626 Presidential Addresses 



company, certain conditions were formulated, upon 

 which the President was willing to allow access to 

 these soundings and to consent to the landing and 

 laying of the cable, subject to any alterations or ad- 

 ditions thereto imposed by the Congress. This was 

 deemed proper, especially as it was clear that a cable 

 connection of some kind with China, a foreign coun- 

 try, was a part of the company's plan. This course 

 was, moreover, in accordance with a line of prec- 

 edents, including President Grant's action in the 

 case of the first French cable, explained to the Con- 

 gress in his Annual Message of December, 1875, 

 and the instance occurring in 1879 of the second 

 French cable from Brest to St. Pierre, with a branch 

 to Cape Cod. 



These conditions prescribed, among other things, 

 a maximum rate for commercial messages and that 

 the company should construct a line from the Philip- 

 pine Islands to China, there being at present, as is 

 well known, a British line from Manila to Hong- 

 kong. 



The representatives of the cable company kept 

 these conditions long under consideration, continu- 

 ing, in the meantime, to prepare for laying the cable. 

 They have, however, at length acceded to them, and 

 an all-American line between our Pacific coast and 

 the Chinese Empire, by way of Honolulu and the 

 Philippine Islands, is thus provided for, and is ex- 

 pected within a few months to be ready for business. 



Among the conditions is one reserving the power 

 of the Congress to modify or repeal any or all of 



