visions of a glorious rule was realised; another achievement was added to the long roll of beneficent conquests which history would twine with lustre round his name; honours and rewards were liberally showered around, and the Telegraph was inaugurated amid the joyous congratulations of rulers and the triumphant pæans of an empire.

Here the panorama changes. The stirring poetry of enthusiasm fell dead. The transient splendour of a too rapid and volatile triumph dissolved away. The ray of glory which burst upon the picture and lighted up with dazzling brilliancy for a moment, was quickly o'erclouded and disappeared.

it

CHAPTER II.

PLANS PROPOSED IN 1850 AND 1852.

IN the Letter to the Chairman of the Court of Directors of the late East India Company, dated September, 1850, already alluded to,* it was suggested,

that in devising a scheme of telegraphs, "the best plan to be adopted in the carrying out of any system in India would be that known by the term 'circular system."" The following lines were proposed :—A line from Calcutta to Allahabad, Agra, and Peshawar; another from Agra through Bombay to Madras; a third from Madras along the Madras Coast through Cuttack to Calcutta; and a fourth, through Central India, to form an additional cross connecting link between the Calcutta and Agra, and Bombay and Madras lines. Several branch lines were also included in the scheme.

The preceding sketch will illustrate the proposition. On recommending the above lines on the "circular system," it was advocated that the great advantages to be derived therefrom would be, that in case of any interruption occurring between Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras along one route, there would always be a second, and in some cases a third, route open. For instance, in the event of any interruption between Calcutta and Bombay on the line viâ Allahabad and Agra, a second route to Bombay would have been available via Cuttack and the Madras coast. "And so

on, if any derangement occurred between any other two places." For as there would be in most instances "three routes available in case of one becoming defective, access could still be obtained to the desired point by either of the remaining two."

The plan proposed and adopted by the Government in 1852 will be understood by the following sketch. It consisted of a direct line from Calcutta to Peshawar, and a second direct line from Agra to Bombay and Madras.

The shortsightedness of this system was at once demonstrated when the mutinies broke out in 1857. The line beyond Allahabad was destroyed by the

mutineers, and the entire district between Allahabad and Delhi was in their hands. Communication between Calcutta and the seats of Government at Bombay and Madras was completely cut off at a most critical time. Then, and not till then, did the Government hasten to repair the oversight, and a line was run up along the Madras coast to Madras with all possible expedition. This line was completed about the middle of January, 1858, thus restoring the communication between Calcutta, Madras, and Bombay, which had been interrupted for seven months.* By the plan proposed in 1850, this long interruption need never have occurred. Subsequently, on the suppression of the mutinies, the cross connecting line through Central India was constructed. QPESHAWAR

BOMBAY

AGRA

OALLAHABAD

MADRAS

CALCUTTA

*The erection of this line would have taken double this time had not the East Indian Railway Company handed over about 1500 miles of their telegraph wire to the Government.

CHAPTER III.

PHILOSOPHICAL EXPERIMENTS.

Preliminary Observations.

IT may be premised, that perhaps there is no part of the world under civilised rule which displays such a splendid field for telegraphic operations as India. It possesses many advantages commercially, theoretically, and practically-indeed, most of the elements essential to success are unusually predominant. On the other hand, the counterbalancing disadvantages are easily overcome. Yet, notwithstanding these highly favourable auspices, there is no part of the world which reveals such unexpected and incongruous issues; nor is there any country in which such diverse views have been entertained on telegraphic science. In the voluminous Government records will be found opinions and declarations at variance with the discoveries and experience of Western philosophy and advancement. Nevertheless, the substance of this antagonism must be measured by the result. That result is failure, as complete as it is deplorable; thus further establishing the truth, if it needed it, that the carefully determined laws and fun