The Sun.
London, England, 1857-08-28 00:00:00

TBE TELEGRAPH TO INDIA BY TELB
RED ,SEA ROUTE.

Several letters containing matter of much inte-
rest on this important subject have recently been
addressed to the Chairman of the East India Com-
pany by Mr. Marshman, the chairman of the asso-
ciation formed for the construction of a telegraphic
line by way of the Red Sea to India. These letters
state the views of the association in connection with
their great undertaking, and the advantages and
difficulties of the Red Sea line of route with much
clearness and impartiality. Reference is made to
some previous communication to the Court of
Directors about two years ago from an association
formed to construct a telegraph from the Darda-
nelles to Alexandria, with a view to its extension
to India, and the proposal was then favourably re-
ceive Iby the India House. Circumstances at that
period induced the parties to leave their project in
abeyance pending the negotiations with the Egyp-
tian and Turkish Governments for firmans to lay
the cable down in the Red Sea. These firmans
having recently been obtained, the promoters of
the undertaking consider themselves in a position
to reume it with all necessary powers. Referring
to a proposed line of telegraphic communication to
India through Mesopotamia and down the Persian
Gulf, the promoters of the Red Sea line repudiate
any wish to interfere with any arrangements that
have been made, though they express a strong
opinion that any proposal which should secure to
India telegraphic communication within a certain
period ought not to be delayed without the gravest
reason, even though the result should eventually
be a double line. Having exclusive possession of
a firman from the Pasha of Egypt and the Sublime
Porte for the Red Sea route, no necessity exists
for the exertion of any political influence in nego-
tiations, nor for any further delay. The associa-
tion therefore proposes to establish telegraphic
communication from Alexandria to Suez by land,
and from Suez to Aden, and thence to Kurra-
chee by a submarine cable. The distance from
Alexandria to Suez is 240 miles ; from Suez
to Aden and from Men to Kurracbee the
length of the cable required will be no less than
4,163 miles, ;divided !into sections, none of which
are to exceed 500 miles in length. The expenses
of the whole undertaking from Alexandria to Kur-
racbee, with a liberal allowance for contingencies,
is estimated as being at the most 700,0001. The
association also calculates that the time for con-
structing and laying down the cable, dating from
the period the manufacture commences to the
actual opening of the communication, will not ex-
ceed eight months to Aden, and four additional
months to Kurrachee. It has been assumed that
the extensive coral reefs in the Red Sea present
insuperable obstacles to a submarine telegraph, but
from a most careful survey of the coast on either
shore it has been ascertained that the cable can be
laid beyond the line of coral, except where it is
necessary to approach one or two stations, and even
at those places the reefs, it is believed, can always
be avoided by careful soundings.
The assistance which the association consider in-
dispensable to the organisation of the undertaking
is a guarautee of 6 per cent. on the capital required,
to commence from the delivery of the first message.
In return for this concession the association would
give all Government despatches priority as to time
of sending. The rate of subsidy accorded to the
Atlantic Telegraph is 4 per cent. by the Govern-
ment of the United States, and 4 per cent. by the
Government of Great Britain--8 per cent. in all.
It is further offered by the association that Govern-
ment messages from or to India by the Red Sea
should be conveyed at the same rate as private
ones, and the association agree that all receipts,
from whatever source, shall be appropriated to
satisfy the guarantee, which is to cease and deter-
mine as soon as the amount has been entirely
ligni-
dated. With regard to the communication between
Alexandria and the continent of Europe, as there
are several agencies in the Mediterri anean now em-
ployed in plans for completing t,. the company
think there is little doubt thatit will be perfected
by the time the line from Alexandria to Kurracheo
is in readiness ; but if these expectations should
not be realised they express their willingness to lay
down a cable between Alexandria and the Darda-
nellee a distance of 800 milk s. Accompanying this
statement to the chairman of the East India Com-
pany is a letter from Mr. Bright, the engineer of
the Atlantic Telegraph Company, in which, after
giving a decided preference to the Red Sea line
of telegraph with India, he goes on to say that
the coral is by no means an insurmountable ob-
staci.e, as can be seen by the working of the first
Mediterranean submarine line, which crosses coral
sever al times. On the other hand, Mr. Bright ex-
presses his belief that the prop set-1 lino through
Mesopotamia will be most difficult, if not impossi-
ble, to maintain, as he has found that " even in
the ruder parts of Ireland it requires the most con-
tinual watchfu'ne is to keep the wires from injury."
Mr. Ti. Giborne also gives his testimony as to the
facility with which the coral reefs in the Red Sea
may be avoided, or that even where it is necessary
or expedient to cress them in approaching the shore
stations it may be done without injury or extra
expense in the construction of the line. The cor-
respondence concludes with a letter from the de-
puty-chairman of the company, in which the writer
calls the attention of the East India Company to
the abrupt failure of the Atlantic Telegraph, and
suggests that the 2,000 miles of cable still unused
on board the Agamemnon and Niagara can be im-
mediately applied in forming the submarine line
from Alexandria to Aden, without further lc es of
time than that necessary for the vessels to accom-
plish their voyage. It adds that at this period of
the year and in the present state of the money-mar-
ket it would be impcseible to raise the capital neces-
sary for the purpose of establishing the undertaking
at once, unless the East India Company would en-
gage to contribute from the date of receiving the
first message between Aden and Alexandria, and in
consideration for messages conveyed and priority
of transmission, the annual sum of 20,0001., to
cea-e and determine when the company obtained a
prefie, from its general receip,s of 6 per cent. With
this letter the correspondence closes, and the mat-
ter is sdll under the consi&ration of the Court of
Directors, though it is general)) believed that an
answer favourable to the immediate adoption of
the latter proposition will be returned.

A TIME BALL AT GLASGOW.

The North British Daily Mail gives the follow-
ing description of the time ball which has been eat
up on the tower of the -aito. s' Home at Glasgow :
"Passing to the roof we observe the ball itself,
resting on a turned mouldingdeasnigdnseoeming f
t the et
tourer.
This been a part of the original
This ball is made of the finest mahogany, and built
of a series of circles crossing tach other at right
angles and so arranged as to foam a sphere, which
is covered with zinc to pro, act it from the weather.
A great amount of care and labour has been be-
stowed on this part, which is the workmanship of
Mr. Thomas Colquhoun, St. Vincent-street, asalso
:he base on which it rests. We will now describe
its operation. On the ground floor of the shipping
office, farthest removed from the street, a very fine
astrouomieal clock is securely bolted to the wall,
fitted with a series of wheel-work which revolve
respectively in 24 hours, 1 hour, and 1 minute.
When the 24hour wheel makes one turn, a weighted
lever falls into a notch on itsedge, falling at the same
th
time on the 1 hour wheel, which has also a notch on
its edge. If the two notches are. opposite,r
u th
the e lever
ese
he s 6iot, a
sfaelclosnsdo, smallfaanrdthwatbeanthe on
gsoecldsdprihnagncdov;o
current of electricity passes from the clock to the
upper storey of the tower.. When the ball is wound
to the top of the pillar two leversbyhothoke
ktheeepmer
up
selves into notches in the rod, and sustain the ball
'xPiendgon the square
and appendages. A heavy weight hangs over these
pillarolefvaenr;lbeaucnitdri°s, magnet,wprevented
eNNI. elloieeracht cir
ri ise° fixed
current passes from
the clock, it circulates round
rouialdllotwhiins
e magnet, and at-
tracts the keeper,
drop unhooks the levers and the ballg t
f
lower end of the rod by which the
ballalliss.
eleweightvated
Toth©
is attached a piston, working air:tight in a cylinder.
When the ball drops, the airbeing compressed !a-
sista the falling of the piston,
and by its elasticity
prevents the shock which would otherwise result
from the velocity and weight of the ball.
` It has been arranged that the ball is to be
hoisted half-mast high at five minutes beforo one
p.m. ; at two minutes before one it is to be raised
o the top of the rod ; and at one precisely it is
to drop—showing the Greenwich mean time to
within the tenth part of a second.
.As the ball can
be seen distinctly for some miles' distance, it will
_,rove of great advantage to captains of vessels, as
they will thus be enabled to check any error or
variation in their chronometers, without removing
them."

SNOCKING CIECUMSTANCE.—Yesterday the family of
'lr. William Lever, an artist, residing at No. 82, Lower
itaneisgh-street, Pimlico, were thrown into a state of
.zreat affliction, in consequence of Edward Lever, the
llest son, a youth of 19, taking poison. The mother
,vas the first to ascertain the fact, when Mr. Pitman, a
,urgeon, was sent for, who, on arri,ing, found the lad
an apparently dying state. He aewinietered anti-
!otes, and applied the stomach pump, after which the
unhappy youth was conveyed to St. George's Hospital,
Hyde Park-corner, and attended by Mr. Hooper, the
,ullBB surgeon, but not the slightest hope is entertained
.1 his recovery. The cause is attributed to disuppoieted
afrotions.