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Printed for the use of the Colonial Office.
Eastern,
No. 54.
CABLE COMMUNICATION WITH MAURITIUS.
As the question of telegraph communication between India and Mauritius i indirectly raised in the papers laid before the Committee, I have thought it desirable, to set forth the various proposals, which bays from time to time been made with regard to cables connecting Mauritius with Africa,
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1. Ik will be seen that in 1888 Sir J. Pender was te, lax, a direct cable from Zanzibar to Maurishna, gaming to the porth of Madagascar without, landing, for a mhaidy of 20,000 for 20 yeam... The clock of, this would be to provide communication between India and Mauritius, touching only at Aden and Zanzibar, and at the same time, to panpect the Cape with Mauritius, the line touching only Portuguese territory at Mosambique and Delagos Bay.
*. Although in their memorandum of 12.8.85 the Colonial Defange Agmmittee recommended the subsidising of a mail service in preference to that of a cable, they were strongly impressed with the letter, and the Admiralty have „out the extrama desirability of cable with this isolated sealing station. that in the
›War with France, Mediterranean trade uspansend, at all events for some time after the autumak of war. This is the view which pogamended itself the Royal Commis- sion on the Defence of British Possessions and Commeros abroad.
the rqute,
security
In this case there would be an immediate divanion of a considerable portion at least of the Indian trade to the Cape route, and the position of Mauritius would at onop assume extreme importanos. Whether this route could be safely used, would, largely depend on the security of Manzitins, which is not only the half-way station between Qayion, and the Cape, but is at, the point where the trade route is most liable to attack by
ships operating from Béunion or Diego Suarez. Under these giraumstances the value of telegraph mmunionion, between India and Mauritius appears bo no great, to the former, that it is possible that ding it might be forthcoming from the Government of India,
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The Committee may wish to discuss this point, and the following paper will parve to put them in possession of the facts as to the present state of the question.
29/1/01.
R. M.
* 65783.
25.-1/91. G.
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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
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C.O. 882
5 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
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