The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1857-01-02
THE DAILY DISPATCH
: MAJ mernass, Jssusr, j 1851. .
No Atiass,c Telegraph.


: FrssaS nlsrhlss, Jasuar, , 1857.
1ho Atiaseic Telegraph.
Lsssa Messy has recsnuy delivered IN inferest
isg lsssuss h New York and Brooklyn. upon the
paaAs q he Sea- b swhieh hs exprssssd his en-
thsslaseic belief In an ultimate sub-marine teie
uspalc suasunnica&ioa ID oysr the world and
across ths Atlantic Ia particular. The existence
Of plssesn or ridgs Of land 10 The Atlantic, stretch
ins In q northeast line from Newfoundland towards
Ireland, has been fully confirmed BY the soundings
Of Lieu, Nsury and his assstanss. Lieut.. Maury
also ooosidsrs the bottom Of the Pacific highly f.
variable for the submsrsing Of Submarine tele.
graph, and thinks that the tine may come when
Japan and China may be PCT ln tslegraphic corn-
muuica,Ion with the west coast Of South America,
and with California; when India win be connected
By telegraph on one side with China, and ON the
other with London; and the latter being once in
communication with this continent. . line from
California 70 the States would put girdle round
about TIE earth, so that It might be possible to
send . message round the world in less than forty
minutes.
The teiegraphc line acrosa the Atlantic is now re.
karded ~ almost fixed fact. The route, Maury .
great circle line, has been surveyed at the expense
of the United States, and the whole route win be
again surveyed and sounded by the British Cos
ernment In April next. I. is stated that, in July,
two vessels viii leave the English coast with the
cable-a mile of which weighs . son-and after
reaching . point equi-distant from both termini,
the cables win be joined together and sunk, and
the vessels win then part company, the one pro-
ceeding to the Irish coast, and the other to the
American, paying out the cable as they 60 along;
a work which, it is believed, can be accomplished
ia . week. or a. the utmos. 1.-TWO weeks.
The British government has guaranteed the
company patronage to the amount of sc, 600 per
annum, and has axed the maximum rate At four
shiliings sterling Zone dollar per word. Some idea
of the expense of sending messagss may be formed
from the fact stated by the N. Y Herald, that the
abstract of the new treaty between Great Britain
and the United States, which occupied a coIuHln
of small type of that paper, and was telegraph ed
from Washington to the Herald at an expense of
seventy five dollars, would cost, If telegraphed
across the Atlantic, two thousand dollars. Accor.
ding to the same journal, dispatch which costs
forty cents from Boston to New York, would cost
ten dollars from Londen to New York.
The New York papers expect when Parliament
IL in session, to print synopsis of their proceed
ings the next day! PARLIAMENT" says the Herald
usually gets up At two o'clock in the morning,
but as the difference in time Is about five hours in
our favor shall receive the doings of the sages
of Westminster at abou. ten or elev en- O'Clock in
the evening, New York time-that being several
hours before adjournment, and quite as early as
we generally receive the proceedings of Congress.
The ansactions In stocks, the closing price in
consols, the state of the cotton market, will be
sent from London and Liverpool every day st three
o'clock in the afternoon, and will be received here
before noon, forming the basis Of Wall street op-
sratious for that day-in other words, the doings
of the London Exchange will be known in Wall
street before Change hours here, and will be pub.
lished in the papers of the same evening before
they are laid before the British public. Transac-
tons on the Paris Bourse W iii be sent in the same
manner. The advantages of this to our mercan.
tile community can hardly be ovsrrated, while
the reading public will be kept coarant to all
European affairs"
1t is added that, as farther improvement upon
til system Of submarine telegraphs, all the lines
on land will shortly be subterranean, thus making
the bottom of the sea and the bowels of the earth
media for the transmission of intelligence from sun
to sun and from pole to pole.
In this connection, the following extract from
letter of Lieut.. Maury, written in reply to inqui
ries of . member of Congress, will be read with
interest
ISM OBSERVATORY AND HYDRoG OFFIcE,l
Washington, December 81, 1856
sIR; have received your note of the 3oth instant
making certain inquiries In relation to the submarine
telegraph of the Atlantic, and wishing to know what
are the distractions which prevent the western end
of tho wire from being brought straight the
Tho diff cutiss are manifold, and in the present
state of the telegraphc art they may be considered
indispensable.
British islands and the United States without touch
Ing English soil by the way, 10, in round numbers
three Thousand miles, and the lightning has yet
boon made to hear . message through cont uuous
virs Of such length. Here, therefore, 10 an OBJ
The distances from the Western Isl.nds to the
nesrest port shores 10 about equal to the dis
tsnes between Newfoundland and Ireland; and the
distance between the Irish COAT aad the Western
Islands. 10 about fifteen hundred miles Therefore,
with Q relay On the Western Islands, o limo from
Ireland. via those islands, to our own chores is cleo
trisaliy practicable.
But wire by that route would have to cross the
Atlsnc at its deepest part and then tho Portuguese
Government, we'll as the Eng lish, would have
control Of the line that, in a military CONNER
eial or political point OF view, nothins would be
gained by under running the Atlantic with the tele.
ersphc wires by that route. Moreover, that route
would lead the wire across volcanic region. These
constitute distractions that In the stase of
our knowledge, are fatal to such o route.
The only practicable tute for . ubmArine tels-
graph between the Uniteo States and England ap.
pears to be along the "pletesu" of the Atlantic
wherein IL 10 proposed to lay this wire that 10
process Of construction.
But suppose line we're to be constructed by Auns.
rcan enterprise from the British shores submarine
all the way to one OF our seaport towns-eui bono
In time of peace, the line along the plateau would,
by OF its great advantage take ell the bust
ne; snd IN war the British authorities need but Gu.
the American cord or take charge of its Office ut the
other end, render the whole line imperative or
perfectly ussleas to us
IL cannot bu. be regarded by every wise and good
fortunat circumstance that this great enter.
Prise of the subAtantic telegraph 10 the joint work
Of England anu America Tnis circumstance ought
Of Itself to guarantee to the world that in
case Of wsr-shouid war unhsppily be vssed be-
tween thsse two nations-that that cord 10 never to
be broken, to be used otherwise shan freely and
fairly ALIKE BY the two ns.ons their ctisens and sub
jeets.
Hon. IL. w. billiard.
j. win be seen that Hon. H. W. billiard, of Ala
hama, lectures to night before tho Young Mems
Christian Association. The mere announcement
Of his name should ba sufficient to secure crow.
cd audience. Mr. billiard was formerly member
Of Congress from Alabama, and one of the most
eloquent: distinguished, and useful members of
that body. He is . gentleman of great purity Of
character IS well rs of shining talents. We an
seSa r;c IS