Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-06-16


them, with all their local ram cations into American
telegraph system On the eastern continent Deher the
domestic Disturbances the ryaries Of States their
occasional Collisions prevent continual expansion Of the
teegraphc stem The telegraph construction OF Russia
at this day, like her system OF railroads. presents the
frame work OF an imposing structure, the dmensioGs Of
which are boldly outlined. while the connections and ex
tensions yet remain imperfect and unfinished 1t has been
already mentioned that the Emperor has bound himself 10
extend the main eastern and western line from Irkodtsk
to the mouth of the Amo0r This extension is
rapidly advancing But this s only single and not very
prominent part of the work which the Emperor Of Russia
has begun. His design embraces nothing less than the
following supendous works. namely "a telegraph wire,
with the necessary submarine cables, from the mouth of
the Amoor river the Straits of Tartary, the
leland Of Sakhau, the Straits Of Ii Parouse
| the island of Jesse, through Hakodad and the
Straits OF Sanger to JeddO the capital OF japan.
Secondly telegraph wire from the conf ience of the
Usur with the Amoor which confluence is hundred
miles above the mouth of the att thence southwark
bank of the Usur to Lake Kngka and thence to the
port OF Vad vosok on the coast OF Tartary opposite to
the port Of adj the eastern coast of the Japanese
Vlad Vostok is selected by tho Emperor for hs
| val station on tho Pacific coast.
Thirdly. A telegraph wire from Irkoutsk, before de-
scrbed the capital OF Eastern Siberia through Ktkhta
the entrepot of European and Chinese overland
merce through the vast territory Of the MoDgos to the
gate in the Chinese wall at Yaho and thence to Pek the
capital OF the Chinese Empire American citizens tempo
rariy residing in that country soliciting, with
good prospect of permission from the Chinese
Government to extend this last mentioned line overland
through Chna to terminate with the Deedu branches at
the ports OF NaDkD, Shanghai Annoy and Canton the
Pac fc coast opposite to California
There already in operation twelve thousand miles of
telegraph wire ia the continent of Australia This Aus
traan telegraph system which is purely local aud
oated is nevertheless expected to be brought into
bnaon by alternating submarine and leland wires with the
Chinese and Russian wires last described. Ha @E.1
Fourhly A telegraph wire from station on the main
continental Russian line at Omsk the southern bound
airy Of Asatc Russia thence passing through Mongolia
and entering China at Hrck sometimes called lily; thence
crossing Turkesap khara and Balk. to Cabool in AT
ghastan thence to capital points in the Punaub where it
will meet the teegaphc system OF India and thus become
medium of communication setween London and the Co
lonal dep ndences of Great Britain, the Netherlands
Spain aud Portugal the shores and islands of the Great
Indian y. N''
Filthy telegraph wire from Kaxan on the main GEN.
trail Russian line through Georgia and Circassa, along
the western shore of the Caspian to Teheran the
capital of Persia; thence to the Euphrates at Bagdad
thence descending along the banks of that historical
to its mouth at the head of the Persian gulf there to be
connected with the Oriental telegraph system of India last
w en- take into consideration the fact that Russia
has already brought all her chief inland mari aud mines
ns well as her principal por on the coasts of tho Arctic
ocean, INTO Geographic communication with her capital
is readily perceived that by Offering to operate with
in giving eec to Mr. Collins design, Russia actually iu-
vites us to put forth national energy from every point
within our BORDERS where Industry of any kind dwe, and
especially from Northwestern and Western States and
apply that energy in the work of renewing aud
storing the long languishing civilization of the regions
where our race hst impressed it's dominion upon the globe
appointed for its residence. Certainly it cannot be
TO say that efforts belong to the glass Of human
abor which pronounced be d"uby blessed because
they bless equally ihose who the subjects and those
who are he performers Of them 1t impossible TO
estimate the diIec effect Of This application of
the national energy 10 producing rapid and yet perma
nent development of the agricultural forest mineral, and
marine resources 1T the United States Nor is it any
practicable to assign limits to the ncre of national
influence, which must necessarily result from the new
facilities should acquire in that for extending
throughout The world American idsss and principles of
public and private economy, politics. morals, philosophy
and religion.
In attempting to make such estimates it is important
TO remember that the telegraph wire is yet newly
invented instrument midy employed and clumsily hand
led with very imperfect knowledge of the lness of the
power that resides in it. 1t costs onehaf mill
per mile to speak word through the cheapest tte
graph wire of any considerable length Thiss vastly
costly than the average of messages writing
by employing the steam engine either land water
This grrat expense of telegrsphc communication is due
however not at all to an inseparabe quality of the ele
graphic machine for that machine is eay constr ucted OF
very simple and cheap materials The responsiveness
due to two transient conditions of the telegraph system
First, the charges justly imposed upon fox reward
ing the nventos and secondly the fact that yet fixed
habits OF communication 10 ancient forms prevent frequent
resort to the mode of correspondence and customary
investments of capital which sufficiently remunerave
TO be sparng applied to the perfection of the
system When these merely ephemeral enbarrassmeuts
of the magnetic telegraph shall be removed the magnetzed
wire will become for the chief purposes of soclal
mercia and political communication, practical as by
reasCn of it's adaptation, it is effective.
proceed to consider the question whether the enter
prise deserves the patronage Mr.. Collins soics for it,
have not without design called it Mr. Collnss enter
prise IL is truly bis, because it he alone whe
ceved and projected it, and who has clothed it with the
substantial form which enables the three great States
whose concerted action he scits TO it 10 be put
in operation. But in another ii is entitled to be
garded enterprise of the Government Of the United
States During all the time that Mr. Collins has been
gagged 10 maturing and developing it, and presenting it to
the consideration of Russia and Great Britain he has been
acting under the Instructions and with the appreciation Of
the Department Of State and knowledge Of that fact has
not been withheld from Congress.
think IL may BE- regarded settled that the United
States cnnot neglect 10 employ elegraphc communication
with foreign Countries and yet e,pect to maintain
heslthul with them that the United States
cannot hope to inspire respect confidence and good will
abroad and peace with foreign States without
using the magnetic telegraph when it posbe aud that
the United States cannot hope to and
order at kome much less to maintain military and naval
police their inland frontiers and around their
coast without avairg themselves of all feasible telegraphc
Communications
Finally it seems to that in extending dominion
inland mountain regions and setting up the national fsg
the Pacific coast the American people, however moon
sideraly, assumed the duty OF difusng equal cvza
ton throughout the whole of the great country which they
thus included within hsr borders Nor would it be
to shut out from thoughts the consideration which
cessary results from contemplating calmly the positions
and the Of eur Northwestern aud Western
states lt becomes duty to act upon the conviction
that from this time henceforth those States per
form important part in great work which shall make
TIE shores Of the Pacific ocean the home of commu titles
that shall BE- busy prosperous Free enghten
ed, as powerful aud as happy those which cluster
upon the Atlantic shores The Atlantic States by their
inermarrage with those Of the Pacific have under