F.-G

1875. NEW ZEALAND.

NEW ZEALAND ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH CABLE, (FURTHER PAPERS RELATING TO).

Presented to both Souses of the General Assembly by Command of Sis Excellency.

No. 1. Mr. Attdley Coote to the Hon. J. Vogel. Sin,— Hobarton, 7th July, 1874. Be Submarine Cables, —I have the honor to inform you the Parliament of New South Wales have fully ratified the Conference agreement. As this completes tho negotiations on this side the water, I shall be glad to hear when the arrangements are likely to be made to settle the final details with my principals in London. I have, &c., The Hon. J. Vogel, C.M.G. Audley Coote.

No. 2. The Hon. J. Vooel to Mr. Atjdley Coote. Sic— Premier's Office, Wellington, 28th July, 1874. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 7th instant respecting the settlement of final details for the construction of the proposed telegraph cables. In reply, I have to state that the Government of New Zealand are now corresponding with the Government of New South Wales upon the subject. I have, &c, Audley Coote, Esq., Hobarton. Julius VocffiL.

No. 3. Memobandtjm for the Hon. J. Vogel by Dr. Hecxok. I ventijbe to address you on the subject of the line to be adopted on the Submarine Telegraph Cable to Australia, as a question of some practical importance has occurred from a perusal of the account of the soundings recently made by the " Challenger." It appears from these soundings that the great submarine cliff, which is close inshore on the West Coast of the Province of Otago, is continued in a northerly direction while the coast tends to N.E., so that the shoaling of the water was observed by the " Challenger" at a distance of over 200 miles from land. West of this cliff is very deep water (from 10,000 to 15,000 feet), while east of it is a submarine plateau on which the water has a depth of about 1,600 feet only, with an irregular bottom. As it has long been foreseen by those who have attended to this subject that the submarine cliff above referred to will be the chief difficulty to be overcome in laying a cable, and will probably necessitate the use, for a certain distance, of a cable of much heavier material than that used for the main part of the distance, I would suggest for consideration whether it would not be advisable to connect the line with the New Zealand coast at a point much further South, when the sudden deepening of the water would be close to land. By this means the thick portion of the cable would be reduced to a minimum of length, and, being a shore line, would be more under control for inspection and repair than if it were a long distance from the coast. But, on the other hand it might perhaps be possible to avoid the submarine cliff altogether by adopting a more northerly route, as there are reasons for supposing that the cliff will diminish in that direction, or, in other words, I—E. 6.