Purcnas.—On Telegraphic Communication with Australia. 167 
the distance being somewhat under 950 English miles. The extremely wild 
and rugged character of that portion of the New Zealand coast is, in itself, 
sufficient to neutralize the advantage of the shortened distance. The land 
line reqt to connect with the existing system would be both costly and 
liable to frequent injury from stormy weather, and there is reason to believe 
that the ocean-floor between the two places is much less favourable than 
that which is to be found in a lower latitude. An additional objection to 
any line from Tasmania is the fact that messages for Australia and other 
- countries would require to be transmitted through another submarine cable, 
thus increasing the cost of transmission and the risk of interruption. 
For these reasons the southern line must be considered ineligible. 
The next, in point of distance, is to be found near the northern extremity 
of the Colony, and lies between Ahipara Bay, in lat. 85°, and the coast of 
New South Wales, near Port Macquarie—the distance is about 1170 miles. 
From the soundings marked on the Admiralty Chart, No. 2688, there is 
reason to believe that the ocean-floor on this line is peculiarly favourable, 
since the depths noted a few miles to the northward range from 350 to 735 
fathoms ; the only exception being at a point between 200 and 800 miles 
from Australia, where a depth of 1800 fathoms is recorded. 
As regards the suitableness of the position for landing the shore-end of 
the cable Ahipara cannot be surpassed. A few miles above the southern 
end of the Bay there is a smooth, sandy, gradually-shelving beach, free 
from danger of every kind, and sufficiently distant from Cape Maria Van 
Diemen to be protected from the force of the currents, which sweep round 
the end of the island. The northern line of telegraph has already been 
completed to within less than forty miles, and has been surveyed and found 
perfectly practicable all the way. The track from Ahipara to the junction 
with the Mangonui line is nearly level. It has been reported that the point 
of departure from Australia has been fixed at Botany Bay; should this 
prove to be the case, Ahipara would still be the nearest and best terminus 
for New Zealand, for although the line from Botany Bay to Ahipara would 
be a little over forty miles longer than that between Port Macquarie and 
Ahipara, it would still be thirty-five miles shorter than the line from Botany 
Bay to Cape Farewell. The only possible objection that can be urged against 
the choice of Ahipara is its situation at one extremity of the Colony ; but, 
as the new telegraph line has been most substantially constructed, and is 
exposed to little risk of damage from weather, the objection may be regarded 
as of no weight. 
A third line has its New Zealand terminus at the Gap, near Waiuku, on 
the ocean beach between Manukau and Waikato, a site which offers the 
advantages of a close proximity to an existing line, ready accessibility from 
