JOURNEY VIA MADRID TO ORAN. 207 



effect this in the cheapest way by a very light cable 

 via Spain, and entrusted us with the preparation and 

 laying of a copper -sheathed cable between Cartagena 

 and Oran. 



The French Government had stipulated for the 

 procuring of the steamer as well as for its manning and 

 officering by members of the imperial marine. The 

 director-general, who was well known to me, as we had 

 both served on the jury of the Paris Exhibition of 

 1855, intended to be present at the laying. William 

 and I desired jointly to supervise the proceedings, and 

 we accordingly met in December 1863 in Madrid. 

 I travelled from Moscow, where I had happened to be 

 detained, via St. Petersburg, Berlin, and Paris, almost 

 without break of journey in five days. 



My brother had meanwhile --in 1859 -- married 

 the sister of the before -mentioned Mr. Gordon, a clever 

 and charming lady. He brought his wife with him to 

 Madrid, as she insisted on sharing the toils and the 

 possible dangers of the enterprise. In Madrid it was 

 unpleasantly cold and windy, so that I could not per- 

 ceive that the climate had much improved since my 

 leaving Moscow. We soon continued our journey to Aran- 

 juez, Valencia, and Alicante, without even there finding 

 a more genial temperature. The winter was unusually 

 cold for Spain, and it was a curious sight to see on 

 the whole way from Alicante to Cartagena date-palms 

 and orange -trees abundantly laden with golden fruit 

 covered with snow. Even in Cartagena, where we 

 had to wait some days for the cable -ship, it was so 



