 o'clock
before she rounded the Old Head of Kinsale, a distance
of only a few miles. The weather remained fine during the
day, and as the Agamemnon skirted along the wild
and rocky shore of the south-west coast of Ireland,
those en board had an excellent opportunity of seeing
the stupendous rocks, which rise from the water in the
most grotesque and fantastic shapes. About five o'clock in
the afternoon Cape Clear was passed, and though the coast
gradually edged away to the northward of our course, yet
it was nearly dark before we lost sight of the high and rocky
mountains which surround Bantry Bay and the shore of the
Kenmare River. By Monday morning, the 19th, we bad
left the land far behind us, and from thence fell into. the
a=nal dull monotony of a sea life. Of the voyage out there
is little to be said. It was not chequered by the excitement
of continual storms or the tedium of perpetual calm, but
we had a sufficient admixture of both to render our passage
to the rendezvous a rely ordinary and uninteresting one;
indeed for the past week the barometer remained unusually
low, and the numbers of those natural barometers. Mother
Carey's chickens, that swarmed in our wake, kept us in
continual expectation of heavy weather. With every little
breeze of wind the screw was got up and sail made so as to
husband our coals as much as possible, but it generally soon
fell calm, and obliged Captain Preedy reluctantly to
get up the steam again. In consequence of these continued
delays and changes from steam to sail, and from sail to steam
again, much fuel was expended, and not more than 80 miles
of distance made good each day. On Sunday, the 23;h,
however, the weather changed, and for several days in suc-
cession there was an uninterrupted calm. The moon was just
at the full, and for several nights it shone with a brilliancy
which turned the smooth sea into one silvery sheet, and
brought out the dark hull and white sails of the ship in strong
contrast to the sea and sky, as the vessel lay all but motion-
lees on the water, the very impersonation of solitude and
repose; indeed, until the rendezvous was gained we had
such a succession of beautiful sunrises,gorgeous sunsets, and
tranquil moonlight nights as would have excited the most
enthusiastic admiration of anyone but persons situated as we
were. By us such scenes were regarded onlyas the annoying
indication of the calm which delayed our progress and wasted
our coals. In spite of the unusual calmness of the weather in
general, there were days on which our former unpleaiant
experiences of the Atlantic were brought forcibly to our re-
collection, when it blew hard and the sea ran sufficiently
high to reproduce on a minor scale many of the discomforts
of which the former cruise had been so fruitful. These days
however, were the exception and not tile rule, and served to
show how much more pleasant was the inconvenient calm
than the weather which previouslyprevailed. By dint, how-
ever, of a judicious expenditure of fuel, and the liberal use
of the cheaper motive power of sail, the rendezvous was
reached cn the evening of Wednesday, the 28th of July,
just 11 days after our departure from Queenstown. The
rest of the squadron were in sight at nightfall, but at
such a considerable distance that it was past 10 o'clock on
the morning of Thursday, the 29th, before the Agamemnon
joined them. We were as usual greeted by a perfect storm
of questions as to what kept us so much behind our time,
and learned that all had come to the conclusion that the
ship must have got onshore in leaving Queenstown harbour.
The Niagara, it appeared, bad arrived on the rendezvous on
Friday, the 23d, the Valorous on Sunday, the 25th, and the
Gorgon on the afternoon of Tuesday, the 27i1x. The day was
beautifully calm, and no time was to be lost before making
the splice. Boats were soon lowered from the attendant ships,
the two vessels made fast by hawser, and the Niagara's end
of the cable conveyed on board the Agamemnon. About
bplf-past twtive o'clock the splice was effectually made, but
nab materials very different from the carefully rounded
semi-circular boards which bad been used to enclose the

junction on previous occasions. It consisted merely of two
straight boards nailed over the joining with the iron rod
and leaden plummet attached to the centre. In hoisting it
out from the side of the ship, however, the leaden sinkfr
broke short off 81111 fell (iv( (I, nod there 1).1i g no m re
convenient weight at hand, a 32 pound shot was fastened to
the splice instead, and the whole apparatus was quickly
dropped into the sea without any formality, and, indeed,
almost without a spectator, for those on board had wit-
nessed so many beginnings to the telegraphic cable that it was
evident they dispaired of their ever being an end to P. The
stipulated 200 fathoms of cable having been paid out to allow
the splice to sink well below the surface the signal to start
was hoisted, the hawser cast loose, and the Niagara and the
Agamemnon started, for the last time, fur their opposite des-
tinations. For the first three hours the ships prtweeded
very slowly, payingout it greAt quantity of slack; but After

the expiration of this time the speed of the Agamemnon was
increased to about 5 knots per hour, the cable going at

about 6, without indicating more than a few hundred peunds
of strain upon the dynamometer. Shortly after six o'clock
a very large whale was seen approaching the starboard bow
at a great speed, rolling and tossing the sea into foam all
around, and for the first time we felt the possibility of the
supposiiton that our second mysterious breakage of the cable
might have been caused after all by one of these animals
getting foul of it under water. It appeared as if it was
making direct for the cable, and great was the relief of all
when the ponderous, living mass was seen slowly to pass
astern, just gra2ing the cable ►here it entered the water,
but fortunately without doing any mischief. All seemed to
go well up to about eight o'clock—the cable paid out from
the hold with an evenness and regularity which showed how
carefully and perfectly it had been coiled away ; and, to
guard against accidents which might arise in consequence
of the cable having suffered injury during the storm, the
indicated strain upon the dynamometer was never allowed
to get beyond 1,7001 b., or less than one quarter what the
cable is cstima'ed to bear, anti thus far everything
looked promising of success. But in such a hazardous
task no one knows what a few minutes may bring forth,
and soon after eight o'clock an injured portion of the
cable was discovered shout a mile or two from the portion
paying out. Not a moment was lost by Mr. Canning, the
engineer on duty, in setting men to work to cobble up the
injury as well as time would permit, for the cable was going
out at such a rate that the damaged portion would be paid
overboard in less than 20 minutes, and former experience
Ind shown us that to check either the speed of the ship or
the cable wou:d, in all probability, be attended by the mo,t

fatal results. Just before the lapping was finished, Pro-

fessor Thomson reported that the elec rival continuity of the
wire had ceased, but that the insulation was still perfect.
Attention was naturally directed to the injured piece as the
probable source of the stoppage, and not. a moment was lost
in cutting the cable at that point with the intention of
making a perfect splice. To the consternation of all, the
electrical tests applied showed the fault to be overboard, and
in all probability some .*)0 miles from the ship. Not a second
was to be lost, for it was evident that the cut portion must
be paid overboard in a few minutes, and in the meantime

the tedious and difficult operation of making a splice had to
be performed. The ship was immediately stopped, and no
more cable paid out than was absolutely necessary to pre-
vent it breaking as the stern of the ship was lifted by
the waves. A scene of the moat intense excitement fol-

lowed. It seemed impossible that, even by using the
greatest possible speed and paying out the least possible
amount of cable, the junction could be finished be-
fore the part was taken out of the hands of the work-
men. The mainhold presented an extraordinary scene,
nearly all the officers of the ship and those connected
with the expedition stood in groups about the coil,
watching, with that intense anxiety which is seldom seen
but round the foreign gaming tables, the cable as it slowly
unwound itself, nearer and nearer the joint, while the work-
men, directed by Mr. Canning, under whose superintendence
the cable was originally manufactured, worked at the splice
as only men could work who felt that the life and death of
3n their rapidity. But all their
the expedition depended up
speed was to no purpose, as the cable was unwinding within
a hundred fathoms; and, as a last and desperate resource,
the cable was stopped altogether, and for a few minutes the
ship hung on by the end. Fortunately, however, it was only
for a few minutes, as the strain was continually rising above
two tons, and it would not hold on much longer, when the
splice was finished, the signal made to loose the stopper, and
it passed overboard safely enough. When the excitement
consequent upon having so narrowly saved the cable had
passed away, we awoke to the consciousness that the case
was still as hopeless as ever, for the electrical continuity was
still entirely 'wanting. Preparations were consequently
made to pay out as little cable as possible, and to hold on for
six hours, in the hope that the fault, whatever it might have
been, might mend itself before cutting the cable, and return-
ing to the rendezvous to make another splice. The magnetic
needles on the receiving instruments were watched closely
for the returning signal., when in a few minutes the last
hope was extinguished by their suddenly indicating " dead
earth," which tended to show that the cable had broken
from the Niagara, or that the insulation had been com-
pletely destroyed. In three minutes, however, every one
was agreeably surprised by the intelligence that the stop-
page had disappeared, and that the signals had again
appeared at their regular intervals from the Niagara. It
is needless to say what a load of anxiety that news re-
moved from the minds of every one ; but the general cenfi-
dence in the ultimate success of the operation was much
shaken by the occurrence, for all felt that at nay minute a
similar accident might occureeFeer some time the paying out
...../rutrea as usual, but towards the morning another
damaged place was discovered in the cable. There wts,
fortunately, however, time to repair it in the hold, without
in any way interfering with the operations, beyond for a
time slightly reducing the speed of the ship. During the
morning of Friday, the 30th, everything went well ; the ship
had been kept at the speed of about 5 knots, the cable going
out at about the average angle with the horizon at which
it left the ship being about 15 degrees, while the indicated
strain upon the dynamometer seldom showed more than
1,6001 b. or 1,70.1 b. Observations made at noon showed that
we bad made good 98 miles from the starting point since the
previous day, with an expenditure, including the loss in
lowering the splice and during the subsequent stoppages of
135 miles of cable. During the latter portion of the day
the barometer fell considerably and towards the evening
it blew almost a gale of wind from the eastward dead
ahead of our course. As the breeze freshened the speed
of the engines was gradually increased ; but the wind
more than increased in proportion, so that before the
sun went down the Agamemnon was going full speed
against the wind, and only making a speed of about faur
knots an hour. Durieg the evening topmasts were
lowered, and spars, yards, sails, and, indeed, every-
thing aloft that could offer resistance to the wind,
was sent down en deck; but still the ship made but
little way, chiefly in con& quence of the heavy sea. The
eaormous quantity of fuel consumed showed us that if the
wind lasted we should be reduced to burning masts, spars,
and even the decks, to bring the ship into Valentia. It
seemed to be our ill-fortune to meet with bead winds
whichever way the ship's head was turned. On our journey
out we had been delayed and obliged to consume an undue
proportion of coal for want of an easterly wind, and now all
our fuel was wanted hrcouse of one. However, during next
day, the wind gradually went round to the S.W., which,
though it raised a very heavy sea, it allowed us to husband our
small remaining store of fuel. At noon on Saturday, .; tily 31,
observations showed us to be in lat. 52 deg. 23 min. N., and
long. 26 deg. 41 min. W., having made good 120 miles of
distance since noon of the previous ::ay, with a loss of about
27 per cent. of cable. The Niagara, as far as could be
judged from the amount of cable she paid out, which, by
a previous arrangement, was signalled at every ten miles,
kept pace with us within one or two miles the whole dis-
tance aeress. During the afternoon of Saturday the wind
again freshened up, and before nightfall it again blew
nearly a gale and a tremendous sea ran before it
from the south-west, which made the Agamemnon pitch to
such an extent that it was thought impossible the cable
clod hold on through the night. Indeed, had it not been
for the constant care and watchfulness exercised by Mr.
Bright, and the two energetic engineers, Mr. Canning and
Mr. Clifford, who acted with him, it could not have been
done at all. Men were kept at the 'wheels of the machine
to prevent them stopping, as the stern of the ship rose and
fell with the sea. glad they done so, the cable must un-
doubtedly have parted. During Sunday the sea and wind
increased, and before the evening it blew a smart gale.
Now, indeed, was the energy and activity of all engaged in
the operation taxed to the utmost. Mr. Hoar and Mr.
Mcore, the two engineers who had the charge: of the re-
lieving wheel of the dynamometer, had to keep watch and
watch alternately every four hours, and while on duty not
dating to let their attention be removed from their occupa-
tion for one moment, for on their releasing the breaks every
time the stern of the ship fell into the trough of the sea,
entirely depended the safety of the cable, and the result
shows how ably they discharged their duty.
Throughout the night there were few who had the least
expectation of the cable holding on till morning, and many
remained awake listening for the sound that all most dreaded
to hear, viz., the gun which would announce the failure
of ill our hopes, but still the cable, which in comparison
with the ship from which it was p'id out, and the gigantic
waves among which it was delivered, was but a mere thread,
continued to hold on, only leaving a silvery phesphorescent
line upon the stupendous seas es they rolled on towards the
ship. With Sunday morning camo no improvement in the
wc at her ;
still the sky remained black and stormy to wind-
ward, an-t oho ceaetent sic'_:,,t• F';',:atl; of ;sirs! arc] ra'r
pies-ailed dining the a Lole day served to keep up, if
not to augment, the height of the waves. Eat the cable
had gene through so much during the alight that our confi-
dence in its continuing to hold was much restored.
At noon observations showed us to be in lat. 52 deg. 26
nun. N., and long. 23 deg. 16 min. W., having made good
130 miles from noon of previous day, and abut 350 from
our starting point in mid-ocean. We bad passed by the
deepest smnding of 2,400 fathoms, and over more than hal
ht• the deep water generally, while the amount of cable still
remaining in the ship was more than sufficient to carry us
to the Irish coast, even supposing the continuance of the
bad weather should oblige us to pay out the same amouut of

looked very promising for our ultimate success. But former
experience showed us only too plainly that we could never
be sure that come accident might not arise until the ends
Lad been fairly landed on the opposite shores.
During Sunday night and Monday morning the
weather continued as boisterous as ever, and it was only by
the most indefatigable exertions of the engineer upon duty

that the wheels could be prevented from stopping altogether
as the vessel rose and fell with the sea, and once or twice
they did come completely to a standstill, in spite of all that
could be done to keep them moving ; but fortunately they
were again set in motion before the:stern of the ship was
thrown up by the succeeding wave. No strain could be
placed upon the cable of course, and though the dynamo-
meter occasionally registered 1,7001 b. as the ship lifted, it
was oftener below 1,0001 b., and was frequently no-
thing at all, the cable running oat as fast as
its own weight and the speed of the ship could
draw it. But even with all these forces acting unresistedly
upon it, the cable never paid itself out at a greater speed
than eight knots an hour, and at the time the ship was going
at the rate of six and a half knots. Subsequently, however,
when the speed of the ship even exceeded six and a half
knots, the cable never ran out so quick. The average speed
maintained by the ship up to this time, and indeed for the
whole voyage, was about five and a-half knots, the cable,
with occasional exceptions, running about 30 per cent.
faster. At neon on Monday (August 2) observations showed
as to be in lat. 52 deg. 35 min. N., long. 19 deg. -18 min.
W., having made good 127!I miles since noon of the previous
flay, and completing snore than half-way to our ultimate
destination. Dating the of e,:to •n in Americus there-
tnasted schooner, which afterwards proved to be the
Chieftain, was seen standing from the eastward towards us.
No notice was taken of her at first, but when she was with-
in about half a mile of the Agamemnon, she altered her
course, and bore right down upon our haws. A collision,
which might prove fatal to the cable, now seemed inevitable,
or ceuld only be avoided by the equally hazardous expedient
of altering the Agamemnon's course. The Valorous steamed
ahead and fired a gun for her to heave to, which, as she did
not appear to take much notice of, was quickly followed by
another from the bows of the Agamemnon, and a second
and third from the Valorous, but still the vessel held on her
course, and, as the only resource left to avoid a collision, the
course of the Agamemnon was altered, just in time to pass
within a few yards of her. It was evident that our proceed-
ings were a source of the greatest possible astonishment to
them, for all her crew crowded upon her deck and rigging.
At length they eventually discovered who we were, and what
we were doing, for the crew manned the rigging, and dipping
the ensign several times, they gave us three hearty cheers.
Though the Agamemnon was obliged to acknowledge these
congratulations in due form, the feelings of annoyance with
which we regarded the vessel which, either by the stupidity
or carelessness of those on board, was so near adding a fatal
and unexpected mishap to the long chapter of accidents
which had already been encountered, may easily be imagined.
To those below who, of course did not see the ship ap-
proaching, the sound of the first gun came like a thunder-
bolt, for all took it as the signal of the breaking of the
cable. The dinner tables were deserted in a moment,
and a general rush made up the hatches to the deck,
but before reaching it these fears were quickly banished
by the report of the succeeding guns, which all knew
well could only be caused by a ship in sea-way or a man
overboard. Throughout the greater portion of Monday
morning the electrical signals from the Niagara bad been
getting gradually weaker until they ceased altogether for
nearly three-quarters of an hour. Our uneasiness, how-
ever, was in some degree lessened by the fact that the stop-
page appeared to be a want of continuity and not any defect
in insulation, and there was consequently every reason to
suppose that it might arise from faulty connection on board
the Niagara. Accordingly, Professor Thomson sent a mes-
sage to the effect that the signals were too weak to be read,
and, as if they had been awaiting such a signal to increase
their battery power, the deflections immediately returned
even stronger than they bad ever been before. Towards
the evening, however, they again declined in force for a short
time. With the exception of these little stoppages the elec-
trical condition of the submerged wire seemed to be much
improved. It was evident that the low temperature of the
water at the immense depth improved considerably the insu-
lating properties of the gutta percha, while the enormous
pressure to which it must have been subjected probably
tended to consolidate its texture, and to fill up any bubbles
or slight faults in manufacture which may have existed.
The weather during Monday night moderated a little, but
still there was a very heavy sea, which endangered the wire
every second minute. About three o'clock on Tuesday
morning all .on board were startled from their beds by the
loud lymnning of a gun ; every one, without waiting for the
performance of the most particular toilet, rushed on deck to
ascertain the cause of the disturbance. Contrary to all
expectation the cable was safe; but just in the grey
light could be seen the Valorous rounded-to in the
most warlike attitude, firing gun after gun in quick
succession towards a large American barque, which
was, quite unconscious of our proceedings, stand-
ing right across our stern. Such loud and re-
peated remonstrances from a large steam frigate
were not to be despised, and, evidently without knowing the
why or the wherefore, she quickly threw her sails aback and
remained hove to. Whether those on board her considered
that we were engaged in some filibustering expedition, or
regarded our proceedings as another Instance of British in-
terference with the American flag, it is impossible to say ;
but certain it is that, apparently in great trepidation, she
remained hove to until we had lost sight of her in the dis-
tance. Tuesday was a much finer day than any we bad
experienced for nearly a week, but still there was a cen-
derable sea running, and our dangers were far from
passed ; yet the hopes of our ultimate success ran high.
We had accomplished nearly the whole of the deep sea por-
tion of the route in safety, and that, too, under the most
unfavourable circumstances possible ; therefore, there was
every reason to believe that, unless some unforeseen accident
should occur, we should accomplis't the remainder. Observa-
tions at noon placed us in lat. 52 deg. 20 min. N., long. 16 deg.
7 uuin. 40 sec. W., having run 134 miles since the previous
day. About five o'clock in the evening the steep submarine
mountain which divides the telegraphic plateau from the
Irish coast was reached, and the effect of the sudden shallow-
ness of the water had a very marked effect upon the cable,
causing the straits on, and the spied of it, to lessen every
minute. A great deal of slack was paid out to allow for any
greater inequalities which may exist than those discovered
by the sounding line. About 10 o'clock the shoal water of
2,50 fathoms was reached. One only remaining anxiety now
was the changing from the lower main exit to that upon the
upper deck, and this most difficult and dangerous operation
was successfully perf,rmed between three and four o'clock on
Wednesday morning. Wednesday was a beautifully calm
day ; indeed, it was the first on which any one would have
thought of inking a splice since the day we started from the
rendezvous ; we therefore congratulated ourselves on having
saved a week by commencing operations on the Thursday
previous. At noon we were in lat. 52 deg. 11 min. N., lobg.
12 deg. 40 min. 2 sec. W.,89 miles distant from the telegraph
station at Valentia. The water was shallow, so that there
was no difficulty in paying out. We were almost without
any loss by slack, and all locked upon the undertaking as
virtually accomplished. At about nine o'clock in the even,

inn, the second change from the upper deck coil to that on
the orlop deck was easily effected, and shortly after the
vessels exchanged signa's that they were in 200 fathoms of
water. As the night advanced the speed of the ship was
reduced, as it was known that we were only a short distance
from the land, and there would be no advantage in making
it before daylight in the morning. About 12, however, the
Skelley's Light was seen in the distance, and the Valorous
steamed on ahead to lead us to the coast, firing rockets at inter-
vals to direct. us, which were answered from the Agamemnon,
though, according to Mr. Moriarty's (the master's) wish,
the ship, disregarding the Valorous, kept her own course,
which proved to be the right one in the end. By daylight
on the morning of Thursday the bold and rocky mountains
which entirely surround the wild and picturesque neigh-
bourhood of Valentia rose right before as at a few miles'
distance. Never, probably, was the sight of land more
welcome to us, as it brought to a successful termination one
of the great st, but, at the sametime, most difficult schemes
which was ever undertaken. Had it been the dullest and
most uninteresting desert on the face of the earth that lay
before us, we should have found it a pleasant prospect. But
as the sun rose from the estuary of Dingle Bay, tinging with
a deep soft purple the lefty summits of the steep mountains
which surround its shores, and illuminating the nasses of
vapour which hung upon them, it was a scene which might
vie in beauty with anything that could be produced by the
most florid imagination of an artist.
onc on store was apparently conscious of nor approneh,
so the Valufmts steamed ahead t..; ill LL !..
and fired a gun. Both ships made direct for Doulus Bay,
and about six o'clock came to an anchor at the side of Be-
ginnes Island, opposite to Valentia. As soon as the inhabi-
tants became aware of our approach there was a general
desertion of the place, and hundreds of boats crowded round
us, their passengers in the greatest state of excitement to
hear all about cur voyage. The Knight of Kerry was absent
in Dingle, but a messenger was immediately despatched for
him, and be soon arrived in her Majesty's gunboat Sham-
rock. Soon after our arrival a signal was received from the
Niagara that they- were preparing to land, having paid
out 1,000 nautical miles of cable, while the Agamemnon

had accomplished her portion of the distance with an ex•
penditure of 1,020 miles, making the total length of the
wire submerged 2,0-50 geographical miles. Immediately
after the ships cast anchor the paddle-box boa's of the
Valorous were got ready, and two miles ofcable coiled away
in them, for the purpose of landing the end, but it was late
in the afternoon before the precession of boats left the ship
under a salute of three rounds of small arms from the de-
tachment of marines on board the Agamemnon, under the
command of Lieut. Morris. The progress of the end to the
shore was very slow, in consequence of the very stiff wind
which blew at the time; but at three o'clock the end was
safely brought on shore at Knightstown, Valentin, by Mr.
Bright and Mr. Canning, the chief and second engineers,
to whose exertions the success of the undertaking is attri-
butable, and the Knight of Kerry. The end was imme-
diately laid on the trench which had been dug to receive
it, while a royal salute, making
the neighbouring rocks
and mountains reverberate, announced that the communi-
cation between the Old and New Worlds had been com-
pleted. The end was immediately taken into the eleetricvl
room by Mr. Whitehouse, and attached to a galvanometer,
and the first message was received through the entire length.
Too much praise cannot be bestowed upon the officers and
men of the Agamemnon for the hearty way in which they
have assisted in the arduous and difficult service they have
been engaged iu, and the admirable manner in which the
ship was navigated by Mr. Moriarty and Mr. Lebbey, the
first and second mates, reduced the difficulties of the com-
pany's operations. It will in all probability be nearly a
fortnight before the instruments are completed up to the
two termini for the transmission of regular signals. It
unrre,s-,ry e7.-pa'ir.te upon the magnitude of the
undei taking which has been just completed, or upon the
great pelitical and social results which are likely to arise
from it, but there cannot be but one feeling of universal
admiration for the courage and perscl entice which has been
displayed by Mr. Bright, and these who acted under his
orders, in encountering the multiplied difficulties
arrested their path at every step.—fleredd.

From the LONDON GAZETTE of Teeterday.

WHITEHALL, AUGUST 9.

The Queen has been pleased to direct letters patent to be
passed under the Great Seal, granting the dignity of a Baron
of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland unto
the Right lion. Thomas Pemberton Leigh, and the heirs
male of his body lawfully begotten, by the name, style, and
title of Baron Kingsdown, of Kingsdown, in the count•
of Kcat.