The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-08-05

The object Of the paper TO prove that the advance
ent Of Europe in civilization was not fortuous, but de-
sernined by physical law-this being the subject OF
large work by the Professor, nov In press by the Han
pers in New York At the close Of the lectures whcn
was listened 10 with the most profound attention Tor
more than an hour the Lord Bishop Of Oxford, IN a
very eloquent address, made some comments on H.
and long discussion ensued on the bearing oil the
views contained it, and those recently paoneo oy MI
Darwin, ON the " Origin of Species" Az Subsequent
meeting, Professor Draper made . communication on
hrge rejecting telescope, for astronomical
now in course OF erection at his country house at Has
,nys near New York. by of his sons DR.. Henry Ora
II ia the first observatory Of the kind ever built In
America Indeed the only like 1t in the world is that
:, Kew and is the more credabie since it is altogether
.c.ompshed by the private means Of young man not
vet twenty years Of and at cost Of probably not
Iess than ten thousand dollars.
Professor Draper has made his mark You hear his pa
Der talked of among the literary and scientific wherever
vou TO- and in future we shall expect to hear less fire.
suently the question: What has America done
The following interesting paper on the subject of the
North Atlantic Telegraph, embracing brief history Of
the enterprise and description Of its contemplated route
was read by Col. T. P. Shafher:- f f- ra
Mr. PRESIDENT, LADIES AND GZSuxxKN-lt is not my
purpose 70 discuss the commercial advantages OF an At
hntic telegraph The cost Of the line, the expense of
Maintaining il when made the profits on the Investment,
Ne advantages Of route compared with another,
re questions that cannot be entertained here but the
countries TO be traversed by the North Atlantic Telegraph
can be considered by this section Of the association with
uropriey propose discuss the geography Of the pro-
peed teegraphc route, 30 far az pertains 70 the Faroe
ma Iceland Greenland and Labrador.
HISTORY OF THE PROJECT.
Before entering upon the subject proper IL 10 due TO the
friends Of the enterprise 70 make few remarks relative
srsnn r. not new idea freshly conceived and advanced
Tor the consideration OF men, nor has been brought into
~ me sIe o. ne ss
nom the experience 20 dearly by the share
boIders Of the Atlantic Company That enterprise com
md the money the British public The oeraty bestow
Cd upon It by the British and American governments, and
stre 70 the nations. Is to be hmented that the most
trumphant success achieved The failure Of that
gigantic enterprise is not alone regretted by those who
placed their money in II az speculation, but py
In the civilized world. In 1864, ] obtained the
Danish concession to construct the telegraph from
and Greenland The line viii traverse Labrador and
Canada 70 Quebec The success Of this enterprise was
promotve of the interest OF some New VINO
Soundand and was by their efforts that the Atlantic
Company was organized for the line from Ireland 70 New
fpundand In 1866 mention these circumstances thai
tSe nubI,c NAV know that the Northern enterprise
. DO. OF recent origin, bat that It 10 older tnan
ssbmsnt Of rivalry ID ocean teegraphy, does be-
n -. he promoters Of the Greenland route Il is ne
osssry 70 be understood no as not being
an oppouent OF other lines across the ocean am in
avor OF as many be laid confident that the North
ern route with its Of celebrity Of transmission will
have ali the business II can do, and that other lines VIII
is not now my purpose to discuss the relative merits
Of the ocean elegaphs except in such matters as pertain
70 physics common 70 submarine teiegraphy.
THE RouTH-LANDs AND sEAs.
The route Of the telegraph as marked upon the map
nom scotland via Farce Isles, Iceland, Greenland and
labrador 10 Quebec there connecting with other lines 70
The sea sections Of the proposed teegaphc route are
a well known to ali nautical geographers 10 myself
excepting perhaps the places sounded by the
expedition autumn, between Labrador and Greenland
md between Greenland and Iceland The bottoms OF
those seas were found be deep mud and cable once
aid thereon will lie undsturbed for ali time Neither the
the sr1 cable repoeing beneath their
aoa there will be no part OF the sea IN which
the cable will be laid that the bergs VIII reach the bottom
n easy for those rival nterests or Tor those unac-
quapted with the physics Of the seas, 70 imagine dim
cuities Arctic navigators with whom have had the
Of Ss @H bs osSe cam be
into deep lords the respective coasts there win be no
danger q interruptions arising from Iceberg nave
and, therefore, with me the problem Is solved
The land sections are not Of serious importance. a
telegraph line can constructed on land wherever the
foot Of man can be placed Ihave built lines over hills
and valleys where neither beast nor wagon could CO. and
these regions were in the great Mississippi valley ooun
have the service some sixteen years, ana have
in the construction of several thousand mes
N nearly i 1 every position known tcsslesraphy.
fARox ISLES
The cable viii be landed at Thorshaven, the capital
the Faroe group and from thence few miles by Land 70
Weetermanshsven. The island Is hly, the roa ID ME
ror there is but little cultivation pas'age gooa .ae
Der % the Danish Parliament 1t has GOVERNOR sheriff
snd other officers Of State the climate Is the same
q Copenhagen more mild than Stockholm, edeoee Mon
The people are highly educated and considerable trade
IA carried on between them and the Europeans. The
french have 10 vessels fishing ON the south coast
They have free trade with foreign countries, and all the
snand fisheries are free The inhabitants are industrious
and religious and have their own local Parli ment The
country is partially eS.ed eS' maSa % 'a me ns s
yer nterruptng navigation on the south and west coasts
There will be difficulty whatever In running The teie
graph across Iceland.
The cable will be landed In Hamitons inlet, ALTITUDE
north 81 deg. 80 min. The line VIII then DC ru1
either 10 the Gulf or TO the river 81. lawrence
his country is rolling billy, and covered with
timber principally pine, spruce and juniper. ins
trees , are .esss se many diameter At the S.ss Tnsre
much grass where the country 10 Open farnips, pota
toes and other vegetables are cultivated 70 limited ex
tent The inhabitants are mostly Esqumaux They are
eivized under the teachings Of the Moravian mssioua
RIGA There a station Of The Hudsons Bay Company OF
H.mtons inlet about my mics IRON ,s Sea ns -.
scattered along the coast, and many are employed
Hamilton's inlet. The God and herring fisheries
are the most profitable. The country - MOI
much settled. There will be difficulties to be me-
IN the construction Of the line. and maintaining IL across
rabrador. but those diacutlos will not be 80 great
tboee shch have been overcome In other countries
tboee for example, In Newfoundland and the s,dsaeri
and Western states Of America Tue iiae across New
fouudland traverses marshy and uninhAbted regions
wholly unknown 10 the world until few years ago, whes
it was explored for the telegraph.
GsxxxtkSp.
The eectou OF the route least known " Greenland anf
that part the country proposed 10 be rsvcrsct
\ not 30 cold AZ climate Of 81 fetersoure-a city
eome 100000 tAnisyct there prevails the most er
Youeous regard 70 the temperature Of TIA
Interesting and wonderful country. Whether ~ con
tIner or numerous Islands extending TO the North Pole
are problems yet be solved la she southern portion
we find green valleys oovered with grass and vegeaiiOn
surrounded with mountains towering into the heavens
and these ia morning are covered win white gutter
ing snow which with The midday sun disappears eavn
exposed their ba kcned mInare and spires Tue s;ener
n grand and picturesque ,.-,.
he coasts Of Greenland are barren hills and mountains
Along the shore are many islands The lords penetrst
10 the interior twenty or thirty miles some 81 Ties
briny out zee others do not Into OF the hords vhc
a.. To- ~ ice will be carried the graph cable inii