148 REPORT—1858. 
drawn that such a commerce must be equally advantageous to Great Britain, the 
voyage from London, Liverpool, and Glasgow to Nikolajewsk being as short as from 
New York; while from Singapore, Hong-Kong or Vancouver’s Island, it is shorter 
than from San Francisco. 
Notice of the Kanikars, a Hill-Side Tribe in the Kingdom of Travancore. 
By Astronomer Broun, F.R.S. 
On the Extension of Communications to Distant Places by means of Electric 
Wires. By Major-General Cursney, R.A., D.C.L., PRS. 
The special object of his paper, he said, was to urge the necessity of multiplying 
the telegraphic communications of this country with all parts of the globe, and espe- 
cially to propose a new electric route between England and America. He regarded 
electric wires as the pioneers of vast social changes; and if this view were correct, 
those which at present existed would form but a small portion of that great network 
of ‘‘ swift messengers,” which, if Great Britain desired to maintain her present mer- 
cantile supremacy, must speedily connect the principal parts of the world. This 
country, in fact, must follow the example of other countries ; for, if it were content 
to see one portion of the Anglo-Saxon race far in advance of itself, and America en- 
joying the lightning-like intercourse with every portion of her vast continent, it would 
probably not remain equally satisfied to see Russia turning her vast means to such 
an account as might secure to her in future what she had in the case of the late treaty 
with China—priority by fully a fortnight of the most important commercial intelli- 
gence. After pointing out the many respects in which a country derived advantages 
from being able instantly to send communications to distant places, the writer gave 
a summary of some of the principal lines of telegraph which have been made in 
various parts of the world, or are in the course of construction. When addressing 
this Section of the British Association last year, on the importance of railway 
communication with India, he endeavoured to show that one line of electric 
telegraph might be laid down from headland to headland, along the Red Sea, and 
another through Arabia, partly in the bed of the Tigris. Both had been commenced, 
and each would probably meet with difficulties, and even interruptions, but only 
for a time, as the Porte was prepared to give the necessary protection. Ere long, 
he hoped, both would be in full operation, and, by having a double line, the com- 
munication would be kept up by one set of wires, in case of any accident to the 
other. He suggested, that for still greater security, a third line should be carried to 
the Persian Gulf. The latter would cross the Black Sea either from the Danube or 
Varna to Trebizond, which is shorter than the former line to Balaklava. It would 
pass without any difficulty or danger by Erzeroum, Tabriz, Teheran, and Ispahan to 
the Persian Gulf at Bushire. Moreover, the Shah is ready, and even anxious to do 
the Persian portion of this line himself. He thought that, independent of the ad- 
vantages of having three lines, in case of any interruption, sufficient employment 
would be found for all three. It was evident that it was equally important that 
electric messages from this country to America should not depend upon a single 
cable. Full employment would be given at all times to several sets of wires ; and as 
it was now certain that submarine communications with America were quite prac- 
ticable, at least two additional cables should be laid down across the Atlantic. He 
thought that the difficulty caused by the distance between Iceland and Newfound- 
land might be greatly lessened by taking another route to the latter; namely, that 
of Iceland and Greenland, as by this line the greatest distance from land to land 
would not exceed 430 miles. The ice and the icebergs appeared to be the only diffi- . 
culties likely to be encountered, and he thought they would not prove to be very 
serious. But as the latter when floated do not, and in fact cannot touch the bottom, 
it is the opinion of Sir Roderick Murchison, and other eminent men also, that the 
proposed line is eminently practicable. 
On Dr. Prichard’s Identification of the Russians with the Roxolani. 
By Ricuarp Cuut. 
