New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-01-27
FROM flashing TON.
TIE TRANSATLANTIC TELEGRAPH.
c.ns,pendeuc. of Til. N. Y. Tribune.

C.nespcndeucs Of The N. Y. Tribune.
WASHINGTON, Jan. %, 1857.
The Senate passed bill to-day apprOprlatng
$4,000 per annum for the support Of the Tran'-
at sntic Telegraph and voting the use OF ships 10
Law down the hther half Of the cable.
Mr.. Field, the agent and one of the members OF
tka Company, lately went to England and obtained
from the British Government proposition to pay
GA,OOO steiIirg per annum for the use OF the
line, and on offer OF ship to lay down the British
end of it. Annexed to that proposition was con-
dtion that the English Government should have
priority over all other: in sending messages, Sub
eject TO the exception only Of the Government oil
"the United Slater, in the event of their entering
Unto an arrangement similar III Prtas,pIS TO that
&" of the British Government; in which case the
"messages Of the two Governments shall have
minority 10 the order in which they arrive a. the
4" stations"
Upon the basis of this agreement with the English
6oyernment, the bill to which we a'lude has been
introduced and passed through the Senate.
The appropriation is a very useful one for the
stockholders of the Telegraph Company, but 1t Is
ANYTHING but proper one for this Government 10
make. The British authorities, in that practcal
,plrit which charScterizes all Of Their admlnisfa'
live functions, but Of which this Government knows
ttle very wisely concluded that their intercourse
,Vitb their extensive possessions on this continent
both ON our northern frontier and In the west
Jndes would be so facilitated and improved oy the
projected enterprise as to be OF immense national
advantage to them. They accordingly seized win
ayidity upon so tempting an opportunity TO ara"
nearer TO the home Government the outlying por-
50 hot
could have been more to the advantage OF the Brit
ish Government than so dong,
AT the same time they did this, they had the adj
dress to obtain the consent of the agent OF the SOm-
pany 10 priority in the use of the line, an advantage
nnwisely conceded, and which may ana prooa2y
.yiu operate 10 the serious disadvantage OF the
mercantile public, and of the press III many cases,
should the line get into successful operation: iha'
Government, however, made the concession III ldIOr
of the United States on the condition we nave
quoted. Doubtless 1t was prompted TO 40 SO ny
The consideration that the line was originally an
American enterprise, and that otherwise they would
be fairly chargeable with the design to u,onoponze
its advantages on occasions Of Importance. But
ihepOint we wish to make Is that the bargain made
WAS wise oEe for that Government, aud we nave
no doubt was based upon deliberate cacuiat'Oh
of the business it would need TO transact over the
Gne That Government has tSenty-three lhde-
pendent colonial Governments on this side of the
AildltCs II uds Pr VA 80
10000 troops in its American and West Indian
colonies; ard it has, We presume, squadron
of not less than two thousand guns usually Sh0at
in American waters. The constant and extended
use therefore which that Government must make
of the Transatlantic Telegraph is very manifest.
There was thus nothing out of place in the stpus-
lion made by tie Company and aecedet to by that
Government, "that if the Government messages IN
"any year shall at the usual tarG rate chtrged to
1.-The public. snount 10 larger sum CHAN the
"sforesaid Gl4,000), such additional payment
.,.hsD he made "a is equivalent thereto" Be.
cause it is quite likely that It's regular business
over the line will amount Il more than the snm II
stpulsies 70 pay by the year. Ii It should send no
more than Que message per weeh 10 eaca OF It's
Governors, Commanding Generals and AdIlltals on
this side Of the Atlantic containing DO more than
hundred words, or ten lies c newspaper pm, IN
each, tie cost of It's messages would be over
G25, coo year, at the rate IL 10 understood the
Telegraph Compsuy viii charge-that is, - a
word The Government Of Great Britain has
therefore been engaged in regular and prof ABLE
transaction with Mr.. Field, and 10 obtaining the
priority IN tie tranmissi0n OF It's messages over
the commercial and newspaper interests, has Oh
tanned what will very likely turn out to be very
important adv antage at the expense OF the public.
But can any body give sny good reason why the
United States should mske any such bargain We
have neither Colonies NsyieS, Governors, Generals
nor Adniiras on the European Continent. Our
public seSels tAeIe arc very scarce, aid tor tue