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378
The Story of the Atlantic Telegraph
·
Henry M. Field
76
Mr.
Field
first
addressed
himself
to
the
Government.
Without
waiting
for
the
Company
to
be
fully
organized,
with
true
American
eagerness
and
impatience,
he
wrote
a
letter
to
the
Admiralty
asking
for
a
fresh
survey
of
the
route
to
be
traversed,
and
for
the
aid
of
Government
ships
to
lay
the
cable.
He
also
addressed
a
letter
to
Lord
Clarendon,
stating
the
large
design
which
they
had
conceived,
and
asking
for
it
the
aid
which
was
due
to
what
concerned
the
honor
and
interest
of
England.
The
reply
was
prompt
and
courteous,
inviting
him
to
an
interview
for
the
purpose
of
a
fuller
explanation.
Accordingly,
Mr.
Field,
with
Professor
Morse,
called
upon
him
at
the
Foreign
Office,
and
spent
an
hour
in
conversation
on
the
proposed
undertaking.
Lord
Clarendon
showed
great
interest,
and
made
many
inquiries.
He
was
a
little
startled
at
the
magnitude
of
the
scheme,
and
the
confident
tone
of
the
projectors,
and
asked
pleasantly:
"But,
suppose
you
don't
succeed?
Suppose
you
make
the
attempt
and
fail--your
cable
is
lost
in
the
sea--then
what
will
you
do?"
"Charge
it
to
profit
and
loss,
and
go
to
work
to
lay
another,"
was
the
quick
answer
of
Mr.
Field,
which
amused
him
as
a
truly
American
reply.
In
conclusion,
he
desired
him
to
put
his
request
in
writing,
and,
without
committing
the
Government,
encouraged
him
to
hope
that
Britain
would
do
all
that
might
justly
be
expected
in
aid
of
this
great
international
work.
How
nobly
this
promise
was
kept,
time
will
show.
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