THE PRACTICABILITY OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH, NAUTICALLY AND PHYSICALLY CONSIDERED. BY CAPTAIN SHERARD OSBORN, R.N., C.B., &c. Snt,—Will you allow me, through your columns, to bear testi- mony to the practical features involved in the new route for a Transatlantic cable, premising that I do so purely upon public grounds, and have neither share nor interest in either one concern or the other ? Ever since it was contemplated to connect America and Britain with a submerged cable across the Atlantic, I have looked to the importance of carrying that cable across by shorter stages than the route first proposed—viz., direct from Ireland to Newfoundland. Two routes struck me as practicable, the one “North-about,” now advocated by Colonel Shaffner; the other “ South-about,” via Cape de Verde Islands, St. Paul’s Rock, and Cape St. Roque, in South America. Of the two, the North-about route was the preferable ; for, although a little longer in the whole course than a direct line would be, it had the great merit of being divided into four short stages, the longest of which was only 650 miles; whereas on the direct route there is one long stretch of 2000 miles of cable between Valentia Harbour and Trinity Bay. I, therefore, rejoice to see that the energy of Colonel Shaffner is directed to the establishment of this North-about Transatlantic communication, believing, as I do, without being learned in oceanic telegraphy, that, even if the direct line were open and in a working condition to-day, it could never do all the work which the public of the Americas on the one side, and that of Europe upon the other, would call for. In a nautical and physical point of view, I know of no reasons why a cable should not connect the Canadas or Labrador with England. I am fully aware that ice streams down the coast of

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