All our delay seemed trifling in view of our certainty of success-for no one entertained any doubts now of its success, so long as the weather proved favorable. The first two miles of the cable were laid without an accident, but just as they were commencing on the third a kink occurred in it, and it was found necessary to stop the steamer to repair the damage. In the course of an hour all was set right and we were under way again; but in a few minutes more the white flag which had been agreed upon as a signal before starting, was displayed, and we were obliged to stop. Mr. Canning afterwards said, that the speed of the steamer, even at its lowest rate, was too fast for the purpose, and that it was almost impossible for his men to pay out the cable with sufficient rapidity. Eight were employed in the hold turning out the coils, and eight more in attendance on the machinery. The position of those in the hold was one of considerable danger, and two or three were severely bruised by the cable as they were in the act of uncoiling it. It required their constant vigilance, and greatest activity to keep clear of it as it swept up through the hold, for if once caught within its folds, the consequences would have been serious, if not fatal. To avoid this, they stood on the outside of the coil, raising it up and passing it out at the rate of two, and sometimes, three miles an hour.

Several kinks occurred up to twelve o'clock on Tuesday night, and it was reported on board of our steamer at one time that the cable had parted. This report, however, was found to be incorrect, and it was ascertained that it only required splicing, and that it had to be cut to splice it successfully. This was a tedious task, and took till 7 o'clock the following morning to accomplish. From this till four in the afternoon they had very few stoppages-the machinery worked admirably-and although our steamer was still somewhat too fast, the cable was payed out with less difficulty than had been experienced before. Up to this time they had to pay it out from the small coil in the bow of the vessel, but the work was not so arduous when they reached the larger one, which lay in the main hold. The kinks, therefore, became less frequent; and as we were now within sight of St. Paul's, which was about fourteen miles distant, we felt elated at the prospect of landing it there in a few hours more. We were, it is true, somewhat discouraged by a break taking place in two of the three copper wires, one only having remained perfect. Still, strong hopes were entertained that when once landed, all the wires would be in good working order. Forty miles of the cable had been paid out from the time we started, while the actual distance traversed did not exceed thirty-two at the ut

most. It was, therefore, considered advisable to land it at the Island of St. Paul's, instead of Cape North, as was at first proposed, and to make the connection next year. Not more than thirtythree miles of the cable remained, and it was on making allowance for the loss on this, that Mr. Canning reluctantly concluded to give up the design originally entertained of running to Cape North.

At four o'clock the wind, which had been increasing for the last two or three hours, blew with such violence as to render it impossible to continue the work on board the bark. The sea ran so high that it was only at intervals we could discern those on her deck. The sky looked wild and threatening, and the waves broke in spray over the decks of both vessels. The ocean was covered with a mist that rendered objects, at the distance of four or five miles, invisible, and St. Paul's Island could no longer be seen. To render our position still more critical, another kink occurred in the cable, and both vessels were compelled to lay to. They made several attempts to repair the damage, but all was useless, the bark rolled with such violence that the men could not work, and it was with the greatest difficulty they could even stand on the deck. Every eye was now fixed on Mr. Canning, and they all waited with feverish anxiety for him to give the order to cut the cable. They had for more than an hour abandoned all hope of being able to land it, and their fears were aroused for their own safety and that of the vessel. But Mr. Canning was unwilling to give the word, still hoping, even against hope, that the gale would abate, and that before morning he would be able to resume work. Although both vessels were holding on by the cable, it showed no sign of parting, and would doubtless have remained whole to the end, had it been considered prudent to hold on by it. It was at this juncture that its strength was tested, and successfully proved. We had heard that it was capable of holding a seventy-four in a gale of wind, but it seemed hardly possible that even a rope of iron wire, not much more than an inch in diameter, could hold two vessels under such circumstances.

When Mr. Canning refused to cut the cable, and there appeared to be no prospect of the gale abating, the captain of the bark, Mr. Pousland, told him he would have to give the order, as the safety of his ship was now endangered.

"Mr. Canning," said he, "I shall be obliged to cut the cable." "You can do as you please," said Mr. C. in reply, for he would persist no longer in his attempts to save it, particularly as it had now become a matter of life and death. The next minute the cable was cut, the white flag which had been displayed on the bow for the last two hours was lowered, and we were once more in motion with the bark in tow."

The cable having been cut, the remainder on the vessel was plaeed on shore, and the company abandoned further efforts to lay it, expecting to settle the question with the Insurance Company. An agent was sent to London, and the members of the company very coolly, and yet very sensibly told the agent, "that there was no loss, the cable being at the bottom of the sea, just where you wished to put it." And, also, that "they were advised that the assured's duty was to join that part of the cable already laid down to the part saved, and thus complete the line."

Of course, this should have been the duty of the Telegraph Company. No effort was made to connect the cables, notwithstanding, it is a well known fact, that a cable can be raised from a greater depth of water than is to be found on the track of the lost cable. It is not our object to criticise the misfortunes of the company; but, we certainly think that it was the duty of the assured to go to work and raise the cable and finish the undertaking. There are many important considerations involved in this subject which we do not feel at liberty to discuss, and therefore we dismiss the subject. We understand it is the purpose of the company to lay another cable, of one electric wire composed of some three or four in a twist. The advantages of such a cable we regard as questionable, though in some respects it has favor on its side.

STRENGTH OF WIRE.-The following results of the strength of No. 10 iron wire, we find in our memorandum book. The experiments were made at Messrs. Washburns, in Worcester, Massachusetts, some three

years

since:

Not galvanized, annealed,..

Bright wire, neither galvanized or annealed

WEIGHT OF COPPER WIRE.

Art. III.-INTENSITY OF ELECTRIC CURRENTS.

THE subject of electric currents is of so much interest, that we give the following consideration of intensity currents from Lardner, as worthy of reading. We have on former occasions referred to intensity and quantity currents, and the difference between the two is to be remembered, when either of them is discussed.

"To produce the effects, whatever these may be, by which the telegraphic messages are expressed, it is necessary that the electric current shall have a certain intensity. Now, the intensity of the current transmitted by a given voltaic battery along a given line of wire will decrease, other things being the same, in the same proportion as the length of the wire increases. Thus, if the wire be continued for ten miles, the current will have twice the intensity which it would have if the wire had been extended to a distance of twenty miles.

"It is evident, therefore, that the wire may be continued to such a length that the current will no longer have sufficient intensity to produce at the station to which the despatch is transmitted those effects by which the language of the despatch is signified.

"The intensity of the current transmitted by a given voltaic battery upon a wire of given length, will be increased in the same proportion as the area of the section of the wire is augmented. Thus, if the diameter of the wire be doubled, the area of its section being increased in a fourfold proportion, the intensity of the current transmitted along the wire will be increased in the same ratio.

"In fine, the intensity of the current may also be augmented by increasing the number of pairs of generating plates or cylinders composing the galvanic battery.

"Since it has been found most convenient generally to use iron as the material for the conducting wires, it is of no practical importance to take into account the influence which the quality of the metal may produce upon the intensity of the current. It may be useful nevertheless to state that, other things being the same, the intensity of the current will be in the proportion of the conducting power of the metal of which the wire is formed, and that copper is the best conductor of the metals.

"M. Pouillet found, by well-conducted experiments, that the current supplied by a voltaic battery of ten pairs of plates, transmitted upon a copper wire, having a diameter of four