798 belong to governments and 247 to private companies. The total
length of those cables is 120,070 nautical miles, of which 107,546 are
owned by private telegraph companies, nearly all British; the
remainder, or 12,524 miles, are owned by governments.

[Illustration: MAP SHOWING CABLES FROM GREAT BRITAIN TO AMERICA AND
THE CONTINENT.]

The largest telegraphic organization in the world is that of the
Eastern Telegraphic Company, with seventy cables, of a total length of
21,859 nautical miles. The second largest is the Eastern Extension,
Australasia and China Telegraph Company, with twenty-two cables, of a
total length of 12,958 nautical miles. The Eastern Company work all
the cables on the way to Bombay, and the Eastern Extension Company
from Madras eastward. The cables landing in Japan, however, are owned
by a Danish company, the Great Northern. The English station of the
Eastern Company is at Porthcurno, Cornwall, and through it pass most
of the messages for Spain, Portugal, Egypt, India, China, Japan, and
Australia.

The third largest cable company is the Anglo-American Telegraph
Company, with thirteen cables, of a total length of 10,196 miles.

The British government has one hundred and three cables around our
shores, of a total length of 1,489 miles. If we include India and the
colonies, the British empire owns altogether two hundred and sixteen
cables of a total length of 3,811 miles.

The longest government cable in British waters is that from Sinclair
Bay, Wick, to Sandwick Bay, Shetland, of the length of 122 miles, and
laid in 1885. The shortest being four cables across the Gloucester and
Sharpness Canal, at the latter place, and each less than 300 ft. in
length.

Of government cables the greatest number is owned by Norway, with two
hundred and thirty-six, averaging, however, less than a mile each in
length.

The greatest mileage is owned by the government of France with 3,269
miles, of the total length of fifty-one cables.

The next being British India with 1,714 miles, and eighty-nine cables;
and Germany third with 1,570 miles and forty-three cables.

Britain being fourth with ninety miles less. The oldest cable still
in use is the one that was first laid, that namely from Dover to
Calais. It dates from 1851.

The two next oldest cables in use being those respectively from
Ramsgate to Ostend, and St. Petersburg to Cronstadt, and both laid
down in 1853.

Several unsuccessful attempts were made t