THE ATLANTIC TELEGEAPH. 379 



of a submarine telegrapli and of keeping them out of harm's 

 way. It is neither too deep nor too shallow ; yet it is so deep 

 that the wires, being once landed, will remain forever beyond the 

 reach of vessels' anchors, icebergs, and drift of any kind, and so 

 shallow that the wires may be readily lodged upon the bottom. 



"The depth of this plateau is quite regular, gradually increas- 

 ing from the shores of Newfoundland to the depth of from fifteen 

 hundred to two thousand fathoms as you approach the other side. 



" Whether it be better to lead the wires from Newfoundland or 

 Labrador is not now the question ; nor do I pretend to consider 

 the question as to the possibility of finding a time calm enough, 

 the sea smooth enough, a wire long enough, and a ship big enough 

 to carry and lay a coil of wire 1600 miles in length. I simply ad- 

 dress myself at this time to the question in so far as the bottom 

 of the sea is concerned ; and as for that, the greatest practical dif- 

 ficulty will, I apprehend, be found after reaching soundings at ei- 

 ther end of the line, and not in the deep sea. 



" A wire laid across from either of the above-named places on 

 this side would pass to the north of the Grand Banks and rest on 

 that beautiful plateau to which I have alluded, and where the wa- 

 ter of the sea appears to be as quiet and as completely at rest as 

 it is at the bottom of a mill-pond. 



" Therefore, so far as the bottom of the deep sea between New- 

 foundland or the mouth of the St. Lawrence and Ireland is con- 

 cerned, the practicability of a submarine telegraph across the At- 

 lantic is proved." 



The letter from which these extracts are taken is dated at the 

 Observatory, 23d February, 1854, and was addressed to Professor 

 Morse. 



The system of deep-sea soundings thus inaugurated has been 

 adopted by the English, Dutch, Austrian, and all other navies 

 that have since entered with us in this new field. From this sim- 

 ple beginning and in this short time more knowledge has been 

 gained for man concerning the depths and bottom of the ocean 

 than he had acquired in all previous time. The English and 

 French by their deep-sea soundings have given lis materials for 

 orographic maps of the basins which hold the Mediterranean 

 and the Eed Sea ; and, by order of the Admiralty, Lieutenant 

 Dayman, of H. B. M. ship Cyclops, ran last year a beautiful line 



