The Sun.
London, England, 1859-02-15 00:00:00

AUSTRIAN SUBMARINE TELEGRAPH.

VIENNA, Feb. 11.—The negotiations between
England and Austria, relative to the construction
of an electric telegraph from Ragusa to Alexandria,
have happily terminated, and a convention will be
concluded on the subject before this letter can reach
its destination. Austria undertakes to lay cables
between Ragusa, Corfu, Zante, Candia, and Alex-
andria ; that is, to lay one cable containing three
electric wires between each of the places mentioned.
The pstimated outlay being £500,000, England
agrees to guarantee, for a period of 25 years, one-
half of an interest of 6 per cent. on that sum. The
British Government endeavoured to persuade the
Austrian Cabinet to let its outlay for telegrams
figure as a part of the guarantoo, hut the proposi-
tion was rejected. The next demand made was
that the British Government should be allowed
to have its own agents in the telegraph offices at
Ragusa, Vienna, and Bodenbach. The Austrians
peremptorily refused to admit foreigners into their
telegraph offices, but they agreed to consider Ra-
gusa " neutral ground." After this diplomatic fic-
tion had been established, it was settled that the
British Government should have a separate office at
Ragusa, in which its agents might receive all the
(Government) despatches coming from and going to
India. This important matter having been satis-
factorily disposed of, the British Government laid
claim to a separate or reserved wire for the Indian
despatches. To this Austria replied, that an extra
wire should be put up for her Majesty's Govern-
ment if it would pledge itself to forward 1,000
despatches to and from India in the course of each
year. As Lord Malmesbury strongly objected to
this, there was for a time reason to fear that the
whole affair would fall to the ground. The unsatis-
factory policy of the Emperor Napoleon, however,
has made a telegraph between Corfu and Ragusa
so very desirable that it was the day before yester-
day resolved to finish the matter off hand. The
Austrian Government waves its claim to the 1,000
despatches, and will in a note promise to place a
separate wire at the disposal of the British Govern-
ment. It must be well understood that there will
be no mention of the last-mentioned concession in
the convention. It is agreed that all the cables
shall be laid within 18 months, but the Austrian
Government is resolved, if possible, to complete the
telegraph from Ragusa to Alexandria within one
year from the month of May. Austria is only
bound to lay one cable, but it is thinking of having
three. The cables between Ragusa and Corfu, and
Corfu and Zante, are to be down in the course of
this year. Mr. Brett was the original contractor
with the Austrian Government, but he is said to
have ceded his rights to Mr. Newall. When the
electric telegraph is complete it will be transferred
to an Anglo-Austrian Company, the composition of
which is exactly specified in the convention.

IRELAND.

DUBLIN, MONDAY MORNING.

THE PHCENIX CONSPIRACY.

It is announced that the Cork Phcenix prisoners,
having committed overt acts in Kerry, are to be
taken to Tralee for trial with their Kerry asso-
ciates at the assizes for the county of Kerry. It is
also stated that the Attorney and Solicitor-General
will conduct the prosecutions in person. Several
new arrests were made in the town of Kenmare
last week, but upon investigation before the magi-
strates nothing transpired to warrant a committal,
and the prisoners, after a few hours' detention,
were released from custody. Mr. O'Hagan, Q.C.,
is engaged special to lead for the defence of the
Clubbites. Baron Greene and Mr. Justice O'Brien
are the judges for the Munster circuit.