THE ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH BETWEEN ENGLAND AND AUSTRALIA.

Colonist, Volume III, Issue 229, 30 December 1859, Page 3

THE ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH BETWEEN ENGLAND AND AUSTRALIA.

(From the Australian and Neio Zealand Gazette August 27.) The results of the working of the various telegraph lines in the Australian colonies appear to have been fully equal to the expectations which were generally entertained on their first establishment. Like the experiment which was made a few years since in this country of the uniform penny postage system, the object sought to be obtained waß rather the greater convenience 1 of the public at large than any immediate profit on the conveyance of jt'bo' letters, and the country was perfectly; satisfied to sacrifice! a small amount of present revenue derived from the Post-office, for the purpose of establishing a system which every person saw would be attended with the most beneficial results. If the Post-office had simply carried the letters between London and Manchester, or Liverpool, or Leeds and the other large centres of industry, a revenue would no doubt have been derived from the business; but it was necessary to provide regular and rapid communication iwith every town and village in the country, and the expenses of the necessary establishments' irilthese smaller places were not met by the receipts, from the postage of letters to and from these less productive ppst towns. In the ■s&irie way <y the" electric tej^gr^'phsf in %ic^bria,' South Australia, and New South Wales traverse districts which yield but little bjlsiness for th|| line, and compel the establishment of stations, which, judged by the ordinary commercial standard, would be considered unprofitable, anil in all probability would speedily be discontinued. But with all drawbacks of a thinly populated country and towns, where little or no business is transacted, the report of Mr. Todd, the Superintendent of Telegraphs in South Australia, shows that the revenue derived by the Government is more than enough to pay the interest on the capital expended and the working expenses. The telegraphs are . being extended to various parts of the colony, a branch line is' in course of construction northward to the rich Burra Burra mines, and a second line has been sanctioned to the Goolwa by a different rdute from that taken by the existing line, so that in a very short time Adelaide will be connected with every locality in the colony. In New South Wales, the construction of the telegraphs is also progressing in a manner which affords ground for believing that in a very short time a complete system of local telegraphs will be added to the system of intercolonial communication. On examining the report of Mr. Todd we find that.during the year of 1858 the number of messages transmitted in South Australia was 46,716; the number in. 1857 having been 35,792 and in the previous year 14738. The total receipts from all the lineg amounted to £2,244, of which sum the intercolonial line contributed £1,157; the Port line, £858; the North line, £375; and the ; South-Eastern line, £453. The entire 'number of private messages transmitted last year on the Victorian lines amounted to 113,672, the messages on public service to 17,834 and the total cash receipts for the year were £16,474, or an average of 2s. ■ 10|d. per message. It will afford some idea of the cost of constructing telegraphs in this, part of Australia that;the poles 20, 22,: and 25 feet long are supplied at a cost of 10s. each pole, a price whioh, all the oiroumstances duly considered, cannot be considered as excessive, and will|bear favorable comparison with the cost of lines in this country and in the United States. All these details of the working of local lines of telegraph lose, however, much of their interest when considered by the side of that larger and more comprehensive system which at no distant day will unite England and her Australian colonies by the electrict wire. The' Australian and New Zealand Gazette' was the first to direct attention to the natural facilities which were afforded by Java, Sumatra, and some others of the chain of islands in the Indian Ocean, for the completion of a continuous line of telegraph from India to Australia. We assumed that the distance between England and India would be supplied either by the British Government oy. the East India Company, and since' that time the submarine cable has been successfully laid from Suez. to Aden, down the entire length of the Red Sea, and it will, in a very short time, be extended to Kurrachee, where it will be brought into oonnection with the old system of lines on the Indian peninsula, extending to Tenasserira,, when.cc. they may ea,sjly bo carried t'q Singapore). , Since we sketched out the route, of a proposed telegraph by way of the Dutch islands of the Indian Archipelago, Mr. Lionel Gisborne, has, it would appear, obtained concessions from the Dutch Government, conditional on his establishing telegraphic communication betweeu Java and the other Dutch settlements and the continent of India on the one side, and with Australia on the other. The success of this scheme only requires on the one hand an extension of the Indian lines from Tenasserim to Singapore, to effect which there appears.to be now no obstacle, an 4cm the other line from Sydney or Adelaide to the northern coast'of'Australia. Mr. Gisborne does ndt'Seek or demand any guaranteed monopoly for his line. s J '-1 Mr. Todd says, in reference to- this scheme: —" Mr. Gisborne is evidently in possession of every available information as to the countries and seas to be traversed by that portion of the line more imtnediajgly Revolving upon him, as may be inferred frqrn tlie positive1 to.ne b,e assumes in re.feren.ee to the line from, Tenasserim to Singapore, to facilitate the lying down of which he offers to procure a contractor willing to perform the work for the sum. of £190,000." A second plan has been proposed by Messrs. Brett arid Carmichael, the well-known and exclusive commissionaires of the line between England and France. Their proposal is to lay a submarine line from Ceylon, either by way of Keeling's Island or Singapore and Java, to the coast of Australia, on condition of being-guar-anteed a subsidy of five percent., on the same principle as the 4£ per cent, guarantee accorded: by the. Governmerif; to the Red Spa JJCelegcaphic Company. < 2toe route. y;ia Ceylo.n,. and, Jaya' is recommended.^ behjg les^ cqstly th'a.n-'tya>/'fey way qf I£eeling|s. frland. j jjit/wUh -thj ppami«"* extension M th§'.lndian Jiae» *-.-" m to Slagapora n.--.- *<om Tenasserim ..^re would be no immediate necessity, as far as Australia is concerned, for an expensive submarine line to Ceylon. . A third proposal is that which is familiar in this country as. tb|at of flr^ European and, Indian Junction Telegraphic Company.' TJie projectors of this plan propose to form a company to carry'out the undertaking, and' they'furnish a draught of a 'bill'" wnich' was required, to be passed by the several j Colonial conferring certain powers,, and privilege^jand guaranteeing the payment o| a Bssidy not ex«ee4ing 0 per ceftt. on ttle, of t^ co,m<

pany, calculated at a certain estimated co3t per mile, according to the number of the conductors. The projectors did not specify within what limits the Australian exteusioh proper should be considered as being included, but it may be in-^ ferred from the tenor of the bill that the por-^ tion of the line to be subsidised would be included between Sydney and Singapore. They further required a monopoly of fifty years. The line was to'be completed by the 31st December, 1862, the act otherwise to be null and void; it' was also to be void if a bona fide company was not paid up within six months. They furtlier proposed that a local Board of Mauageinent should be established in each colony, at which an ex officio director appointed by the Governor would have a seat.

This project of connecting Australia with the mother-country by means of an electric telegraph is indeed a magnificent one, and it would be difficult to exaggerate the value of such a communication were it once established. M The attempts which were made to span the Atlantic by means of the insulated wire have made the idea instantaneous transmission of messages across the narrow, channel that separates us from France, familiar to us Mr." Brett was considered an enthusiast Sirhen . the first .telegraph message was .flashed from Calais to Dover-^iwben V"the. jest of yesterday had become the fact of to-day " —when he stated-that it was only a question of a few years when not only Paris but Constantinople, Calcutta, Pekin, India, and America would be in Speaking terms as next door neighbors. It is^but.a-few years since Dr; Watson, thejii the Bishop of Llandaff, erected the first telegraph in this coiiutry, one of about four miles in length, on Shooter's Hill, and it was considered a wondertul fate of science that he was enabled to transmit the electric current slong this vast extent of wire and give signals' at each extremity. Now it is proposed literally to girdle the earth, in order that the gold digger at Ballarat may apprise his friend in L >mlbn of the last nugget which he has found, and the merchants of Melbourne, and Adelaide, and Sydney may advise with those of the old world as to the state of markets in the autipodes, and the best and most fitting cargoes of goods to be shipped. There is no room for doubting that very shortly this rapid and electric communication with Australia will be established.

Referring to these different projects for supplying the means of telegraphic communication between England and Australia, Mr. Todd says:— ; "In ray last report (August 24, 1845) on; Mr. Gisborne's project, I was unable to give the matter that consideration which, from its importance to these colonies, I could have desired; as the arrangements could not, in my opinion, at that time be considered sufficiently advanced to admit of the Australian Governments pledging themselves to support it as a feasible scheme, or ab least taking any of the definite action with respect to it; while the East Indian Goverment abstained, from binding itself to construct the required line fron Tenassarim to Singapore, as shown by the, correspondence then submitted. It might also have been objected to as premature, though I should have attached but little importance to the circumstance, with the arrangements, for a line between Europe and-ladta being then incomplete and unsettled; •."•"Both of these impediments to the full consideration of the scheme are now removed, the Home Government having finally agreed to subsidise a line from Alexandria down the Bed Sea to Aden, and thence to Kurrachee, where it will join the Indian lines. These at present extend to Tenasserim, from which point the Indian Government now engage to extend them to . Singapore whenever it may be necessary for the puepose of completing the communication with Australia. So far as lam able to judge from the .information afforded,. Mr, Gisborue's scheme most merits support; but in so important a matter, requiring for its successful consummation the cordial co-operation of all the colonies as well as of the Home Government, I would suggest that the. respective Superintendants of Telegraphs in Victoria, New South Wales, and South Australia shonld be directed to confer with each other and draw up a joint report. 4>

(From the Times, September 15.) Englishmen have a natural faculty, for making .the beet of a thing. It takes a good deal to dishearten us, even for a moment, and a repulse or disaster is far more likely to stimulate us to exertion than to turn us from our course. In a few days' time we shall probably see our way to a satisfactory settlement with the treacherous Chinese, and be persuading ourselves not only'that the account can be readily squared which was never) doubtful, but that we can manage the whole business with little present inconvenience and no ultimate loss. In point of fact, that it is likely enough to be the case.

Our ships have been firqd upon, and our seamen maspacrecl by a barbarous anbuscade at the ' 'other side ,of ' the1 globe; Thousands of miles intervene between England •■■■ iltid the Peiho, and months would elapse before an expedition from this " kingdom could reach jihe' sc,ene of the late conflict; All this is true, but it is only par^ of the truth. Queen'Victa'rja hasi a second rea.lm in the East, anc| that realm,' is" actualiv oonterrm'opus with! the territories of the Chinese. London is distant, but Calcutta is close at hand. From, the Indian capital an expedition could be despatched to the ooast of China with. the greatest ease—indeed, it would be little more than a descent upon the Persian or Burmese shores, such as we have very recently undertaken and accomplished. But is our Eastern Empire well supplied with troops, and could it afford the men for the work ? As it happens, our resources in this respecc.are so abundant that we have only to make the demand. ft is even possible, such is the plethora pjf bijr military strength, out the^^aljdepletioa m j actually s,etvjceabje, AN our di%ukie» in. !Ir^dia for thQJaat.yea? qr ha?© arl^ f rom our own vmm Km c c i ass of ; oldiers> *™ tfieu * nocner c ] agg> | lftg brought us into trouble, and we are puzzled to hit upon a method by which levies of various descriptions may keep each other in check. We bad 150,000 Sepoys, of wl[iom probably at least 80,000 are still hanging about the country, and we have now about-60,000 Sikhs, or Punjabees, excellent soldiers, whose only wish is for employment', and whose only dread is disband.raent. AH this is in Bengal alo^e, independently of strong native, air^tea in Madras and Bombay. But. besides these troops, we havein India 91,6dft<m ; en'of Royal at least, this was the number provided for in the Estimates of tfoe present year. The entire force gf Queea'a troops assigned ty lo4m wa3

106,902, of which. 15,000 were assumed to be in depots,at home. Reckoning all together, the Government of India has probably at, command some 400,000 soldiers!

Even these figures, however, large a3 they are, do not fully express the, res mrcea of our Indian Empire. That country literally swarms with material tribes who are only too ready for the work of war. They ask for nothing better than enlistment and occupation. Offer but suitable pay and treatment, and there is. no limit to the force which the Indian Government could raise. . We could send forth hordes like those of Genghis or Attila, and might, if we pleased, overwhelm the Mantchoa Tartars by mere numbers alone. All thi3 time,, too, there is really.little need of these soldiers in the where ihey are stationed, and the principal use^iritleed, of several establishments has beeu each other. It has been a puzzle to know what to do with the Sikhs, who have rendered'us admirable service, but whose occupationse ems to be* gone. They were np longer much wanted, but they had no desire to be dismissed. The old " Company's Europeans" are coming home, in the hope, no doubt, of fresli enlistment and fresh service, and, if it had not beeu for their sudden departure,, a proportionate number of Queen's troops would, have come home,in their stead. India,,in short, is"just now oppressed rather than p'rdtected by overgrown armie3 which she cannot afford to keep and for which no occupatiou except that of vigilance appears to reipain. The letter of. our Calcutta correspondent, which we yesterday published, contained a triumphant,remark^ that, after a war of the most desperate and exhausting character, the British force in North-Western India was now more than three times as strong as it was before the struggle began.

This is very magnificent, no doubt, and a grand example of our- natioual strength, but now is the time to turn such resources to account. The demand and supply seem exactly fitted to each other. CliiDa, rich and barbarous, though really impotent, has challenged our power by a shameful and sanguinary act of perfidy. India, close at hand, is swarming with a superabundant soldiery, well disciplined) thoroughly acclimatized, and anxious for employment. The diversion of a portion of these armaments to the shores of China would relieve our Indian finances, for the Chinese, of course, must pay for the war; would find our troops the occupation they desire, and would rapidly enable us to recover the position with the late miscarriage has cost us. India is a second centre of British strength, an empire in itself; and it would be strange indeed if, with such an empire, gorged as it is with soldiers, and immediately contiguous to the seat of war, we should be under any necessity of sending troops on a tedious and protracted voyage from these shores. All that we want is rapidity of communication, and it is now again that we miss the completion of the Indian telegraph. Had we done as we might have done, London by this time ought to have beea only a week's post, from Calcutta.

The old Sepoy regiments or at least those of Bengal, were generally averse from foreign service. They were enlisted especially for home duty, had a superstitious dread of the sea, and. scarcely liked even to cross the Indus., Even now, perhaps, our less regular regiments had better be invited to " volunteer " for the expedition to China. With good officers and a prospect of good service these troops would " go anywhere and do anything;" but, it is, best to let them exercise a free choice- Not the least difficulty need be anticipated, ia getting sufficient numbers. India. i$ not very elastic in its yield of revenue, but there is no kind of doubt about its productiveness in men. Large as the Indian armies are, they could be doubled to-morrow by a mere word from the government which often finds it hard to pay soldiers, but never hard to raise them. These troops, too, would be already inured to the climate of the East, and are far superior to the Chinese in intelligence and valour. To be brief, instead oi considering that we Western Islanders are called upon to fit out an expeditioa to the East, let iis considered that the Sovereign of India has been mortally provoked by the Emperor, of Chma A and "that the mjlitary respurces of the former St%te are tenfold those of the latter.

Looking at the matter in this light, and keeping steadily in mind that the Chinese must pay the whole expense to the uttermost farthing, we may, perhaps, succeed in convincing ourselves that, except for the sorrow and dismay inseparable from the loss of brave lives and a maritime disaster, there is not much to threaten us with serious trouble in this repulse at the Peiho. India can produce the men required, not only without embarrassment, but with a. positive relief. China must find the money, and with these prospects oi\r impending relations wtih. the Celestial Empire need give us but little concern as far as regatta auy drain upon our resources at home! When we garrison India with 90,000 British troops, besides thrice as many native levies, we have surely done enough for all our settlements in the East whenever situated, and perhaps a popular and. vicious expedition may serve better th^n spirit which" the lassitude of ii^actian, succee'cfyig to ,th,e excitement of a trying campaigq ha,s apparently generated in EengaV~" ' "'"- ''". '' ; - - • .-.

Thk New Victoria Bkll at the Leeds Town-haMi— The size of this bell, which .has "recentlybeen cast, is 6ft. 2in., and 6in. thick; and the weight is just 4 tons 1 cwt. It is made on the pattern of the latest in date of the Westminster bells. The Leeds and Westminster bells are thicker in proportion to their size than probabiyjany other large bells, except the Russian. Bells are now somtimes made as thin as; 1I 16th of their diameter, —of course, fbr th,?,1 sal^b of economy, but with serions detyinjent ia the quality of the tone. The, Leeds b.eft was "oast by Messrs. Warper, % a, ok process, never before used; a&d , the'failute of most of Si\% very large bells cast I within the lajt two centuries proves that success is by no mentis of easy achievement. The fate of the first Big Ben of Westminster, is recent enough tp occur to every one. T^e great hell s of Paris (Notre Dame), of nearly the same, size,"'and nearly 13 tons weight, was cast three'times over in as many years,, und,ey. LdmVXIV, St. i*au\' a bell, 5 tons 4 cwt., and 6ft. 9ia. wide. Was recast twj,ee. 3 by order of Sir ChristopuP1: "N^ren, and is still declared by musicians to sound no distinct note. Jbut a double one, compounded of A and a thira above. The bel]l of 7 tons, cast in London in 1843, for Montreal, was soon rotutped cracked, to be recast into a larger ope, which has lately perished with th,e cKurcJi by fire. Great Peter of Yorl^ttv^ vS h itco^t i'2,OOQ, and,weighs nearly 11 tons and is Bft. 4in. wide, is a notorious failure and is almbst disused.' Peter of Exter Ja. an inch The. weight locally assigned] to, ijt x 5£ tjons, is therefore evidently fabulous, aiid; the dapper and clock hajniner i,re so small that it is difficult to, qay> what its true sound is. Great Tom of (kford is. pronounced by the learned one of the worst bells in tha world. He weighs 7 tont 12 cwt., aad is m diamet«, Toa^ ofLjooolo^

long the most famous bell in England, was Killed on Christmas-day 1807, and revived by Mr. Meavs in 1835, on a rather larger scale, 4 cwt. heavier, and an inch wider than St. Paul's. It is considered a good bell, but it is thinner for its size than' Victoria, and of a different shape, and sounds rather feeble for a bell, of,that weight.; These are the only, bells in England exceeding this 'of Leeds in size, and we believe that not one of them, except, of course Big Ben, with his 13£ tons, have the quality of tone when struck with a hammer of proper weight. Mr. Dent is making the clock, on the Westminster construction, which was approved by the Astronomer Royal, and from a new design made expressly for it by Mr. Denisbn, so as to be capable of raising a hammer of 2'cvvt. a foot high. T,he bell is intended to be hung for ringing in full swing, like the Queen's clock bell, Balmoral, with a kind of mushroom top, to enable it to be turned in the stock when worn in one place.— Leeds Mercury. '

Awfully Sudden Death-—An awful instance of the truthfulness of the declaration that. in the midst of life we are in death, occured at Toowoomba lately. John Butterworth, a middle aged man, who was jobbing about Mr. Witham's Hotel, went into the tap-room, apparently in his usual health and spirits, and inquired for a glass of water, which was given to him, but he had hardly placed it to his lips before he fell back and expired. An inquest was held, and a post mortem examination made by Dr. Sachse, who gave it as his opinion that deceased died from excessive intemperance. The jury returned a verdict in accordance with the medical evid.ence.-~D((wiug Downs Gazette." "". .f^-'V:- / ', ■ fil l' ' The ' State of Matrimony' is one of the United; States. It is bounded by a ring on one side, and a; cradle on the other. The climate is sultry till you pass the tropics of house-keeping, when the squally weather sets in with such power as to keep all hands as cool as cucumbers. For; the principal roads leading to this interesting state consult the first pair of blue eyes you run against. During an examination a medical student being asked,i 'When mortification Jensues V replied, 'When you pop the question and are answered, No.' . ■ • ,