And State Papers 625 



During the fall of 1901 a communication was 

 addressed to the Secretary of State, asking whether 

 permission would be granted by the President to 

 a corporation to lay a cable from a point on the 

 California coast to the Philippine Islands by way of 

 Hawaii. A statement of conditions or terms upon 

 which such corporation would undertake to lay and 

 operate a cable was volunteered. 



Inasmuch as the Congress was shortly to convene, 

 and Pacific-cable legislation had been the subject of 

 consideration by the Congress for several years, it 

 seemdd to me wise to defer action upon the ap- 

 plication until the Congress had first an opportunity 

 to act. The Congress adjourned without taking 

 any action, leaving the matter in exactly the same 

 condition in which it stood when the Congress con- 

 vened. 



Meanwhile it appears that the Commercial Pacific 

 Cable Company had promptly proceeded with prep- 

 arations for laying its cable. It also made applica- 

 tion to the President for access to and use of 

 soundings taken by the U. S. S. Nero, for the 

 purpose of discovering a practicable route for a 

 trans-Pacific cable, the company urging that with 

 access to these soundings it could complete its cable 

 much sooner than if it were required to take sound- 

 ings upon its own account. Pending consideration 

 of this subject, it appeared important and desirable 

 to attach certain conditions to the permission to ex- 

 amine and use the soundings, if it should be granted. 



In consequence of this solicitation of the cable 



