It should
be borne in mind that the writer of these buoyant pages was, even
while he wrote, harassed by responsibility, stinted in sleep and
often struggling with the prostration of sea-sickness. To this
last enemy, which he never overcame, I have omitted, in my search
after condensation, a good many references; if they were all left,
such was the man's temper, they would not represent one hundredth
part of what he suffered, for he was never given to complaint. But
indeed he had met this ugly trifle, as he met every thwart
circumstance of life, with a certain pleasure of pugnacity; and
suffered it not to check him, whether in the exercise of his
profession or the pursuit of amusement.
I.
'Birkenhead: April 18, 1858.
'Well, you should know, Mr. - having a contract to lay down a
submarine telegraph from Sardinia to Africa failed three times in
the attempt. The distance from land to land is about 140 miles.
On the first occasion, after proceeding some 70 miles, he had to
cut the cable - the cause I forget; he tried again, same result;
then picked up about 20 miles of the lost cable, spliced on a new
piece, and very nearly got across that time, but ran short of
cable, and when but a few miles off Galita in very deep water, had
to telegraph to London for more cable to be manufactured and sent
out whilst he tried to stick to the end: for five days, I think,
he lay there sending and receiving messages, but heavy weather
coming on the cable parted and Mr.
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