Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1859-04-09
THE ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH.

The London Times says that scarcely
night passes without some one oil elthe
House Of Parliament rising to put question
to ministers, touching the arrangement
which have been or are TO be made with re
gard to the Atlantic Telegraph. The resPon
ses to these inquiries do not seem TO De al
ways made in the best bumor and IT IS lntl
mated that when any statement involving
facts and figures is made, moro mistakes are
committed in one night than could be iouuo
in its own columns for O month.
The Atlantic Telegraph Company, some
time ago, it mentions, made application tc
the Government to have the same terms o'
guarantee extended to them as were already
extended to the Red Sea Company, namely,
a guarantee of per cent. on the new capi.
tai; but this application met with direct
negative from the Treasury, and upon the
ground that "the Government were resolved
| to give no further guarantees which were not
made conditional upon the wire being laid
and kept in working order"
If no other companies were IN The heId and
| unconditional guarantees were required to as
sure the money market that fresh attempt
TO cross the Atlantic would not fail, ns was
the case last year, then the Atlantic Compa.
nv would have n claim upon the Government
which il would be bound to recognize.
have shown conclusively that, with due pre-.
cautious and properly constructed cable q
wire may be laid between England and Ame.
rica with as much certainty Of success as a
railway bridge can be carried across the
Thames. The confidence inspired by the
operations and achievements Of the Company
last year is apparent, inasmuch as the leading
submarine cable makers are now willing to
contract for the successful submergence Of an
Atlantic wire taking all the risk Of loss or
damage upon themselves. Another evidence
going to establish the feasibility of laying q
wire pcross the Atlantic is, that two distinct
compan IS were organized for the same pur
pose in less than n month after the late cable
had come to the useless, though their routes
were different. The existence of these COM
panies no doubt, influenced the Government
IN declining TO afford unconditional aid TO the
Atlantic Company.
The Government, however offered TO give
a guarantee Of s per cent. on the entire capi
tai of E435, 900, as long as the wire continued
in working order, and if its profits do not en-
coed that sum But this offer is coupled with
a restriction To the effect that the Company
should give up the monopoly which had been
granted to tlum for fifty years, and be confn.
eG to landing Submarine cables only Oh the
ccast OF Newfoundland,
The Times next goes into n history Of the
Company and urges that as The dcu Of on
Atlantic Telegraph wire across the Atlantic
first originated in America, it was undertaken
by four or five American gentlemen, more
with the expectation of making So per cent
out of it, than Of getting news from Europe,
and 1t closes its article by expressing the
opinion that the Company should surrender
the monopoly, aud also hints that there are
other conditions than those already named,
epon which the S per cent. would be granted
The old cable remains without any change.
The Liverpool Times in referring to the
Atlantic Cable, states that in the House OF
Lords, Lord Stanley expressed the hope that
in any Contract entered into by the Govern.
meut for the conveyance OF messages by tele.
graph, clauses might be inserted authorizing
the Secretary of State, by his warrant. TO
tax" possession Of the telegraph and keep it
for public service as long as that servicp
might require it.
Lord Stanley :hrew out another suggestion
more favorable to the effect, that us the At.
!autic Company had been to all the expense
of the first experiment, and other Companies
wonlj profit mach 10y the experiment, upon
that ground alaGe, il there we're no other,
they were entitled TO aid from tho govern
meut.
Lord Rcdesdale suggested guarantee TO
come into operation only as soon as the line
was inefficient workingsorder; but contend.
ed that whatever aid should he given to the
Atlantic Company should be given now.
The subject remains iii stdtu quo.