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able and willing to carry out so desirable an object. They are, however, decidedly of opinion that, looking to the great advance that has, within the last few years, been made in the art of manufacturing, lying, and repairing submarine cables, thereby increasing the confidence of the public in the permanence of such undertakings, they would not be justified in proposing that any assistance, either by way of subsidy or guarantee, should be given to any Company which may at the present time be formed for the purpose of establishing lines of telegraphic communication. They would, however, submit whether encourage- ment may not be afforded to Companies willing to lay lines of which the Government approve, by the Government causing surveys, where none now exist, to be made of the route along which it may be proposed cables should be laid; by rendering assistance to such Companies when laying the cables, by means of of Her Majesty's vessels, in the same manner as was recently afforded by Her Majesty's ship "Terrible," in the case of the Atlantic Cable; and by using the good offices of the British Government with any foreign Government upon whose territories it may be requisite to land cables, or to lay and lines.
any
In any arrangement to be entered into with a Company it should be distinctly stipulated, that while her Majesty's Government claim no advantage as regard the rate of charge for Government messages, all messages transmitted by Her Majesty's Government shall have priority; and that in certain contingencies Her Majesty's Government should have the power of assuming possession of any telegraphic line upon payment of proper compensation.
My Lords entirely coincide in the opinions expressed by the Earl of Derby aud the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and they will have them in view in the event of any arrangements being made with any Company or Companies for the purpose of laying telegraphic cables, or erecting land lines of telegraph. In the meanwhile, it appears to my Lords that it will be advisable to designate those lines of communication which they consider are most called for by Imperial and commercial interests, and towards the formation of which they are of opinion that the countenance and encouragement of Her Majesty's Govern- ment may properly be afforded in the manner indicated, viz. :-
Section A. Falmouth to Gibraltar.
Section B. Gibraltar to Malta. ·
Section D. Suabin to Aden.
"J
E. Aden to Kooria Mooria
1slands.
F. Kooria to Muscat.
G. Museat to Rass Jaub,
H. Rass Jaub to Kurrachee.
Section K. Rangoon to Palo Penang.
1. A direct line between Falmouth, or some other point on the coast of England, and Gibraltar, without touching anywhere between those two points.
2. A line between Gibraltar and Malta, without touching at any intermediate point.
3. A line between some point on the Egyptian territories, to be hereafter decided, and Aden, and from thence to Kurrachee, touching
at the various points which may be thought requisite.
4. A line from Rangoon to Singapore, touching at Penang and
L. Pulo Penang to Singa- other points, if deemed necessary.
pore.
Section M. Singapore to Batavia.
N. Jara to Australia.
Section . Singapore to Saigon river,
5. a line from either Singapore or Malacca, whichever point may be found most suitable, vid Java, to some point on the coast of Australia, to be hereafter decided.
6. A line from Singapore to Shanghae, touching at Hong Kong
P. Saigon to Hong Kong and other points, if deemed advisable, including Saigon, if the French
Q. Hong Kong to Amoy.
"
R. Amoy to Shanghae.
Section S: Shanghae to Yokohama.
Government concur in such a proceeding.
7. A line from Shanghae to Japan.
With regard to the several proposed lines of telegraphic communication my Lords are glad to find that, with some slight exceptions, the whole of the routes along which the lines in question would be laid have been examined, and the soundings completed sufficiently for telegraphic purposes, by the Admiralty, and marked in charts, the incomplete portions of the lines being between Java and Australia, of which about one-half has been sounded; between Saigon and Hong Kong, of which about one-half has been sounded, and the remainder is in progress; between China and Japan, of which about one-third has been sounded.
My Lords have now only to add that (whilst acting on the principles laid down for their guidance in the aforegoing Minute), they will be prepared to give
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their attentive consideration to any proposals which may be submitted to them for carrying out any of the schemes of telegraphic communication above adverted to, by parties who can adduce satisfactory proof of their possessing the necessary pecuniary means for carrying such undertaking into effect, whether by submarine cables, or, when circumstances will admit, by alternative land lines; and my Lords will make arrangements with the Admiralty so as to afford such parties the opportunity of inspecting the surveys referred to.
Transmit copy of this Minute to Sir F. Rogers, and request that in laying the same before the Earl of Carnarvon he will state to his Lordship, that my Lords, in laying down principles for their own governance in regard to the amount of encouragement which it may be deemed expedient on the part of the Imperial Government to afford towards the extension of telegraphic communica- tion, have no wish to interfere with any arrangements, whether pecuniary or otherwise, which the Governments of any of the Australian Colonies may be inclined to enter into with any company or companies formed for the furtherance of the object in question.
Transmit copy of this Minute to Mr. Hammond, for the information of Lord Stanley; to Mr. Romaine, for the information of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty; to Mr. Merivale, for the information of the Secretary of State for India in Council; and to Mr. Farrer, for the information of the Board of Trade.
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