Democratic banner. (Bowling Green, Pike County, Mo.) 1845-1852, 1850-10-14

FromMe English Mechanics Magazine.
Extension o. tEsc Electric Telegraph 70
i France. Ireland aud America.
The establishment of an electro-teiegraphic
communication across the Straits between
England and France, has been for consi-
derable time foreseen, as one Of the most
natural in the train Of consequences result
ting from the modern application electrici-
lty to the transmission Of intelligence be-
tween distant parts. lfa line Of wire could
convey the electric impulse for thousands
Of miles over the surface Of the earth
as il has done, and is doing could be
nothing in the nature of things to prevent It
from being equally eGicacious if carried
under the earth or even under water; grant
ing, always, what no one has been heard to-
dispute, that It is in the power Of art to-
protect the wire from whatever antagonisticI
influences it may be exposed TO when laid
down under earth or water. Trials of sub
merged lines of wire had, in fact, been made
with perfect success across the Thames and
lHudson-both tolerably broad rivers-and
ft was not to be doubted that what could be
accenplishedin this way for one mile, could
be accomplished for thirty or fifty, or, in
deed, any number Of miles. It was but, in
any case, to make the line of submerged
wire longer-to sink it, perhaps, deeper;
and, If deeper, to protect it better. The
simplest Of things, however, when carried
out on large scale, require often, as in this
instance, for the dbing Of them, qualities Of
q high order-great enterprise, great per.
great executive powers Of con-
struction and direction. It was a great
thing, sssuredly, to undertake to underlayI
q sea Of some thirty miles vide with one
continuous line Of communication-as single:
break or Haw in which would be fatal.'
the whole; there was risk Of future to he
braved, and in any event much expenditure
Of money, time and trouble, to be adven-
tured on the issue; and beyond all doubt or
question, It is great thing to have success
fully accomplished. To all such honor as
belongs to the performing Of great UNDER
taken well. Messrs. Jacob and John Brett,
the engineers Of the Dover and Calais line
Of Telegraph, are richly entitled. The
newspapers say that they have obtained
"the exclusive right Of electric communi.
cation between this country and France for
ten years." We do not well see how this
can be, looking at the legal difficulties in
the way; but we are sure that no reward
they can have secured to themselves will be
too great for tho prodigious advantages
which they have secured BY their individual
exerlions, not only to both England and
France, but to the world at large; for an
electric telegraph to Calais, 10 not thing
which will stop there. II is telegraph to
Vienna, to Moscow, to Constantinople, to
Ispahan, to Delhi, to Calcutta-to the re-.
motest bounds, in short, Of Europe and
Asia. A few years ago people laughed
when Lord Palmerston predicted at the
southampton meeting Of the British Asso-
citation, that time might come when the
minister Of the day being asked IN Parlia-
ment, "whether it was true that war had
broken ont in Tndia?" would reply. await
an instant till telegraph the Governor
General, and will tell you." What was
thought but good joke in IS43, is now, in
1850, in the course ofbeing actually accom-.
plished, and ere few years more, is likely
to take its place among the sober realities
of the age. Nor to the Old World alone
mood our views DO confined; for, since the
English Channel has been crossed, the
crossing Of the Irish must follow next, as but
matter Of course; and ireland once roach
ed, there lies but couple Of thousand miles
| Of water or so between the Old World and
the New. We say, "but," for after oil
where is the practical difficulty? Not in
producing the length Of wire required; for
any length Of wire can be spun-not in
covering and insulating the wire; for thou.
sands of miles Of wire can be covered and
insulated just as readily and surely as one
nor yet in laying down, as the Dover and
Calais experiment has fully shown. The
only real difficulty in the case, we appre-
hend, will be to find shiproom for the en-
! ormous coil of wire that would be required;
|, but this is an objection which vanishes be-
. fore the recollection Of such leviathan
structures as the Canada and Great Britain
Besides, means may be found to effect on
board the laying-down vessel a perfect
! junction of different lengths Of wire, SO as
: Ito allow of two, three, or more reels being
, employed. We assume, of course, that
battery power sufficient to transmit the
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