The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1877-12-29
TEE PACIFIC
SATURD4 Y. %.
Telegraphic Projects.

To the Editor Of The Pacific Commercial advertiser:
SIR Birds Island-or, Ka M0ku o ma Manu-
is of no great importance to this Kingdom, and can
hardly be said to belong to the Hawaiian group
geographically. In the present negotiations on
the subject of the duplicate submarine cable be-
tween Australia and the west coast of North Amer
lea, it may transpire that the British government
will deem it essential that the places in the Pacific
where breaks occur should be under the direct
protection of the British flag, a very desirable
condition for many reasons. 1t is not at all certain
whether the United States government will take
part in this undertaking. But, in case of refusal,
it appears probable that parties in Australia and
tie Canadian Dominion will bring forward the
other scheme, already mooted, of starting with the
cable from British Columbia, and Fastening on the
completion of the overland inter ocean telegraph
in British North America. Thus, the British gov
eminent would establish direct telegraphic COM
mnnication between Great Britain. and Australia
and India, Independently Of all other powers. l
have a notion that ultimately a political import
ance will attach itself to this new cable scheme,
which will induce the British government to hurry
on the British North American Inter- Ocean Over
land Telegraph, and TO lay down, Immediately on
It's completion, the submarine cable between Brit
ish Columbia and Australia, regardless of cost, as
a measure imperatively necessary for the protec.
ton of both the Australian Colonies and British
India. Fifteen days interruption in the British
Colonial Offices communications with Australia
must have given a horrible shock to Earl Carnar-
Won. Perhaps his Lordship at last began to fear
that the Russians, without waiting for England's
declaration of war, resolved to take the Bull by
the horns (no pun meant) and so seize the gold
teeming Australian territories of England by a
grand coup de main and accordingly planned
the interruption on the Java line. Joking apart,
this incident is likely to produce a lively impress
sion on his Lordship's mind, and lead him to take
up theoretically Lord Normanby's proposal.
Now, our geographical position fortunately places
us in the direct route of the proposed sumbarine
cable line. The British government, if it adopts
the scheme, may reasonably desire to place the
break stations under the British flag, as | remarked
above. The acquisition of Birds Island would pro-
badly stimulate Lord Carnarvon to go on with the
proposed undertaking. and l really think its ces-
sion or sale by the Hawaiian government would
have great weight in securing for this country the
inestimable benefit of telegraphic communication
with the outer world. A branch cable could be
brought down to Kauai, with an overland tele-
graphic line across that island, a second cable in
the Kauai channel, and another overland tele-
S'NPHfS INV VI lblS icLauu u tHC Cdplldl Vi luC
kingdom. If Birds Island were coded to Great
Britain, the branch line to Honolulu ought to be a
condition of the cession. Our government ought
to keep a good lookout just now, and follow the
course of events closely in this proposal of Lord
Normandy, as there seems to be a good chance of
this country getting an ocean cable on both sides
for just nothing at all,-thanks TO our excellent
situation in the North Pacific. l may add, in con-
cluslon. that, some years ago, when the Argentine
Confederation of South America. and Chile, COM
pleted their inter-ocean overland telegraph be-
tween BuenOs Ayres and Valparaiso, and cable
communication was established between the River
Platte and EurOpe-it was proposed to lay down
ii cable or series of cables between Valparaiso and
Brisbane, Uia Juan Fernandez, some of the eastern
South Sea Isles, Tahiti, the Fills and New Caledo-
MIA, and it was hoped that the French and British
Australian governments would cooperate with
those Of Chile and the Argentine Confederation in
the undertaking. The scheme may be again re-
sumed, and is very feasible but the North Amer
lean Continent and Australia are likely to have
the first chance of communication through the
electric spark, so let us hope, as we are on the
route. ELECTRIC.