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378
The Story of the Atlantic Telegraph
·
Henry M. Field
210
Let
any
one
read
this
despatch,
sentence
by
sentence,
noting
the
minuteness
of
the
details--which
could
not
be
known
or
conjectured--such
as
the
appearance
of
yellow
fever
at
New
Orleans,
with
the
number
of
deaths
a
day;
the
sailing
or
arrival
of
seven
steamers;
the
number
of
passengers
for
Fraser's
River,
etc.--and
then
examine
the
London
Times,
in
which
all
these
items
appeared
Monday
morning,
August
thirtieth,
and
if
he
does
not
admit
that
collusion
or
deception
is
out
of
the
question,
no
amount
of
evidence
could
convince
him.
We
will
give
but
one
proof
more.
On
the
last
day
of
August,
the
day
before
the
cable
ceased
to
work,
Valentia
sent
to
Newfoundland
two
messages
for
the
British
Government,
both
signed
by
"the
Military
Secretary
to
the
Commander-in-Chief,
Horse
Guards,
London,"
and
addressed--the
first
to
General
Trollope,
Halifax,
which
said,
"The
Sixty-second
regiment
is
not
to
return
to
England;"
and
the
other
to
the
General
Officer
commanding
at
Montreal,
saying:
"The
Thirty-ninth
regiment
is
not
to
return
to
England."
The
year
before
(1857)
had
witnessed
the
Sepoy
Mutiny,
which
threatened
the
overthrow
of
the
British
Empire
in
India.
The
fighting
was
over,
but
the
country
was
still
agitated,
and
the
Home
Government
in
fear
that
the
rebellion
might
be
renewed,
so
that
it
continued
to
send
forward
fresh
troops.
It
had
sent
out
orders
by
mail
for
these
two
regiments
to
embark
immediately
for
home,
to
be
sent
to
India.
But
the
mutiny
being
nearly
suppressed,
this
was
found
not
to
be
necessary,
and
the
prompt
countermanding
of
the
order
by
telegraph
saved
the
British
Government,
in
the
cost
of
transportation
of
troops,
not
less
than
fifty
thousand
pounds.
The
despatch
to
Halifax
was
received
the
same
day
that
it
was
sent
from
London.
The
sending
of
this
despatch,
and
its
almost
immediate
reception,
is
attested
by
an
official
letter
from
the
War
Office
in
London.
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