Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1857-01-08
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The Transatlantic Telegraph.
LETTER FROM PROFESSOR MAURY

LII ] ! ER fkDH IitDI E1ooh MAJ
! L. 5. n. OBSERVATORY AND HYDRoG. OFFICE, I
WAsHISGToN, December 81. 1856.
Sir: have received your note of the 3Oih
inst making certain inc uire- IN relation to the
submarine telegraph of the Atlantic, and wishing
10 know what are the distractions which prevent
the western end Of the wire from being brought
! straight across the sea to our own shore.
! The difficulties are manifold und. in the pres
cnt state Of the teegraphic art, they may be CON
sidered insoperabe.
| The shortest tepgrap hic distances between the
| British islands and the United States, without
! touching English soil by the way. il, in round
numbers. three thousand miles, AMI tho lightning
! has never yet been made to bear message
! through "A continuous wire of such length.-
| Here, therefore, is an obstruction.
The distance from the Western Islands to the
! nearest port on our shores is about equal to the
! distance between Newfoundland and leand;and
| tho distance between the Irish const and tho
! Western Islands. is about fifteen hundred miles
! Therefore, with II relay on the Western Islands.
line from Ireland, via those isiands,to our own
shores, Is electrically practicable.
But wire by that route would have to cross
theA,autic at its deepest ari,and then the Por.
| tuguese government,ns we'll rs the English, would
have control of the line; that, IN II military,
| commercial, political point of view, nothing
would be gained by understanding the Atlantic
! with the Geographic wires by that route More.
over. that route would lead the wire across vol
canic region. These constitute distractions that,
in the present state of our knowledge, are fatal
| to such II route.
The only practicable route for n submarine tel
egraph between the United States and Eng and
| appears TO be along The 'pateau'' OF the Attain
tic whereon it is proposed to lay the wire that Is
| now in process Of construction.
But, suppose line to be constructed by
| American enterprise from the British shores. sub
| mur nll tina WI fp onp a. on town,
| -cm bOno' In time of peace the line along tho
| plateau" would, by reason of its great advanh-
ges. take all tho business, and in war tho British
authorities need but cut the American cord, or
take charge of its office at the other end, 10 rem.
der the whole line imperative or perfectly use-
less to US.
| 1t cannot but bo regarded by every wise and
good man II fortunate circumstance that this
great enterprise of the sub Atlantic telegraph is
the Joint work OF England and America. This
circumstance ought of itself TO serve n guar
antee To tho world that in case of war should
war unhappily ever be waged between these two
nations that cord is never to be broken, but 10
be used freely and fairly alike by the two nations,
their citizens and subjects.
We have Just seen the great nations of Europe
emerging from the horrors of n fierce aud bloody
war, and yet, to their honor and the glory of the
age be it said, that strife, vrngeiul though
it was, was not savage enough to break single
line of Geographic wire. The lightning ran 10
and fro with messages between ST. Petersburgh
aud the capitals of France and Englond,as it now
does. And in case of war with this country, af
ter that electric cord is stretched, by the JOINT
means and enterprise of the two people, upon tho
quiet bottom of the deep sea, neither ot the two
governments would dare take that cord, and, in
the face of tho christian States and people of the
age, convert it into n military engine, 10 be turn
ed against lis joint owners aud partners.
lttpt, all otti In MT kaI MI 81 N
brou ,ht forward this noble work two saga
cious and patriotic not to have perceived that
lying il does wholly within the control OF II
foreign power, were it nation of Gohs and
Nundas. might tura the path they were 10 mako
for the lightning along the bed of the ocean II
gainst their own country in war; but they knew
thepeope on the other side, and trusted to high
or and nobler sentiments.
The British COVE nment interfere with the free
use of that cable even in war The spirit ct tho
age is against such an act, and no State within
the pale of Christendom, much less that great
English nation of noble people, would dare to do
such II thing. Her people and rulers would not
| if they could; they could not, if they would. We
might well think of tearing up now, in peace,
the railways between Canada and the States, or
of abrogating tho steam engine, because it may
be turned against us in war,
| When Captain Cock was on his voyage of dis
covcry, France and England were Mt war. The
NlnSoi rance wasreQubsteu MOI 10 icl MS aTIheu
cruisers destroy the records Of that expedition,
in case any of them should fall in with it. You
rrcollect the noble reply; | war not against
science :" and forthwith every French man of
war had orders to treat Cook u friend, should
| they fall in with him, and assist, not interrupt
HIM, in the object of his cruise. To this day the
memory of that King is held in more esteem for
that act and sentiment than for any other act of
| his reign.
A little more than three years ago, at the ma
! rhine conference of Brussels where the prnci-
| pal nations of the world assembled in the persons
! of their representatives to devise a uniform plan
of physical research at sea, and to report the best
form for the abstract log to be used on board ship.
! for making the observations upon its winds aud
currents, those functionaries alluded to this sen
timent of the French Monarch. and appealed each
| to his own government to order that. in case of
war, this abstract log she uld also be regarded as
sacred thing. 1t is made The armed clui-
ser, of the various nations that are Co operating
in this system Of research are required to touch
that record with none but friendly hands.
This submarine telegraph line j. achieve
ment with which this very system of research has
had something to do in bringing about and i, it
! likely that it will or can be mouopoliHed by any
Power for wsr purposes Fairly and clearly it
may be onidered rs the joint property of those
nations who are operating co workers and Joint
co laborers in that beautiful system of physical
research by which way for the lightning has
been discovered undcr the and across the
ocean
Thi, system Of re search, il has been proclaim.
! ell over aud over gain. was not undertaken for
! the exclusive advantage of any people or mn.
/ ton but for the benefit of commerce the ad.
vaneement OF science, and for the benefit of the
| whole human family and with this understand.
| ing The nations of Europe entered into it,