194 THE SCIENTIFIC PAPERS OF 



the lines connecting this country with India had had his meed of 

 praise except one individual, who had been very slightly touched 

 upon, and that was the reader of the paper himself. Major 

 Champain had not only been the director of the Indo-European 

 system during its palmy days, but there had been periods in the 

 course of his administration when the days had not looked so 

 sunny as they had generally proved to be by the results. What 

 was more, to Major Champain was due, in great measure, the very 

 fact of this alternative route through the south of Russia, Persia, 

 and Germany. It was in consequence of his initiative that his 

 (Dr. Siemens's) attention and that of his brothers was directed 

 towards this enterprise ; and having business connections in 

 most of the countries through which these lines would pass, they 

 had less difficulty in getting from those Governments exceptional 

 powers which enabled them to construct a line from London to 

 Teheran which was practically independent of the Government 

 administrations of the different countries through which it passed. 

 This was a great necessity, in order to make a line as efficient as 

 it must be, in order to be a telegraphic highway between such 

 great centres of commerce as London, Calcutta, and Bombay. 

 Major Champain had alluded to the controversy which took place 

 at the time when the two routes were in contemplation, the 

 Eastern submarine, and the Indo-European, which was essen- 

 tially a land line. It was fortunate that the prognostications on 

 either side were not verified ; the submarine lines had not broken 

 down as frequently as might have been expected at that time, 

 judging by their experience, nor had they on the land-line 

 buried a guard under every telegraphic post as was then 

 prophesied. Both lines had done their work well, and proved, not 

 only that lines by land and by sea might be worked efficaciously, 

 but that two lines were absolutely necessary in order to give safety 

 to telegraphic communication. He did not believe in telegraphic 

 monopolies. If one line only existed between two places the 

 management of that line, although it might be a duplicate line, 

 could not be as perfect as it would if two lines existed. He 

 wholly deprecated competition for cheapness, which to a great 

 extent meant nastiness ; but a competition for quality of work, 

 with arrangements for a fairly remunerative traffic, such as would 

 give the public an inducement to telegraph, and make a margin 



