THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 439

1867, relative to Telegraphic Communication between
the United Kingdom and its Dependencies; and I am
to request that, in laying the same before His Grace,
you will state to him 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 Com-
munication, 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.

I am, &c.,
GEORGE WARD HUNT.

Sir F. Rogers, Bart., &c.

Treasury Minute, dated 10th January, 1867.

The First Lord of the Treasury and the Chancellor
of the Exchequer call the attention of the Board to
the important question in regard to the extension of
telegraphic communication which is likely to arise
in consequence of the success which has attended the
submerging of the Atlantic Cable of 1866, and the
recovery and completion of that attempted to be laid
in 1865.

It has already been intimated to Her Majesty's
Government that it is in contemplation to form a
Company for the purpose of laying a line of tele-
graph between this country and Gibraltar, and from
thence to Malta. Between Malta and Alexandria
there is already telegraphic communication by means
of the Malta and Alexandria Telegraph Cable belong-
ing to Her Majesty's Government, which is at present
agreed to be leased for a term of forty-two years to
the Telegraph Construction and Maintenance Com-
pany. The lease it is intended should be transferred
to the new Company, as well as the land line between
Alexandria and Suez, originally belonging to the Red
Sea Line, but now the property of the "Telegraph to
India Company." From some point on the Red Sea
to which a land line will be laid, it is stated that the
new Company will lay a telegraph cable to Aden,
and from thence to Kurrachee, where the telegraph
will become connected with the land lines of the
Indian Government, which extend as far as Rangoon.
From Rangoon it is proposed to carry a cable to
Singapore, and from that place cables to China and
Japan vid Saigon, and Australia via Java and
Copang.

Two other schemes for the extension of telegraphic
communication beyond Rangoon have also been
brought under the notice of Her Majesty's Govern-
ment, namely, one by Mr. F. Gisborne, which in-
volves, however, financial assistance on the part of
the Government; and another by Mr. Seymour
Clarke, for "a line of telegraph from Rangoon,
through the kingdom of Siam to Singapore, from
Malacca through Sumatra, Java, &c., to Australia,
with a branch from Tavoy through Bangkok to
Saigon, and thence, on the approval of France,
through Cochin China to China Proper."

As, in the opinion of the Earl of Derby and the
Chancellor of the Exchequer, the establishment
between this country and India of an alternative line
of telegraphic communication with that via the
Persian Gulf, and the extension of such line to China
and Japan on the one hand, and to the Australian
Colonies on the other, is of great importance, they
submit to the Board whether some encouragement
may not be given for the formation of a Company or
Companies 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,

laying, and repairing submarine cables, thereby in-
creasing the confidence of the public in the perma-
nence 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 com-
munication. They would, however, submit whether
encouragement 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 assist-
ance to such Companies when laying the cables, by
means of any 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 Govern-
ment with any foreign Government upon whose
territories it may be requisite to land cables, or to
lay land lines.

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 Govern-
ment shall have priority; and that in certain con-
tingencies 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 ex-
pressed by the Earl of Derby and 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 Government
may properly be afforded in the manner indicated,
viz.:--

(a) 1. A direct line between Falmouth, or some
other point on the coast of England and
Gibraltar, without touching anywhere
between those two points.

(b) 2. A line between Gibraltar and Malta,
without touching at any intermediate
point.

(c) 3. A line between some point on the
Egyptian territories, to be hereafter de-
cided, and Aden, and from thence to
Kurrachee, touching at the various
points which may be thought requisite.

(d) 4. A line from Rangoon to Singapore,
touching at Penang and other points,
if deemed necessary.

(e) 5. A line from either Singapore or Malacca,
whichever point may be found most suit-
able, vid Java, to some point on the coast
of Australia, to be hereafter decided.

(f) 6. A line from Singapore to Shanghae, touch-
ing at Hong Kong and other points, if
deemed advisable, including Saigon, if
the French Government concur in such a
proceeding.

(g) 7. A line from Shanghae to Japan.

(a) Section A. Falmouth to Gibraltar. (b) Section B. Gibraltar to Malta.
D. Suabin to Aden; Section E. Aden to Kooria Mooria
Islands; Section F. Kooria to Muscat; Section G. Muscat to Rass Jaub;
Section H. Rass Jaub to Kurrachee. (d) Section K. Rangoon to Pulo
Penang; Section L. Pulo Penang to Singapore. (e) Section M. Singapore
to Batavia; Section N. Java to Australia. (f) Section O. Singapore to
Saigon river; Section P. Saigon to Hong Kong; Section Q. Hong Kong
to Amoy; Section R. Amoy to Shanghae. (g) Section S. Shanghae to
Yokohama.