The Sun.
London, England, 1859-02-08 00:00:00

THE .RED SEA TELEG.RAP.H.

A letter from Aden, dated Jan. 19, says :—Her
Majesty's ship Cyclops reached this port from Sua-
kin on the 12th inst., and will start again the day
after to-morrow for the south-east coast of Arabia.
Mr. Hartley Gisborne, of the Red Sea Telegraph
Company, goes in her ; but it seems undecided
at present whether the Cyclops will be able to coin
plete the survey of that coast before she is obliged
to go to Bombay for repairs. Under any circum-
stalled, however, a second visit will be necessary,
since it forms no part of Captain Pullen's enter-
prise to make arrangement's on shore for the requi-
site stations, and he must first survey the entire
coast before he can point out the most eligible spots
for the landing of the cable. What he has already
done in the Red Sea in this respect is a sufficient
guarantee that he will accomplish his share of the
work in the most efficient manner. With regard
to the shore arrangements the directors of the com-
pany will act wisely if they solicit the home autho-
rities to place them under the auspices of the Bom-
bay Government. The task of entering into agree-
ments with the independent chiefs on this coast, of
explaining our views, and removing their suspi-
cions and prejudices, is one of considerable delicacy,
and any such agreements are much more likely t 8
be observed on their part, if backed by the influ-
ence of the nearest British Government on ours.
Neither do I believe that such influence alone will
be adequate protection for all the stations suggested
by the company. These are, as I have already in-
formed you, Maculla, the Kooria Mooria Islands,
and Ras el Hadd. At Maculla there will be no
difficulty in securing an eligible spot, and its con-
tiguity to Aden will be,a sufficient guarantee for
the security of the station there. The Kooria
Mooria, Islands belong now to the British Crown,
having been presented to her Majesty some years
ago by the' Imaum of Muscat ; hut the chiefs on the
mainland have always denied the Imaum's right to
the territory, and when Capt. Ord landed on them
about four years ago, and commenced removing
the guano, they crossed over in numbers and
obliged him to quit without delay. At present several
British ships are there taking in guano, and the
work has proceeded without molestation ; but when
the supply ceases it would be imprudent to leave a
station on any of the islands without proper pro-
tection, even though the Arabs may enter into a
treaty not to interfere with it. A small vessel of
war might be sent occasionally from Aden to visit
the place ; but a preferable course would be to
erect a small fort on the island of Hallania, or to
inclose the station premises within a good wall, and
-to garrison it with 50 Sepoy*. Nothing more
would be requisite, except that it would still be
desirable for one of our cruisers to make a demon-
stration on the coast from time to time. I mention
Hallania because, from all accounts, it promises the
most eligible locality. That island is destitute of
guano, and is inhabited by about 50 poor fisher-
men, who would be ready to welcome any settlers
likely to become a source of profit to them. There
is also a well of tolerable water there, a few wild
goats, and some cultivable land in the narrow val-
leys. It also possesses a snug harbour or cove on
the western side, quite sheltered from the heavy
seas of the monsoon. If the cable could then be
carried direct from Hallania to Kurrachee, a dis-
tance of about 850 miles, the difficulty of obtaining
another secure station would be removed. The
company, however, have suggested Rass el Hadd,
but I doubt whether that point ,will be found
eligible. If ultimately selected we shall be obliged
to protect it, whereas, if the cable is carried round
the Cape to the town of Soor, there will be no ne-
cessity for any such precaution, as the people there
are nominally tributary to the Imaum of Muscat,
and have extensive commercial dealings both with
Bombay and Aden. The influence of the Bombay
Goverment alone would suffice to restrain the
Arabs of that district from molesting the telegraph.
The only objection to this course is that it would
increase the line of cable to Kurrachee by about 60
miles.

You will be glad to hear that Captain Pullen's
ulterior surveys have confirmed him in the opinion
that the Red Sea offers no difficulties whatever
to the successful submergence of a tele-
graphic cable. Ho has sounded the mid-channel
from Suez to Perim, and finds the bottom soft
mud from Suez to Jebal Teer, but rock from thence
to Perim. The greatest depth on this line is 1,050
fathoms. He has also sounded the whole extent of
the sea inshore and within the reefs on the eastern
side, and the same from Suez to Suakin on the
western side. He is now anxious to complete thf;
survey on this line from Suakin to Perim, as he
judges that to be by far the preferable route, the
bottom throughout being much more even, and the
soundings considerably less. Should it prove on
examination that there is a soft bottom from Suakin
to Perim,' presume that will be the line eventually
selected, since, besides the advantages already
named, the cable will escape the rocky bed between
Jebel Teer and Perim, though that circumstance
does not appear to constitute an objection with tele-
graphists where the soundings are deep. The three
routes, indeed, are perfectly practicable, and the.
only question is which is the most eligible. On
that point the company will do well to follow the
advice of Captain Pullen, whose indefatigable
labours on this service are beyond all praise. It is
to be hoped that the chart of his late surveys and
soundings will soon be published by the Admiralty.
It contains much that will be new and deeply inte-
resting to geographers and physiologists.

SIR WILLIAM GORE OUSELEY ON
FILIBUSTERING.

(From the Liverpool Albion)

Her Majesty's ship Vixen arrived at Realejo on
the 17th December, from Panama direct, having on
board Sir Wm. Gore and Lady Ouseley and suite.
Sir William and his party had proceeded to Leon,
the capital of Nicaragua, where our townsman, Mr.
Thomas Manning, had placed his residence at his
disposal. Sir William Gore Ouseley is specially
commissioned by the British Government to con-
clude a treaty with Nicaragua, and had been
officially received by the President of that Republic,
on the 27th December. On the occasion of pre-
senting his credentials, he made the following
address :—" The Queen, my august Sovereign, has
been graciously pleased to entrust to me the grati-
fying task of cementing the good understanding,
and evincing. the feelings of friendly interest that
have ever animated Great Britain towards the State

over which your Excellency so ably presides, by con-
cluding a treaty calculated to produce the best
effects. It would have been to me, at any time,
a pleasing duty to contribute to such an object,
but my efforts will be the more gladly employed at
a moment when the interests of humanity and
policy call for decided action, on the part of civil.
ised and commercial nations, to defend this and
neighbouring Republics from the piratical attacks
of lawless men, the effects of whose ruthless
barbarism it is lamentable to witness. The acts of
these misguided adventurers have excited just
indignation in the breasts of enlightened rulers,
of the most powerful maritime nations, on both
sides of the Atlantic, who have resolved that such
enormities shall no longer be tolerated. All civi-
lised nations have an interest in keeping uninter-
rupted the free passage so liberally granted by.
Nicaragua and the neighbouring States across the
territories which Providence has placed under their
independent and lawful sovereignty. It is for the
advantage of all that this independence should be
maintained, and that Nicaragua should become ono
of the great links between the two hemispheres;
but no nation has a more direct interest in the
security and neutrality of the transit than Great
Britain. The Queen's dominions an the Atlantic
bring her Majesty's subjects in closer contact with
Central America than the inhabitants of any other
maritime country; while her Majesty's valuable
possessions on the Pacific, _ and the vast British

interests in Asia, make it a duty, if not a necessity,
for her Majesty's Government to secure the undis-
turbed passage across these territories. The ready
participation of Nicaragua in this great object will
call for the efficient protection of these routes, and,
indeed, will merit the co-operation of all commer-
cial nations in their defence from such outrages as
those which have hitherto rendered unavailable
these much-desired lines of transit. I esteem my-
self fortunate in finding amongst the members of
the present Administration of this country so many
men of distinguished merit, and especially in hav-
ing to treat with a Government at the head of
which
he
Ai s
sys
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aen
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voked.lor the Ist of
January, to discuss the treaty,_ which, it was beyond
all doubt, would be • med lately ratified.