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from New York twice in the month, and once a month by direct British mail steamers from Halifax.

Sir James Anderson appears to overlook the vital importance of Bermuda in possible naval operations in the Atlantic Ocean, and in the direction of the American coast.

I am, 3 and 4, Fenchurch Street, E.C., Feb. 15.

DONALD CURRIE.

SIR,

«

The "Times," February 13, 1878. OUR TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATIONS.

To the Editor of the "Times."

&c.

{

I HAVE read with a great deal of satisfaction Mr. Donald Currie's letter in the Times" of to-day on the subject of telegraphic communication between England and South Africa, and I heartily approve all that gentleman says. For many years I have resided in the Orange Free State, and I am an old member of the Volksraad, so I know the feeling of the people of that country.

The utmost satisfaction would be felt if the British Government would arrange some way or other to connect South Africa with England by telegraph, which would fit in with the telegraph lines we are now laying in the Free State in connexion with the Cape Colonies telegraphic system.

I hope and trust Mr. Donald Currie's efforts to draw public attention to this matter will be successful.

19, Euston Square, London, N.W., Feb. 12.

I remain, &c.

W. W. COLLINS, Member of the Volksraad of the

Orange Free State.

To the Editor of the "Times."

SIR,

MR. DONALD CURRIE's letter in the "Times" of this date opens up a subject well worthy public consideration and discussion. My own opinion is altogether adverse to Mr. Currie's proposal. To lay submarine cables in the North and South Atlantic in any such broadcast manner as he suggests would not be advisable for reasons which appear to me unanswerable. Not one of the sections would ever pay. There is no commerce to justify the outlay. There never is any portion of our fleet in any of the points suggested which would influence any important naval operation in any part of the world, excepting at those points which are already in telegraphic communication by duplicate lines-namely, Halifax and the West Indies.

To connect the Cape Verd Islands, the point nearest the Cape of Good Hope, where telegraphic communication already exists, would require about 6,000 miles of cable, if "the whole of the British West African settlements were connected as proposed by Mr. Currie. It would, I think, be sanguine to anticipate that the commerce of these settlements would do more than pay the expenses of the stations, and in time of appre- hended political disturbance there need never be more than two or three corvettes stationed along the coast.

To connect the Cape Verde, Ascension, St. Helena, and the Cape would require 4,500 miles, and all this cable would be laid in deep ocean, where the trade winds blow in one direction continuously, so as to make repairs almost impossible. No tariff could be established which would develop traffic to make this line remunerative. There would only be the traffic from the Cape of Good Hope, a few messages from the other Colonies, and a small number from St. Helena.

I think these points establish-that if these connexions are to be made, the whole cost and risk must be at the expense of the taxpayers of this country, with no return, either in the shape of interest upon money or substantial value in time of war, and with all the risk incident to a single line of communication of upwards of 6,000 miles, lying in the deepest ocean along the course of the trade winds.

The unquestionable advantage of alternate routes should, therefore, be sought in some other direction, and I contend that routes can be multiplied along the course which commerce has already selected as the most desirable highway; and as the whole strength of this nation must be exerted to keep the highways of commerce protected, the telegraph lines are more likely to be secure along this route than other.

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There are already lines to Egypt through Turkey, Italy, Greece, France, and by way of Vigo, Lisbon, and Gibraltar; and so long as we possess the freedom of navigating the seas, we could by still another route connect Gibraltar, Malta, Egypt, and our fleet at the Dardanelles within a few weeks-much of it within three weeks. Neither is there any difficulty in the way of making yet another route, vid the Red Sea, not likely to be interrupted, if this country will spend the money. Most of these routes would; besides, become of commercial value after their strategical necessity had ceased. This subject in part has already been submitted to our Government, and there we will leave it.

The question of establishing telegraphic communication between this country, the Cape of Good Hope, and the Mauritius should, I submit, be subjected to the two vital considerations of the enterprise being made remunerative, and the cable laid where it can with reasonable certainty be maintained.

No other route offers any approach to the advantages which will accrue if this con- nexion is established between Aden, Zanzibar, Delagoa Bay, Natal, and thence by land line to the Transvaal, Grahain's Town, and the Cape, with a separate line from Zanzibar to the Mauritius and Bourbon. All these points have a considerable trade with the East, and there is a growing commercial activity at several points along the East Coast of Africa. At Aden they have the assured connexion with the whole world by four cables, and a tariff could be established for this route which would be unimportant as compared with any tariff which could be arranged by the proposed Atlantic route.

It is with great reluctance I offer any remarks adverse to Mr. Currie's scheme, or, indeed, any other which will provide alternative submarine cable routes. The only possible method by which neutrality to cables in time of war can be established is by creating so many alternative routes that nations at war will not care to destroy them, because there will still exist others which cannot be interrupted.

It

In my opinion a single line uniting these distant and comparatively unimportant points in the South Atlantic does not fulfil the conditions desirable in an alternative route. can easily be destroyed, it will be almost impossible to maintain, and it can never be of any serious commercial value. And if we cannot maintain our lines in the Mediter- ranean, Red Sea, &c., which are for the most part lying at depths in which repairs are comparatively easy, and besides lying along the track of our commerce, protected by our fleet, and landed at points guarded by our fortresses, then there cannot be a hope of guarding a single section of cable in the vast North and South Atlantic Oceans.

I am, &c. 66, Old Broad Street, Feb. 12.

JAMES ANDERSON.

MEMORANDUM.

WITH regard to what Sir James Anderson wrote to the "Times," I beg to make the following observations:-

The question is not whether the telegraphs which I have recommended will pay commercially, but whether they are of sufficient national importance to justify their establishment, either at the national expense, or by some company receiving an annual Government subsidy. I am not, however, prepared to admit that the line would not pay, provided a subsidy be received from our Government and the Colonies concerned.

It might be supposed from Sir James Anderson's letter that the lines which he desires to establish along the eastern coast of Africa would be self-supporting and independent of Government aid, but the fact is his company require, and have proposed the payment of a subsidy from our Government, and from the Cape, Natal, and Mauritius. I did not say in ny letter that the western line could be kept up without Government asssistance; on the contrary, I consider that as the matter is really one of national importance, Her Majesty's Government should be left to judge wliether they would themselves establish the lines, or pay an annual subsidy.

The Cape Colony and Natal have already agreed to contribute to the payment of

a subsidy so has the Island of Mauritius; but the route has not been fixed; indeed, it

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is argued by some that we should have the telegraph through Central Africa.

My argument is that the West Coast offers the advantage and security of an alter- native route, free from the dangers encompassing the present lines of communication by way of Russia, Turkey, and Persia, to our Eastern possessions, or the Mediterranean system, which connects with the cables in the Red Sea across Egypt. Should war break out what position would we be placed in as regards our means of intercourse with India

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| PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

C.O. 885

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

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