THE AN GLO- AU STEALIAN TELEGRAPH 
A PAPER READ BEFORE THE MEMBERS OF THE PHILOSOPHIC.} Ii SOCIETY OF QUEENSLAND, BY 
J. J. AUSTIN, GENERAL SUPERINTENDENT OF TELEGRAPHS, MARCH 3, 1868. 
An extension of the Australian Telegraphic 
System to England, via India, being a subject 
of the highest importance, not only to Queens- 
land, but to the Australian colonies generally, 
it is hoped that the following sketch may prove 
interesting, although time will only permit me 
to give a brief outline. 
It may be considered desirable, in the first 
instance, to refer to the negociations between 
the original promoters of the Anglo- Australian 
scheme and the Governments of the various 
colonies interested therein. Certain banks and 
mercantile firms in England, impressed with the 
conviction that a line of telegraph connecting 
China, India, and Australia with Great Britain, 
would be a matter of the utmost commercial 
value, combined for the purpose of carrying out 
this great work. In the year 1859, Mr. F. Gis- 
borne, who represented the promoters of the 
undertaking, visited Australia in order to pro- 
cure subsidies for a line between Java and 
Queensland. The capital proposed at the time 
mentioned was £800,000, and an annual sub- 
sidy of £35,000 was asked to raise this amount. 
Of this subsidy, Victoria voted £13,000, New 
South Wales £9,625 ; the remaining portion, 
£12,375, was to be contributed by the other colo- 
nies together with the Imperial Government. 
Certain matters interfered to prevent the pro- 
ject being carried out within a reasonable time, 
consequently the sums voted by the colonies, in 
the year 1860, lapsed. Lately, however, a fresh 
statement has been issued by the promoters, 
whose objects, according to the prospectus,, are, 
“to establish telegraphic communication be- 
tween India and Australia, and between India 
and China, the effect of which will be to bring 
Australia and China into nearly instantaneous 
communication with India, and with each other, 
and within, say, sixteen days of Great Britain. 
“ When telegraphic communication is re-estab- 
lished between Egypt, or Turkey in Asia, and 
India, the communication between GreatBritain, 
China, and Australia will be further re- 
duced from sixteen days to about as many 
hours.” 
Three lines of telegraph are proposed with 
the view of carrying out these objects : — 
1st. A submarine line from Rangoon, the pre- 
sent terminus of the Indian telegraphs, to 
Singapore, 1200 nautical miles, with inter- 
mediate stations at Amherst, King Island, 
and Penang. 
2nd. A submarine line from Singapore to Hong 
Kong, via Sarawak, Labuan, and Manilla, 
2080 miles ; or via the settlement of Saigon, 
1678 miles. 
3rd. From the eastendof Java to Brisbane, a 
submarine line of 3024 miles, with inter- 
mediate stations at Coepang, Port Essing- 
ton, Cape York, and Cleveland Bay. 
