ENGLISH NOTES.

Colonist, Volume XII, Issue 1264, 5 November 1869, Page 3

ENGLISH NOTES.

EXTENSION OF TELEGRAPHS

The correspondent of the European Mail writes: —

The giant strides of the telegraph bid fair to encompass the whole world. There are projects for surrounding the coasts of Africa and South America for bringing China, Australia, New Zealand, Borneo, the Philiipine Islands, and even Japan within its range. New cables are also proposed from Europe to North and South America; other schemes are for having independent lines, skirting the coasts of Portugal and Spain, through, the Straits of Gibraltar, to and down the Red Sea to India ; so that in a few years we may hope to be within speaking distance of our friends even at the Antipodes.

The various schemes for connecting Australia with the present Indian telegraphic system demand a few observations. My information is chiefly obtained from a private source, as the prospectuses of two of the companies, alluded to in the following remarks, have not been yet published. A company, to be called The Eastern Oceanic Telegraph Company, with i capital of £600,000 in £10 shares, proposes to lay cables from Rangoon to Singapore and. to Batavia, to use the Dutch line to the east end of Java, and thence to lay a cable to North-west Cape, Australia, and there join the land line proposed by a Colouial company through Western Australia to Perch, King George's Sound to Port Lincoln, and across Spencer's and St. Vincent's G-ulfs to Adelaide, and connect the existing lines to Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Tasmania. The P. and O. steamers first touch at King George's Sound on their arrival at Australia. The company require about 2300 miles in length of cables to complete the connection with. Australia. They also propose to lay cables from Tasmania to Dusky Bay, New Zealand, from Singapore to Sarawak and Labuan (Borneo) to Manilla (Philippine Islatids), and thence to Hong Kong, Amoy, Ningpo, and Shanghai (China Treaty Ports), and to Nagasaki (Japan.)

Another company, the Indian, Australian, and China Submarine Telegraph Company, with a capital of £350,000 in £20 shares, propose to lay a cable from Ceylon to Penang, with future extension to Singapore and Adelaide, Australia; length of cables about 6000 miles. They also propose further extensions to the Treaty Ports of China.

There is a third company about to be formed, proposing a northern line from Brisbane (Queensland) to India ; the length of cable being about 5000 miles, with also future extensions to the Treaty Ports of China.

These various projects are very comprehensive, but upon coinparnp; the schemes and maps one with another, the Eastern Oceanic appears to be the most practical as well as economical, and offers the advantage of immediately connecting Australia with the Indian telegraphic system; whereas the Indian, Australian, and China Company propose at present to go only to Penang, leaving Australia among their future extensions. The former have short cables, which can be more easily repaired than the long ones of the latter company. The Eastern Oceanic join with the Dutch Java line, and touch at Java, Borneo, Manilla, Japan, and New Zealand. They have also the advautage of co-operating with a Colonial Company, who will construct about 2050 miles of land lines ab about one-third the cost of cables.

The total length of the Eastern Oceanic lines, including the Colonial Company's land lines from Eangoon to Adelaide, is about 4300 miles, estimated to cost £750,000. The other company's lines are 6000 miles in length and would cost about £1,300,000, showing; a saving in favor of the first of 1760 miles and 550,000, which would enable them to-transmit messages at a cheaper rate, and pay larger dividends upon the smaller expenditure, and obtaining the same result.

I may mention that the Eastern Oceanic purpose to unite New Zealand with Tasmania, which, in connection with proposed and existing lines, will bring the Colony within the range of telegraphic communication with Australia, India, China, Europe, and America.