DESPATCHES, REPORTS, CORRESPONDENCE, ETC. 339 



No. 18. 1908, July 8: Letter, Mr. Whitelaio Reid, United States Am- 

 bassador in London, to the British Secretary of State for Foreign 

 Affairs. 



AMERICAN EMBASSY, 



London, July 8th, 1908. 



SIR, Under instructions from my Government I have the honour to 

 draw the attention of His Majesty's Government to a project for pro- 

 viding alternative cable communication between the United States 

 and Alaska. 



At present the cable extends from Seattle to Sitka, a distance of about 

 1,100 miles, and from the latter point cables extend to Valdez on the 

 southern coast of Alaska, and to Juneau and other points on the inside 

 passage. The cable from Seattle to Sitka affords the only means of 

 communicating directly with Alaska from the United States, and is, 

 of course, subject to occasional interruption. When so interrupted, 

 communication with Alaska is cut off except through the Canadian 

 land lines, which is not only a very expensive means of communi- 

 cation, but also in winter exceedingly uncertain. 



The practice is in all cases for important cable lines to be in some 

 ways duplicated, preferably by routes which differ, and thus to pre- 

 vent, as far as practicable, interruption of communication from any 

 single cause. 



From the map of Alaska, which I enclose, it will be seen that the 

 cable from Sitka eastwards extends down as far as Ketchikan on the 

 inside passage to Alaska. A cable which could be laid from Gray's 

 Harbour, Washington, northward through Hecate Strait, east of the 

 Queen Charlotte Islands, across Dixon Entrance and up into the pas- 

 sage to Ketchikan, would provide such an alternative means of com- 

 munication and reasonably ensure continuous telegraphic service to 

 Sitka and beyond. 



It will be noted, however, that Hecate Strait and Dixon Entrance 

 are British waters, and before the project set forth above can be pro- 

 ceeded with it is desired to ascertain whether His Majesty's Govern- 

 ment would have any objection to the laying of such a cable in the 

 waters proposed. 



In this connection, I venture to draw your attention to a note sent 

 by Lord Lansdowne to Mr. Choate on the 20th of March 1902 in 

 reply to an application by General Greely of the United States 

 Army for leave to land a cable in British North Borneo, in which 

 Lord Lansdowne states that the Government of Great Britain " will 

 not as a general rule grant right to land cables in its territory to 

 foreign Governments, but that it would be glad under certain con- 

 ditions to see cable connections made between the Philippine Islands 

 and British North Borneo by a private company." 



In this case, therefore, it is hoped that the open and extensive char- 

 acter of the waters of Hecate Strait and Dixon Entrance, and the fact 

 that no landing is desired on British Territory may permit a favour- 

 able consideration of this matter, and I am accordingly instructed to 

 ask whether the facilities desired could be granted. 



I have the honour to be, with the highest consideration, Sir, 



vour most obedient humble servant. 



y WHITELAW REID. 



The Right Hon ble Sir EDWARD GREY, Bt, 



&c. &c. &c. 



Enclosure: Map of Alaska, 



