The Sun.
London, England, 1858-06-01 00:00:00

AUROPEAN AND AMERICAN
. TELEGRAPH. .1' -

—fClre/414411tlisicitti, .blikliketfrieAds aria
rooters of this undertaking attended,-was bell orearii
day, at the Guildhall Coffeehouse, at one o'clock. The
chair was taken-. by Mr. James Wyld, M.P., in the
absence of Sir Jaines.Duke, Bart., M.P., who expressed
his regret at not being able to attend, in consequence of
his engagement to take the duties of the justice-room at
the Mansion-house
Mr. JAMES Wynn, M.P., in opening the business of
the meeting, explained that the proposed European and
American Telegraph was of an exceedingly compre•
hensive character. The promoters proposed to ley a
telegraph in the first instance to London, whence it
went' be prolonged to Gibraltar and to Malta, where it
would form a junction with the important line a com-
munication to the East. The telegraphs which would be
made to India, whether by way of the Euphrates Valley
or the Red Sea, would become valuable feeders to the
proposed line, and on the completion of the system
Great Britain would be perfectly indepeudeut of, the
existing telegraphic communication on the Con-
tinent. This he considered to be a most iinportaut
matter, and any plan which would accomplish so desir-
able an object would, he felt confident, meet with the
support of the British Government. (Hear, hear.) The
late President of the Board of Trade, Lord Stanley of
Alilerley, bad poietel out the great risk which thie
country ran in having, in the event of war, its important
intelligence tranemitted by continentsl posers to the
enemy. The establishment of an independent line, such '
as that now proposed, has been submitted to the pre-
sent Government, and Earl,Grey had stated in the House
of Lords that "he hoped the lion from Plymouth to
Alexandria, by way of Gibraltar and Malta, wonld be
laid down, because it was of the utmost importance that
her Mej ?sty's Government should have the p ewer of
communicating with our military garrison in the Medi-
terranean by means of a telegraphic line formed by a
British company." ,To supply this important link was not,
however, the sole object of the promoters of this com-
pany. They proposed, and had obtained all the necessary
concessions for enabling them to carry their project into
effect, to lay a telegraphic cable from Lisbon to Flores,
one of the group of the Az )rei Islands, and thence to
some point on the coast of the United States which might
be hereafter determined. This would give to Great Britain
and the United States an alternative line in the event
of the successful laying of the Atlantic telegraph. To
the United States and the British Col mins in America
it would, however, give much more than this, •as
it would enable the merchants and Government' of
those countries to communicate direct with the Medi-
terranean and the East Indies, with which a very
large amount of business was transacted:' With
regard to the physical difficulties of laying the proposed
telegraph, although an ophaion upon this point would
come with greater weight from his friend Mr. Edwin
Clarke, who had great t xprrience in his profession as en-
gineer in laying submarine telegraphs, still he could not
avoid saying that difficulties fully as great as those
which may be anticipated between the Az Tres and
B rston, or Charlestown, had been sueceesfully overcome
in the Mediterranean lines, where the cable hail beau laid
over chasms in the bed of the sea, as deep an any that
would in all probability be encountere.l in the Atlantic.
(llear, hear.) So far as the line between Piymouth and
Lisbon, and thence to Malta was concerned, which
was the part he was anxious to sue first undertaken,
there was not the slightest room for doubt respecting the
1 eying of the cable, as the soundings of every inch of the
ground were already accurately known. So far as the
profitable character of the undertaking was concerned,
there could not be twe opinions upon that point. The
Vines had stated " the messages to and from New
Orleans alone would employ and richly pay one cable."
The enormous extent to which telegraphic communica-
tion was carried on appeared, upon the same great au-
thority, to be such, that thirty wires were barely suffi-
cient ter the transaction of the business between Lon-
don, Liverpool, and Dublin. (Hear.) He had no doubt
whatever that a project of this sort well brought out by
men of energy and intelligence would be fully supported
by the public. (Hear.) With respect to the partici' ar
fnien of the cable, and the best mode of laying it, these
were matters with which the directors would be called
upon hereafter to deal, aided as they would be by
,the valuable advice of Mr. E twin Clarke ; but of this
there could be no doubt that the experience obtained
by the attempt now about to be made by the
Atlantic Telegraph Company would be of immense value
in guiding the future operations of the company. (Hear.)
Tee completionof the line to Lisbon, and thence to Malta,
waesin his opinion the point to which the 'attention of
the company should in the first instance be directed. In
conclusion, he called upon Mr. E. Clarke to state to the
meeting his opinion on the merits of the proposed line,
and to mention any objections which ho believed, in an
engineering point of view, offered themselves to the com-
pletion nf the undertakine'e (Hear )
Mr. EDWIN CLARKE, C E., said, that although Lis
connection with the proposed line was a very recent
one, and might, indee 1, be considered as still in pro-
gress, yet that the obj, ct of a similar telegraphic coal
munication had long been a matter of deep considera-
tion with himself and friends. Taking up the pro-
posed line at i:s commencement—from Plyinonth to
Lisbon, and eht rice to Gibraltar and Malta, there was
no question that the independence in this part of tho
line, of all Continental influence, rendered it one of the
highe4 importance to the public interest, so mud'
to, as to cimmand for it a Government support. (Rear.)
Like all men, whose business sought its advantage from
the progress of civilisation, he was desirous of peace, and
hoped f)r peace ; but it was impossible for those who
understood human nature, and ice enlargement' in what
he might call national nature, not to comprehend that
wars were possible, however improbable. Against such
probabilities even civil engineers, as well as statesmen,
were compelled to provide, A line, therefore, which gave
independent access to Gibraltar, thence to Malta, and
so connected them, entirely and independently, with the
East, e as of the utmost importance, and would undoubte
edly bring profitable commercial results. He, theief •re,
strongly recommended the immediase commencement of
that portion of the proposed line. As regarded that part
from Lisbon, by the Azores to Boston, he could answer
for the space from Lisbon to Flores that there was no
engineering difficulty in submerging the cable—that came
within his own knowledge. (Hear, hear.) From Flares
to Begun, across the Atlantic, he could only judge by
analogy and comparison. Teen) might not be a plateau,
or there might ; but that was of no consequence, and
very little advantage. There might be chasms ; but
these had been found in the Mediterranean, and the lines
bad been successfully laid over them. Depths there
were ; but these were not obstacle, nor difficulties—
they were only special circumstances, requiring special
treatment on the part of the engineer. Where he had
found difficulties in laying down cables—and he had sub-
merged four across one sea between Holland and Eng-
land—he had found no difficulty from depths,but rather
from the want of depths. (Rear, hear ) The shallows,
notwen
lthe
e depths,ta ranch,
were roublesome. In conclusion, he
d ay hu
that he was favourable to the
plan, that he considered it practicable, that he thought
it would he profitable, and that he was about to ask his
friends to join him in supporting it, (Cheers.)
After an aeiniated discussion on various points con-
nected with the proposal, the direction of the line, the
probable returns, the mode of manufacturing cables, and
the beet plan for their submergence,
Mr. MCDRaMoiT, the Secretary, explained the state
of the negotiations between the Company and the the
Go-
vernments of England, France, Spain, Portugal,
United States, and Canada, respecting the assistancender
which they would be disposed to render to the 13
taking, and the following resolution was unanimously
adopted :
h is desery
" That this meeting
European and American SubmenrfiidneenTeee g
le
inasmuchraP as it
is of opinion that the proposed
big of public support and. co. ,
provides a
Submarine Telegraphic Communication -
independent Subm
most important link in a system ofßritishabn:-
aGudrewatilßl ritoartnd alms
tween this country, its military stations at Gibraltar and
a valuableinbeltnwdeiean,
Malta, and
alternativeou r possessions
line
the North American Continent, giving also to the coin-
'
11113ITIA 1 interests of America direct communication with
the Mediterranean and the East, and that the stelae
which have been taken by the promoters of the proposed
European and American Submarine Telegraph, to obtain
the assistance and co-operation of the Governments of
Great Britain, the United States, France, Spain; and
Portugal, and the favourable opinions which l ave been
expressed of the merits of the lines, fully justify the
opinion that the respective Governments interested in
their completion will afford the required auistanoe for