MISCELLANEA.

Lyttelton Times, Volume III, Issue 111, 19 February 1853, Page 10

MISCELLANEA.

Submarine Telegkaph between the Old and New Worlds.—The practicability of successfully laying down a submarine insulated wire for the purpose of placing England, and in fact Europe, in telegraphic communication with America, is a question of very grave and serious consideration; and although Aye live in an age when the terms " difficulties" and "impossibilities" are well nigh expunged from our engineering vocabularies, there do exist impediments in crossing the Atlantic, a distance of three thousand miles, certainly most formidable, if not of an entirely prohibitory character. The only points of land or rock which could be made at all available for securing the wires are the " Three Chimneys," situated at about thirty degrees longitude, and " Jacquet Island," forty degrees, from whence it would proceed to St. .John's, in Newfoundland, longitude about fiftylive degrees, leaving long sea space of varying depths, encompassed with difficulties, the means to escape from which.it is hard to surmise. In some parts of the Atlantic, the plumb line has been let out to a depth of five miles without reaching soundings; in other portions the depth of the sea valleys varies from half a mile to two miles, and many of the more shallow spots consist of ridges of hard water-worn, sharp-pointed rocks, which, from the violent action of the sea, would inevitably abrade and sever, in a very shqrt period, any kind of metallic rope, however strongly manufactured, or externally protected. Vast masses of gigantic sea weeds, of unknown thickness, form the sea bed, extending over some thousands of square miles, in which the rope, once embedded, whether fractured or not, no power that could be placed on board a ship could ever again raise it. With such facts before us, it appears necessary, if telegraphic communication is to be accomplished between the two countries, to look about us, and see if there does not exist a route in which we find a little more terra firma, and unaccompanied by v such startling difficulties. A plan has been suggested, and the route partially surveyed, by two young engineers, Messrs. Harrison, Brothers, which appears to solve the problem ; and,, in fact, nature has placed at our command land stations by which, we have no doubt, the highly desirable achievement may be successfully accomplished. They propose to start from the most northern point of the main land of Scotland, proceed to the Orkney, Shetland, and Faroe Islands, from, the most north-westerly of these, cross to Iceland; from Cape North, in Iceland, to the eastern coast of Greenland ; thence across the peninsula to a point on Davis Straits, near the Arctic . circle, crossing the Straits to a point near Cape Walsingham? The next and last submarine line would be across Hudson Straits, into Upper Canada, the wires then traversing the land to Quebec, from whence it would command the whole extent of the great continent of America. By this arrangement the whole of the submarine line would, probably, not exceed 2,577 miles; but, being in detached portions, the longest of which, from the Faroe Islands to Iceland, would not much exceed five hundred miles, the chances of practical success are greatly multiplied. The whole of the route, to the bed of the North Sea, is singularly favourable for the project. At depths varying from 160 to 200 fathoms it con. sists of stony, sandy, and shingly bottoms, un«

dulating in hills aud valleys, whe.re, out of a course of any very extensive navigation, and in situations not generally used for anchorage, the wires would lie secure performing their rapid, silent, and mysterious vocation iv safety. The length of the line overland would much exceed that by sea before reaching Quebec ; but, as no difficulties are involved in its construction, whether carried on posts or laid beneath the surface of the ground, the only consideration is the quantity of wire required, and, consequently, the expense to complete the connection. The practicability and successful results of the submarine telegraph are now a great fact, exemplified in the working of the line between England and France; and, if twentyone miles can be accomplished, we see- no reason why, with a favourable sea bed, and under other advantageous circumstances, five hundred miles could not be successfully completed. The construction of such a line as we have here described would, indeed, lay the ground work for encircling the earth with the means.of instantaneous intelligence; proceeding westerly thro ugh the Kussia-American possession, .we come to Behring Straits, crossing which, by a submal'ine line, at the narrowest part, perhaps 250 miles, near Prince of Wale's Cape, we land on the coast of Russia in Asia, and, crossing Siberia, establish an electric belt, surrounding the globe, from which communications could "with facility be made with every principal place in Europe, Asia, and Africa; and from the "United States, by the Isthmus of Panama, the same results would follow with South America. We think enough has been said to show the practicability of the project, and as we understand the Danish government.are favourable to the scheme, and are willing to - render every assistance as far as the route crosses their territories, we have no doubt there is sufficiententerprise and scientific persev.erance abroad to carry cut the plan to a successful issue.-:- Mining Journal. A Tiger's Jaws.-—Grice (a man of the 26th, stationed here in India). and I obtained two months leave on purpose to kill tigers, panthers, and bears. Having made our preparations for the jungles, we started with a band, consisting of one big drum, one big bell, four small drums, and a pair of pistols always loaded with coarse powder, and being continually let off. The noise of this concert ■was sufficient to frighten^any animals out of the jungle; and, when it was not, we had also some 20 or 30 men to set up a supplementary yell. I should like you to have heard our band turning a corner amongst the hills! Our battery consisted often double guns—some rifles, the others smooth-bored—and two braces of pistols. We commenced shooting at about nine in the morning ; our plari being always to go some half-a-mile before the beaters ; and, having placed ourselves in some likely spot, to sit quietly, and (if possible) concealed, until they had beaten up to us. Owing to rain, we saw nothing for some time, when, having walked some five miles, we perched ourselves, guns and all, on a small tree; and put the beaters in. We had been in the tree about twenty minutes, when Grice whispered to me, " Tiger." I saw her almost at the same moment ; we fired four barrells, all of which took effect. She charged with frightful speed right under the tree in which we were sitting, and was into the jungle in a moment. Immediately after this, a peacock began calling, a sure sign of a tiger being near ; and, sure enough, in another minute, out came a small cub about the size of a dog. This Grice shot. We then began the ticklish work of "followingup,"-generally done on elephants; but not being rich enough to sport them, we were forced to go on foot. We traced pur prey about half a mile into the jungle, which was so thick that we could not see more than 10 yards a-head. I separated some 6 or 7 yards from Grice, and was in the act of looking down close to the ground, when I heard a frightful roar; and before I had time literally to cock one barrel (I had imprudently gone into the jungle with my piece on half-cock), I felt myself jammed in the brute's jaws. My face, I believe, was touching her cheek, when Grice, with the most, wonderful presence of mind, put two bullets into her ear. She dropped, but still held me. Grice ran up, and before she was actually dead, pulled me out of her mouth. I am told that there was not two inches of space between my head and the spot where the bullets : hit; : Had Grice's hand shaken, I should : probably have been shot through the head, as he had a very small mark to fire at. I was per-

fectly conscious when pulled out of the brute's mouth. The skin, of coußse, I keep as a trophy —it is nearly 12 feet long. The accident occurred about 50 miles from camp ; and if it had not been for Grice, God knows how I should ever have been taken back ; but he is well known by the natives; in fact they are afraid of him, (his nickname is " Tiger Grice",) and he told them they would be well paid if they carried me \ to the next town, Jaat, about 12 miles off. After some little arrangement, they carried me on my bed to Jaat, where Grice is almost worshipped, on account of having last year killed a tigress which had at different times killed 24 of the villagers, and at the time Grice shot her she was in the act of eating an unfortunate woman. Twenty-four men were sent out from camp with a palanquin to meet me. Grice rode all night by my side, and accompanied me till within two miles of the camp, when he went back again, to go on with his sport. It is more than a month since he has been heard of, but I hope he is all right. I suffered great agony from the moment I was bitten. My mother was always anxious abont her children's constitutions ; well, a very clever doctor told me that if I had not had an iron constitution it would have, gone very hard with me. lam perfectly convalescent, walk about, and go out every evening in a kulkee; the wounds are healing, but it is irritable to have one's arm continually slung up. I should like very much to send the skin to England, but it is very large, and would be difficult to pack up; otherwise it would make a nice rug.—■ Dickens s Household Words. The Mobmoists.—Four hundred persons, assembled in the Sunderland Hall, Newport, were celebrating one. of the festivals of the Latter Day Saints. Several Mormon elders had given out the blessing, and some hints were thrown out that even that day might witness some of the great and miraculous power of the saints. Scarcely had tea been commenced, when, without a moment's warning, exactly one-half of the lofty and heavy ceiling of the building fell with a sudden crash. For a moment all was blinding and snffocating dust and confusion ; then succeeded the most appalling shrieks aud the most terrifying clamour; the windows were dashed out, and some of the affrighted crowd flung themselves through the broken sashes, while others clung in still greater terror to the frames and sills. At last the doors were burst open from without, and the scene that presented itself of smashed beams and rafters, patches of ceiling, clouds of' dust, and whole piles of people crying aloud for mercy and a miracle, is said to have been appalling. The upper end of the hall, where the elders had been seated, was perfectly safe, and the ceiling unbroken; and, stranger still, when the unhappy creatures were ultimately extricated, not one was found missing, and not one was hurt. They immediately adjourned to another building to celebrate an ovation to' the elders and prophet who had wrought the anticipated miracle.of causing a ceiling to fall on the heads of the saints without injury. And this is England in the nineteenth, century! Designs of Louis Napoleon.— A Correspondent of the Times says:—If Louis Napoleon could put a bit in the mouth of the Island Queen, arid make her merchant princes, were it but for a^ season, tributary to his wants, —if he could illuminate his conquest, however transiently, by the light of her capital in flames, and his triumphant progress, hurried though it might be, from, port to port by bonfires of her floating bulwarks, —then, indeed, could he have outstripped his prototype, and then would he, as he thinks, have fulfilled his mission by wiping out the stain upon his country's honour, inflicted by that great and just man who never, except in death, caused ah English tear to full. That such a vision is no stranger to his walking dreams there, are reasons for believing, as was shown some months ago both in and out of Parliament. Since then, in one of the few unguarded moments ever known to him, he was heard to exclaim, " The catastrophe of Waterloo shall be avenged!" For this my au-. thority is good, —so good, in truth, that, were , the reporter of his master's words to be publicly announced as such, better had it been for that man if a millstone about his neck had kept him for ever in the distant province where he was born to nobler tasks than helping others -solder a-broken- oath.- Ido not deny that an attempt at such vengeance may seem improbable to your readei;s,—-as improbable even as Hhe attacks on Strasbourg and -Boulogne, had

they been foretold, —almost as improbable, it may be, as a few years since would have been the prediction of a vault from a hired lodging to an imperial palace. But none of them will deem it impossible, if they have a correct notion of the national temper in France to back a daring deed, and of the equilibrium necessary there to be preserved between the demand and supply of glory, or if they have ever witnessed the ill-concealed writhings of a Frenchman whenever the name of Waterloo is pronounced. Though the time for making the experiment will be adroitly chosen, I have no fear for the ultimate results. Nevertheless, it behoves all men to be upon their guard as to the possible future : and no Administration, should be permitted an hour's relaxation while a Bonaparte possesses a tittle of. power in France. You need not be told how easy it is to make occasions when an evil course is once decided on by an evil heart.