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75'^ 


CYRUS    W.    FIELD 


HIS    LIFE    AND   WORK 

[1819-1892] 

EDITED    BY 

ISABELLA  FIELD   JUDSON 

ILLUSTRATED 


488761 


30.3.4-3 

NEW    YORK 

HARPER    &    BROTHERS    PUBLISHERS 

1896 


Copyright,  1S96,  by  Isabella  Field  Jcdson. 

All  rights  nterved. 


TO 


MY  FATHER'S  FAMILY  AND  FRIEXDS 
THESE  PAGES 

Bre  DcDicatcD 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  Parentage  and  Early  Home  Life  (1819-1835)  1 

II.  Early  Life  in  New  York  (1835-1840)     .     .  14 

III.  Marriage  and  Business  Life  (1840-1853)    .  37 

IV.  Out  of  Debt — A  Voyage  to  South  America 

(1853) 43 

V.  The  First  Cable  (1853-1857) 59 

VI.  The  First  Cable  (continued)  (1857)    ...  74 

VII.  A  Fleeting  Triumph  (1858) 86 

VIII.  Failure  on  All  Sides  (1858-1861)  ....  132 

IX.  The  Civil  War  (1861-1863) 181 

X.  Capital  Raised  for  the  Making  of  a  New 
Cable  —  Steamship  "  Great  Eastern  " 

Secured  (1863-1864) 154 

XI.  The  Failure  of  1865 183 

XII.  The  Cable  Laid-tCable  of  1865  Grappled 
FOR  AND  Recovered — Payment  of  Debts 

(1866) 199 

XIII.  The  Reconstruction  Period  (1867-1870)      .  333 

XIV.  International    Politics  —  Rapid    Transit 

(1870-1880) 367 

XV.  The  Pacific  Cable — The  Golden  Wedding 

(1880-1891) 303 

XVI.  Last  Days  and  Death — In  Memoriam  (1891- 

1893) 831 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


CYRUS  W.   FIELD Frontispiece 

SUBMIT  DICKIKSOK   FIELD Facing  page  2 

DAVID   DUDLEY   FIELD "  6 

THE   PARSONAGE,  STOCKBRIDGE,   MASS.       .       .  "  10 
VALENTIA  :    LANDING    THE    SHORE  -  END    OF 

THE    CABLE,    1857 "  94 

CYRUS  W.  FIELD,  I860 "  124 

LAST     TWO    PAGES    OP     LETTER    FROM     MR. 

GLADSTONE,   DATED   NOVEMBER   17,  1862  "  148 

ATLANTIC   TELEGRAPH  CABLE   CHART,   1865.  "  188 

THE   NIGHT-WATCH "  194 

ARDSLEY,    IRVINGTONON-HUDSON    ....  "  264 
CERTIFICATE  OF  DISCHARGE  FROM  THE  MER- 
CANTILE MARINE  SERVICE "  296 

THE  ANDRE  MONUMENT,  TAPPAN,  NEW  YORK  "  303 


CYRUS    W.    FIELD 

HIS   LIFE  AND   WORK 


CHAPTER  I 

PARENTAGE  AND  EARLY   HOME   LIFE 

(1819-1835) 

Cyrus  West  Field,  the  eighth  child  and  sev- 
enth son  of  David  Dudley  Field,  was  born  in  Stock- 
bridge,  Mass.,  November  30,  1819.  He  took  his 
double  name  from  Cyrus  Williams,  President  of 
the  Housatonic  Bank  (in  Stockbridge),  and  from 
Dr.  West,  for  sixty  years  his  father's  predecessor 
in  the  pastorate  of  the  old  Church  of  Stockbridge. 
He  was  the  sixth  in  descent  from  Zachariah  Field, 
the  founder  of  the  family  in  this  country,  who  was 
the  grandson  of  John  Field  the  astronomer.  Zacha- 
riah was  born  in  the  old  home  in  Ardsley,  York- 
shire, England.  He  came  over  in  1630  or  1632, 
seemingly  from  Hadiey,  Suffolk,  and  settled  first 
in  Dorchester,  Mass.,  afterwards  making  his  way 
through  the  wilderness  to  Hartford,  Conn.  Then 
followed  in  the  direct  line  his  oldest  son  Zachariah 
Junior,  Ebenezer,  David,  and  Captain  Timothy,  who 


2  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

was  born  in  the  north  part  of  Madison,  Conn., 
in  1744.  He  served  in  the  Continental  Army 
under  Washington,  and  was  in  the  battle  of  White 
Plains. 

David  Dudley  Field,  Captain  Timothy's  young- 
est son,  was  born  May  20,  1781.  In  1803  he  grad- 
uated from  Yale,  the  next  year  was  ordained  a  min- 
ister of  the  Congregational  Church,  and  a  month 
later,  October  31,  1803,  was  married  to  Submit 
Dickinson,  daughter  of  Captain  Noah  Dickinson,  of 
Somers,  Conn.,  who  first  served  under  Putnam  in 
the  French  War  and  afterwards  in  the  War  of  the 
Revolution.  Submit  Dickinson  was  called  "  The 
Somers  Beauty." 

David  Dudley  Field  was  first  settled  in  Haddam, 
Conn.,  and  remained  as  jmstor  of  the  Congregation- 
al Church  for  fourteen  years.  Seven  of  his  chil- 
dren were  born  while  he  lived  there :  David  Dudley 
was  the  eldest ;  then  followed  Emilia  Ann,  Timo- 
thy Beals,  Matthew  Dickinson,  Jonathan  Edwards, 
Stephen  Johnson  1st  (who  died  when  he  was  six 
months  old),  and  Stephen  Johnson  2d.  Cyrus 
West,  Henry  j\Iartyn,  and  Mary  Elizabeth  were  the 
three  children  born  in  Stockbridge,  Mass.  Among 
the  reminiscences  of  his  sojourn  in  Haddam  is  that 
it  fell  to  him  to  preach  the  execution  sermon  of 
Peter  Long.  The  grim  Puritanical  custom  still 
survived,  according  to  which  a  prisoner  convicted 
of  a  capital  crime,  on  the  day  on  which  he  was  to 
be  hanged  was  taken  by  a  body-guard  of  soldiers 
to  church  to  be  publicly  prepared  for  his  ending. 
He  was  placed  in  a  conspicuous  ])ew,  where  he  was 
obliged  not  only  to  listen  to  a  long  and  harrowing 
sermon,  but  when  addressed  by  name  to  stand  up  fac- 


SLUMIT    DICKINSON    FIKLD 
Born  October  1,  1782 
(From  a  Crayon  by  Lawrence) 


PARENTAGE   AND   EARLY   HOME   LIFE  3 

ing  the  preacher  and  receive  the  exhortation  as  he 
had  received  the  sentence.  Dr.  Field  addressed  the 
victim  directly  for  some  minutes,  and  closed  with 
these  words:  "  Before  yonder  sun  shall  set  in  the 
west  your  probationary  state  will  be  closed  forever. 
This  day  you  will  either  lift  up  your  eyes  in  hell, 
being  in  torment,  or,  through  the  rich,  overflowing, 
and  sovereign  grace  of  God,  be  carried  by  the  an- 
gels to  Abraham's  bosom.  If  in  any  doubt  about 
your  preparation,  you  may  yet  find  mercy.  He 
who  pardoned  the  penitent  thief  on  the  cross  may 
pardon  you  in  the  place  of  execution.  Pray  God, 
then,  if  perhaps  your  sins  may  be  forgiven  you. 
Cry  to  Him,  '  God  be  merciful  to  me,  a  sinner  V 
and  continue  those  cries  till  death  shall  remove  you 
hence.  May  the  Lord  Almighty  support  you  in  the 
trying  scene  before  you,  and  through  infinite  grace 
have  mercy  on  your  soul." 

From  the  church  the  prisoner  was  led,  clothed 
in  a  long,  white  robe,  to  the  scaif  old.  It  is  said  that 
on  this  occasion  the  rope  was  cut  by  the  militiamen 
in  attendance  as  a  guard. 

In  May,  1819,  Dr.  Field  accepted  the  call  to  the 
church  in  Stockbridge,  and  on  August  25th  he  was 
settled  there  as  a  pastor.  In  those  days  the  mov- 
ing of  a  household  from  Haddam  to  Stockbridge 
was  a  formidable  undertaking.  Teams  were  sent 
to  Connecticut,  a  journey  of  several  days,  to  bring 
on  the  household  furniture,  and,  most  important  of 
all,  heavy  boxes  piled  with  the  volumes  that  com- 
prised the  pastor's  library.  The  clearest  statement 
of  the  impression  made  upon  the  youth  of  his  flock 
by  the  ministry  of  Dr.  Field  is  furnished  in  these 
words,  written  nearly  fifty  years  after  his   settle- 


4  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

meut  in  Stockbridge,  and  a  fortnight  after  his 
death,  by  the  venerated  president  of  Williams  Col- 
lege : 

"Williams  College,  Ajjril  30,  1867. 
"  Cyrus  W.  Field,  Esq. : 

"  Ml/  dear  Sir, — Ou  jny  return  I  comply  at  once  with  your 
request  to  write  out  the  remarks  I  made  at  your  father's  fu- 
iierah  In  writing  to  me,  Mr.  Eggleston  simply  said  lie  should 
like  to  have  me  take  some  part  in  the  services,  but  he  did 
not  say  what,  and  under  the  circumstances  I  did  not  think 
it  best  to  attempt  anything  but  a  few  remarks  bearing  ou  my 
personal  relation  to  him.    I  give  them  below  as  well  as  I  can. 

"  '  On  coming  here  I  was  not  aware  what  the  order  of  exer- 
cises was  to  be,  or  what  part  I  was  expected  to  take  in  them ; 
but  as  I  am  drawn  here  by  a  deep  personal  regard  to  the  de- 
parted, tlie  few  words  that  I  shall  say  will  have  reference 
to  him  chiefly  in  that  relation  through  which  this  regard  was 
awakened. 

"  '  It  was  under  the  ministry  of  Dr.  Field  that  I  first  united 
with  the  Christian  Church.  By  him  I  w'as  baptized  in  this 
place. 

"  'For  a  long  period  my  mind  was  in  a  state  of  solicitude 
and  careful  inquir}'  on  tlie  subject  of  religion,  and  during 
much  of  that  time  I  sat  under  his  ministry.  Well  do  I  remem- 
ber his  sermons  and  his  prayers  ;  we  worshipped  in  the  old 
church  then,  and  the  whole  town  c;;me  together.  His  ser- 
mons were  lucid,  logical,  effective,  and  his  prayers  remark- 
abl}'  appropriate  and  comprehensive.  One  of  his  texts  I  re- 
member particularly.  It  was  this:  "Lord,  to  whom  shall 
we  go  ?  Thou  hast  the  words  of  eternal  life,  and  we  believe 
and  are  sure  that  Thou  ai't  that  Christ,  the  son  of  the  living 
God."  From  these  words  he  preached  several  discourses  of 
great  power  showing  that  Jesus  was  the  Christ,  and  that 
there  was  no  one  else  to  whom  we  could  go.  I  regarded 
them  then,  and  still  do,  as  among  the  ablest  discourses  I  ever 
heard.     They  had  a  powerful  effect  upon  my  mind. 

'"In  respect  to  feeling  he  was  not  demonstrative,  and  some 
thought  him  cold.  No  mistake  could  have  been  greater.  On 
sitting  near  him  I  remember  to  have  been  struck  by  noticing 
the  big  tears  rolling  down  his  cheeks  when  he  came  to  the 
more  touching  parts  of  his  discourse,  while  there  was  scarce- 
ly a  sign  of  ^motion  in  his  voice  or  in  the  lines  of  Ms  face. 


PARENTAGE  AND  EARLY  HOME  LIFE       5 

Perhaps  intellect  predominaterl.  Probably  il  did;  but  he 
was  a  man  of  deep  feelinir,  and  under  the  impulse  of  it,  as 
well  as  of  principle,  lie  was  a  faithful,  earnest,  laborious 
pastor.  It  was  in  that  relation  that  I  feel  that  his  character 
and  life  and  preaching  and  prayers  were  an  important  for- 
mative influence  with  me  for  good,  and  I  have  never  ceased 
to  regard  Ijim  with  affectionate  veneration,  and  never  shall. 

'•  'And  what  he  did  for  me  he  doubtless  did  for  multitudes 
of  others.  Tliere  is  no  higher  educating  power  than  that 
of  a  pastor  thoroughly  educated  and  balanced,  earnest  by 
proclaiming  God's  truths  from  Sabbath  to  Sabbath  and  deal- 
ing fairlj'  with  the  minds  of  men.  This  he  did,  and  in  doing 
it  was  eminent  among  a  bod}'  of  men  who  have  done  more 
to  make  Xew  England  "'hat  it  is  than  any  other.  In  clear 
thinking,  in  able  sermons,  and  in  earnest  labors,  he  was  alto- 
gether a  worth}'  successor  of  the  eminent  men  who  had  pre- 
ceded him. 

"  'I  see  some  here  who  will  remember  those  earlier  times. 
I  am  sure,  my  friends,  you  will  verify  all  I  l)ave  said,  and 
that  with  me  you  do  now  and  will  continue  to  cherish  with 
respect  and  with  love  the  memory  of  our  former  pastor.  It 
only  remains  to  us  now  to  emulate  all  in  him  that  was  good, 
and  in  deep  sympathy  with  these  mourning  friends  to  aid  in 
placing  his  dust  where  it  will  rest  with  so  much  other  pre- 
cious dust  that  makes  this  a  hallowed  valley,  and  where  it  will 
await  the  resurrection  of  the  just.' 

"  In  reading  over  what  I  have  written  I  can  onl}'  say  that  it 
seems  to  me  altogether  inadequate  as  an  expression  of  the 
sense  I  have  of  your  father's  worth  and  of  the  benefit  he  was 
to  me,  but  having  promised  to  do  so  I  send  it. 
"  With  great  regard,  yours, 

"  Mark  Hopkins." 

The  recollection  that  his  grandchildren  have  of 
him  is  of  a  quiet,  dignified  old  gentleman,  who 
seemed  quite  lost  when  his  call  for  "  Mis'  Field  " 
was  not  answered  at  once  by  his  energetic  wife, 
upon  whom  he  was  very  dependent.  Occasionally 
he  would  gather  his  children's  children  about  him, 
and  seemed  to  enjoy  showing  them  how  "  the 
lady's  horse  goes,"  and  the  tumble  that  followed 


6  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

'•'and  by -and -by  comes  old  hobble -de -gee/'  was 
looked  upon  as  great  fun.  He  would  also  delight 
his  youthful  audience  by  repeating  a  few  of  Mother 
Goose's  Melodies,  and  they  never  tired  of  hearing 
him. 

Life  in  Xew  England  in  those  days,  and  espe- 
cially the  life  of  a  pastor's  family,  was  earnest,  with 
an  earnestness  that  to  the  young,  with  the  eager- 


IN  MEMORY  OF 

Pau'iLi  DiiMci)  f'ld'b, 

Past'ir  of  this  Cliureli. 

Born  in  Madison,  Conn.,  May  20,  1"S1. 

Settled  in  Haddam,  '.804-I81*. 

In  Stoclibridge,  1819-1837. 

Recalled  to  his  first  Charge,  he  Preached 

again  in  Haddam  till  1851, 

When  he  returned  here 

To  spend  his  last  liays. 

Died  April  15,  1867, 
Aged  nearly  S6  years. 

The  Hoary  Head  is  a  Crown  of  Glory 

when  found  in  the  way  ol 

Rit:hteousness. 


TABLET  IN   THE   CHURCH   IX  STOCKBRIDGE 


ness  of  youth  for  enjoyment,  may  well  have  seemed 
repulsive.  The  Puritanic  rigor  that  has  been  so 
much  relaxed  during  the  j^ast  half-century  was 
then  much  what  it  had  been  in  the  earliest  colo- 
nial times. 

Morning  and  evening  the  entire  family  gathered 
in  the  sitting-room  for  prayers,  each  one  with   a 


DAVID   DCDLKY    FIELD 
Born  Muy  20,  1781 

(From  a  Crayon  by  Lawrence) 


PARENTAGE   AND  EARLY   HOME   LIFE  T 

Bible,  and  all  were  required  to  join  in  the  reading. 
A  chapter  was  never  divided,  and  in  turn  the  verses 
were  read;  often  comments  were  made.  Afterwards 
came  the  long  prayer,  when  all,  except  Dr.  Field, 
knelt ;  he  stood,  with  his  hands  on  the  back  of  his 
chair,  and  one  of  his  favorite  expressions,  and  one 
which  greatly  impressed  the  younger  members  of 
his  family,  the  more  because  they  did  not  under- 
stand it,  was  that  the  Lord  would  '^overturn,  over- 
turn, overturn  .  .  .  until  he  come,  whose  right 
it  is.'' 

That  the  Puritanic  atmosphere  was  no  harsh 
and  unmirthful  thing  in  this  parsonage  is  shown 
by  the  story  told  by  one  who  was  a  boy  in  Stock- 
bridge  at  the  time.  A  hen  was  sitting  in  a  box  in 
the  woodshed  ;  each  morning  Cyrus  looked  for  the 
little  chickens.  One  day  in  an  adjoining  box  he 
found  the  family  cat  with  a  number  of  kittens. 
These  he  placed  with  the  hen,  and  then  with  a  very 
straight  face  asked  his  father  to  come  and  see  the 
chickens. 

The  controversy  as  to  the  scriptural  limitation 
of  the  Sabbath,  whether  it  began  at  sunset  on 
Saturday  or  at  midnight,  was  then  very  active. 
When  Dr.  Field  was  questioned  as  to  which  even- 
ing was  the  one  to  be  observed,  he  always  advised 
those  in  doubt  to  keep  both. 

Once  in  speaking  of  the  curious  texts  that  he 
had  known  clergymen  of  his  generation  to  choose, 
he  instanced:  "  Parbar  westward,  four  at  the  cause- 
way and  two  at  Parbar";  but  he  failed  to  give  the 
lesson  that  was  drawn  from  the  words. 

In  those  old  days  in  western  Massachusetts  cook- 
ing-stoves  were  unknown.     The  pots  were   hung 


8  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

above  the  fire,  the  meats  were  broiled  over  the 
coals  or  before  them,  and  the  baking  was  done  in  a 
brick  oven.  Neither  were  there  ice-closets  nor 
travelling  butchers.  The  winter's  stock  of  meat 
was  laid  in  with  the  first  cold  weather ;  the  chick- 
ens were  killed  and  packed  in  snow  in  the  cellar,  to 
be  brought  out  as  they  Avere  needed ;  and  pies  were 
made  in  large  quantities,  and  frozen  and  put  away 
for  future  use  ;  and  the  foot-stove  was  taken  down 
from  the  shelf.  This  was  a  small  iron  box  with 
holes  in  the  top,  and  into  it  were  put  live  coals. 
The  box  was  carried  in  the  hand,  and  used  in  place 
of  a  footstool  in  '^ meeting";  but  even  with  this 
mitigation  the  cold  was  felt  intensely. 

The  conflict  in  a  conscientious  pastor's  mind 
between  his  sense  of  duty  and  his  kindness  of  heart 
was  often  severe  and  painful.  Mrs.  Field  used  to 
?;ay  that  the  most  difficult  act  her  husband  was 
ever  called  upon  to  perform  was  to  refuse  church 
membership  to  those  who  had  accepted  Dr.  Chan- 
ning's  views.  She  was  naturally  more  pitiful  than 
he.  A  revivalist  who  had  come  to  the  village  in 
the  course  of  his  mission  took  occasion  at  a  service 
publicly  to  arraign  one  of  the  prominent  men  of 
the  town  for  drunkenness.  Mrs.  Field  strongly 
disapproved  of  the  time  and  place  chosen  for  the 
rebuke,  and  on  her  way  home  from  the  meeting 
expressed  her  disapproval,  and  when  she  reached 

her  gate  said,  "  Wait,  Cyrus,  and  when  Mr.  

passes  bring  him  to  me  and  I  will  pick  his  bones 
for  him"  (Micah  iii.  2).  She  would  not  have 
approved  of  the  method  adopted,  according  to  a 
story  current  in  her  sou  Cyrus's  family,  by  a  pious 
man  in  Connecticut  who,  when  he  thought  himself 


PARENTAGE   AND   EARLY   HOME   LIFE  9 

imposed  upon  by  his  neighbors,  would  say,  with  a 
long  drawl,  ''Leave  them  to  the  Lord,  leave  them 
to  the  Lord — he'll  smite  them  hip  and  thigh." 

Her  son  always  remembered,  as  one  of  the 
strongest  impressions  of  his  childhood,  the  deep 
and  lasting  grief  of  his  mother  at  parting  with  her 
eldest  daughter,  who  married  and  went  to  Smyrna, 
Asia  Minor,  as  a  missionary,  when  he  was  but  ten 
years  old. 

An  old  lady  in  Stockbridge  tells  to  his  niece  this 
story  of  him  at  about  the  same  age.  ''Your  grand- 
mother had  been  very  ill.  I  watched  with  her; 
many  of  us  watched.  I  thought  to  keep  her  from 
talking  by  coming  up  behind  her  to  give  her  medi- 
cine, but  she  found  out  who  I  was  and  talked  a 
great  deal.  After  she  was  better  she  still  needed 
some  one  to  sleep  in  her  room,  keep  up  the  fire  and 
give  her  medicine.  Your  uncle  Cyrus  did  this  one 
whole  winter  when  he  was  a  little  boy,  I  should 
think  not  ten.  It  was  lovely  of  him."  And  it  was 
just  like  him.  He  always  remembered  that  dur- 
ing this  same  illness  his  mother  called  him  to  her 
and  said,  "Cyrus,  the  doctor  says  I  am  very  ill,  but 
I  shall  be  up  to-morrow."  And  he  would  add, 
"She  was." 

By  all  Stockbridge  tradition  he  was  the  hero  of 
another  tale,  although  he  himself  always  gave  the 
credit  of  it  to  one  of  his  brothers.  A  certain  rat- 
trap  (perhaps  of  new  and  efficient  style)  had  been 
lost.  After  much  search  and  questioning  the  min- 
ister gave  orders  that  whenever  found  it  should 
be  brought  at  once  to  him.  So  one  day  at  a  ser- 
vice, when  the  sermon  was  in  full  progress,  there 
came  a  clanging  noise  up  the  aisle,  and  the  miss- 


10  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

ing  article  was  set  down  in  front  of  the  pulpit  with 
the  words,  ''Father,  here  is  your  rat-trap  V 

Another  laughable  reminiscence  occurred  at  the 
burning  of  the  parsonage,  which  took  place  about 
1830.  In  1823  or  1823  Dr.  Field  had  bought  a 
small  house  in  the  village  and  had  moved  there. 
The  fire  was  first  seen  as  the  children  were  coming 
from  school,  and  very  soon  after  it  was  discovered 
all  hope  of  subduing  it  Avas  given  up,  and  the  first 
thought  was  to  save  the  study  furniture  and  books, 
and  the  study  table  was  thrown  from  the  window. 
Imagine  the  surprise  of  the  crowd  and  the  con- 
sternation of  their  pastor  as  the  drawers  of  this, 
his  private  repository,  came  open,  and  a  shower  of 
playing-cards  fluttered  forth  and  whitened  the 
grass.  They  had  been  found  in  the  possession  of 
his  children  and  confiscated. 

It  is  remembered  of  Cyrus  Field  as  a  child  that 
his  dealings  with  his  playmates  were  most  exact. 
He  paid  punctually  all  that  he  owed,  and  required 
the  same  punctuality  in  return.  He  was  the  chosen 
leader  in  all  the  games,  and  he  was  the  victor  in 
a  race  around  the  village  green,  one  of  the  stipu- 
lations being  that  a  certain  amount  of  crackers 
should  be  eaten  on  the  way. 

His  half -holidays  were  passed  in  roaming  over  the 
counti-y-side,  and  he  has  often  said  tliat  the  meal 
he  enjoyed  the  most  in  his  life  was  one  gotten  on  a 
Saturday  afternoon  when  he  had  stopped,  tired  and 
hungry,  at  a  farm-house,  and  w^as  given  a  plate  of 
cold  pork  and  potatoes.  He  was  obliged  to  be  at 
home  before  sunset  on  Saturday,  as  every  member 
of  the  family  was  required  to  be  in  the  house  by 
that  time,  and  all  work  to  cease ;  and  as  the  chil- 


P         CO 

2      O 


3      C 
O 


PARENTAGE   AND   EARLY    HOME   LIFE  11 

(Iren  entered  their  father  greeted  them  with  the 
words,  "We  are  on  the  borders  of  holy  time.*' 
Sunset  on  Sunday  was  watched  for  most  anxiously, 
for  they  were  then  again  quite  free  to  come  and  go. 
The  simple  life  of  the  Massachusetts  village  was 
not  without  its  pleasures.  There  lies  before  me  a 
yellow  programme,  printed  sixty  years  ago,  which 
commemorates  what  was  very  likely  at  once  the 
first  appearance  of  Cyrus  W.  Field  on  any  stage 
and  his  last  appearance  in  his  native  village,  and 
forms  a  fitting  conclusion  to  the  story  of  his  child- 
hood. 

EXHIBITION.— STOCKBRIDGE   ACADEMY, 

MARCH  26-27,  1835. 


THURSDAY    EVENING. 


ORDER    OF    EXERCISES. 


1.     MUSIC. 
2.     Prologue. — United  States  Speaker.  John  IIexuy  Adams 

3      Burr  and  Bleniierhasset. — Wirt.  Esskx  Watts 

4.  Bernardo  Del  Carpio. — Mrs.  Hemans.  Ralph  K.  Jones 

5.  Death  of  the  Princess  Charlotte. — Campbell. 

Henry  W.  Dwight,  Jn. 
6.     MUSIC. 

7.  "  Hail  to  the  Land." — Author  unknown.     Phinehas  Lincoln 

8.  Extract  from  Robert  Treat  Paine  on  French  Aggressions. 

David  L.  Perky 

9.  Parody  of  "The  Young  Orator." — Anonymous. 

George  W.  Kingsley 

10.     A  Dandy's What? — Independent  Balance. 

William  Stuart 
11.     MUSIC. 

12.  Patriotic  Stanzas. — Campbell.  Thomas  Wells 

13.  Injustice  of  Slavery.  James  Sedgwick 


12  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

14.  Question  Answered. — Ladies'  Magazine.  George  Lester 

15.  Fall  of  Missolonghi. — E.  Canning. 

Theodore  S.  Pomeroy,  Jr. 

16.     MUSIC. 

17.  The  Rich  Man  and  the  Poor  Man. — Khemnitzen. 

Lewis  Buruall 

18.  Man,  the  Artificer  of  His  Own  Fortune.         Edward  Selkirk 

19.  Pleasures  of  Knowledge.  Marshall  Williams 

20.  Extract  from  an  Oration  by  Wm.  R.  Smith. 

Edwin  Williams 

21.  Running  Dover,  a  Boaster. — Anonymous. 

George  W.  Kingsley 
22.     MUSIC. 

23.  Influence  of  Intemperance  on  our  Government. — Spragne. 

Bradford  Dresser 

24.  Bunker  Hill  Monument. — Webster.  George  W.  Parsons 

25.  Extract  from  Webster  on  the  Slave  Trade.  John  Ely 

26.  Parody  of  "  Lochiel's  Warning." — Edward  Selkirk. 

Advocate  of  Tempei-ance,  (  Edward  Selkirk 
Vender  of  Ardent  Spirits, '(  Theodore  Williams 

27.  A  Wife  Wanted. — A  Bachelor  Edward  Carter 

28.     MUSIC. 

29.  The  Instability  of  Human  Government — Rutledge. 

John  Vallet 

30.  Parody  of  "  Brutus's  Address  to  the  Roman  Populace." — 

Anonymou-.  George  W.  Burrall 

31.  Peter's  Ride  to  the  Wedding. — Xew  Speaker. 

George  Lester 

32.  Tragical  Dialogue. — Columbian  Orator. 

Indian  Chief,  .  Charles  Pomerot 

American  OtHcer,  .  .  Lewis  Fenn 

Son  of  the  Chief,    .  .  Cyrus  Field 

Soldiers,  .  .  i  Charles  Deming 

'  I  John  Vallet 

33.  Petition  of  Young  Ladies. — United  States  Speaker. 

John  Henry  Adams 
34.     MUSIC. 


PARENTAGE   AND   EARLY   HOME   LIFE  13 

FRIDAY   EVENING. 

ORDER     OF    EXERCISES. 

1.     MUSIC. 
2.     ''SHE  STOOPS  TO  COXQUER:'— Goldsmith. 

A   COMEDY   IN   FIVE   ACTS. 

DRAMATIS   HERSO.V.«. 

Sir  Charles  Marlow,        ....  S.  G.  Jones 

Hardcastle, H.  C.  Fay 

Young  Marlow, H.  Tkk.main 

Hastings, E.  Rockwell 

Tony  Lumpkin, H.  Gardner 

Diggorj', C.  PoMEitoY 

Jeremy, T.  Williams 

Stings, L.  Fenn 

Mrs.  Hardcastle, C.  W.  Field 

Miss  Hardcastle, F.  Fowlek 

Miss  Neville, J.  Stephens 

Maid, J.  Ely 

Fellows  of  the  Ale-house,  Servants,  etc. 

ACT   THE   FIRST. 

Scene  L — A  Chamber  iu  an  Old-fashioned  House. 

MUSIC. 

Scene  2. — An  Ale-house  Room. 

MUSIC. 

ACT  THE   SECOND. 

Scene  1. — A  Room  in  Hardcastle's  House,  supposed  by  Marlow  and 

Hastings  to  be  a  Room  in  an  Inn. 

MUSIC. 

ACT   THE   THIRD 

Scene  1. — A  Room  in  Hardcastle's  House. 
MUSIC. 

ACT   THE   FOURTH. 

Scene  1. — Tlie  same  Room. 

MUSIC. 

ACT   THE  FIFTH. 

Scene  1. —  The  same  Room. 

MUSIC. 

Scene  2. — The  back  of  the  Garden. 

MUSIC. 

Scene  3. — A  Room  in  Hardcastle's  House. 

MUSIC. 

3.     Epilogue. — United  States  Speaker.    Theodoke  S.  Pomeroy,  Jr. 

MUSIC. 


CHAPTER  II 

EARLY   LIFE   IN   NEW  YORK 

(1835-1840) 

It  was  on  Wednesday,  April  2d,  1835,  and  only  a 
few  weeks  after  "She  Stoops  to  Conquer"  had 
been  performed  in  the  village  academy  at  Stock- 
bridge,  that  Cyrus  Field,  having  j^ersuaded  his 
parents  that  he  w.is  old  enough  to  go  out  into  the 
world  and  seek  his  fortune,  left  his  home.  For 
three  years  before  he  had  kept  the  family  accounts, 
and  had  most  carefully  entered  every  item  of  ex- 
pense in  a  small  paper  book,  and  he  was  well  aware 
that  it  was  only  with  strict  economy  that  the  eight 
dollars  given  to  him  by  his  father  at  parting  could 
be  spared  from  the  family  purse.  Stockbridge  in 
April  lies  bare  and  brown  in  the  valley  of  the 
Housatonic,  and  the  tops  of  the  mountains  that 
are  near  are  at  that  season  often  still  white  with 
snow,  and  his  heart  was  in  harmony  with  the  scene 
as  he  looked  back  for  the  last  sight  of  his  beloved 
mother's  face.     His  first  letter  is  dated 

"New  Yoriv  May  12,  1835. 

"Dear  Father, — 1  received  yours,  Henrys,  and  Mary's 
kind  letters  of  the  7tii  on  the  9lli  b}'  Jouallian,  and  I  assure 
you  that  it  did  me  good  to  hear  from  sweet  home. 

"I  stopped  at  Mr.  Moore's,  in  Hudson,  and  they  liad 
not  seen  motlier's  handkerchief. 

"  Your  account  of  the  Field  family  I  was  glad  to  receive, 


EARLV   LIFE   IN   NEW   YORK  15 

but  I  wish  to  know  also  from  whom  we  are  descended  on 
my  mother's  side. 

"Tell  Stephen,  Henry,  and  Mary  that  I  intended  to  write 
them  all  a  long  letter,  but  as  I  have  not  been  very  well  for 
tlie  last  two  days,  and  have  a  good  deal  to  do  to-day,  it  is 
impossible. 

"The  purse  which  Mary  mentioned  in  her  letter  Jonathan 
says  that  he  did  not  bring. 

"I  have  seen  R.  Maclaughlin,  and  he  sends  his  love  to 
Henry.  Tell  George  Whitney  that  the  store  boy  sends  his 
lov^e  to  him.  I  do  the  same,  and  also  to  Edwin  Williams, 
yir.  Fay,  S.  and  A.  Hawkiugs,  and  all  the  good  people  of 
old  Stockbridge. 

"Uncle  Beales  and   his  daughter  arrived  here  last  night. 

"Mr.  Mark  Hopkins  came  from  Stockbridge  this  morn- 
ing.    No  letters. 

"Take  good  care  of  mother,  and  tell  her  she  must  not  get 
overdone. 

"  All  send  their  love.     Love  to  all. 

"From  your  affectionate  son, 

"Cykus." 

He  does  not  speak  of  his  loneliness,  although  we 
know  that  it  was  great,  for  his  mother's  last  words 
to  another  son,  who  was  going  to  Xew  York  a  few 
weeks  later,  were,  "  Bring  Cyrus  home  if  he  is  still 
so  homesick." 

It  was  on  one  of  his  first  Sundays  in  New  York 
that,  after  he  had  been  to  church,  and  gone  to  his 
brother  David's  for  dinner,  his  unhappiness  was 
apparent  to  the  family  and  also  to  Dr.  Mark 
Hopkins,  their  guest,  whose  sympathy  was  never 
forgotten,  nor  his  words,  "I  would  not  give 
much  for  a  boy  if  he  were  not  homesick  on  leaving 
home."  He  has  said  that  many  of  the  evenings 
during  the  long  summer  that  followed  his  coming 
to  New  York  were  passed  on  the  banks  of  the 
Hudson  watching  the  boats  as  they  sailed  north- 
ward, and   as  ho  lay  by  the  riverside  he  pictured 


16  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

himself  as  on  board  of  one  of  the  vessels,  and  the 
welcome  that  he  would  receive  on  reaching  Stock- 
bridge. 

Towards  the  end  of  his  life  Mr.  Field  began  the 
preparation  of  his  autobiography.  From  so  much 
of  this  as  serves  the  purpose  of  this  narrative, 
extracts  will  be  made  from  time  to  time  without 
express  credit. 

In  1835  it  took  twenty-four  hours  to  go  from 
Stockbridge  to  New  York,  and  first  there  was  a 
drive  of  fifty  miles  to  Hudson  on  the  river,  and 
then  a  long  sail  by  boat. 

Almost  immediately  on  reaching  the  city  he  en- 
tered as  an  errand-boy  the  store  of  A.  T.  Stewart, 
which  had  already  a  more  commanding  reputation 
than  any  mercantile  establishment  possesses  or 
perhaps  can  attain  at  present. 

His  home  was  in  a  boarding-house  in  Murray 
Street  near  Greenwich,  where  he  had  board  and 
lodging  for  two  dollars  a  week,  a  fact  which  is  in 
itself  eloquent  of  the  difference  between  life  now  in 
New  York  and  life  sixty  years  ago,  Stewart's  was 
then  at  257  Broadway,  between  Murray  and  War- 
ren streets.  There  the  young  clerk  received  for 
his  services  the  first  year  S50,  and  the  second  the 
sum  was  doubled.  Even  so,  and  with  what  would 
now  be  the  incredible  frugality  of  his  living,  it  is 
plain  that  he  could  not  have  supported  himself  by 
his  earnings.  Of  his  life  at  that  time  he  said  in 
after -years,  "My  oldest  brother  lent  me  money, 
which,  just  as  soon  as  I  was  able,  and  before  I  was 
twenty-one,  I  returned  to  him  with  interest."  The 
letter  that  follows  tells  how  his  first  money  was 
spent : 


EARLY   LIFE   IN   NEW   YORK  17 

'•■  New  York,  June  13,  1835. 

"Dear  Father, — I  received  by  Mr.  Baldwin  five  nightcaps, 
a  pin-cusliion,  and  some  wedding-cake,  for  wliicli  1  am  very 
much  obliged  to  mother  and  Mary. 

"  i\Iary  wrote  to  me  to  know  of  what  color  I  would  have 
m}'  frock-coat ;  tell  mother  instead  of  having  a  linen  frock- 
coat  that  I  would  prefer  another  linen  roundabout,  as  they  are 
much  better  in  a  store ;  I  am  not  particular  about  the  color. 

"  When  you  write  to  me,  direct  your  letters  to  Cyrus  W. 
Field,  at  A.  T.  Stewart  &  Co.,  No.  257  Broadway,  New  York  ; 
if  you  do  so,  they  will  come  to  me  quicker  than  in  any  other 
way.  There  is  in  the  store  besides  the  firm  twenty-four 
clerks,  including  two  book-keepers,  one  of  whom  is  Mr.  Smith, 
of  Haddam ;  lie  says  that  he  remembers  you,  mother,  David, 
Timothy,  and  Matthew  very  well.  Give  my  love  to  mother, 
brothers,  sister,  Mr.  Fay,  George  Whitney,  and  other  friends. 

"From  your  affectionate  son, 

"  Cyrus. 
"P.  S. — On  the  other  side  you  will  find  a  list  of  my  ex- 
penses. 

From  the  29th  of  April  to  the  12th  of  June.— Cyrus  W.  Field,  expenses. 

From  Stockbridge  to  New  York ?<3  00 

Paid  to  David  for  Penny  Magazines 2  00 

(I  am  not  agoing  to  take  them  any  longer.) 

To  hair  cutting 12i 

To  one  vial  of  spirits  of  turpentine  (used  to 

get  some  spots  out  of  coat) 6} 

To  get  shoes  mended 18f 

To  one  pair  of  shoe-brushes 25 

To  one  box  of  blacking 12|- 

To  get  trunks  carried  from  David's  to  my 

boarding-house 25 

To  two  papers  of  tobacco  to  put  in  trunks  to 

prevent  moths  getting  in 12| 

To  one  straw  hat  (the  one  that  I  brought  from 
home  got  burned  and  was  so  dirty  that  Da- 
vid thought  I  had  better  get  me  a  new  one.)    1  00 

To  one  steel  pen 12| 

To  small  expenses,  from  time  to  time,  such  as 
riding  in  an  omnibus,  going  to  Brooklyn, 
etc. ,  etc. ,  etc 1  35 

Total,  $7  50 


18  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

"  When  I  left  home  I  had  $8,  $7  50  of  which  is  expended, 
leaving  in  my  hands  50  cents.  I  do  not  know  of  an}-thing 
that  I  want,  but  I  tliink  you  had  better  send  to  me  $4  more." 

In  all  his  letters  of  this  period  he  calls  his  eldest 
brother  by  his  first  name,  David,  and  it  was  not 
nntil  many  years  later  that  his  second  name,  Dud- 
ley, is  added. 

At  first  Mr.  Field  was  obliged  to  be  at  his  work 
between  six  and  seven  in  the  morning,  and  after  he 
was  promoted  from  errand-boy  to  clerk  the  hours 
for  attendance  at  the  store  were  from  a  qnarter- 
past  eight  in  the  morning  nntil  into  the  evening. 
"'  I  always  made  it  a  point  to  be  there  before  the 
partners  came  and  never  to  leave  before  the  part- 
ners left.  Mr.  Stewart  was  the  leading  dry-goods 
merchant  at  that  time.  My  ambition  was  to  make 
myself  a  thoroughly  good  merchant.  I  tried  to 
learn  in  every  department  all  I  possibly  could, 
knowing  I  had  to  depend  entirely  on  myself.'^ 

In  his  simple  country  home  a  theatre  had  always 
been  thought  of  and  spoken  of  as  an  entrance  to 
hell,  but  being  of  an  inquiring  mind  he  determined, 
as  so  many  country  lads  have  done  before  and  since, 
upon  giving  one  of  his  first  evenings  in  the  city  to 
finding  out  for  himself  what  hell  was  like.  The 
kindred  desire  to  see  a  large  fire  was  also  soon  grat- 
ified, and  the  ardor  of  his  curiosity  on  this  subject 
was  at  once  cooled,  for,  as  he  stood  watching  the 
blaze,  the  hose  was  turned  for  a  moment  in  the 
wrong  direction,  and  he  was  drenched. 

The  subject  of  the  next  letter  is  the  '-'great  fire 
of  1835,"  which  took  place  on  December  16th,  and 
destroyed  600  warehouses  and  $20,000,000  of  prop- 
erty. 


EARLY   LIFE   IN   NEW   YORK  19 

"New  Yoek.  December  25,  1835. 

"Bear  Father, — Last  week,  on  Wednesday  night,  a  fire 
broke  out  in  a  store  in  Merchant  Street  which  proved  to  be 
the  largest  that  was  ever  known  in  this  country.  It  burned 
about  674  buildings,  most  of  which  were  wliolesale  stores, 
and  laid  waste  all  of  thirty  acres  of  the  richest  part  of  this 
city. 

"  I  was  up  all  night  to  the  fire,  and  last  Sunday  was  on 
duty  with  David  as  a  guard  to  prevent  people  from  going  to 
the  ruins  to  steal  property  that  was  saved  from  the  fire  and 
laying  in  heaps  in  the  streets. 

"  The  awful  state  that  the  city  was  in  can  be  better  imag- 
ined than  described. 

"Mr.  Brewer  has  arrived,  and  will  take  to  Stockbridge 
some  parcels,  one  of  which  is  for  Mrs.  Ashburner. 
"  In  haste,  from  your  affectionate  son, 

"  Cyrus. 

"  P.S. — I  wish  mother  would  make  for  me  a  black  frock- 
coat  (she  knows  the  kind  that  I  want)  and  a  plain  black 
stock. 

"Perhaps  you  had  better  send  me  the  66  that  you  were  to 
let  me  have. 

"C.  W.  Field." 

On  July  25,  1S3C,  he  writes  to  his  father  : 

"  I  shall  leave  New  York  on  Thursday  evening  the  11th 
of  August,  in  the  steamboat  Westchester,  which  goes  no 
further  up  the  river  than  Hudson,  and  be  at  that  place  on 
Friday  morning,  the  12th,  where  I  shall  want  to  have  some 
one  to  meet  me  and  Mr.  Goodrich  with  a  good  horse  and 
wagon  to  take  us  immediately  to  Stockbridge.  ...  I 
want  to  have  some  one  be  at  Hudson  rain  or  shine,  and  I 
would  like  to  have  you  write  to  me  and  let  mc  know  who  is 
coming,  and  where  I  shall  find  him  if  he  is  not  at  the  wharf. 
.  .  .  ]\rr.  G.  and  myself  will  pay  the  expense  of  coming 
to  Hudson." 

And  in  another  letter  : 

"The  fare  in  the  steamboat  to  Hudson  is  only  50  cents." 

A  month  later,  in  a  letter  to  his  mother,  dated 
New  York,  August  29th,  he  says  : 


20  CYKUS  W.  FIELD 

"I  arrived  here  on  Thursday  morning  with  Goodrich,  in 
good  health  and  fine  spirits.  I  have  sent  to  you  by  Mr. 
Plainer,  of  Lee, 

10  yds.  of  fine  long  cloth,  at  25  cents 

per  yd $2  50 

15  yds.  not  fine  long  cloth,  at  12*^  cents 

per  yd 1  87^ 

1  muslin  collar 

1  remnant  of  merino,  44  yds.,  for 4  00 

Total,  S8  374- 

"If  Mary  should  like  the  merino  for  a  cloak  I  will  obtain 
another  remnant  for  a  dress. 

"Father has  let  me  have  825  00  since  I  liave  been  in  New 
York,  and  if  lie  wishes  me  I  will  pay  the  above  amount, 
and  then  1  shall  be  indebted  to  him  $16  G2|.  I  will  send 
the  balance  in  money  or  obtain  that  amount  worth  of  goods 
for  him  here  at  an}  time.  .  .  . 

"  I  wish  you  would  all  write  to  me  by  every  opportunity, 
and  tell  me  of  anything  and  all  things  that  happen  at  home 
and  in  good  old  Stockbridge. 

"Give  my  love  to  all  friends.     In  haste. 

"  From  you  affectionate  son, 

"  Cyrus. 

"  To  my  dear  mother." 

He  wrote  to  his  mother  again  on  October  31, 
1836,  and  in  the  postscript  says  : 

"Tell  father  that  I  have  read  through  the  Pilgrim'' s 
Progress  which  he  gave  me  when  at  home,  and  that  I  like 
it  very  much  ;  and  also  that  Goodrich  and  myself  take  turns 
in  reading  a  chapter  in  the  Bible  every  night  before  we  go 
to  bed,  and  that  we  have  got  as  far  as  the  25th  chapter  of 
Genesis." 

His  indebtedness  to  his  father  seems  to  have 
weighed  heavily  upon  him,  for  on  Xovcmber  25th 
he  again  allndes  to  it : 

"  I  am  now  in  debt  to  you  $4  75,  which  I  will  paj'  to  you 
at  any  tl.r.e  you  wish,  or  will  obtain  things  for  you  here." 


EARLY   LIFE   IN   NEW   YORK  21 

The  thought  that  his  home  in  Stockbridge  is  to 
be  given  np  causes  him  pain.  On  January  24, 
1837,  in  a  letter  to  his  mother,  he  says : 

"  I  am  sorry  Ibat  father  is  going  to  leave  that  beautiful 
place  Stockbridge,  but  when  you  do  move  to  Haddam  I 
hope  that  you  will  take  everything,  even  the  old  aud  good 
dog  Rover." 

In  a  letter  written  to  his  father  on  April  15, 
1837,  he  mentions  various  articles  he  has  sent  to 
him,  and  then  adds  : 

"And  also  a  silk  handkerchief,  which  I  wish  you  to  accept 
for  the  interest  on  the  $25  you  lent  me." 

Towards  the  end  of  the  letter  is  this  sentence : 

"The  election  has  closed  and  the  Whigs  have  elected 
Aaron  Clark  their  candidate  for  Mayor  by  a  majority  of 
nearly  5000  votes.     Good." 

His  clothes  were  all  of  home  manufacture.  On 
May  1,  1837,  in  a  letter  to  his  mother,  he  writes : 

"  I  wish  you  would  make  for  me,  as  soon  as  convenient, 
a  black  broadcloth  cMut  loith  skirts,  and  covered  buttons,  and 
as  I  wish  it  for  a  dress-coat  the  cloth  must  be  very  fine  and 
made  extremely  nice.     You  cannot  be  too  particular  about  it." 

In  his  letter  written  from  New  York  on  July  15, 
1837,  he  says  : 

"David  arrived  on  Monday,  July  lOtli,  in  the  packet  ship 
Oxford,  from  Liverpool.  He  had  a  passage  of  thirty-seven 
days.  He  is  in  very  good  health.  The  Ladies'  Greek  Asso- 
ciation of  Stockbridge  held  their  fair  the  4th  of  July  on 
Little  Hill,  and  raised  one  hundred  and  twenty-seven  dollars 
($127).     Well  done  for  old  Stockbridge." 

The  Mercantile  Library  in  Clinton  Hall,  at  the 
southwest  corner  of  ISiassau  and  Beekman  streets, 
proved  an  attractive  place  to  him,  and  whenever  it 


22  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

was  possible  he  went  there  in  the  evening  to  read ; 
and  he  also  joined  an  "  Eclectic  Fraternity,"  to 
which  Mr.  Jackson  S.  Schultz  belonged.  The 
Fraternity  met  for  debate  every  Saturday  evening 
in  a  fourth-story  room   over  a  leather  store  in  the 

Swamj). 

Mr.  Stewart's  rules  were  strict.  One  of  them 
was  that  every  clerk  must  enter  in  a  book  the 
minute  that  he  came  in  the  morning,  left  for  din- 
ner, returned  from  dinner,  went  to  supper  and 
came  back ;  and  if  he  was  late  in  the  morning,  at 
dinner  over  an  hour,  or  required  more  than  three- 
quarters  of  an  hour  for  supper,  he  must  pay  twenty- 
five  cents  for  each  offence.  The  fines  thus  col- 
lected, Mr.  Stewart  told  his  clerks,  would  be  kept 
and  given  to  any  charity  that  they  should  select. 
This  went  on  until  September  30,  1837,  and  then 
this  paper  was  drawn  up  : 

"New  York,  September  30,  1837. 

"  We,  the  undersigned,  hereby  nominate  and  appoint  Cyrus 
W.  Field  treasurer  to  receive  the  fines  of  the  young  men 
paid  during  the  month  of  September  to  Messrs.  A.  T. 
Stewart  &  Co. : 

Edwakd  K.  Shed,  Geo.  Haywood, 

J.  R.  McElroy,  D.  R.  Park, 

James  Shond,  M.  Goodrich, 

H.  T.  Selden.  John  Wm.  Byron, 

Charles  St.  John,  A.  Matthew, 

Webster  Thompson,  T.  Jones, 

C.  Zabriskie,  Jr.,  S.  H.  Maynard, 

Jxo.  K.  Walker,  C.  Austin, 

E.  B.  Williams,  Paul  Burdock, 

Henry  Rutgers  Prall,  P.  Fellows, 

Thomas  H.  Selby,  Edmund  S.  Mills, 

James  Beck,  James  Macfarlan, 

J.  B.  Smith,  A.  Sahtler, 
R.  AVhyte." 


EARLY   LIFE   IX   NEW   YORK  23 

The  clerks  were  paid  at  the  beginning  of  each 
month,  and  on  the  1st  of  October  the  paper  was 
presented,  and  the  cashier  was  asked  for  the  money, 
which  he  declined  to  give.  An  appeal  was  taken 
to  Mr.  Stewart,  who  ordered  it  to  be  given  to  the 
3'oung  men. 

'•I  took  the  funds,  and  all  of  the  clerks  left  the 
store  that  night  in  a  body  and  proceeded  up  Broad- 
way to  the  corner  of  Chambers  Street.  We  then 
agreed  to  go  into  a  large,  well-known  oyster-saloon 
in  the  basement.  The  clerks  at  once  voted  unani- 
mously that  we  should  have  an  oyster  supper,  and 
that  the  treasurer  should  pay  from  this  fund  the 
expense  of  the  supper,  which  was  done.  Then 
there  was  a  long  debate  as  to  what  charity  the  bal- 
ance should  be  given  to.  At  last  it  was  unani- 
mously resolved  that  there  was  no  such  charity  in 
the  city  or  State  of  Xew  York  as  the  clerks  of  A. 
T.  Stewart  &  Co.,  and  that  Mr.  Field,  the  treas- 
urer, should  return  to  each  clerk  the  exact  amount 
of  his  fines,  less  his  proportion  of  the  supper.  This 
occupied  until  nearly  or  quite  daylight. 

"Some  one  of  the  clerks  or  waiters  told  Mr. 
Stewart  of  what  had  occurred,  and  we  were  all  re- 
quested to  remain  at  the  store  the  next  evening  af- 
ter business  hours,  when  Mr.  Stewart  called  me  up 
and  asked  me  to  give  him  an  account  of  what  had 
been  done  with  the  funds  paid  to  me  the  previous 
evening.  I  told  him  the  exact  truth  in  regard  to 
the  matter,  when  he  dismissed  us,  saying  that  in 
the  future  he  should  be  very  careful  that  the  firm 
selected  the  object  of  charity  that  this  fund  was 
given  to."  ' 

At  a  dinner  at  the  Union  League  Club  on  Octo- 


24  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

ber  26,  1881,  Jackson  S.  Schultz,  the  beginning  of 
whose  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Field  has  just  been 
referred  to,  related  this  incident :  "Perhaps  I  can- 
not do  better  than  tell  3-ou  an  anecdote  that  was 
told  me  by  Mr.  Stewart  at  the  great  celebration 
which  we  had  at  the  Metroj)olitan  Hotel  after  the 
laying  of  the  Atlantic  cable.  He  said  to  me,  '  Per- 
haps you  don't  know  that  I  have  taught  Mr.  Field 
all  the  art  of  telegraphing  he  knows.'  'No,  I 
am  not  aware  of  that,  Mr.  Stewart.'  He  said, 
'It  is  quite  notorious  in  our  house.'  Mr.  Field 
was  for  a  long  time  a  clerk  in  that  establishment, 
and  Mr.  Stewart  said  Mr.  Field  was  in  the  habit  of 
watching  the  old  gentleman,  and  by  a  sort  of  tick, 
tick,  giving  notice  to  his  fellow-clerks  of  the  fact 
that  he  was  coming,  so  that  every  man  was  in  his 
place,  and  from  that  simple  idea  Mr.  Field  got  the 
idea  of  telegraphing,  Avhicli  had  made  his  fortune." 
The  first  intimation  we  find  of  his  having  de- 
cided to  leave  Mr.  Stewart  is  in  a  letter  to  his 
father,  written  on  January  8, 1838  : 

"I  expect  to  go  to  Lee  to  live  with  Matthew  on  the  1st  of 
March.  He  will  give  me  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars 
(§350)  the  first  year,  and  my  board  and  washing." 

And  again,  on  February  25th,  he  refers  to  the 
proposed  change  that  he  intends  making  ; 

"I  have  been  very  busy  for  the  last  five  or  six  weelis  in 
the  evening  attending  Mr.  Wheeler's  scliool  to  obtain  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  book-keeping  by  double  entry,  so  as 
to  be  able  to  keep  Matthew's  books  when  I  go  to  Lee.  .  . 
I  have  made  an'angements  with  ilatthew  so  that  I  shall  not 
commence  my  year  with  him  until  the  1st  of  April." 

He  arrived  in  Lee,  Mass.,  on  Friday  evening, 
March  30th. 


EARLY   LIFE   IX   NEW    YORK  25 

It  was  early  in  this  year  that  Mr.  Stewart,  hav- 
ing heard  that  Mr,  Field  intended  giving  np  his 
place  as  clerk  after  his  three  years'  apj^renticeship 
to  business,  sent  for  him  and  urged  him  to  agree 
to  remain  with  him  for  several  years,  and  made  him 
a  very  liberal  offer  if  he  would  do  so.  On  the  2d  of 
March  Mr.  Bunours,  one  of  Mr.  Stewart's  partners, 
sent  him  this  note  : 

"Dear  Field, — You  will  accept  the  accompanying  trifle  as 
a  token  of  esteem  and  sincere  friendship,  and  whatever  be 
your  future  pursuits,  to  know  that  they  are  successful  will 
be  a  source  of  much  gratification  to 

William  H.  Bunours. 

March  2,  '38." 

"  The  trifle  "  was  a  small  diamond  jiin  that  the 
recipient  of  it  wore  for  over  twenty-five  years.  Upon 
the  same  occasion  this  invitation  was  received  : 

"  The  undersigned,  anxious  to  show  their  respect  and  es- 
teem for  their  fellow-clerk,  Cyrus  W.  Field,  do  hereby  agree 
to  give  him  a  complimentary  supper  on  Friday  evening, 
March  3,  1838. 

Henry  Rutgers  Prall,  P.  V.  Mondon, 

James  Macfarlan,  Jno.  K.  Walker, 

Richard  McElroy,  Charles  B.  St.  John, 

John  Wm.  Byron,  James  Beck, 

Paul  Burdock,  W.  Thompson, 

R.  Whyte,  M.  Goodrich." 

A  letter  written  on  March  6,  1838,  by  his  brother 
David  to  his  parents  ends  with  these  words : 

"Cyrus  has,  as  you  will  see  from  his  letters,  etc.,  left 
Stewart's,  with  the  best  testimonials  of  esteem  from  all  his 
employers  and  associates.  He  is  a  noble  young  man — and  I 
am  proud  of  him." 

His  father  had  said  on  parting  from  him  in  1835  : 
"  Cyrus,  I  feel  sure  you  will  succeed,  for  your 


26  CYRUS    W.  FIELD 

pla3'mates  could  never  get  you  off  to  play  until  all 
the  work  for  which  you  were  resj)onsible  was  done." 

These  few  words  tell  us  briefly  how  the  following 
eighteen  months  were  passed: 

"  On  leaving  New  York  I  went  as  far  west  as  Mich- 
igan on  business  for  my  brother  Dudley.  I  went 
up  the  Hudson  in  a  boat  to  Alban}^,  from  thence 
tO;,  I  think^  Syracuse  in  the  cars,  thence  by  stage 
to  Buffalo,  from  Buffalo  by  steamer  to  Detroit, 
and  from  there  to  Ann  Arbor.  On  my  return 
East  I  went  to  Lee,  Mass.,  as  an  assistant  to  my 
brother,  Matthew  D.  Field.  He  was  a  large  paj)er 
manufacturer ;  he  often  sent  me  on  business  to 
Boston,  Philadelphia,  Washington,  and  New  York." 

From  this  account  of  Mr.  Field's  beginnings  in 
New  York  it  is  evident  that  his  subsequent  suc- 
cess was  not  a  matter  of  chance ;  the  foundations 
of  it  were  laid  in  the  character  which  commanded 
the  confidence  of  his  employer  and  of  his  associ- 
ates. This  will  be  shown  even  more  strikingly  in 
the  pages  that  are  to  follow.  His  own  narration  of 
his  early  experiences  has  an  additional  interest  in 
the  incidental  and  almost  unconscious  disclosure 
of  the  vast  difference  between  the  conditions  of  be- 
ginning a  business  career  in  Ncav  York  now  and 
sixty  years  ago.  It  seems  worth  while  to  secure  an 
authentic  memorial  of  a  life  that  already  seems  so 
remote  and  is  wellnigh  forgotten. 


CHAPTER  III 

MARRIAGE  AND  BUSINESS  LIFE 
*  (1840-1853) 

"In  the  spring  of  1840  I  went  into  business  for 
myself  in  Westfield,  Mass.,  as  a  manufacturer  of 
paper,  and  on  October  1st  of  that  year  I  was  invit- 
ed to  become  a  partner  in  the  firm  of  E.  Root  & 
Co.,  of  No.  85  Maiden  Lane,  New  York.  I  was 
not  yet  of  age  when  I  entered  as  a  junior  partner 
in  this  house;  the  business  of  the  firm  was  man- 
aged chiefly  by  my  senior  partner.  My  part  was  to 
attend  to  the  sales  and  manage  the  business,  prin- 
cipally away  from  New  York,  in  Philadelphia,  Bal- 
timore, Boston,  Washington,  and  other  places, 
making  contracts  and  attending  to  the  business 
generally.  On  November  30,  1840, 1  was  twenty- 
one,  and  two  days  afterwards  I  was  married  to  Mary 
Bryan  Stone,  of  Guilford,  Conn." 

Mrrf.  Field's  father,  Joseph  Stone,  died  of  yellow- 
fever  at  Savannah,  Ga.,  July  9,  1822.  He  left  a 
widow  and  three  little  children.  Mrs.  Stone  re- 
turned to  her  home  and  lived  with  her  parents,  and 
it  was  from  their  home  that  her  daughter  was  mar- 
ried. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fowler  had  been  married  in 
1776,  and  their  house  was  built  in  1784,  and  it 
was  on  account  of  their  age  and  to  avoid  all 
excitement  for   them  that   Mr.  and  Mrs.  Field's 


28  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

wedding  was  very  quiet.     The  invitations  were  in- 
formal. 

"New  York,  November  25,  1840. 

"My  dear  Parents, — I  have  only  time  to  write  a  few  lines, 
and  will  come  to  the  point  at  once. 

"  Tlie  writer  of  this  intends  to  be  joined  in  the  bands  of 
matrimony  to  Miss  Mary  B.  Stone  one  week  from  tliis  day, 
that  is,  on  next  Wednesday  morning,  December  2,  1840,  at 
10  o'clock  A.M.,  and  requests  the  pleasure  of  meeting  you 
both,  with  sister  Mary,  at  the  house  of  iMr.  A.  S.  Fowler  in 
Guilford,  at  the  above-mentioned  time.  David  and  Stephen 
will  be  there.  We  expect  father  will  perform  the  ceremony. 
I  shall  leave  here  Tuesday  in  the  New  Haven  steamboat,  and 
you  will  tiiid  me  Wednesday  morning  at  Bradley's  Hotel  in 
Guilford,  where  you  had  better  all  stop. 

"There  will  be  only  a  very  few  friends  at  the  wedding. 
Shall  leave  immediately  after  the  ceremony  is  over  for  New 
Haven,  and  from  there  come  to  this  city. 

"If  Henr}-  is  at  home  bring  him  with  you,  and  send  to 
Middletowu  for  Mary. 

"  With  much  love  to  all  at  home, 

"I  remain  your  affectionate  son, 

"Cyrus  W.  Field." 

A  cousin  writes:  "It  is  a  long  time  to  remember 
what  passed  fifty  years  ago.  It  was  a  lovely  morn- 
ing, the  2d  of  December,  1840.  Your  dear  father 
came  to  our  old  home  in  Guilford.  My  memory 
says  ten  o'clock  Avas  the  hour  for  the  ceremony,  and 
it  took  place  in  the  north  room,  now  the  parlor. 
Your  grandfather.  Dr.  Field,  was  the  clergyman. 
I  was  bridesmaid.  Your  dear  mother  and  I  wore 
dresses  made  alike  of  gray  cashmere.  Lunches 
were  an  unheard  of  arrangement  in  those  days ;  the 
refreshment  was  three  kinds  of  cake  and  wine.  Then 
we  drove  to  New  Haven ;  your  uncle,  Josepli  Stone, 
lived  there.  I  went  to  visit  some  cousins;  your 
parents  went  to  a  hotel,  and  came  and  spent  the 
evening  'rith  us." 


MARRIAGE   AND  BUSINESS   LIFE  29 

Mr.  Justice  Field  of  the  United  States  Supreme 
Court  was  groomsman  for  his  brother.  Fifty  years 
after  this  same  group  stood  once  more  together  at 
the  Golden  Wedding  on  December  2,  1890.  The 
married  life  thus  begun  was  singularly  happy.  It 
is  impossible  for  the  children  of  this  marriage  to 
recall  a  word  of  unkindness  as  having  been  spoken 
by  either  father  or  mother.  Their  little  son's  death 
in  185-4  drew  them  closer  to  one  another.  He  writes 
that  during  his  business  troubles  his  wife  was  per- 
fectly calm,  and  that  she  looked  upon  the  loss  of 
money  as  but  slight  in  comparison  to  the  happiness 
that  had  been  left  to  her. 

On  December  3d  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Field  left  New 
Haven  and  came  to  New  York  by  boat;  immedi- 
ately on  their  arrival  they  drove  to  the  house  of 
Mrs.  Mason  in  Bond  Street,  and  it  was  there  that 
they  boarded  for  the  next  two  years. 

"In  six  months"  (that  is,  on  April  2,  1841)  "E. 
Root  &  Co.  failed,  with  large  liabilities,  and  though 
I  was  not  the  j^rincipal  of  the  firm,  yet  on  me  fell 
the  loss  and  the  burden  of  paying  its  debts.  Such 
was  the  condition  in  which  I  started  in  life,  with- 
out capital  or  credit  or  business,  and  with  a  heavy 
load  of  debt  upon  me.  We  were  for  many  months 
afterwards  getting  the  affairs  settled.  I  dissolved  the 
fiirm  immediately  and  started  on  my  own  account. 
Some  of  the  creditors  came  to  see  me,  and  those  that 
did  not  come  I  went  to  see,  and  on  the  best  terms 
I  could  settled  and  compromised  and  got  released. 

"  My  office  at  this  time  was  in  Burling  Slip,  and  it 
was  in  1842  or  1843  that  the  partnership  of  Cyrus 
W.  Field  &  Co.  was  formed,  the  company  being  my 
brother-in-law,  Joseph  F.  Stone." 


30  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

With  characteristic  regularity  the  home  life  as 
well  as  the  business  life  went  on.  I  have  on  the 
table  before  me  two  account-books,  which  show  both 
how  methodical  were  the  young  merchant's  habits 
and  how  simple  was  his  life  at  the  outset  of  his  ca- 
reer. 

"No.  1,  Cyrus  W.  Field,  1840,  '41  and  '42,"  and 
"  No.  2,  Cyrus  W.  Field,  1843." 

The  following  are  extracts  from  No.  1  : 

"expenses  account 

1840  Dr. 

Dec.  2,  to  carriage  to  New  Haven $    7  00 

"    2,  to  50  newspapers 1  00 

"    2,  to  gate  fee 25 

"    3,  to  expenses  at  the  Pavillion 9  50 

' '    4,  to  porter 25 

"    4,  to  New  Haven  to  New  York 4  00 

"    4,  to  newspapers 12 

"    4,  to  hack 100 

"    4,  to  cartage 44 

1841 

Jan.  15,  to  bill  for  board  for  2  months 120  00 

"     29,  to  bill  for  vaccination 1  00 

"     31,  to  figs  and  crackers ,  17 

"    31,  to  oy.sters  and  laudanum 22 

Feb.  7,  to  doctor's  bill — one  visit 1  00 

"    18,  to  one  box  of  pencil-leads 5 

May  25,  to  one  umbrella 1  00 

"    28,  to  repairing  silk  hat 88 

Sept.  8,  to  letter  from  Mrs.  Field 13 

Oct.  20,  to  paid  Dr.  Catlin  in  Haddam  ...  5  00 

Nov.  13,  to  ]Mrs.  Nolan's  bill 27  50 

"     15,  to  one  willow  cradle. 2  00 

Dec.  1 .$1,467  12 

"The  above  are  oiu-  expenses  for  one  year,  from  Decem- 
ber 2, 1840,  to  December  2, 1841. 

"  Ctkus  W.  Field." 

From  this  time  until  1842  the  accounts  were  kept 


MARRIAGE   AND   BUSINESS   LIFE  31 

with  the  same  exactness;  some  of  the  items  for  this 
latter  year  are : 

"1842 
June  13,  to  cutting  coat,  vest,  2  pair  pants       $  1  75 
"     15,  to  soap,  8  cents ;  pepper,  5  cents ; 

tobacco  and  linen 33 

July  4,  to  Niblo's  Garden,  M.  E.  F.,  M.  S., 

and  C.  W.  F 1  50 

"    6,  to  Dr.  Paine,  $1 ;  pill,  6  cents 106 

Aug.  7,  to  letter  to  and   one   from   Mrs. 

Field 25 

Oct.  1,  to  W.  H.  Popham,  7  tons  coal 37  75 

Nov.  18,  to  shoestrings,  5  cents;  tacks,  19 

cents 24 

' '      22,  to  Tribune,  2  weeks 18 

Dec.  1 $1,482  79 

"  The  above  were  our  expenses  for  one  year,  December  2, 
1841,  to  December  2, 1842. 

"Cyrus  W.  Field." 

And  on  December  1, 1843,  at  the  end  of  the  book 
we  read : 

"  1848 $1,654  91 

Less 

Dec.  1,   boarding   from   October  8, 

1842,    to    date,    59f    weeks    @ 

$3 $179  57 

"     1,  cash  over  to  date* 6  30      185  87 

$1,469  04 

"  *  This  amount  is  for  sundries  sold,  and  entered  the  past  year  in  our  ex- 
penses, and  for  which  I  refund  back  the  money. 

"  The  above  are  our  expenses  for  one  year,  from  Decem- 
ber 2,  1842,  to  December  2,  1843. 

"Cyrus  W.  Field." 

In  1842  he  rented  a  house  in  East  Seventeenth 
Street,  No.  87,  and  his  brother  Dudley  questioned 


32  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

the  wisdom  of  his  living  so  far  np-town,  and  said 
that  he  must  not  look  for  frequent  visits  from 
him,  that  he  could  only  go  to  him  on  Sunday.  He 
lived  in  this  house  for  ten  years,  and  in  the  inter- 
val his  brother  Dudley  moved  to  one  immediately 
in  the  rear,  and  Mrs.  Robert  Sedgwick  and  Mrs. 
Caroline  Kirkland  were  near  neighbors  and  dear 
friends. 

For  many  years  Mr.  Field  took  his  breakfast  by 
lamplight,  and  his  dinner  and  supper  down-town. 
His  children  saw  him  only  on  Sunday.  At  this 
time,  he  wrote  long  afterwards,  "I  was  an  ardent 
admirer  of  Henry  Clay,  and  in  politics  a  Whig," 
and  accordingly  he  took  a  warm  interest  in  the 
election  of  1844. 

"^In  1844  I  was  not  worth  a  dollar.  What  money 
I  had  made  had  all  gone  to  pay  the  debts  of  the  old 
firm.  My  business  was  conducted  on  long  credit ; 
we  did  a  general  business  all  over  the  country.  I 
built  up  a  first-rate  credit  everywhere.  All  busi- 
ness intrusted  to  me  was  done  promptly  and  quick- 
ly. I  attended  to  every  detail  of  the  business,  and 
made  a  point  of  answering  every  letter  on  the  day 
it  was  received." 

Mr.  Schultz  said  of  him  at  the  dinner  already 
referred  to  : 

"  But.  sir,  I  do  recall  the  early  days  of  Mr.  Field.  I  remem- 
ber him  when  he  was  first  a  clerk  and  tlien  a  merchant.  .  .  . 
He  had  peculiarities  then  as  he  has  always  had.  One  I  re- 
collect was,  he  had  over  his  desk  '  Are  you  insured ."'  For  no 
one  that  was  not  insured  could  get  credit  of  him.  He  could 
not  afford,  he  said,  to  insure  himself  and  others  too.  Thus  in 
all  his  transactions  he  had  ideas  and  principles  to  carry  out, 
but  always  good  principles  and  ideas.  I  well  remember 
when  he  came  into  the  Mercantile  Library  Association ;  he 


MARRIAGE   AND   BUSINESS  LIFE  33 

Lad  his  own  ideas,  which  did  a  great  deal  to  add  to  the  dig- 
nity and  usefulness  of  that  institution.  In  all  his  early  life 
he  was  what  he  has  been  since — useful,  practical." 


It  seems  odd  now  to  be  reminded  by  the  sight  of 
old  letters  that  at  this  time  envelopes  were  not  in 
use.  The  sheets  of  paper  were  large,  of  letter  size  ; 
three  sides  were  closely  written  on,  and  then  it  was 
folded  into  nine,  and  it  was  not  permitted  to  enclose 
even  a  slip  of  paper  in  this  sheet ;  the  postage  was 
usually  thirteen  cents.  The  currency  was  puzzling  ; 
there  was  the  short  or  ''York"  shilling  of  eight  to 
the  dollar  (that  is,  twelve  and  a  half  cents),  and  the 
New  England  or  long  shilling  of  six  to  the  dollar 
(sixteen  and  two-thirds  cents).  So  rooted  was  each 
kind  of  currency  in  its  own  section  as  often  to  cause 
travellers  annoyance  and  confusion. 

The  first  and  part  of  the  second  page  of  the  New 
York  Tribune  for  August  26,  1844,  is  most  interest- 
ing. There  is  given  an  account  of  "  The  Berkshire 
Jubilee,"  held  at  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  on  August  22d 
and  23d.  The  paper  mentions  among  those  pres- 
ent. Dr.  Orville  Dewey,  of  New  York,  William  Cullen 
Bryant,  Miss  Catherine  Sedgwick,  Dr.  Mark  Hop- 
kins, Mr.  Macready,  the  actor.  Dr.  Oliver  Wendell 
Holmes,  Mrs.  Fanny  Kemble,  Dr.  D.  D.  Field,  and 
David  Dudley  Field.  This  ''Jubilee"  lasted  for 
two  days.  There  were  forty-four  vice-presidents 
appointed,  and  forty-four  tables  were  laid  to  accom- 
modate the  three  thousand  people  who  dined  to- 
gether. On  the  first  day,  at  two  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon. Dr.  Hopkins  jDreached  a  sermon  on  Jubilee 
Hill,  west  of  the  village,  and  Dr.  D.  D.  Field  "  of- 
fered up  an  eloquent  prayer." 


34  CYKUS   W.  FIELD 

After  dinner  on  the  2od  there  were  si)eeches  and 
singing. 

"A  yonng  lady,  as  amiable  as  she  is  beautiful, 
and  as  intelligent  as  she  is  both  amiable  and  beau- 
tiful, gave  the  following  sentiment  by  proxy  : 

"  'You  scarce  can  go  through  the  world  below 
But  you'll  tind  the  Berkshire  men, 
And  when  you  rove  the  world  above 
You'll  Ineet  them  there  again.' 

"At  the  close  of  Dr.  Ilolmes's  speech  he  read  the 
poem  that  appears  in  his  works  under  the  title  of 
'Lines  recited  at  the  Berkshire  Festival.' begin- 
ning : 

"  '  Come  back  to  your  mother,  ye  children,  for  shame, 
Who  have  wandered  like  truauts  for  riches  or  fame  ; 
With  a  smile  on  her  face  and  a  sprig  on  her  cap 
She  calls  you  to  feast  from  her  bountiful  lap.'" 

And  it  appears  from  the  report  that  "the  recita- 
tion of  this  poem  was  the  most  popular  exercise  of 
the  day." 

We  have  a  book  of  French  exercises  with  page 
after  page  written  by  Mr.  Field.  They  begin  with 
"Avez  vous  le  pain?"  and  the  last  sentence  is, 
"  Votre  ami  a-t-il  le  miroir  que  vous  avez  ou  celui 
que  j'ai  ?  II  n'a  ni  celui  que  vous  avez  ni  celui  que 
j'ai,  mais  il  a  le  sien."  He  never  spoke  French,  but 
one  can  fancy  that  these  exercises  were  written  be- 
fore he  went  to  Europe,  in  April,  1849,  and  in  prep- 
aration for  the  exigencies  of  intercourse  Math  the 
natives  that  might  arise. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Field  sailed  for  England  in  a  packet- 
ship  commanded  by  Captain  Hovey.  They  were 
eighteen  days  in  crossing,  and  landed  at  Plymouth, 


MARRIAGE   AND   BUSINESS   LIFE  35 

and  posted  through  Cornwall.  This  journey  was 
taken  by  the  advice  of  his  physician.  The  excite- 
ment and  work  of  the  past  fourteen  years  had  told 
very  decidedly  upon  him,  and  perfect  rest  Avas  im- 
perative. Their  four  little  girls  were  left  under  the 
care  of  an  aunt  in  Xew  Haven,  Conn.,  and  on  arriv- 
ing in  England  the  jjarents'  first  thought  was  of 
their  children  ;  and  great  was  the  joy  with  which 
these  hailed  the  advent  of  a  box  of  toys,  and  in  it 
was  a  blue -and -white  tea-set  which  gave  unusual 
happiness.  Here  is  one  of  the  messages  that  came 
back  across  the  sea  : 

"  Precious  Little  Isabella, — "What  are  5'ou  about  just  now  ? 
Can  mother  guess  ? 

"Well,  Belle  is  singing  her  Grcrman  song. 

' '  No.  Does  Belle  say  no  ?  She  is  rocking  her  doll  to  sleep, 
and  she  is  making  a  nice  dress  for  dolly. 

"  I  have  put  up  a  little  bundle  of  pieces  for  Grace,  Alice, 
and  Isabelle,  and  now  you  can  make  a  great  many  dresses. 
Mother  wishes  much  to  see  her  little  Belle  and  Fanny,  and  to 
give  them  a  good  number  of  kisses.  Mother  always  wished 
to  kiss  all  her  little  girls  before  she  went  to  bed,  but  now  she 
cannot  reach  them. 

"  Will  Belle  kiss  her  sister  for  her  mother  and  will  she  kiss 
her  cousins,  too  ? 

"  Mamma  hopes  Belle  will  always  mind  her  aunt.  Miss 
Oppenheim,  her  cousins,  and  Anne. 

•'Anne  loves  Belle  and  is  verj^  kind  to  her  and  does  all  for 
little  Belle  that  she  can. 

"Now,  dear  little  Belle,  good-bj^e,  and  do  not  forget 

"Mamma. 

"Mother  sends  Belle  her  bird  in  the  cage." 

Some  of  the  reminiscences  of  this  journey  come 
back  quite  distinctly.  One  of  them  was  the  indigna- 
tion of  an  Irishman  at  being  asked  the  name  of  the 
river  they  were  passing,  which,  unluckily  for  the 
questioner,  haj)pened  to  be  the  Boyne.    Another  was 


S6  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

of  a  service  at  a  kirk  in  Scotland,  during  which  an 
old  lady  said  to  Mrs.  Field,  "  Remember  that  you 
are  in  the  house  of  Grod."  Her  offence  was  that  she 
had  offered  to  share  her  book  of  psalms  with  her 
husband.  Indeed  it  must  have  seemed  impossible 
for  those  who  did  not  know  to  believe  that  they 
were  husband  and  wife  and  that  they  had  been 
married  nine  years,  for  both  looked  very  young  at 
this  time. 

They  travelled  rapidly  during  the  following  five 
months.  They  visited  Manchester,  York,  Edin- 
burgh, Glasgow,  Belfast,  Dublin,  and  London,  Paris, 
Geneva,  and  from  there  to  Milan  over  the  Simjjlon, 
to  Leghorn,  Florence,  Rome,  Naples,  Venice,  Vi- 
enna, Dresden,  Berlin,  from  Frankfort  down  the 
Rhine  to  Cologne,  to  Brussels,  back  to  England  and 
Liverpool,  and  from  there  by  the  steamship  Europa 
to  Boston,  and  to  their  home  in  Xew  York  in  Sep- 
tember. 

They  had  been  interested  sjiectators  of  the  events 
succeeding  the  great  uprising  of  the  people  in 
France,  Germany,  and  Italy,  and  of  their  failure  to 
free  themselves  and  obtain  self-government. 

Mr.  George  Bancroft  was  a  fellow-passenger  on 
the  voyage  home.  He  had  made  an  engagement 
to  dine  in  Boston  on  a  certain  day.  and  while  at  sea 
was  troubled  lest  he  should  not  arrive  in  time  ;  but 
as  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Field  drove  to  the  train  they  passed 
Mr.  Bancroft  on  his  way  to  dinner,  and  he  waved 
his  hand  to  them.  On  his  return  to  New  York, 
Mr.  Field  amused  his  friends  by  stating  the  charac- 
teristic fact  that  the  first  word  he  learned  of  each 
new  language,  as  he  crossed  from  one  country  to 
another,  was  '^  faster." 


MARRIAGE  AND   BUSINESS   LIFE  37 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Field  lived  simply.  The  summer 
outings  were  short,  sometimes  for  only  a  few  weeks 
were  they  and  their  children  away  from  the  city, 
but  their  children  look  back  with  pleasure  to  the 
drives  that  they  took,  during  the  long  summer  days, 
to  Hoboken  (the  Elysian  Fields),  to  Astoria,  to 
Coney  Island,  all  very  different  places  from  those 
of  the  present  time.  And  the  family  cow  was  driven 
each  morning  to  pasture  on  land  that  is  now  known 
as  Madison  Square. 

January  24,  1850,  a  son  was  born.  Dr.  Field, 
supposing  that  he  was  to  be  named  Cyrus,  addressed 
the  following  letter,  superscribed  : 

"  ]Master  Cyrus  W.  Field,  Jr., 
"  Of  the  Fh-m  of  Cyrus  W.  Field  &  Co., 

":No.  11  Cliff  Street, 

"  New  York.'' 

"  HiGGANUM,  January  28,  1850. 
"Master  Cyrtts  W.  Field,  Jr. : 

"Dear  Grandson, — We  were  liappy  in  hearing  of  5'our  safe 
arrival  last  Thursday  morning,  and  hope  you  will  be  a  great 
honor  and  blessing  to  your  parents  and  to  your  delighted 
sisters.  Your  grandmother  sends  you  much  love,  and  saj'S 
she  hopes  you  will  make  as  good  a  man  as  j'our  father. 

"Give  our  love  to  your  parents,  to  Grace,  etc.,  etc.,  and 
by-and-by  come  up  and  see  whether  Higganum  pleases  you 
as  well  as  New  York.  The  Lord  bless  you  and  all  your 
friends.     Tell  them  that  we  are  well  and  happy. 

"  Your  affectionate  grandfather, 

"  David  D.  Field." 

And  Mrs.  Kirkland  sent  a  note  beginning : 

"A  boy  !   a  boy  ! 
I  wish  you  joy  !" 

She  also  wrote  :  "The  pleasantest  thing  I  have  to 
tell  you  is  that  Miss  Bremer  promises  me  a  visit. 


38  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

and  will  probably  be  here  in  two  or  three  weeks." 
The  visit  was  paid  and  gave  great  pleasure.  Mrs. 
Field  told  of  one  evening  passed  at  Mrs.  Kirkland's, 
when  the  Swedish  novelist  was  quite  unconscious 
that  from  her  cap  hung  a  paper  on  which  was 
written  2/6. 

The  autumn  of  1850  was  long  remembered  by 
parents  and  children.  Early  in  September  the 
two-seated  covered  wagon  and  buggy  were  filled  by 
the  entire  family,  who  left  New  York  for  a  drive 
of  four  weeks;  first  to  Guilford,  Conn.,  then  to 
Stockbridge,  returning  from  Hudson  to  New  York 
by  the  night  boat. 

It  was  Mr.  Field's  custom  to  give  an  annual  supper 
to  his  clerks.  That  which  took  place  in  December, 
1850,  was  signalized  by  the  proceedings  thus  officially 
recited : 

A  meeting  of  tiie  salesmen  in  the  employ  of  Messrs. 
Cyrus  W .  Field  &  Co.  was  held  December  20, 1850.  S.  Ahem 
was  appointed  to  preside.  After  the  objects  of  the  meeting 
were  made  known  by  the  chairman  in  a  few  brief  and  appro- 
priate remarks,  the  following  resolutions  were  unanimously 
adopted  : 

Resolved,  That  in  consideration  of  the  innumerable  acts  of 
kindness  manifested  towards  us  by  Cyrus  "W.  Field,  Esq.,  we 
deem  it  expedient  to  acknowledge  them,  not  alone  in  ex- 
pressions of  gratitude,  but  by  tangible  proof  of  our  appre- 
ciation of  tliem. 

Resohed,  That  a  committee  of  three  be  appointed  to  de- 
cide upon  an  appropriate  testimonial  of  our  esteem,  to  be 
presented  to  Cyrus  W.  Field  ;  and  that  Augustus  Waterman, 
John  Seaman,  and  James  Barry  be  appointed  .said  committee. 

Bcsohed,  That  Augustus  Waterman,  in  view  of  hib  long  ser- 
vices to  Cyrus  W.  Field,  be  deputed  in  behalf  of  himself  and 
fellow-salesmen  to  make  such  presentation  as  the  committee 
shall  decide  on. 

"  Eesolvei',  That  a  copy  of  the  foregoing  resolutions  accom- 


MARRIAGE   AND    BUSINESS   LIFE  39 

pany  the  presentation,  and  that  said  presentation  and  resolu- 
tions be  presented  on  the  occasion  of  the  annual  supper  given 
by  Cyrus  W.  Field  to  his  employes,  and  that  they  be  ac- 
cepted by  him  as  a  faint  token  of  our  esteem. 

Augustus  Waterman, 
James  Barry, 
SiMEOX  J.  Ahern, 
Andrew  Cahill, 
John  Cahill, 
John  Seaman  (per  A.W.). 

The  testimonial  took  the  form  of  a  silver  pitcher 
suitably  inscribed. 

Early  in  June,  1851,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Field  left  New 
York,  and  made  quite  an  extended  journey  over 
the  then  Southern,  Western,  and  Northern  States. 
First  to  Virginia,  where  they  had  the  pleasure  of 
staying  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hill  Carter  at  their  plan- 
tation, Shirley,  on  the  James  River ;  then  to  the 
Natural  Bridge,  and  it  Avas  while  there  that  Mr. 
Field  asked  Mr.  Church  to  make  a  sketch  for  a  pict- 
ure, and  suggested  that  it  would  be  wise  to  take  a 
small  piece  of  the  rock  back  to  New  York.  This 
Mr.  Church  did  not  think  necessary,  but  Mr.  Field 
was  so  intent  upon  having  the  color  exactly  rej^ro- 
duced  that  he  put  a  bit  in  his  pocket.  When  the 
oil-painting  was  sent  to  his  house  he  found  the 
piece,  and  there  had  been  no  mistake  made  in  the 
color.  From  Virginia  the  party  went  to  the  Mam- 
moth Cave  of  Kentucky.  It  was  in  the  course  of 
the  trip  either  up  or  down  the  Mississippi,  on  one 
of  the  famous  high-pressure  boats  of  those  days, 
that  the  stewardess  coolly  remarked,  when  some  of 
the  passengers  expressed  alarm  at  the  racing,  that 
it  made  no  difference  whether  or  not  the  boat  they 
were  on  happened  to  blow  up,  since  it  was  in  any 


40  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

case  her  last  trip.  In  the  ardor  of  the  race  the 
fires  were  fed  with  any  fuel  available :  even  the 
hams  that  formed  part  of  the  cargo  were  sacri- 
ficed. At  St.  Paul  they  heard  that  a  treaty  was  to 
be  made  with  the  Indians,  and  Mr.  Field  immedi- 
ately hired  a  boat  for  ^400  to  take  him  to  the  scene. 
As  many  others  were  anxious  to  go  he  allowed  the 
captain  to  sell  tickets  at  ^10  to  as  many  people  as 
the  boat  would  accommodate,  and  the  captain  made 
a  handsome  profit,  as  he  was  required  merely  to 
reimburse  Mr.  Field  for  his  outlay.  The  Indians 
were  frightened  at  the  advent  of  the  party  and  at 
the  noise  of  the  whistle,  and  the  treaty  had  to  come 
to  a  standstill  un+ll  the  boat  could  be  sent  out  of 
sight. 

Mr.  Field  was  again  at  St.  Paul  in  1884,  when  the 
changes  he  found  seemed  to  him  marvellous.  Mr. 
F.  E.  Church,  the  artist,  who  had  originally  been 
of  the  party,  but  had  left  it  before  the  arrival  at  St. 
Paul,  wrote  early  in  August : 

"I  am  delighted  that  j'ou  were  able  to  he  at  the  Indian 
treaty,  which,  from  the  descriptiou  in  your  letter  and  the 
numerous  letters  published  in  the  daily  prints,  convinces  me 
that  the  occasion  must  have  been  one  of  extraordinary  in- 
terest. .  .  . 

"I  am  telling  marvellous  stories  here  of  our  adventures  to 
gaping  audiences,  and  exhibiting  my  blind  fishes  with  tre- 
mendous effect.  .  .  . 

"All  accounts  from  the  children  in  Stockbridge  bring  alarm- 
ing intelligence  ;  it  is  said  that  thej^  are  getting  fat,  and  noth- 
ing which  has  been  tried  has  succeeded  in  stopping  the  spread 
of  the  complaint.  I  recommend  a  month  on  a  Western  steam- 
boat in  hot  weather." 

One  of  the  party,  a  lady,  was  not  at  all  times  a 
pleasant  travelling  companion.  The  stage  drive, 
one  morning  in  Kentucky,  began  at  four,  and  by  six 


MARRIAGE   AND   BUSINESS   LIFE  41 

o'clock  the  sun  poured  clown  against  the  side  of  the 
coach  in  which  the  lady  was  seated.  As  the  heat 
increased,  in  the  same  degree  her  irritability  was 
manifested.  At  last  she  asked  a  Southern  gentle- 
men who  was  by  her  to  let  down  the  curtain.  His 
answer  was  :  ''With  pleasure,  madam,  if  you  won't 
look  so  damned  sight  cross."  This  proved  to  be  the 
remedy  required  ;  from  that  time  she  was  good- 
natured. 

From  a  letter  written  to  a  New  York  paper  this 
is  copied  : 

"Niagara  Falls,  Angiist  11, 1851. 

"  Among  the  recent  arrivals  at  the  CHfton  House  are  Mile. 
Jenny  Lind  and  Cyrus  W.  Field  and  familJ^  .  .  . 

"Jenny  Lind  arrived  yesterday  from  New  York  by  way 
of  Oswego.  She  keeps  strictly  private,  and  has  her  meals 
served  in  her  own  room.  Last  evening  she  was  amusing  her- 
self by  singing,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Scharfenberg,  in  her 
own  rooms,  with  closed  doors.  Soon  a  crowd  of  a  hundred 
had  gathered  round  her  door,  without  a  whisper  being  heard. 
She  sang  for  about  half  an  hour,  when,  suddenly  opening  her 
door,  she  stepped  in  the  hall  for  a  candle,  and  then  you 
would  have  laughed  outright  to  see  the  people  scamper,  she 
looking  so  indignant." 

When  Mr.  Field  built  the  house  on  Gramercy 
Park,  which  was  at  first  numbered  84  East  Twenty- 
first  Street,  that  and  the  one  next  to  it  were  the 
only  ones  between  Lexington  and  Third  avenues, 
and  the  east  side  of  Gramercy  Park  was  a  large  va- 
cant lot.  This  house  was  afterwards  known  as  123 
East  Twenty-first  Street,  and  there  forty  happy 
years  were  passed. 


CHAPTER  IV 

OUT   OF  DEBT— A  VOYAGE  TO   SOUTH  AMERICA 

(1853) 

Although  upon  the  failure  for  which  he  was 
not  responsible  of  the  firm  of  which  he  was  a 
member  Mr.  Field  had  effected  a  compromise  with 
the  creditors  of  the  firm  which  had  procured  his 
release  from  all  legal  obligations,  and  which  satis- 
fied them  as  the  best  that  they  could  Iwpe  for,  it 
did  not  satisfy  him.  He  felt  that  in  reality  he  was 
still  their  debtor,  and  one  of  the  chief  incentives  to 
his  intense  devotion  to  business  in  the  years  follow- 
ing his  fresh  start  was  the  hope  of  clearing  off  the 
debt,  so  that  no  man  should  have  lost  by  trusting 
him.  In  this  he  succeeded.  He  himself  says  in 
the  incomplete  autobiography  already  cited: 

''There  was  no  luck  about  my  success,  which  was 
remarkable.  It  Avas  not  due  to  the  control  or  use  of 
large  capital,  to  the  help  of  friends,  to  speculations  or ' 
to  fortunate  turns  of  events,  it  was  by  constant  la- 
bor and  with  the  ambition  to  be  a  successful  mer- 
chant ;  and  I  was  rewarded  by  seeing  a  steady,  even 
growth  of  business.  I  had  prospered  so  that  on  the 
1st  of  January,  1853,  I  was  worth  over  |:<;50,000.  I 
then  turned  to  my  books  for  a  list  of  the  old  claims 
which  I  had  settled  by  compromising  ten  years  be- 
fore, found  the  amount  which  my  generous  cred- 


OUT  OF  DEBT— A  VOYAGE  TO  SOUTH  AMERICA    43 

itors  had  deducted  from  their  claims,  added  to  each 
one  interest  for  that  time,  and  sent  to  every  man 
a  check  for  the  whole  amount  principal  and  with 
seven  per  cent,  interest,  a  sum  amounting  in  all  to 
many  thousands  of  dollars.'"' 

The  letters  that  follow  tell  their  own  story  and 
how  the  money  was  received.  Two  of  them  indi- 
cate that  he  made  use  of  his  prosperity  to  release 
his  own  debtors  at  the  same  time  that  he  was  pay- 
ing in  full  his  creditors: 

"Hartford,  Conn.,  2d  March,  1853. 
"Cyrus  W.  Field,  Esq.,  New  York  : 

"Dear  Sir, — Your  favor  of  yesterday's  date  was  dulj'  re- 
ceived, and  we  would  uow  acknowledge  the  same,  and  with  no 
ordinary  feeling  of  satisfaction,  for  in  these  degenerate  days 
it  is  in  trutli  a  rare  occurrence  to  find  men  who  like  yourself 
— as  is  evidenced  by  this  act — are  honest  from  principle,  and 
who  never  consider  themselves  morally  quit  of  a  ju^^t  debt, 
even  though  legally  released,  until  the  debt  is  paid  in  full. 
We  would  now  express  to  you  our  thanks  for  tlie  sum  en- 
closed, not  so  much  for  the  value  thereof  in  currency  as  for 
the  proof  it  affords  that  '  honesty  still  dwells  among  men.' 
With  our  best  wishes  for  your  continued  prosperity'  and  an 
assurance  of  our  high  regard, 

"  We  are  truly  your  friends, 

"  Woodruff  &  Co., 

"B}^  Sam.  Woodruff." 

"Lowell,  MardiZ,  1853. 
"  C.  W.  Field,  Esq.  : 

"Dear  Sir, — Yours  of  the  1st  inst.  was  duly  received,  with 
check  enclosed  for  -*114  41,  for  which  please  accept  my  grate- 
ful acknowledgments. 

"I  congratulate  you  upon  the  success  of  your  business 
pursuits,  which  has  enabled  you  thus  honorably  to  liquidate 
your  by-gone  pecuniary  ol)ligations,  and  I  hope  your  life  and 
health  may  be  long  contin\ied  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  well- 
earned  fruits  of  your  persevering  enterprise. 

"It  will  always  give  me  great  pleasure  to  see  you  at  my 


44  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

house  in  Lowell,  and  I  hope  to  fiud  opportunity  during  the 
coming  season  to  visit  the  Empire  City  and  the  World's  Fair 
and  to  avail  myself  of  that  occasion  to  call  upon  you. 
"With  much  regard,  I  remain 
"Yours  truly, 

"  John  Wright." 


"PiTTSFiELD,  March  3,  1853. 

"My  dear  Friend,— The  many  and  various  exhibitions  of 
kindness  and  good-feeling  from  you  heretofore  have  placed 
me  under  very  great  obligations. 

"Language  fails  me  to  express  my  feelings  on  the  receipt 
of  your  letter  of  the  1st,  and  this  morning  ^vith  your  check 
for  $317  20  for  a  chum  amicably  and  satisfactorily  adjusted 
about  ten  years  since,  and  for  whicli  I  have  no  legal  or  moral 
claim  on  you,  nor,  indeed,  had  it  entered  my  mind  for  several 
years. 

"This  act,  entirely  voluntary  on  your  part,  exhibits  moral 
honesty,  that  all  fair  men  approve,  but  few  make  known  by 
their  acts.  I  value  it  the  more  because  it  exhibits  in  my 
friend  a  conscience  alive  to  right.  You  have  made  this  pres- 
ent (for  I  have  no  claim)  not  because  you  considered  I  need- 
ed it,  but  because  the  ability  that  did  not  exist  in  1843  does 
exist' in  1853,  and  the  act  itself  would  be  carrying  out  the 
principles  of  the  Golden  Rule.  Please  accept  my  warmest 
thanks  for  this  token  of  love  and  friendship.  May  peace, 
prosperity,  and  happiness  attend  you  all  your  days. 
"  I  am  truly  your  friend, 

"Walter  Laflin. 

"To  Ctrus  W.  Field,  Esq.,  New  York." 


"  Springfield,  Mass.,  March  5,  1858. 
"  Cyrus  W.  Field,  Esq.,  New  York  City  : 

"  Dear  Sir,— AWow  me  hereby  to  acknowledge  the  receipt 
of  yours  of  March  1st  with  its  contents. 

"  We  are  perfectly  conscious  that  in  a  legal  point  of  view 
we  had  no  claim  upon  you  for  this  very  unexpected  docu- 
ment, but  to  your  personal  high  sense  of  honor  we  are  in- 
debted for  it,  and  for  this  act  of  honesty  and  fairness  you 
have  our  very  grateful  acknowledgments. 


OUT  OF  DEBT— A  VOYAGE  TO  SOUTH  AMERICA    45 

"  With  the  best  wishes  for  your  future  prosperity  and 
good  health,  we  remain, 

"Dear  sir,  very  respectfully, 
"  Your  obedient  servants, 

"  Parker,  Douglass  &  Co. 

"Per  O.  O.  Parker." 

"P.  S. — I  shall  be  ia  your  city  soon  and  will  be  pleased 
to  call  upon  you. 

"S.  Parker. 

"PerO.  O.  Parker." 


"  HousATONic  Bank,  March  7,  1853. 
"Cyrus  W.  Field,  Esq.: 

"Bear  Sir, — At  the  request  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of 
the  Housatonic  Bank  I  enclose  resolutions  passed  by  them 
tliis  day. 

"Allow  me  to  add,  individually,  my  sincere  thanks  ;  and 
I  am  requested  to  ask  if  you  will  allow  us  to  make  mention 
of  it,  to  show  that  such  high  moral  principles  in  business 
have  much  to  do  with  a  man's  prosperity. 

"  With  great  respect  I  remain, 

"  Your  obedient  servant, 

"J.  D.  Adams,  Cashier." 

"At  a  meeting  of  the  directors  of  the  Housatonic  Bank, 
held  at  their  banking-house  on  the  7th  day  of  March,  1853, 
the  cashier  laid  before  the  board  a  letter  from  Cyrus  W.  Field, 
Esq.,  dated  1st  of  March  instant,  enclosing  a  clieck  on  the 
Union  Bank,  New  York,  for  seven  hundred  62-100  dollars, 
being  an  unpaid  balance  and  the  interest  in  full  on  a  note 
against  the  late  firm  of  E.  Root  &  Co.,  due  in  1841,  which 
note  had  long  since  been  given  up  to  Mr.  Field,  the  firm 
having  become  insolvent.    Whereupon  it  was  unanimously 

"Resolved,  That  the  conduct  of  Mr.  Field  in  voluntarily 
paying  a  debt  for  which  the  bank  had  no  claim  evinces  a  high 
degree  of  moral  integrity,  alike  honorable  to  him  as  a  mer- 
chant and  gentleman. 

"Resolved,  That  such  an  instance  of  high-minded  magnanim- 
ity should  be  held  up  as  an  example  worthy  of  the  more  com- 
mendation because  of  rare  occurrence. 

"  Resolved,  That  we  tender  to  Mr.  Field  our  congratulations 


46  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

in  view  of  bis  present  prosperity,  and  our  best  wishes  for  its 
continuance. 

"Voted,  That  the  foregoing  resolutions  be  entered  on  tlie 
records  of  the  board,  and  a  copj-  signed  b}'  the  president  and 
cashier  transmitted  to  Mr.  Field. 

"C.  M.  Owen,  President. 
"J.  D.  Adams,  Cashier." 


"  Lee  Bank,  March  1th,  1853. 
"CYRrs  W.  Field,  Esq.: 

"Dear  Sir,— Yomy  favor  of  1st  inst.  was  duly  received, 
with  draft  on  Union  Banli,  $1142  49. 

"I  have  been  delaying  acknowledging  receipt  of  same, 
hoping  to  get  our  directors  togetlier  and  lay  the  matter  before 
them,  that  I  might  communicate  to  j'ou  tlieir  feelings,  but 
have  not  as  yet  been  able  to  do  so  ;  shall  have  an  opportunity 
soon. 

"Our  stockholders  will  appreciate  j'our  generosity,  and 
permit  me  to  thank  you  in  their  behalf,  as  well  as  my  own, 
for  your  magnanimitj^  exercised  towards  us. 
"  I  remain 

"  Truly  J'ours, 

"L.  A.  Bliss." 


"Lek  Bank,  March  8t7i,  1853. 

"At  a  meeting  of  the  directors  of  the  Lee  Bank  held  at 
their  banking-house  this  day  the  following  resolutions  were 
unanimously  adopted: 

"  Whereas,  During  the  last  week,  a  draft  was  received  by 
the  cashier  of  this  bank  from  Cyrus  W.  Field,  Esq.,  of  New 
York,  amounting  to  eleven  hundred  forty  two  49-100  dollars, 
it  being  the  balance  with  principal  and  interest  due  upon  a 
draft  given  by  E.  Root  &  Co.  in  1841  of  fifteen  hundred 
dollars  ;  and 

"  WJiereas,  The  Lee  Bank  had  given  Mr.  Field  a  full  dis- 
charge of  the  above  debt  by  his  paying  the  sum  of  nine 
hundred  forty-two  7-100  dollars  in  the  j'car  1845  ;  therefore 

"Resolved,  That  the  full  payment  of  a  debt  by  the  junior 
partner,  having  been  contracted  in  the  commencement  of  his 
business  ^'fe  and  by  misfortunes  which  rendered  him  unable 


OUT  OF  DEBT— A  VOYAGE  TO  SOUTH  AMERICA    47 

to  pay  the  same,  is  a  mark  of  strict  honesty  and  integrity, 
and  is  worthy  of  all  commendation. 

"  Resolved,  That  the  foregoing  resolutions  be  entered  upon 
the  records  of  this  board,  and  a  copy  sent  to  Mr.  Field. 

"Leonard  Church,  President." 


"Hudson,  March  8th,  1853, 
"Cyrus  W.  Field,  Esq. : 

"'Sir, — Yours  of  7th  February  conveying  j'our  check  on 
the  Union  Bank  for  three  hundred  eleven  68-100  is  received. 
The  receipt  of  the  above  is  especially  gratifying  to  me  as  an 
evidence  tliat  there  are  some  honorable  exceptions  to  the  rule 
that  legal  obligations  are  the  only  ones  binding  on  the  com- 
munity. If  in  the  course  of  any  of  your  business  transactions 
I  can  be  of  any  service  to  you,  it  will  lie  a  sincere  gratification 
to  me  to  render  to  you  any  personal  favors  in  my  power. 
"  Truly  your  friend, 

"  Sam.  R.  Miller." 


"Westfield,  Mass.,  April  ith,  1853. 

"  31y  dear  Sir, — Y'ours  of  the  1st  inst.  was  received  this 
morning.  The  time  is  so  short  before  you  leave  the  country 
that  I  shall  not  probably  have  time  to  see  all  the  persons  to 
whom  your  letters  with  the  checks  were  enclosed.  There  is 
to  be  a  town  meeting  this  afternoon,  when  perhaps  I  may  see 
them  all.  I  understand,  however,  on  inquiry  at  the  post- 
office,  that  all  the  letters  have  been  received  and  duly 
distributed,  and  that  all  of  the  persons  interested  have  felt 
very  grateful  to  you  for  your  kindness  and  generositj%  and 
the  reason  why  they  have  not  answered  your  letters  and 
acknowledged  the  receipt  of  tlie  money  was  probably  that 
they  have  been  consulting  as  to  the  best  mode  of  acknowledg- 
ment, and, I  believe,  have  been  preparing  a  public  acknowledg- 
ment to  be  published  in  our  Westfleld  papers,  but  which  has 
not  as  yet  been  quite  matured. 

"I  think  you  may,  however,  leave  the  city  with  a  full 
assurance  that  your  good  intentions  in  regard  to  these  persons 
have  been  fully  accomplished  and  gratefully  received,  so  that 
in  various  ways  much  good  will  thereby  have  been  done. 
Captain  S.  S.  Amory  has  been  dead  about  two  years,  and  his 
only  son  is  now  in  California,  but  his  widow,  a  very  worthy 


48  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

woman  is  still  living,  and.  I  am  very  sure,  feels  deeply 
grateful  for  this  act  of  kindness,  whicli  ^vill  aid  her  very 
much  in  her  lonely  state. 

"  With  my  own  and  Mrs.  Fowler's  best  regards  to  your- 
self  and  wife,  and  many  wishes  for  your  safe  and  happy 

return  to  your  family,  _ 

"Truly  your  friend, 

"I.  S.  Fowler." 


"  Mill  River,  AiJril  17,  1853. 
"Mr.  Cyrus  W.  Field: 

'<j)ear  Sir —Your  kind  favor  of  March  1st  was  duly  re- 
ceived also  yours  of  the  1st  inst.  within  sixteen  days  from 
date  and  my  apology  for  not  answering  and  acknowledging 
your  first  with  the  enclosed  check  which  it  contained,  is  that 
I  supposed  Mr.  Brett  would  do  so,  or  had  done  so.  I  need 
not  tell  you  that  it  was  thankfully  received,  and  that  we  feel 
truly  grateful  to  you  for  the  favor,  and  also  feel  happy  that 
prosperitv  has  smiled  upon  you. 

"  Accept,  dear  sir,  my  best  wishes  for  your  prosperity  and 

welfare,  and  believe  me  ever 

"  Truly  yours  with  respect, 

' '  Edwin  Adams, 
"  One  of  the  firm  of  E.  C.  Brett." 


"So.  Hadley  Falls,  March  7fh,  1853. 
"  Cyrus  W.  Field,  Esq. : 

"  31u  dear  Sir,— I  have  received  your  very  kind  favor 
of  1st  inst  Your  offer  to  cancel  the  judgment  which  you 
hold  a-ainst  me  is  conferring  a  favor  which  it  is  out  of  my 
power  in  any  form  to  reciprocate.  Please  accept  my  sincere 
thanks  Your  untiring  energy  and  perseverance  have  been 
crowned  with  great  success.  You  have  an  ample  estate,  and 
no  one  deserves  it  more.  ^^      ,  ,   ,     tt  tmot 

"  In  reply  to  some  taunts  of  John  Randolph,  Henry  Claj 
said  his  only  patrimony  was  a  widowed  mother  with  mne 
children. 

"  Your  only  inheritance  was  a  load  of  debt,  cast  upon  you 
at  the  commencement  of  your  business  life,  which  was  not 
caused  by  lack  of  foresight  or  fault  on   your  part,     ^ou 


OUT  OF  DEBT— A  VOYAGE  TO  SOUTH  AMERICA     49 

bore  up  under  this  lieavy  burden  and  paid  it  as  not  one 
in  tliousands  could  or  would  liave  done,  and  bj'  this  veiy 
act  you  laid  broad  the  basis  of  your  subsequent  success. 
Should  I  ever  ngain  visit  your  city  nothing  there  will  afford 
me  so  much  pleasure  as  to  meet  your  cordial  greeting  and  to 
accept  your  kind  invitation. 

"May  your  efforts  be  crowned  with  all  the  good-fortune 
you  may  desire,  even  if  it  be  to  place  you  side  bj^  side  with 
the  biggest  of  the  big  merchant  princes  of  the  Empire  City, 
is  the  sincere  prayer  of 

"  Your  friend, 

"  Wells  Latitrof." 


"  Springfield,  Mass.,  March  8,  '53. 
"My  dear  Sir, — Your  very  kind  favor  of  the  7th  is  just 
received. 

"  I  enclose  a  satisfaction  or  discharge  of  the  judgment  you 
hold  vs.  H.  &  L.,  which,  when  you  have  dated  and  signed 
in  presence  of  a  witness,  will  become  perfect. 

"  If  the  pleasure  of  giving  is  greater  than  receiving  then 
you  are  far  more  happj'  than  President  Pierce  or  any  of  his 
Cabinet. 

"  Most  sincerely,  your  friend, 

"C.  Howard. 
"  C.  "W.  Field,  Esq.,  New  York." 


"  Springfield,  March  10,  '53. 

"My  dear  Sir, — Your  letter  of  the  9th  with  its  highly 
prized  contents  is  received.  I  have  no  words  to  express  my 
feelings  for  your  unsolicited  gift  and  your  kind  offer  to  serve 
me  in  any  way  in  your  power.  This  world  is  a  wheel,  and  I 
rejoice  that  the  spoke  j^ou  are  on  is  so  nearly  at  the  highest 
point,  though  mine  is  nearly  the  reverse.  I  hope  that  I  shall 
never  again  be  the  direct  or  indirect,  innocent  or  guilty  cause 
of  loss  to  you  ;  but  most  earnestly  hope  that  I  may  yet  have 
it  in  my  power  to  make  some  small  return. 

"There  is  no  lerjnl  claim  against  me  of  that  enormous 
amount  of  debt  in  which,  seven  years  since,  I  most  unex- 
pectedly found  myself  involved.  Nevertheless,  it  is  all  as 
justly  due  as  it  was  before  the  Commis.sioner  discharged  me, 
and  it  would  be  the  greatest  happiness  I  could  enjoy  in  this 

4 


50  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

world  to  pay  every  farthing.  But  of  this  I  have  no  hope. 
I  have  a  small  income  from  property  belonging  to  mj''  wife, 
which,  with  great  prudence  and  economy,  will  just  about 
pay  for  our  bread  and  salt,  and  I  can  hardly  expect  to  ever 
earn  another  dollar. 

"  Pray  pardon  this  long  yarn  of  myself  and  accept  the  en- 
closed one  thousand  dollars,  being  the  same  amount  which  I 
requested  our  friend,  Mr.  Ashburner,  to  offer  you  three  years 
ago,  though  he  did  not,  I  believe,  only  half  do  it.  Accept 
also  mj^  most  hearty  good  M'ishes  for  your  continued  health 
and  prosperity,  a  long  life  and  a  glorious  reward  hereafter, 
and  believe  me, 

"  Most  sincerely  your  friend, 

"  Charles  Howahd. 

"Cyrus  W.  Field,  Esq.,  Merchant,  New  York." 

"  I  now  wished,"  the  autobiography  goes  on,  "  to 
retire  from  business  altogether,  but  at  length  I 
yielded  to  the  solicitations  of  my  junior  partner  so 
far  as  to  agree  to  leave  my  name  at  the  head  of 
the  firm  and  to  leave  in  the  business  a  caj^ital  of 
8100,000.  But  this  was  done  with  the  express  un- 
derstanding that  I  was  not  to  be  required  to  de- 
vote any  time  to  it." 

His  lot  now  seemed  altogether  enviable.  He  had 
retrieved  the  losses  incurred  at  the  outset  of  his 
career ;  he  could 

"Look  the  whole  world  in  tlie  face. 
For  he  owed  not  any  man." 

Not  only  this,  but  he  was  a  rich  man,  as  riches 
were  counted  forty  years  ago.  At  all  events,  those 
who  were  dear  to  him  seemed  to  be  put  beyond  the 
reach  of  want.  His  home  life  was,  as  it  always  had 
been  and  always  was  to  be,  serene  and  untroubled. 
At  the  age  of  thirty-four,  with  his  energy  and  his 


OUT  OF  DEBT— A  VOYAGE  TO  SOUTH  AMERICA     51 

faculties  of  enjoyment  unimpaired^,  he  foiincl  him- 
self able  to  retire  from  business,  and  to  lead,  if  his 
nature  had  permitted  him  to  lead,  a  life  of  leisure. 
The  first  use  he  made  of  his  release  from  the  cares 
of  business  was  to  project  a  long  journey  with  his 
friend,  Frederick  Church,  the  distinguished  land- 
scape-painter. He  left  New  York  in  April,  1853,  for 
Central  and  South  America.  They  took  passage 
early  in  the  month  in  a  sailing-vessel. 

On  the  morning  of  the  sailing  he  had  said  good- 
bye to  his  family,  and  they  were  imagining  him  as 
already  far  down  the  bay,  when  a  sudden  ring  at 
the  door  was  so  like  the  one  he  was  accustomed  to 
give  that  one  of  his  children  exclaimed,  '*  There  is 
papal"  and  to  the  surprise  of  all  he  walked  into  the 
room.  The  vessel  had  been  detained  in  the  har- 
bor, and  he  could  not  remain  contentedly  on  board 
almost  in  sight  of  his  home,  and  so  he  came  back 
to  pass  a  few  hours. 

They  sailed  as  far  as  Savanilla,  Xew  Granada 
(now  Colombia),  at  the  mouth  of  the  Magdalena, 
and  from  there  up  that  river  for  six  hundred  miles. 
Disembarking  at  the  head  of  navigation,  they  passed 
four  months  in  mountain  travel  on  mule-back,  tra- 
versing the  table-lands  south  to  Bogota,  following 
the  Andes  to  Quito,  and  crossing  the  equator  and 
Chimborazo,  at  last  reaching  the  Pacific  at  Guaya- 
quil. From  Guayaquil  they  were  able  to  take 
steamers  to  Panama,  but  the  railroad  across  the 
isthmus  was  but  partly  built ;  for  the  rest  of  the 
crossing  they  had  again  to  resort  to  mules.  This 
would  be  a  difficult  and  toilsome  journey  even 
now,  and  it  was  far  more  so  forty  years  ago.  But 
it  had  memorable  results,  for  it  was  at  this  time 


52 


CYRUS   W.  FIELD 


that  Mr.  Church  made  the  sketches  for  some  of 
his  most  famous  tropical  landscapes.  Before  Mr. 
Field  left  Xew  York  he  had  drawn  the  accompany- 
ing maj)  and  this  paper,  from  which  it  will  he  seen 
that  he  made  most  careful  calculations  of  his  ex- 
penses: 


CYRUS  W.  FIELD  S  ESTIMATE  OF  EXPENSES  TO  SOUTH  AMERICA 
IN  1853. 


y  mule. 


Outfit 

New  York  to  Savanilla,  per  vessel. . 
Savanilla  to  Barranquilla,  per  horse 
Barranquilla  to  Honda,  per  steamer 

Honda  to  Bogota,  per  mule 

Bogota  to  Popayan, 

Popa^-an  to  Pasto, 

Pasto  to  Quito, 

Quito  to  jNIoimt  Cbiml)orazo, 

M.  C.  to  Volcano  of  Cotopaxi, 

Cotopaxi  to  Gnaj-aquil, 

Guayaquil  to  Lima,  per  steamer 

Lima  to  Valparaiso,  per  steamer 

Valparaiso  to  Santiago,  per  carriage 

Santiago  to  Valparaiso,  per  carriage 

Valparaiso  to  Panama,  per  steamer 

Panama  to  Aspinwall,  per  muL  ,  railroad, 

and  steamer 

Aspinwall  to  New  York,  per  steamer  .... 

Sundries,  say  for  180  days  @  ^2  00 

Extra  premium  on  life-insurance 

Sundries 

On  another  j^aper  was  written  : 

PLACES  OF   INTEREST  TO   VISIT. 


SloO  00 
60  00 
10  00 
90  00 
20  00 


200  00 


75  00 

110  00 

20  00 

20  00 

190  00 

30  00 

65  00 

360  00 

100  00 

100  00 

$1,600  00 


Emerald  mines  of  'SIut.o. 

Bogota 8,700  feet. 

Falls  of  Tequendama 574    " 

Bridges  of  Icononzo 320    " 

Lake  of  Buga. 
Gold  m^'ne. 


OUT  OF  DEBT— A  VOYAGE  TO  SOUTH  AMERICA     53 

Popayan. 
Pasto. 

Quito 9.500  feet. 

Mount  Chimboiazo  (Kun) 21,400    " 

Volcano  of  Cotopaxi 18,900    " 

Guayaquil. 

Lima. 

Putosi  silver  mines. 

Valparaiso. 

Santiago. 

Panama. 

Gold  mines. 

This  page  of  directions  was  given  to  his  family: 

All  letters  to  Cyras  "W.  Field  by  first  steamer  tia  Aspin- 
wall,  care  of 

1,  Messrs.  Hamburger  Battis, 

Barranquilla, 

New  Granada,  S.  A. 
April  6th  to  13tli. 

3.  Hon.  Yelvert  P.  King, 

Charge  d'Affaires  of  tlie  United  States, 
Bogota, 

New  Granada,  S.  A. 
April  13th  to  28th. 

3.  Charge  d'Affaires  of  the  United  States, 

Quito, 

Ecuador,  S.  A. 
April  28th  to  May  20th. 

4  United  States  Consul, 

Guayaquil, 

Ecuador,  S.  A. 
May  20th  to  28lh. 

5.  Messrs.  Alsop  &  Co., 

Lima, 

Peru,  S.  A. 
May  28th  to  June  20th. 


64  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

6.  Messrs.  Alsop  &  Co., 

Valparaiso, 
Chili,  S.  A. 
June  20th  to  July  5tli. 


7.  Messrs.  Garrison  &  Fritz, 

Panama, 

New  Granada,  S.  A. 
July  5th  to  August  13th. 


8.  A.  M.  Hunkley,  Esq., 

Agent  Messrs.  Adams  &  Co., 
Aspinwall,  Navy  Bay, 

New  Granada,  S.  A. 
August  13th  to  September  5tli. 


Tliese  two  sketches  ..'ere  made  by  Mr.  Church  and  sent  to 
Mrs.  Field ;  across  the  back  of  the  larger  one  is  written, 
"  Mr.  Field  and  Mr.  Church  in  the  procession." 

There  is  a  Spanish  proverb,  "  Never  leave  a  river 
before  you  or  your  baggage  behind."  One  evening 
Mr.  Field  and  Mr.  Church  forgot  this,  and  crossed, 
leaving  the  mules  with  their  packs  to  follow  in  the 
morning.  During  the  night  the  river  rose,  and 
three  weeks  passed  before  it  was  possible  to  bring 
over  the  baggage  train,  the  weary  travellers  mean- 
while ruefully  contemplating  from  day  to  day,  from 
the  opposite  bank,  their  inaccessible  possessions. 

In  an  Aspinwall  paper  of  October,  iSo3,  this  was 
printed  : 

' '  Among  the  passengers  arrived  yesterday  in  the  steam- 
ship Bofjota  from  Guaj'aquil  are  Messrs.  Cyrus  W.  Field  and 
F.  E.  Church,  of  New  York,  who  have  been  travelling  for 
the  last  six  months  in  South  America. 

"They  say  that  the  scenery  in  some  parts  of  the  Andes 
is  grand  and  beautiful  beyond  description  ;  and  that  words 


OUT  OF  DEBT— A  VOYAGE  TO  SOUTH  AMERICA     55 

cannot  express  the  kindness  and  hospitality  with  which  they 
have  been  treated  ;  that  gold  in  large  quantities  can  be  ob- 
tained in  Antioquia,  and  from  the  beds  of  many  of  the  small 
streams  that  run  down  the  Andes  into  the  Pacific  or  the  Ama- 
zon ;  and  that  the  soil  on  tlie  plains  of  Bogota  and  in  the 
valley  of  the  Cauca  is  ver}-  rich  ;  and  that  they  have  been 
so  much  pleased  with  their  journey  that  they  intend  soon  to 
return  to  the  laud  of  beautiful  flowers  and  birds,  and  to 
the  continent  for  which  the  Almighty  has  done  so  much  and 
man  so  little. 

"  The  following  are  some  of  the  places  of  interest  that  they 
have  visited :  Falls  of  Tequendama,  Natural  Bridge  of  Ico- 
nonzo  at  Pandi  ;  silver  mines  of  Santa  Ana  ;  emerald  mines 
of  Muzo  ;  volcanoes  of  Purace,  Pichincha,  and  Cotopaxi ; 
cities  of  Mompox,  Bogota,  Ibaque,  Cartago,  Buga,  Cali,  Po- 
pagan,  Pasto,  and  Quito. 

"  They  left  Quito  on  the  9th  of  September.  Stopped  two 
days  at  Cotopaxi,  four  at  Chimborazo,  and  eight  at  Guay- 
aquil, and  will  leave  in  the  next  steamer  for  the  United 
States." 

Of  the  sail  from  Aspiiiwall  to  Xew  York  it  was 
written  : 

"  The  voyage  was  pleasant,  but  every  day's  run  was  stud- 
ied with  nervous  anxiety  by  Mr.  Field.  He  had  hurried 
home  in  order  to  be  in  Stockbridge  on  October  31st,  the  day 
on  which  his  father  and  mother  were  to  celebrate  their  gold- 
en wedding;  the  steamer  was  delayed  by  stormy  weather,  and 
he  did  not  arrive  in  New  York  until  late  in  the  afternoon  of 
the  29th." 

Hi?  family  had  watched  almost  as  eagerly  for  his 
coming.  Not  only  were  they  anxious  to  see  him,  but 
their  going  to  Stockbridge  depended  upon  it,  and 
that  could  not  be  delayed  beyond  the  morning  of 
the  30th. 

Mr.  Field  brought  back  a  very  miscellaneous  as- 
sortment of  the  spoils  of  travel ;  among  them  were 
some  of  the  grass  cloaks  worn  in  South  America. 
He  often  amused  his  children  by  putting  on  these 


56  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

cloaks,  and  one  day  they  suggested  that  their  fa- 
ther should  show  himself  in  this  novel  costume  to 
his  sister,  then  living  in  the  old  home  in  Seven- 
teenth Street.  Without  thinking  of  the  effect  this 
might  produce  on  the  way,  he  at  once  left  his  house, 
and  had  gone  but  a  short  distance  when  he  found 
that  he  was  followed  by  a  number  of  persons  that 
soon  swelled  into  a  crowd  and  gave  chase,  until 
at  last  he  was  obliged  to  take  refuge  in  the  home 
of  a  friend. 

He  brought  back  also  a  live  jaguar,  siDCcimen  of 
a  South  American  tiger,  and  twenty -four  living 
parroquets.  The  most  interesting  of  all,  however, 
was  an  Indian  boy  of  fourteen,  whom  he  intended 
to  have  taught  in  the  United  States,  with  the  view 
of  ultimately  sending  him  back  to  his  native  land 
as  a  missionary.  The  idea  was  good,  but  to  carry  it 
out  was  quite  impossible.  Marcus  was  an  imp.  It 
was  with  almost  magical  rapidity  that  he  could 
plan  and  execute  mischief.  He  succeeded  in  break- 
ing the  collar-bone  of  the  cook  living  in  the  fam- 
ily of  Mr.  David  Dudley  Field,  and  his  delight 
was  to  lay  snares  in  dark  halls  and  passages,  and  if 
he  was  opposed  he  did  not  hesitate  to  seize  a  carv- 
ing-knife and  flourish  it  frantically  about.  A  civil- 
ized life  was  not  attractive  to  him ;  and  while  Mr. 
Field  was  in  England  in  1856,  his  relations,  who 
had  tried  in  vain  to  Christianize  the  boy,  decided 
to  return  him  to  his  father,  a  bull-fighter  in  South 
America. 

But  Mr.  Field's  special  desire  for  returning  home 
by  an  appointed  day  was  gratified.  On  October  31, 
1853,  all  the  descendants  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Field 
excepting  their  son  Stephen  and  one  grandson  met 


OUT  OF  DEBT— A  VOYAGE  TO  SOUTH  AMERICA     57 

in  Stockbridge.  Thirty-nine  of  the  family  dined 
together  in  the  old  home,  and  that  afternoon  all 
the  friends  and  neighbors  came  to  congratulate  the 
former  minister  and  his  wife.  The  house  had, 
the  year  before,  been  bought  by  their  sons  David 
Dudley  and  Cyrus,  and  had  been  put  in  perfect  or- 
der, and  the  younger  son  had  had  it  completely 
furnished  for  his  parents. 

In  writing  to  his  mother  on  October  31,  1835, 
Mr.  Field  said:  "Brother  Timothy  sailed  the  day 
that  I  got  back  from  Southwick ;  I  received  a  let- 
ter from  him  a  few  days  ago.  He  sent  his  love  to 
you,  father,  and  all  friends,  but  had  time  to  write 
only  a  few  words  as  they  passed  a  vessel.  He  says 
the  captain  is  a  pious  man,  and  that  they  have 
prayers  morning  and  evening."  Later  in  the  year 
came  the  news  that  Timothy  had  sailed  from  Xew 
Orleans  in  the  ship  Two  Brothers,  and  that  vessel 
was  never  heard  from.  For  many  years  the  family 
entertained  the  hope  that  he  would  return,  and  his 
brother  Cyrus  spent  "  hundreds  of  dollars  "  adver- 
tising in  ncAvspapers  and  offering  a  reward  for 
tidings  of  him.  About  1847  or  18-18  a  captain  re- 
ported that  he  had  had  a  shipmate  named  Field, 
whose  father  was  a  clergyman,  and  who  had  many 
brothers  who  were  not  sailors.  He  also  said  that 
his  shipmate  had  married  in  South  America,  and 
Avas  living  there  a  very  wealthy  planter.  He  gave 
these  particulars  to  relieve  the  anxiety  felt  by  the 
family,  and  refused  to  take  any  reward.  The  news 
caused  great  excitement  among  the  brothers,  and 
had  a  steamer  sailed  that  day  one  of  them  would 
probably  have  gone  in  her.  But,  failing  that,  they 
consulted  together  and  agreed  to  Avrite.     They  not 


58  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

only  sent  letters  to  their  brother,  but  to  the  officials 
of  the  place.  The  letters  were  returned,  and  the 
officials  made  answer  that  no  such  person  lived 
there.  It  was, -however,  with  the  same  end  in  view 
that  Avhen  rest  was  ordered  for  Mr.  Field,  South 
America  was  chosen  to  be  the  country  visited.  The 
search  was  a  fruitless  one,  and  no  tidings  were  ob- 
tained. His  mother  did  not  give  up  all  hope  of 
hearing  from  her  son  Timothy  until  she  was  told 
that  her  son  Cyrus  had  come  home  and  had  brought 
no  news  of  him. 

After  Mr.  Field's  return  to  New  York  in  Novem- 
ber, 1853,  he  tried  to  interest  himself  in  work  outside 
of  his  old  business,  and  for  one  week  succeeded  in 
staying  away  from  his  office  in  Cliff  Street. 

It  was  of  this  time  that  one  of  his  brother's 
wrote,  "  I  never  saw  Cyrus  so  uneasy  as  when  he 
was  trying  to  keep  still." 


CHAPTER  V 

THE  FIRST  CABLE 
(1853-1857) 

The  last  sentence  of  the  last  chapter  is  a  true 
indication  of  character.  Mr.  Field  had  doubtless 
expected,  when  he  retired  from  business,  to  retire 
permanently,  and  to  spend  in  ease  not  only  the 
evening  and  the  afternoon  but  the  meridian  of  his 
life.  But  it  was  not  to  be,  and  one  may  well 
imagine  that  his  previous  experiences  had  been  a 
providential  preparation  for  the  great  work  of  his 
life,  the  great  work  of  his  time.  It  matters  little 
who  first  conceived  as  a  dream  the  notion  of  elec- 
tric communication  across  the  Atlantic.  To  real- 
ize that  dream  there  was  needed  precisely  the 
qualities  and  the  circumstances  of  Cyrus  W.  Field. 
Here  was  a  man  whose  restless  energy  had  not  yet 
begun  to  be  impaired  by  time,  but  who  was  already 
a  successful  man.  In  virtue  of  his  success  he  was 
able  not  only  to  devote  himself  to  a  work  which  he 
was  convinced  was  as  practical  as  it  was  beneficent 
— he  was  able  also  to  enlist  the  co-operation  of 
wealthy  men,  whom  the  project  of  an  Atlantic 
cable  would  have  left  quite  cold  if  it  had  been  pro- 
pounded to  them  by  a  mere  electrician.  They 
could  not  have  helped  regarding  the  scheme  as 
chimerical  and  fantastic  if  a  purely  scientific  man 


60  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

had  approached  them  with  it,  even  with  the  most 
plausible  figures  to  prove  its  practicability  and 
profitableness.  To  give  it  a  chance  of  success  with 
them,  it  must  be  presented  and  believed  in  by  one 
whose  previous  life  and  whose  personal  success  for- 
bade them  to  regard  him  as  a  visionary,  and  who 
by  force  of  his  position  as  well  as  of  his  qualities 
was  able  to  infect  them  with  some  part  of  his  own 
confidence  and  enthusiasm.  Mr.  Field  Avas  that 
unique  man,  and  hence  it  is  that  he  must  be  re- 
garded as  the  one  indispensable  factor  in  the  execu- 
tion of  a  transatlantic  system  of  telegraphic  com- 
munication, inevitably  soon  to  l^ecome  a  world-wide 
system,  and  far  to  outrun  in  actual  fact  the  poet's 
daring  dream  of  putting  "a  girdle  round  about 
the  earth  in  forty  minutes." 

It  was  on  Mr.  Field's  return  from  Washington 
late  in  the  month  of  January,  1854,  that  his  brother 
Matthew  asked  him  to  have  a  talk  with  Mr.  Fred- 
erick IS^.  Gisborne,  who  was  stopj)ing  at  the  Astor 
House.  Mr.  Grisborne  was  an  engineer  and  telegraph 
operator,  and  his  desire  had  been  to  connect  St. 
John's,  Newfoundland,  with  the  telegraphic  system 
of  the  United  States. 

In  the  spring  of  1852  the  Legislature  of  New- 
foundland had  passed  an  act  incorporating  the 
Newfoundland  Electric  Telegraph  Comijany,  and 
had  given  to  Mr.  Gisborne  the  exclusive  right  to 
erect  telegraphs  in  Newfoundland  for  thirty  years, 
with  certain  concessions  of  land  by  way  of  en- 
couragement to  be  granted  upon  the  completion  of 
the  telegraph  from  St.  John's  to  Cape  Eay.  and  on 
his  return  to  New  York  he  formed  a  company,  and 
in  the  spring  of  1853   set  vigorously  to  M'ork  to 


THE   FIRST   CABLE  61 

bnilcT  the  line.  He  had  snccessfnlly  completed 
some  thirty  or  forty  miles  when  his  work  was  sud- 
denly brought  to  a  standstill  by  the  failure  of  the 
company  to  furnish  the  means  to  carry  it  on. 
••'  He  returned  to  Xew  York  from  his  difficult  and 
unaccomi^lished  task  utterly  disappointed  and 
beggared,  and  at  this  time  was  Avaiting  for  some- 
thing to  turn  up."  Mr.  Field  saw  Mr.  Gisborne, 
heard  what  he  had  done  and  what  he  had  failed  to 
do,  and  became  at  once  interested  in  the  work. 
This  meeting  was  followed  by  many  others,  and 
after  they  had  parted  late  one  evening,  as  Mr. 
Field  stood  studying  intently  the  large  globe  that 
was  in  his  library,  it  flashed  across  his  mind  that, 
if  it  were  possible  to  connect  Newfoundland  with 
the  United  States,  why  not  Ireland  with  Xew- 
foundland  ? 

The  idea  once  conceived,  he  lost  no  time  in  put- 
ting it  into  execution,  and  the  next  morning's 
mail  took  letters  to  Professor  Maury  at  Washing- 
ton and  Professor  Morse  at  Poughkeepsie.  He 
also  consulted  his  brother,  Mr.  David  Dudley  Field, 
and  his  neighbor,  Mr.  Peter  Cooper. 

More  than  twenty-five  years  after  Mr.  Cooper  told 
of  the  meeting : 

"It  fell  to  mj-  lot  to  be  one  of  the  first,  if  not  the  first,  to 
Tvhom  Mr.  Field  applied  to  join  bim  in  the  enterprise  which 
has  so  inucb  interested  us  this  evening.  It  was  an  enter- 
prise which  struck  me  very  forcibly  the  moment  he  mentioned 
it.  I  thought  I  saw  in  it,  if  it  was  possible,  a  means  b}-  which 
we  could  communicate  between  the  two  continents,  and  send 
knowledge  broadcast  over  all  parts  of  the  world.  It  seemed 
to  strike  me  as  though  it  were  the  consummation  of  that 
great  prophecy,  that  "  knowledge  shall  cover  the  earth,  as 
waters  cover  the  deep,"  and  with  that  feeling  I  joined  him 
and  my  esteemed  friends,  Wilson  G.  Hunt,  Moses  Taylor,  and 


62  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

Marshall  O.  Roberts,  in  what  then  appeared  to  most  men 
a  wild  and  visionary  scheme  ;  a  scheme  that  many  people 
thought  fitted  those  who  engaged  in  it  for  an  asylum  where 
they  might  be  taken  care  of  as  little  short  of  lunatics.  But 
believing,  as  I  did,  that  it  offered  the  possibilitj'  of  a  mighty 
power  for  the  good  of  the  world,  I  embarked  in  it." 

As  soon  as  he  obtained  the  co-operation  of  the 
men  mentioned  by  Mr.  Cooper,  Mr.  Field  asked 
them  to  meet  in  the  dining-room  of  his  house,  and 
for  four  nights  they  sat  around  the  table  examin- 
ing the  records  of  the  old  company,  studying  maps, 
and  making  estimates.  On  the  10th  of  March, 
1854,  the  Electric  Telegraph  Company  formally 
surrendered  its  charter,  and  it  was  decided  that  if 
the  government  oi  Newfoundland  would  give  the 
new  company  a  liberal  charter  they  would  carry 
forward  the  work,  and,  if  possible,  extend  it.  On 
the  14th  of  March  Mr.  Cyrus  Field  and  Mr.  Chan- 
dler White,  and  Mr.  David  Dudley  Field  as  legal  ad- 
viser, left  for  Newfoundland;  they  took  the  steamer 
at  Boston  for  Halifax,  and  on  the  18th  left  Hali- 
fax in  the  steamer  Merlin  for  St.  John's.  In  his 
speech  at  the  Cable  Celebration  in  the  Crystal 
Palace  on  September  1,  1858,  Mr.  David  Dudley 
Field  said  : 

"  Three  more  disagreeable  days  voj'agers  scarcely  ever 
passed  than  we  spent  in  that  smallest  of  ste  imers.  It  seemed 
as  if  all  the  storms  of  winter  had  been  reserved  for  the  first 
month  of  spring.  A  frost-bound  coast,  an  icy  sea,  rain, 
hail,  snow,  and  tempest  were  the  greetings  of  the  telegraph 
adventurers  in  their  first  movement  towards  Europe.  In 
the  darkest  night,  through  which  no  man  cnulu  see  the 
ship's  length,  with  snow  filling  the  air  and  flying  into  the 
eyes  of  the  sailors,  with  ice  in  the  water,  and  a  heavy  sea 
rolling  and  moaning  about  us,  the  captain  felt  his  way 
around  Cap"  Race  with  his  lead,  as  a  blind  man  feels  his 


THE   FIRST   CABLE  63 

way  with  his  staff,  but  as  confidently  and  safelj'-  as  if  the 
sky  had  been  clear  and  the  sea  calm.  And  the  light  of  the 
morning  dawned  upon  deck  and  mast  and  spar  coated  with 
glittering  ice,  but  floating  securely  between  the  mountains 
which  formed  the  gates  of  the  harbor  of  St.  John's." 

The  little  party  was  welcomed  warmly  by  Mr. 
Edward  M.  Archibald,  then  attorney  -  general  of 
the  colony,  and  for  many  years  afterwards  British 
consul-general  in  New  York,  and  by  the  governor, 
Ker  Barley  Hamilton ;  Bishop  Field,  of  Newfound- 
land, and  the  Eoman  Catholic  bishop,  John  Mul- 
lock, were  among  their  entertainers,  and  became 
their  warm  friends. 

On  November  8,  1850,  Bishop  Mullock  had  writ- 
ten to  the  editor  of  the  St.  John^s  Courier: 

"Sir, — I  regret  to  find  that  in  every  plan  for  transatlantic 
communication  Halifax  is  always  mentioned  and  the  natural 
capal)ilities  of  Newfoundland  entirely  overlooked. 

"This  has  been  deeply  impressed  on  my  mind  by  the 
communication  I  read  in  your  paper  of  Saturday  last,  re- 
garding telegrapliic  communication  between  England  and 
America,  in  which  it  is  said  liiat  the  nearest  telegraphic 
station  on  the  American  side  is  Halifax,  2155  miles  from  the 
coast  of  Ireland.  Xow,  would  it  not  be  well  to  call  the  at- 
tention of  Europe  and  America  to  St.  John's  as  the  nearest 
telegrapliic  point  ? 

"It  is  an  Atlantic  port,  lying,  I  may  say,  in  the  track  of 
the  ocean  steamers,  and  by  establishing  it  as  the  American 
telegraph  station,  news  could  be  communicated  to  the  whole 
American  continent  fortj^-eight  hours  sooner  than  by  any 
other  route.  But  how  will  this  be  accomplished  ?  Just 
look  at  the  map  of  Newfoundland  and  Cape  Breton.  From 
St.  John's  to  Cape  Ray  there  is  no  ditHcuIty  in  establishing  a 
line,  passing  near  Holy  Rood,  along  tlie  neck  of  land  con- 
necting Trinity  and  Placentia  bays,  and  thence  in  a  direction 
due  west  to  the  cape.  You  have  then  about  41  to  45  miles 
of  sea  to  St.  Paul's  Island,  with  deep  soundings  of  100 
fathoms,  so  that  the  electric  cable  will  be  perfectly  secure 
from  icebergs;  thence  to  Cape  North  in  Cape  Breton  is  little 


64  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

more  than  12  miles.  Thus  it  is  not  only  practicable  to  bring 
America  two  da^^s  nearer  to  Europe  bj'  this  route,  but 
should  the  telegraphic  communication  between  England  and 
Ireland,  62  miles,  be  realized,  it  presents  not  the  slightest 
difficulty.  Of  course  we  in  Newfoundland  will  have 
nothing  to  do  wiih  the  erection,  working,  and  maintenance 
of  the  telegraph,  but  I  suppose  our  government  will  give 
ever}'  facility  to  the  company,  either  English  or  American, 
Avho  will  undertake  it,  as  it  will  be  of  incalculable  advantage 
to  this  country.  I  hope  the  day  is  not  far  distant  when 
St.  John's  will  be  the  first  link  in  the  electric  chain  which 
will  unite  the  Old  World  to  the  New. 

"I  remain,  etc., 
November  8, 1850.  "J.  I.  M." 

Sliortly  after  the  arrival  of  the  gentlemen  from 
New  York  the  Legislature  of  Newfoundland  re- 
pealed the  charter  of  the  Electric  Telegraph  Com- 
jDany,  in  which  it  had  been  expressly  stated  that 
the  line  of  this  company  is  designed  to  be  strictly 
an  "  inter-continental  telegraph,"  and  a  charter  was 
given  to  the  ''New  York,  Newfoundland,  and  Lon- 
don Telegraph  Company."  Not  only  was  the  title  of 
the  new  company  suggestive,  but  the  first  sentence 
expressly  stated,  "It  is  deemed  advisable  to  estab- 
lish a  line  of  telegraphic  communication  between 
New  York  and  London  by  the  way  of  Newfound- 
land." And  at  the  same  time  there  was  granted  to 
the  company  an  exclusive  monopoly  for  fifty  years 
to  lay  submarine  cables  across  the  Atlantic  from  the 
shores  of  Newfoundland. 

When  this  work  was  begun  the  longest  subma- 
rine cable  in  the  world  was  that  between  England 
and  Holland,  and  one  had  never  been  laid  in  water 
one  hundred  fathoms  deep. 

The  party  of  three  returned  to  New  York  early 
in  May,  and  on  Saturday  evening,  the  6th,  the  char- 


THE   FIRST   CABLE  65 

ter  was  accepted,  and  the  New  York,  Newfoundland, 
and  London  Telegraph  Company  was  organized ;  at 
six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  on  May  the  8th,  the 
l^apers  were  signed  and  fifteen  hundred  thousand 
dollars  subscribed.  This  meeting  lasted  just  fif- 
teen minutes. 

Late  in  the  spring  of  1854  Mr.  Field  was  obliged 
to  take  his  old  place  at  the  head  of  the  firm  of 
Cyrus  W.  Field  &  Co.,  his  brother-in-law  and  part- 
ner, Joseph  F.  Stone,  having  died  on  the  17th  of 
May.  The  following  August  his  only  son  died,  and 
it  was  with  a  heavy  heart  that  he  began  this  double 
work. 

On  January  25,  1855,  he  sailed  for  England  to  or- 
der the  cable  to  connect  Cape  Ray  and  Cape  Breton. 
And  while  he  was  away  his  children  received  this 
letter : 

' '  ;Morley's  Hotel, 
"  London,  February  25,  1855. 

"My  dear,  dear  Children, — Many  llianks  for  j'^our  affec- 
tionate letters,  which  I  received  last  week  in  Paris. 

"  I  wish  that  you  would  tell  your  good  uncle  Henry  that 
I  am  much  obliged  for  his  letter  of  January  30th,  and  give  my 
warmest  love  to  j'our  dear  grandfather  and  Aunt  Marj',  and 
thank  them  for  writing  to  me,  and  tell  them  that  if  I  do  not 
get  time  to  answer  their  letters  I  think  a  great  deal  about 
them,  and  hope  that  we  shall  soon  all  meet  in  health, 
and  that  then  I  shall  have  much  to  tell  them  of  what  I  have 
seen  and  heard  in  the  few  weeks  that  I  have  been  in  Eu- 
rope. 

"I  hope  at  some  future  day  to  visit  Europe  again  with 
j'our  dear  mother,  and  then,  perhaps,  we  shall  take  all  of  our 
children  with  us. 

"  I  am  sure  that  you  would  be  very  happy  to  see  the  many 
beautiful  things  that  can  be  daily  seen  in  London,  Paris,  and 
other  parts  of  Europe. 

"  When  do  you  think  it  would  be  best  for  us  to  sail? 

"  I  am  sure  that  you  will  be  very  kind  to  your  mother 


66  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

and  affectionate  to  each  oilier,  and  do  all  in  your  power  to 
make  each  person  in  our  house  very  happy. 

"I  hope  that  you  will  go  very  often  to  see  your  dear 
grandfather,  grandmother.  Aunt  Mar}^  and  Cousin  Emilia  ; 
and  whenever  you  see  dear  little  Freddy  kiss  him  many  times 
for  me. 

"  It  is  one  month  to-day  since  I  left  home,  and  on  the  24th 
of  March  I  liope  to  leave  Liverpool  for  New  York. 

"  In  Paris  I  purchased  some  things  for  you,  and  the  one 
that  lias  been  the  best  child  during  my  absence  shall  have  the 
first  choice. 

"Good-bye,  and  may  God  bless  you  all,  is  the  constant 
prayer  of 

' '  Your  affectionate  father, 

"  Cyrus  W.  Field. 

"  The  Misses  Field,  New  York." 

On  the  7th  of  August,  1855,  a  party  sailed  from 
Xew  York  on  the  steamer  James  Adger  to  assist  at 
the  laying  of  the  cable  across  the  Gulf  of  St.  Law- 
rence.    To  quote  again  from  Mr.  Cooper's  speech : 

"We  went  along  very  pleasantly  until  we  came  to  Port 
au  Basque,  and  there  we  waited  several  days  for  the  arrival 
of  the  ship  that  contained  the  cable,  and  when  she  came  we 
directed  the  captain  to  take  her  in  tow.  Unfortunately  he 
had  taken  umbrage  at  the  action  of  Mr.  Lowber,  who,  acting 
as  a  master  of  ceremonies,  had  placed  Rev.  Dr.  Spring  at  the 
head  of  the  table  instead  of  the  captain.  So  offended  was  he 
that  he  became  as  stubborn  as  a  mule  thereafter. 

"Four  several  attempts  were  made  to  get  hold  of  the  ship 
having  the  cable  ;  aud  the  darkness  of  night  coming  on,  we 
had  to  go  into  Cape  Ray.  There  we  got  the  end  of  the  cable 
to  the  telegraph-house  after  much  labor  ;  and  when  we  had  it 
fastened  to  the  shore  and  properly  connected  we  gave  the 
captaia  orders  to  tow  the  ship  across  the  gulf.  In  starting 
he  managed  to  run  into  the  ship,  canning  away  her  shrouds 
and  quarter-rail  and  almost  making  a  wreck,  so  tbat  we  had 
to  lay  up,  for  in  dragging  the  cable  the  connection  was  de- 
stroyed. We  joined  it  again,  and  after  some  delay  departed, 
directing  the  captain  to  take  the  ship  in  tow.  We  had  taken 
the  precau':ion  to  bring  two  verj'  long  and  thick  cables  to 


THE   FIRST   CABLE  6Y 

tow  her  across  the  gulf.  He  started,  and  again  had  the  mis- 
fortune to  get  the  larger  line  entangled  with  the  wheel  of 
his  vessel.  In  the  confusion  that  followed  the  ship  that  had 
the  cable  by  his  orders  parted  her  anchor  ;  the  line  was  cut, 
and  she  drifted  towards  a  reef  of  rocks.  We  entreated  the 
captain  to  get  hold  of  her  as  quickly  as  possible,  but  before 
he  did  so  she  was  almost  on  the  reef.  It  was  then  found 
necessary  to  go  back  and  have  the  machinery  fixed,  which 
took  several  days  before  we  were  ready  to  start  again.  At 
length,  one  beautiful  day  we  got  off.  Before  starting  our 
engineer,  who  had  charge  of  laying  the  cable,  gave  the  cap- 
tain instructions  to  keep  constantly  in  view  a  flag  placed 
iipon  the  telegraph-house  and  bring  it  in  range  with  a  white 
rock  upon  the  mountain,  which  would  give  him  the  exact 
lines  upon  w^hich  to  steer.  As  soon,  however,  as  we  got  off, 
I  saw  the  captain  was  going  out  of  the  way,  and,  as  presi- 
dent of  the  board,  I  told  him  so.  The  answer  was,  '  I  know 
how  to  steer  my  ship;  I  steer  by  my  compass.'  I  said,  '  Your 
instructions  were  to  steer  for  the  flag  and  the  rock  on  the 
mountain.'  '  I  steer  by  my  compass,'  was  all  I  could  get  out 
of  him.  He  went  on  steering  in  that  manner  until  I  found 
he  was  going  so  far  out  of  the  way  that  I  told  him  I  would 
hold  him  responsible  for  all  loss.  This  had  no  effect.  I  then 
got  a  lawyer  who  was  on  board  to  draw  up  a  paper  warning 
the  captain  that  if  he  did  not  change  his  course  we  should 
hold  him  responsible  for  the  loss  of  the  cable.  He  then 
turned  his  course,  and  went  as  far  out  of  the  way  in  the 
other  direction.  We  soon  after  encountered  a  gale,  and  had 
to  discontinue  ;  and  when  we  came  to  measure  the  cable,  we 
found  we  had  laid  twentj^-four  miles  of  cable,  and  had  got 
only  nine  miles  from  shore.  That  is  only  a  sample  of  the 
trials  we  had  to  encounter  in  this  enterprise,  and  I  mention 
it  to  say  that  it  was  in  great  measure  due  to  the  indomitable 
courage  and  zeal  of  Mr.  Field  inspiring  us  that  we  went  on 
and  on  until  we  got  another  cable  across  the  gulf." 

In  July,  1856,  a  cable  eighty-five  miles  in  length 
was  successfully  laid  across  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence, 
connecting  Newfoundland  with  Cape  Breton,  and 
also  one  of  eleven  miles  from  Prince  Edward  Isl- 
and to  New  Brunswick.  The  lines,  one  hundred 
and  forty  miles  in  length,  had  also  been  built  across 


68  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

Cape  Breton.  The  telegraph  system  of  the  United 
States  had  thus  been  connected  with  the  most  east- 
ern port  of  NeAvfoiindland. 

How  this  work  was  done  was  told  by  Mr.  Field 
on  November  15,  1866. 

"It  was  a  very  pretty  plan  on  paper.  There  was  New 
York  and  there  was  St.  John's,  only  about  twelve  hundred 
miles  apart.  It  was  easj^  to  draw  a  line  from  one  point  to 
the  other,  making  no  account  of  the  forests  and  mountains 
and  swamps  and  rivers  and  gulfs  tliat  lay  in  our  way.  Not 
one  of  us  had  ever  seen  the  country  or  had  any  idea  of  the 
obstacles  to  be  overcome.  We  thought  we  could  build  the 
line  in  a  few  months.  It  took  two  years  and  a  half,  yet  we 
never  asked  for  help  outside  our  own  little  circle.  Indeed  I 
fear  we  should  not  have  got  it  if  we  had,  for  few  had  any 
faith  in  our  scheme.  Every  dollar  came  out  of  our  own 
pockets.  Yet  I  am  proud  to  say  no  man  drew  back.  No 
man  proved  a  deserter  ;  those  who  came  first  into  the  work 
stood  by  it  to  the  end.  .  .  . 

"  It  was  begun  and  for  two  j^ears  and  a  half  was  carried 
on  solely  by  American  capital.  Our  brethren  across  the  sea 
did  not  even  know  what  we  were  doing  away  in  the  forests 
of  Newfoundland.  Our  little  company  raised  and  expended 
over  a  quarter  million  pounds  sterling  before  an  Englishman 
paid  a  single  pound.  Our  only  support  outside  was  in  the 
liberal  charter  and  steady  friendship  of  the  government  of 
Newfoundland." 

But  it  was  now  thought  wise  to  enlist  English 
co-operation.  For  this  purpose  Mr.  Field  left  New 
York  by  the  steamship  Baltic  on  Saturday,  July  19, 
1856.  His  work  in  London  was  begun  at  once,  and 
John  Brett,  Michael  Faraday,  George  Parker  Bid- 
der, Mr.  Statham,  of  the  London  Gutta-percha 
Works ;  Mr.  Brunei ;  Mr.  Glass,  of  Glass,  Elliott  & 
Co.  ;  Charles  T.  Bright,  and  Dr.  Edward  0.  W. 
Whitehouse  were  soon  among  his  friends  and  strong- 
ly impressed  with  the  idea  that  a  cable  could  be  sue- 


THE   FIRST   CABLE  69 

cessf  Lilly  laid  across  the  Atlantic.  It  was  at  this  time 
that  in  response  to  a  note  from  his  wife,  Mr.  Glass 
wrote,  '•'  Mr.  Field  is  in  London,"  and  that  showed 
that  no  longer  was  his  time  his  own. 

Once  when  with  Faraday,  Mr.  Field  asked  him 
how  long  a  time  he  thought  would  be  required  for 
the  electric  current  to  pass  between  London  and 
New  York.  His  answer  was  brief  and  to  the  point : 
"Possibly  one  second." 

Brunei  was  also  as  clear-sighted ;  he  pointed  to 
the  Great  Eastern  that  he  was  then  building,  and 
said,  "Mr.  Field,  there  is  the  ship  to  lay  the  cable." 
Eight  years  later  it  was  used  for  that  purpose. 

Before  a  company  was  formed  he  addressed  a  let- 
ter to  Lord  Clarendon,  then  Foreign  Secretary,  and 
tlie  answer  to  it  was  a  request  for  a  personal  inter- 
view. Professor  Morse  was  in  London,  and  he  went 
with  Mr.  Field  to  the  Foreign  Office,  Avhere  they 
remained  for  over  an  hour. 

Lord  Clarendon  seemed  to  be  at  once  interested, 
and  among  the  questions  asked  was,  "  But  suppose 
you  do  not  succeed,  that  you  make  the  attempt 
and  fail,  your  cable  lost  at  the  bottom  of  the 
ocean,  then  what  will  you  do?"  "Charge  it  to 
profit  and  loss  and  go  to  work  to  lay  another,"  was 
the  answer.  Lord  Clarendon  on  parting  desired 
that  the  requests  made  should  be  put  in  writing, 
and  spoke  words  of  encouragement. 

The  Atlantic  Telegraph  Company  was  organized 
December  9,  1856.  It  was  decided  that  for  this 
work  11,750,000  must  be  raised.  Mr.  Field  put  his 
name  down  for  $500,000  (100  shares).  He  counted 
upon  aid  from  America,  and  did  not  intend  to 
hold  this  large  amount  of  stock  individually.     As 


10  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

more  money  was  subscribed  than  had  been  called 
for,  but  eighty-eight  shares  were  allotted  to  him. 
This  was  fortunate,  for  on  his  return  to  New  York 
he  was  able  to  dispose  of  but  twenty-one  shares. 

Mr.  George  Saward  wrote  to  The  Electrician  on 
the  28th  of  March,  1862:  "Mr.  Field  in  starting 
the  Atlantic  Telegraph  Company  took  upon  his 
own  account  eighty -eight  shares  of  £1000  each. 
Upon  all  of  these  he  paid  into  the  coffers  of  the 
company  in  cash  the  first  cle^Dosit  of  £17,600, 
and  upon  sixty-seven  of  them  he  paid  the  entire 
amount  of  calls,  amounting  to  £67,000.  This  I  am 
in  a  position  to  verify.  A  great  number  of  these 
have  been  sold  at  a  loss ;  but  Mr.  Field  is  still  the 
largest  holder  of  shares  in  the  company  paid  up  in 
cash."  Among  the  original  subscribers  in  England 
were  Lady  Byron  and  Thackeray,  and  in  America 
Archbishop  Hughes. 

Mr.  Field  sailed  for  America  on  December  10th, 
and  arrived  in  Xew  York  on  Christmas  Day. 

On  December  23d  the  Senate  had  requested  Pres- 
ident Pierce,  "if  not  incompatible  with  the  public 
interest,  to  communicate  such  information  as  he 
may  have  concerning  the  present  condition  and 
prospects  of  a  proposed  plan  for  connecting  by  sub- 
marine wires  the  magnetic  telegraph  lines  on  this 
continent  and  Europe,"  and  on  December  29th 
Mr.  Pierce  sent  to  the  Senate  the  letter  that  had 
been  addressed  to  him  on  December  15th  by  the 
Xew  York,  Newfoundland,  and  London  Telegraph 
Company.  The  substance  of  this  letter  was  that 
"  The  contracts  have  been  made  for  the  manufact- 
ure of  a  submarine  telegraphic  cable  to  connect 
the  continents  of  Europe  and  America."  .  .  .  That 


THE   FIRST   CABLE  11 

"it  is  the  desire  of  the  directors  to  secure  to  the 
government  of  the  United  States  equal  privileges 
with  those  stipulated  for  by  the  British  govern- 
ment.". .  .  That  "the  British  government  shall  have 
priority  in  the  conve3^ance  of  their  messages  over  all 
others,  subject  to  tlie  excejotion  only  of  the  govern- 
ment^ of  the  United  States,  in  the  event  of  their 
entering  into  an  arrangement  with  the  telegraph 
company  similar  in  principle  to  that  of  the  British 
government,  in  which  case  the  messages  of  the 
two  governments  shall  have  priority  in  the  order 
in  which  they  arrive  at  the  station."  .  .  . 

"  Her  Majesty's  government  engages  to  furnish  the 
aid  of  ships  to  make  what  soundings  may  still  be 
considered  needful,  or  to  verify  those  already  taken, 
and  favorably  to  consider  any  request  that  may  be 
made  to  furnish  aid  by  their  vessels  in  laying  down 
the  cable."  .  .  .  "To  avoid  failure  in  laying  the 
cable,  it  is  desirable  to  use  every  precaution,  and 
we  therefore  have  the  honor  to  request  that  you 
will  make  such  recommendation  to  Congress  as 
will  secure  authority  to  detail  a  steamship  for 
this  purpose,  so  that  the  glory  of  accomplishing 
what  has  been  justly  styled  'the  crowning  enter- 
prise of  the  age '  may  be  divided  between  the  great- 
est and  freest  governments  on  the  face  of  the 
globe." 

The  bill  was  drawn  by  Mr.  Seward,  and  was  "An 
act  to  expedite  telegraphic  communication  for  the 
uses  of  the  government  in  its  foreign  intercourse." 
The  great  contest  over  its  passage  was  not  until 
early  in  the  next  year,  1857. 

The  suggestion  made  to  the  St.  John's  Conner 
in  1850  by  Bishop  Mullock,  and  which  Mr.  Gisborne 


72  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

had  tried  to  carry  out,  had  not  been  lost  sight  of, 
as  the  following  letter  shows  : 

"Treasury  Chambers,  19th  November,  1856. 

"  Sir, — Witli  reference  to  your  letter  of  tlie  6tli  instant  re- 
questing that  directions  should  be  given  for  permitting  Brit- 
ish mail  packets  between  Liverpool  ami  tlie  United  Stales 
to  receive  and  throw  overboard  off  Cape  Race  and  oif 
Queenstown  cases  containing  telegraphic  dispatches,  to  be 
picked  up  by  the  telegraph  companj-'s  own  vessels,  I  am 
commanded  by  the  Lords  Commissioners  of  her  Majesty's 
Treasury  to  acquaint  you  that  their  lordships  have  stated  to 
the  Lords  of  the  Admiralty  that  after  communicating  with 
Mr.  Cunard  as  to  the  feasibility  of  the  plan,  and  receiving 
from  him  an  assurance  that  it  might  be  carried  into  effect 
without  in  any  way  retarding  the  regular  mail  service, 
they  are  of  the  opinion  that  the  necessary  directions  may 
be  given  for  this  puipose,  subject  to  the  following  condi- 
tions : 

"  1.  That  the  mail  steamers  shall  not  be  delayed. 

"2.  That  they  shall  not  be  required  to  alter  the  course 
they  would  otherwise  have  taken. 

"3.  That  no  responsibility  shall  attach  to  their  ship  or 
to  the  government. 

"4.  That  the  companies  shall  make  such  arrangements  in 
reference  to  the  receipt  and  dispatch  of  messages  as  shall  be 
satisfactory  to  the  Treasury,  in  ord<-r  to  secure  equal  advan- 
tages to  all  persons  using  the  telegraph. 
"I  am,  sir, 

"  Your  obedient  servant, 

"C.  L.  Trevelyan." 

In  a  Xew  York  paper  of  Jtily  12.  1857,  is  this 

telegram : 

"From  the  steamship  Persia, 
"  Off  Cape  Race,  Newfoundland, 

''Saturday,  July  11th,  p.m. 
"  We  have  thus  far  had  a  very  pleasant  passage,  and  ex- 
pect to  reach  Liverpool  next  Friday.     All  well  and  all  in 
good  spirits.  "  Cyrus  W.  Field." 

And  below  the  telegram  this  was  added  : 


THE  FIRST   CABLE  73 

"This  feat  would  seem  to  demonstrate  the  entire  practica- 
bility of  obtainiug  news  from  the  Atlantic  steamers  as  they 
pass  Cape  Race,  and  sliould  the  Atlantic  telegraph  cable  fail 
from  any  cause,  we  understand  tliat  the  telegraph  company 
will  make  effective  arrangements  to  carry  something  of  this 
kind  into  operation." 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  FIRST  CABLE   (CONTINUED) 

(1857) 

The  following  cable  message  was  sent  to  Mr. 
Field  by  Sir  James  Anderson  on  March  10, 1879,  the 
twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  "ocean  telegraphy": 

"It  cannot  fail  to  gratify  you,  and  should  astonish  your 
guests,  to  realize  the  amazing  groAvth  of  your  ocean  child; 
sixty  thousand  miles  of  cable,  costing  about  twenty  million 
pounds  sterling,  having  been  laid  since  your  energy  initiated 
the  first  long  cable.  Distance  has  no  longer  anything  to  do 
with  commerce.  The  foreign  trade  of  all  civilized  nations 
is  now  becoming  only  an  extended  home  trade;  all  the  old 
ways  of  commerce  are  changed  or  changing,  creating  amongst 
all  nations  a  common  interest  in  the  welfare  of  each  other. 
To  have  been  the  pioneer  par  excellence  in  this  great  work 
should  be  most  gratifying  to  yourself  and  your  family,  and 
no  one  can  take  from  you  this  proud  position." 

It  would  have  seemed  a  strange  prophecy  if  the 
above  had  been  predicted  in  185G,  when  it  was  de- 
clared that  the  object  of  the  Atlantic  Telegraph 
Company  was  "  To  continue  the  existing  line  of  the 
K"ew  York,  Newfoundland,  and  London  Telegraph 
Company  to  Ireland,  by  making  or  causing  to  be 
made  a  submarine  telegraph  cable  for  the  Atlantic." 
At  the  close  of  the  year  the  contracts  for  the  manu- 
facture of  the  cable  were  signed.  Messrs.  Glass, 
Elliott  &  Co.  agreed  to  make  one -half,  and  E.  S. 
Newall  &  Co.,  of  Liverpool,  the  other.  Both  sec- 
tions were  to  be  finished  and  ready  to  be  laid  on 


THE   FIRST   CABLE  75 

June  1, 1857,  although  the  time  fixed  upon  for  the 
sailing  of  the  fleet  was  to  be  as  nearly  as  possible  at 
the  end  of  July,  in  accordance  with  the  advice  con- 
tained in  a  letter  written  in  March,  1857  : 

"Perhaps  it  would  be  wise  for  the  steamers  not  to  join 
cables  until  after  the  20th  of  July.  I  think  between  that 
time  and  the  lOtli  of  August  the  state  of  both  sea  and  air  is 
usually  in  the  most  favorable  condition  possible  ;  and  that 
is  the  time  which  my  investigations  indicate  as  the  most 
favorable  for  laying  down  the  wire.  I  recommend  it  and 
wish  you  good-luck.  Yours,  M.P.Maury." 

The  English  government  had  responded  at  once 
to  the  request  of  the  Atlantic  TelegrajDh  Company, 
and  a  ship  was  promised  with  which  to  help  lay  the 
cable,  and  on  Mr.  Field's  return  home  he  asked  the 
American  government  for  the  same  aid. 

He  landed  from  the  steamship  Baltic  on  the  25th 
of  December ;  on  the  26tli  he  went  to  Washington  ; 
next  we  hear  of  him  in  Newfoundland,  and  then 
back  in  Washington  early  in  the  new  year. 

Mr.  Seward  referred  to  this  time  in  his  speech  at 
Auburn  in  August,  1858  : 

"It  remained  to  engage  the  consent  and  the  activity  of 
the  governments  of  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States. 
That  was  all  that  remained.  Such  consent  and  activity  on 
the  part  of  some  one  great  nation  of  Europe  was  all  that  re- 
mained needful  for  Columbus  when  he  stood  ready  to  bring 
a  new  continent  forward  as  a  theatre  of  the  world's  civiliza- 
tion. But  in  each  case  the  effort  was  the  most  difficult  of  all." 

The  more  liberal  men  in  both  Houses  at  Washing- 
ton were  from  the  beginning  in  favor  of  the  cable  bill, 
and  worked  untiringly  for  its  passage.  The  President 
and  Secretary  of  State,  desiring  to  remain  friendly 
to  both  sides,  took  no  active  part  in  the  discussion. 

Mr.  Field  talked  with  almost  every  member  of 


76  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

Congress,  and  tried  to  persuade  those  who  were 
opposed  to  him  to  drop  their  petty  objections  and 
think  only  of  the  greatness  of  the  work. 

Extracts  from  a  Washington  newspaper  of  Jan- 
nary  31,  1857,  give  some  idea  of  other  trials  to 
which  he  was  subjected.  On  the  arrival  of  the 
steamship  Arago  it  was  published  that  '•  great  dis- 
satisfaction exists  in  London  at  the  manner  in 
which  the  Atlantic  Telegraph  Company  has  been 
gotten  up,"  and  that  "a  new  company  has  been 
formed  to  construct  a  submarine  telegraph  direct 
to  the  shores  of  the  United  States." 

He  answered  : 

' '  To  this  I  may  add  that  the  object  of  this  movement  at 
this  time  is  well  understood  by  those  who  know  the  parties 
promoting  it.  1  believe  no  such  company  can  have  been 
really  organized  in  London  as  represented,  because  none  of 
my  letters  by  the  same  steamer  from  directors  and  parties 
largely  interested  even  allude  to  such  a  movement,  which 
must  of  necessity  have  been  made  public  and  well  known  to 
them  if  true.  It  cannot  be  believed  that  capitalists  in  London 
or  elsewhere  can  now  be  found  to  take  stock  in  a  submarine 
line  of  telegraph  of  over  three  thousand  miles  in  length, 
passing  over  the  banks  of  Newfoun^iland  or  across  the  deep 
waters  of  the  Gulf  Stream,  when  it  was  by  great  exertion 
that  subscriptions  were  obtained  to  a  line  of  little  more  than 
one-half  of  that  length,  and  that,  too,  upon  a  route  the  prac- 
ticability of  which  had  already  been  fully  demonstrated  by 
actual  survey  to  be  possible.  Cyrus  W.  Field." 

On  the  19th  of  February  the*  Atlajitic  telegraph 
bill  passed  the  House  by  a  majority  of  nineteen ; 
but  it  was  not  until  the  3d  of  March  that  it  passed 
the  Senate,  by  a  majority  of  but  one,  and  then  it 
was  said  to  be  unconstitutional.  Mr.  Field  sought 
Caleb  Gushing,  the  Attorney-General,  and  begged 
him  to  examine  the  bill  and  give  his  opinion.  It 
was  favorable. 


THE   FIRST   CABLE  71 

The  date  affixed  to  the  bill  is  the  3d  of  March, 
but  it  was  not  until  the  morning  of  the  4th  at 
ten  o'clock  that  the  President  jjut  his  name  to  it 
as  Mr.  Field  stood  by  his  side.  This  was,  therefore, 
one  of  the  last  official  acts  of  President  Pierce. 

The  government  at  Washington  had  now  united 
with  that  of  Great  Britain  in  agreeing  to  give  all  that 
was  asked.  The  frigate  Niagara,  the  largest  and 
finest  ship  of  our  navy,  was  ordered  to  England. 
The  Xew  York  Herald  of  Saturday,  April  25th,  says: 

"The  peTformance  of  the  vessel  and  of  her  machinery  has 
fully  come  up  to  the  most  sanguine  expectations.  She  is 
now  on  her  way  to  London.  By  the  recent  news  from 
England  we  learn  that  the  British  authorities  have  detailed 
three  steamers  to  assist  in  laying  the  submarine  cable  and 
make  soundings  along  the  route.  The  Agamennon,  a  ninety- 
gun  ship,  in  connection  with  the  Niagara  will  take  the  cable 
on  board." 

Very  little  rest  was  allowed  him  on  his  return 
from  Washington — but  two  weeks  at  his  home.  He 
sailed  for  Liverpool  on  the  18th  of  March,  leaving 
his  wife  with  a  baby  four  days  old.  He  remained 
in  England  barely  a  fortnight ;  he  was  at  home  on 
the  22d  of  April,  and  on  the  8th  of  July  he  was 
a  passenger  on  the  steamship  Persia,  once  more 
bound  for  England. 

Early  in  July  the  Niagara  had  received  her  share 
of  the  cable  from  the  manufactory  of  Messrs.  New- 
all  &  Co.,  and  the  Agamemnon  hers  from  the  works 
of  Messrs.  Glass,  Elliott  &  Co. 

Almost  immediately  on  his  arrival  he  was  a  guest 
at  a  fete  cliampUre  given  by  Sir  Culling  Eardley, 
at  Belvidere.  near  Erith.  Following  is  the  card  of 
invitation  : 


78  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

Sir    Culling   Eardley  requeMs  the   Comimny  of 

Cyrus    W,   Field,  Esq*^ 

at  Belvidere,  on  Thursday,  July  the  23(Z,  on  the  occasion  of 
the  departure  of  The  Electrical  Telegraph  Cable  for  the  Atlan- 
tic Ocean. 

Messrs.  Glass,  Elliott  &  Co.,  the  Contractors  for  tlie  Cable, 
also  request  the  honor  of  Cyrus  W.  Field,  Esq.'s  Company  at 
Dinner  with  the  Directors  and  Friends  of  the  Atlantic 
Telegraph  Company,  tlie  Officers  and  Crew  of  H.M.S.  Aga- 
memnon, and  th^  Artisans  of  the  Cable. 

An  early  answer  is  requested  to  Sir   Culling  Eardley,  Belvidere,  Erith. 

It  was  at  tliis/e/e  that  he  read  this  note  : 

"Washington,  M  July,  1857. 
"My  dear  Sir, — Accidental  circumstances  which  I  need 
not  detail  prevented  j^our  kind  letter  of  the  19tii  ultimo 
from  being  brought  to  my  notice  until  this  morning.  I  now 
l)asten  to  say  in  reply  that  I  shall  feel  myself  much  honored 
should  the  first  message  (as  you  propcsc)  sent  across  the 
Atlantic  by  the  submarine  telegraph  be  from  Queen  Victoria 
to  the  President  of  the  United  States,  and  I  need  not  assure 
you  be  will  endeavor  to  answer  it  in  a  spirit  and  manner  be- 
coming the  great  occasion. 

"  Yours  very  respectfully, 

' '  James  Buchanan. 
"  To  Cteus  W.  Field,  Esq." 

The  following  account  is  copied  from  a  letter 
written  to  the  London  Times  on  August  3,  1857  : 

"During  the  progress  of  the  Agamemnon  to  the  Downs 
the  mechanical  appliances  for  regulating  the  delivery  of  the 
cable  into  the  sea  were  kept  continually  in  motion  by  the 
small  engine  on  board,  which  is  connected  with  th^m  ;  the 
sheaves  and  gearing  worked  with  great  facility  and  precision, 
and  so  quietly  that  at  a  short  distance  from  them  their  mo- 
tion could  scarcely  be  heard. 

"The  strength  of  the  girders  which  carry  the  bearing  of 


THE   FIRST   CABLE  19 

the  entire  apparatus,  and  which  to  the  eye  of  a  person  un- 
skilled in  the  practical  working  of  this  description  of  ma- 
chinery may  seem  at  first  to  be  undul}^  ponderous,  was 
found  to  contribute  greatjj^  to  the  easy  motion  and  satisfac- 
torj'  steadiness  of  this  most  important  agent  in  the  success 
of  the  undertaking.  So  soon  as  the  Agamemnon  had  passed  the 
track  of  the  Submarine  Company's  cable  between  Dover  and 
Calais  in  order  to  avoid  the  possibility  of  its  being  injured 
by  the  laying  or  hauling  up  of  another  line  at  riglit  angles  to 
it,  the  experiments  commenced.  A  13-inch  shell  was  attached 
to  the  end  of  a  spare  coil  of  the  Atlantic  cal)le  for  the  pur- 
pose of  sinking  it  rapidlj'  with  a  strain  upon  it  to  the  bottom, 
and  was  tlien  cast  into  the  sea,  drawing  after  it  a  sufficient 
quantity  of  slack  to  enable  it  to  take  hold  of  the  ground,  and 
so  set  the  machinery  in  motion, 

"The  paying  out  then  commenced  at  the  rate  of  two, 
three,  and  four  knots  an  hour  respectivelj'.  The  ship  was 
then  stopped,  and  the  cable  was  hauled  up  from  the  bottom 
of  the  sea  with  great  facility  by  connecting  the  small  engine 
to  the  driving  pinion  geared  to  the  sheaves.  When  tlie  end 
was  brought  up  to  the  surface  it  was  found  that  the  shell 
liad  broken  away  from  the  loop  by  which  it  had  been  fas- 
tened for  the  purpose  of  lowering  it. 

"The  exterior  coating  of  tar  had  been  completely  rubbed 
off  by  being  drawn  through  the  sandj'  bottom  of  the  sea,  and 
attached  to  the  iron  coating  of  the  cable  were  some  weeds  and 
several  small  crabs  which  came  up  with  it  to  the  surface. 

"On  the  following  daj'  a  length  of  cable  was  run  out  and 
hauled  in  with  perfect  success  opposite  the  Isle  of  Wight. 

"The  speed  was  increased  in  this  case  to  four  knots. 
During  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day  a  length  was  run  out, 
having  fastened  to  tiie  end  of  it  a  log  of  timber,  and  having 
been  towed  with  a  mile  and  a  half  of  cable,  was  coiled  in 
again  with  success. 

"On  Wednesday  about  half-way  between  the  Land's  End 
and  the  coast  of  Ireland  another  length  was  run  out  at  the 
rate  of  six  and  a  half  knots  per  hour,  and  subsequently 
hauled  in.  Tlie  Agamemnon  then  steered  for  Cork,  and 
readied  Qneenstown  Harbor  at  four  o'clock  on  Thursday* 
morning  all  on  board  being  more  than  ever  satisfied  at  the 
success  of  the  enterprise." 

The  New  York  Herald  of  August  28th  published 


80  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

a  letter  from  its  special  correspondent  on  board  the 
Niagara,  and  from  it  these  extracts  are  made : 

"From  the  deck  of  our  ship  we  can  see  a  small,  sandy 
cove  which  has  been  selected  as  the  place  for  the  landing  of  the 
shore  end  of  the  cable,  and  a  hundred  j^ards  from  which  a  tem- 
porary tent  has  been  erected  for  the  Ijatteries  and  other  tele- 
graphic instruments.  In  front  of  it  is  displayed  an  attempt 
at  the  Stars  and  Stripes;  but  it  is  only  an  attempt,  and  it 
would  require  one  of  the  most  shrewd  -  guessing  Yankees 
that  ever  lived  in  or  came  out  of  Connecticut  to  tell  what  it 
was  intended  for.  It  will  soon  be  replaced  bj^  another  of  a 
more  unmistakable  kind,  however,  and  that  ought  to  be  suffi- 
cient to  satisfy  the  most  exacting  patriot.  .  .  . 

"  We  arrived  and  anchored  in  Valentia  Bay  on  the  even- 
ing of  the  4th,  but  at  too  late  an  hour  to  commence  opera- 
tions other  than  I  have  described.  The  work  of  landing  the 
shore  part  of  the  cabie  was  deferred,  therefore,  until  the  fol- 
lowing morning  at  eight  o'clock.  .  .  . 

"On  the  shore  there  were  about  two  thousand  persons, 
the  whole  population  of  the  place  and  large  contributions 
from  miles  around,  waiting  there  from  seven  in  the  morning 
till  seven  in  the  evening  for  the  arrival  of  the  fleet  of  cable 
boats  whose  progress  they  had  watched  with  so  much  anxi- 
ety and  impatience.  It  was  five  o'clock  when  we  started,  and 
never  before  was  such  a  scene  presented  in  Valentia  Bay, 
and  the  poorest  spectator  there,  though  he  could  not  tell 
what  strange  agency  it  was  that  lay  in  the  cable,  understood 
what  it  was  intended  to  effect,  and  his  face  beamed  with  joy 
as  he  lieard  his  comrades  say  that  it  brought  them  nearer  to 
that  great  land  that  had  so  generously  stretched  out  the 
helping  hand  to  their  starving  countrymen.  .  .  .  Among 
those  on  shore  are  the  Lord  Lieutenant  of  Ir^'land  ;  Lord  Mor- 
peth, of  anti-slavery  proclivities ;  Lord  Killsborough  ;  the 
Knight  of  Kerry  ;  and  nearly  all  the  gentlemen  connected 
with  the  enterprise.  But  here  comes  the  cable  in  the  hands 
of  the  crew  of  the  Niagara's  boat,  who  rush  up  the  beach  with 
it  dropping  with  water,  for  in  their  haste  to  carry  it  ashore 
thejT  have  to  wade  knee-deep  through  the  water.  Mr.  Cyrus 
W.  I(|ield  is  there  beside  Lord  Morpeth,  or,  as  he  is  now  called. 
Lord  Carlisle,  and  as  Captain  Pennock  comes  up  in  advance 
of  his  men  with  the  cable  he  introduces  him.     There  is  no 


THE   FIRST   CABLE  81 

time  for  the  passage  of  formalities,  and  the  introduction  and 
the  meeting  are  therefore  free  from  them. 

"  '  I  am  most  happy  to  see  you,  captain,'  says  Lord  Mor- 
peth, and  the  captain  most  appropriately  replies  :  '  This,  sir, 
is  the  betrothal  of  England  and  America,  and  I  hope  in 
twenty  days  the  marriage  will  be  consummated.' 

"The  crowd  now  press  around,  all  eagerness  to  help  in 
pulling  up  the  cable  ;  and  when  the  work  is  through  those 
who  have  been  fortunate  enough  to  put  their  hands  to  it 
show  the  marks  of  the  tar  to  those  who  have  failed  in  the  at- 
tempt, as  a  proof  of  their  success.  Bj'  dint  of  pulhng  and 
hauling  they  get  it  into  the  trench  in  which  it  is  to  be  laid, 
and  take  up  the  end  to  the  top  of  a  little  hill,  where  they  se- 
cure it  by  running  it  around  a  number  of  strong  stakes 
driven  fast  into  the  earth  and  placed  in  the  form  of  a  circle. 
This  is  the  centre  of  the  site  marked  out  for  a  house  in  which 
the  batteries  and  instruments  are  to  be  put,  and  which  will  be 
used  as  a  temporary  station  till  a  better  and  more  substantial 
one  can  be  erected.  When  the  cable  was  placed  here  and  the 
enthusiasm  of  the  people  had  somewhat  subsided,  the  rector 
of  the  parish  made  a  prayer.  .  .  . 

"  The  Lord  Lieutenant  of  Ireland  closed  his  speech  with 
these  words:  'And  now,  my  friends,  as  there  can  be  no 
project  or  undertaking  which  ought  not  to  receive  the  ap- 
probation and  applause  of  all  people,  all  join  with  me  in  giv- 
ing three  hearty  cheers.' 

"Three  cheers  were  given  with  a  will  ;  but  it  was  not 
enough,  and  they  cheered  and  cheered  until  they  were 
obliged  to  give  up  from  exhaustion.  'Three  cheers,'  said 
Lord  Carlisle,  '  are  not  enough — they  are  what  they  give  on 
common  occasions.  Now,  for  the  success  of  the  Atlantic 
cable,  I  must  have  at  least  one  dozen.'  The  crowd  respond- 
ed with  the  full  number,  and  cheered  the  following  :  '  The 
Lord  Lieutenant  of  Ireland';  'The  United  States  of  Ameri- 
ca';  'Mr.  Cyrus  W.  Field.'  Mr.  Field  spoke  as  follows: 
'  Ladies  and  gentlemen,  Words  cannot  express  to  you  the 
feelings  within  this  heart.  It  beats  with  affection  towards 
every  man,  woman,  and  child  that  hears  me ;  and  if  ever,  on 
the  other  side  of  the  water,  one  of  you  present  yourself  at 
my  door  and  say  you  had  a  hand  in  this,  I  promise  you  an 
American  welcome.  What  God  hath  joined  together  let  no 
man  put  asunder.' 

"  And  more  cheers  were  given  for  the  following :  For  '  the 
6 


82  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

sailor'  ;  for  '  Yankee  Doodle'  ;  for  '  the  officers  and  sailors 
on  board  the  ships  that  are  intended  to  lay  the  cable'  ;  'the 
Queen ' ;  '  the  President  of  the  United  States ' ;  '  the  Amer- 
ican Navj'.'" 

The  snn  set  on  the  evening  of  August  5th  with 
the  shore  end  of  the  cable  safely  landed,  but  the 
ships'  anchors  were  not  weighed  until  early  the 
next  morning. 

Five  miles  from  shore  a  slight  fault  occurred, 
which  was  soon  remedied. 

The  Knight  of  Kerry  sent  this  note  to  Mr. 
Field. 

"Valentia,  ^tJi  August,  1857. 

"My  dear  Sir, — Fearing  I  may  not  be  able  to  get  on 
board  the  Niagara,  i  write  a  line  to  thank  you  for  the  most 
valuable  gift  you  made  me  of  the  piece  of  cable,  as  I  have 
just  learned  from  my  friend  Crosby. 

"Yet  I  must  say  you  owed  me  some  compensation  for 
having  stolen  the  hearts  of  my  wife  and  children  and  of  every 
friend  whom  I  was  guilty  of  bringing  into  contact  with  you. 
I  believe  if  you  were  obliged  to  make  similar  compensation 
for  all  the  delinquencies  you  have  been  guilt}'  of  in  this  way, 
your  whole  cable,  great  as  it  is,  would  scarcely  suffice.  I 
know  the  inroad  you  have  made  into  the  Lord  Lieutenant's 
affections  would  require  a  long  bit  of  it.  I  was  sincerely 
sorry  to  hear  from  Crosby  that  you  were  again  suffering, 
but  I  reflect  with  satisfaction  that  probably  the  voyage,  even 
•with  its  accompanying  excitement,  is  the  best  remedy  within 
j'our  reach. 

"  Yours  most  sincerely, 

"Fitzgerald,  Kaight  of  Kerry." 

All  went  most  successfully,  and  although  the  ex- 
citement was  still  at  fever  heat  on  board  the  Ni- 
agara, the  probability  of  soon  meeting  the  Aga- 
memnon in  mid -ocean  and  following  her  to  the 
shores  of  Newfoundland  was  most  hopefully  dis- 
cussed, and  this  message  was  given  to  the  press  : 


THE   FIRST   CABLE  83 

"  Valentia,  Monday,  August  10,  4  p.m. 

"  The  work  of  layiug  down  the  Atlantic  telegraph  cable  is 
going  on  up  to  the  present  time  as  satisfactorily  as  its  best 
friends  can  desire.  Nearly  360  miles  have  now  been  success- 
fully laid  down  into  the  sea. 

"The  depth  of  water  into  which  the  cable  is  now  being 
submerged  is  about  1700  fathoms,  or  about  two  miles.  The 
transition  from  the  shallow  to  the  greater  depth  was  effected 
without  difficulty.  The  signals  are  everything  an  electrician 
could  desire.  The  ships  are  sailing  with  a  moderate  fair 
breeze,  and  paying  out  at  the  rate  of  five  miles  per  hour. 
Messages  are  being  instantly  interchanged  between  the  ships 
and  the  shore. 

"All  are  well  on  board,  in  excellent  spirits,  and  hourly  be- 
coming more  and  more  trustful  of  success. 

"William  Whitehouse,  Electrician. 
"George  S award,  Secretary." 


At  nine  o'clock  the  same  evening,  without  any 
apparent  canse,  the  cable  ceased  working.  At 
twelve  o'clock  the  electric  current  returned,  and  it 
was  with  a  feeling  of  intense  relief  that  all  went  to 
their  berths.  This  satisfaction  was  short  lived.  At 
a  quarter  before  four  came  the  cry,  ''Stop  her! 
back  her  I"  and  then  the  words,  "  The  cable  has 
parted." 

The  flags  of  the  ship  were  put  at  half-mast,  and 
the  fleet  returned  to  Valentia. 

This  expedition  had  cost  the  Atlantic  Telegraph 
Company  $500,000,  and  on  August  25th  Eobert 
Stephenson  wrote :  "  The  Atlantic  cable  question  is 
a  far  more  difficult  matter  than  those  who  have  un- 
dertaken it  are  disposed  to  believe.  The  subject 
has  occupied  much  of  my  thoughts,  and  as  yet  I 
must  confess  I  do  not  see  my  way  through  it.  Be- 
fore the  ships  left  this  country  with  the  cable  I 
publicly  predicted  as  soon  as  they  got  into  deep 


84  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

water  a  signal   failure.      It  was   in  fact   inevita- 
ble." 

The  first  words  of  greeting  were  more  cheering  : 

"  Valentia,  litJi  August,  1857. 
"My  dear  Sir, — In  all  our  disappoiutmeut  at  the  temporary 
check  of  the  cable,  our  first  thought  has  been  about  you. 
But  I  was  very  glad  to  hear  yesterday  from  the  officers  of 
the  Cyclops  that  you  were,  as  indeed  I  miglit  have  judged 
from  your  character,  plucky  aud  well.  It  is  a  great  comfort 
to  thiuk  that  the  experience  that  has  been  obtained  in  this, 
the  first  attempt,  must  immensely  improve  the  chances  of 
success  on  the  next  occasion.  All  here  desire  to  be  aflfeclion- 
aiely  remembered  to  you. 

"Ever  yours,  very  sincerely, 

"Fitzgerald,  Knight  of  Kerry." 

It  was  not  proposed  to  abandon  the  enterprise, 
but  to  postp'one  work  for  a  year.  The  sliijis  dis- 
charged their  freight  of  cable,  and  the  Niagara 
returned  to  America,  and  before  Mr.  Field  left 
England  the  directors  A'oted  to  increase  the  capital 
of  the  company  and  to  order  seven  hundred  miles 
of  new  cable. 

The  news  that  met  him  upon  his  arrival  at  New 
York  was  most  depressing. 

The  panic  of  1857  had  just  swept  over  the  coun- 
try, and  while  he  Avas  at  sea  his  firm  suspended, 
OAving  over  six  hundred  thousand  dollars,  and  with 
debts  due  to  it,  from  firms  which  had  already  sus- 
pended, of  between  three  and  four  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars.  He  settled  at  once  with  his  creditors, 
by  giving  them  goods  from  his  store,  or  notes  for 
the  amount  in  full  at  twelve,  eighteen,  or  twenty- 
four  months,  with  seven  per  cent,  interest  added. 
The  first  notes  were  paid  at  maturity  and  the  other 


THE   FIRST   CABLE  85 

two  some  months  before  they  Avere  due,  the  hold- 
ers discounting  the  interest. 

On  the  21st  of  ISTovember,  1857,  Professor  Fran- 
cis Lieber  wrote : 

"  I  wish  to  possess  all  the  materials  I  can  procure  regard- 
ing the  history  and  statistics  of  the  subatlantic  telegraph. 
It  will  be  the  most  striking  illustration  of  the  increasing  ten- 
dency of  all  civilization,  that  of  uniting  what  was  separate, 
and  of  the  pervading  principle  in  the  household  of  humanity, 
that  of  mutual  dependence.  May  Heaven  bless  your  under- 
taking, and  may  the  next  months  of  June  or  July  bring  us 
the  first  message  from  old  England,  outrunning  the  sun  by 
five  hours  and  a  half." 

The  Secretary  of  the  Navy  said  to  him  in  j^arting 
on  the  30th  of  December,  "  There,  I  have  given 
you  all  you  asked."  This  was  that  the  Niagara 
and  the  Susquelianna  might  form  part  of  the  cable 
expedition  of  1858,  and  that  Mr.  William  E.  Everett 
might  again  fill  the  position  of  chief  engineer. 

On  the  evening  of  December  31st  Professor 
Lieber  wrote  :  ''  This  may  be  the  last  letter  or  note 
I  write  in  the  old  year,  and  I  cannot  conclude  it 
without  wishing  from  all  my  heart  that 

MDCCCLVIII 
may  be  called  in  the  future  school  chronologies  the 
telegraph  year." 


CHAPTER  VII 

A  FLEETING   TRIUMPH 

(1858) 

In  the  fall  of  1857  the  directors  of  the  Atlantic 
Telegraph  Company,  realizing  that  it  would  be  to 
their  advantage  to  have  Mr.  Field  take  general 
charge  and  super\  ision  of  all  the  arrangements  and 
preparations  for  the  next  laying  of  the  cable,  sent 
him  an  earnest  request  to  come  to  England.  It 
was  in  response  to  this  that  he  sailed  on  the  6th 
of  January,  1858,  in  the  steamship  Persia,  arriving 
in  England  on  the  16th.  On  the  27th  the  com- 
pany passed  resolutions  offering  him  one  thousand 
pounds  besides  his  travelling  expenses.  This  he  de- 
clined, accepting  only  his  expenses. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  board  on  the  ISth  of  Feb- 
ruary the  following  resolution  was  passed ;  it  was 
offered  by  Mr.  Samuel  Gurney  : 

"That  the  warm  aud  hearty  thanks  of  this  company  be 
tendered  to  Mr.  Cyrus  W.  Field,  of  New  York,  for  the  great 
services  he  has  rendered  to  the  Atlantic  Telegraph  Company, 
his  untiring  zeal,  energy,  and  devotion  from  its  first  forma- 
tion, and  for  the  great  personal  talent  which  he  has  ever 
displayed  and  exerted  to  the  utmost  in  the  advancement  of 
its  interests." 

In  seconding  this  resolution,  which  was  unani- 
mously passed,  Mr.  Brooking    told  from  his  own 


A  FLEETING   TRIUMPH  87 

knowledge  of  what  "Mr.  Field's  most  determined 
perseverance,  coupled  wutli  an  amount  of  fortitude 
that  has  seldom  been  equalled/'  had  done  for  the 
company  in  Newfoundland  in  securing  to  it  the 
exclusive  right  to  land  on  the  shores  of  that  island. 
The  rej)ort  ends  with  these  Avords : 

"  The  directors  cannot  close  their  observations  to  the  share- 
holders without  bearing  their  warm  aud  cordial  testimony 
to  the  untiring  zeal,  talent,  and  energy  that  have  been  dis- 
played on  behalf  of  this  enterprise  by  Mr.  Cyrus  W.  Field, 
of  New  York,  to  whom  mainly  belongs  the  honor  of  hav- 
ing practically  developed  the  possibility  and  of  having 
brought  together  the  material  means  for  carrying  out  the 
great  idea  of  connecting  Europe  aud  America  by  a  subma- 
rine telegraph. 

"  He  has  crossed  the  Atlantic  Ocean  no  less  than  six  times 
since  December,  1856,  for  the  sole  purpose  of  rendering 
most  valuable  aid  to  this  undertaking.  He  has  also  visited 
the  British  North  American  colonies  on  several  occasions, 
and  obtained  concessions  and  advantages  that  are  highly  ap- 
preciated by  the  directors,  and  he  has  successfully  supported 
the  efforts  of  the  directors  in  obtaining  an  annual  subsidy 
for  twenty-five  years  from  the  government  of  the  United 
States  of  America,  the  grant  of  the  use  of  their  national 
ships  in  assisting  to  lay  the  cable  in  1857,  aud  also  to  assist 
in  the  same  service  this  year,  and  his  constant  and  assiduous 
attention  to  everything  that  could  contribute  to  the  welfare 
of  the  company  from  its  first  formation  has  materially  con- 
tributed to  promote  many  of  its  most  necessary  and  impor- 
tant arrangements.  He  is  now  again  in  England,  his  energy 
and  confidence  in  the  undertaking  entirely  unabated ;  and, 
at  the  earnest  request  of  the  board,  he  has  consented  to  re- 
main in  this  country  for  the  purpose  of  affording  to  the  di- 
rectors the  benefit  of  his  great  experience  and  judgment  as 
general  manager  of  the  business  of  the  company  connected 
with  the  next  expedition. 

"  This  arrangement  will  doubtless  prove  as  pleasing  to 
the  shareholders  as  it  is  agreeable  and  satisfactory  to  the 
director*. 

' '  By  order  of  the  directors. 

"George  Saward,  Secretary." 


88  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

His  friend  and  pastor,  the  Eev.  William  Adams, 
D.D.,  wrote  to  him  on  the  lOtli  of  March  : 

"My  dear  Friend, — I  do  not  know  whether  your  home- 
ward thoughts  ever  include  your  minister,  but  mine  very 
frequently  traverse  liie  sea  towards  you  and  your  noble  en- 
terprise. .  .  .  We  liave  all  watched  with  great  interest  the 
noble  bearing  of  your  good  wife  in  all  the  sacrifices  which 
she  makes  for  j'ou  and  the  cause  you  so  gallantly  represent. 
These  are  things  not  so  much  tliouglit  of  by  the  great  world; 
but  after  all  they  are  the  chief  elements  in  that  great  price 
which  we  are  compelled  to  pay  for  everything  good  and 
great.  .  .  . 

"The  Niagara  has  sailed,  and  now  all  ej'es  are  on  j'ou  and 
on  her.  By-the-way,  we  all  made  a  visit  to  the  noble  ship  a 
week  ago,  and  iilled  her  full  with  a  cargo  of  blessings  and 
good  wishes.  .  .  . 

"  We  watch  the  papers  with  great  interest  to  find  any- 
thing which  bears  on  the  success  of  j'our  undertaking ;  and 
feel  a  personal  and  national  pride  at  every  mention  which 
reflects  honor  on  you  and  your  laudable  exertions.  .  .  . 

"  With  every  good  wish  for  you  personally  and  for  your 
great  undertaking,  I  am, 

"Yours  very  sincerely, 

"  W.  Adams." 

The  difficulties  encountered  by  the  Newfound- 
land and  the  Atlantic  Cable  Companies  will  be  best 
understood  by  giving  part  of  a  letter  from  Mr. 
(later  known  as  Sir)  Edward  Archibald  : 

"  New  York,  March  30,  1858. 

"  My  dear  Mr.  Field, — I  am  in  receipt  of  yours  of  the  11th. 
I  did  not  write  you  by  last  mail,  as  I  had  no  further  intelli- 
gence to  communicate. 

"  Since  I  last  wrote  Hyde  has  been  here  and  returned 
again  to  Nova  Scotia.  I  conferred  with  him,  and  have  been 
in  correspondence  witli  our  friends  at  Halifax  as  to  what 
was  best  to  be  done  to  avert  the  threatened  loss  of  our  ex- 
clusive privileges  ;  for  the  bill  is  noi  finally  disallowed,  and 
I  do  think  that  if  a  deputation  of  your  directors  waited 
on  Lord  Stanley  and  brought  the  matter  under  the  recon- 


A  FLEETIXG   TRIUMPH  89 

sideration  of  Her  Majest3''s  government  we  migbt  yet  suc- 
ceed in  inducing  tliem  to  confirm  tlie  act.  The  ground  on 
which  I  based  our  claim  to  the  exclusive  right  in  Nova 
Scotia  was  that  our  project,  being  in  the  nature  of  an  inven- 
tion (for  its  practicability  is  not  yet  fully  tested),  an  inven- 
tion of  a  most  costlj'  nature,  in  perfecting  which  an  expen- 
diture exceeding  perhaps  twice  or  thrice  the  estimated  cost 
might  have  to  be  incurred,  we  were  justly  entitled  to  such 
protection  in  the  nature  of  a  patent  right,  for  a  limited 
period,  as  would  secure  to  us  the  reimbursement  of  the  out- 
lay and  a  fair  remuneration  for  risk  incurred,  and  that  oth- 
ers who  might  lie  by  until  we  iiad,  after  repeated  failures, 
achieved  success,  ought  not  (availing  themselves  of  all  our 
experience  and  expenditure)  to  be  allowed /c*/'  a  certain  period 
to  come  into  competition  with  us.  Such  a  privilege  as  this, 
moreover,  could  not  be  abused,  inasmuch  as  the  public  who 
are  to  use  the  telegraph  (represented  by  the  governments  of 
Great  Britain  and  the  United  States)  reserve  to  themselves 
the  right  to  regulate  the  tolls. 

"A  telegraph  under  the  Atlantic  Ocean  is  vastly  different 
from  a  submarine  telegraph  between  England  and  the  Conti- 
nent. It  is  in  effect  an  invention  (if  it  succeeds)  and  entitled 
to  the  same  protection,  at  least,  as  would  be  granted  to  the 
invention  of  a  new  mode  of  propelling  ships,  or  as  is  granted 
everj'  day  to  the  fabrication  of  such  trifles  as  patent  boot- 
jacks or  corkscrews. 

"I  really  think  that,  as  there  is  a,  locus  'penitentice  and  a 
new  administration,  it  may  be  well  to  have  an  interview 
with  the  colonial  secretary  on  the  subject.  .  .   . 

"My  wife  and  family  are  fairly  well.     They  unite  in  kind 
regards  to  you  and  ardent  wishes  for  your  success. 
"Most  truly  yours, 

"E.  M.  Archibald." 

This  subject  seems  to  have  been  often  agitated 
during  the  years  that  follow.  On  April  25th,  1862, 
Mr.  Field  writes  to  Mr.  Saward : 

"  Allow  me  to  introduce  to  you  mj'  esteemed  friend,  E. 
M.  Archibald,  Esq.,  H.M.  consul  for  New  York.  Mr.  Archi- 
bald was  one  of  the  earliest,  and  has  proved  himself  one  of 
the  best  friends  of  the  Atlantic  telegraph.  ,  .  ,  ^Ir,  Archibald 
can  give  you  much  valuable  information  in  regard  to  New- 


90  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

foundland  and  all  the  British  North  American  provinces, 
and  be  of  great  service  to  you  in  your  negotiations  with  the 
English  government. 

"  Mr.  Jesse  Hoyt  telegraphs  me  from  Halifax  that  fifty 
memorials  to  Lord  Palmerston  infavor  of  government  giving 
aid  to  the  Atlantic  Telegraph  Company  have  already  been 
forwarded  from  Nova  Scotia,  and  that  more  will  go.  I  have 
l)eeu  writing  yesterday  and  today  to  my  friends  in  Canada, 
Prince  Edward  Island,  New  Brunswick,  Nova  Scotia,  and 
Newfoundland,  urging  them  to  get  up  and  send  petitions  to 
the  English  government  in  our  favor.  .  .  .  We  can  and  we 
will  succeed  in  connecting  Ireland  and  Newfoundland  by 
means  of  a  good  submarine  telegraph  cable." 

Shortly  after  the  United  States  frigate  Xiagara 
sailed  for  England  a  New  York  paper  published 
this  short  notice  : 

"  She  goes  not  to  assist  in  the  assertion  of  resisted  claims, 
in  the  vindication  of  outraged  rights.  Her  task  is  a  more 
peaceful  and  a  more  glorious  one.  She  leaves  our  shores  on 
a  mission  of  fraternity  and  good-will — the  harbinger  of 
union  and  brotherhood  amongst  nations,  and  one  of  the 
chief  agents  in  an  enterprise  which  is  destined  to  do  more 
towards  the  realization  of  a  millennium  of  love  amongst  meu 
than  the  efforts  of  ail  the  diplomatists  and  missionaries  are 
ever  likely  to  accomplish." 

April  and  part  of  May  were  spent  in  preparation 
and  putting  the  cable  on  board  the  two  ships.  On 
May  29th  the  fleet  left  for  a  trial  trip  in  the  Bay 
of  Biscay,  and  on  the  10th  of  June  set  sail  from 
Plymouth  to  meet  again  in  mid-ocean. 

On  Xovember  1, 185G,  Mr.  Field  had  suggested  : 

"The  two  ends  of  the  cable  having  been  carefully  joined 
together,  the  vessels  will  start  in  opposite  directions,  one 
towards  Ireland  and  the  other  towards  NewfoumUand,  un- 
coiling the  cable  and  exchanging  signals  through  it  from 
ship  to  ship  as  they  proceed.  By  this  means  the  period  or- 
dinarily required  for  traversing  the  distance  between  the 
two  coasts  will  be  lessened  by  one-half,  each  vessel  having 


A  FLEETING   TRIUMPH  91 

only  to  cover  eight  liundred  and  twenty  nautical  miles  in 
order  to  finish  the  task  assigned  to  it.  '  It  is  expected  that 
the  operation  of  laying  the  cable  will  be  completed  in  about 
eight  days  from  the  time  of  its  commencement." 

On  Friday  the  25tli  of  Jmie,  after  encountering 
gales  that  at  one  time  amounted  almost  to  a  cy- 
clone, the  two  ships  came  together  at  their  strange 
trysting  place ;  but  the  splice  was  not  made  nor  the 
parting  said  until  the  afternoon  of  Saturday,  July 
26th.  In  making  a  splice  the  ships  were  connected 
by  a  hawser  and  lay  one  hundred  fathoms  apart ; 
the  time  required  for  the  work  was  usually  two 
hours. 

Three  miles  only  were  laid  when  the  cable  caught 
in  the  machinery  of  the  Niagara  and  broke  ;  a  new 
splice  was  made,  and  again  the  ships  parted.  Then 
forty  miles  were  laid  and  the  cable  became  sitdden- 
ly  lifeless  and  was  reported  broken.  On  Monday, 
June  28th,  the  ships  met  for  the  third  time  in  mid- 
ocean,  and  without  waiting  for  any  useless  discus- 
sion they  spliced  the  cable  and  once  more  set  sail. 

One  hundred,  two  hundred  miles  of  cable  went 
safely  down  into  the  sea,  when  again  came  a  break, 
this  time  twenty  feet  from  the  stern  of  the  Aga- 
memnon. It  had  been  agreed  that  if  after  a  hun- 
dred miles  had  been  paid  out  a  new  mishap  should 
occur,  no  further  splice  should  be  made,  but  that 
both  ships  should  go  back  to  Ireland  ;  and  without 
loss  of  time  the  Niagara  turned  her  head  to  the 
east  and  arrived  at  Valentia  on  July  5th.  This 
agreement  had  been  made  on  June  28th,  and  it  was 
a  formal  one,  and  was  on  account  of  the  small 
amount  of  coal  carried  by  the  Agamemnon. 

The  Board  of  Directors  met  in  London,  and  word 


92  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

was  sent  to  Ireland  that  it  was  proposed  to  '^  aban- 
don the  enterprise.'"  A  meeting  was  called  for 
Jnly  12th;  Mr.  Brown  (afterwards  Sir  William),  of 
Liverpool,  wonld  not  attend,  and  sent  this  note  : 

' '  Trenton's  Hotel,  July  12, 1858. 
"Dear  Sir, — We  must  all  deeply  regret  our  misfortune 
in  not  being  able  to  lay  the  cable.     1  think  there  is  nothing 
to  be  done  but  to  dispose  of  what  is  left  on  the  best  terms  we 
can.  "  Yours  very  truly, 

"Wm.  Browk. 

"The  Committee  of  the  Atlantic  Telegraph,  Broad  Street." 

Mr.  Brooking,  who  had  so  warmly  upheld  Mr. 
Field  at  the  meeting  in  February,  resigned  his 
oflEice  as  vice-chairman,  and  left  the  room  rather 
than  listen  to  the  request  that  another  attempt 
be  made.  But  the  counsel  of  the  majority  pre- 
vailed, and  on  the  17th  of  July,  Avithout  a  parting 
cheer  or  a  word  of  encouragement  from  those  on 
shore,  the  expedition  left  Ireland. 

On  Thursday,  July  29th,  in  latitude  52°  9'  north, 
longitude  32°  27'  west,  with  a  cloudy  sky  and  a 
southeast  wind,  the  splice  w^as  made  at  one  p.m., 
and  perfect  signals  passed  through  the  whole  length 
of  the  cable. 

Five  weeks  later  Mr.  Field  described  this  scene 
just  before  the  splice  was  made  : 

"  I  was  standing  on  the  deck  of  the  Xiagara  in  mid-ocean. 
The  day  was  cold  and  cheerless,  the  air  was  misty,  and  the 
wind  roughened  tlie  sea;  and  wlien  I  thought  of  all  that  we 
had  passed  through,  of  the  hopes  thus  far  disappointed,  of 
the  friends  saddened  by  our  reverses,  of  tlie  few  that  re- 
mained to  sustain  us,  I  felt  a  load  at  my  heart  almost  too 
heavy  to  bear,  though  my  confidence  was  firm  and  my  de- 
termination f xed." 


A   FLEETING   TRIUMPH  93 

On  the  evening  of  the  29th  the  Niagara  was 
fairly  under  way,,  and  already  the  5th  of  August 
was  the  day  determined  upon  for  her  arrival  at 
Trinity  Bay.  Signals  alone  were  used  ;  they  were 
constantly  passed  from  ship  to  ship,  and  were 
understood  by  the  electricians  on  board.  The  ex- 
pression "  the  continuity  is  perfect "  relieved  the 
minds  of  the  officers  and  those  interested  in  the  en- 
terprise, but  not  the  sailors.  The  Herald's  special 
correspondent  tells  of  this  conversation  : 

"  '  Darn  the  continuity,'  said  an  old  sailor  at  the  end  of  a 
scientific  but  rather  foggy  discussion  which  a  number  of  his 
messmates  had  on  the  subject — 'darn  the  continuity;  I 
wish  they  would  get  rid  of  it  altogether.  It  has  caused  a 
darned  sight  more  trouble  than  the  hull  thing  is  worth.  I 
say  they  ougiit  to  do  without  it  and  let  it  go.  I  believe 
they'd  get  the  cable  down  if  they  didn't  pay  any  attention  to 
it.  You  see,' he  went  on,  '  I  was  on  the  last  exhibition' 
(expedition,  he  meant,  but  it  was  all  the  same,  his  messmates 
did  not  misapprehend  his  meaning),  '  and  I  thought  I'd  never 
hear  the  end  of  it.  They  w^ere  always  talking  about  it,  and 
one  night  when  we  were  out  last  year  it  was  gone  for  two 
hours,  and  we  thought  that  was  the  end  of  the  affair  and  we 
would  never  hear  of  it  again.  But  it  came  back,  and  soon 
after  the  cable  bu«ted.  Now,  I  tell  you  what,  men,  I'll  never 
forget  the  night,  I  tell  ye  !  We  all  felt  we  had  lost  our  best 
friend,  and  I  never  heard  the  word  continuity  or  contiguity 
mentioned  but  I  was  always  afraid  something  was  going  to 
happen.     And  that's  a  fact.' " 

At  twenty-one  minutes  past  two  on  the  afternoon 
of  July  30th  the  Agamemnon  signalled  that  she  had 
passed  her  one-hundred-and-fifty-mile  limit,  and  at 
twenty-four  minutes  of  three  the  same  was  reported 
on  the  Niagara.  After  this  there  could  be  no  re- 
turn for  another  splice  ;  it  must  be  either  Trinity 
Bay  or  Valentia  for  the  Niagara.  A  new  compli- 
cation was  reported.     The  compasses  were  playing 


94  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

false.  So  soon  as  the  Gorgon  was  told  of  this 
she  offered  to  pilot  the  Niagara,  and  she  did  so  un- 
falteringly to  the  end,  Captain  Dayman  remaining 
day  and  night  on  deck. 

At  half-past  five  o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of 
July  31st  the  forward  coil  of  cables  on  the  main 
deck  was  exhausted  and  the  coil  below  was  at- 
tached. The  quiet  Avas  intense  while  this  change 
was  made.  Only  Mr.  Everett,  the  chief  engineer, 
was  heard  to  speak. 

At  other  times  it  was  not  so  :  games  were  played, 
sales  of  stocks  were  made,  and  the  telegraph  stock 
rose  and  fell,  varying  with  the  reports  received 
from  the  electrician's  room.  At  seven  a.m.  on  the 
morning  of  "\^'ed.lesday,  August  4th,  came  the  glad 
cry,  "  Land  ho  I"  and  at  half -past  two  in  the  after- 
noon the  ships  entered  the  "haven  where  they 
would  be." 

That  evening  at  eight  Mr.  Field  left  the  Niagara 
to  make  arrangements  for  the  landing  that  was  to 
take  place  the  next  day.  At  half-past  two  on  the 
morning  of  August  5th  he  waked  the  sleeping  oper- 
ators waiting  in  the  telegraph-house.  Bay  of  Bull's 
Arms,  with  the  words,  ''The  cable  is  laid."  This 
at  first  the  men  were  unwilling  to  believe,  but 
when  they  saw  the  lights  on  the  vessels  in  the  dis- 
tance they  dressed  and  came  back  with  him  to  the 
shore,  and  two  walked  fifteen  miles  with  the  mes- 
sages that'  were  to  be  telegraphed  to  the  unbe- 
lieving world. 

The  paying  out  of  the  cable  from  the  two  ships 
had  been  carried  on  with  such  regularity  that  the 
one  arrived  at  Valentia  and  the  other  at  Trinity 
Bay  on  the   same   day ;  by  noon   on   the  5tli  of 


A  FLEETING   TRIUMPH  95 

August  this  country  was  plunged  into  the  wildest 
excitement. 

These  messages  were  sent  to  his  wife  and  to  his 
father : 

"  TRmiTT  Bay,  Newfoundlakd,  August  5,  1858. 

"Mrs.  Cyrus  W.  Field,  84  East  Twenty-first  Street,  New 
York : 
"Arrived  here  yesterdaj'.     All  well.     The  Atlantic  tele-> 
graph  cable  successfully  laid.     Please  telegraph  me  here  im- 
mediately. Cyrus  W.  Field." 

"  Rev.  Dr.  Field,  Stockbridge,  Mass.,  via  Pittsfield  : 
"Cable  successfully  laid.     All  well. 

"  Cyrus  W.  Field." 

It  may  interest  some  readers  to  follow  this  mes- 
sage to  Stockbridge  and  see  his  family  at  the  time 
of  its  delivery.  His  wife  and  children  were  passing 
the  afternoon  quietly,  when  all  were  startled  by  the 
appearance  of  his  mother.  Almost  breathless  with 
excitement  she  exclaimed, 

"Mary,  the  cable  is  laid.  Thomas,  believest 
thou  this  ?" 

Not  a  word  was  spoken,  but  a  silent  prayer  was 
the  response. 

"  To  Cyrus  W.  Field  : 

"Your  family  is  all  at  Stockbridge  and  well.  The  joyful 
news  arrived  there  Tlmrsday,  and  almost  overwhelmed  your 
wife.  Father  rejoiced  like  a  boy.  Mother  was  wild  with 
delight.  Brothers,  sisters,  all  were  overjoyed.  Bells  were 
rung,  guns  fired;  children,  let  out  of  school,  shouted,  'The 
cable  is  laid  !  the  cable  is  laid  !'  The  village  was  in  a  tumult 
of  joy.  My  dear  brother,  I  congratulate  you.  God  bless 
you.  David  Dudley  Field." 

The  Evening  Post  announced : 


96  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

SUCCESS  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH  CABLE. 


ARRIVAL  OF  THE  KIAGABA  AND  GORGON  AT 
TRINITY  BAY. 


1950  STATUTE  MILES  LONG. 


NOT  A  SINGLE  BREAK  ! 


THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH  CABLE  IS  LANDING. 

And  its  leading  editorial  of  tlie  same  day  said : 

"Such  is  the  startling  intelligence  which  reaches  us  just 
as  we  are  going  to  press.  We  find  it  difficult  to  believe  the 
report,  for  recent  events  have  prepared  us  for  a  very  differ- 
ent result,  and  j'et  the  despatch  comes  to  us  through  our 
regular  agent,  who  would  not  deceive  us.  He  may  have 
been  imposed  upon,  but  that  is  quite  unlikely.  If  the  few 
coming  hours  shall  confirm  the  inspiring  tidings  and  the 
cable  is  landed  and  in  working  condition,  all  other  events 
that  may  happen  through  the  world  on  this  day  will  be 
trifles. 

"To-morrow  the  hearts  of  the  civilized  world  will  beat 
to  a  single  pulse,  and  from  that  time  forth  forevermore  the 
continental  divisions  of  the  earth  will  in  a  measure  lose  those 
conditions  of  time  and  distance  which  now  mark  their  rela- 
tions one  to  the  other.  But  such  an  event,  like  a  dispensa- 
tion of  Providence,  should  be  first  contemplated  in  silence." 

The  message  for  the  Associated  Press  was : 

"Trinity  Bay,  Avgnst  5,  1858. 

"The  Atlantic  telegraph  fleet  sailed  from  Queenstown  on 
Saturday,  July  17th. 

"They  met  in  mid-ocean  on  Wednesday,  the  28th,  and 
made  the  splice  at  1  p.m.  on  Thursday,  the  29th.  They 
then  separated,  the  Agamemnon  and  Valorous  bound  to  Va- 
lentia,  Ireland,  and  the  Niagara  and  Gorgon  for  this  place, 
where  they  arrived  yesterday. 


A   FLEETING  TRIUMPH  97 

"  Tliis  moruing  the  end  of  the  cable  will  be  landed. 

"  It  is  sixteen  hundred  and  ninety-eight  nautical  or  nine- 
teen hundred  and  fifty  statute  miles  from  the  telegraph- 
house  at  the  head  of  Valentia  Harbor  to  the  telegraph-house, 
Bay  of  Bull's  Arms,  Trinity  Bay. 

"For  more  than  two-thirds  of  the  distance  the  water  is 
over  two  miles  in  depth. 

"The  cable  has  been  paid  out  from  the  Agamemnon  at 
about  the  same  speed  as  from  the  Niagara.  The  electrical 
signals  sent  and  received  through  the  whole  cable  are  per- 
fect. The  machinery  for  paying  out  the  cable  worked  in 
the  most  satisfactory  manner,  and  was  not  stopped  for  a 
single  moment  from  the  time  the  splice  was  made  until  we 
arrived  here. 

"Captain  Hudson,  Messrs.  Everett  and  Woodhouse,  the 
engineers,  the  electricians  and  officers  of  the  ships,  and  in 
fact  every  man  on  board  the  telegraph  fleet  has  exerted  him- 
self to  the  utmost  to  make  the  expedition  successful.  By 
the  blessing  of  Divine  Providence  it  has  succeeded. 

"After  the  end  of  the  cable  is  landed  and  connected  with 
the  land  line  of  telegraph,  and  the  Niagara  has  discharged 
some  cargo  belonging  to  the  telegraph  companj',  she  will  go 
to  St.  John's  for  coals,  and  then  proceed  at  once  to  New 
York.  Cyrus  W.  Field.  ' 

Next  in  order  were  the  message  to  President  Bu- 
chanan and  his  reply : 

"U.  S.  S.  F.  'Niagara,' 
"Trinity  Bay,  Newfoundland,  J. z/^tms^  5,  1858. 
"To  the  President  of  the  United  Stales,  "Washington,  D.  C. : 
"Bear  Sir, — The  Atlantic  telegraph  cable  on  board  the 
U.  S.  S.  F.  Niagara  and  H.M.  steamer  Agamemnon  was 
joined  in  mid-ocean,  Thursday,  July  29th,  and  has  been  suc- 
cessfully laid. 

"  As  soon  as  the  two  ends  are  connected  with  the  land 
lines  Queen  Victoria  will  send  a  message  to  you,  and  the 
cable  will  be  kept  free  until  after  your  reply  has  been  trans- 
mitted. 

"  With  great  respect,  I  remain, 

"  Your  obedient  servant, 

"  Cyrus  W.  Field." 
7 


98  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

"Bedford  Springs,  Pa.,  August  6,  1858. 
"To  Cyrus  W.  Field,  Esq.,  Trinity  Bay: 

"  3/y  dear  Sir,  —  I  congratulate  j'ou  witli  all  my  heart 
upon  tlie  success  of  the  great  enterprise  with  which  j'our 
name  is  so  honorably  connected. 

"Under  the  blessing  of  Divine  Providence  I  trust  it  may 
prove  instrumental  in  promoting  perpetual  peace  and  friend- 
sliip  between  kings  and  nations.  I  have  not  yet  received 
the  Queen's  despatcli. 

"  Yours  very  respectfully, 

"James  Buchanan." 

Captain  Hudson's  telegram  is  given  as  it  was 
written ;  it  shows  his  simplicity  of  character  and 
warm  heart : 

"U.  S.  Steam  Frigate  'Niagara,' 
"  Bay  of  Bull's  Arms, 
"Trinity  Lay,  Newfoundland,  August  5,  1858. 
"Ml/  dear  Eliza, — God  has  been  with  us.    The  telegraphic 
cable  is  laid  without  accident,  and  to  Him  be  all  the  glory. 
"We  are  all  well. 

"Your  everalfectionate  husband, 

"  Wm.  L.  Hudson. 

"Mrs.  Captain  Wm.  L.  Hudson,  Mansion  House,  Brooklyn, 
New  York." 

Mr.  Saward  wrote  from  Eiigiand  immediately  on 
the  receipt  of  the  news  : 

"  Atlantic  Telegraph  Company, 
"22  Old  Broad  Street,  London,  August  G,  1858. 
"Ml/  dear  Sir. — At  last  the  great  work  is  done.  I  rejoice 
at  it  for  the  sake  of  humanity  at  large.  1  rejoice  at  it  for 
the  sake  of  our  common  nationalities,  and  last,  but  not  least, 
for  your  personal  sake  I  most  heartily  and  sincerely  rejoice 
witli  you,  and  congratulate  you  upon  this  happy  termination 
to  the  fearful  anxietj',  tlie  continuous  and  oppressive  labor, 
and  the  never-ceasing,  sleepless  energy  which  the  successful 
accomplishment  of  this  vast  and  noble  enterprise  has  entailed 
on  you.  Never  was  man  more  devoted,  never  did  mans 
energies  better  deserve  success  than  yours  have  done.  May 
you  ia  the  bosom  of  your  family  re;ip  those  rewards  of  re- 


A   FI.EETING   TRIUMPH  99 

pose  and  affection  which  will  be  doubly  sweet  from  the  re- 
flection that  you  return  to  them  after  having  been  (under 
Providence)  the  main  and  leading  principle  in  conferring  a 
vast  and  enduring  benefit  on  mankind. 

"If  the  contemplation  of  future  fame  has  a  charm  for  you, 
you  may  well  indulge  in  the  reflection,  for  the  name  of  Cjtus 
Field  will  now  go  onward  lo  immortality  as  long  as  that  of 
the  Atlantic  telegraph  shall  he  known  lo  mankind. 

"It  has  been  such  a  shock  lo  us  here  that  we  have  hardly 
realized  it  at  present. 

"I  really  think  some  of  the  people  who  come  here  don't 
believe  it  j^et.  .  .  . 

"In  haste,  yours  trul}'', 

"  George  Saward. 

"  Cyrus  W.  Field,  Esq.,  Gramercy  Park,  New  York." 

Dr.  Adams  wrote  : 

"  Medford,  August  7,  1858. 

"  My  dear  Mrs.  Field, — What  shall  I  say  to  you  ?  Words 
can  give  no  idea  of  my  enthusiasm.  As  your  pastor  I  have 
linown  somewhat  of  your  own  private  griefs  and  trials,  and 
the  sacrifices  which  you  have  made  for  the  success  of  your 
noble  husband.  Now  the  hour  of  reward  and  coronation 
has  come  for  him  and  for  you.  I  wrote  to  him  yesterday, 
directing  to  New  York,  to  be  ready  for  him  when  he  came. 
I  was  at  Andover  when  the  news  came,  in  company  with 
several  hundred  clergymen.  AVe  cheered,  and  we  sang 
praises  to  God.  I  was  so  glad  that  your  husband  inserted  in 
his  lirst  despatch  a  recognition  of  Divine  Providence  in  his 
success. 

'•  I  sprang  to  my  feet  ;  I  told  the  company  that  I  was  the 
pastor  of  Mr.  Field,  and  that  the  last  thing  which  he  had  said 
10  me  before  starting  was  in  request  that  we  should  jtray  for 
him  ;  and  then  I  had  an  opportunity  to  pay  a  tribute  to  his 
perseverance,  his  energy,  and  his  genius,  which  I  did,  you 
may  be  sure,  in  no  measured  terms. 

"Many  doubled  the  truth  of  the  news.  I  hastened  to 
Boston,  and  saw  the  superintendent  of  the  telegraph  wire, 
wiio  told  me  the  despatches  had  passed  from  ]Mr.  Field  to 
you  and  to  your  father.  This  satisfied  me  that  all  was 
right.   .   .    . 

"  We  think  of  nothing  else  and  speak  of  nothing  else. 


100  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

While  the  public  are  rejoicing  over  the  national  aspects  of 
this  great  success,  our  joyful  thoughts  are  most  of  all  with 
those  private  delights  which  are  playing  through  tlie  heart 
of  your  liusband,  his  wife,  and  ber  children. 

"  Tell  Grace  that  I  wish  I  had  been  Avith  the  boys  when 
they  ran  to  ring  the  bell.  T  would  have  swung  it  lustily, 
and  thrown  up  my  hat  with  them,  as  happy  a  boy  as  the  best 
of  them. 

"Please  tell  your  good  father  and  mother  that  they  are 
not  forgotten  by  me  in  this  general  rejoicing.  Your  hus- 
band's name  will  live  in  universal  honor  and  gratitude. 
God  bless  you  and  yours  in  all  times  and  in  all  ways ;  so 
prays 

"Your  affectionate  friend  and  pastor, 

"  W.  Adams. 

"A  letter  I  have  just  received  from  Professor  Smith,  in 
New  York,  saj's  :  'Genius  has  again  triumphed  over  Science 
in  the  success  of  the  Telegraph.' " 

These  extracts  are  made  from  a  speech  delivered 
at  Fishkill- on -the -Hudson,  New  York,  on  the 
evening  of  August  9th,  by  the  Eev.  Henry  Ward 
Beecher.  This  meeting  was  said  to  have  been  the 
first  public  celebration  of  the  laying  of  the  cable 
across  the  Atlantic  : 

"...  We  are  gathered  to  express  our  joy  at  the  appa- 
rent consummation  of  one  of  those  enterprises  whicli  are  pe- 
culiar, I  had  almost  said  to  our  generation — certainly  to  the 
century  in  which  we  live.  Do  you  reflect  that  there  are 
men  among  you  tonight,  men  here,  who  lived  and  were  not 
very  J'oung  before  there  was  a  steamboat  on  our  waters  ? 
Ever  since  I  can  remember  steamboats  havr^  always  been  at 
hand.  There  are  men  here  who  lived  before  they  beat  the 
waters  with  their  wheels.  And  since  mj  day  railroads  have 
been  invented.  I  remember  the  first  one  on  this  land  very 
distinctly.  It  was  after  I  had  graduated  from  college,  and 
I  am  not  a  patriarch  yei.  It  is  within  our  rememb'-ance  that 
the  telegraph  itself  was  invented,  and  b}'  a  mere  citizen  of 
ours  in  this  vicinity.  All  these  pre-eminent  methods  of  civil- 
ization and  commerce  and  economy  have  been  within  the 
remembraDr'e  of  young  men — all  but  one  within  the  remem- 


A  FLEETIXG  TRIUMPFI  101 

brance  of  quite  young  men.     Now  this  is  not  so  much  an 
invention  as  an  enlarged  application.  .   .   . 

"I  thouglit  all  the  way  in  riding  down  iiere  to-night  how- 
strange  it  will  seem  to  have  that  silent  cord  l3'ing  in  the  sea, 
perfect]}^  noiseless,  perfectly  undisturbed  by  war  or  by  storm, 
by  the  paddles  of  steamers,  by  the  thunders  of  navies  above 
it,  far  down  beyond  all  anchors'  reach,  beyond  all  plumbing 
interference.  There  "will  be  earthquakes  that  will  shake  the 
other  world,  and  the  tidings  of  them  will  come  under  the 
silent  sea,  and  we  shall  know  them  upon  the  hither  side,  but 
the  cord  will  be  undisturbed,  though  it  bears  earthquakes  to 
us.  Markets  will  go  up  and  fortunes  will  be  made  down  in 
the  depths  of  the  sea.  The  silent  highway  will  carry  it 
without  noise  to  us.  Fortunes  will  go  down  and  bankrupt- 
cies spread  dismay,  and  the  silent  road  will  bear  this  message 
without  a  jar  and  without  disturbance.  Without  voice  or 
speech  it  will  communicate  thunders  and  earthquakes  and 
tidings  of  war  and  revolutions,  and  all  those  things  that  fill 
the  air  with  clamor.  They  will  come  quick  as  thought  from 
the  scene  of  their  first  fever  and  excitement,  flash  quick  as 
thought  and  silent  on  their  passage,  and  then  break  out  on 
this  side  with  fresh  tremor  and  anxiety.  To  me  the  functions 
of  that  wire  seem,  in  some  sense,  sublime.  Itself  impassive, 
quiet,  still,  moving  either  hemisphere  at  its  extremities  by 
the  tidings  that  are  to  issue  out  from  it.  .  .  . 

"  We  are  called,  and  shall  be  increasingly  so,  to  mark  the 
advantages  which  are  to  be  derived  from  the  connection  of 
these  continents  by  this  telegrapiiic  wire.  To  my  mind  the 
prominent  advantage  is  this  :  it  is  bringing  mankind  close 
together,  it  is  bringing  nations  nearer  together.  And  I  augur 
the  best  results  to  humanity  from  this.  The  more  inter- 
course nations  have  with  each  other,  other  things  being  equal, 
the  greater  the  tendency  to  establish  between  them  peace  and 
good-will,  and  just  as  they  are  brought  together  will  they  con- 
tribute to  advance  the  day  of  universal  brotherhood. 

"...  That  which  is  spoken  at  13  o'clock  in  London  will 
be  known  by  us  at  8  o'clock  in  the  morning  hei"e,  according 
to  our  time.  ...  It  is  no  longer  in  her  own  bosom  that 
France  can  keep  her  secrets.  It  is  no  longer  in  her  own 
race  that  Russia  can  keep  her  thouglits  and  her  plans.  It 
is  no  longer  in  the  glorious  old  British  Islands  that  their 
commercial  intelligence  can  be  confined.  It  is  wafted  round 
and  round  the  globe.     In  less  than  an  hour,  whenever  this 


102  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

system  shall  be  completed,  the  world  will  be  enlightened 
quicker  than  by  the  sun ;  quicker  than  by  the  meteor's  flash. 
What  is  known  in  one  place  will  be  known  in  all  places ;  the 
globe  will  have  but  one  ear,  and  that  ear  will  be  every- 
where. .  .  . 

"I  scarcely  dare  any  longer  think  what  shall  be.  I  re- 
member the  derision  with  which  Whitney's  plan  for  a  rail- 
road to  the  Mississippi  was  hailed.  I  remember  there  was 
scarce  a  paper  in  the  country  that  did  not  feel  called  upon 
to  talk  of  tlje  advisability  of  sending  him  to  the  lunatic  asy- 
lum. I  remember  the  lime  wlien  tlie  project  of  a  steamer 
crossing  the  Atlantic  was  scientifically  declared  to  be  im- 
practicable. ...  I  remember  when  the  first  steamer  crossed 
the  Atlantic,  and  I  have  been  told,  though  the  story  may  be 
too  good  to  be  true,  that  the  first  steamer  that  made  the  pas- 
sage to  New  York  carried  with  her  the  newspaper  containing 
the  news  of  the  impossibility  of  making  the  voyage,  by  Dr. 
Lardner.  .  .  . 

"  While  thus  we  are  enlarging  the  facilities  of  action,  let  us 
see  to  it  that  we  maintain,  at  home,  domestic  virtue,  individ- 
ual intelligence — that  we  spread  our  common  schools,  that  we 
multiply  our  newspapers  throughout  the  land,  that  we  make 
books  more  plenty  than  the  leaves  of  the  forest  trees.  Let 
every  man  among  us  be  a  reader  and  thinker  and  owner,  and 
so  he  will  be  an  actor.  And  when  all  men  through  the  globe 
are  readers,  when  all  men  through  the  globe  are  thinkers, 
when  all  men  through  the  globe  are  actors — are  actors  be- 
cause they  think  right  —  when  they  speak  nation  to  nation, 
when  from  the  rising  of  the  sun  to  the  going  down  of  the 
same  there  is  not  alone  a  free  intercourse  of  thought  but  one 
current  of  heart,  virtue,  religion,  love  —  then  the  earth  will 
have  blossomed  and  consummated  its  history." 

Archbishop  Hughes  sent  this  note : 

"  Long  Branch,  August  26,  1858. 
"  3Iy  dear  Mr.  Field, — Under  the  blessing  of  Almighty 
God  you  have  accomplished  the  work.  But  your  merit,  if 
not  your  human  glory,  would  have  been  the  same  in  my  es- 
timation if  you  had  returned  to  us  what  they  would  call  a 
disappointed  man  in  whose  scales  of  judgment  enthusiasm 
had  preponderated  over  'common-sense.' 
"  Yours  faithfully, 

"  John,  Archbishop  of  New  York." 


A  FLEETIXG   TRIUMPH  103 

The  letters  which  follow  do  not  require  expla- 
nation ;  the  one  from  George  Peabody  &  Co.  shows 
that  Mr.  Field  did  not  profit  largely  by  the  suc- 
cess of  the  cable  : 

"St.  John's,  August 'd,  1858. 
"  My  dear  Sir, — Allov%^  me,  among  many  more  worthy,  to 
offer  you  my  very  siueere  cougrutuiations  on  the  successful 
completion  of  the  great  enterprise  which  you  have  labored 
with  so  much  and  such  admhable  perseverance  to  carry 
through,  in  the  midst  of  so  many  hinderances  and  discourage- 
ments. 

"  It  would  give  me  very  great  pleasure  if  you  would,  dur- 
ing your  stay  in  St.  John's,  make  my  house  your  home  or 
place  of  abode.  I  am  aware  that  you  have  many  friends  and 
engagements,  but  as  I  have  no  family  you  could  have  two 
rooms  entirely  at  your  disposal,  and  I  would  make  my  hours 
suit  your  convenience.  .  .  . 

"  I  am,  my  dear  sir, 

■'  Very  truly  yours, 

' '  Edward  Field, 
"  Bishop  of  Newfoundland." 


"  St.  John's,  August  18,  1858. 

"My  dear  Mr.  Field, — Allow  me  to  congratulate  j'ou  most 
sincerely  on  the  accomplishment  of  the  ^vonderful  work  you 
so  nobly  carried  out  in  the  midst  of  almost  insurmountable 
difficnlties. 

"  God  from  time  to  time  sends  men  like  you  and  Columbus 
for  the  good  of  humanity,  men  with  the  head  to  conceive 
and  the  heart  to  execute  the  grand  ideas  with  which  He  in- 
spires them.  Human  energies  alone  never  could  surmount 
the  difficulties  and  disappointments  you  encounteied  in  the 
projection  and  execution  of  this  gigantic  enterprise.  God 
destined  you  for  the  work  and  made  you  the  instrument. 
You  have  now  completed  what  Columbus  commenced,  and 
posterity  will  link  your  names  together.  That  God  may 
grant  you  many  happy  j-ears  to  witness  the  benefits  you 
have  conferred  r,n  the  great  human  family  is  the  sincere 
prayer  of  your  humble  servant  and  friend, 

"f  John  I.  Mullock." 


104  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

"  London,  10th  August,  1858. 

"  3It/  dear  Sir, — I  wrote  5'ou  by  last  mail,  since  when  all 
continues  favorable,  and  I  expect,  long  ere  you  receive  this, 
messages  will  be  regularly  sent  through  the  cable.  IMany 
things  remain  to  be  done,  and  there  is  a  great  want  of  effi- 
cient, practical  Avorkingmen,  as  j'ou  know,  in  the  board,  but 
Lampson  still  keeps  at  it,  and  all  will,  I  hope,  come  right  in 
the  end. 

"I  have  a  letter  from  ^Ir.  Peabod}',  who  says:  '  I  sincerely 
congratulate  all  parties  interested  in  the  great  project,  and 
very  particularly  our  friends  Lampson  and  Field.  In  the 
accomplishment  of  his  grand  object  I  can  onl}'  compare  the 
feelings  of  the  latter  to  Columbus  in  the  discovery  of  the 
new  world.' 

"I  hope  the  reaction  from  the  desponding  state  in  which 
we  parted  will  not  be  too  great  for  your  health,  and  now  I 
beg  of  you  not  to  forget  our  conversation  when  last  here. 

"The  market  for  s'lares  is  weaker;  several  have  been  on 
the  market.  I  sold  one  for  j-ou  at  £900,  but  could  not  go 
on.  To-day  they  liave  sold  at  £840  to  £850,  and  later  they 
were  firmer  at  £875  ;  but  seeing  how  the  market  was  I  with- 
drew and  would  not  offer  at  any  price.  If  I  am  able  to  go 
on  at  £900  or  more  I  shall  feel  it  for  your  interest  to  do  so 
to  a  moderate  extent,  for  I  feel  that  you  should  embrace  the 
opportunity  to  reduce  your  interest,  which  is  too  large.  I 
still  hope  to  sail  on  the  21st,  but  it  must  depend  upon  Mr. 
Peabody's  health. 

"  Most  trulj , 

"J.  S.  Morgan." 


Ariel.  "London,  lOtJi  August,  1858. 

"  Ctkus  W.  Field,  Esq.,  New  York, 

"Bear  Sir,— We  beg  to  advise  by  the  present  the  sale  of 
three  of  your  Atlantic  Telegraph  Company  shares,  viz.,  two 
at  £350  each  prior  to  the  successful  laying  of  the  cable,  and 
one  subsequent  thereto  at  £900,  less  brokerage.  The  first 
cash  3d  August,  and  the  remaining  two  cash  13th  Inst., 
which  please  note. 

' '  Yours  truly, 

"Geo.  Peabody  &  Co." 

In  the  life  of  Longfellow,  at  page  323,  is  given 
this  entr\  from  his  diary  : 


A  FLEETING   TRIUMPH  105 

"August  6tii.  Go  to  town  with  the  boys.  Fhigs  fljing 
and  bells  ringing  to  celebrate  the  laying  of  the  telegraph." 

And  on  the  l"2tli,  in  writing  to  Mr.  Sumner,  lie 
says : 

"  You  have  already  rejoiced  at  the  success  of  the  Atlantic 
telegraph  —  the  great  news  of  the  hour,  the  year,  the  cen- 
tur3^     The  papers  call  Field  '  Cyrus  the  Great.'  " 

These  words  express  the  feeling  that  joervaded 
the  whole  country ;  and  in  order  to  contrast  it  with 
the  days  and  months  that  had  just  passed,  this  arti- 
cle, published  in  the  Xew  York  Herald  of  August 
9th,  is  given  : 

"SUCCESS  OR  FAILrRE — A   CONTRAST 

"Many  terse  and  witty  things  have  been  said  and  written 
in  all  ages  to  siiow  the  difference  with  which  the  same  en- 
terprise is  viewed  when  it  results  in  success  and  when  it  re- 
sults in  failure.  We  have  never  had  any  better  illustration 
of  this  than  we  now  have  in  connection  with  the  great  enter- 
prise of  the  age.  After  the  first  and  second  attempts  to  lay 
the  Atlantic  cable  had  failed,  wiseacres  shook  their  heads  in 
sympathetic  disapprobation  of  ]\Ir.  Field,  and  said,  'What  a 
fool  he  was  !'  It  was  evident  to  them  all  along  that  the  thing 
could  never  succeed,  and  they  could  not  understand  why  a 
sensible,  clear-headed  man  like  Field  would  risk  his  whole 
fortune  in  .such  a  railroad-to-the-moon  undertaking.  If  he 
had  ventured  a  third  of  it  or  a  half,  there  might  be  some 
excuse  for  him,  but  to  have  placed  it  all  on  the  hazard  of  a 
die  where  the  chances  were  a  hundred  to  one  against  him — 
worse  even  than  the  Wall  Street  lottery  conducted  under 
the  name  of  the  Stock  Exchange — was  an  evidence  of  foil}' 
and  absurdity  which  they  could  not  overlook  and  for  whicli 
he  deserved  to  suffer. 

"Now  all  that  is  changed.  Midnight  has  given  place  to 
noon.  The  sun  sliincs  brightly  in  the  heavens  and  the  shad- 
ows of  the  night  have  passed  away  and  are  forgotten.  Fail- 
ures have  been  only  the  stepping-stones  to  success  the  most 
brilliant.     The  cable  is  laid  ;   and  now  the  most  honored 


106  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

name  iu  the  world  is  that  of  Cyrus  "W.  Field,  although  but 
yesterday  there  were 

"'None  so  poor  to  do  liim  reverence.' 

"The  wisencres  wlio  shook  their  heads  the  other  day  and 
pitied  while  they  condemned  him  are  now  among  the  fore- 
most in  his  praise,  and  help  to  make  his  name  a  iiousehold 
word.  Bells  are  rung  and  guns  are  fired  and  buildings  are 
illuminated  in  his  honor  tlironghout  the  lengtli  and  breadth 
of  his  land  ;  and  prominent  among  all  devices  and  first  on 
every  tongue  and  uppermost  in  every  heart  is  his  name. 
Had  he  not,  like  the  great  Brnce,  persevered  in  the  face  of 
repeated  failures  until  his  efforts  were  at  length  crowned 
with  success,  he  would  have  been  held  up  to  the  growing 
generation  as  an  illustration  of  liie  danger  of  allowing  our 
minds  to  be  absorbed  bj''  an  impracticable  idea,  and  his  liis- 
tory  would  have  been  served  up  in  plaj'  and  romance,  and 
used 

"  '  To  point  a  moral  or  adorn  a  tale.' 

"As  it  is,  the  nation  is  proud  of  him,  the  world  knows 
him,  and  all  mankind  is  his  debtor." 

The  ship  Niagara  left  Trinity  Bay  for  St.  John's, 
where  she  Avas  obliged  to  stop  for  coal,  on  August 
8th.  Immediately  upon  her  arrival  the  Executive 
Council  of  Newfoundland  and  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce of  St.  John's  presented  congratulatory  ad- 
dresses to  Mr.  Field,  and  the  governor  entertained 
him,  together  with  his  friends,  at  dinner,  and  a  ball 
was  given  at  the  Colonial  Btiilding.  On  the  11th 
of  August  the  Xiagara  sailed  for  New  York. 

The  country  was  impatient ;  twelve  days  had 
passed  and  not  a  message  had  been  received.  iS  o 
one  seemed  to  understand  that  a  wilderness  had  to 
be  opened  and  instruments  adjusted  before  it  was 
possible  to  use  the  cable  as  a  means  of  communi- 
cation betAveen  the  two  continents. 

It  had  been  decided  to  have  a  great  celebration 


A  FLEETING   TRIUMPH  107 

on  the  receipt  of  the  Queen's  message  ;  on  the  16th 
that  was  reported  as  coming  over  the  submarine 
wire,  and  early  on  the  17th  the  firing  commenced 
and  the  excitement  continued  until  the  18th,  when 
the  City  Hall  caught  fire. 

Churches  rang  their  bells,  factories  blew  their 
whistles,  and  in  the  evening  the  river  front  blazed 
with  bonfires  and  fireworks  flashed  across  the 
sky  ;  the  buildings  were  illuminated  ;  one  thousand 
lights  were  said  to  have  shone  from  the  windows 
of  the  Everett  House,  and  the  transparencies  were 
striking.  That  on  the  front  of  the  International 
Hotel,  on  the  corner  of  Broadway  and  Franklin 
Street,  was  eighteen  feet  by  thirty-one  ;  the  centre 
was  white,  with  fancy  letters,  and  the  border  blue, 
with  white  letters^  and  the  words  were : 


VICTORIA. 

All  Hail  to  the  Inventive  Genius  and  Indefatigable 
Enterprise  of 
;^  John  and  Jonathan, 

O   That  has  succeeded  in  consummatins  the  Mightiest  '^ 
^  Work  of  the  Age  f  ^ 

%     May  tlie  Cord  that  binds  them  in  the  Bonds  of      ^ 
f^  International, 

S  Friendsliip  never  be  severed, 

"^  And  the  Field  of  its 

^      Usefulness  extend  to  every  part  of  the  Earth. 

Let  nations'  shouts,  'midst  cannons'  ronr, 
Proclaim  the  event  from  shore  to  shore. 

BUCK  AN  AX. 


;> 


These  placards  were  in  the  windows  of  BoAven 


108  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

&    McNamee's,   corner    of    Broadway    and    Pearl 
Street : 


Queen  Victoria  : 

"Your  despatch  received; 
Let  us  hear  from  vou  affain." 


Lightuing 

caught  and  tamed  by 

Franklin, 

taught  to  read  and  write  and  go  on  errands  by 

Morse, 

started  in  foreign  trade  by 

Field,  Cooper  &  Co., 

with 

Johnny  Bull 

and 

Brother  Jonathan 

as 

special  partners. 


In  the  window  of  Anson  Eandoljih,  corner  of 
Amity  Street,  was  displayed  the  following  : 


The  Old  Cyrus  and  the  New. 

One 

Conquered  the  World  for  Himself, 

The  Other 

The  Ocean  for  the  World. 


Our  Field  is 
The  Field 

of  the  world. 


A   FLEETIXG   TRIUJirH  109 


July  4,  1776, 

August  16,  1858, 

Are  the  da.ys  we  celebrate. 


The  Manhattan  Hotel  was  splendidly  decorated 
Avith  colored  lights  and  flags  of  all  nations.  On  a 
transparency  was  the  following  inscription  ; 


Married,  August,  1858, 

by 

CYRUS  W.  FIELD, 

OLD   IRELAND   AND   MISS   YOUNG   AMERICA. 

"May  their  lioneymoon  last  forever." 


The  Tribune  describes  this  procession  : 

"Tlie  workmen  upon  the  Central  Park  and  tlie  workmen 
on  the  new  Croton  reservoir  made  a  novel  parade,  and  after 
marching  through  the  principal  streets  were  reviewed  by 
Mayor  Tiemann  in  front  of  the  City  Hall. 

"The  procession  was  lieaded  by  a  squad  of  the  Central 
Park  police  in  full  uniform;  then  came  a  full  brass  band 
and  a  standard-bearer  with  a  wliite  muslin  banner  ou  which 
was  inscribed  : 


Tlie  Central  Park  People. 


"The  workmen,  attired  in  their  ever3'-day  clothes,  with 
evergreens  in  their  liats,  next  marched  in  squads  of  four, 
each  gang  carrying  a  banner  with  the  name  of  their  boss- 
workmen  inscribed  thereon.  In  the  line  of  the  procession 
were  several  four-liorse  teams  drawing  wagons  in  wliich 
were  the  workmen  in  tlie  engineer's  department.  On  the 
sides  of  the  vehicles  were  muslin  banners  with  tlie  words: 


110  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 


Engineer  Corps. 


"The  reservoir  ^vorkmen  were  a  h.ardy-lonkingsetof  men, 
and  M-ere  fair  specimens  of  tlie  laborers  of  New  York. 

"  Tlie  procession  filled  Broiidwa}'  from  Union  Square  to  the 
Park,  and,  as  it  was  altogether  iinexpected,  it  created  no 
little  excitement  and  iuquirj".  If  all  the  men  and  teams  in 
this  turnout  are  kept  at  the  city's  Avork  we  shall  soon  see 
great  improvement  in  the  new  park.   .   .   . 

"  The  procession  was  composed  of  eleven  hundred  laljorers 
and  eight  hundred  carts  from  the  Central  Park,  under  the 
marshalship  of  Messrs.  Olmsted,  Miller,  Waring,  and  Grant, 
and  seven  hundred  laborers  and  carts  from  the  new  reservoir 
under  the  marshalship  of  ]Mr.  Walker,  forming  a  procession 
over  three  miles  in  length." 

These  same  workmen  presented  to  Mr.  Field,  the 
December  following,  a  joitclier  made  from  wood  of 
the  Charter  Oak. 

Before  the  Niagara  arrived  at  Xew  York  on  the 
morning  of  August  18th  Mr.  Field  prepared  his 
report  for  the  Atlantic  Telegraph  Company,  and  he 
had  it  at  once  posted,  and  Avith  it  his  resignation  as 
general  manager  of  the  company. 

'^  How  Cyrus  Laid  the  Cable "  was  written  by 
John  G.  Saxe  for  Harper's  Weekly,  and  was  pub- 
lished on  September  11th  : 

"  Come  listen  all  unto  my  song, 
It  is  no  silly  fable  ; 
'Tis  all  about  the  mighty  cord 
They  call  the  Atlantic  cable. 

"  Bold  Cyrus  Field  he  said,  says  he, 
'  I  have  a  prett}'  notion 
That  I  can  run  a  telegraph 
Across  the  Atlantic  Ocean.' 


A   FLEETING   TRIUMPH  111 

■■'  Then  all  the  people  laughed,  aud  said 
They'd  like  to  see  him  do  it  ; 
He  might  get  half-seas-over,  but 
He  uever  could  go  through  it  ; 

"  To  carry  out  his  foolish  plan 
He  never  would  be  able  ; 
He  might  as  well  go  hang  himself 
With  his  Atlantic  cable. 

"  But  Cyrus  was  a  valiant  man, 
A  fellow  of  decision  ; 
And  heeded  not  their  mocking  words, 
Their  laughter  and  derision. 

"  Twice  did  his  bravest  efforts  fail, 
And  yet  his  mind  was  stable  ; 
He  wa'n't  the  man  to  break  his  heart 
Because  he  broke  his  cable. 

"  '  Once  more,  my  gallant  boys  !'  he  cried  ; 
'Three  times  1— you  know  the  fable—' 
('I'll  make  it  thirty,'  muttered  he, 
'But  I  will  lay  the  cable  !') 

"  Once  more  they  tried — hurrah  !  hurrah  ! 
What  means  this  great  commotion? 
The  Lord  be  praised  !  the  cable's  laid 
Across  the  Atlantic  Ocean  ! 

"  Loud  ring  the  bells — for,  flashing  through 
Six  hundred  leagues  of  water. 
Old  Mother  England's  benison 
Salutes  her  eldest  daughter. 

"  O'er  all  the  land  the  tidings  speed, 
And  soon  in  every  nation 
They'll  hear  about  the  cable  with 
Profoundest  admiration  ! 

•'  Now  long  live  James,  and  long  live  Yic, 
And  long  live  galhint  Cyrus  ; 
And  may  his  courage,  faith,  and  zeal 
With  emulation  tire  us; 


112  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

"  And  maj'  we  lionor  evermore 
The  manl}',  bold,  and  stable, 
And  lell  our  sons,  to  make  tiiera  brave, 
How  Cyrus  laid  the  cable.  " 

On  the  20tli  of  August  Captain  Hudson,  Mr. 
Everett,  and  the  officers  of  the  JViagara,  were  en- 
tertained by  Mr.  Field,  and  from  the  balcony  of  his 
house  he  read  this  message  to  the  crowd  assembled 
in  the  street : 

"  Valentia  Bay,  August  19,  1858. 
"  To  Cyrus  W.  Field,  N.  Y.  : 

"  The  directors  have  just  met.  They  heartily  congratulate 
you  on  your  success. 

"  The  Againemnon  arrived  at  Valeutia  Bay  on  Thursdaj', 
August  5,  at  6  a.m. 

"  We  are  just  on  ;he  point  of  chartering  a  ship  to  lay  the 
shore  end.  No  time  will  be  lost  in  .sending  them  out.  Please 
write  me  more  fully  about  tariff  and  other  working  arrange- 
ments. Saward." 

He  did  not  forget  the  sailors,  as  the  following  in- 
vitation shows: 


COMPLIMENTARY  RECEPTION 

OF   THE 

CRE^W  OP  THE  U.   S.   SHIP    "  NIAGARA." 


Mr.  Cyrus  W.  Field  requests  the  jileasure  of  your  Com- 
j)any  at  Jiis  Entertainment  of  the  Crew  of  the  Niagara,  to 
be  given  at  the  Palace  Gardens,  at  10  o'clock,  tJiis  Evening. 
W.  A.  Bartlett,  for  C.  W.  F. 

Kbw  Tork,  August  25,  1858. 


From  one  of  the  newspapers  this  account  is  taken 
of  the  mf pting  held  before  the  recej)tion : 


A  FLEETING   TRIUMPH  113 

"Upwards  of  two  hundred  of  the  sailors  and  marines  of 
the  frigate  Niagara  assembled  last  evening  in  Franklin 
Square,  formed  in  procession,  and,  preceded  by  the  band  of 
the  North  Carolina,  marched  to  Cooper  Institute.  They  car- 
ried with  them  an  accurate  model  of  the  Niagara,  made  by 
one  of  her  crew,  which  was  gayly  decked  with  flags,  exactly 
as  was  the  noble  shi^D  it  represents  when  she  last  entered  our 
harbor.  On  arriving  at  the  Cooper  Institute  the  tars  were 
saluted  with  a  discharge  of  fireworks  and  the  hearty  cheers 
of  the  multitude.  .  .  . 

"  Cyrus  W.  Field  was  the  next  speaker.  He  was  evidentl}' 
a  great  favorite  of  the  sailors,  who,  it  is  said,  used  to  call  him 
on  board  ship  '  the  Sister  of  Charity.'  They  cheered  him  ex- 
travagantly when  he  rose.  He  made  only  a  short  speech, 
consisting  of  reminiscences  of  the  laying  and  landing  of  the 
cable,  and  the  gallantrv  and  faithfulness  of  the  crew  on  these 
occasions.  More  singing  and  more  cheers  were  followed  by 
the  entrance  of  Captain  Hudson,  who  was  greeted  with  the 
warmest  enthusiasm,  and  made  some  appropriate  remarks." 

On  the  26tli  Mr.  Field,  with  a  party,  left  for  Great 
Barriugton,  and  the  next  day  they  were  welcomed 
at  Stockbridge  by  Mr.  Field's  old  friends. 

Between  the  10th  of  August  and  the  1st  of  Sep- 
tember ninety-seven  messages  were  sent  from  Ya- 
lentia  to  Newfoundland,  and  two  hundred  and  sixty- 
nine  messages  from  Newfoundland  to  Yalentia. 

The  English  government  had,  by  cable,  counter- 
manded the  return  to  England  of  the  Sixty-second 
and  the  Thirty-ninth  regiments.  The  news  of  the 
peace  with  China  had  also  been  sent  to  this  coun- 
try, and  the  English  papers  of  August  18th  report- 
ed the  collision  between  the  Cunard  steamers  Ara- 
bia and  Europa.  This  statement  is  taken  from  a 
letter  written  in  Jtily,  1862,  by  order  of  the  Atlan- 
tic Telegraph  Company  and  signed  by  the  secretary 
of  the  company,  Mr.  George  Saward. 

The  1st  and  2d  of  September  wei'e  chosen  as  the 


114  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

days  for  a  "  General  Celebration  of  the  Laying  of 
the  Atlantic  Telegraph  Cable." 

In  deference  to  the  wish  expressed  by  the  rector 
and  vestry  of  Trinity  Church,  it  was  arranged  that 
the  first  day  should  begin  with  a  service  and  Te 
Deum  at  ten  o'clock.  In  the  absence  of  Bishop 
Horatio  Potter,  Bishop  George  AVashington  Doane, 
of  Xew  Jersey,  took  charge  of  this  service. 

Trinity  Church  had  never  been  so  gayly  dressed. 
"  The  edifice  was  decorated  from  the  steeple  to  the 
top  of  the  spire  with  the  flags  of  all  nations.  Around 
the  steeple  were  hung  the  flags  of  France,  Sj^ain, 
Prussia,  Austria,  Eussia,  Portugal,  and  other  na- 
tions, while  the  spire  about  three-quarters  of  the 
way  to  the  cross  was  decorated  with  the  Stars  and 
Stripes  and  the  Union  Jack."  It  was  this  incident 
that  called  forth  these  verses,  written  by  Bishop 
Doane: 

"  Hiing  out  that  trlorious  old  Red  Cross; 

Ilaug  out  the  Stripes  and  Stars; 
Tliey  faced  each  other  fearlessly 

In  two  historic  %Yars: 
But  now  the  oceau-circlet  binds 

The  Bridegroom  and  the  Bride; 
Old  England,  young  America, 

Display-  them  side  by  side. 

"High  up,  from  Trinity's  tall  spire, 

We'll  fling  the  banners  out ; 
Hear  how  the  world-wide  welkin  rings, 

With  that  exulting  shout ! 
Forever  wave  those  wedded  flags, 

As  proudly  now  they  wave, 
God  for  the  lands  His  love  has  blessed ; 

The  beauteous  and  the  brave. 

"But  sec,  the  dallying  wind  the  Stars 
About  the  Cross  has  blown  ; 


A   FLEETING   TRIUMPH  115 

And  see,  again,  the  Cross  around 
The  Stars  its  folds  has  thrown : 

Was  ever  sign  so  beautiful 
Flung  from  tlie  heavens  abroad? 

Old  England,  young  America, 
For  Freedom  and  for  God." 

At  one  o'clock  the  procession  formed  at  the  Bat- 
tery and  marched  from  there  to  the  Cr3^stal  Palace, 
then  standing  at  Forty-second  Street  between  Fifth 
and  Sixth  avenues. 

The  account  which  follows  is  from  the  New  York 
Herald  of  September  2d  : 

THE   CABLE  CARNIVAL. 


Achieved  is  the  Glorious  "Work." 


THE   METROPOLIS   O^'^ERWHELIIED   WITH 
VISITORS. 


Over  Half  a  Million  of  Jubilant  People. 
Broadway  a  Garden  of  Female  Beauty. 


A  BOUQUET  IN  EVERY  WINDOW. 

Glorious  Recognition  of  the  Most  Glorious 
Work  of  the  Age. 


REUNION   OF   ALL   THE  NATIONALITIES. 


THE  CABLE  LAYERS. 


THE  BRITISH  NAVAL   OFFICERS  IN  TOWN. 


The  Jack  Tars  of  the  Niagara  on  Hand. 
THE  BIG   COIL  OF   CABLE. 


***** 

SCENES  AT  THE  CRYSTAL  PALACE. 


THE   CITY  AT  NIGHT. 


116  CYKUS   W.  FIELD 

THE   FIREWORKS  IN   THE   PARK. 


THE  CITY  HALL   SAFE. 


Torch-liirht  Procession  of  the  Firemen. 


ILLUMINATIONS. 


Tlie  Colored  Lanterns  a  la  CJdnois, 
etc.,  etc.,  etc. 

"The scene  presented  along  Broadway  altogether  transcends 
description.  Ever}- available  and  even  unavailable  place  was 
secured  long  beforehand,  and  from  the  Battery  to  Union 
Place  one  was  obliged  to  run  a  gantlet  of  eyes  more  effec- 
tive and  more  dangerous  than  any  artillery  battery.  This 
display  of  female  beauty,  conjoined  to  the  great  array  of 
flags,  banners,  and  mottoes,  made  us  think  of  a  Roman  carni- 
val. To  the  pet  military  regiments,  the  Montreal  artillery, 
and  the  officer?  and  crews  of  the  Niagara  and  Gorgon  there 
was  given  a  most  splendid  greeting  all  along  the  line.  Every- 
where we  heard  cheers  for  Field,  Hudson,  Everett,  and  their 
British  coadjutors.  We  have  never  heard  a  more  cheerful, 
heart}',  and  cordial  shout  than  that  which  welcomed  the  gal- 
lant tars  of  the  Xiagnra  as  they  moved  up  Broadway.  .   .  . 

"The  crowd  upon  Broadway  was  so  great  that  tlie  mili- 
tarj"  had  much  difficulty  in  getting  through  it,  and  so  the 
procession  was  somewliat  retarded.  .  .  . 

"The  hour  appointed  for  the  interesting  ceremonies  in- 
side the  Palace  to  commence  was  half- past  four  o'clock,  but 
the  procession  did  not  arrive  there  till  within  a  few  minutes 
of  six.  By  that  time  there  were  about  ten  thousand  persons 
in  the  building  anxiously  awaiting  the  arrival  of  the  celebri- 
ties, whom  all  were  desirous  to  see  and  hear.  .  .  . 

"  The  crew  of  the  Niagara,  with  a  model  of  that  ship,  en- 
tered by  the  front  door,  and,  marching  up  the  centre  aisle,  took 
their  place  in  front  of  the  platform.  They  were  loudly 
cheered,  and  they  responded  in  true  sailor  fashion  by  cheer- 
ing  lustil}'  for  Captain  Hudson,  Mr.  Field,  the  mayor,  and 
almost  ever}'  one  they  recognized  on  the  platform.   .  .  . 

"At  night  one  would  suppose  the  crowd  would  lessen. 
Not  so.  The  illuminations,  the  fireworks,  the  many-colored 
lanterns,  and  the  general  gas  and  spermaceti  demonstrations 
gave  to  E"oadway  a  carnavalesque  appearance  which  it  is 


A   FLEETIXG   TRIUMPH  117 

almost  impossible  to  describe.  Beginning  with  the  clever 
design  of  the  New  York  Club  down  to  the  Park  there  was  a 
succession  of  illuminations  and  transparencies  of  every  pos- 
sible sort.  The  great  bazaars  vied  with  each  other  in  the 
number  and  variety  of  their  mottoes  and  designs,  both  for 
daj''  and  night ;  but,  passing  by  all  of  them,  we  were  especially 
struck  with  the  following  distich  on  the  side  of  a  car  : 

"  '  With  wild  huzzas  now  let  the  welkin  ring, 
Columbia's  got  Britannia  on  a  string.' 

"...  The  firemen's  torch-light  parade  concluded  the  day's 
festivities.  It  was  exceedingly  beautiful,  and  as  the  long  line 
moved  through  Broadway  surrounded  by  an  enthusiastic 
crowd  on  every  side,  and  liglited  by  thousands  of  torches, 
candies,  and  colored  lanterns,  one  might  easil}'  have  imagined 
himself  in  a  fairy-land.  It  was  long  after  midnight  before 
the  great  assemblage  dispersed,  and  even  then  the  streets 
did  not  resume  their  wonted  aspect.  .  .  .  Tiie  fact  is,  that 
an  avalanche  of  people  descended  upon  us,  and  Xew  York 
Avas  crushed  for  once ;  but  we  do  not  lay  Atlantic  cables 
every  day." 

On  the  2d  of  September,  at  seven  o'clock,  a  din- 
ner ended  the  celebration. 

"There  were  six  hundred  guests  who  sat  down  to  as 
sumptuous  a  dinner  as  ever  was  laid  on  any  great  occasion 
in  this  city.     The  bill  of  fare  was  laid  beside  each  plate  : 

MUNICIPAL   DINNER 

BY   THE 

COMMON   COUNCIL  OF   THE   CITY  OF   NEW   YORK 

TO 

CYRUS  W.  FIELD, 

AND   OFFICERS   OF 

IT.  B.  ^I.  Steamship  Gorgon  and  U.  S.  Steam  Frigate  Niagara, 

IN  COMMEMORATION  OF  THE 

LAYING   OF   THE   ATLANTIC    CABLE. 

METROPOLITAN  HOTEL,  SEPTEMBER  2d,  1858. 


OYSTERS  ON  THE  HALF- SHELL. 


118  CYKUS   W.  FIELD 

SOUPS. 

Green  Turtle.  Gumbo,  with  rice. 

FISH. 

Boiled  Fresh  Salmon,  lobster    Broiled    Spanish    Mackerel, 
sauce.  steward's  sauce. 

BOILED. 

Turkey,  oyster  sauce.  Leg  of  Glutton,  caper  sauce. 

ROAST. 

Young  Turkey. 
Ribs  of  Beef.  Lamb,  mint  sauce. 

Ham,  champagne  sauce.  Chickens,  English  sauce. 

COLD  DISHES. 

Boned  Turkey,  with  jelly.  Patties  of  Game,  with  truffles. 

Chicken  Salad,  lobster  sauce.     Ham,  sur  socle,  with  jelly. 

ENTREES. 

Tenderloin  of  Beef,  larded,  with  mushroom  sauce. 
Lamb  Chops,  with  green  peas. 
Chartreuse  of  Partridges,  ^Madeira  sauce. 
Forms  of  Rice,  with  small  vegetables. 
Timbale  of  Macaroni,  ^lilanaise  style. 
"Wild  Ducks,  with  olives. 
Breast  of  Chickens,  truffle  sauce. 
Soft-shell  Crabs,  fried  plain. 
Stewed  Terrapin,  American  style. 
Squabs,  braisees,  gardener's  sauce. 
Sweetbreads,  larded,  with  string-beans. 
Fricandeau  of  Veal,  larded,  with  small  carrots. 
Flounders,  stuffed,  with  fine  herbs. 
Reed  Birds,  steward's  sauce. 
Broiled  Turtle  Steaks,  tomato  sauce. 
Croquettes  of  Chickens,  with  fried  parsley. 
Tenderloin  of  Lamb,  larded,  poivrade  sauce. 
Pluvier,  on  toast,  Italian  sauce. 


Raw  Tomatoes.  Pickled  Oysters. 

Spanish  Olives.  Currant  Jelly. 

Celery. 


A   FLEETIXG   TRIUMPH 


119 


Partridges,  bread  sauce. 


GAME. 

Broiled  English  Snipe. 


VEGETABLES. 

Boiled  and  Maslied  Potatoes.     Sweet  Potatoes. 
Stewed  Tomatoes.  Lima  Beans. 


PASTRY. 


Apple  Pies. 
Plum  Pies. 
Peach  Pies. 

Plum  Pudding. 
Fancy  Ornamented  Charlotte 

Russe. 
Maraschino  Jelly. 
Fancy  Fruit  Jelly. 
Pineapple  Salad. 
Gateau.x,  Neapolitan  style. 


Pineapple  Pies. 
Custard  Pies. 
Pumpkin  Pies. 

Cabinet  Pudding. 
Peach  IMeringues. 
Madeira  Jelly. 
Puncli  Jelly. 
Fancy  Blanc  flange. 
Spanish  Cream. 
Swiss  ]Meringues. 


Champagne  Jelly. 


CONFECTIONERY. 

Meringues,  a  la  crSme,  vanilla    Savoy  Biscuit 

flavor. 
R().se  Almonds. 
Fancy  Lady's  Cake. 
Quince  Soufflee. 
Vanilla  Sugar  Almonds. 
Ornamented  ]Macaroons. 
Mint  Cream  Candy. 
Butterflies  of  Vienna  Cake. 


Variety  Glace  Fruit. 
Dominos  of  Biscuit. 
Fancy  Variety  Candy. 
Roast  Almonds. 
Conserve  Kisses. 
Chocolate  Biscuit. 
Fancy  Diamond  Kisses. 
Pieserved  Almond  Kisses. 


Vanilla  Ice  Cream. 


ORNAMENTS. 


Queen  Victoria,  of  Great  Britain. 

James  Buch.\nax,  President  of  the  United  States. 

Cyrus  W.  Field,  with  his  Cable. 

Professor  Morse,  as  Inventor  of  the  Telegraph. 

Dr.  Benj.\min  Franklin. 

The  operative  Telegraph  of  the  Metropolitan  Hotel. 

The  Niag.vra,  ^Manof-War  of  the  United  States. 

The  Agamemnon  and  Niagara  paying  out  the  Cable. 

Cyrus  W.  Field,  surrounded  by  the  flags  of  all  mitions. 

The  Coats  of  Arms  of  all  nations,  on  a  pyramid. 

Pocahontas,  with  real  American  design. 


120 


CYRUS  ^Y.  FIELD 


Temple  of  Liberty. 

Grand  Ornamented  Fruit  Yase. 

Temple  of  Music. 

Frosting  Tower. 

Sugar   Tower,    with  variety 

decorations. 
Flower  Pyramid. 
White  Sugar  Ornament. 
Fruit    Basket,  supported   by 

Dolphins. 
Fancy  Decorated  FlowerVase. 
Tribute  Temple. 
Pagodi  Pyramid. 
Scotch  Warrior,  mounted. 

Lyre,  surmounted  with 


Ethiopian  Tower. 

Floral  Vase,  decorated. 

Frosting  Pyramid. 

]\Iounted  Church. 

Pyramid    of   Cracking   Bon- 
bons. 

Chinese  Pavilion. 

Triumphant  Temple. 

Sugar  Haip,  with  floral  deco- 
rations. 

Variety  Pyramid. 

P'ancy  Sugar  Temple. 

Ornamented  Sugar  Tower. 

Temple  of  Art. 
Cornucopia  of  Flowers.   - 


Peaches. 
Pecan  Nuts. 
Grenoble  Nuts. 
Hot-house  Grapes. 


DESSERT. 

Almonds. 

Citron  l^Ielons. 
Bartlett  Pears. 
Raisins. 
Filberts. 
Coffee. 


Tlii.s  was  one  of  the  toasts  : 

"  Cyrus  W.  Field  :  To  his  exertions,  energy,  courage,  and 
perseverance  are  we  indebted  for  the  Ocean  Telegraph  ;  we 
claim,  but  Immortality  owns  him." 

Ill  his  rejAj  he  said  : 

'"To  no  one  man  is  the  world  indebted  for  this  achieve- 
ment ;  one  may  have  done  more  than  another,  this  person 
may  have  had  a  prominent  and  that  a  seiondarj-  part,  but 
there  is  a  host  of  us  who  have  been  engaged  in  the  work 
the  completion  of  which  you  celebrate  to-day." 

Mr.  George  Peabody  wrote  to  him  : 

"I  read  the  accounts  in  the  New  York  papers  in  celebra- 
tion of  the  great  event  of  the  year  and  age  with  great  inter- 
est, and  although  I  think  in  some  respects  that  they  are  a 
little  too  enthusiastic,  yet  so  far  as  it  regards  yourself  they 


A   FLEETING   TRIUMPH  121 

canuot  be  so,  for  if  tlie  cable  should  be  lost  to-morrow  j^ou 
would  be  fully  entitled  to  the  high  honor  you  are  daily  re- 
ceiving." 

As  lie  left  the  Battery  on  September  1st  a  cable 
message  was  handed  to  him  dated  that  morning : 

"  Ctrus  W.  Field,  New  York  : 

"The  directors  are  on  their  way  to  Valentia  to  make  ar- 
rangements for  opening  the  wire  to  the  public.  Thej'  con- 
vey through  the  cable  to  you  and  your  fellow-citizens  their 
hearty  congratulations  in  your  joyous  celebration  of  the 
great  international  work."' 

It  was  the  last  message  that  passed  over  the  cable 
of  1858. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

FAILURE   OX   ALL   SIDES 

(1858-1861) 

From  the  daily  press  and  from  Mr.  Field's  papers 
the  story  of  these  years  has  been  drawn. 

"  In  the  midst  of  all  this  rejoicing,  intelligence  came  from 
Newfoundland  that  t?;e  cable,  which  it  was  full}'  anticipated 
would  be  open  for  public  messages  in  a  few  days,  had  ceased 
working.  The  reaction  was  painful  to  witness,  after  the 
intense  excitement  of  the  past  three  weeks." 

That  it  had  become  impossible  to  send  a  message 
through  the  cable  was  definitely  known  in  London 
through  the  letter  given  to  the  Times : 

''September  6,  1858. 
"Sir, — I  am  instructed  by  the  directors  to  inform  you  that 
owing  to  some  cause  not  at  present  ascertained,  but  believed 
to  arise  from  a  fault  existing  in  the  cable  at  a  point  hitherto 
undiscovered,  there  have  been  no  intelligible  signals  from 
Newfoundland  since  one  o'clock  on  Fl•idaJ^  the  3d  inst.  The 
directors  are  now  at  Valentia,  and,  aided  by  various  scientific 
and  practical  electricians,  are  investigating  the  cause  of  the 
stoppage,  with  a  view  to  remedying  the  existing  difficulty. 
Under  these  circumstances  no  time  can  be  named  at  present 
for  opening  the  wire  to  the  public. 

"  George  Sasvard." 

Before  the  end  of  the  month  these  telegrams 
were  published  in  the  jSTew  York  papers  : 


FAILURE   OX   ALL   SIDES  123 

"Xew  York,  September  24,  18.j8,  12  >i. 
"  To  De  Sauty,  Trinity  Bay,  K  F. : 

"  Despatches  from  you  and  Mackay  are  contradictory. 
Xow  please  give  me  explicit  answers  to  the  following  in- 
quiries : 

"First:  Are  you  now,  or  have  you  been  within  three 
days,  receiving  distinct  signals  from  Valentia  ? 

"  Second  :  Can  j'ou  send  a  message,  long  or  short,  to  the 
directors  at  London  ? 

"  Third  ;  If  you  answer  '  no '  to  the  above,  please  tell  me  if 
the  electrical  manifestations  liave  varied  essentially  since  the 
1st  of  September.  Cykus  W.  Field." 

"  TRrs-iTY  Bay,  X.  F.,  September  24,  1858. 
"  C.  W.  Field,  Xew  York  : 

"  "We  have  received  nothing  intelligible  from  Valentia 
since  the  1st  of  September,  excepting  feeling  a  few  signals 
yesterday.  I  cannot  send  anything  to  Valentia.  There  has 
been  very  little  variation  in  the  electrical  manifestations. 

"  De  Sauty." 


"  Tri>'ity  Bay,  N.  F.,  Saturday,  September  25th. 
"Peter  Cooper,  C.  W.  Field,  W.  G.Hunt,  and  E.  M. 
Archibald,  New  York : 
"I  have  not  the  least  wish  to  -withhold  particulars  as  to 
the  working  of  the  cable,  and  until  I  have  communicated 
with  headquarters  and  ascertained  the  directions  of  the 
manager  of  tlie  company,  I  will  send  a  dail}'  report  of  pro- 
ceedings. We  were  not  working  to-day,  but  receiving  occa- 
sionally from  Valentia  some  weak  reversals  of  the  current, 
which,  when  received,  are  unintelligible. 

"C.V.De  Sauty." 


"Trinity  Bay,  N.  F.,  Saturday,  September  25th. 
"  C.  W.  Field,  New  York  : 

"  Your  message  received.  The  day  before  yesterday  com- 
menced receiving  current  from  Valentia  and  was  in  hopes 
that  I  should  be  at  work  again  soon  after.  So  I  informed 
^Ir.  Mackay.  Tiien  the  current  failed.  This  will  explain 
the  discrepancy  between  his  and  my  message. 

"C.  V.  De  Sauty." 


124  CYKUS  W.  FIELD 

On  the  last  page  of  the  "  Service  Message-book  " 
kept  at  the  company's  station,  Trinity  Bay,  this 
entry  was  made  on  the  30th  of  September  : 

"Receiving  good  currents,  but  no  intelligible  signals." 

For  a  short  period  there  was  again  a  feeling  of 
encouragement,  and  there  seemed  to  be  a  possibility 
that  the  electrical  current  was  not  lost,  and  a  full 
month  later  the  following  letter  was  written  : 

"  To  THE  Editor  of  the  Times : 

"Sir, — Eleven  r.  m.  I  beg  to  inform  j'ou  tliat  I  have 
just  received  the  annexed  message  from  Valentia,  Avhicli  has 
been  transmitted  by  Islv.  Bartholomew,  the  superintendent 
of  the  company  at  that  place.  It  would  appear  that  by  the 
application  of  extraordinary  and  peculiar  battery-power  at 
Newfoundland,  in  accordance  with  the  instructions  of  Pro- 
fessor Thomson,  of  Glasgow  (one  of  the  directors  of  the 
company),  it  has  been  possible  to  convej',  even  through  the 
defective  cable,  the  few  words  recorded  by  Mr.  Bartholomew 
in  his  message  to  me  this  evening. 

"This,  however,  though  encouraging,  must  not  be  regarded 
as  a  permanent  state  of  things,  as  it  is  still  clear  there  is  a 
serious  fault  in  the  cable,  while,  at  the  same  time,  it  is  not  at 
present  absolutely  clear  that  any,  except  the  most  extraordi- 
nary and  (to  the  cable)  dangerous  t-flforts  can  be  made,  more 
especially  on  this  side,  to  overcome  the  existing  obstacles  in 
the  waj'  of  perfect  working. 

"The  following  is  Mr.  Bartholomew's  message: 

"  '  Bartholomew,  Valentia,  to  Saward,  London. — I  have  just 
received  the  following  words  from  Newfoundland  :  "Dan- 
iel's now  in  circuit."  The  signals  are  vciy  distinct.  Give 
me  discretion  to  use  our  Daniel's  battery  reply.' " 

"  Immediately  on  receipt  of  the  foregoing  I  sent  the  neces- 
sary authority  to  use  tlie  Daniel's  battery  at  Valentia. 
"  Yours  truly, 

"  George  Saward,  Secretary. 

"  23  Old  Broad  Street,  October  20th." 

And  so  the  days  passed,  hope  alternating  with 
despair. 


CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

(From  a  Plinto(rrii|ih  by  Braily.  taken  in   I860) 


FAILURE   OX   ALL   SIDES  125 

It  was  in  writing  of  this  time  that  a  friend  said  : 

"  To  Mr.  Field  and  those  who  bad  labored  with  liim  for 
so  long  a  period  the  blow  came  with  redoubled  force.  The 
work  had  to  be  commenced  afresh  ;  and  Mr.  Field  felt  that 
an  arduous  duty  devolved  upon  him,  that  of  trying  to  infuse 
fresh  courage  into  some  of  his  friends,  to  overcome  the 
doubts  of  others,  and  to  fight  against  the  persistent  efforts 
of  llie  enemies  of  the  enterprise  to  injure  it  in  every  possible 
wa3^  His  faith  in  its  ultimate  success  was  still  unshaken, 
his  confidence  unbounded,  and  his  deteruiiuation  to  carry  it 
to  completion  as  firm  as  ever." 

On  December  15, 1858,,  Archbishop  Hughes  wrote  : 

"Our  cable  is  dumb  for  the  present  ;  but  no  matter,  the 
glory  of  having  laid  it  in  the  depths  of  the  ocean  is  yours, 
and  it  is  not  the  less  whether  the  stockholders  receive  in- 
terest or  not.  At  present  you  have  no  rival  claimant  for  the 
glory  of  the  project." 

It  was  in  strange  contrast  with  the  rejoicing  so 
soon  over  that  the  gold  snuff-box  and  the  freedom 
of  the  city  were  received  with  this  note  : 

"  M.wou's  Office, 
"Xew  York,  2d  August,  1859. 
"  The  Mayor  of  New  York  has  the  pleasure  to  transmit  to 
Cyrus  W.  Field,  Esq.,  of  New  York,  the  address  and  testi- 
monials voted  liim  by  the  City  of  New  Yorli  on  tlie  1st 
day  of  September  last,  in  commemoration  of  the  esteem  in 
which  his  services  were  held  on  the  occasion  of  laying  the 
Atlantic  telegraph  cable  connecting  Europe  with  America." 

"  Daniel  F.  Tiemaxn.  ' 

In  May,  1859,  we  find  him  in  London,  and  on 
June  8th  at  the  meeting  of  the  Atlantic  Telegraph 
Company,  when  it  was  decided  to  raise  £600,000 
with  which  to  lay  another  cable,  and,  if  possible, 
repair  the  old  one.  He  was  in  New  York  on  the 
)l'.)i\\  of  December,  1859,  and  it  was  then  that  his 


126  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

office,  57  Beekman  Street,  was  burned.  Among  his 
papers  this  mention  is  made  :  "  The  fire  which  made 
the  closing  da3's  of  1859  so  bhick  with  disaster  broke 
out  in  a  building  adjoining  Mr.  Field's  warehouse, 
which  destroyed  that  and  several  others.  Mr. 
Field's  store  was  full  of  goods  and  was  entirely 
consumed,  and  the  loss  beyond  that  covered  by  in- 
surance was  840,000."  The  evening  papers  of  that 
day  gave  an  account  of  the  fire,  and  at  the  same 
time  published  a  card  from  Mr,  Field  stating  that 
he  had  rented  another  office,  and  that  his  business 
would  go  on  without  interruption. 

Up  to  January,  1860,  only  £72,000  had  been 
subscribed  towards  the  new  stock  of  the  com- 
pany, and  the  directors  were  discouraged  at  the  lack 
of  interest  shown  in  the  effort  they  were  making 
to  secure  funds  with  which  to  lay  another  cable 
across  the  Atlantic.  The  government  had  guar- 
anteed the  Red  Sea  cable  and  it  had  failed,  and 
for  that  reason  it  refused  the  same  aid  to  the  At- 
lantic Telegraj)h  Company,  although  the  two  mes- 
sages sent  on  August  31,  1858,  had  prevented  the 
expenditure  of  from  £40,000  to  £50,000,  as  that 
was  the  amount  that  would  have  been  required  to 
move  the  two  regiments  that  had  been  ordered 
from  Canada  to  India.  The  report  to  the  stock- 
holders on  the  29th  of  February  told  of  the  attempt 
made  to  raise  the  shore  end  of  the  cable  in  Trinity 
Bay,  and  added : 

"  But  then  a  circumstance  occurred  which  is  extremely 
encouraging.  Nolwilhstanding  that  he  (Captain  Bell)  was  in 
one  hundred  and  seventy-live  fathoms,  he  found  no  difficulty 
in  grappling  the  cable  again,  and  he  raised  it  once  more  in 
the  course  of  half  an  hour." 


FAILURE   ON   ALL   SIDES  127 

This  is  the  first  time  that  it  has  been  siio^o-ested 
that  a  cable  might  be  grappled  for. 

A  bit  of  home  life  is  recalled  by  this  letter: 

"  Stockbridge,  March  3,  1859. 

"Bear  Son,  Cyrus,  — If  the  weather  be  fair  next  !Monday 
morning  your  parents  design  to  start  for  New  York  on  a 
visit  to  all  our  relations,  and  to  as  many  of  our  other  numer- 
ous friends  there  as  we  can  well  see. 

"I  believe  Mrs.  Brewer  and  INIaster  Freddy  are  expected 
to  be  with  us. 

"  Love  to  all  inquiring  friends.  Cold  weather  is  here,  but 
general  health  and  prosperity  prevails. 

"  Love  to  all  inquirers. 

"  David  D.  Field." 

Mr.  Seward's  letter,  which  follows,  is  evidently 
in  answer  to  one  written  by  Mr.  Field  in  which  he 
had  expressed  regret  that  the  nomination  at  Chi- 
cago had  not  been  given  to  the  candidate  of  the 
Xew  York  delegation  : 

"Auburn,  July  13,  1860. 

''My  dear  Friend, — Your  considerate  letter  was  not  neces- 
sary, and  yet  was  very  welcome.  A  thousand  thanks  for  it. 
I  do  not  care  to  dwell  on  personal  interests.  They  are,  I 
think,  not  paramount  with  me.  But  if  I  even  were  so  am- 
bitious, 1  am  not  like  to  be  altogether  successful.  If  the 
alternative  were  presented  to  a  wise  man,  he  might  well  seek 
ratlier  to  have  his  countrymen  regret  that  he  had  not  been, 
president  than  to  be  president. 

"  Faithfully  yours, 

"  William  H.  Seward. 

"  Cyrus  W.  Field,  Esq." 

Mr.  Field's  recovery  after  the  suspension  of  his 
firm  in  1857  was  much  more  rajiid  than  from  his 
previous  failure  in  business.  In  1859  this  was  inxb- 
lished  in  one  of  the  New  York  papers : 

""We  are  pleased  to  learn  that  the  house  of  Cj'rus  W. 
Field  &  Co.,  wiiich  suspended  payment  in  the  fall  of  1857, 


128  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

during  the  absence  of  Mr.  Field  iu  England  (on  business 
connected  with  the  Atlantic  Telegraph  Company)  have  re- 
cently taken  up  nearly  all  their  extended  paper,  the  pay- 
ment of  which  is  not  due  until  October  next,  and  have  now 
notified  the  holders  of  the  balance  that  they  are  prepared  to 
cash  the  whole  amount,  less  the  legal  interest,  on  presenta- 
tion. This  evidence  of  prosperity  must  be  gratifying  to  their 
numerous  friends." 

The  city  of  J^ew  York  during  October,  1860,  was 

entirely  given  up   to  the  thought  of  entertaining 

the  Prince  of  "Wales,  and  it  was  of  his  visit  that 

Mr.  Archibald  wrote : 

"British  Consulate, 
"  Xew  York,  October  20,  1860. 

''My  dear  Mr. Field, — I  have  really  been  so  pressed  with 
arrears  of  business  si  ace  my  return  on  Wednesday  ev^niug, 
and  still  am,  that  I  am  obliged  to  say  iu  writing  brieflj'  that 
which  I  should  prefer  to  do  personallj',  liow  much  indebted 
I  feel  to  you  for  your  valuable  and  kind  assistance  to  me 
during  the  prince's  visit ;  and  especially  on  Sunday  last  in 
reference  to  the  matter  of  the  Daniel  Drew.  .  .  . 

"  The  reception  which  the  prince  has  received  in  this 
country  has  not  only  immensely  gratified  himself  and  all  his 
suite,  as  it  was  well  calculated  to  do  ;  but  it  will,  1  am  sure, 
create  in  England  a  profound  feeling  of  admiration  for  and 
of  gratitude  towards  this  country,  the  effect  of  which  I  cannot 
but  think  will  he  verj^  beneficial  to  the  future  of  both  countries. 

"Although  I  was  sorry  to  part  from  the  prince  on  Wednes- 
day, I  cannot  tell  you  with  what  a  feeling  of  relief  it  was 
from  the  deep  anxiety  of  which  I  could  not  divest  mj'self 
during  his  sta)-  here,  lest  any  untoward  event  should  mar  the 
happiness  or  interfere  with  the  safety  of  himself  in  a  com- 
muuit}-  composed  of  such  heterogeneous  elements.  The  re- 
sponsibility iu  such  an  event  would  have  centred  on  myself, 
as  Lord  Lyons  never  having  been  in  Xew  Y'ork,  the  visit  to 
this  city  was  determined  on  in  piu'suance  of  my  represen- 
tations. I  thank  God  it  is  all  so  well  and  so  happily  over, 
and  so  vastly  more  successful  than  I  had  anticipated,  or  than 
any  of  us  indeed  had  expected. 

"Again  thanking  you  for  your  many  kindnesses,  I  am, 
"My  dear  sir,  yours  faithfully, 

•'E.  M.  Arciiibald." 


FAILURE   ON   ALL   SIDES  129 

The  rejoicing  was  followed  by  days  of  depression 
and  darkness.  A  financial  panic  again  swept  over 
the  conntry,  and  on  December  7th  Mr.  Field  writes  : 
''Made  a  hard  fight,  but  was  obliged  to  suspend 
payment."'  On  the  2?th  he  addressed  a  letter  to 
his  creditors.  After  giving  a  brief  summary  of  his 
business  experience,  he  said  : 

"  Such  a  series  of  misfortunes  is  not  often  experienced  by 
a  single  firm,  at  least  in  such  rapid  succession,  and  is  quite 
sufficient  to  explain  the  present  position  of  my  affairs. 
Against  all  these  losses  I  have  struggled,  and  until  within 
a  few  weeks  hoped  confidently  to  bo  able  to  weather  all  diffi- 
culties. But  you  know  how^  suddenly  the  late  panic  has 
come  upon  us.  We  found  it  impossible  to  make  collections. 
The  suspension  of  several  houses,  whose  paper  we  held  to  a 
large  amount,  added  to  our  embarrassment. 

"Thus,  receiving  almost  nothing  and  obliged  to  pay  our 
own  notes  and  those  of  others,  we  found  it  impossible  to  go 
on  without  calling  in  the  aid  of  privnte  friends,  and  running 
the  risk  of  involving  them,  a  risk  which  I  believe  it  morally 
wrong  to  take. 

"  I  thought  it  more  manly  and  more  honorable  to  call  this 
meeting  of  mj-  creditors  to  lay  before  them  a  full  statement 
of  my  affairs,  and  to  ask  their  advice  as  to  the  course  which 
I  ought  to  take. 

"  Thus,  gentlemen,  you  have  the  whole  case  before  you, 
and  I  leave  it  to  you  to  decide  w  hat  I  ought  to  do. 

"  My  only  wisli  is,  so  far  as  I  am  able,  to  pay  you  to  the 
uttermost  farthing.  I  shall  most  cheerfully  give  up  to  you 
every  dollar  of  property  I  have  in  the  world ;  and  I  ask  only 
lo  be  released  that  I  may  feel  free  from  a  load  of  debt,  and 
can  go  to  work  again  to  regain  what  I  iiave  lost. 

"  It  is  for  you  now  to  decide  what  course  justice  and  riglit 
require  me  to  pursue." 

His  creditors  accepted  twentj^-five  cents  on  the 
dollar,  and  jireferred  to  have  him  manage  his  affairs 
rather  than  "place  all  in  the  hands  of  a  trustee  or 
trustees  ;"  btit  in  order  to  make  this  payment  and  also 


130  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

the  amount  then  due  upon  the  stock  he  had  sub- 
scribed to  in  the  Kew  York,  Xewfoundland,  and 
London  Telegraph  Company  and  in  the  Atlantic 
Telegraph  Company,  he  placed  a  mortgage  upon 
everything  he  owned,  including  the  portraits  of 
his  father  and  mother. 
His  assets  then  were  : 

House  and  furniture,  123  East  Tweuty-first  Street  (lieavil}' 
mortgaged). 

Pew  in  the  Madison  Square  Presbyterian  Churcli. 

Stock  in  tlie  New  Yorli,  Newfoundland,  and  London  Tele- 
grapli  Company. 

Stocli  in  tlie  Atlantic  Telegraph  CompaDJ^ 

And  against  these  a  large  amount  of  indebted- 
ness. 

On  the  20th  of  December  South  Carolina  seceded, 
and  on  the  2Gtli  of  the  same  month  Major  Ander- 
son abandoned  Fort  Moultrie,  and  moved  his  small 
garrison  into  Fort  Sumter,  and  the  first  notes  of 
the  coming .  war  were  sounded ;  to  quote  from 
Dr.  William  H.  Eussell's  book  on  The  Atlantic  Tele- 
yrupli : 

"The  great  civil  war  in  America  stimulated  capitalists  to 
renew  the  attempt  ;  the  public  mind  became  alive  to  the  im- 
portance of  tlie  project,  and  to  the  increased  facilities  which 
promised  a  successful  issue.  Mr.  Field,  who  compassed  land 
and  sea  incessantly,  pressed  his  friends  on  both  sides  of  the 
Atlantic  for  aid,  and  agitated  the  question  in  London  and 
New  York." 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE     CIVIL     WAR 

(1861-1862) 

December,  1860,  had  ended  in  financial  disaster  : 
it  was  the  third  time  in  less  than  twenty  years  that 
Mr.  Field  had  seen  his  business  swept  from  him, 
and  yet  he  was  of  so  buoyant  a  disposition  that 
immediately  we  find  him  back  at  his  ofiice  and  very 
soon  at  work  for  the  advancement  of  his  great  en- 
terprise.    On  June  10th  he  wrote  to  Mr.  Saward  : 

"I  never  had  more  confidence  in  the  ullimate  success  of 
the  Atlantic  Telegraph  Company  than  I  have  to-day." 

And  Mr.  Saward  wrote  to  him  on  July  5th  : 

"Vast  improvements  in  everything  relating  to  the  struct- 
ure of  telegraph  cables  are  constantly  being  made,  and  in- 
quiry upon  the  subject  is  very  active.  We  are  becoming 
much  more  hopeful  of  a  good  time  for  the  Atlantic  com- 
pany. 

"Two  very  favorable  events  for  telegraphy  have  taken 
place  this  week.  First.  Glass,  Elliott  &  Co.  have  laid  with- 
out any  check  or  hilch,  in  a  very  perfect  condition,  a  cable 
for  the  French  government  between  Toulon  and  the  island  of 
Corsica  ;  and,  second,  the  same  firm  have  completed  in  pre- 
cisely the  same  state  of  efficiency  two-thirds  of  a  line  between 
Malta  and  Alexandria  for  the  use  of  tlie  English  government ; 
as  the  remainder  is  all  shallow  water,  the  event  is  certain." 

After  the  civil  war  becran  he  was  often  in  "Wash- 


132  CYKUS   W.  FIELD 

iugtou,  and  he  was  untiring  in  his  devotion  to  his 
country,  and  we  find  him  in  correspondence  with 
the  Secretary  of  State,  the  Secretary  of  the  Treas- 
ury, and  with  others  in  official  positions. 

June  11,  1861,  he  wrote  to  Colonel  Thomas  A. 
Scott,  then  Assistant  Secretary  of  AVar,  at  Willard's 
Hotel,  Washington,  D.  C. : 


"Pardon  nie  for  repeating  in  this  letter  some  of  the  sug- 
gestions which  I  made  to  tlie  President,  yourself,  and  other 
members  of  the  Cabinet  during  my  late  visit  to  Washington ; 

"  1.  The  government  to  immediately  seize  all  the  de- 
spatches on  file  in  the  telegraph  offices  whicli  have  been  sent 
from  Washington,  Baltimore,  Wilmington,  Philadelphia,  New 
York,  Hartford,  Boston,  and  other  cities  within  the  last  six 
months,  as  I  feel  confident  they  will  on  examination  prove 
many  persons  not  now  suspected  to  have  been  acting  as  spies 
and  traitors. 

"2.  The  government  to  establish  as  soon  as  possible  tel- 
egraphic communication,  by  means  of  submarine  cables,  be- 
tween some  of  our  principal  ports  on  the  sea-board  and  the 
nearest  telegraph  line  communicating  with  Washington,  so 
that  the  department  can  almost  instantly  communicate  with 
the  commanding  officer  at  any  particular  point  desired. 

"3.  In  each  department  of  the  government  to  adopt  a  cipher 
with  its  confidential  agent  at  important  pomts  of  the  couu- 
tr}^  so  that  they  can  communicate  confidentially  by  telegraph. 

"I  consider  it  verj-  important  that  the  government  should 
have  the  most  reliable  telegraph  communication  with  its  prin- 
cipal forts  on  the  Atlantic  coast. 

"If  there  is  anj'  information  that  I  possess  that  would  be 
of  service  to  you  in  carrying  out  the  wishes  of  the  govern- 
ment in  regard  to  telegraph  matters  it  will  afford  me  pleasure 
to  give  it. 

"  I  presume  you  are  aware  that  there  are  very  few  persons 
in  this  country  who  have  had  an}^  experience  in  the  manu- 
facture, working,  or  laying  of  submarine  cables  of  any  great 
importance. 

"Very  respectfully 

"  Your  obedient  servant, 

"Cyrus  W.  Field." 


THE   CIVIL   WAR  133 

June  16th,  while  in  Washington,  he  received  a 
pass  "beyond  the  pickets  and  to  return,  good  for 
five  days."  On  July  30th  he  wrote  to  Captain  G. 
V.  Fox,  of  the  Navy  Department : 

"In  a  letter  I  wrote  the  Secretarj^  of  the  Treasury  on  the 
11th  of  May  last  I  used  these  words,  viz.:  'For  the  govern- 
ment to  send  at  once  a  confidential  agent  to  England,  with  a 
competent  naval  officer,  to  obtain  from  the  Britisli  govern- 
ment by  purchase,  or  otherwise,  some  of  the  improved  steam 
gun-boats  and  other  vessels  to  protect  our  commerce  and  to 
assist  in  blockading  Southern  ports.'  " 

It  was  at  this  time  that  his  firm  in  New  York 
wrote  to  him  that  a  debt  of  $1800  had  been  paid  and 
that  $1000  was  in  silver.  Such  a  payment  would 
hardly  be  appreciated  now. 

His  mothers  death,  on  the  evening  of  Friday, 
August  the  IGth,  was  made  known  to  those  living  in 
the  village  of  Stockbridge,  according  to  the  custom 
of  that  time,  by  the  tolling  of  the  church-bell.  After 
that  six  strokes  were  given  to  show  that  a  woman 
had  died,  nine  would  have  been  struck  for  a  man,  or 
three  for  a  child.  Her  age  w^as  then  slowly  rung, 
and  as  one  year  after  another  was  recorded,  each 
brought  back  to  her  family  the  joy  or  sorrow  with 
which  that  year  had  been  filled. 

Her  funeral  was  on  Sunday,  the  18th.  A  number 
of  her  friends  among  the  elderly  ladies  of  the  toAvn 
acted  as  pall-bearers,  and  another  custom  then  ob- 
served was  for  the  officiating  clergyman,  after  the 
grave  had  been  filled — and  every  one  waited  until 
that  was  done — to  return  thanks  in  the  name  of  the 
family  to  all  who  had  shown  them  kindness  and 
sympathy  in  their  bereavement.  Of  her  funeral  the 
Rev.  John  Todd,  of  Pittsficld,  Mass.,  Avrote  : 


134  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

"At  the  gateway  of  one  of  o\ir  beautiful  rural  cemeteries  a 
large  funeral  was  just  entering.  .  .  .  The  bier  was  resting 
on  the  shoulders  of  four  tall,  noble-looking  men  in  the  prime 
of  life.  .  .  .  Very  slowlj'  and  carefulh^  they  trod,  as  if  the 
sleeper  should  not  feel  the  motion.  And  who  was  on  the  bier, 
so  carefully  and  tenderly  borne  ?  It  was  their  own  mother. 
Never  did  I  see  a  grief  more  reverent  or  respect  more  pro- 
found." 

A  few  days  later  Mr.  Field  wrote  to  a  friend,  ou 
the  death  of  a  child  : 

"Having  myself  experienced  such  a  calamity,  I  can  judge 
of  your  feelings,  and  most  sincerely  sympathize  with  you  and 
j^our  good  wife  on  this  melancholy  occasion.  I  hope  j'ou  will 
both  bear  it  with  Christian  fortitude,  for  it  is  God's  will,  and 
no  doubt  for  some  wise  purpose." 

Eeferring  to  liis  life-work,  on  October  2'3d  he 
writes : 

' '  Who  first  conceived  the  idea  of  a  telegraph  across  the  At- 
lantic I  know  not.     It  may  have  been  before  I  was  born. 

"I  have  made  twenty-four  sea  voyages  solely  for  the  pur- 
pose of  connecting  Europe  and  America  by  telegraph,  and 
although  the  cable  laid  is  not  now  in  operation,  the  experience 
gained  will,  I  doubt  not,  be  the  means  of  causing  another 
cable  to  be  submerged  that  will  successfully  connect  New- 
foundland and  Ireland." 

At  10  P.M.  on  October  26th  this  message  from 
San  Francisco  was  received  : 

"  Cyrus  W.  Field,  New  York: 
"  The  Pacific  telegraph  calls  the  Atlantic  cable. 

"A.  W.  Bee." 
He  replied : 

"  Your  message  received.  The  Atlantic  cable  is  not  dead, 
but  sleepeth.  In  due  time  it  will  answer  the  call  of  the  Pa- 
cific telegraph." 

On  October  29th,  in  a  letter  to  a  friend  in  New- 
foundland : 


THE    CIVIL   WAR  135 

"  There  is  now  a  very  much  increased  interest  being  felt 
here  in  the  importance  of  an  early  laying  of  another  At- 
lantic cable  from  Ireland  to  Newfoundland,  thus  connecting 
Europe,  Asia,  Africa,  and  America. 

"  I  hope  in  a  few  days  to  have  arrangements  made  so  that 
we  may  on  some  given  evening  connect  the  lines  between 
St.  John's  and  San  Francisco  together,  and  by  means  of  re- 
lays speak  directly  through,  between  these  two  points,  a 
distance  by  the  telegraph  of  over  5000  miles." 

Neither  did  lie  neglect  his  private  business.  On 
December  3d,  within  a  year  of  his  failure,  he  was 
able  to  write : 

"  All  of  our  extension  notes  due  on  the  30th  of  September 
last  were  duly  paid,  and  we  have  already  taken  up  all  that 
will  be  due  on  the  30tii  of  this  month  with  the  exception  of 
114,993  78,  and  all  that  are  due  on  the  30th  of  March  next 
except  $326  40.  You  will  see  that  we  have  reduced  our 
liabilities  to  a  very  small  amount,  and  we  shall  meet  them 
all  promptlj'  at  or  before  maturity." 

He  was  so  very  exact  in  all  his  work  that  he  could 
not  understand  the  lack  of  like  exactitude  in  others. 
To  one  who  failed  to  ansAver  a  letter  he  sent  this 
note  : 

''  My  dear  Sir, — If  it  takes  four  weeks  not  to  get  an  an- 
swer to  a  letter,  how  long  will  it  take  to  get  one  ? 

"I  have  not  received  a  reply  to  my  letter  of  November  4tli. 
"  I  remain,  very  truly  your  friend, 

"  Cyrus  "W.  Field. 
"  December  2(1." 

The  news  of  the  seizure  of  Mason  and  Slidell  by 
Captain  Wilkes,  from  the  steamer  Trent,  v/as  re- 
ceived in  Boston  on  November  24th,  and  at  once 
he  saw  another  reason  for  urging  the  immediate 
laying  of  a  cable  across  the  Atlantic,  and  in  a  letter 
to  Mr.  Saward  he  says : 


136  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

"The  low  rate  of  iuterest  now  ruling  in  Great  Britain,  and 
the  great  desire  of  the  British  government  to  have  telegraphic 
communication  with  her  Xorth  American  colonies,  both  in- 
dicate that  now  is  the  time  to  move  energeticall}^  in  the 
matter  of  connecting  Xewfoundland  and  Ireland  by  a  sub- 
marine cable." 

And  on  the  ITtli  of  December: 

"It  does  appear  to  me  that  now  is  the  time  for  the  direc- 
tors of  the  Atlantic  Telegraph  Company  to  act  with  energy 
and  decision,  and  get  whatever  guarantee  is  necessar\^  from 
the  English  government  to  raise  the  capital  to  manufacture 
and  lay  down  without  unnecessar}'  delay  between  New- 
foundland and  Ireland  a  good  cable." 

General  T.  W.  Sherman  had  written  to  him  from 
Port  Eo3'al  on  December  21st : 

"It  was  but  the  other  day  I  was  discussing  the  very  sub- 
ject j'ou  mention.  AVe  want  very  much  a  telegraphic  com- 
munication between  Beaufort,  Hilton  Head,  and  the  Tybee. 
How  can  we  get  it  promptly  ?" 

This  was  in  reply  to  a  letter  of  Mr.  Field's  in 
which  he  had  enclosed  a  copy  of  the  following 
letter  and  its  indorsement : 

"AVillakd's  Hotel, 

'■  AVashikgton,  December  4,  1861. 

"Sir, — Pardon  me  for  making  the  following  suggestions  : 

"1.  Tliat  government  establish  at  once  telegraphic  com- 
munication between  Wasliington  and  Fortress  Monroe  by 
means  of  a  submarine  cable  from  Northampton  County  to 
Fortress  Monroe. 

' '  2.  That  Forts  Walker  and  Beauregard  be  connected  by 
a  submarine  cable. 

"3.  That  a  submarine  cable  be  laid  between  Hilton  Head 
and  Tybee  Island. 

"4.  That  the  Forts  at  Key  AVest  and  Tortugas  be  brought 
into  instant  communication  by  means  of  a  telegraph  cable. 

"5.  That  a  cable  be  laid  connecting  the  Fort  at  Tortugas 
with  Fort  Pickens. 


THE   CIVIL   WAR  13Y 

"  If  I  can  be  of  auy  service  to  yoii  or  the  goverumeut  in  this 
matter  it  will  give  me  pleasure. 

"  I  shall  remain  at  this  hotel  until  to-morrow  afternoon  or 
Friday  morning,  and  have  with  me  samples  of  different 
kinds  of  cable. 

"  Ver\'  respectfull}^ 

"Your  obedient  servant. 

"  Cykus  W.  Field. 
"Major-General  G.  B.  McClellan,  Washington,  D.  C." 

On  the  12tli  of  December  General  MeClellan  in- 
dorsed the  plans  with  these  words  : 

"I  most  fully  concur  in  the  importance  of  the  submarine 
telegraph  proposed  by  ]\Ir.  Field,  and  earnestly'  urge  that  his 
plans  maj^  be  adopted  and  he  authorized  to  have  the  plans 
carried  into  execution.  More  careful  consideration  may  show 
that  a  safer  route  for  the  cable  from  Fernandina  to  Key  West 
would  be  by  the  eastern  shore  of  Florida.  This  will  depend 
on  the  strength  of  our  occupation  of  the  railroad  from  Fer- 
nandina to  Cedar  Keys. 

"  Very  respectfully,  etc., 

"George  B.  McClellax." 

This  expression  is  copied  from  a  letter  dated 
London,  December  28,  1861:  "The  rebels  are  wait- 
ing with  great  anxiety  for  the  arrival  of  the  steamer 
Africa  and  her  news  about  the  Trent  affair." 

On  January  1,  1862;,  he  wrote  to  Mr.  Seward,  the 
Secretary  of  State : 

"The  importance  of  the  earl}-  completion  of  the  Atlantic 
telegraph  can  hardly  be  estimated.  What  would  have  been 
its  value  to  the  English  and  United  States  governments  if  it 
had  been  in  operation  on  the  30th  of  November  last,  on 
which  day  Earl  Russell  was  writing  to  Lord  Lyons,  and  you 
at  the  same  time  to  ]Mr.  Adams,  our  minister  in  London? 

"  A  few  short  messages  between  the  two  governments  and 
all  would  have  been  satisfactorily  explained.  I  have  no 
doubt  that  the  English  government  has  expended  more 
money  during  the  last  thirty  days  in   preparation  for  war 


138  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

with  this  country  than  the  whole  cost  of  manufacturing  and 
hiying  a  good  cable  between  Newfoundland  and  Ireland. 

"At  this  moment  you  can  telegraph  from  St.  John's,  New- 
foundland, to  every  town  of  importance  in  British  North 
America  and  to  all  the  principal  cities  in  the  loyal  States, 
even  to  San  Francisco,  on  the  Pacific,  a  distance  by  the  route 
of  the  telegraph  of  over  fifty-four  hundred  miles.  From  Va- 
lentia,  in  Ireland,  there  is  also  now  telegraph  communication 
with  all  the  capitals  of  Europe,  and  to  Algiers,  in  Africa, 
about  twenty-one  hundred  miles  ;  to  Odessa,  on  the  Black 
Sea,  twenty-nine  hundred  and  fortj'  miles ;  to  Constantinople, 
thirty-one  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  and  to  Omsk,  in  Siberia, 
about  five  thousand  miles. 

"  All  that  is  now  required  to  connect  Omsk,  in  Siberia,  with 
San  Francisco,  California,  on  the  Pacific,  and  all  intermediate 
points,  is  a  telegraph  cable  from  Valentia  Island  to  New- 
foundland, a  distance  of  sixteen  hundred  and  forty  nautical 
miles. 

"  What  could  the  governments  of  Great  Britain  and  the 
United  States  do  so  effectually  to  bind  the  two  countries  in 
bonds  of  amity  and  interest  as  to  complete  at  the  earliest 
possible  moment  this  connecting  link  between  the  two  coun- 
tries ?  .  .  . 

'  Will  you  pardon  me  for  suggesting  to  you  the  propriety 
of  opening  a  correspondence  with  the  English  government 
upon  the  subject,  and  proposing  that  the  Atlantic  Telegraph 
Company  should  be  aided  or  encouraged  to  complete  their 
line,  and  that  the  two  government*  should  enter  into  a  treaty 
that  in  case  of  any  war  between  them  the  cable  should  not  be 
molested  ?" 

Mr.  Seward  answered  on  January  9tli : 

"  Your  letter  of  the  1st  instant  relative  to  the  Atlantic  tel- 
egraph was  duly  received  ;  it  will  afford  me  pleasure  to  con- 
fer with  you  on  that  subject  at  any  time  you  may  present 
yourself  for  that  purpose." 

In  a  letter  written  by  Mr.  Seward  on  the  14tli  of 
January  to  Mr.  Adams  in  London  lie  said  : 

"In  view  of  the  recent  disturbances  of  feeling  in  Great 
Britain  growing  out  of  the  Trent  affair,  we  have  some  appre- 
hensions that  our  motives  in  opening  a  correspondence  upon 


THE   CIVIL   WAR  139 

the  subject  of  the  telegraph  just  now  might  be  misinter- 
preted. .  .  . 

"  If  you  think  wisely  of  it  you  are  authorized  to  call  the  at- 
tention of  Earl  Russell  to  the  matter.  .  .  .  You  may  say  to 
him  that  the  President  entertains  the  most  favorable  views  of 
the  great  enterprise  in  question,  and  would  be  happ)'  to  co- 
op(?rate  with  the  British  government  in  securing  its  success- 
ful execution  and  such  arrangements  as  would  guarantee  to 
both  nations  reciprocal  benefits  from  the  use  of  the  tele- 
graphs, not  only  in  times  of  peace,  but  even  in  times  of  war, 
if,  contrary  to  our  desire  and  expectation,  and  to  the  great 
detriment  of  both  nations,  war  should  ever  arise  between 
them." 

Mr,  Field  sailed  for  England  in  the  steamer  Arabia 
on  January  29th,  and  on  February  2?th,  at  the  re- 
quest of  Mr.  Adams,  sent  a  long  letter  to  Earl  Eus- 
sell.  To  this  letter  Earl  Eussell  replied,  and  ap- 
pointed Tuesday,  March  4th,  at  half-past  three,  as 
the  time  at  which  he  would  receive  him  at  the  For- 
eign Office. 

On  March  Gtli  he  again  wrote  to  Earl  Russell,  en- 
tering into  details,  and  at  the  end  of  his  letter  he 
referred  to  the  two  messages  that  were  in  1858  sent 
for  the  English  government,  and  said  : 

"  I  enclose  for  your  information  a  certificate  from  the  "War 
Office  that  this  business  was  properly  and  promptly  executed. 
The  experimental  cable  which  effected  for  them  this  commu- 
nication has  cost  the  original  shareholders  £162,000,  Avhich 
sum  has  been  unremunerative  during  six  years.  They  ask 
no  advantage  in  respect  of  that  from  either  government,  be- 
ing quite  content  to  risk  the  sacrifice  of  the  whole  amount  if 
the  means  be  now  granted  them  for  raising,  by  new  subscrip- 
tions, the  means  of  carrying  out  to  a  successful  issue  the  great 
work  intrusted  to  them." 

March  10th  Earl  Russell  ^yrote  that  Her  Majesty's 
government  "have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  it 
would  be  more  prudent  for  the  present  to  defer  en- 


140  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

teriug  into  any  fresh  agreement  on  so  difficult  a 
subject." 

It  was  at  this  time  that  Mr.  George  Sawarcl  pub- 
lished the  article  in  The  Electrician  already  referred 
to,  and  in  it  he  said  : 

"Mr.  Field  lias  crossed  the  Atlantic  twenty-five  times  on 
behalf  of  the  great  enterprise  to  which  he  has  vo^Yed  himself. 
He  has  labored  more  than  any  other  individual  in  this  im- 
portant cause,  and  he  lias  never  asked  the  Atlantic  Telegraph 
Compan}'  for  one  shilling  remuneration  for  his  valuable  ser- 
vices, which  he  was  in  no  waj-  bound  to  render  them  ;  nay 
more,  whenever  an  offer  of  compensation  was  made  to  him 
he  refused  it." 

Professor  Thomson,  now  Lord  Kelvin,  wrote  in 
^March  of  this  year  these  words  of  encouragement : 

"  If  any  degree  of  perseverance  can  be  sufficient  to  deserve 
success,  and  any  amount  of  value  in  anj^  object  can  make  it 
worth  striving  for,  success  ought  to  attend  the  efforts  you  and 
the  directors  are  making  for  a  result  of  world-wide  benefl- 


The  account  that  follows  has  been  given  to  show 
some  of  the  i^etty  annoyances  to  which  from  time 
to  time  Mr.  Field  was  subjected.  He  arrived  in 
New  York  on  Friday,  Ai3ril  11,  1862,  having  come 
in  the  steamship  Asia.  Early  in  the  day  the  ship 
was  reported,  but  it  was  evening  before  he  came  to 
his  home,  and  then  he  remained  but  a  short  time 
with  his  family.  In  a  letter  written  to  a  friend  in 
England  on  April  15th  he  says  : 

"I  found  my  family  all  in  good  health  and  spirits,  and  after 
spending  about  two  hours  with  them  and  other  frieads  at  my 
house,  left  for  Washington,  which  place  I  reached  soon  after 
nine  o'clock  on  Saturday  morning.  .  .  .  During  my  absence 
in  Europe  some  parties  here,  acting,  as  I  believe,  in  concert 
with  enemies  in  England,  have  been  doing  all  in  their  power 


THE   CIVIL    WAR  141 

to  injure  me  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic,  but  without  suc- 
cess." 

And  in  another  letter  lie  says  : 

"I  have  obtained  a  large  amount  of  information  about  this 
wicked  conspiracy  to  injure  me  in  Europe  and  in  this  coun- 
try. Mr.  Seward  and  other  members  of  the  government  have 
acted  in  the  most  honorable  manner,  and  defeated  the  plans  of 
wicked  men." 

To  Mr.  Chase  he  wrote: 

"I  lose  no  time  in  acquainting  you  with  the  circumstances 
and  of  hiving  the  correspondence  before  3'ou.  Praj"^  tell  me 
if  they  are  satisfactory  to  you.  I  do  not  know  by  whom,  or 
where,  the  goods  were  arrested." 

As  far  as  it  is  possible  to  ascertain  at  this  late  day 
he  had  included  in  the  correspondence  forwarded 
to  Washington  an  article  which  had  been  written  in 
New  York  on  January  18th,  and  said  to  have  been 
shown  to  the  New^  York  press,  but  never  published. 
It  appeared  in  the  London  Herald  of  February  4th, 
and  was  signed  "  Manhattan."  There  were  also  let- 
ters in  the  London  Standard  and  Herald  of  March 
!^9th  dated  New  York,  March  11th,  stating  that  the 
Grand  Jury  had  met  and  jaresented  a  bill  of  indict- 
ment against  Cyrus  W.  Field  for  "  treasonable  pro- 
ceedings with  the  public  enemy." 

In  a  letter  written  on  April  17th  are  these  few 
words  : 

"  The  editor  of  the  London  Uerald  has  made  an  apology  in 
his  paper,  as  I  am  informed  by  telegrams  from  Halifax." 

And  again  : 

"  I  have  not  yet  been  able  to  ascertain  who  made  the  com- 
plaint, but  uo  bill  was  found,  and  the  Grand  Jury  have  ad- 
journed." 


142  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

One  of  tlie  Grand  Jury  writes  : 

"I  was  a  member  of  the  Uuiled  States  Grand  Jury  in  1862. 
I  remember  that  a  complaint  was  brought  to  the  attention  of 
the  jury.  .  .  .  I  remember  that  some  testimony  was  submit- 
ted to  the  jur}',  but  upon  the  recommendation  of  the  district 
attornej'  the  matter  was  dropped." 

Mr.  Bates  wrote  to  liim  : 

"  Attohxey-Geiseral's  Office, 
"Washington,  D.  C,  April  15,  1862. 
"  Cyrus  W.  Field,  Esq.,  New  Yorlt  : 

"Dear  Sir, — Y'our  note  of  j'csterday  is  just  received,  and 
upon  reading  the  enclosures  the  affair  (as  far  as  it  concerns 
you  personally)  looks  rather  like  a  stupid,  practical  joke. 

"  Could  the  scheme  have  been  meant  as  a  blow  at  your  bus- 
iness in  Europe  ? 

'■  Ver}'  respectfully  yours, 

"Edward  Bates." 

When  on  Aj)ril  23d  he  received  two  more  letters 
in  the  same  handwriting,  one  postmarked  SjJring- 
field.  111.,  April  18th,  and  the  other  Nashville, 
Tenn.,  April  19th,  and  evidently  designed  "to  en- 
trap him,"  he  wrote  at  once  to  Mr.  Chase  : 

"  I  propose  to  take  no  further  notice  of  them  than  to  place 
copies  in  your  possession  and  in  the  hands  of  the  Attorney- 
General,  that  such  action  may  be  taken  in  regard  to  them  as 
may  be  deemed  necessary." 

After  this  there  was  no  further  suggestion  of 
trouble. 

This  very  characteristic  business  note  was  found 
among  his  paper.-^  of  this  year : 

"As  we  are  all  liable  to  be  called  away  by  deatLi  at  any 
time,  I  should  esteem  it  a  favor  if  5'ou  would  indorse  the 
amount  paid  you  hj  C.  AV.  Field  &  Co.  on  the  5th  instant, 
on  my  bond,  and  send  the  same  to  my  office,  as  you  pro- 
posed. " 


THE   CIVIL    WAR  143 

It  was  on  Ma}-  1st  that  he  addressed  the  Ameri- 
can Geographical  and  Statistical  Society,  and  it 
is  possible  to  make  but  a-  short  extract  from  his 
speech : 

"The  London  Times  said  truly:  '"We  nearlj-  went  to  war 
■with  America  because  we  had  not  a  telegraph  across  the  At- 
hintic'  It  is  at  such  a  moment  that  England  feels  the  need 
of  communicating  with  her  colonies  on  this  side  of  the  ocean. 
And  liere  I  may  mention  a  fact  not  generally  known — that, 
during  the  excitement  of  the  Trent  a^mx  a  person  connected 
with  the  English  go%^ernmeut  applied  to  Messrs.  Glass,  Elliott 
&  Co.,  of  London,  to  know  for  what  sum  they  would  manu- 
facture a  cable  and  la}-  it  across  the  Atlantic;  to  which  they 
replied  that  they  would  both  manufacture  and  lay  it  down 
for  £675,000.  and  that  it  should  be  in  full  operation  by  the 
12lh  day  of  July  of  this  year.  Well  might  England  afford 
to  pay  the  whole  cost  of  such  a  work;  for  in  sixt}-  days'  time 
she  expended  more  money  in  preparation  for  war  with  this 
country  than  the  whole  cost  of  manufacturing  and  laying 
several  good  cables  between  Xewfouudland  and  Ireland." 

On  his  return  he  had  found  that  the  feeling 
against  England  was  very  intense,  and  on  Aj^ril 
2\)t\\  he  wrote  to  Mr.  Thurlow  Weed,  who  was  in 
London  : 

"I  regret  exceedingly  to  find  a  most  bitter  feeling  in  this 
country  against  England.  Mr.  Seward  is  almost  the  onl}- 
American  that  I  liave  heard  sj^eak  kindly  of  England  or 
Englishmen  since  I  arrived." 

And  to  Mr.  Seward  his  next  letter  is  addressed  : 

' '  New  York,  May  5,  1862. 
"My  dear  Sir, — Yesterdaj-  I  received  a  letter  from  our 
mutual  friend  C.  M.  Lampson,  Esq.,  from  London,  April 
17th,  in  which  he  says:  'Our  letter  has  been  before  Lord 
Palmerston  for  more  than  a  fortnight,  and  as  yet  have  had 
no  answer ;  he  is  now  out  of  town  for  the  Easter  holida3-3, 
and  we  cannot  liave  a  reply  for  another  fortnight.  If  we 
are  to  make  suflicient  progress  to  enable  us  to  do  the  work 


144  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

in  1863,  it  will  he  only  in  consequence  of  the  pressure  you 
bring  to  bear  on  your  side.  Tliis  is  our  only  hope  for  the 
present.  If  the  Washington  government  would  direct  Mr. 
A.dams  to  press  the  matter  Iierc,  I  think  we  should  succeed.' 
It  has  occurred  to  me  that,  considering  the  great  importance 
to  tlie  whole  commercial  interest  of  tiie  country  of  a  tele- 
graph across  the  Atlantic,  you  would  be  willing  to  act  on 
the  suggestion  of  ^Ir.  Lampson  and  direct  Mr.  Adams  to  press 
the  matter  upon  the  English  government. 

"  With  much  respect,  I  remain 

"  Yer}^  truly  your  friend, 

"  Cyrus  W.  Field. 
"Hon.  Wm.  H.  Seward,  Secretary  of  State, 
"Washington,  D.  C." 

Mr.  Lamp.son,  in  his  letter  of  April  ITth^  had  re- 
ferred to  a  deputation  of  the  directors  of  the  At- 
lantic Telegraph  Company  that  on  the  20th  of 
March  had  Availed  upon  Lord  Palmerston,  who 
was  then  Prime-Minister. 

Mr.  Field  replied  ; 

"  New  York,  May  9,  1862. 

"  My  dear  Mr.  Lampson, —  .  .  .  Four  weeks  ago  this  even- 
ing I  arrived  from  England,  and  almost  every  moment  of 
my  time  since  I  landed  has  been  occupied  in  working  for  tlie 
Atlantic  Telegraph,  either  in  seeing  the  President  of  the 
United  States,  or  one  of  his  Cabinet,  or  some  member  of  the 
Senate  or  House  of  Representatives,  or  an  editor  of  one  of 
our  papers,  or  writing  to  the  British  provinces,  or  doing 
something  which  I  thought  would  hasten  on  the  time  when 
we  should  have  a  good  submarine  telegraph  cable  working 
successful!}^  between  Ireland  and  Newfoundland,  and  if  we 
do  not  get  it  laid  in  18G3  it  will  be  our  oicnjmilt. 

"  Kow,  now  is  the  golden  moment,  and  I  do  beg  of  you  and 
all  the  other  friends  of  the  Atlantic  telegraph  to  act  with- 
out a  moment's  unnecessary  delay. 

"I  have  written  you  and  Mr.  Saward  so  often  since  my 
arrival  that  I  am  afraid  j'ou  will  get  tired  of  reading  my 
letters;  but  from  the  abundance  of  the  heart  the  mouth  will 
speak,  and  I  hardly  think  of  anything  but  a  telegraph  across 
the  Atlantic.  Yer}^  truly  your  friend, 

"Cyrus  W.  Field." 


THE    CIVIL    WAR  145 

Again  on  May  29th  to  Mr.  Lampson  : 

'I  am  disappointed  at  the  answer  received  from  Lord 
Palnierston,  but  not  discom^aged  the  least  by  it,  for  we  caa 
succeed  without  further  assistance  from  either  government, 
as  I  believe  tiiat  an  appeal  to  the  public  will  noic  get  us  all 
the  money  that  we  want,  provided  the  business  is  pressed 
forward  in  a  proper  manner." 

It  was  on  the  7th  of  this  month  that  he  wrote  to 
his  brother  Jonathan  : 

"You  will  be  glad  to  know  that  we  have  gotten  all  of  our 
old  matters  settled." 

From  the  first  days  of  tlie  war  he  had  urged  the 
necessity  for  accurate  despatches  being  sent  out  by 
each  steamer ;  and  one  very  hot  July  morning  of 
this  summer  he  went  up  from  Long  Branch  solely 
for  the  purpose  of  seeing  that  the  steamer,  sail- 
ing the  next  morning,  carried  favorable  news  of  the 
movements  of  our  armies. 

With  otir  purses  full  of  change  it  is  hard  to  real- 
ize that  in  October,  18G3,  it  was  almost  impossible 
to  secure  even  postal  currency,  and  that  one  of 
Mr.  Field's  clerks,  after  waiting  four  hours  at  the 
Sub-Treasury,  was  able  to  obtain  but  $15. 

Again  he  writes  to  Mr.  Saward : 

"I  sail  per  Scotia  on  Wednesday,  the  8th  of  October,  and 
expect  to  arrive  at  Liverpool  Saturday,  the  18th,  and  get  to 
London  the  same  evening. 

"If  agreeable  to  you,  I  will  call  at  your  house  Sunday 
morning,  go  with  you  to  hear  the  Rev.  Mr.  Spurgeon  preach, 
and  dine  with  yoft  at  two  o'clock. 

"Monday  morning,  October  20th,  I  hope  that  we  will  be 
ready  to  go  to  work  in  earnest,  and  have  all  of  tiie  stock  for 
a  new  cable  subscribed  within  one  month,  and  our  other  ar- 
rangements so  perfected  that  I  can  at  an  early  day  return  to 
my  family  and  country." 

10 


146  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

He  never  lost  sight  of  an  ojiportnnity  for  helping 
his  country.  On  Xovember  1st  Lord  Shaftesbury 
thanks  him  for  the  "documents"  he  had  sent  to 
him.  On  November  25tli  his  friend  the  Hon. 
Stewart  Wortley  writes  : 

"Mr.  Gladstone  has  fixed  tweb^e  o'clock  to-morrow,  in 
Carlton  House  Terrace.  I  have  promised  him  that  we  would 
not  ask  him  for  an3'thing,  bnt  that  I  believed  you  had  some 
confidential  communication  to  give  liim  on  the  views  of  j'our 
government.  Till  I  told  him  this  he  was  very  unwilling  to 
listen  to  anything  that  was  not  contained  in  a  written  pro- 
posal." 

It  was  on  this  day  or  the  next  that  Mr.  Field  gave 
to  Mr.  Gladstone  to  read  Tliirieen  Months  in  a  Rebel 
Prison.  Mr.  McCarthy,  in  his  History  of  Our  Oimi 
Times,  says :  "  It  was  Mr.  Gladstone  Avho  said  that 
the  President  of  the  Southern  Confederation,  Mr. 
Jefferson  Davis,  had  made  an  army,  had  made  a 
navy,  and,  more  than  that,  had  made  a  nation." 

It  was  this  sentiment  that  its  author  developed 
in  the  deeply  interesting  correspondence  which  fol- 
lows. This  correspondence  is  of  the  utmost  value 
as  elucidating  the  state  of  mind  of  the  liberal  Eng- 
lishmen from  whom  this  country  expected  the  sym-, 
pathy  it  in  so  many  cases  failed  to  receive,  and  very 
notably  failed  to  receive  from  the  statesman  who 
for  more  than  a  generation  has  been  their  intellect- 
ual and  Parliamentary  leader. 

"11  Carlton  House  Terrace, 
"November  27,  1863. 
"My  dear  Sir, — I  thank  you  very  much  for  gi^  ing  me  the 
Thirteen  Months.  Will  you  think  that  I  belie  the  expres- 
sion I  have  used  if  I  tell  you  candidly  the  effect  this  book 
has  produced  upon  my  mind  ?  I  think  you  will  not  ;  I  do 
not  believf>  that  you  or  your  countrymen  are  among  those 


THE   CIVIL   WAR  147 

who  desire  that  any  one  should  purcliase  your  favor  by 
speaking  wliat  is  false,  or  by  forbearing  to  spealc  what  is 
true.  The  book,  tlien,  impresses  me  even  more  deeply  than  I 
was  before  impressed  with  the  lieavy  responsibility  you  in- 
cur in  persevering  with  this  destructive  and  hopeless  war  at 
the  cost  of  such  dangers  and  evils  to  j'ourselves,  to  saj'  noth- 
ing of  your  adversaries,  or  of  an  amount  of  misery-  inflicted 
upon  Europe  sucli  as  no  other  civil  war  in  the  history  of  man 
];as  ever  brought  upon  those  beyond  its  immediate  range. 
Your  frightful  conflict  may  be  regarded  from  many  points 
of  view.  The  competency  of  the  Southern  States  to  secede, 
the  rightfulness  of  tlieir  conduct  in  seceding  (two  matters 
whoU}^  distinct  and  a  groat  deal  too  much  confounded),  the 
natural  reluctance  of  Northern  Americans  to  acquiesce  in  the 
severance  of  the  Union,  and  the  apparent  loss  of  strength 
and  glory  to  their  country  ;  the  bearing  of  tlie  separation  on 
the  real  interests  and  on  the  moral  character  of  the  North  : 
again,  for  an  Englishman,  its  bearing  with  respect  to  British 
interests — all  these  are  texts  of  which  anj'  one  affords  ample 
matter  for  reflection.  But  I  will  only  state,  as  regards  the 
last  of  them,  that  I,  for  one,  have  never  hesitated  to  main- 
tain that,  in  my  opinion,  the  separate  and  special  interests  of 
England  were  all  on  the  side  of  the  maintenance  of  the  old 
Union  ;  and  if  1  were  to  look  at  those  interests  alone,  and  had 
the  power  of  choosing  in  what  way  the  war  should  end,  I 
would  choose  for  its  ending  by  the  restoration  of  the  old 
Union  this  very  day.  Another  view  of  the  matter  not  to  be 
overlooked  is  its  bearing  on  the  interests  of  the  black  and 
colored  race.  1  believe  the  separation  to  be  one  of  the  few 
happy  events  that  have  marked  their  mournful  history  ;  and 
although  English  opinion  may  be  wrong  upon  this  subject,  yet 
it  is  headed  by  three  men  periiaps  the  best  entitled  to  represent 
on  this  side  of  the  water  the  old  champions  of  the  anti-slavery 
cause — Lord  Brougham,  the  Bishop  of  Oxford, and  3Ir.Baxton. 
"  But  there  is  an  aspect  of  the  war  which  transcends  every 
other:  the  possibility  of  success.  The  prospect  of  success 
will  not  justify  a  war  in  itself  unjust,  but  the  impossibility 
of  success  in  a  war  of  conquest  of  itself  suffices  to  make  it 
unjust  ;  when  that  impossibility  is  reasonably  proved,  all  tlie 
horror,  all  the  bloodshed,  all  the  evil  passions,  all  the  dan- 
gers to  liberty  and  order  with  which  such  a  war  abounds, 
come  to  lie  at  the  door  of  the  party  which  refuses  to  hold- its 
hand  and  let  its  neighbor  be. 


148  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

"  You  know  that  iu  the  opinion  of  Europe  this  impossibil- 
ity lias  been  proved.  It  is  proved  by  every  page  of  this  book, 
and  ever}-  copy  of  this  book  which  circulates  will  carry  the 
proof  wider  and  stamp  it  more  clearly.  Depend  upon  it, 
to  place  the  matter  upon  a  single  issue,  you  cannot  conquer 
and  keep  down  a  country  where  the  women  behave  like  the 
women  of  New  Orleans,  where,  as  this  author  says,  they 
■would  be  ready  to  form  regiments,  if  such  regiments  could 
be  of  use.  And  how  idle  it  is  to  talk,  as  some  of  your  people 
do,  and  some  of  ours,  of  the  slackness  with  which  the  war 
has  been  carried  on,  and  of  its  accounting  for  the  want  of 
success  !  You  have  no  cause  to  be  ashamed  of  your  military 
character  and  efforts.  You  have  proved  what  wanted  no 
proof — your  spirit,  hardihood,  immense  powers,  and  rapidity 
and  variet}'  of  resources.  You  have  spent  as  much  money, 
and  have  armed  and  perhaps  have  destroj'ed  as  many  men, 
taking  the  two  sides  together,  as  all  Europe  spent  in  the 
first  years  of  the  Revolutionary  war.  Is  not  this  enough  ? 
Why  have  you  not  more  failii  in  tlie  future  of  a  nation  which 
should  lead  for  ages  to  come  the  American  continent,  which 
iu  five  or  ten  j'ears  will  make  up  its  apparent  loss  or  first  loss 
of  strength  and  numbers,  and  which,  with  a  career  imencum- 
bered  by  the  terrible  calamity  and  curse  of  slavery,  will  even 
from  the  first  be  liberated  from  a  position  morally  and  in- 
curably false,  and  will  from  the  first  enjoy  a  permanent  gain 
in  credit  and  character  such  as  will  much  more  than  compen- 
sate for  its  temporary  material  losses?  I  am,  in  short,  a  fol- 
lower of  General  Scott.  With  him  I  say,  '  Wayward  sisters, 
go  in  peace.'  Immortal  fame  be  to  him  for  his  wise  and 
courageous  advice,  amounting  to  a  prophecy. 

"Finally,  you  have  done  what  men  could  do;  you 
have  failed  because  you  resolved  to  do  what  men  could 
not  do. 

"Laws  stronger  than  human  will  are  on  the  side  of  earnest 
self-defence;  and  the  aim  at  the  impossible,  which  in  other 
things  may  be  foil}'  onl}',  when  the  path  of  search  is  dark 
with  misery  and  red  with  blood,  is  not  folly  onlj',  but  guilt  to 
boot.  I  should  not  have  used  so  largely  in  this  letter  the 
privileges  of  free  utterance  had  I  not  been  consciL'us  that  I 
vie  with  yourselves  in  my  admiration  of  the  founders  of 
your  republic,  and  that  I  have  no  lurking  sentiment  either 
of  •hostility  or  of  indifference  to  America;  nor,  I  may 
add,  even  then  had  I   not  believed  that  you  are  lovers  of 


LAST   TWO  PAGES   OF   LETTER   FROM   MR.  GLADSTONE,  DATED  NOVEMBER  27,  1S62.       [See  pp.  146-149 


./t^^^—^cvcCr    /A-^  t^    c~iu,^Juy\.x:—^^  ^c<<l>^Ca<J^ 


u^.jut.^U^'^u^   h/^~^  Ic^tiAt^/iVt     >tr  cL-J  UfUji^J'  t^-ot^^A^    CL-i-^/aC    ^»*^^ 


^^    U.^tAr- 


^^^^    ^^  i^^:>^  c^,^^^^  .^^   ^r^^    /^^^ 

9lsUir  ifji^K.  <^cC«-<-    UXUX,    Cvx,«^    ^^   *l(^cCc4-<,4^    ^   ^  ^tn^JUfU^ 


Y  C<^Ayc^  ri^cA-J^A^ 


'r2ru^,^ 


THE   CIVIL   WAR  149 

siucerit}',  and  that  you  can  bear  even  the  rudeness  of  its 
tongue. 

"I  remain,  dear  sir,  very  faitlifullj'  yours, 

"  W.  E.  Gladstone. 
"  Cyrus  Field,  Esq." 


"  Pal.ace  Hotel,  Bcckt>;gham  Gate, 
' '  LoKDON.  December  2, 1862. 
"3/«/  dear  Sir, — Your  letter  of  the  27tli  ultimo  was  duly 
received,  and  for  it  please  accept  m}'  thanks. 

"I  should  have  answered  your  letter  at  once,  but  I  have 
been  trying  to  find  in  London  some  documents  to  send  you, 
for  I  am  sure  that  if  you  have  facts  you  will  draw  correct 
conclusions  from  them. 

'•  As  I  have  not  been  able  to  obtain  the  papers  that  I  want, 
I  will  send  them  to  you  on  my  return  to  New  York. 

"I  hope  that  you  will  get  time  to  read  the  small  book 
called  Among  the  Pines,  which  I  left  at  your  house  last 
Friday. 

"  May  I  send  a  copy  of  your  letter  to  Mr.  Seward  at  "Wash- 
ington and  my  brother  in  New  York  ? 

"With  much  respect  I  remain 

"Very  truly  your  friend, 

"  Cyrus  W.  Field. 
"Right  Hon.  W.  E.  Gladstone." 


"11  DowNESG  Street,  W^hitehall, 
"  December  2, 1862. 
"My  dear  Sir, — I  thank  you  for  the  kind  reception  jou 
have  given  to  my  officious  letter. 

"  You  are  quite  at  liberty  to  make  anj-  use  of  it  which  you 
think  proper  except  publication,  which  you  would  not  think 
of,  and  I  should  deprecate  simply  on  account  of  the  tone  of 
assumption  with  which  I  might  appear  to  be  chargeable. 

"I  thank  j'ou  very  much  for  Among  the  Pines,  which  I  am 
reading  with  great  interest. 

"I  am  glad  to  find  you  are  going  to  Cliveden,  and  I  am 
sure  you  will  enjoy  your  visit. 

"Believe  rae,  my  dear  sir, 

"Most  faithfully  j'ours, 

"  W.  E.  Gladstone. 
"  Cyrus  W.  Field,  Esq." 


150  CYKUS  W.  FIELD 

And  again  he  wrote  : 

"  11  Carlton  House  Terrace, 
"  December  d,  1862. 
"My  dear  Sir, — I  have  again  to  thank  you  for  Among  the 
Pines,  a  most  interesting  and,  as  far  as  I  can  judge,  a  most 
truthful  work.  It  seems  to  open  to  view  more  aspects  of 
society  and  character  in  the  slave  States  than  Uncle  Tom's 
Cabin,  and  to  be  written  without  any  undue  and  bewildering 
predominance  of  imagination. 

"  I  need  not  here  stop  even  for  a  moment  on  the  ground  of 
controversy.  We  all  vie  with  one  another  in  fervently  de- 
siring that  the  Almighty  may  so  direct  the  issue  of  the  pres- 
ent crisis  as  to  make  it  effective  for  the  mitigation  and  even 
for  the  removal  of  a  system  which  ever  tends  to  depress  the 
blacks  into  the  condition  of  the  mere  animal,  and  which 
among  the  whites  at  once  gives  fearful  scope  to  the  passions 
of  bad  men  and  checks  and  mars  the  development  of  charac- 
ter in  good  ones. 

"  I  remain,  dear  sir, 

"Most  faithfullj^  yours, 

"  W.  E.  Gladstone. 
"  Cyrus  "W.  Field,  Esq." 

A  very  decided  trait  of  Mr.  Field  was  that  when 
any  business  enterprise  was  proposed  he  planned 
every  detail,  drew  np  statements,  and  asked  for 
statistics,  and  tried  to  determine  the  amount  of 
work  that  it  would  be  possible  to  accomplish,  and 
for  that  reason  it  does  not  surprise  us  that  before 
the  money  for  the  new  cable  was  subscribed  or  the 
contracts  signed  he  wrote  to  ^Mr.  Eeuter,  and  re- 
ceived this  reply  : 

"  Reuter's  Telegraph  Office, 
"  London,  November  19,  1863. 

'•  Bear  Sir, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  18th  inst., 
wherein  you  ask  whether  I  consider  that  a  single  wire  from 
Ireland  to  Newfoundland  would  be  sufficient,  and  what 
amount  of  business  I  think  I  should  send  through  an  Atlantic 
cable  the  tirst  year. 

"  In  reply  to  the  first  inquiry  I  should  say  from  my  own 


THE    CIVIL    WAR  151 

experience  that  a  single  telegraph  wire  between  Ireland  and 
Newfoundland  would  bj'  no  means  be  sufficient  to  meet  the 
requirements  of  the  public. 

"With  respect  to  the  amount  of  business  I  might  send 
through  the  new  line  I  cannot,  of  course,  speak  positively, 
but  believe  I  can  say  that  for  the  first  year  it  would  certainly 
not  be  less  than  £5000. 

"I  remain,  dear  sir, 

"Faithfully  yours, 

"Julius  Reuter. 
"Cyrus  W.  Field,  Esq." 

At  this  time  no  one  at  all  realized  the  amount 
of  work  that  the  small  wire  would  be  called  upon 
to  do.  Sixteen  months  after  it  was  laid,  on  the 
2d  of  December,  1867,  Mr.  Field  telegraphed  to 
London  that  Mr.  Bennett  was  willing  to  sign  a 
contract  with  the  cable  company  for  one  year,  and 
that  he  would  pay  for  political  and  general  news 
$3750  a  month  —  that  is,  £9000  a  year  —  and  the 
agreement  was  to  begin  at  once  or  on  the  1st  of 
January,  1868. 

The  invitation  to  Cliveden  to  which  Mr.  Glad- 
stone referred  Avas  given  by  the  Dowager  Duchess 
of  Sutherland,  and  this  visit,  early  in  December, 
was  followed  by  many  others,  and  the  friendship 
then  formed  lasted  as  long  as  she  lived. 

He  sailed  for  home  on  December  20th,  and  before 
he  left  England  he  sent  this  letter  : 

"  Palace  Hotel, 
"London,  Koveraber  23,  1863. 
"My  clear  Daughters, — Many,  many  thanks  to  you  for  all 
the  letters  that  you  have  written  to  me  since  we  parted  at 
our  happy  home. 

"  I  think  I  hear  j-ou  say,  Why  does  not  papa  answer  all  of 
our  letters  ?  The  reason  is  that  I  am  so  much  occupied  that 
I  have  hardly  one  single  moment  of  leisure.  I  am  busy  all 
day  at  the  xUlanlic  Telegraph  Companj''s  office  ;  or  ul  Messrs. 


152  CYRUS    W.  FIELD 

Glass,  Elliott  &  Co.'s;  or  at  the  Gutta-percha  Company's 
works  ;  or  with  some  persons  connected  with  the  English 
government ;  and  almost  ever}'  evening  I  am  engaged  until 
a  very  late  hour. 

"I  will  give  you  a  list  of  my  engagements  for  the  next 
few  evenings  : 

1.  Saturday,  November  22d. — At  ]Mr.   Russell  Slurgis's,  to 

dinner  and  to  spend  tlie  night. 

2.  Sunday,  November  23d. — At  Mr.  Russell  Stnrgis's,  spend 

the  day  and  night, 
o.  Monda}%  November  24th. — Canning's,  to  dinner  and  speml 
the  night. 

4.  Tuesda}',  November  25th. — Meet  Mr.  Mailland  and  others 

on  business, and  then  to  Mr.Lampson  to  dinner,  seven  p.m. 

5.  Wednesdaj',   November   26th. — I  give  a  dinner-parlj^  at 

this  hotel, 
fi.  Thursda}',  November  27th. — At  Mr.  Gooch's,  to  dinner. 

7.  Friday,  November  28th. — Sir  Culling  Eardley's,  to  dinner 

and  spend  the  night. 

8.  Saturday,  November  29tb. — Lady  Franklin's,  to  dinner. 

9.  Sunday,   November   30th. — Mr.    Ashburner's,  to   dinner 

and  spend  the  night. 

10.  Monday,  December  1st. — At  Mr.  Statham's,  to  dinner  and 
spend  the  night. 

11.  Tuesday,  December  2d. — At  Mr.  Renter's,  to  dinner  and 
to  spend  the  night. 

"Professor  Wheatstone,  Dr.  Wallish,  Captains  Becher, 
Galton,  and  Bythesea,  Mr.  Adams,  and  Mr.  Wortley  are 
among  the  number  that  are  to  dine  with  me.  There  will  be 
twelve  in  all. 

"  How  much  I  wish  that  I  could  have  this  dinner-party  in 
our  own  home  ! 

"  Several  times  since  I  arrived  I  have  had  three  invitations 
for  the  same  evening,  and  I  decline  all  that  I  can  without  in- 
jury to  the  object  of  my  visit  to  England. 

"I  have  been  very  anxious  to  gel  through  and  leave  here 
so  as  to  be  with  you  on  Christmas,  or  certainl}'  New-year's, 
but  I  do  not  see  any  prospect  of  being  able  to  do  so. 

"  I  have  very  often  regretted  that  your  mother  cr  some  of 
you  were  not  with  me. 

"Mr.  Holbrooke  returns  in  the  Scotia  on  the  6th  of  Decem- 
ber, and  will  be  able  to  tell  you  how  I  am.  How  much  I 
wish  that  I  could  go  with  him  ! 


THE    CIVIL  WAR  ]53 

"Do,  my  dear  children,  be  very  kind  to  your  blessed  mother, 
and  do  everything  in  your  power  to  make  her  happy. 

"  I  have  purchased  all  the  things  that  j'ou   gave  me  a 
niemoiaudum  of,  or  liave  written  me  about.  - 

"  Good-bye,  my  dear  children,  and  may  God  bless  you  all. 
"  Witli  much  love  .to.y our  mother,  Eddie,  and  Willie,  and 
kind  regards  to  all  the  servants, 

"  I  remain,  as  ever, 

"Your  affectionate  father, 

"  Cyrus  W.  Field. 

"3Iisses  Grace,  Alice,  Isabella,  and  Fanny  Field.'' 


CHAPTER  X 

CAPITAL   RAISED  FOR   THE   MAKING    OF   A   XEW   CABLE — 
STEAMSHIP    ' '  GREAT  EASTERN  "    SECURED 

(1863-18G4) 

Ox  Sunday,  January  -itli,  18G3,  the  steamer  Asia 
arrived  in  Xew  York,  and  Mr.  Field  writes  that  he 
had  had  a  rough  passage  of  fifteen  days.  On  Jan- 
uary 27th,  in  a  letier  to  Mr.  Saward,  he  says  :  "  The 
whole  country  is  in  such  a  state  of  excitement  in 
regard  to  the  war  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  get 
any  one  to  talk  for  a  single  moment  about  telegrajDh 
matters,  but  you  may  be  sure  that  I  shall  do  all 
that  I  can  to  obtain  subscriptions  here."  And  in 
another  letter:  ''  Some  days  I  hare  worked  from  be- 
fore eight  in  the  morning  until  after  ten  at  night 
to  obtain  subscriptions  to  the  Atlantic  Telegraph 
Company." 

Long  afterwards  he  told  how,  during  these  years, 
he  has  often  seen  his  friends  cross  the  street  rather 
than  have  him  stoj)  them  and  talk  on  what  en- 
grossed so  much  of  his  thoughts  as  were  not  given 
to  his  country.  But  his  love  for  his  country  was 
his  master-passion,  and  only  five  days  after  his  ar- 
rival in  Js^ew  York  he  went  to  Washington  to  de- 
liver a  letter  that  he  had  brought  with  him  from 
Glass,  Elliott  &  Co.,  in  which  they  repeat  their  of- 
fer to  lav  submarine  cables  connecting  certain  mili- 


CAPITAL   RAISED   FOR   A    NEW    CABLE  155 

tary  ^^osts  or  points  of  strategic  imjDortance.     He 
Avrites  to  this  firm  on  January  17th : 

"I  went  to  "Washington  on  January  9tli,  and  the  next  day 
delivered  your  letter  of  December  19lh  to  our  governmeut, 
and  urged  upon  them  the  acceptance  of  your  offer.  I  re- 
turned liome  on  Sunday,  and  on  Monday  morning  I  received 
a  telegram  from  the  Navy  Department  requesting  me  to  re- 
turn immediately  to  Washington,  which  I  did  the  next  day." 

The  journey  to  Washington  at  this  time  was  long 
and  trying,  and  in  winter  a  very  cold  one,  for  it 
involved  a  ride  of  an  hour  across  Philadelphia  in 
the  street  cars. 

Mr.  Gladstone,  in  writing  from  London  on  Feb- 
ruary 20th,  again  thanks  Mr.  Field  for  books  sent 
to  him  relating  to  the  American  war,  and  adds  : 

'■  I  hope  I  do  not  offend  in  expressing  the  humble  desire  that 
it  may  please  the  Almighty  soon  to  bring  your  terrific  strug- 
gle to  an  end,  for  all  who  know  me  know  that  if  I  entertain 
such  a  wish  it  is  with  a  view  to  the  welfare  of  all  persons  of 
the  United  States,  in  which  I  have  ever  taken  the  most  cor- 
dial interest." 

This  letter  of  Mr.  Bright's  was  written  a  week 
later  : 

"London,  February  21 ,  1863. 

"My  dear  Sir, — I  have  to  thank  you  for  forwarding  to  me 
Mr.  Putnam's  four  handsome  volumes  of  the  Record  of  the  Re- 
bellion. I  value  the  work  highly,  and  have  wished  to  have 
it.  I  shall  write  to  Mr.  Putnam  to  thank  him  for  his  most 
friendly  and  acceptable  present. 

"  We  are  impatient  for  news  from  your  country.  There 
is  great  effort  without  great  result,  and  we  fear  the  divisions 
in  the  North  will  weaken  the  government  and  stimulate  the 
South.  Sometimes  of  late  I  have  seemed  to  fear  anarchy  in 
the  North  as  much  as  rel)ellion  in  the  South. 

"I  hope  my  fears  arise  more  from  my  deep  interest  in 
your  conflict  than  from  any  real  danger  from  the  discordant 
elements  among  you.     If  there  is  not  virtue  enough  among 


156  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

you  to  save  the  State,  tlien  lias  the  slavery  poison  done  its 
fearful  work.  But  I  will  not  despair.  Opinion  here  has 
changed  greatly.  In  almost  every  town  great  meetings  are 
being  held  to  pass  resolutions  in  favor  of  the  North,  and  the 
advocates  of  the  South  are  pretty  much  put  down. 
"  This  is  a  short  and  hasty  note.  .  .  . 
"Believe  me  always 

"  Ver\-  trulj'  yours. 

"  Joux  Bright." 

On  Wednesday,  March  4th,  he  addressed  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce.  Mr.  A.  A.  Low  offered  a 
resolution  expressing  the  confidence  of  the  Cham- 
ber that  a  cable  could  be  laid  across  the  Atlantic, 
and  ended  his  speech  in  support  of  it  with  these 
words  : 

' '  Any  one  listening  to  Mr.  Field  as  frequently  and  as  at- 
tentively as  I  have  with  regard  to  this  subject  could  not 
long  entertain  a  doubt  as  to  the  success  of  the  effort.  He  has 
studied  it  in  all  its  bearings,  and  with  the  aid  of  the  science 
and  intelligence  so  readily  at  command  on  the  other  side  of  the 
ocean,  where  he  has  had  the  benefit  of  an  experience  far  ex- 
ceeding that  of  this  country  with  regard  to  ocean  telegraphs. 
I  am  confident  that  whatever  hesitation  may  for  a  time  re- 
tard the  work,  it  will  not  be  of  that  kind  to  defeat  the  enter- 
prise. With  regard  to  the  argument  that  this  telegraph  is  in 
the  power  of  the  English  government,  and  that  we  would  be 
debarred  from  its  use  in  time  of  war,  let  it  be  borne  in  mind 
that  it  may  be  built  by  Great  Britain  without  our  co-opera- 
tion. The  English  government  is  alive  to  all  the  great  neces- 
sities of  the  day.  I  wish,  indeed,  our  own  were  equally  alive 
to  the  urgencies  of  the  age. 

"The  English  government,  as  I  said,  is  alive  to  all  the 
great  necessities  of  the  times,  and  it  will  assuredly  lay  the 
telegrapii,  whether  we  work  with  it  or  not.  If  this  govern- 
ment and  people  participate  with  the  government  raid  people 
of  Great  Britain  in  the  work,  it  will  be  done  under  treaty 
stipulations  which  will  secure  to  our  countr}'  effectually  great 
advantages  and  facilities.  I  have  faith  in  Great  Britain,  and 
I  believe  if  Great  Britain  enters  into  any  compact  with  this 
country  sh"  will  be  true  to  her  plighted  faith      I  have  little 


CAPITAL   RAISED   FOR   A   NEW    CABLE  157 

fear  oa  that  score.  .  .  .  Our  people  ought  not  to  be  deterred 
by  unworthj'^  considerations  from  taking  part  iu  an  enterprise 
called  for  by  all  the  intelligence  and  wisdom  of  our  times — 
such  an  enterprise  as  that  now  suggested.  There  is  a  risk 
which  may  well  be  incurred,  in  view  of  all  the  advantages 
the  work  presents.  I,  therefore,  move  the  adoption  of  the 
resolution  which  I  have  had  the  honor  to  present." 

The  resolution  was  seconded  by  Mr.  Cooper,  and 
unanimottsly  adopted. 

On  March  17th  he  addressed  the  produce  mer- 
chants of  New  York,  and  on  the  18th  the  Board  of 
Brokers.  It  is  quite  impossible  to  give  the  names  of 
the  persons,  companies,  or  corporations  to  whom  he 
wrote,  or  from  whom  he  solicited  assistance,  or  the 
cities  to  which  he  went,  making  speeches,  and  urg- 
ing every  one  he  saw  to  subscribe  to  the  stock  of  the 
new  Atlantic  cable,  and  early  in  June  he  was  able  to 
say :  "  The  total  subscriptions  in  America  to  the  At- 
lantic telegraph  stock  to  date  are  £66,G15  sterling. 
Every  single  person  in  the  United  States  and  Brit- 
ish North  American  provinces  that  owns  any  of  the 
old  stock  of  the  Atlantic  telegraph  has  shown  his 
confidence  in  the  enterprise  by  subscribing  to  the 
stock." 

These  extracts  are  made  from  three  letters  writ- 
ten on  March  2-lth,  March  2Tth,  and  ]\Iay  8th  : 

"  For  the  last  three  weeks  I  have  devoted  nearh'  my  whole 
time  to  obtaining  subscriptions  to  the  Atlantic  telegraph  stock, 
and,  when  you  consider  the  rate  of  exchange  on  England.  I 
think  you  will  saj^  that  we  have  done  well.  At  all  events,  I 
have  worked  very  hard,  going  from  door  to  door." 

"  I  never  worked  so  hard  in  all  my  life." 

"We  must  all  work  until  the  necessary  capital  is  subscribed. 
Within  the  last  two  weeks  I  have  travelled  over  fifteen  hun- 
dred miles,  visiting  Albany,  Buffalo,  Boston,  and  Providence 


158  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

on  business  of  the  Atlantic  telegrapli,  and  I  laave  promises  of 
subscriptions  from  all  these  places." 

The  remarkable  statement  that  folloAvs  is  coj)iecI 

from  a  letter  to  Mr.  C.  F.  Varley,  dated  March  31, 

1863: 

"There  is  a  carriage-road  all  the  way  to  California,  and  the 
mail  is  carried  daily  in  wagons,  and  emigrants  are  constantly 
passing  over  the  road  alongside  of  which  the  telegraph  line  is 
buiit.    The  Indians  are  friendly  and  do  not  to  injure  the  line." 

The  week  before  he  sailed  for  England,  on  the  27th 
of  May,  he  Avrote  a  letter  to  his  firm  and  gave  these 
directions  : 

"  During  my  absence  in  Europe  you  will  please  not  sell  any 
rags  or  paper  manufacturers'  stock  except  for  cash,  as  in  these 
times  we  had  much  b'tter  keep  our  goods  than  lo  sell  them 
even  on  a  few  daj^s'  credit.  Anj^  manufacturer  that  is  A  No. 
1  can  get  all  the  money  he  wants  at  interest,  and  will  prefer 
to  buy  cheap  for  cash.  ...  I  would  only  purchase  such  pa- 
pers as  I  wanted  for  immediate  sales  and  could  sell  at  a  good 
profit." 

Cyrus  W.  Field  &  Co.  wrote  on  July  18th  and 
gave  their  weekly  statement,  and  from  the  end  of 
their  letter  this  is  copied  : 

"  Our  books  have  been  balanced  for  the  six  months  by  the 
following  entries  : 

PROFIT   AND   LOSS— CR. 

Merchandise .$3,293  67 

58  Cliff  Street 18,820  83 

Commission 628  75 

^22.743  25 

PROFIT   AKD    LOSS — DR. 

Store  expenses .$4,580  70 

Insurance 123  99 

Interest 964  86 

Advertising 35  45 

5.705_0q 
Net  profits  for  six  months .$17,038  25 


CAriTAL    RAISED    FOR    A   XEW   CABLE  159 

Ou  the  1st  of  the  month  they  had  wi'itten  : 

"Business  lias  beeu  almost  entirely  suspended  for  tlie  last 
week  ou  account  of  tlie  great  excitement  arising  from  the  rebel 
invasion  of  Peunsj'lvania.  .  .  .  Harrisburg,  Baltimore,  and 
Pliiladelphiaare  threatened  by  Lee." 

And  on  the  loth  : 

"Since  our  last  letter  a  most  fearful  riot  has  broken  out 
here  in  the  cit}^ ;  it  still  continues,  and  business  is  almost  en- 
tirely suspended." 

This  was  the  famous  "draft  riot"  of  Xew  York, 
and  it  was  brought  near  to  him  ;  his  house  adjoined 
tliat  of  his  brotlier  David  Dudley  Field,  vrhose  wife 
Avrote  ; 

'•My  husband  just  got  back  in  time  to  save,  by  prompt 
and  vigorous  action,  our  property.  Our  poor  servants  -nere 
terribly  alarmed;  they  were  threatened  by  incendiaries  Avho 
warned  them  to  leave  the  premises.  .  .  .  Think  of  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty  soldiers  sleeping  in  our  stable,  the  ofBcer-9 
being  fed  in  the  basement.  ...  As  the  rioters  approached 
our  house  they  were  met  by  a  company  of  soldiers  that  Dud- 
ley had  just  sent  for;  their  glittering  bayonets  and  steady 
inarch  soon  sent  them  back  before  they  had  time  to  effect 
their  demoniacal  purpose." 

In  Abraliam  Lincoln:  a  Historii  we  read  that 
"  The  riots  came  to  a  bloody  close  on  the  night  of 
Thursday,  the  fourth  day.  A  small  detachment 
of  soldiers  met  the  principal  body  of  rioters  at 
Third  Avenue  and  TAventy-first  Street,  killed  thir- 
teen, wounding  eighteen  more,  and  taking  some 
prisoners."  This  occurred  within  a  square  of  Mr. 
Field's  house,  and  those  who  had  been  left  in 
charge  had  not  proved  themselves  very  brave  ;  they 
fled  from  the  house,  leaving  pictures,  silver,  and 
all  valuables,  and  took  with  them  only  a  box  of  tea 


160  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

and  a  cat.  The  tea  they  thought  they  would  enjoy, 
and  feared  the  cat  might  be  lonely.  The  depres- 
sion felt  in  IS'ew  York  on  July  1st,  and  mentioned 
in  the  letter  written  on  that  day,  was  reported  in 
England  on  the  10th,  on  which  day  the  news  brought 
by  the  steamer  Boliemicui  was  published,  and  those 
who  sympathized  Avith  the  South  were  exultant, 
and  were  quite  sure  that  the  steamer  Canada,  due 
on  the  18th,  would  bring  news  of  the  utter  defeat 
of  the  Northern  army  under  General  Meade.  The 
steamer  did  not  arrive  on  the  day  she  was  expected, 
and  on  the  intervening  Sunday  he  has  said  that  he 
was  far  too  excited  to  think  of  going  to  church. 
Instead  he  hailed  a  cab  and  drove  to  the  house  of 
Mr.  Adams  (then  American  minister  in  London). 
Mr.  Adams  was  at  church.  Next  he  stopped  at 
the  rooms  of  a  friend,  and  persuaded  him,  although 
he  was  in  the  midst  of  shaving,  to  go  Avith  him  to 
the  city.  They  drove  to  Renter's  ;  the  man  in 
charge  of  that  office  refused  to  answer  any  ques- 
tions, saying  that  if  he  were  to  do  so  he  would 
lose  his  place ;  he  was  assured  that  if  that  proved 
to  be  so  he  should  immediately  be  given  another 
place,  and  with  an  increase  of  pay.  These  ques- 
tions were  then  asked:  "Is  the  steamer  in  from 
America?"  and  "What  is  the  price  of  gold  in  New 
York  ?"  At  last  the  wearied  clerk  opened  the  door 
wide  enough  to  say  that  "  the  steamer  is  in  and  gold 
is  131."  This  gave  assurance  of  a  victory  for  the 
North ;  and  putting  his  foot  between  the  door  and 
the  jamb,  Mr.  Field  refused  to  move  it  until  he  was 
given  every  particular.  "  There  has  been  a  three 
days'  fight  at  Gettysburg ;  Lee  has  retreated  into 
Virginia  ,  Yicksburg  has  fallen. "  Three  cheers  were 


CAPITAL    RAISED   FOR   A   NEW   CABLE  161 

given,  and  then  three  times  three  ;  they  were  hearty 
and  lond,  and  after  that  the  one  thought  was  to 
spread  the  good  news  as  rapidly  as  possible.  First 
he  made  his  way  to  Upper  Portland  Place,  where  a 
message  was  left  for  Mr.  Adams.  Then  he  drove 
out  of  London,  and  passed  the  afternoon  in  going 
to  see  his  friends.  He  enjoyed  very  much  telling 
of  the  victory  to  those  who  rejoiced  with  him,  but 
perhaps  more  to  those  Avho,  though  Northerners  by 
birth,  were  Southerners  at  heart,  and  had  not  failed 
in  the  dark  days  just  past  to  let  him  know  that 
they  wished  for  a  divided  country.  At  one  house 
in  particular  he  entered  looking  very  depressed,  and 
with  a  low  voice  asked  if  they  had  had  the  news 
from  Queenstown,  and  when  the  answer  was  ''no"' 
he  read  to  them  the  paper  he  carried  in  his  hand. 
His  appearance  had  deceived  them,  and  they  had 
answered  him  smilingly,  but  their  faces  fell  when 
they  heard  the  news,  and  as  he  drove  from  the 
house  he  waved  the  message  at  them  and  called 
back,  "Oh,  you  rebels  !  Oh,  you  rebels  !" 
Mr.  Bright  wrote  on  August  Ttli : 

"  From  tlie  tone  of  the  Southern  papers  and  the  spasms  of 
tlie  New  York  Herald  I  gather  that  the  struggle  is  approach- 
ing an  end,  and  the  conspirators  are  anxious  to  save  slavery 
in  the  arrangements  that  may  be  made.  On  this  point  the 
great  contest  will  now  turn,  and  the  statesmanship  of  j'our 
statesmen  will  be  tried.  I  still  have  faith  in  the  cause  of 
freedom." 

It  is  more  probable  that  Mr.  Chase  refers  in  the 
following  letter  to  Mr.  Bright's  letter  of  February 
27th  than  to  the  one  just  given : 

"  Wasuixgton,  Anfinst  21,  1863. 
"My  dear  Sir, — I  thank  you  for  sending  me  a  copy  of  Mr. 
11 


162  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

Blight's  letter.     It  is  marked  l)y  the  comprehensive  sagacity 
which  (listiaguishes  his  statesmanship. 

"Have  you  read  "  Callirrhoe,"  a  fanciful  story  of  George 
Sand's,  which  has  appeared  in  the  late  numbers  of  Revue 
des  Deux  Mondes?  It  is  founded  upon  the  idea  of  transmigra- 
tion, and  especially  upon  the  notion  that  the  souls  of  those 
who  have  lived  in  former  times  reappear  with  their  charac- 
teristic traits  in  the  persons  of  new  generations.  If  I  adopted 
this  notion  I  might  believe  that  Hampden  and  Sidney  live 
again  in  Bright  and  Cobden. 

"A  letter  expressing  the  same  f^eneral  ideas  as  are  con- 
tained in  that  addressed  to  you  w^as  lately  sent  by  Mr.  Briglit 
to  Mr.  Aspinwall.  This  letter  Mr.  Aspinwall  kindly  en- 
closed to  me,  and  I  read  it  to  the  President.  I  had  repeatedly 
said  the  same  things  to  him,  and  was  not  sorry  to  have  my 
representations  unconsciously  echoed  by  a  liberal  English 
statesman.  The  President  said  nothing,  but  I  am  sure  he  is 
more  and  more  confirmed  in  the  resolution  to  make  the  proc 
lamation  efficient  as  well  after  peace  as  during  rebellion. 

"My  own  efforts  are  constantl}'  directed  to  this  result. 
Almost  daily  I  confer  more  or  less  fuUj-  with  loyalists  of  the 
iiisurreclionarj^  States,  who  almost  unanimously  concur  in 
judgment  with  me  that  the  only  safe  basis  of  permanent 
peace  is  reconstitution  by  recognition  in  the  fundamental 
law  of  each  State,  through  a  convention  of  its  loyal  people, 
of  the  condition  of  universal  freedom  established  by  the 
proclamation.  It  was  onlj'  yesterday  that  I  had  a  full  con- 
versation with  Governor  Pierpont,  of  Virginia,  and  Judge 
Bowden,  one  of  the  United  States  Senators  from  that  State,  on 
this  subject.  Both  these  gentlemen  agree  in  thinking  that 
the  President  should  revoke  the  exception  of  certain  coun- 
ties in  southeastern  Virginia  from  the  operation  of  the  proc- 
lamation, and  that  the  Governor  should  call  the  Legislature 
together  and  recommend  the  assembling  of  a  convention  for 
the  amendment  of  the  existing  constitution,  and  in  expect- 
ing that  the  convention  will  propose  an  amendment  pro- 
hibiting slavery.  I  think  there  is  some  reason  to  hope  that 
the  President  may  determine  to  revoke  the  exception,  and 
more  reason  to  hope  that  the  convention  will  be  railed  and 
freedom  established  in  Virginia  through  Its  agenc}'. 

"I  do  not  know  that  you  are  perfectl}'  familiar  with  the 
present  condition  of  things  in  Virginia.  Soon  after  the  out- 
break of  the  rebellion  the  loyal  people  of  Virginia  or^janized 


CAPITAL   RAISED   FOR   A  NEW   CABLE  163 

under  the  old  constitution,  tlirough  a  Legislature  at  Wheel- 
ing, and  subsequentl}-,  through  a  convention,  consented  to  a 
division  of  the  State  by  organizing  the  northwest  portion  as 
the  State  of  West  Virginia.  If  j'ou  look  at  the  map  you  will 
see  that  the  line  forming  the  southern  and  eastern  bounda- 
ries of  this  new  State  commences  on  the  big  fork  of  the  Big 
Sandy,  in  the  west  line  of  McDowell  County,  and  thence 
proceeds  irregularly  so  as  to  include  ilcDowell  and  Mercer 
counties,  along  the  crest  of  the  Alleglianies  to  Pendleton 
County,  where  it  diverges  to  the  Shenandoah  Mountains  and 
proceeds  northeast  to  the  Potomac  River,  at  the  northeast 
corner  of  Berkeley,  includmg  Pendleton,  Ha^d3^  Hampshire, 
Morgan,  and  Berkeley  counties.  Congress  consented  to  the 
admission  of  this  State,  and  it  is  now  in  the  Union,  fully  or- 
ganized under  a  free-labor  constitution.  Its  organization,  of 
course,  left  the  government  of  old  Virginia  in  the  hands  of 
Governor  Pierpont  and  his  associates,  by  whom  the  seat  of 
government  has  been  established  at  Alexandria.  At  present 
onh'  a  comparatively  narrow  belt  of  counties  from  the  At- 
lantic to  the  east  line  of  Berkeley  is  practically  controlled 
by  the  loyal  State  government,  but  the  loyal  men  of  these 
counties  are  recognized  by  the  national  government  as  the 
State,  and  as  county  after  county  is  rescued  from  rebel  con- 
trol it  will  come  naturally  under  this  organization,  until 
probably  at  no  distant  day  Governor  Pierpont  will  be  ac- 
knowledged as  the  Governor  of  Virginia  at  Richmond.  When 
this  takes  place,  the  Slate  will  be  necessarily  a  free  State,  un- 
der a  constitution  prohibiting  slavery.  The  loyal  people  of 
Florida  are  ready  to  take  the  same  course  which  Governor 
Pierpont  proposes  to  take  in  Virginia;  and  the  same  is  true 
of  the  loyal  people  of  Louisiana  to  a  great  extent.  It  Avill 
be  found,  doubtless,  as  the  authority  of  the  Union  is  re-estab- 
lished in  other  States  included  by  the  proclamation,  that  the 
same  sentiments  will  prevail;  so  that  it  will  be  quite  easy  for 
the  national  government,  if  the  President  feels  so  disposed, 
to  secure  the  recognition  of  tlie  proclamation,  and  the  per- 
manent establishment  of  its  policy,  through  the  action  of  the 
people  of  the  several  States  affected  by  it. 

"In  this  way  the  great  ends  to  be  accomplished  can  be 
most  certainh'  reached.  My  own  efforts  are  constantly  di- 
rected to  their  attainment,  and  I  never  admit  in  conversation 
or  otiierwi.se  the  possibility  that  tlie  rebel  States  can  cease  to 
be  irbel  Siatcn  and  become  loyal  members  of  the  Union  except 


164  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

through  the  recognition  of  the  condition  created  by  the  proc- 
lamation, by  the  establishment  of  free  institutions  under 
slavery-prohibiting  constitutions.  I  not  only  labor  for  these 
ends,  but  hope  quite  sanguinely  that  they  will  be  secured. 

"The  public  sentiment  of  the  country  has  undergone  a 
great  change  in  reference  to  slavery.  Strong  emancipation 
parties  exist  in  every  slave  State  not  affected  by  the  procla- 
mation, and  a  general  conviction  prevails  that  slavery  cannot 
long  survive  the  restoration  of  the  republic.  The  procla- 
mation, and  such  recognition  of  it  as  I  have  mentioned,  will 
have  finished  it  in  the  proclamation  Stales.  In  the  other 
States  the  people  will  finish  it  by  their  own  action.  I  do  not 
care  to  sketch  the  picture  of  the  great  and  powerful  nation 
which  will  then  exhibit  its  strength  in  America.  Your  own 
foresiglit  must  have  anticipated  all  I  could  say. 

"The  war  moves  too  slow  and  costs  too  much;  but  it 
moves  steadily,  and  rebellion  falls  before  it.  Our  financial 
condition  remains  entirely  sound.  The  new  national  banks 
are  being  organized  a^  rapidly  as  prudence  allows,  and  no 
doubt  can,  I  think,  be  longer  entertained  that,  whatever  else 
may  happen,  we  shall  have  gained,  through  the  rebellion,  an 
opportunity^  not  unimproved,  of  establishing  a  safe  and  uni- 
form currenc}'^  for  the  whole  nation — a  benefit  in  itself  com- 
pensating in  some  degree,  and  in  no  small  degree,  for  the 
evils  we  have  endured.  I  trust  you  are  succeeding  well  in 
your  great  scheme  of  the  inter-continental  telegraph.  It  is 
an  enterprise  worthy  of  this  day  of  great  things.  If  I  had 
the  wealth  of  an  Astor  you  should  not  lack  the  means  of 
construction.  Yours  very  trulv, 

"  S.  P.  Chase. 

"  Cyrus  W.  Field,  Esq." 

Mr.  Chase's  letter  was  shown  to  Mr.  Gladstone 
eight  months  later,  and  he  returned  ihis  reply  : 

"11  Carlton  House  Terrace,  S.  W., 
"  April  2Q.  186i. 
"My  dear  Mr.  Field, — I  return,  with  many  thanks,  these 
interesting  letters  :  the  one  full  of  feeling,  the  other  of  im- 
portant political  anticipations. 

"It  is  very  good  of  you  to  send  a  letter  of  Mr.  Chase's  to 
me,  who,  I  aiiprehend,  must  pass  in  the  United  States  for  no 


CAPITAL   RAISED   FOR  A   NEW    CABLE  165 

better  than  a  confirmed  lieretic,  though  I  have  never  opened 
my  mouih  in  public  about  America  except  for  the  purposes 
of  sympathy  and  what  I  thought  friendship. 

"I  admit  I  cannot  ask  or  expect  you  to  take  the  same 
view  on  the  other  side  of  the  water.  Engaged  in  a  desperate 
struggle,  5'ou  may  fairly  regard  as  adverse  all  those  who 
have  anticipated  an  unfavorable  issue,  even  although,  like 
myself,  they  have  ceased  to  indulge  gratuitously  in  such  pre- 
dictions, when  they  have  become  aware  that  you  resent,  as 
you  are  entitled  to  judge  the  matter  for  yourselves.  I  can- 
not hope  to  stand  well  with  Americans,  mucli  as  I  value 
their  good  opinions,  unless  and  until  the  time  shall  come 
when  they  shall  take  the  opposite  view,  retrospectively,  of 
this  war  from  that  which  they  now  hold.  If  that  time  ever 
comes,  I  shall  then  desire  their  favorable  verdict,  just  as  I 
now  respectfully  submit  to  their  condemnation. 

"What  I  know  is  this, that  the  enemies  of  America  rejoice 
to  see  the  two  combatants  exhaust  themselves  and  one  an- 
other in  their  gigantic  and  sanguinary  strife. 

"  As  respects  Mr.  Chase,  he  is,  if  I  may  say  so,  a  brother  in 
this  craft;  and  I  have  often  sj'mpathized  with  liis  difficul- 
ties, and  admired  the  great  ability  and  ingenuity  with  which, 
he  appears  to  have  steered  his  course. 
"  I  remain,  my  dear  sir, 

"Faithfully  j'ours, 

"  W.  E.  Gladstone." 

The  "letter  ftill  of  feeling''  to  which  Mr.  Glad- 
stone refers  was  an  account  sent  to  Mr.  Field  by 
his  daughter  Alice  of  a  visit  to  the  headquarters 
of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  On  account  of  this 
reference,  and  also  for  its  interest  as  a  contempo- 
raneous sketch  of  the  war  time  by  a  non-combatant, 
it  is  here  inserted  : 

"Washington,  D.  C,  Fehruarxj  25, 1864. 
"■My  dear  Mother, — Since  I  last  wrote  I  have  been  to  the 
army  front,  passing  on  the  way  many  of  the  battle-fields 
whose  names  bring  up  sad  memories,  and  finally  living  for 
two  nights  and  much  of  three  days  within  view  of  the  ene- 
my's signals,  and  in  the  midst  of  our  own  encampments.  .  .  . 


166  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

Early  on  Mondaj-  morning  we  found  ourselves  in  llie  govern- 
ment train  on  the  way  to  Brandetb  Station.  This  is  a  five 
hours'  journey  from  Washington,  but  the  time  could  not 
have  dragged  with  any  one  interested  in  the  history  of  our 
countr}'.  We  saw  the  battle-ground  of  Manasses;  we  crossed 
the  Bull  Run  stream  and  the  fields  made  memorable  by  Pope's 
disastrous  campaign.  Indeed,  along  the  long  line  of  the  rail- 
way runs  u  batlle-field — the  "race-course,"  as  an  officer  told 
me  it  was  called,  so  often  have  our  troops  and  the  enemy's 
pursued  each  other  there.  Everywhere  one  sees  the  evi- 
dences of  war;  the  whole  country  is  desolated,  and  the  earth 
ploughed  by  the  tread  of  armies  ;  broken  earthworks  border 
the  brows  of  the  liills,  and  wherever  a  camp  is  seen  around 
it  is  a  stockade  or  abatis  to  protect  it  from  Mosby's  gueril- 
las, who  infest  this  region. 

"As  we  were  whirled  past  these  scenes,  I  listened  to  the 
talk  of  the  officers  about  me,  and  expressions  such  as  these 
made  the  story  doubly  real  :  "It  w^as  there  the  cavalry  was 
attacked";  "The  bridg;  we  are  now  crossing  was  contested 
all  day  in  the  action  of  the  other  day  " ;  "We  held  those  hills 
where  that  body  of  artillery  is  now  moving."  So  those  five 
hours  hurried  awaj%  and  we  did  not  wake  up  to  the  present 
until  we  reached  Brandeth  Station.  Here  stood  lines  of  am- 
bulances to  receive  the  army's  guests, and  soon  we  were  placed 
in  an  ambulance  and  jolted  over  corduroy  roads  to  General 

's  tent.     After  an  hour's  jolting  we  reached  our  first 

destination.  The  general's  tent  was  one  of  a  large  encamp- 
ment on  a  hill  which  commands  a  view  of  our  fortifications 
all  about  the  country  and  those  of  the  rebels  across  the  river, 
onl}^  four  or  five  miles  awa}'. 

"General ,  commander  of  the  Third  Brigade,  Third 

Division,  Second  Corps,  received  us  very  courteously,  and 
with  him  and  three  of  the  ofl3cers  of  his  staff  we  lunched  in 
the  tent.  This  tent  is  charming.  At  one  end  blazes  in  a  huge 
fireplace — open,  of  course — a  bright  wood  firtr:  in  the  centre 
stands  a  table,  over  which  hangs  a  chandelier  holding  three 
candles;  on  one  side  is  the  bed;  and  all  about  are  armj'^  chairs. 

"Our  lunch,  where  the  oflicers  presided  as  hosts  and 
waiters,  consisted  of  ham  sandwiches,  pickles,  jell}^  ale,  and 
tea.  The  three  oflicers  were  our  escorts  to  our  quarters, 
which  we  found  to  be  in  the  old  Virginia  manor  Milton, 
owned  and  still  inhabited  by  the  well-known  family  of . 

"They  did  not  smile  upon  us  at  first,  but  we  made  a  great 


CAPITAL   RAISED   FOR   A   NEW   CABLE  167 

effort  to  propitiate  the  two  sad-looliiiig  Virginia  ladies  who 
received  us.  They  both  were  in  mourning  for  the  son  of 
one  of  them,  who  was  liilled  during  tlie  Peninsula  campaign — 
a  rebel.  Poor,  poor  fellow  !  We  felt  so  much  for  tliese  proud 
women,  obliged  to  receive  Northern  strangers,  and  unable  to 
conceal  their  fallen  fortunes,  that  we  did  our  best  to  heal 
their  wounded  self-love.  After  tea  we  dressed  for  the  ball. 
I  wore  the  blue  tissue,  the  wliite  lace  waist,  and  a  blue  ribbon 
onl}^  in  ni}'  hair.  .  .  .  Our  three  escorts  arrived  long  before 
we  were  read\%  but  at  last  we  were  put  again  into  our  am- 
bulance. Just  fancy  the  strangeness  of  going  to  a  ball  in  an 
ambulance,  and  the  ball-room  itself,  indeed,  was  as  odd  a 
mingling  of  contrasts.  It  was  an  immense  boarded  room, 
with  a  pointed  roof  from  which  hving  many  flags  and  ban- 
ners, most  ragged  and  full  of  bullet-holes,  some  in  ribbons  ; 
guns  were  stacked  against  the  building,  and  these  were 
draped  with  evergreens  ;  on  either  side  of  the  platform  used 
by  the  band  rested  cannons  pointed  towards  us  ;  these  were 
almost  concealed  by  banners  again.  From  this  end  of  the 
I'oom  came  excellent  music  all  the  evening. 

"  I  was  made  quite  happy  by  General  Meade's  condescen- 
sion in  speaking  to  me  twice.  We  had  four  hours'  sleep  that 
night,  or  rather  the  next  morning.  The  whole  of  Tuesday 
was  given  to  a  great  review — that  of  the  Second  Corps.  Gen- 
eral jMeade  reviewed  the  troops.  There  were  7000  infantry 
and  3000  cavalry  ;  these  last  were  Kilpatrick's,  and  thej' 
showed  us  a  cavalry  charge  ;  this  was  very  exciting,  and 
their  shrieks  in  rushing  upon  the  supposed  enemy  so  over- 
came us  that  we  clung  to  each  other  in  terror.  The  day  was 
more  than  May,  it  was  June.  Far  away  rose  the  Blue  Ridge 
(well  named,  we  thought),  while  all  over  the  country  in  every 
direction  were  marching  the  infantry,  or  the  artillery  was 
rumbling,  or  the  cavaby  dashing  about  in  the  soft  Virginia 
breezes.  When  General  Meade  reviewed  the  arm)%  as  he 
rode  with  his  staff  past  each  brigade  the  general  and  officers 
joined  the  cavalcade  of  the  commander-in-chief,  the  band 
playing  and  colors  flying  and  bayonets  glistening,  all  in  the 
bright  sunlight  of  that  perfect  day.  I  cannot  tell  you  how 
touching  Avas  the  sight  of  those  regiments  that  have  been 
long  in  the  service,  and  have  but  two  or  three  hundred  left. 
They  march  so  fii'mly,  carrying  their  torn  banners,  with  the 
names  of  the  battles  in  which  they  have  fought  written  upon 
them. 


168  CYRUS  W.   FIELD 

"During  the  review  we  received  an  invitation  from  the 
general  to  dine  with  him,  which  we  accepted.  I  mnst  reserve 
a  detailed  account  of  this  dinner  for  another  letter. 

"The  next  morning-  we  bade  good-bye  to  our  friends,  and 
returned  to  the  restraints  of  city  life." 

It  was  during  this  year  that  Mr.  Yarley  made  the 
statement  that  when  the  cable  was  laid  it  would  be 
possible  to  send  through  it  eight  words  a  minute, 
and  possibly  thirteen  and  a  half  words.  This  asser- 
tion called  down  upon  him  some  criticism.  On  July 
6,  1885,  Mr.  Field  sent  ninoty-fiye  words  from  Lon- 
don to  the  President  of  the  United  States  at  Wash- 
ington in  eighteen  minutes.  Ten  minutes  were 
required  to  send  the  message  from  Buckingham 
Palace  Hotel  to  Throgmorton  Street,  and  eight 
mintites  from  there  to  Washington. 

When  in  Loudon  he  was  up  by  five  o'clock, 
though  out  at  dinner  every  night,  and  the  servants 
at  his  hotel  were  known  to  say,  'Olr.  Field  never 
goes  to  sleep."  His  work  wdiile  on  either  side  of 
the  Atlantic  was  constant,  and  for  that  reason  the 
long  sea  voyages  proved  a  blessing.  The  first  days 
after  sailing  he  would  sleep  continuously,  only  get- 
ting up  for  his  meals,  and  by  so  doing  was  rested 
and  ready  for  any  emergency  or  pleasure  on  landing. 

Immediately  upon  his  arrival  in  Kew  York  on 
Sej)tember  23,  1863,  he  jDrepared  to  welcome  Vice- 
Admiral  Sir  Alexander  Milne.  A  reception  was 
given  to  Sir  Alexander  and  Lady  Milne  by  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Field  early  in  October,  and  the  letter  from 
Washington  refers  to  that  entertainment : 

"Treasury  Department,  October  1,  1863. 
"My  dear  Mr.  Field, — 1  am  glad  that  you  are  doing  your 
part  towards  making  the  sta}'^  of  the  naval  officers  of  the 


CAPITAL  RAISED   FOR  A   XEW   CABLE  169 

Good  Queen  in  our  metropolitan  harbor  agreeable  to  them. 
My  faitli  is  strong  that  the  English  government  will  yet  see 
that  the  interests  of  mankind  demand  that  there  should  be 
DO  alienation  of  the  two  great  branches  of  the  Anglo-Saxon 
family  from  each  other,  and  will  do  its  part  towards  remov- 
ing all  causes  of  alienation  bj'  full  reparation  for  the  in- 
juries inflicted  on  American  commerce  bj'  unneutral  acts  of 
British  subjects,  known  to  and  not  prevented  by  the  re- 
sponsible authorities. 

"  That's  a  long  sentence,  but  I  believe  it  convej's  my  mean- 
ing. I  am  sorrj'  I  cannot  accept  the  kind  invitation  of  your- 
self and  ]Mrs.  Field  (to  whom  please  make  my  best  regards 
acceptable)  to  meet  these  gallant  officers. 

"Yours,  very  truly, 

"S.  P.  Chase." 

The  answer  to  this  letter  was  Avritteu  on  Octo- 
ber the  9th  : 

"  I  full\'  concur  in  every  word  you  say  in  regard  to  the 
conduct  of  the  British  government  towards  us,  and  hope, 
witli  you,  that  they  will  see  it  is  for  our  mutual  interest,  as 
well  as  for  that  of  all  mankind,  that  friendl}'  feelings  should 
always  exist  between  '  the  two  great  branches  of  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  family.'  Vice- Admiral  Sir  Alexander  Milne  left  for 
Wasliington  this  morning.   .   .   . 

"  I  have  been  very  glad  to  do  everything  in  my  power  to 
make  his  visit  to  this  city  as  agreeable  as  possible,  and  I  hope 
he  will  take  awaj"  with  him  from  our  shores  ver}-  pleasing 
impressions  of  them,  and  of  the  country  and  people." 

The  coming  of  the  English  fleet  to  Xew  York  had 
been  the  subject  of  discussion  both  in  England  and 
America  ;  this  command  had  been  given  to  the  ad- 
miral : 

"The  naval  commander-in-chief  on  the  Nortli  American 
and  West  India  Station  is  especially  directed  by  the  eighth 
article  of  his  instructions  as  follows  ■- 

"  You  are  strictly  to  abstain  from  entering  any  port  of  the 
United  States  unless  absolutely  compelled  to  do  so  by  the 
necessities  of  the  service." 


170  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

The  order  was  not  modified  until  the  fall  of 
1863,  when  Admiral  Milne  sailed  from  Halifax  in 
H.M.S.  Nile,  with  the  Immortalite,  Medea,  and  Xim- 
hU  in  company,  and  arrived  off  Sandy  Hook  early  in 
October.     To  use  his  own  words  : 

"On  being  visited  by  .Mr.  Arcliibald,  Her  ]Mii]esty's  coun- 
sel, he  informed  me  of  the  strong  and  unfriendly  feeling 
which  then  existed  against  England  in  consequence  of  the 
building  of  tiie  two  ships  of  war  in  Liverpool  for  the  South- 
ern States,  and  from  various  other  matters  connected  with 
the  existing  civil  war,  and  that  my  reception  would  probably 
be  unsatisfactory.  This,  however,  was  not  the  case  ;  my 
visit  was  evidently  acceptable,  and  proved  most  satisfactory, 
and  I  received  every  attention  from  the  authorities,  as  well 
as  private  individuals,  not  only  at  Xcw  York,  but  also  at 
Washington,  as  will  be  seen  Ijy  the  following  correspond- 
ence : 

"  "Washington.  November  ^0,  1863. 
^^'  Sir, — Vice- Admiral  Sir  Alexander  Milne  having  reported 
to  the  Lords  Commissioners  of  the  Admiralty  the  great  kind- 
ness and  courtesy  with  which  he  was  received  at  Washing- 
ton by  the  President  of  the  United  States  and  the  members 
of  the  Cabinet,  I  have  been  instructed  to  convey  to  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  United  States  the  expression  of  the  gntiflca- 
tion  which  their  lordships  have  felt  at  the  courtesy  and  at- 
tention so  handsomely  shown  to  the  vice-admiral. 
"  ■  I  have,  etc., 

"  'Lyons. 
'"The  Hon.  W.  H.  Seward,  Secretary  of  State.  Wash- 
ington.' 

"  '  Department  of  State, 
"  'Washington,  Bewmber  3,  1863. 
"  '  My  dear  Lord  Lyons,—!  have  made  known  to  the  Presi- 
dent and  to  the  heads  of  departments  the  agreeable  com- 
munication you  have  made  to  me  in  regard  to  the  reception 
of  Vice-Admiral  ]\Iiine  on  the  occasion  of  his  visit  at  this  cap- 
ital. 

"  'The  just,  liberal,  and  courteous  conduct  of  the  admiral 
in  the  performance  of  his  duties  while  commanding  H.  M.'s 
naval  forces  in  the  vicinity  of  the  United  States  was  known 


CAPITAL   RAISED   FOR   A   NEW   CABLE  171 

to  this  government  before  his  arrival,  and  it  therefore  afforded 
the  President  a  special  satisfaction  to  have  an  opportunity  to 
extend  to  him  an  hospitable  welcome. 

"  '  I  am.  etc., 

•"W.  H.  Seward. 
"  '  The  Lord  Lyons.'  " 

About  this  time  there  came  unfavorable  reports 
from  England  of  the  affairs  of  the  telegraph  com- 
pany. The  work  then  was  at  a  standstill,  and  on  No- 
vember 20th  Mr,  Field  wrote  to  Mr.  Saward :  "If 
you  have  new  and  formidable  difficulties  you  must 
make  the  greater  exertions."  And  on  December 
16th  Mr.  Saw^ard  wrote,  urging  him  to  come  im- 
mediately to  England. 

On  December  1,  18G3,  accordingly,  he  retired 
from  business  in  New  York,  in  order  to  devote  his 
whole  time  to  further  the  efforts  then  being  made 
to  lay  a  cable  across  the  Atlantic,  and  on  the  17th 
he  gave  up  the  building  No.  57  Beekman  Street, 
where  his  office  had  been  for  some  years.  His  ar- 
rival in  England  early  in  January  Avas  reported  in 
the  London  Telegraiiliic  Journal  of  February  Gth  in 
these  w^ords : 

"  Tlie  Atlantic  telegraph  project  is  again  attracting  public 
attention.  Mr.  Cj'rus  W.  Field,  one  of  the  leading  spirits  of 
the  undertaking,  is  again  amongst  us,  full  of  hope  and  ready 
to  embark  once  more  in  the  gigantic  enterprise." 

Mr.  John  Bright  said,  in  a  speech  made  at  a  din- 
ner given  on  the  evening  of  April  15,  1864  : 

,  "  Just  before  I  came  here  I  was  speaking  to  a  gentleman,  a 
member  of  Her  ^lajesty's  government — one  of  tlie  present 
Cabinet — and  I  told  him,  as  I  was  coming  out  of  the  House, 
•  tiiat  I  was  going  to  dine  with  some  friends  of  tlie  Atlantic 
•telegraph.  His  countenance  at  once  brightened  up,  and  he 
said  to  me  :  '  I  look  iipcm  that  as  the  most  glorious  thing  that 


172  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

man  ever  attempted  ;  there  is  nothing  else  which  so  excites 
my  s\nipathies.'  When  he  said  that  he  spolve  oulj^  the  feel- 
ings of  every  intelligent  and  moral  man  in  the  whole  world." 

But  to  carry  out  "-the  most  glorious  thing  that 
man  ever  attempted  "  there  was  endless  work  await- 
ing him,  and  what  he  accomplished  in  three  months 
is  best  told  by  himself,  and  is  made  to  read  continu- 
ously, although,  in  fact,  the  words  were  spoken  at 
different  times  on  the  evening  just  referred  to ;  he 
failed  to  say  that  he  was  one  of  the  ten  men  who  each 
subscribed  £10,000  : 

"When  I  arrived  in  this  countrj^  in  January  last  the  At- 
lantic Telegraph  Company  trembled  in  the  balance.  We  were 
in  want  of  funds  and  were  in  negotiations  with  the  govern- 
ment and  making  great  exertions  to  raise  the  money.  At  this 
juncture  I  was  introduced  to  a  gentleman  of  great  integrity 
and  enterprise,  who  is  well  known,  not  only  for  his  wealth, 
but  for  his  foresight,  and  in  attempting  to  enlist  him  in  our 
cause  he  put  me  tlirougli  such  a  cross-examination  as  I  had 
never  before  experienced.  I  thougiit  I  was  in  the  witness-box. 
He  inquired  of  me  the  practicability  of  the  scheme,  what  it 
Avould  pay,  and  everything  else  connected  with  it,  but  before 
I  left  him  I  had  the  pleasure  of  hearing  him  say  that  it  was  a 
great  national  enterprise  that  ought  to  be  carried  out,  and  he 
added,  'I  will  be  one  of  ten  to  find  the  money  required  for 
it.'  From  that  day  to  this  he  has  never  hesitated  about  it,  and 
when  I  mention  his  name  you  will  know  him  as  a  man  whose 
word  is  as  good  as  his  bond,  and  as  for  his  bond  there  is  no 
better  in  England.  I  give  j'ou  ' '  The  health  of  Thomas  Bras- 
sey.'  The  words  spoken  by  Mr.  Brassej^  .  .  .  encouraged  us 
all,  and  made  us  believe  we  should  succeed  in  raising  the  nec- 
essar}'  capital,  and  I  then  went  to  work  to  iind  nine  other 
Thomas  Brasseys  (I  did  not  know  whether  he  was  an  Eng- 
lishman, a  Scotchman,  or  an  Irishman,  but  I  made  up  my 
mind  that  be  combines  all  the  good  qualities  of  every  one  of 
them),  and  after  considerable  search  I  met  with  a  rich  friend 
from  Manchester,  and  I  asked  him  if  he  would  second  ]\Ir. 
Brassej^  and  walked  with  him  from  28  P;ill  Mall  to  the  House 
of  Commons,  of  which  he  is  a  member.  Before  we  reached  the 
House  he  expressed  his  willingness  to  do  so  to  an  equal  amount. 


CAPITAL   RAISED   FOR   A  NEW  CABLE  173 

A  few  days  after  that  it  was  thought  there  would  be  a  great 
advantage  arising  out  of  the  fusion  of  the  Gutta-percha  Com- 
pany and  Messrs.  Glass,  Elliott  &  Co.  into  a  public  telegraph 
construction  and  maintenance  compaii3%  who  would  in  that 
form  be  able,  with  advantages  to  themselves,  to  help  forward 
the  Atlantic  telegraph.  Mr.  Pender  then  entered  into  it  heart 
and  soul,  and  v.'e  have  now  a  list  of  eminent  capitalists  in  the 
United  Kingdom  pledged  to  carry  out  that  enterprise  in  the 
verj^  Ijest  manner.  I  therefore  feel  we  are  deeply  indebted 
to  Mr.  Brassey  and  Mr.  Pender  for  the  energetic  way  in  which 
this  matter  has  been  taken  up  by  them,  and  I  am  truly  glad 
to  see  the  Telegraph  Construction  and  Maintenance  Company 
established  with  the  object  and  power  of  carrj'ing  forward  the 
extension  of  telegraphic  communication  in  all  parts  of  the 
world. 

"The  Great  Eastern  Ship  Company  have  acted  in  the  most 
liberal  manner  towards  us,  inasmuch  as  at  present  they  are 
truly  engaged  in  a  labor  of  love.  From  this  day  to  the  31st  of 
December,  1865,  we  are  to  have  the  use  of  that  magnificent 
vessel ;  and,  if  the  cable  be  not  successfully  laid,  we  shall 
not  have  to  pay  a  single  shilling  for  the  use  of  her.  Should 
it  be  successful,  we  are  then  to  hand  to  the  directors  of  the 
Great  Eastern  Ship  Company  £50,000  in  shares.  In  all  my 
business  experience  I  have  never  known  anj'  offer  more  hon- 
orable. I  wish  to  say  that  those  of  you  who  last  honored  me 
with  your  company  at  dinner  in  this  house  will  recollect  that 
on  that  occasion  I  proposed  the  health  of  Mr.  George  Pea- 
body  and  his  worthy  partner,  Mr.  Morgan,  and  the  latter  re- 
plied to  the  sentiment.  I  had  stated  in  tiie  coiirse  of  my  re- 
marks preliminary  to  the  toast  that  when  I  called  upon  him 
in  1856  he  gave  the  name  of  his  house  as  subscribers  for 
£10,000  of  the  company's  stock.  In  reply  to  the  toast,  Mr. 
]\Iorgan  spoke  of  that  £10,000  as  lost  money,  but  promised  a 
further  subscription,  nevertheless,  towards  carrying  out  a 
new  cable,  and  I  am  happy  to  say  that  yesterday  he  redeemed 
his  promise.  That  statement  that  he  lost  his  money  is 
not  strictly  accurate.  It  is  not  lost.  He  knows  where  the 
cable  is  and  can  go  and  get  it.  The  money  has  been  sown, 
and  the  plant  is  already  out  of  the  ground,  and  is  now  grow- 
ing up  splendidly.  It  will  .'joon  be  in  flower — I  mean  at  a  pre- 
mium— and  then  there  will  be  in  the  office  of  Messrs.  George 
Peabody  &  Co.  more  rejoicing  over  that  £10,000  which  was 
lost  and  is  found  than  over  any  £99,000  of  their  profits  that 


174  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

were  never  in  danger.  "When  I  invited  Mr.  3Iorgau  here  this 
evening,  he  consented  to  come  upon  the  express  condition  that 
he  sliouid  not  have  to  reply  to  anj'  toast  or  malie  a  speech. 
I  will  therefore  give  j'ou  a  sentiment,  which,  remember,  be 
is  on  no  account  to  reply  to  ;  but  I  hope  you  have  all,  by 
this  time,  drunk  enough  wine  to  enable  you  to  imagine  what 
he  would  say  in  reply  to  it  if  he  were  under  any  obligation 
to  respond.  I  ask  you,  then,  to  drink  success  to  the  house 
of  Messrs.  George  Peabody  &  Co." 

Before  his  friends  left  him,  he  said  : 

"  My  stay  in  England  is  now  drawing  to  a  close,  and  never 
before  when  about  to  embark  for  America  did  I  feel  more 
satisfied  and  rejoiced  at  the  position  of  our  great  undertak- 
ing; but  with  all  this  a  feeling  of  sadne.ss  at  times  steals 
over  me.  It  seems  to  me  in  those  moinents  very  doubtful 
whether  many  of  us  will  ever  meet  again.  What  little  I 
could  do  has  been  done,  and  the  enterprise  is  now  in  the 
hands  of  the  contractors,  who,  I  am  sure,  will  carry  it  out  to 
a  triumphant  success.  It  will  do  much  to  bind  together 
England  and  America,  and  base,  indeed,  will  be  the  man,  to 
whatever  country  he  may  belong,  that  may  dare,  with  an  un- 
hallowed tongue  or  venomous  pen,  to  sow  discord  among 
those  who  speak  the  same  language  and  profess  the  same  re- 
ligion, and  who  ought  to  be  on  terms  of  the  completest 
friendship.  I  shall  leave  in  a  few  days  for  my  native  land, 
for  I  think  it  wrong  on  the  part  of  anj'  American  to  be  away 
in  the  hour  of  peril  to  his  countr}-,  unless  it  be  on  a  mission 
of  peace;  his  place  is  otherwise  at  home  at  such  a  moment. 
I  will  say,  however,  that  if  anyone  here  present  should  come 
to  see  us  in  America,  he  will  receive  a  hearty  welcome  from 
me,  at  all  events." 

The  importance  attached  by  his  colleagues  in  the 
great  enterprise  to  Mr.  Field's  presence  and  per- 
sonal participation  in  the  task  has  often  been  made 
evident  in  these  pages,  and  it  is  explicitly  set  forth 
in  the  following  letter  received  by  Mr.  Field  at  a 
time  when  he  considered  that  his  duty  to  his  family 
might  require  his  immediate  return  to  America : 


CAPITAL   RAISED   FOR   A   NEW  CABLE  175 

"78,  The  Grove,  Camberwell,  S., 

"2MFthruanj,  1864. 
'  "My  dear  Sir, — Before  you  finally  decide  ou  leaving  Eng- 
land let  me  beg  of  you,  in  behalf  of  the  great  work  for  which 
you  have  already  made  so  many  sacrifices,  and  also  in  regard 
lo  your  large  pecuniary  interest  therein,  to  carefully  consider 
the  consequence  of  prematurely  going  away.  You  will  rec- 
ollect that  on  both  of  the  two  last  occasions  when  you  were 
good  enough  to  cross  the  Atlantic  on  this  business,  I  strongly 
urged  you  to  remain  until  all  the  various  matters  preliminary 
to  a  fair  start  with  the  manufacture  of  the  cable  were  con- 
cluded and  the  necessary  arrangements  finally  settled;  and 
had  not  your  most  natural  anxiety  to  be  again  among  your 
family  prevailed,  I  do  think  you  might  have  been  spared  at 
least  your  last  voj^age. 

"On  the  present  occasion  the  undertaking  has  been  bene- 
fited veiy  greatly  by  your  presence,  and  the  contracts  now 
about  to  be  entered  into  are  in  their  present  position  mainly 
on  account  of  your  exertions.  But  they  are  not  completed. 
Even  if  accepted  to-day  there  will  be  a  great  many  points, 
when  they  come  to  be  arranged  in  a  legal  form,  which  I  shall 
have  to  battle  with  the  contractors  and  others,  and  in  doing 
which  your  aid  will  be  most  invaluable  to  me.  There  are 
also  arrangements  to  be  made  for  securing  the  regular  and 
proper  progress  of  the  work,  so  as  to  give  security  that 
nothing  is  neglected  that  will  secure  the  success  of  the  cable 
in  1865,  and  I  feel  that  if  you  remain  I  shall  have  security 
for  getting  them  into  proper  position.  I  therefore  on  every 
ground  ask  j'ou  not  to  leave  us  until  you  have  seen  with 
your  own  eyes  the  cable  actually  commenced  and  everything 
organized  for  its  due  continuance.  You  can  then  leave  with 
a  comfortable  assurance  that  all  will  go  well. 

"I  know  liow  hard  all  this  is  for  Mrs.  Field,  and  you, 
who  know  how  much  I  love  my  own  home,  will,  I  am  sure, 
believe  me  when  I  saj'  how  much  I  sympatliize  with  you 
and  her  in  the  sacrifices  involved  in  these  continual  separa- 
tions; but  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  you  have  been 
marked  out  by  the  Ruler  of  all  things  as  the  apostle  of  this 
great  movement,  and  this  is  a  high  mission  and  a  noble  dis- 
tinction, in  which  I  am  sure  ]Mrs.  Field  herself  would  deeply 
regret  that  you  should  come  short  of  success,  independently 
altogether  of  the  very  large  results  to  herself  and  family 
from  the  pecuniary  success  or  failure  of  the  undertaking,  all 


176  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

concerned  in  ■which  have  hitherto  been  compelled  to  make 
greater  or  smaller  sacrifices  in  its  belialf. 

"I  leave  this  for  j'our  consideration,  having  felt  it  a  duty 
to  say  thus  much  to  you  in  my  private  capacity  upon  wliat  I 
consider  a  most  imi^ortant  subject. 

"  I  am,  very  dear  sir, 

' '  Very  truly  yours, 

"George  Saw  arc 
"  Cyrus  W.  Field,  Esquire,  Palace  Hotel,  Buckingham 
Gate." 

At  the  end  of  the  report  made  to  the  share- 
holders of  the  Atlantic  Telegrajjli  ComiDany  on 
March  16th,  the  Eight  Hon.  James  Stuart  Wortley 
said: 

"Without  saying  anything  to  detract  from  my  deep  source 
of  gratitude  to  the  other  directors,  I  cannot  help  especially 
alluding  to  Mr.  Cjtus  Field,  who  is  present  to-day,  and  who 
has  crossed  the  Allanlic  thirty-one  limes  in  the  service  of 
this  company,  having  celebrated  at  his  table  yesterday  the 
anniversarj"  of  the  tenth  year  of  the  day  when  lie  first  left 
Boston  in  the  service  of  the  compan}^  Collected  round  his 
table  last  night  was  a  company  of  distinguished  men — mem- 
bers of  Parliament,  great  capitalists,  distinguished  mercliants 
and  manufacturers,  engineers,  and  men  of  science — such  as 
is  rarely  found  together,  even  in  the  highest  home  in  tliis 
great  metropolis.  It  was  very  agreeable  to  see  an  American 
citizen  so  surrounded.  To  me  it  was  so  personally,  as  it 
would  have  been  to  you,  and  it  was  still  more  gratifying 
inasmuch  as  we  were  there  to  celebrate  the  approaching  ac- 
complishment of  the  Atlantic  telegraph." 

And  at  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of 
the  Atlantic  Telegraph  Company  on  May  4th,  it 
was  unanimously  resolved,  on  the  motion  of  Mr. 
Lampson  : 

"That  the  sincere  thanks  of  this  board  be  given  to  3Ir. 
Cyrus  W.  Field  for  his  untiring  energy  in  promoting  the 
general  interests  of  the  Atlantic  Telegraph  Company,  and 
especially  for  his  valuable  and  successful  exertions  during 


CAPITAL   RAISED   FOR  A  NEW   CABLE  177 

liis  present  visit  to  Grent  Britain  in  reference  to  the  restora- 
tion of  its  financial  position  and  prospects  of  complete  suc- 
cess." 

His  friend  of  many  years  wrote  : 

"  House  op  Commons,  21th  April,  1864. 
"My  dear  Mr.  Field, — I  am  obliged,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  by 
the  state  of  my  health  to  deny  myself  the  pleasure  of  accom- 
panying you  to-morrow  to  witness  the  process  in  connec- 
tion with  the  great  project  for  bringing  tlie  two  worlds  into 
instantaneous  communication  —  a  project  with  which  your 
name  will  be  always  associated.     I  hope  to  have  the  pleas- 
ure of  again  shaking  hands  with  you  before  you  leave  us. 
If  not,  I  shall  look  forward  to  the  gratification  of  welcoming 
you  on  the  triumph  of  the  Atlantic  telegraph. 
"  "With  my  best  wishes  for  your  welfare, 
' '  I  remain 

"  Sincerely  yours, 

"  Richard  Cobden." 

March  3d  his  name  appears  on  the  list  of  those 
who  attended  the  meeting  at  the  London  Tavern, 
when  an  '' organization  was  formed  of  Americans 
in  the  United  Kingdom  as  an  auxiliary  to  the 
United  States  Sanitary  Commission.  One  of  the 
contributions  that  he  received  was  one  thousand 
tons  of  coal  from  Mr.  (now  Sir  George)  Elliot. 
He  sailed  for  home  on  May  7th,  and  on  the  2Gth  of 
the  same  month  the  Xew  York,  Newfoundland, 
and  London  Telegraph  Company  passed  this  reso- 
lution : 

"That  this  company  tender  to  Mr.  Cyrus  W.  Field  their 
sincere  tliauks  for  the  untiring  perseverance,  industr}%  and 
skill  wiih  which  lie  iias  labored  gratuitously  for  over  ten 
j'ears  to  promote  the  interests  of  this  company,  and  to  secure 
the  successful  laying  of  a  submarine  cable  from  Newfound- 
land to  IrelaTid.  And  we  hereby  express  our  conviction 
that  to  him  is  due  the  credit,  and  to  him  this  company  and 
the  world  will  be  indebted,  for  the  successful  laying  of  the 
same." 

12 


178  CYKUS   \V.  FIELD 

August,  1S64,  was  passed  in  Newfouudland,  aud 
it  was  at  this  time  that  he  chose  the  laiiding-j)lace 
for  the  new  cable.  "The  little  harbor  in  New- 
foundland that  bears  the  gentle  name  of  Heart's 
Content  is  a  sheltered  nook  where  ships  may  ride 
at  anchor,  safe  from  the  storms  of  the  ocean.  It 
is  but  an  inlet  from  that  great  arm  of  the  sea 
known  as  Trinity  Bay,  which  is  sixty  or  seventy 
miles  long  and  twenty  miles  broad.  On  the  beach 
is  a  small  village  of  some  sixty  houses,  most  of 
which  are  the  humble  dwellings  of  those  hardy 
men  who  vex  the  northern  seas  with  their  fisheries. 
The  place  was  never  heard  of  outside  of  Newfound- 
land till  186i,  when  Mr.  Field,  sailing  up  Trinity 
Bay  in  the  surveyoi's  steamer  Margaretta  Steven- 
son, Captain  Orlebar,  E.N.,  in  search  of  a  place 
for  the  landing  of  the  ocean  cable,  fixed  upon  this 
secluded  spot.  The  old  landing  of  1858  was  at  the 
Bay  of  Bull's  Arm,  at  the  head  of  Trinity  Bay, 
twenty  miles  above.  Heart's  Content  was  chosen 
now  because  its  waters  are  still  and  deej),  so  that  a 
cable  skirting  the  north  side  of  the  banks  of  New- 
foundland can  be  brought  in  deep  water  almost  till 
it  touches  the  shore.  All  around  the  land  rises  to 
pine-crested  heights." 

This  is  from  a  letter  written  to  Mr.  Saward  on 
October  the  10th : 

"Since  ray  return  home  in  May  last  I  have  been  doing 
my  utmost  to  carry  out  the  wishes  of  the  directors  and  your- 
self in  regard  to  the  control  of  the  lines  between  Port  Hood, 
New  York,  and  Montreal,  with  separate  offices  at  Port  Hood, 
Halifax,  St.  John's,  N.  B..  Boston,  Quebec,  Montreal,  and 
Kew  York,  for  the  Atlantic  telegraph,  and  the  best  place 
for  landing  the  cable  in  Newfoundland.  To  accomplish 
these  two  objects  I  have  seen  almost  all  of  the  persons  who 


CAPITAL   RAISED    FOR   A  NEW   CABLE  179 

control  the  principal  telegraph  lines  in  America,  and  liave 
visited  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  Washington,  Poughkeepsie, 
Boston,  and  Portland  in  the  United  States  ;  St.  John's  and 
Fredericton  in  New  Brunswick;  Charlottetown  in  Prince 
Edward's  Island  ;  Truro  and  Halifax  in  Nova  Scotia  ;  Port 
Hood  and  Sydney  in  Cape  Breton;  St.  John's  and  Trinity 
and  Placentia  bays  in  Newfoundland  ;  Quebec  and  Mon- 
treal in  Canada,  and  have  travelled  over  sixty -three  hundred 
miles,  viz. : 

"By  railway,  over  3280  miles. 

'•  By  steamers,  over  2400  miles. 

"  By  open  wagon,  over  500  miles. 

"  By  stagecoach,  over  150  miles. 

"By  fishing-boats,  about  100  miles." 

And  on  October  24th: 

"  I  can  hardly  keep  the  business  of  the  Atlantic  Telegraph 
Company  out  of  my  mind  for  a  single  moment." 

The  future  captain  of  the  Great  Eastern  wrote  : 

"R.M.S.S.  'EuROPA,'Octoie?'  25, 1864. 
"  Cyrus  W.  Field,  Esq. : 

''My  dear  Sir, — I  am  in  receipt  of  your  favor  of  the  24th 
iusi.,  for  which  I  thank  you.  So  far  as  it  has  gone  you 
have  paid  me  a  very  high  compliment.  I  have  been  afraid  at 
limes  that  you  may  have  thought  me  lukewarm  upon  the 
subject  of  commanding  the  Great  Eastern,  and  am  desirous 
j'ou  should  understand  that  I  have  restrained  my  enthusiasm 
because  I  have  not  thought  it  likely  I  should  be  chosen,  and 
that,  after  all,  it  might  be  onlj'  your  partiality  for  me. 

"  I  wuuld  not  have  been  surprised  if,  after  consulting  with 
Mr.  Cunard,  your  letter  to  me  had  alluded  to  the  propriety 
of  my  giving  it  no  more  heed.  It  is  so  difficult  to  know 
what  estimate  other  people  may  have  formed  of  one's  ca- 
pacity for  any  considerable  effort — small  things  often  give  a 
strong  bias — and  he  might  have  suggested  some  other  man  to 
you  as  more  likely  than  I. 

"  I  am,  besides,  still  of  opinion  that  the  applicants  for  the 
honor  will  be  so  numerous,  and  apparently  so  eligible,  that 
the  majority  of  the  directors  will  prefer  a  man  over  whom 
they  will  like  to  feel  that  they  have  tlie  greatest  possible  con- 


180  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

trol.  It  will  probably  appear  objectionable  to  employ  a  man 
■n-lio  felt  liimself  the  servant  of  another  company,  and  who, 
for  anything  they  could  tell,  might  become  ridiculously 
elated  -with  the  preference  shown  to  him. 

"I  feel  these  are  objections  that  will  be  advanced,  because 
were  I  director  I  should  urge  them  mj^self  until  well  assured 
of  fair  reasons  for  abandoning  them. 

"You  do,  however,  want  a  man  who  is  familiar  with  the 
Atlantic — its  fogs,  ice.  and  metiiod  of  its  gales — and,  above 
all,  one  who  will  devote  himself  to  working  wiili  the  engi- 
neers of  the  cable,  who,  after  all,  must  6e  obeyed.  Any  fellow 
who  shows  signs  of  advancing  his  own  whims  in  opposition 
to  theirs  must  be  thrown  overboard.  No  want  of  harmony 
should  interfere  with  so  great  a  scheme. 

"I  would  recommend  that  whoever  you  may  put  in  com- 
mand should  be  sent  to  have  a  look  at  the  locality  and  neigh- 
boring coast  where  the  cable  is  to  be  landed.  This  may 
prove  of  vital  importance  should  the  coast  be  approached  in 
the  summer  fogs  or  haze. 

"I  hope  you  will  understand  from  this  that  I  fairly  covet 
the  distinction,  yet  could  not  wisely  leave  so  fine  a  service 
for  anything  so  indefinite  as  the  command  of  the  Great  East- 
ern nMxy  prove  to  be.  Should  I  be  chosen  for  the  temporary 
command,  I  would,  for  my  own  reputation,  and  in  my  friend- 
ship for  you,  bend  all  my  energies  to  insure  success  to  so 
grand  an  international  scheme. 

"I  know  Professor  Bache  very  well.  Admiral  Dupont, 
General  Doyle,  Agassiz,  Pierce,  and  others  dine  with  me  to-day. 
I  know  Bache  so  much  that  I  think  nothing  too  good  for  him. 
The  United  States  coast  survey  is  a  monument  to  his  fame 
that  can  never  die  or  become  useless,  and  I  think  its  accuracy 
is  unquestionable. 

"  With  renewed  thanks  for  j'our  interest  in  me,  and  every 
kind  wish  to  you  and  yours, 

'■  I  remain 

"Yours  very  truly, 

"James  Andeeson. 

"P.  S. — I  think  I  resume  command  of  the  China  again  on 
my  return,  but  do  not  yet  know-." 

For  the  account  of  a  dinner  given  by  Mr.  Field  on 
the  evening  of  December  12th  in  this  year  we  are  in- 
debted to  the  Life  of  General  John  A.  Dix: 


CAPITAL   RAISED   FOR   A  NEW   CABLE  181 

"  On  the of  December,1864,  while  in  command  of  the 

Department  of  the  East,  1  was  dining  at  the  house  of  Mr. 
CjTus  W.  Field  with  a  party  of  ladies  and  gentlemen.  Lord 
Lyons,  the  British  Minister,  sat  on  Mrs.  Field's  right  hand, 
and  my  seat  was  next  to  his.  When  the  dinner  had  been  a 
short  time  in  progress  a  telegraphic  despatch  was  brought  lo 
me  at  the  table  informing  me  that  a  party  of  secessionists 
from  Canada  had  taken  possession  of  the  village  of  St.  Al- 
bans, in  Vermont,  and  were  plundering  it.  Informing  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Field  that  I  had  received  a  communication  which 
demanded  my  personal  attention,  I  left  the  table,  promising 
to  return  as  soon  as  possible.  I  immediately  went  to  my 
headquarters,  and  telegraphed  to  the  commanding  officer  at 
Burlington  —  the  nearest  military''  station  —  ordering  him  to 
send  the  forces  at  his  disposal  to  St.  Albans  with  the  utmost 
despatch,  and,  if  the  marauders  were  still  there,  to  capture 
them  if  possible.  I  instructed  him  also  that  if  he  came  in 
sight  of  them  and  they  crossed  the  Canada  line  while  he  was 
in  pursuit,  to  follow  them. 

"After  giving  these  orders  I  returned  to  the  dinner- table, 
and,  having  resumed  my  seat,  told  Lord  Lyons  that  I  had 
been  called  away  by  a  very  unpleasant  summons,  and  in- 
formed him  what  I  had  heard  from  St.  Albans  and  what 
order  I  had  given." 

This  dinner  was  referred  to  by  Mr.  Field,  and  he 
has  said  that  when  General  Dix  told  him  of  his 
order  he  exclaimed,  "That  means  war."  He  was 
persuaded  that  had  it  not  been  that  Lord  Lyons 
and  General  Dix  were  together  this  evening  when 
the  news  of  the  invasion  was  received  serious  trouble 
might/  have  arisen  betAveen.  the  two  countries.  Be- 
fore the  evening  was  over  the  general  and  the  min- 
ister had  had  a  long  talk,  and  later  General  Dix 
modified  his  order,  so  far  as  it  related  to  the  pur- 
suit of  the  invaders  into  Canadian  territory. 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE   FAILURE   OF   1865 


0:i^  February  25,  18G5,  Mr.  Field  Avrites  : 

"I  have  been  absent  from  New  York  for  some  time  on  a 
visit  to  Washington  and  to  General  Grant's  arm}'." 

It  was  on  the  previous  day  that  he  had  written 
to  London  : 

"  I  do  most  sincerely  hope  that  Captain  James  Anderson, 
of  the  Cunard  steamer  China,  will  be  appointed  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  Great  Eustern  during  the  laying  of  the  Atlantic 
telegraph  cable.  .  .  .  With  Captain  Anderson  in  command 
and  Messrs.  Canning  and  Clifford  superintending  the  laying 
of  the  cable,  I  should  feel  the  greatest  confidence  that  all 
would  go  right." 

The  China  was  at  this  time  on  her  way  to  New 
York.  She  sailed  again  on  her  return  voyage, 
March  8th,  and  Mr.  Field  was  on  board  as  a  pas- 
senger. The  following  letter  from  Captain  Ander- 
son is  evidently  the  sequel  of  their  conversations 
on  the  voyage : 

'■'  34  Richmond  Terrace,  Beech  Ro.\d, 
"  LrvERPOOL,  Marcli  19,  1865. 
"My  dmr  Mr.  Field,— 1  purpose  going  up  to  London  some- 
time to-morrow.     I   did   not  get   the  China  moored  until 
four  P.M.,  so  that  I  have  still  the  necessary  custom  entries  to 
make. 


THE   FAILrRE   OF   1865  183 

"I  shall  meet  you  at  breakfast  Tuesday  morning  as  early 
as  you  like,  and  shall  look  for  a  note  upon  my  arrival  at 
your  hotel.     I  shall  telegraph  wlien  I  start. 

"Mr.  David  Maclver  appears  to  have  laid  his  plans  for  the 
possibility  of  my  being  required  to  remain  behind  at  this 
time,  but  will  require  an  answer  at  latest  on  Wednesday 
morning.  It  will  therefore  be  necessary  that  I  should  be  in 
communication  as  early  as  possible  on  Tuesday  morning  with 
some  one  who  could  proceed  to  the  ship  with  me  and  talk  the 
matter  over. 

"  I  dare  saj^  there  may  be  no  more  work  required  than 
could  be  done  after  my  arrival  in  May,  but  it  would  then  be 
too  late  to  undo  anything. 

"  I  have,  however,  the  greatest  faith  in  the  engineering  skill 
and  experience  of  Messrs.  Glass,  Elliott  &  Co.,  and  believe  I 
shall  find  myself  unable  to  suggest  much  that  they  are  not 
already  quite  familiar  with,  but  I  naturallj'  would  like  to 
identify  myself  with  some  knowledge  of  the  storage  and 
plans  for  lifting  the  ship,  with  a  view  to  trim  for  steering, 
pitching,  or  rolling  as  she  becomes  lighter. 

"  I  would  like  to  see  how  the  tanks  are  connected  with 
each  other  in  their  communication,  and  to  understand  the 
process  of  paying  out,  the  possibility  of  ever  requiring  to 
check  it,  and  to  be  generally  familiar  with  men  and  material 
below  the  deck. 

"You  know  I  think  prevention  better  than  cure,  and 
that  it  is  the  di.stinct  duty  of  a  ship-master  to  be  familiar 
with  what  is  to  be  apprehended,  and,  so  far  as  he  can,  to  have 
some  plans  in  his  mind  to  which  he  can  resort  when  his  fore- 
.sight  has  proved  insufficient.  I  do  not  apprehend  or  fear 
any  difficulty  to  your  great  enterprise,  but  as  little  as  possi- 
ble should  be  left  to  chance  or  inspiration. 

"The  essentials,  as  far  as  I  am  concerned,  would  be  to  see 
for  mynelf  all  the  ground  tackling  dear  and  eflScient  ; 

"  The  steering  gear  and  prevention  ditto  in  good  order; 

"  The  sails  necessary  to  steady  the  ship  in  a  chance  breeze; 

"The  compasses  and  their  adjustment  and  all  the  means 
that  are  available  for  freeing  the  ship  from  water. 

"  I  should  like  to  get  around  me  such  a  staff  of  men  that  I 
might  hope  to  rely  at  least  upon  a  portion  of  them. 

"  If  tiie  crew  are  all  shipped  at  the  last  moment,  you  begin 
with  a  difficulty  at  once.  I  would  not,  of  cour.«e,  incur  the 
expense  of  employing  a  large  crew  at  present,  but  I  would 


184  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

select  a  good  nucleus,  and  have  the  ship's  work  and  discipline 
well  in  hand  iu  good  seasou. 

"  Is  the  ship  to  go  into  Valentia  Harbor?  If  so,  I  advise 
you  to  let  me  go  and  see  it.  It  is  narrow.  Should  it  prove  a 
calm  da}'  this  might  he  of  no  moment,  but  it  is  not  always 
calm  in  Ireland  ;  we  might  have  to  wait  for  a  day  or  two.  But 
these  are  first  thoughts.  I  will  see  what  I  think  on  TuesdaJ^ 
Perhaps  you  might  show  this  letter  to  Mr.  Caiiuitig,  or  au}^ 
one  you  like.  If  they  think  I  should  now  join  them,  immediate 
application  should  be  made;  if  not,  it  will  be  very  bad  if  I 
cannot  work  with  the  tools  I  get. 

"  Siucerely  yours, 

"James  Anderson." 

The  foresight  and  circumspection  displayed  in 
this  note  were  characteristic,  and  were  among  the 
qualities  which,  combined  with  Captain  Anderson's 
seamanship  and  long  experience  on  the  Atlantic, 
made  Mr.  Field  anxious  to  secure  his  services.  The 
a2)plication  to  the  Cunard  company  for  a  leave  of 
absence  Avas  granted,  and  there  was  no  fault  to  be 
found  with  the  manner  in  which  the  temporary 
captain  of  the  Gixat  Eastern  performed  this  part 
of  the  Avork. 

"  The  Great  Eastern  had  arrived  at  her  berth  iu  the  Med- 
way  on  the  llih  of  Jul}-,  1864,"  wrote  Mr.  Field,  "and  the 
work  on  the  three  tanks  was  begun  at  once.  They  were  not 
completely  finished  until  February,  i860,  although  the  coil- 
ing began  on  January  20lh.  The  admiralty  had  detailed  two 
vessels,  the  Amethyst  and  Iris,  to  take  the  cable  fiom  the 
works  to  the  Great  Eastern,  aud  late  in  June  all  was  safely 
on  board." 

This  Avork  was  progressing  so  successfully  that 
upon  Mr.  Field's  arrival  in  England  he  found  it 
unnecessary  for  him  to  remain  there,  and  that  it 
was  possible  for  him  to  go  to  Egypt  to  attend  the 
preliminary  inspection  of  the  Suez  Canal.  He  was 
duly  accredited  as  a  representative  from  the  Cham- 


THE   FAILURE   OF    1865  185 

ber  of  Commerce  of  the  State  of  New  York.  His 
letter  of  appointment  is  dated  March  7,  1865,  and 
sets  forth  :  "'  Yon  have  been  selected  to  represent 
this  chamber  at  the  conference  of  rei^resentatives 
of  Chambers  of  Commerce  invited  to  meet  at  Alex- 
andria, Egypt,  on  the  sixth  day  of  April  next,  by 
the  Universal  Company  of  the  Suez  Canal,  to  sur- 
vey and  report  upon  the  works  undertaken  by  them 
to  connect  the  Mediterranean  and  the  Eed  seas,  and 
the  great  advantages  to  commerce  Avhich  this  new 
line  of  water  navigation  promises."  This  journey 
was  a  most  interesting  one.  In  his  speech  at  Is- 
mailia,  on  April  11th,  he  said  : 

"  I  am  sure  that  all  who  witness  what  we  have  will  agree 
that  a  ship  canal  cuu  be  made  across  the  Isthmus  of  Suez  by 
the  expenditure  of  money  under  the  direction  of  the  best  en- 
gineers of  the  uineteeutli  century.  You,  Mr.  President,  are 
engaged  in  the  great  work  ot  dividing  two  continents  for  the 
benefit  of  every  commercial  nation  in  the  world.  .  .  .  Within 
the  next  three  months  I  hope  to  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing 
two  hemispheres  connected  by  a  submarine  cable,  and  when 
that  is  done  you  will  be  able  to  telegraph  from  this  place  in 
the  Great  Desert  of  Africa,  through  a  part  of  Asia,  across 
the  Continent  of  Europe,  under  the  deep  Athmtic,  and  over 
America  to  the  shores  of  the  Pacific;  and  your  message  will 
arrive  there  several  hours  in  advance  of  the  sun." 

And  at  Cairo,  on  the  17th,  he  said  to  M.  de  Les- 
seps  and  those  with  him  : 

"  Thirteen  daj's  since  I  arrived  in  Egypt  an  entire  stranger, 
six  thousand  miles  away  from  home,  but  you  received  me 
with  such  kindness  that  I  at  once  felt  that  I  was  surrounded 
by  friends  ;  and  now,  w^hen  we  have  met  for  the  last  time 
that  we  shall  all  be  togetlier  in  this  world,  I  have  mingled 
feelings  of  joy  and  sadness.  Joy  and  gratitude  that  I  have 
been  with  you  on  our  most  interesting  journey  across  the 
Isthmus  of  Suez,  to  examine  that  great  work  now  being  con- 
structed, of  a  ship  canal  from  the  Mediterranean  to  the  Red 


186  CYRUS   W.   FIELD 

Sea  ;  sadness  that  we  now  bid  each  other  farewell.  For  all 
of  your  kindness  to  me  I  most  sincerelj'  thank  you,  and  if 
anj-  of  you  should  visit  America,  while  my  heart  beats  you 
will  receive  a  most  cordial  welcome  from  me." 

As  it  was  not  tlionglit  imi^erative  for  Captain 
Anderson  to  remain  in  England  in  March,  he  made 
another  voyage  in  command  of  the  China,  and,  on 
April  14th,  while  in  New  York,  wrote  to  Mrs.  Field: 

"  I  am  glad  you  have  had  such  good  news  from  j'our  good 
husband.  I  shall  be  astonished  if  he  reports  well  of  the 
canal,  and  should  be  well  satisfied  to  be  assured  of  a  healthy 
life  until  the  tinst  ship  sailed  through  the  great  ditch.  I  am 
quite  cuiious  to  know  what  he  will  say  about  it." 

Mr.  Field  rettirned  to  London  on  May  1st,  and 
that  same  day  was  ai;  a  public  meeting  of  Ameri- 
cans held  "  in  order  to  give  expression  to  their  feel- 
ings respecting  the  late  distressing  intelligence  from 
America  " — the  assassination  of  President  Lincoln. 
Mr.  Adams,  the  American  minister,  presided,  and 
Mr.  Field  closed  his  speech  with  these  words  : 

"Just  before  leaving  America  I  called  to  see  President 
Lincoln,  and  I  know  how  deeply'  he  di sired  peace  in  Amer- 
ica and  peace  in  all  the  world.  I  trust,  therefore,  that  every- 
thing calculated  to  stir  up  ill-feeling  between  North  and 
South — even  the  last  sad  deeds — or  between  England  and 
America,  will  be  allowed  to  die  with  the  good  man  who  has 
been  taken  away  and  will  be  buried  in  his  grave  forever. 
If  Mr.  Lincoln  could  speak  to-day  he  would  urj.re  upon  every 
one  to  do  all  he  could  to  allay  the  passions  which  have  been 
excited  in  America  ;  and  I  hope  all  will  comply  with  what  I 
believe  would  be  his  wish." 

The  weeks  passed  rapidly  in  active  2n'eparatiou  for 
the  summer's  attempt  to  lay  another  cable.  This 
account  is  from  the  London  Star  of  May  30th : 

"  At  ten  minutes  past  five  yesterday  afternoon  the  new  tel- 
egraphic cable,  destined  once  more  to  connect  England  with 


THE   FAILURE    OF    1865  187 

America,  was  completed.  The  last  thread  of  -wire  was  twisted, 
the  last  revolution  of  the  engine  accomplished,  and  the  mech- 
anism of  that  subtle  and  silent  speech  which  henceforth  is 
to  unite  two  continents  was  ready  to  be  put  in  operation. 
...  It  was  not  to  be  expected  that  such  a  propitious  occa- 
sion should  be  allowed  to  pass  without  the  celebration  of  a 
dinner.  No  true-born  Englishman  could  have  lent  his  counte- 
nance to  a  scheme  which  was  not  so  inaugurated,  and  there- 
fore, towards  evening,  the  gentlemen  who  had  visited  the 
worlis  of  Messrs.  Glass  *fc  Elliott  proceeded  westward  to  the 
Ship  Tavern,  where  a  very  princely  entertainment  had  been 
l^rovided.  John  Pender,  Esq.,  M.  P.,  was  in  tlie  chair.  One 
of  the  toasts  was  :  "Cyrus  W.  Field,  Esq. — may  liis  energy  and 
perseverance  in  behalf  of  the  Atlantic  Telegraph  Company  be 
rewarded  by  the  permanent  success  of  the  cable." 

What  follows  is  the  beginning  of  a  long  article  in 

the  London  Times  of  June  19th  : 

"At  length  all  the  preijarations  connected  with  the  final  de- 
parture of  this  great  telegraphic  expedition  are  completed. 
On  "Wednesday  the  Ametliyst  left  the  telegraph  works  with 
the  last  length  of  245  miles  of  cable  on  board,  and  on  Satur- 
day the  operation  of  coiling  this  in  was  begun.  This  work 
will  probably  last  till  the  22d  inst.,  when  the  Great  Eastern 
will  have  in  her  as  nearly  as  possible  7000  tons  of  cable,  or, 
including  the  iron  tanks  which  contain  it  and  tlie  water  in 
which  it  is  sunk,  about  9000  tons  in  all.  In  addition  to  this 
she  has  already  7000  tons  of  coal  on  board,  and  1500  tons  more 
still  to  take  in.  Tliis  additional  weight,  liowever,  will  not  be 
added  till  she  leaves  the  Medway,  which  she  will  do  on  the 
morning  of  the  24tli  for  the  Nore,  when  the  rest  of  the  coals 
and  special  stores  Avill  be  put  aboard,  and  these  will  bring  her 
mean  draught  down  to  324^  feet.  Her  total  weight,  including 
engines,  will  then  be  rather  over  21,000  tons — a  stupendous 
mass  for  any  ship  to  carry,  but  well  witiiin  the  capacity  of  the 
Great  Eastern,  of  wliich  the  measurement  tonnage  is  24,000. 
Her  way  out  from  the  Nore  will  be  by  Bullock's  Cliannel, 
which  tiie  admiralty  are  having  carefully  buoyed  to  avoid  all 
risk  in  these  ratlier  shallow  waters.  Before  the  following 
spring  tides  set  in,  about  the  6th  or  7th  of  July,  tlie  Great  East- 
ern will  start  for  Valentia.  There  she  is  expected  to  arrive 
about  the  9th  or  10th,  and  there  slie  will  be  met  by  the  two 
ships  of  war  appointed  to  convoy  her — the  Terrible  and  the 


188  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

Sphinx:  Both  these  vessels  are  being  fitted  with  the  best  ap- 
paratus for  deep-sea  soundings ;  with  buoys  and  means  for 
buoj'iug  the  end  of  the  cable,  if  ever  it  should  become  neces- 
sary; and  with  Bollen's  night-light  naval  signals,  with  which 
the  Great  Eastern  is  likewise  to  be  supplied.  To  avoid  all 
chance  of  accident  the  big  ship  will  not  approach  the  Irish 
coast  nearer  than  twenty  or  twenty-five  miles,  and  her  stay  off 
Valentia  will  be  limited  to  the  time  occupied  in  making  a 
splice  with  tiie  massive  shore  end  which  for  a  lengtii  of  twen- 
ty-five miles  from  tlie  coast  will  be  laid  previous  to  her  arrival. 
This  monstrous  shore  end,  which  is  the  heaviest  and  strongest 
piece  of  cable  ever  made,  will  be  despatched  in  a  few  days, 
and  be  laid  from  the  head  of  a  sheltered  inlet  near  Cahirciveen 
out  to  thedistancewehave  stated,  where  the  end  will  be  buoyed 
and  watched  by  the  ships  of  war  till  the  Great  Eastern  her- 
self comes  up.  Some  idea  of  the  strength  and  solidity  of  this 
great  end  may  be  guessed  by  the  fact  that  its  weight  per  mile 
is  very  little  short  of  one-hal  f  the  weight  of  an  ordinary  railway 
metal.  For  the  shore  end  c :  Newfoundland  only  three  miles  are 
required, and  this  short  length  will  be  sent  in  the  Great  Eastern." 

The  reqtiest  that  American  war  vessels  should 
accompany  the  expedition  was  made  in  the  early 
spring,  as  is  shown  by  this  correspondence  : 

"New  York,  March  1,  1865. 

"  Sir, — The  undersigned  honorary  directors  of  the  Atlantic 
Telegraph  Company  have  the  honor  to  transmit  to  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States  the  draft  of  a  letter  to  the  Honorable 
the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  deeming  it  a  matter  of  propriety 
that  an  application  of  so  interesting  a  character  shall  be  made 
to  the  Navy  Department  of  the  United  States  through  the 
chief  executive  of  the  nation,  whose  interest  in  behalf  of  the 
enterprise  thus  presented  is  earnestly  invoked. 
"  We  have  the  honor  to  be, 
"Very  respectfully, 

"Your  obedient  servants, 
"W.  E.  Dodge,  Peter  Cooper, 

"Wilson  G.  Hunt,         A.  A.  Low, 
"E.  M.  Archibald,        Cyrus  W.  Field, 
"Honorary  Directors  in  America. 
"To  his  Excellency  Abraham  Lincoln,  President  of  the 
United  States." 


ATJLWHC  TElUEGMaPH  CABLE  - 1»®5 

SriOWINC  -THE  -  TRACK  OF-THE  STEAM-SHIP  CrEAT  EaSTERn" 
ON-  H£R-VOYACt,  ■  FROM  •  ValENTIA  TO  ■  WEWFOuNDL  Arj  D  -  WITH -THE 
SOUNDiMGS-TME     DAJLY-  LATITUDE    AND- LONGITUDE   -THE     DISTANCE 


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THE   FAILURE    OF   1865  189 

"New  York,  March  1,  1865. 

"  Sir, — Under  an  act  of  Congress  approved  March  3,  1857, 
the  government  of  the  United  States  detailed  the  steam  frig- 
ates Niar/ara  and  Susquehanna  to  assist  in  laying  the  cable 
of  the  Atlantic  Telegraph  Company  from  Ireland  to  New- 
foundland, and  the  following  year  sent  the  Niagaixt,  under 
the  command  of  Captain  Hudson,  to  co-operate  with  the 
Agamemnon,  of  her  Britannic  Majesty's  navy,  in  the  further 
prosecution  of  tiiis  enterprise.  These  vessels  meeting  in 
mid-ocean  on  the  28th  day  of  July,  1858,  after  connecting  the 
wire,  separated,  the  Agamemnon  sailing  for  Valentia,  on  the 
coast  of  Ireland,  and  the  Niagara  for  Trinity  Bay,  on  the 
coast  of  Newfoundland.  Thej'  reached  their  respective  des- 
tinations on  the  5th  day  of  August,  and  the  work  of  uniting 
the  two  continents  by  telegrapiiic  communication  was  suc- 
cessful 1}^  accomplished. 

"For  a  brief  time  messages  were  transmitted  from  one  con- 
tinent to  the  other,  among  the  most  interesting  being  the 
announcement  of  peace  between  Great  Britain  and  France 
and  China.  The  success,  as  hnppilj^  achieved,  but  only  tem- 
porary, was  still  sufficient  to  assure  the  parties  engaged  of  a 
final  and  perfect  fulfilment. 

"  The  capital  of  the  Atlantic  Telegraph  Company  has  once 
more  been  filled  up,  and  a  new  cable  is  now  in  course  of 
shipment,  on  board  of  the  Great  Eastern,  and  will  be  wholly 
embarked  on  or  before  the  1st  of  June  next.  During  that 
month  we  have  every  reason  to  think  it  will  be  successfully 
laid,  seven  j-ears  of  experience,  with  the  added  teaching  of 
science,  affording  verj'  ample  grounds  for  this  conclusion. 

"Kegarding  this  as  an  enterprise  of  great  international 
importance,  we  invite  the  attention  of  the  government  of  the 
United  States  to  this  new  effort  of  the  Atlantic  Telegraph 
Company,  and  respectfully  request  the  Honorable  the  Secre- 
tary of  the  Navy  once  more  to  detail  a  ship  of  war  to  act 
with  such  vessel  of  the  British  navy  as  her  Britannic  Majesty 
may  appoint  to  accompany  the  Great  Eastern  on  her  pro- 
jected mission. 

"  The  lapse  of  time  since  the  first  attempt  was  made  to  unite 
the  continents  by  a  system  of  telegraphic  communication 
has  not  tended  to  abate  the  interest  which  originally  centred 
upon  this  bold  undertaking.  On  the  contrary,  four  years  of 
civil  war,  prolific  of  events  demanding  immediate  and  mut- 
ual explanations  between  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States, 


190  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

have  contiibuled  to  strengthen  and  deepen  the  interest  with 
which  at  first  it  was  so  universally  regarded.  Ma}'  we  not 
reasonably  indulge  the  hope  that,  as  the  old  cable  first  con- 
veyed to  the  Western  World  the  news  of  restored  peace  in 
China,  one  of  the  first  messages  through  the  wires  ahout  to 
be  immersed  may  convey  to  the  Old  World  from  the  New 
tidings  of  peace  re-established  in  the  West,  of  the  States  re- 
united, and  slavery  everywhere  abolished,  and  that  hencefor- 
ward all  causes  of  misunderstanding  between  Great  Britain 
and  the  United  States  may  be  instantaneously  removed  ? 
"  We  have  the  honor  to  be, 
"Very  respectfully, 

"  Your  obedient  servants, 
' '  Peter  Cooper,  Wm.  E.  Dodge, 

"A.  A.  LoAv,  WILso^'  G.  Hunt, 

"  Cyrus  W.  Field,        E.  M.  Archibald, 
"  Honorary  Directors  in  America. 
"To   Hon.    Gideon   Welles,    Secretary   of   the   Navy, 
Washington,  D.  C.  ' 

The  only  explanation  ever  vouchsafed  of  the  fail- 
ure of  this  application  was  the  suggestion,  published 
in  a  Xew  York  paper,  that  it  was  "  because  Eng- 
land had  not  withdrawn  her  proclamation  exclud- 
ing our  vessels  from  her  ports  under  what  is  termed 
her  'twenty-four  hours'  rule.'" 

The  Great  Eastern  left  Medway  on  June  Sith, 
and  removed  to  the  Nore,  and  on  July  the  15th  left 
that  anchorage.  The  j^rogress  of  the  great  ship  is 
chronicled  in  the  following  extracts  from  the  Lon- 
don papers : 

"Portsmouth,  July  IQth. 

"The  Great  Eastern  passed  Newton  at  2  p.m.,  five  miles 
off  land,  under  steam  and  sail;  wind  light,  southerly." 


"  Valestia,  July  2?>d. 
"  Yesterday  morning  the  first  great  step  in  the  important 
undertaking  was  accomplished  by  hauling  on  land  the  mas- 
sive shore  end  up  the  cliffs  at  the  southwestern  extremity  of 
this  island." 


THE   FAILURE   OF    1865  191 

"  Valentia,  July  'iAth. 
' '  Before  this  reaches  the  public  the  Great  Eastern,  if  all 
goes  well,  will  already  have  laid  some  300  miles  of  the  At- 
lantic cable." 


"On  board  'Great  Eastern," 

"  Friday  morning. 

"Five  hundred  nautical  miles  of  cable  were  paid  out  at 
10.50  a.m.  to-daj'.  The  distance  run  at  9.50  a.m.  was  450 
miles. 

"  The  signals  are  perfect;  weatber  fine." 


' '  On  board  '  Great  Eastern,  ' 
"  Wednesday  morning,  August  2d. 

"  Twelve  hundred  miles  paid  out  at  7.50  a.m.;  1050  run  by 
Oreat  Eastern  at  6.50  a.m. 
"  All  going  on  well." 


"August  7 til. 
"  Although  the  precise  cause  ot  the  catastrophe  is  still  a 
mystery,  there  remains  but  faint  hope  that  the  fate  of  the 
Atlantic  cable  is  not  already  decided.  Four  days  have  elapsed 
since  the  signals  ceased  to  evoke  any  return,  and  those  re- 
ceived at  Valentia  became  unintelligible." 


"August  17  th. 
"Arrival  of  the  Great  Eastern,  Crookhaven.     Failure  of 
the  Atlantic  telegraph  expedition." 

An  illustrated  paper  published  on  the  Great  East- 
ern, and  called  TJie  Atlantic  Telegraph,  tells  of  some 
of  the  days  that  passed  so  mysteriously  to  those  on 
land : 

"Saturday,  July  29,  1865. 
"OUR  weekly  summary. 

"The  week  just  completed  has  been  most  exciting,  several 
mishaps  having  occurred,  but  we  are  enabled  to  state  that 
everything  at  the  time  of  our  going  to  press  was  most  satis- 


192  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

factory,  both  as  regards  the  ship's  progress  and  the  chief  ob- 
jects of  her  voyage  across  the  AtUintic. 

"  On  Monday  tlie  hopes  of  all  interested  in  the  success  of 
the  undertaking  were  mucli  damped  by  the  intelligence  that 
all  was  not  right  with  the  cable.  The  chief, engineer  imme- 
diately proceeded  to  stop  the  'paying  out'  of  the  cable, 
and  gave  orders  for  '  paying  in '  the  same.  This  latter 
operation  is  very  slow  and  unsatisfactory,  and  answers  to 
the  'paying  out'  of  the  pockets  of  the  shareholders,  where- 
as the  'paying  out'  of  the  cable  contributes  to  the  'paying 
in'  as  regards  the  same  pockets.  This  curious  feature  will 
be  better  understood  by  a  reference  to  our  money  market  in- 
telligence. 

' '  MONEY   M.\RKET. 

"Money  scarce.     Exchange,  00. 

' '  STOCK  EXCHANGE. 

"  Tliere  has  been  grent  fluctuation  in  the  shares  of  the  At- 
lantic Telegrapli  and  Great  Ship  companies. 

"news  of  the  week. 

"  The  Qreat  Eastern  speeds  nobly  on  her  mission  of  towing 
the  islands  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland  to  .\merica.  In  less 
than  ten  days  it  is  expected  that  a  splice  will  be  effected  be- 
tween the  two  countries,  and  long,  long  may  it  last. 

"AMUSEMENTS   FOR   THE  DAY. 

"  12  noon. — Luncheon  and  Daily  JS^ivigator. 

"5.30. — Dinner. 

"8.— Tea. 

"9  to  11  P.M. — Grog,  possibly  with  whist. 

"From  daylight  till  dusk. —  Looking  out  for  the  SpMnx. 
(Through  the  kindness  and  liberality  of  the  admiralty,  this 
interesting  amusement  will  be  open  to  the  public  free  of 
charge. ) 

"N.  B. — The  above  amusements,  with  the  exception  of 
whist,  are  gratis. 

"FINIS. 

"  The  Atlantic  Telegraph  will  be  published  till  further  no- 
tice. The  price  will  be,  for  the  series,  live  shillings,  includ- 
ing the  cover,  and  the  proceeds  will  be  devoted  to  such  pur- 
poses as  Captain  Anderson  shall  appoint. 


THE   FAILURE   OF   1865  193 

"Communications  to  be  addressed  to  the  editor  at  No.  14 
Lower  South  Avenue,  Middle  District. 

"FINIS." 

"THE  ATLANTIC   TELEGRAPH. 

"Saturday,  August  12,  1865. 

"The  events  of  the  last  ten  days  have  caused  so  much 
anxiety  to  the  chiefs  of  this  expedition,  and,  indeed,  to  all 
on  board,  that  it  appeared  to  us  unseemly  to  allow  our  funny 
writer,  or  any  one  in  our  employ,  to  utter  any  ill-timed  joke. 
That  anxietj"  is  now  over,  and  though  it  be  not  supplanted 
b}^  the  exultation  of  success,  let  us  accept  our  failure  in  the 
healthy  spirit  shown  by  the  chief  sufferers,  and  with  an  ex- 
pression of  sincere  regret  let  us  wipe  from  our  brain  what 
of  the  past  is  unavailing,  and  turn  to  the  future  with  that 
hope  and  coniidence  which  are  justified  by  the  experience 
gained  by  failure.  As  in  kingdoms  they  say,  '  The  king  is 
dead  ;  the  king  liveth,'  so  let  us  say,  'The  cable  is  dead  ; 
the  cable  liveth.'  All  honor  and  glory  to  our  new  sov- 
ereign ! 

"DEEP-SEA   FISHING. 

"It  being  ascertained  that  the  sea-serpent  was  somewhere 
in  latitude  51°  30'  N.,  longitude  39°  W.,  Captain  Anderson, 
accompanied  by  i\Iessrs.  Canning  and  Clifford  and  a  party 
of  scientific  gentlemen,  endeavored  to  capture  the  monster. 
It  being  found  that  the  lazy  brute  lies  perfectly  still  at  the 
bottom  of  the  ocean,  and  being  fed  by  sea  animals,  a  bait 
was  useless.  A  strong  wire  rope,  with  a  grapnel  attached, 
was  lowered  to  a  depth  of  2000  fathoms.  After  drifting  a 
while,  they  grappled  the  monster  and  brought  him  up  1000 
fathoms,  when,  unfortunately,  the  swivel  gave  way.  Two 
or  three  attempts  were  made,  with  a  like  result,  and  it  was 
resolved  to  postpone  all  operations  to  a  more  favorable  time. 

"  ADVERTISEMENT. 

"  Captain  Anderson  will  sell  by  auction  in  the  chief  saloon 
of  the  Great  Eastern,  on  Saturday,  August  12th,  at  one  o'clock, 
the  following  articles,  the  property  of  various  gentlemen 
leaving  iheir  present  quarters  : 

"Lot  1. — Tlie  Great  Eastern.  For  cards  to  view  apply  to 
Mr.  Gooch,  on  board. 

13 


194  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

"Lot  2. — The  good-will  of  the  Atlantic  Telegraph  Com- 
pany.   (This  invisible  propertj'  is  in  I\Ir.  Field's  possession.) 

"  Lot  12. — A  free  pass  from  Boston  or  Halifax  to  Liverpool 
by  any  of  the  Cunard  boats,  the  proprietor,  Mr.  W.  Russell, 
having  no  use  for  the  same." 

The  accompanying  illustration  appeared  at  the 
end  of  the  papers,  with  this  verse : 

"No  useless  sentry  within  the  tank. 

Not  in  slumber  or  sleep  we  found  him  ; 

But  he  sat  like  a  warrior  stiff  on  his  plank, 

With  his  Inverness  cloak  around  him." 

It  was  while  Mr.  Field  was  on  watch  on  August  2d 
that  "  a  grating  noise  was  audible  as  the  cable  flew 
over  the  coil," and  "There  is  a  piece  of  wire"  was 
called  to  the  lookout  man.  The  fault  was  discover- 
ed, and  the  cable  was  transferred  without  difficulty 
to  the  bows,  and  the  picking  up  was  going  on  quiet- 
ly when  the  strain  became  too  great  and  it  parted. 

To  quote  from  The  Atlantic  Tdegraiili : 

"Mr.  Canning  appeared  in  the  saloon,  and,  in  a  manner 
which  caused  all  to  start,  said;  'It  is  all  over — it  is  gone,' 
and  hastened  onward  to  his  cabin.  Mr.  Field,  ere  the  thrill 
of  surprise  and  pain  occasioned  by  those  words  had  passed 
away,  came  from  the  companionway  into  the  saloon,  and 
said,  with  composure  admirable  under  the  circumstances, 
though  his  lip  quivered  and  his  cheek  was  blanched,  'The 
cable  has  parted  and  gone  overboard.' 

"  After  this  grappling  was  determined  uprin.  At  11.30  on 
August  11th  the  Great  Eastern,  signalled  to  the  Terrible,  '  We 
are  going  to  make  a  final  effort.'  The  cable  was  caught  and 
was  brought  up  765  fathoms,  and  was  then  lost." 

At  Dundee,  Scotland,  in  1867,  Sir  William  Thom- 
son said : 

"  I  shall  never  forget  the  day  when  we  last  gave  up  hope 
of  finishing  the  work  in  1865.     On  that  day  Cyrus  Field  re- 


^  k 

I    > 


THE   FAILURE   OF   1865  195 

newcd  a  proposal  for  the  adoption  of  tlie  plan  which  has 
been  adopted,  and  Avhich  has  led  to  the  successful  comple- 
tion of  tlie  enterprise.  Cyrus  Field's  last  prospectus  was 
completed  in  the  grand  saloon  of  the  Great  Eastern  on  the 
day  when  we  gave  up  all  hope  for  I860." 

On  the  morning  of  the  12th  the  Terrible,  one  of 
the  vessels  detailed  and  the  one  that  had  acted  as 
pilot,  was  directed  to  resume  her  journey  westward 
and  to  carry  letters  to  America.  As  she  steamed 
away  she  signalled  "Farewell'';  the  Great  Eastern 
answered  *' Good-bye,  thank  you." 

The  following  message  is  without  doubt  the  one 
sent  by  this  conve3'ance  to  Mr.  Field's  family : 

"  Oreat  Eastern  left  mouth  of  the  Thames  July  15th. 
Shore  end  landed  in  Ireland  on  23d.  Parted  on  August  2d 
in  latitude  51°  25'  north,  longitude  39^  6'  west,  1062.4  miles 
from  Valentia  Baj-,  606.6  miles  from  Heart's  Content.  Spent 
nine  days  in  grappling;  used  up  all  wire,  rope:  nothing  left, 
so  obliged  to  return  to  England.  Three  times  cable  was 
caught,  and  liauled  up  for  more  than  three-quarters  of  a  mile 
from  bed  of  the  ocean." 

The  news  of  the  failure  of  the  cable  expedition 
reached  New  York  after  the  middle  of  August,  and 
in  a  degree  the  country  was  prepared  for  it.  The 
Cuba  early  in  August  had  brought  word  of  the 
trouble  that  had  occurred  on  the  29th  of  July. 

The  suspense  and  anxiety  had  been  so  great  to 
Mr.  Field's  family  that  the  loss  of  the  cable  was 
as  nothing  compared  to  the  relief  they  experienced 
at  knowing  that  he  was  alive.  Mr.  David  Dudley 
Field  has  told  of  going  to  Garrison's  on  the  Hud- 
son, where  the  family  Avere  passing  the  summer,  to 
express  sympathy,  and  that  he  found  a  very  happy 
group,  and  was  met  with  the  words,  "Is  not  this 
delightful?" 


196  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

This  letter  was  one  of  the  first  received  by  Mrs. 
Field : 

"North  Conway,  19tli  August,  1865. 

"My  dear  Friend,  —  Emerging  from  the  wilderness  at 
Moosehead  Lake,  my  first  inquir\'  was  for  news  concern- 
ing the  cable.  I  have  not  had  a  full  long  breath  ever  since, 
such  has  been  m}-  suspense. 

' '  Day  and  niglit  our  thoughts  have  been  with  you  and  dear 
Mr.  Field.  Outside  of  j'our  own  family  perhaps  no  one  has 
known  more  of  the  hopes,  the  sacritices,  tlie  efforts  involved 
in  tliis  great  undertaking.  Certainly  no  one  has  felt  more 
of  interest  in  his  success  than  I  have.  His  pluck,  bravery, 
and  faith  have  always  elicited  my  admiration,  and  inspired 
me  with  absolute  confidence  in  his  ultimate  triumph  over  all 
difficulties.  He  has  surel}''done  his  part  well.  He  deserves 
the  approbation  and  honor  of  the  civilized  world. 

"To-day  for  the  first  time  I  have  heard  of  the  parting  of 
the  cable.  It  seems  as  if  a  strong  cord  had  snapped  in  my 
own  heart.  I  feel  most  keenly  for  Mr.  Field's  disappoint- 
ment.    The  disaster  comes  home  to  us  all. 

"Mrs.  Adams  and  mj'self  talk  much  of  you.  We  hope 
you  have  good  news  as  to  the  health  of  your  husband.  How 
does  he  bear  up  with  all  this  excitement  and  revulsion?  I 
trust  he  will  soon  be  returned  to  you  safe  and  well;  most  of 
all,  that  he  and  you  and  we  may  yet  see  the  complete  success 
of  this  wonderful  enterprise.  .  .  . 

"Very  truly  and  affectionately  your  friend  and  pastor, 

"W.  Adams." 

To  copy  once  more  from  his  papers : 

"  This  last  attempt  at  ocean-cable  laying  proved  conclusive- 
ly that  all  the  principal  difficulties  had  been  overcome  in  the 
waj''  of  carrying  the  grand  enterprise  to  ^^uccessful  comple- 
tion. The  Great  Eastern  as  a  cable  ship  had  proved  herself 
admirably  fitted  for  the  service  on  which  she  was  employed. 
The  cable  itself  could  hardly  be  improved.  The  paying-out 
apparatus  was  almost  perfect,  and  on  this  occasion  it  did  not 
require  any  great  amount  of  persuasion  to  induce  tlse  directors 
of  the  company  to  go  on  with  the  work. 

"  A  meeting  was  at  once  called,  and  the  board  resolved  not 
only  to  pick  up  the  lost  cable,  but  to  construct  and  lay  another, 
both  operations  to  be  performed  in  the  following  year,  and  the 


THE    FAILURE  OF   1865  197 

Great  Eastern  to  be  emploj^ed  in  the  service.  The  contrac- 
tors made  a  liberal  offer  to  the  company,  and  the  directors  de- 
cided to  raise  £600,000  of  new  capital." 

All  work  for  the  coming  year  having  apparently 
been  most  satisfactorily  settled,  he  returned  home  in 
September.    A  friend  on  the  steamer  Avith  him  said  : 

"  We  heard  Mr.  Field  was  a  passenger.  We  felt  the  deep- 
est sympathy  for  him,  and  to  our  surprise  he  was  the  life  of 
the  ship  and  the  most  cheerful  one  on  board.  He  said :  '  We 
have  learned  a  great  deal,  and  next  summer  we  shall  lay  the 
cable  without  doubt.' " 

But  again  came  discouragement.  November  3d 
Captain  Anderson  wrote : 

"  I  cannot  yet  write  a  cheerful  letter.  .  .  .  I  cannot  see  any 
dilHculty  to  our  success  but  the  one  item  of  money.  We  are 
losing  time.  The  board  has  already  lost  its  margin,  and  it 
will  end,  must  end  now,  by  being  in  a  hurry  at  the  last. 

"I  am  sorry  you  are  not  here.  Somehow  no  one  seems  to 
push  when  you  are  absent." 

On  November  27th  Mr.  Field  wrote  to  Mr. 
Saward : 

"Unless  I  have  more  favorable  news  from  Loudon  in  re- 
g.'ird  to  the  Atlantic  telegraph,  it  is  my  intention  to  sail  for 
Liverpool  on  the  Scotia  on  the  13th  of  December." 

He  did  not  reach  England  a  day  too  soon.  On 
December  22d  the  Attorney-General  had  given  the 
opinion  that  only  an  act  of  Parliament  could  legal- 
ize the  issue  of  the  twelve  per  cent,  preference  shares. 
Parliament  was  not  to  meet  until  February,  and  then 
there  would  be  a  delay  in  passing  the  bill.  For  this 
reason  the  money  subscribed  had  been  returned,  and 
the  work  of  manufacturing  the  cable  stopped.  Mr. 
Field  accepted  the  oi)inion  given,  but  also  saw  a  way 


19S  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

out  of  the  difficulty.  It  seems  as  if  Mr.  O'Neil's 
words  in  BlacTciuood' s  Magazine  referred  to  this  crisis 
and  not  to  the  failure  of  the  previous  summer : 

"Mr.  Cyrus  Field,  the  pioneer  of  Atlantic  enterprise,  full 
of  hope  and  confidence,  and  never  betraying  anxiety  or  de- 
spair even  at  the  most  serious  disaster— a  man  whose  restless 
enersy  is  best  shown  in  his  spare  yet  strong  frame,  as  if  his 
daily  food  but  served  for  the  development  of  schemes  for  the 
benefit  of  mankind  in  general  and  the  profit  of  individuals  in 
particular,  every  stoppage  in  our  progress  being  marked  by 
the  issue  of  a  fresh  prospectus,  each  showing  an  increase  of 
dividend  as  the  certain  result  of  confiding  speculation— and, 
I  say,  all  honor  to  him  for  his  unswerving  resolution  to  com- 
plete that  great  work  for  the  success  of  which  he  has  toiled  so 
long  and  so  earnestly." 

It  was  on  December  .30th  that  Captain  Anderson 

wrote  : 

"  Sheerness,  Saturday,  SOth,  '65. 

"  My  dear  Mr.  Field,— Thanks  for  your  cheering  letter.  I 
have  great  hopes  in  your  energy  and  talent.  I  feel  as  if  our 
watch  had  got  the  mainspring  replaced,  and  had  been  trying 
to  go  without  it  for  the  last  three  months.  At  all  events,  I 
know  nothing  will  be  left  undone  that  human  energy  can  ac- 
complish. 

"  With  the  compliments  of  the  season,  and  every  kind  wish, 
in  which  my  good  wife  joins  me, 
"I  remain 

"  Sincerel}'  yours, 

"James  Anderson." 


CHAPTER  XII 

THE  CABLE  LAID  —  CABLE  OF  1865  GRAPPLED  FOR  AND 
RECOVERED — PAYMENT  OF  DEBTS 

(1866) 

Mk.  Field  said  of  this  crisis  : 

"I  reached  London  on  the  24tli  of  December,  1865,  and 
the  next  day  was  not  a '  Merry  Christmas '  to  me.  But  it 
was  an  inexpressible  comfort  to  have  the  counsel  of  sucli 
men  as  Sir  Daniel  Gooch  and  Sir  Richard  A.  Glass;  and  Mr. 
Brassey  said,  'IMr.  Field,  don't  be  discouraged;  go  down  to 
the  company  and  tell  them  to  go  ahead,  and  whatever  the 
cost,  I  will  bear  one-tenth  of  the  whole. 

"It  was  finally  concluded  that  the  best  course  was  to 
organize  a  new  company,  which  should  assume  the  work  ; 
and  so  originated  the  Anglo-American  Telegraph  Company. 
It  was  formed  by  ten  gentlemen  who  met  around  a  table  in 
London  and  put  down  £10,000  apiece. 

"  The  great  Telegraph  Construction  and  Maintenance  Com- 
pany, undaunted  by  the  failure  of  last  year,  answered  us 
with  a  subscription  of  £100,000.  Soon  after,  the  books  were 
opened  to  the  public  through  the  eminent  banking  house  of 
J.  S.  Morgan  &  Co.,  and  in  fourteen  days  we  had  raised 
the  whole  £600,000.  Then  the  work  began  again,  and  went 
on  with  speed.  Never  was  greater  energy  infused  into  any 
enterprise.  It  was  only  the  first  day  of  March  that  the  new 
company  was  formed,  and  was  registered  as  a  company  the 
next  day  ;  and  yet  such  were  the  vigor  and  despatch  that  in 
five  months  from  that  day  the  cable  had  been  manufactured, 
shipped  on  tiie  Great  Eastern,  stretched  across  the  Atlantic, 
and  was  sending  messages,  literally  swift  as  lightning,  from 
continent  to  continent.  The  cable  was  manufactured  at  the 
rate  of  twenty  miles  a  day." 


200  .     CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

Captain  Anderson  wrote  from  the  Great  Eastern 
at  Sheerness  on  March  2d : 

"  I  hope  j'ou  are  keeping  well  and  not  sacrificing  your 
health  for  even  the  Atlantic  cable." 

After  referring  to  some  slight  complications,  he 
adds : 

"But  this  will  all  come  right,  as  you  so  often  say,  and 
surely  we  shall  live  to  laugh  at  it  yet.  At  least  you  ought 
lo  have  your  day  of  triumph,  as  you  have  had  your  long 
years  of  struggle." 

March  5th,  Captain  Moriarty  wrote  from  H.  M.  S. 

Fox : 

' '  I  am  as  sanguine  as  even  yourself  in  the  practicability  and 
almost  certainty  of  raising  the  present  cable,  and  feel  all  the 
more  interested  in  it  in  consequence  of  the  incredulity  of 
naval  men  and  others." 

Mr.  Field  gave  a  dinner  at  the  Buckingham 
Palace  Hotel  on  April  5th  ;  the  American  minister, 
Mr.  Adams,  sat  on  his  right,  and  the  Earl  of  Caith- 
ness on  his  left.  The  Morning  Star,  in  speaking  of 
the  dinner,  said:  ''Mr.  Field,  with  almost  inspired 
fervor,  spoke  of  the  certainty  with  which  it  would 
soon  be  possible  to  speak  between  England  and 
America  in  a  minute  of  time." 

"Rochdale   March  2G, 'QQ. 

"  My  dear  Mr.  Meld, — I  shall  not  be  in  London  before  the 
9lh  April,  and  therefore  shall  not  be  able  to  dine  with  you  on 
the  5th,  which  I  much  regret. 

"If  j'ou  could  come  down  here  on  your  way  to  Liverpool, 
I  should  be  very  glad  lo  see  you.  I  expect  to  be  at  home  till 
the  end  of  the  week. 

"I  hope  your  telegraph  labors  have  been  successful,  and 
that  before  the  summer  is  over  you  will  see  j'our  noble  effort 
successful. 


THE   CABLE   LAID  201 

"  I  am  anxious  about  what  is  doing  in  Wasliington,  but  I 
have  lost  faith  in  the  President,  and  tliiuli  Mr.  Seward  is  al- 
lowing himself  to  be  dragged  into  the  mud  of  his  Soulliern 
propensities.  If  Grant  continues  firm  with  the  Republican 
party,  he  may  prevent  great  mischief.  The  power  of  tbe 
President  seems  too  great  in  an  emergency  of  this  nature.  His 
language  shows  that  his  temper  is  not  calm  enough  for  danger- 
ous times.    In  this  lie  falls  immeasurably  below  Mr.  Lincoln. 

"But  if  I  despair  of  the  President,  I  shall  have  faith  in  the 
people. 

"I  wish  you  a  pleasant  voyage  and  a  complete  success  in 
your  great  undertaking. 

"Always  sincerely  your  friend, 

"John  Bright." 

"Rochdale,  March,  28,  '66. 
''My  dear  Mr.  Field, — I  will  try  to  come  to  Liverpool  to  meet 
you  on  Friday,  the  6th  April,  nothing  unforeseen  preventing. 
"  I  shall  be  glad  to  spend  a  quiet  evening  with  you  before 
you  sail.     I  shall  be  glad  also  to  meet  Mr.  Dudley. 

"  You  seem,  as  usual,  to  be  hard  at  work  up  to  the  last  day 
of  your  stay  here.  Always  truly  your  friend, 

"John  Bright." 

He  sailed  from  Liverpool  on  April  7tli  by  the  steam- 
ship Persia,  arriving  in  New  York  on  Thursday, 
April  19th,  and  he  immediately  took  his  return  pas- 
sage for  England  in  the  steamship  Java,  which  was 
to  sail  from  New  York  on  May  30th.  May  1st  he 
wrote  to  Captain  Anderson  :  "  Many  thanks  for  your 
kind  letter  the  13th  ultimo,  received  yesterday." 
Every  word  of  encouragement  was  always  helpful  to 
his  eager  temperament,  and  of  course  it  was  especial- 
ly so  at  this  time,  after  so  many  disappointments. 

Mr.  Russell,  in  his  book  on  The  Atlantic  Tele- 
UrapU,  says  : 

"  It  l)as  been  said  that  the  greatest  boons  conferred  on  man- 
kind liave  been  due  to  men  of  one  idea.  If  the  laying  of  the 
Atlantic  cable  be  among  those  benefits,  its  consummation  may 
certainly  be  attributed  to  the  man  who,  having  many  ideas, 


202  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

devoted  himself  to  work  out  one  idea,  with  a  gentle  force  and 
patient  vigor  wliicli  converted  opposition  and  overcame  in- 
difEerence.  Mr.  Field  may  be  likened  either  to  the  core  or  the 
external  protection  of  the  cable  itself.  At  times  he  has  been 
its  active  life,  again  he  has  been  its  iron-bound  guardian.  Let 
who  will  claim  the  merit  of  having  first  said  the  Atlantic  cable 
was  possible,  to  Mr.  Field  is  due  tlie  inalienable  merit  of 
having  made  it  possible  and  of  giving  to  an  abortive  concep- 
tion all  the  attributes  of  healthy  existence." 


'"  Fridai)  evening,  2Qth  May. 
"My  dear  Mr.  Field, — I  had  hoped  to  see  you  to  day,  but  I 
have  been  a  prisoner.  ...  If  1  do  not  see  you  before  you 
leave  to-morrow,  I  pray  God  to  bestow  His  best  favor  on  you 
and  the  noble  work  in  which  j'ou  are  so  fervently  engaged. 

"  You  will  be  remembered  by  ver}^  many  who  will  not  cease 
to  implore  success  on  your  undertaking  from  Him  who  holds 
the  winds  and  the  w  aves.  Please  present  my  best  regards  to 
Captain  Anderson. 

"Hoping  for  5'our  safe  return,  with  all  the  triumph  which, 
you  ba7e  so  richly  deserved, 

"  1  remain,  my  dear  sir, 

"Your  affectionate  friend  and  pastor, 

"  W.  Adams." 

The  great  ship  was  ready  to  sail  on  the  day  that 
had  been  named  so  many  months  before,  and  the 
London  papers  had  daily  messages  from  her  : 

"  Margate,  July  \st. 
"The  Great  Eastern,  with  the  Atlantic  telegraph  cable  on 
board,  passed  here  at  half-past  3  p.m." 


"  Valentia,  July  Qth. 
"Shore  end  of  the  Atlantic  cable  successfully  landed  at  3 
P.M.     Tests  perfect.     The  William  Corey  proceeding  to  sea, 
paying  out  slowly.     Weather  tine.     Cable  of  1865  tested  at 
noon  lo-day  ;  is  perfect  as  when  laid." 


"Valentia,  July  8th. 
"Vessels  Blackbird,  Pedler,  Skylark,  and  William  Corey  re- 
turned to  Berehaven  at  3.30  a.m.     All  vessels  will  complete 


THE   CABLE   LAID  203 

coaling  at  Berehaven  to-morrow  night,  and  will  proceed  to  sea 
to  splice  main  cable  to  shore  end  on  Wednesday  morning, 
weather  permitting.     All  going  well. 

"  The  Great  Eastern,  with  the  Atlantic  cable  on  board,  has 
arrived  at  Berehaven,  a  natural  haven  on  the  western  coast 
of  Ireland,  near  Foilhommerum  Bay,  from  whence  the  pro- 
posed electric  communication  is  to  start  seawards  towards 
America.  Another  vessel,  the  William  Corey,  has  had  confided 
to  it  the  duty  of  laying  the  shore  end,  and  it  was  intended 
when  that  was  completed  that  the  Great  Eastern  should  run 
round  at  once,  make  the  splice,  and  begin  its  work." 


"Valentia,  July  12th. 
"  Canning  to  Glass.— Latitude  51°  N.,  longitude  17°  29'  W. 
Cable  paid  out,  283  miles;  distance  run,  263.     Insulation  and 
continuity  perfect.     Weather  fine.     All  going  on  well.     Sea- 
man fell  overboard  from  Terrible;  was  picked  up ;  life  saved." 


"  Canning  to  Glass. — 

"Noon  (ship's  time),  July  IGtJt. 

"Latitude  52°  N.,  longitude  20°  36'  W.  Cable  paid  out, 
420  miles  ;  distance  run,  378  miles.  Weather  fine.  All  on 
board  well. 

"  Gooch  to  Glass.  —  Nothing  can  be  more  satisfactory  than 
everything  is  going  on  on  board.     Weatlier  glorious." 


"  Valentia,  July  23rf,  5.30  p.m. 
"The  following  telegram  received  from  the  Great  Eastern 
this  day: 

"  '  Koo7i  (ship's  time),  July  23(Z. 
"  'Canning to  Glass.— Latitude  50°16'K,  longitude  42"'  16' 
W.     Cable   paid   out,  1345.24  miles  ;    distance   run,  1196.9 
miles.     Insulation  and  continuity  perfect.     Insulation  im- 
proved 30  per  cent,  since  starting." 


"Valentia,  July  21th. 
"  Gi'eat  Eastern  steaming  up  Trinit}^  Bay  at  4.25  this  morn- 
ing ;  expect  to  land  shore  end  at  noon,  local  time." 


"  Valentia,  July  27t7i. 
"Shore  end  landed  and  splice  completed  at  8.43.     Mes- 


204  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

sages  of  congratulation  passing  rapidl}-  between  Ireland  and 
Newfoundland.  Insulation  and  continuity  perfect.  Speed 
much  increased  since  surplus  cable  has  been  cut  off." 

Mr.  Field's  own  cliaiy  is  interesting,  btit  it  is  im- 
possible to  give  here  more  than  a  few  extracts  : 

"  Steamship  '  Gre.\t  Eastekn,' 
"Saturday,  June  30,  1866. 
"Sailed  at  noon  from  her  moorings  off  Sheerness.     The 
Great  Eastern  has  on  board  2375  nautical  miles  of  cable." 


"  Sunday,  July  1st. 
"  Started  at  13  noon,  under  easy  steam,  through  the  Alex- 
ander Channel.     Pilot  left  us.     Squally  weather,  with  rain 
at  night." 


"Wednesday,  July  Ath. 
"  Strong  wind  and  heavy  head  sea.    Made  Fastnet  light  at 
about  8  P.M.     Celebrated  the  ninetieth  anniversary  of  the 
independence  of  the  Uiuted  States  by  hoisting  the  American 
flag  and  speeches  at  dinner." 


"Wednesday,  July  IWi. 
"Completed  coaling  Great  Eastern  and  taking  in  provi- 
sions.    Received  on  board  of  Gi'eat  Eastern  at  Berehaven  : 

LIVE  STOCK.  DEAD  STOCK. 

10  bullocks,  28  bullocks, 

1  milch  cow,  4  calves, 

114  sbeep,  22  sheep, 

20  pigs,  4  pigs, 

29  geese,  300  fowls, 

14  turkeys,  18,000  eggs." 

500  fowls. 


"  Thursday,  July  12th. 
"  Religious  service  held  at  Yalentia  at  2.30  p.m." 


"Friday,  July  13th. 
"  The  Great  Eastern  and  Baccoon  joined  the  Terrible,  Med- 
way,  ?i.nd.  Albany  at  buoy  at  the  end  of  shore  cable  at  6  a.m. 


THE    CABLE   LAID  205 

"  Splice  between  shore  cable  and  main  cable  completed  on 
board  of  tlie  Great  Eastern  at  3.10  p.m.  3.50  Greenwich 
time  the  telegraph  fleet  started  for  Newfoundland. 

"The  telegraph  fleet  sail  as  follows:  The  Terrible  ahead 
of  the  Great  Eastern  on  the  starboard  bow,  the  Medicay  on 
the  port,  and  tlie  Albany  on  the  starboard  quarter. 

"It  was  foggy  nearly  all  day  and  rained  very  hard  most 
of  the  forenoon.     Signals  through  cable  perfect." 


"  Saturday,  July  lAtJi. 
"  "Wind  W.S.W.     Weather  fine.     Distance  from  Valentia, 
185.5  miles;  from  Heart's  Content,  1533.5.    Depth  of  water, 
310  to  535  fathoms.     Cable  and  signals  perfect." 


"  Monday,  July  IQth. 
"Calm,  beautiful  day.     Signals  perfect." 


"  Tuesday,  July  11th. 
"  Sent  Mr.  Glass  at  Valentia  the  following  telegram  : 
"  'Field  to  Glass. — Please  write  Mrs.  Field  to-day  at  New- 
burg,  New  York,  and  tell  her,  "  All  in  good  health  and  spirits 
on  board  of  this  ship,  and  confident  of  success."    Machinery 
works  perfectly,  and  the  cable  pays  out  splendidly.'  " 


"Friday,  July  20t7t. 
"Total  distance  run,  830.4  miles.     Distance  from  Heart's 
Content,  838.6  miles.     Depth  of  water,  1500  to  2050  fath- 
oms.    Wind  S.W.,  with  rain." 


"  Sunday,  July  22d. 
"  Great  Eastern  has  passed  the  place  where  the  cable  was 
lost  last  year,  and  all  is  going  on  well." 


' '  Monday,  July  23fZ. 
"  At  8.54  .\.M.  I  sent  the  following  telegram  : 
"'Field    to  Glass. — Please  obtain  the  latest  news  from 
Egypt.  China,  India,  and  distant   places  for  us  to  forward 
to  the  United  States  on  our  arrival  at  Heart's  Content.' 
"At  7.05  P.M.  I  sent  the  following  telegram  : 


206  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

"'Field  to  Glass. — Please  send  us  Thursday  afternoon  the 
price  that  day  for  cotton  in  Liverpool  and  tlie  London  quota- 
tions for  consols,  United  States  five-twenty  bonds,  Illinois 
Central  and  Erie  Railroad  shares,  and  also  hank  rate  of  inter- 
est. The  above  we  shall  send  to  Kew  York  on  our  arrival, 
and  I  will  obtain  the  latest  news  from  the  States  and  send  you 
in  return.' " 


"  Tuesday,  July  24:th. 

"At  9.05  A.M.  I  sent  the  following  telegram  : 

"'Field  to  Glass. — "We  are  witliin  four  hundred  miles  of 
Heart's  Content,  and  expect  to  be  there  on  Friday.  When 
shall  the  zVtlantic  cable  be  open  for  public  business  ?' 

"At  10.25  A.M.  I  received  the  following  : 

"  'Glass  to  Field. — If  j'ouland  the  cable  on  Friday,  I  see  no 
reason  why  it  should  not  be  open  on  Saturday.' " 


"  Thursday,  July  26th. 
"  Field  to  Glass. — We  expect  to  land  the  cable  at  Heart's 
Content  to-morrow  ;  all  well." 


"Friday,  July  27th. 

"At  7  A.M.  made  the  land  off  Heart's  Content.  At  9  a.m. 
■we  sent  the  end  of  the  cable  to  the  Medicay  to  be  spliced.  I 
left  the  Great  Eastern  in  a  small  boat  at  8.15  a.  m.,  and  landed 
at  Heart's  Content  at  9  o'clock. 

"The  shore  end  was  landed  at  Heart's  Content  at  5  p.m., 
and  signals  through  the  whole  cable  perfect. 

"At  5.30  P.M.,  service  held  at  the  church  at  Heart's  Con- 
tent." 

Xothing  in  this  diary  is  so  remarkable  and  charac- 
teristic as  the  tone  of  absolute  confidence  while  the 
issue  of  the  voyage  was  still  in  doubt.  It  was  this 
confidence  that  not  only  sustained  the  projectors  of 
the  enterprise  through  all  its  mutations,  but  that  in- 
fected his  associates.  Perhaps  it  was  the  moral 
effect  of  his  mere  presence,  even  more  than  the 
labor  of  which  he  took  so  large  a  share,  that  made 
them  so  often  appeal  for  his  return  to  England. 


THE   CABLE   LAID  20V 

Difficulties  that  looked  insurmountable  in  his  ab- 
sence seemed  to  vanish  when  he  ajDpeared. 

Hope  had  so  often  been  deferred  that  his  family 
hardly  dared  to  think  what  a  day  might  bring  to 
them ;  and  they  went  to  church  on  Sunday,  July 
29th,  and  after  the  service  it  was  suggested  that  be- 
fore they  return  to  their  home  (Plum  Point,  below 
Newburg)  they  should  drive  to  the  telegraph  office. 
On  their  way  there  their  attention  was  attracted 
to  the  day  boat,  then  coming  to  her  dock,  gayly 
dressed  with  flags,  and  very  quickly  followed  the 
news  that  the  cable  Avas  laid,  and  that  this  message 
had  been  sent  to  Mrs.  Field  : 

"Heart's  Content,  Trinity  Bat, 
"  Newfoundland,  Friday,  July  27,  1866. 
"  Mrs.  Cyrus  W.  Field,  Newburg,  New  York  : 

"  All  Avell.  Thank  God  the  cable  has  been  successfully 
laid  and  is  in  perfect  working  order.  I  am  sure  that  no  one 
will  be  as  thankful  to  God  as  you  and  our  dear  children. 
Now  we  shall  be  a  united  familj'.  We  leave  in  about  a  week 
to  recover  the  cable  of  last  year.  Please  telegraph  at  once 
and  write  in  full,  and  I  shall  receive  your  letters  on  my  return 
here. 

"On  the  15th  inst.  I  received  through  the  cable  from 
Valentia  your  message  from  Newport  and  Grace's  telegram 
from  Newburg,  and  on  the  23d  inst.  your  telegraphic  de- 
spatch of  the  10th  inst.,  and  this  moment  your  letter  of  the 
12th  inst. 

"Cyi^usW.  Field." 

It  was  on  the  28th  of  July  that  these  resolutions 
Avere  passed  : 

''Resolved,  The  directors  of  the  Telegraph  Construction 
and  Maintenance  Company  and  the  directors  of  the  Anglo- 
American  Telegraph  Company  wish  in  some  substantial 
manner  to  express  their  high  appreciation  of  the  good  con- 
duct and  admirable  way  in  which  all  engaged  in  the  work  of 
laying  the  Atlantic  cable  have  performed  their  duties. 


208  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

"  It  has  given  them  great  pleasure  to  order  tliat  a  gratuity 
of  a  month's  pay  be  presented  to  each  man  on  his  return  to 
England. 

"The  directors,  while  thanking  the  men  for  the  past,  feel 
confident  that  in  the  more  difficult  task  yet  before  them  tliey 
will  display  the  same  hearty  zeal  in  the  performance  of  the 
work." 

Mr.  "Willoiighby  Smith  mentioned  this  incident  at 
a  dinner  given  in  London ; 

"I  remember  well,  in  1866,  during  the  laying  of  the  Atlan- 
tic cable,  as  we  went  on  day  bj^  day,  Mr.  Field  used  to  say 
to  me:  '  Thank  goodness,  we  are  over  another  day  ;  only  let 
us  get  safely  across  with  the  cable,  and  I  will  retire  on  the 
largest  farm  in  America  and  keep  the  largest  cows  and  fowls, 
and  receive  ni}' dividend  daily  in  the  shape  of  eggs  and  milk.'" 

The  account  of  these  days  is  contained  in  this 

letter : 

"  '  Great  Easterx,' 
"Heart's  Contekt,  August  7,  1866. 

"My  dear  Mrs.  Field, — Thanks  for  j'our  kind  note  of  July 
30th.  I  am,  of  course,  much  pleased  that  the  result  of  all 
these  efforts  of  thought,  and  concentration  of  experiences,  and 
long-continued  indomitable  energy,  and  expenditure  of  such 
heaps  of  gold,  has  been  a  success.  It  was  very,  very  near  fail- 
ing. Do  what  you  will,  the  laying  of  cables  (threads !  !  !) 
across  deep  oceans  of  great  breadtli  will  alwaj's  be  speculative ; 
although  when  laid,  so  far  as  we  can  conjecture  or  reason 
from  scientific  knowledge  or  all  that  is  known  of  physical 
geography,  there  is  no  one  reason  having  any  sound  basis  in 
it  that  can  tell  us  iu  what  direction  to  apprehend  anj'  danger, 
always  excepting  man's  malice  or  enmity.  The  very  tiling 
we  proved  last  voyage,  and  go  to  verify  in  a  few  days,  proves 
that  any  enemy  well  equipped  can  destroy  what  has  cost  all 
these  years  to  accomplish. 

"  I  have  no  fear  of  completing  the  cable  of  ISfio,  although 
I  never  quite  got  rid  of  the  feeling  that  it  is  a  very  odd  thing 
to  do,  and  we  can  fancy  bad  weather  exhausting  our  stock  of 
coals,  materials,  and  perhaps  hopes,  by  frequent  breakages  ; 
but  we  have  7700  tonsof  coal,  twenty  miles  of  ropes  for  grap- 


THE    CABLE   LAID  209 

pling,  three  ships  fully  coaled  and  provisioned  and  equipped 
for  the  purpose.  Two  ships  are  now  on  the  ground.  Given, 
then,  the  opportunit}%  there  is  no  known  reason  to  pre- 
vent us  being  here  a  fortnight  hence  with  the  double  success. 
Then  what  next  ?  God  knows.  But  Mr.  Field  is  not  one  bit 
quieter  than  he  was  in  London.  lie  wants  a  tliird  cable  laid, 
and  two  complete  lines  from  here  to  New  York,  before  he 
■will  be  satisfied.  The  success  of  this  one  will  make  the  others 
comparatively  easy,  but  I  am  not  sure  if  he  will  even  then 
take  the  repose  both  he  and  you  deserve.  He  is  very  well  ; 
but  how  he  stands  the  endless  excitement  I  do  not  know.  One 
thing  I  may  give  you  now  as  a  sound  opinion:  he  would  not 
stand  many  more  Loudon  campaigns  without  you  or  one  of 
your  daughters  with  him.  He  takes  absolutely  no  repose  when 
in  London,  and  it  is  onlj^  because  he  cannot  help  himself  that 
he  gets  it  at  sea.  I  heartily  congratulate  him  and  you  upon 
this  good  termination  to  the  real  foundation  of  future  oceanic 
telegraphy  ;  he  deserves  all  honor  from  his  countrymen.  .  .  . 
To  your  husband  especially  belong  the  creation  and  the  per- 
severance tiiat  have  moved  so  many  into  the  vortex.  .  .  .  With 
every  kind  wish  to  you  and  yours, 

"  Sincerely  yours, 

"James  Anderson." 

Bishop  Mullock  wrote  on  August  6th: 

"In  my  answer  to  a  society  who  addressed  me  yesterday 
on  the  occasion  of  my  departure  for  Europe  I  alluded  to  your 
example  as  a  great  lesson  of  perseverance,  showing  that  to  a 
man  of  good  energy  nothing  almost  is  impossible,  and  telling 
lliem  in  all  diflBculties  to  have  the  example  of  Mr.  Cyrus  W. 
Field  before  their  ej'es. 

"May  God  grant  that  you  may  be  able  to  resuscitate  the 
old  cable.  I  have  myself  no  doubt  but  that  you  will  accom- 
plish it,  and  exhibit  to  future  generations  the  greatest  example 
of  energy  and  perseverance  ever  shown  by  an  individual. 

"You  ought  to  be  a  proud  man,  for  like  the  name  of  Co- 
lumbus, yours  will  be  in  Europe  and  America  a  household 
word." 

Whittier's  "  Cable  Hymn  "  responds  to  the  feeling 
experienced  at  this  time  : 

14 


210  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

"  O  loneh'  bay  of  Trinity, 
O  dreary  shores,  give  ear ! 
Lean  down  unto  the  white-lipped  sea, 
The  voice  of  God  to  hear. 

"From  world  to  world  His  couriers  fly, 
Thought-winged  and  shod  with  fire  ; 
The  angel  of  His  stormy  sky 
Rides  down  the  sunken  wire. 

"What  saitli  the  herald  of  the  Lord  ? 
'  The  world's  long  strife  is  done  ; 
Close  wedded  by  that  mystic  chord, 
Its  continents  are  one. 

"  'And  one  in  heart,  as  one  in  blood, 
Shall  all  her  peoples  be ; 
The  hands  of  human  brotherhood 
Are  clr.sped  beneath  the  sea. 

"'Through  Orient  seas,  o'er  Afric's  plain, 
And  Asian  mountains  borne, 
The  vigor  of  the  Northern  brain 
Shall  nerve  the  world  outworn. 

■"From  clime  to  clime,  from  shore  to  shore. 
Shall  thrill  the  magic  thread  ; 
The  new-  Prometheus  .steals  once  more 
The  fire  that  wakes  the  dead.' 

"Throb  on,  strong  pulse  of  thunder!  beat 
From  answering  beach  to  beach  ; 
Fuse  nations  in  lliy  kindly  heat, 
And  melt  the  chains  of  each  ! 

"Wild  terror  of  the  sky  above. 
Glide  tamed  and  dumb  below; 
Bear  gently,  ocean's  carrier-dove. 
Thy  errands  to  and  fro. 

"Weave  on,  swift  shuttle  of  the  Lord, 
Beneath  the  deep  so  far, 
The  bridal-robe  of  earth's  accord. 
The  funeral  shroud  of  war. 


THE   CABLE   LAID  211 

"For  lo  !    the  fall  of  ocean's  wall, 
Space  mocked  and  time  outrun  ; 
And  round  the  world  the  tliought  of  all 
Is  as  the  thought  of  one  ! 

"The  poles  unite,  the  zones  agree, 
The  tongues  of  striving  cease ; 
As  on  the  Sea  of  Galilee 

The  Christ  is  whispering  Peace  !" 

We  find  in  Mr.  McCarthy's  History  of  Our  Oiv?i 
Times  these  words  : 

"  Just  before  the  adjournment  of  Parliament  for  the  recess 
a  great  work  of  peace  was  accomplished,  perhaps  the  only- 
work  of  peace  then  possible  which  could  be  mentioned  after 
the  warlike  business  of  Sadowa  without  producing  the  effect 
of  an  anti-climax.  This  was  the  completion  of  the  Atlantic 
cable.  .  .  . 

"Ten  years,  all  but  a  month,  had  gone  by  since  Mr.  Cyrus 
W.  Field,  the  American  promoter  of  the  Atlantic  telegraph 
project,  had  first  tried  to  inspire  cool  and  calculating  men  in 
London,  Liverpool,  and  Manchester  with  some  faith  in  his 
project.  He  was  not  a  scientific  man  ;  he  was  not  tlie  invent- 
or of  the  principle  of  inter-oceanic  telegraphy  ;  he  was  not 
even  the  first  man  to  propose  that  a  company  should  be  formed 
for  the  purpose  of  laying  a  cable  beneath  the  Atlantic.  .  .  . 

"  But  the  achievement  of  the  Atlantic  cable  was  none  the 
less  as  distinctly  the  work  of  Mr.  Cyrus  W.  Field  as  the  dis- 
covery of  America  was  that  of  Columbus.  It  was  not  he 
who  first  thought  of  doing  the  thing,  but  it  was  he  who  first 
made  up  his  mind  that  it  could  be  done,  and  showed  the 
world  how  to  do  it,  and  did  it  in  the  end.  The  history  of 
liuman  invention  has  not  a  more  inspiriting  example  of 
patience  living  down  discouragement  and  perseverance  tri- 
umphing over  defeat.  .  .   . 

"At  last,  in  1866,  the  feat  was  accomplished,  and  the  At- 
lantic telegraph  was  added  to  the  realities  of  life.  It  has  now 
become  a  distinct  part  of  our  civilized  sj'stem.  We  have 
ceased  to  wonder  at  it.  We  accept  it  and  its  consequent 
facts  with  as  much  composure  as  we  take  the  existence  of 
the  inland  telegraph  or  the  penny  post." 


212  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

Before  the  two  weeks  were  passed  the  Great 
Eastern  was  at  sea  and  on  her  way  to  recover  the 
cable  lost  the  year  before,  and  from  his  diary  we 
cojjy  these  short  extracts  : 

"  Thursday,  August  9th. 

"The  Ch'eat  Eastern  and  Medway  left  Heart's  Content  at 


"  Sunday,  August  12th,  at  3  p.m. 
"  Great  Eastern  and  Medway  joined  the  Terrible  and  Al- 
bany." 

"  Monday,  August  \dth. 
"At  1  P.M.  commenced  to  lower  grapnel  from  Great  East- 
ern; at  2  P.M.  grapnel  down  ;  at  8.30  p.m.  commenced  to 
heave   up  grapnel,  as  Gi'eat  Eastern  would  not  drift  over 
cable."  

"  Wednesday,  August  Ibth. 
"At  2  P.M.  commenced  lowering  grapnel;   at  8.30  p.m. 
grapnel  hooked  cable.     Hove  up  100  fathoms  and  paid  out 
again  to  wait  until  morning." 


"  Friday,  August  11th. 
"At  4.30  A.M.  commenced  heaving  up  cable;  at  10.45  a.m. 
cable  above  water  ;  at  10.50  a.m.  cable  parted  about  ten  feet 
above  the  water." 


"Monday,  August  21th. 
"At  2.30  P.M.  got  cable  from  buoy  in  over  the  bow  and 
found,  by  tests,  it  to  be  only  a  short  length  of  a  few  miles 
which  must  have  been  cut  from  the  main  cable  by  grapnel." 


''Saturday,  September  1st. 
"At  4.50  A.M.  cable  up  to  800  fathoms  from  the  surface. 
"  At  5  P.M.  commenced  heaving  up;  found  the  cable  to  be 
hooked."  

"Sunday,  September  2d. 
"  12.50  A.M. — Cable  above  the  surface. 
"2.16.— Bight  of  1865  cable  on  board. 


CABLE    OF   1865   RECOVERED  213 

"3.11. — End  brought  iato  testing-room. 

"3.50. — Message  received.  '  Cable  of  1866  and  Gulf  cable 
both  O.  K.' 

"3.52. — Cable  taken  fi-oni  test-room  to  make  splice. 

"  6.50. — Shipped  from  bow  to  stern. 

"7.01. — Commenced  paying  out  cable. 

"  At  9.28  A.M.  I  sent  the  following  telegram  720  miles  east 
of  Newfoundland  : 

"  '  Mrs.  Cyrus  W.  Field,  Newburg,  New  York : 

"  'The  cable  of  I860  was  recovered  earlj'  this  morning,  and 
we  are  now  in  perfect  telegraphic  communication  with  Va- 
lentia,  and  on  our  way  back  to  Heart's  Content,  where  we 
expect  to  arrive  next  Saturday.  God  be  praised.  Please 
telegraph  me  in  full  at  Heart's  Content.  I  am  in  good  health 
and  spirits.  Captain  Anderson  wishes  to  be  kindly  remem- 
bered to  you.  Cyrus  W.  Field.'  " 


"Saturday,  September  %th. 
"Landed  cable  at  Heart's  Content. 

"Position  of  ships  entering  Trinity  Bay  : 

Lily,  ^      4  w    *  Terrible, 

Medway,  (rreat  Jiaste?  n,        Mar  gar  etta  Stevenson." 

Of  his  own  feeling,  as  he  stood  waiting  on  the 
Great  Eastern  at  dawn  on  Sunday  morning,  Sep- 
tember 2d,  Mr.  Field  told  in  a  speech  made  in  Lon- 
don on  March  10, 1868  : 

"  One  of  the  most  interesting  scenes  that  I  ever  witnessed 
.  .  .  was  the  moment  when,  after  the  cable  had  been  recov- 
ered on  the  Great  Eastern,  it  Iiad  been  brought  into  the  elec- 
trician's room,  and  the  test  was  applied  to  see  whether  it  was 
alive  or  dead.  Never  shall  I  forget  that  eventful  moment 
when,  in  answer  to  our  question  to  Valentia,  whether  the 
cable  of  1866,  which  we  had  a  few  weeks  previously  laid, 
was  in  good  working  order,  and  the  cable  across  the  Gulf  of 
St.  Lawrence  had  been  repaii'ed,  in  an  instant  came  back 
those  six  memorable  letters,  'Both  O.  K.'  I  left  the  room,  I 
went  to  my  cabin,  I  locked  the  door ;  I  could  no  longer  re- 


214  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

strain  my  tears — crying  like  a  cliild,  and  full  of  gratitude  to 
God  that  I  had  been  permitted  to  live  to  witness  the  recovery 
of  the  cable  we  had  lost  from  the  Great  Eastern  just  thirteea 
mouths  previous." 

(From  the  Loudon  Timea  of  Wednesday,  September  5th.) 
"  The  recovery  of  the  cable  of  1865  from  the  very  lowest 
depths  of  the  Atlantic  seems  to  have  taken  the  world  by  sur- 
prise. It  is  not,  however,  too  much  to  saj'^  that  no  class  of 
the  community  has  felt  more  astonishment  than  those  who 
are  best  acquainted  with  the  difficulties  of  the  task — the  elec- 
tricians. ... 

"Night  and  daj'  for  a  whole  year  an  electrician  has  always 
been  on  duty  watching  the  tiny  ray  of  light  through  which  sig-' 
nals  are  given,  and  twice  every  day  the  whole  length  of  wire — 
1240  miles — has  been  tested  for  conductivit}'  and  insulation.' 
.  .  .  Suddenly  last  Sunday  morning  at  a  quarter  to  six,  while 
the  light  was  being  vatched  by  ^Ir.  ^la.y,  he  observed  a  pecul- 
iar indication  about  the  light,  which  showed  at  once  to  his 
experienced  eye  that  a  message  was  near  at  hand.  In  a  few 
minutes  afterwards  the  unsteady  flickering  was  changed  to 
coherency,  if  we  may  use  such  a  term,  and  at  once  the  cable 
began  to  speak : 

"  'Canning  to  Glass. — I  have  much  pleasure  in  speaking  to 
you  through  the  1865  cable.     Just  going  to  make  splice.' "  ■ 


(From  Harper''8  Magazine,  October,  1866.) 

"  A  great  historical  event  has  occurred  since  our  last  talk, 
and  it  has  been  received  almost  as  a  matter  of  course.  The  dis- 
tance between  Europe  and  America  has  been  practically  an- 
nihilated ;  the  Atlantic  Ocean  has  been  abolished  ;  steam  as  an 
agent  of  communication  has  been  antiquated.  We  read  every 
morning  the  previous  day's  news  from  London  or  Paris,  and 
there  is  no  excitement  whatever.  Scarcely  a  bell  has  rung  or 
a  cannon  roared.  Not  even  a  dinner  has  been  eaten  in  honor 
of  the  great  event,  except  by  the  gentlemen  immediatelj^  con- 
cerned ;  and  the  salvo  of  speeches  which  usually  resounds 
upon  much  inferior  occasions  from  end  to  end  or  the  coun- 
try has  been  omitted.  .  .  .  The  steamers  bring  the  cream  no 
longer.  That  is  shot  electrically  under  the  sea,  and  the  ships 
suddenly  convey  only  skim-milk.  They  are  j-et  young  men 
who  remember  the  arrival  of  the  Slrius  and  the  Literpool 


CABLE   OF    1865   RECOVERED  215 

and  the  Great  Western.  Their  coming  was  the  occasion  of  a 
thousandfold  greater  excitement  than  the  laying  of  the  cable. 
Yet  if  some  visionary  enthusiast  had  said  to  his  friend  as 
they  watched  with  awe  the  steaming  in  or  out  of  those  huge 
ships,  '  Before  we  are  bald  or  gray  we  shall  look  upon  these 
vessels  as  we  now  look  from  the  express  train  upon  the  slow 
old  stage-coaches,'  he  would  have  been  tolerated  onlj'  as  a 
harmless  maniac.  .  .  .  The  name  wliich  will  be  always  as- 
sociated with  this  historical  event  is  that  of  the  man  who 
has  so  patiently  and  unweariedly  persisted  in  the  project,  Cy- 
rus W.  Field.  With  an  undaunted  cheerfulness,  which  often 
seemed  exasperating  and  unreasonable  and  fanatical,  he  has 
steadily  and  zealously  persevered,  no  more  disma3'ed  or 
baffled  by  apparent  failure  than  a  good  ship  by  a  head  wind. 
"We  remember  meeting  liim  one  pleasant  day  during  the  last 
spring  in  the  street  by  the  Astor  House  in  New  York.  He 
said  that  he  was  going  out  to  England  by  the  next  steamer. 
"  'And  how  many  times  have  you  crossed  the  ocean?' 
"  'Oh,' he  replied,  with  the  fresh  enthusiasm  of  a  boy  going 
home  for  vacation,  '  this  will  be  the  twenty-second  voyage 
1  have  made  upon  this  business.'  And  his  ej'es  twinkled  as 
we  merrily  said  good-bye.  We  heard  of  him  no  more  until 
we  saw  his  name  signed  to  the  despatch  announcing  the  tri- 
umph of  his  blithe  faith  and  long  labor." 

The  number  of  voyages  is  understated  here.  That 
made  on  May  30th,  he  writes,  was  his  thirty-seventh. 

In  his  lecture  on  '^  The  Masters  of  the  Situation  " 
Mr.  James  T.  Fields  has  said  : 

"There  is  a  faith  so  expansive  and  a  hope  so  elastic  that 
a  man  having  them  will  keep  on  believing  and  hoping  till  all 
danger  is  past  and  victory  sure.  When  I  talk  across  an 
ocean  of  three  thousand  miles  with  my  friends  on  the  other 
side  of  it,  and  feel  that  I  may  know  any  hour  of  the  day  if 
all  goes  well  with  them,  I  think  with  gratitude  of  the  im- 
mense energy  and  perseverance  of  that  one  man,  Cyrus  W. 
Field,  who  spent  so  many  years  of  his  life  in  perfecting  a 
communication  second  only  in  importance  to  the  discovery 
of  this  country.  The  story  of  his  patient  striving  during  all 
that  stormy  period  is  one  of  the  noblest  records  of  American 
enterprise,  and  only  his  own  family  know  the  whole  of  it. 
It  was  a  long,  hard  struggle." 


216  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

After  a  painful  experience  was  past  he  never  cared 
to  recall  it,  and  for  that  reason  the  world  never  knew 
to  what  straits  he  and  his  family  were  often  pushed. 
Not  a  luxury  was  allowed,  and  during  those  twelve 
years  any  wish  that  might  be  expressed  could  only 
be  gratified  "  when  the  cable  was  laid."  All  waited 
for  that  day,  but  not  always  patiently,  for  one  or 
another  was  often  heard  to  explain,  "  Oh,  if  that 
old  cable  was  only  at  the  bottom  of  the  ocean  \"  and 
to  this  he  would  invariably  answer,  ''That  is  Just 
where  I  wish  it  to  be." 

Neither  does  the  world  know  what  his  books  tell, 
that  at  this  very  time  his  hand  was  stretched  out 
to  both  his  relations  and  friends.  The  surrogate 
was  so  impressed  with  his  management  of  a  trust 
estate  that  he  could  not  believe  his  statement,  and 
said  that  he  must  take  the  papers  home  and  verify 
them,  for  he  had  never  before  known  that  such  an 
increase  was  possible. 

It  was  in  London,  in  March,  18G8,  that  he  told 
of  the  strange  fluctuations  he  had  seen  in  the  stock 
of  the  two  telegraph  companies  in  which  he  had  so 
long  been  interested. 

"  It  is  within  the  last  six  months  only  that  we  have  received 
the  first  return  from  the  monej''  we  had  put  at  the  bottom  of  the 
Atlantic.  I  do  not  believe  that  anj^  enterprise  has  ever  been 
undertaken  that  has  had  such  fortune  :  tliat  has  been  so  low, 
and,  one  might  almost  say,  so  high.  I  have  known  the  time 
when  a  thousand  pounds  of  Atlantic  telegraph  stock  sold 
in  London  at  a  high  premium.  I  have  known  the  time  when 
a  thousand  pounds  of  the  same  stock  was  purchased  by  my 
worthy  friend,  the  Riglit  Honorable  ]\Ir.  Wortley,  for  thirty 
guineas.  At  one  time  when  I  was  in  London  trying  to  raise 
mone}'  to  carrj-  forward  this  great  enterprise,  a  certificate 
for  ten  thousand  dollars  (£2000  sterling)  in  the  New  York, 
Newfoundland,  and  London  Telegraph  Company  sold  at  the 


CABLE   OF   1865   RECOVERED  217 

[Merchants'  Exchange  in  New  York  by  public  auction  for  a 
ten -dollar  bill  (£3).  On  my  return  home  the  gentleman 
handed  the  certificate  to  me  and  asked  me  if  it  was  worth 
anj-thiug.  I  said  to  him,  '  My  dear  sir,  what  did  you  pay 
for  it  ?'  and  to  ni}'  mortification  he  showed  to  me  the  auc- 
tioneer's bill  for  ten  dollars.  I  said  to  him,  '  I  shall  be  happy 
to  pay  you  a  good  profit  on  your  investment.'  He  replied, 
'  No  ;  what  do  you  advise  me  to  do  with  it  ?'  I  rejoined, 
"  Lock  it  up  in  your  safe.  Do  not  even  think  about  or  look 
at  it  until  you  receive  a  notice  to  collect  your  dividends.' 
The  holder  now  receives  a  dividend  of  eight  hundred  dol- 
lars per  annum  or  (£160)  in  gold  for  his  investment.  If  any 
gentleman  here  has  ever  possessed  a  more  fluctuating  in- 
vestment I  should  like  to  hear  it." 

Later  in  the  evening  the  Right  Honorable  Mr. 
"Wortley  said  : 

"  I  have  been  a  shareholder  from  the  first,  and  I  am  some- 
what proud  of  my  original  £1000  shares,  and  of  those  shares 
to  which  you  have  alluded,  which  I  truly  bought  at  £30 
each.  I  am  anxious,  however,  that  those  gentlemen  who 
heard  that  statement  should  understand  that  I  have  not  yet 
made  a  fortune  out  of  the  cable.  The  vicissitudes  we  have 
gone  through  have  prevented  us  from  doing  much  financial- 
ly, and,  indeed,  we  have  had  difficulty  at  times  in  keeping 
the  enterprise  afloat." 

The  following  telegram  and  letters  are  among 
those  received  at  this  time  : 

"  21  Regent  Steeet,  Londkes. 
"Envoyez  telegramme  suivant  a  Field,  Great  Eastern: 
"Felicitations  pour  perseverance  et  grand  succes. 

"Lesseps." 


"11  Carlton  House  Terrace,  S.W., 

"August  28,  '66. 

"My  dear  Sir, — The  message  which  you  did  me  the  honor 

to  send  me  from  Newfoundland  at  the  commencement  of  this 

month,  embodying  in  part  the  contents  of  a  speech  delivered 

by  me  in  the  House  of  Commons  a  few  hours  before,  was  a 


218  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

signal  illustration  of  the  great  triumph  -which  energ\'  and  in- 
telligence iu  your  person,  and  in  those  of  your  coadjutors, 
have  achieved  over  difHculties  that  might  well  have  been 
deemed  insurmountable  by  weaker  men.  I  offer  you  my 
cordial  congratulations,  and  I  trust  that  the  electric  line  may 
powerfully  contribute  to  binding  our  two  countries  together 
iu  perfect  harmony. 

"  Tlie  message  reached  me  among  friends  interested  in 
America  and  produced  a  very  lively  sensation. 

"  We  live  in  times  of  great  events.  Europe  has  not  often 
of  late  seen  greater  than  those  of  the  present  year,  which  ap- 
parentl}'  go  far  to  complete  the  glorious  work  of  the  recon- 
struction of  Italy,  and  which  seem  in  substance  both  to  begin 
and  complete  another  hardly  less  needed  work  iu  the  recon- 
struction of  Germany.  But  I  must  say  that  few  political  phe- 
nomena have  ever  struck  me  more  than  the  recent  conduct  of 
American  finance.  I  admiie  beyond  expression  the  courage 
which  has  carried  through  the  tlireefold  operation  of  cutting 
down  in  earnest  j'O'ir  war  establishments,  maintaining  for  the 
time  your  war  taxes,  and  paying  off  in  your  first  year  of  peace 
twentj'-tive  millions  sterling  of  your  debt.  There  are  nations 
that  could  lay  an  electric  telegraph  under  the  Atlantic  and 
j'et  could  not  do  this.  I  wish  my  liunible  congratulations 
might  be  conve)'ed  to  your  finance  minister.  This  scale  can 
hardly  be  kept  up,  but  I  do  not  doubt  the  future  will  be  worthy 
of  the  past,  and  I  hope  he  will  shame  us  and  the  Continent  into 
at  least  a  distant  and  humble  imitation." 

"  I  remain  very  faithfully  yours, 

"  W.  E.  Gladstone. 

"Cyrus  W.  Field,  Esq." 

Captain  Anderson's  letter  of  September  9th  is  to 
Mrs.  Field,  and  was  written  on  board  the  Great 
Eastern  : 

"  I  cannot  tell  you  how  I  have  felt  since  our  new  success. 
It  is  only  seventeen  months  since  I  first  walked  up  to  the  top 
of  the  paddle-box  of  this  ship  at  Sheerness  upon  a  dark,  rainy 
night,  reviewed  my  past  career  in  my  mind,  and  tried  to  look 
into  the  future,  to  see  what  I  had  undertaken,  and  realize,  if 
possible,  what  the  new  step  in  my  career  would  develop.  I 
cannot  saj"  I  believed  much  in  cables  ;  I  rather  think  I  did  not ; 
but  I  did  believe  your  husband  was  an  earnest  man  of  great 


CABLE   OF    1865    RECOVERED  219 

force  of  character,  and  working  under  a  strong  conviction  that 
what  he  was  attempting  was  thorouglily  practicable  ;  and  I 
knew  enough  of  the  names  with  which  lie  had  associated  him- 
self in  the  enterprise  to  feel  that  it  was  a  real,  true,  honest  effort, 
worthy  of  all  the  energy  and  application  of  one's  manhood, 
and,  come  what  might  of  the  future,  I  resolved  to  do  my  very 
utmost  and  do  nothing  else  until  it  was  over.  More  com- 
pletely, however,  than  my  resolve  foreshadowed,  I  dropped, 
inch  by  inch,  or  step  by  step,  into  the  work,  until  I  had  no 
mind,  no  soul,  no  sleep,  that  was  not  tinged  with  cable.  I  am 
fortunate  that  my  duties  were  such  that  I  might  well  ask  a 
blessing  upon  it,  or  I  had  better  never  have  gone  to  church  or 
bent  a  knee — in  a  word,  I  accuse  your  husband  of  having 
pulled  me  into  a  vortex  that  I  could  not  get  out  of,  and  did  not 
wish  to  try.  And  ouly  fancy  that  the  sum  total  of  all  this  is  to 
lay  a  thread  across  an  ocean  !  Dr.  Russell  compared  it  to  an 
elephant  stretching  a  cobweb.  And  there  lay  its  very  danger. 
The  more  j^ou  multiply  the  mechanism  the  more  you  increase 
the  risk.  With  all  the  vigilance  and  honesty  of  purpose  of 
chosen  men,  exigencies  must  arise  and  may  occur.  When  the 
nights  are  dark  and  stormy  there- comes  the  torture  that  may 
ruin  all  if  not  successfully  met.  And  so  that  task  has  been  a 
series  of  high  hopes  and  blank,dark  hours  of  disappointments, 
when  it  seemed  as  if  the  difficulties  were  legion  and  we  were 
Ijeating  the  air.  Mr.  Field,  at  least,  never  gave  out.  He 
never  ceased  to  say,  '  It  would  all  come  right,'  even  when  his 
looks  hardly  bore  out  the  assertion.  But  at  last  it  did.  We 
came  through  it  all,  and  I  feel  as  if  I  had  said  good-bye  and 
God  bless  you  to  a  wayward  child  who  had  cost  me  great 
thought  and  was  at  last  happily  settled  for  life  just  where  I 
wished  her.  I  do  not  think,  though,  that  I  could  or  would 
have  nursed  the  wretch  for  twelve  years,  as  your  husband  has 
done,  to  the  destruction  of  the  repose  of  himself  and  all  the 
rest  of  his  family.  I  should  have  discarded  her  and  adopted 
some  other.  He  has  persevered,  however,  and  to  him  belongs 
all  the  credit  your  country  can  bestow." 

Professor  Wheatstone  wrote  : 

"  According  to  my  promise  I  enclose  a  copy  of  my  letter  of 
September,  1866,  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Privy  Council,  in 
answer  to  his  inquiry  respecting  the  persons  most  deserving 
of  honor  in  connection  with  the  successful  completion  of  the 
Atlantic  telegraph. 


220  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

"  '  19  Park  Crescent, 
"  'Portland  Place,  N.W.,  September  23,  1866. 

"  'My  dear  Sir, — The  following  is  my  opinion  respecting 
the  principal  co-operators  in  the  establishment  of  the  At- 
lantic telegraph  : 

"  'The  person  to  whose  indomitable  perseverance  we  are 
indebted  for  the  commencement,  carrj'ing  on,  and  completion 
of  the  enterprise  is  undoubted]}^  Mr.  Cyrus  Field.  Through 
good  and  through  evil  report  he  has  pursued  his  single  object 
undaunted  b}-  repeated  failures,  keeping  up  the  flagging  in- 
terest of  the  public  and  the  desponding  hopes  of  capitalists, 
and  employing  his  energies  to  combine  all  the  means  which 
might  lead  towards  a  successful  issue.  This  gentleman  is  a 
citizen  of  the  United  States,  and  there  would  perhaps  be  a 
difficult}'  in  conferring  on  him  any  honorary  distinction. 

"  'From  the  staff  of  officials  by  whose  practical  skill  and 
unwearied  attention  the  great  project  has  been  at  last  achieved, 
it  appears  to  me  there  are  four  gentlemen  who  might,  in  ad- 
dition to  special  nicrits  of  their  own,  be  taken  as  the  repre- 
sentatives of  all  those  who  have  labored  under  or  with  them 
in  their  respective  departments. 

"  '  Public  opinion,  I  think,  would  ratify  the  selection. 

"  'These  are  : 

' '  '  ^Ir.  Glass,  the  manager  of  the  Telegraph  Maintenance 
Company,  under  whose  superintendence  the  great  connecting 
link  has  been  manufactured,  and  to  whose  former  firm  is 
mainly  owing  the  high  perfection  which  the  construction  of 
submarine  cables  has  now  attained. 

"  '  Mr.  Canning,  the  able  engineer  of  the  same  company,  to 
whose  experience  and  skill  we  are  chiefly  indebted  for  the 
successful  laying  down  of  the  new  cable  and  the  restoration 
of  the  old. 

"  '  Captain  Anderson,  the  commander  of  the  Great  Eastern 
steamship,  w^ho  under  new  and  untried  circumstances  brought 
this  leviathan  of  the  waters  to  work  in  subjection  to  the  re- 
quirements of  the  great  operation.  An  honorarj'  distinction 
to  this  gentleman  would  no  doubt  be  received  as  a  compli- 
ment by  the  mercantile  marine. 

"  '  Dr.  W.  Thomson, who,  distinguished  already  in  the  high- 
est fields  of  science,  has  devoted  his  talents  to  improvements 
in  the  methodsof  signalizing,  and  whose  contrivances  specially 
appropriated  to  the  conditions  of  submarine  lines  have  resulted 
in  the  attainment  of  greater  speed  than  was  at  first  expected. 


CABLE   OF   1865   RECOVERED  221 

*■' '  In  naming  these  gentlemen  I  Lave  limited  myself  to 
those  actually  engaged  in  the  great  enterprise  which  at  pres- 
ent occupies  so  much  public  attention.  I  have  left  out  of 
consideration  the  claims  of  others,  however  great,  who  have 
preceded  them  in  similar  undertakings  of  less  importance, 
or  who  have  either  in  thought  or  deed  worked  out  results 
which  have  rendered  the  present  great  work  practicable  or 
even  possible. 

"  'I  remain,  my  dear  sir, 

"  '  Yours  very  truly, 

"  '  C.  Wheatstone. 
"  '  Arthuk  Helps,  Esq.' " 

At  the  banquet  given  at  Liverpool  on  October 
1st,  the  chairman  read  this  letter : 

"Balmokal,  29th  September,  1866. 

"Deal-  SiJ'  Stafford, — As  I  understand  you  are  to  have  the 
honor  of  taking  the  chair  at  the  entertainment  which  is  to  be 
given  on  Monday  next  in  Liverpool  to  celebrate  the  double 
success  which  has  attended  the  great  undeitaking  of  lajing 
the  cable  of  1866  and  recovering  that  of  1865,  by  which  the 
two  continents  of  Europe  and  America  are  happily  connected, 
I  am  commanded  by  the  Queen  to  make  known  to  you,  and 
through  you  to  those  over  whom  you  are  to  preside,  the  deep 
interest  with  which  Her  Majesty  has  regarded  the  progress 
of  this  noble  work,  and  to  tender  Her  Majesty's  cordial  con- 
gratulations to  all  of  those  whose  energy  and  perseverance, 
whose  skill  and  science,  have  triumphed  over  all  difficulties, 
and  accomplished  a  success  alike  honorable  to  themselves 
and  to  their  country,  and  beneficial  to  the  world  at  large. 

"Her  Majesty,  desirous  of  testifying  her  sense  of  the  va- 
rious merits  which  have  been  displayed  in  this  great  enter- 
prise, has  commanded  me  to  submit  to  her  for  special  marks 
of  her  royal  favor  the  names  of  those  who,  having  had  as- 
signed to  tliem  prominent  positions,  may  be  considered  as 
representing  the  different  departments  whose  united  labors 
have  contributed  to  the  final  result. 

"  Her  Majesty  has  accordingly  been  pleased  to  direct  that 
the  honor  of  knighthood  be  conferred  on  Captain  Anderson, 
the  able  and  zealous  commander  of  the  Great  Eastern;  on 
Professor  Thomson,  whose  distinguished  science  has  been 
brought  to  bear  with  eminent  success  upon  the  improvement 


222  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

of  submarine  telegraphy,  and  on  Messrs.  Glass  and  Canning, 
the  manager  and  engineer  respectively  of  the  Telegraph 
Maintenance  Company,  whose  skill  and  experience  have 
mainly  contributed  to  the  admirable  construction  and  suc- 
cessful laying  of  the  cable. 

"  Her  Majesty  is  further  pleased  to  mark  her  approval  of 
the  public  spirit  and  euergj-  of  the  two  companies  who  have 
had  successively  the  conduct  of  the  undertaking  by  offering 
the  dignity  of  a  baronetcy  of  the  United  Kingdom  to  Mr. 
Lampson,  the  deputy  chairman  of  the  original  company,  to 
whose  resolute  support  of  the  project,  in  spite  of  all  discour- 
agements, it  was  in  great  measure  owing  that  it  was  not  at 
one  time  abandoned  iu  despair;  and  to  Mr.  Gooch,  M.P.,  the 
chairman  of  the  company  which  has  finally  accomplished  the 
great  design. 

"If  among  the  names  thus  submitted  to  and  approved  by 
Her  Majestj-  that  of  Mr.  Cyrus  Field  does  not  appear,  the 
omission  must  not  be  attributed  to  any  disregard  of  the  emi- 
nent services  whirn  from  the  first  lie  has  rendered  to  the 
cause  of  transatlantic  telegraphy,  and  the  zeal  and  resolution 
with  whicii  he  has  adhered  to  the  prosecution  of  his  object,  but 
to  an  apprehension  lest  it  might  appear  to  encroach  on  the 
province  of  his  own  government  if  Her  Majesty  were  advised 
to  offer  to  a  citizen  of  the  United  States,  for  a  service  ren- 
dered alike  to  both  countries,  British  marks  of  honor  which, 
following  the  example  of  another  highly  distinguished  citi- 
zen, he  might  feel  himself  unable  to  accept. 

"I  will  oulj'  add,  on  my  own  part,  how  cordially  I  concur 
in  the  object  of  the  meeting  over  which  you  are  about  to  pre- 
side, and  how  much  I  should  have  been  gratified  had  circum- 
stances permitted  me  to  have  attended  in  person. 
"I  am,  dear  Sir  Stafford, 

"  Very  sincerely  yours, 

' '  Derby." 

The  celebration  on  the  western  shore  of  the  At- 
lantic was  not  less  general  and  cordial.  We  quote 
from  the  report  of  a  New  York  newspaper  : 

"  A  dinner  was  given  in  this  city  on  the  evening  of  the  16th 
instant  by  the  New  York,  Newfoundland,  and  London  Tele- 
graph Company  to  Cyrus  W.  Field,  who  has  recently  re- 
turned to  this  country,  after  assisting  in  the  successful  lay- 


CABLE   OF    1865   RECOVERED  223 

ing  of  the  Atlantic  telegraph  cable,  with  which  movement 
Mr.  Field  has  been  more  prominently  identified  from  the  be- 
ginning than  any  other  of  its  advocates  and  supporters.  A 
considerable  number  of  our  first  citizens  were  present,  in- 
cluding the  honorary  directors  of  the  Atlantic  Telegraph 
Company.  .  .  .  Mr.  Peter  Cooper  told  of  the  formation  of 
the  New  York,  Newfoundland,  and  London  Telegraph  Com- 
pany, and  then  said  :  '  On  those  eventful  evenings  we  be- 
came fully  magnetized  and  infatuated  with  a  most  magnifi- 
cent idea.  We  pictured  to  ourselves  that  in  a  short  time  Ave 
should  plant  a  line  of  telegraph  across  the  vast  and  mighty 
ocean.  We  as  little  dreamed  of  the  difficulties  at  that  time 
that  we  were  destined  to  encounter  as  did  the  Jews  of  old 
dream  of  the  difficulties  that  they  were  doomed  to  meet  in 
their  passage  to  the  promised  land.  We,  like  the  Jews  of 
old,  saw  the  hills  green  afar  off,  and,  like  them,  we  had  but 
a  faint  idea  of  the  bare  spots,  the  tangled  thickets,  and  rugged 
cliffs  over  and  througli  which  we  have  been  compelled  to  pass 
in  order  to  gain  possession  of  our  land  of  promise.  We  have, 
however,  been  more  fortunate  than  the  Jews  of  old  ;  "we 
have  had  a  Moses  who  was  able  to  lead  on  his  associates,  and 
when  he  found  them  cast  down  and  discouraged,  he  did  not 
call  manna  from  heaven  nor  smite  the  rock,  but  just  got  us 
to  look  through  his  telescope  at  the  pleasant  fields  that  lay 
so  temptingly  in  the  distance  before  us,  and  in  that  way  he 
was  able  to  inspirit  his  associates  with  courage  to  go  on  until, 
with  the  help  of  the  Great  Eastern,  and  the  means  and  in- 
fluence of  the  noble  band  of  men  that  Mr.  Field  has  been 
able  to  enlist  in  the  mother  country,  we  have  at  last  accom- 
plished a  work  that  is  now  the  wonder  of  the  world. 

"  In  the  accomplishment  of  this  work  it  is  our  privilege  to 
regard  it  as  a  great  and  glorious  means  for  diffusing  useful 
knowledge  throughout  the  world.  ...  I  trust  our  united 
efforts  will  hasten  the  glorious  time  when  nations  will  imve 
war  no  more  ;  when  they  will  beat  their  swords  into  plough- 
shares and  their  spears  into  pruninghooks.  I  trust  our  own 
country  and  government  will  always  stand  as  a  bright  and 
shining  light  in  the  pathway  of  nations  to  cheer  on  with  hope 
the  suffering  millions  of  mankind  who  are  now  struggling 
for  life,  liberty,  and  happiness — a  happiness  that  is  possible 
to  men  and  nations  who  will  cultivate  the  arts  of  peace  in- 
stead of  wasting  their  energies  in  wars  of  mutual  destruc- 
tion. 


224  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

"  Let  us  hope  that  the  day  will  soon  come  that  will  secure 
peace  and  good-will  among  the  nations  of  the  earth." 

Mr.  Cooper  conchided  with  a  toast  to  "  The 
health  and  happiness  of  our  Moses,  Mr.  Cyrus  W. 
Field." 

The  Common  Council  of  New  York  passed  these 
resolutions  on  the  8th  of  October  : 

"  Wliereas,  The  recent  arrival  at  his  home  in  this  city  of 
Cyrus  W.  Field,  Esq.,  seems  peculiarly  appropriate  for  tes- 
tifying to  him  the  gratification  felt  by  the  authorities  and 
people  of  the  city  of  New  York  at  the  success  attending  his 
unexampled  perseverance  in  tlje  face  of  almost  insuperable 
difficulties,  and  his  fortitude  and  faith  in  the  successful  ter- 
mination of  the  herculean  labor  to  which  he  has  devoted  his 
rare  business  capacity,  his  indomitable  will,  and  his  undaunt- 
ed courage  for  a  series  of  years — that  of  uniting  the  two 
hemispheres  by  telegraphy  ; 

''Resolved,  That  the  municipal  authorities  of  the  city  of 
New  York,  for  themselves  and  speaking  in  behalf  of  their 
constituents,  the  people,  do  hereby  cordially  tender  their  con- 
gratulations to  Cyrus  W.  Field,  Esq.,  on  the  successful  con- 
summation of  the  work  of  uniting  the  two  hemisphere^!  by 
electric  telegraph — a  work  to  which  he  has  devoted  himself 
for  many  years,  and  to  whom,  under  Divine  Providence,  the 
world  is  indebted  for  this  great  triumph  of  skill,  persever- 
ance, and  energy  over  the  seemingly  insurmountable  difficul- 
ties that  were  encountered  in  the  progress  of  the  work ;  and 
we  beg  to  assure  him  that  we  hope  that  the  benefits  and  ad- 
vantages thus  secured  to  the  people  of  the  two  nations  di- 
rectly united  may  be  shared  by  him  to  an  extent  commen- 
surate with  the  energy  and  ability  that  have  characterized 
his  connection  with  the  undertaking. 

"Resolved,  Tliat  a  copy  of  the  foregoing  preamble  and  reso- 
lution be  properly  engrossed,  duly  authenticated,  and  pre- 
sented to  Cyrus  W.  Field,  Esq.,  as  a  slight  evidence  of  the 
appreciation  by  the  people  of  this  city  of  the  service  he  has 
rendered  in  uniting  the  old  and  new  worlds  in  the  electric 
bands  of  fraternity  and  jDeace." 

The  invitation  to  a  banquet  to  be  given  by  the 


CABLE    OF    1865    RECOVERED  225 

Xew  York  Chamber  of  Commerce  is  dated  October 
loth,  and  iu  it  "  the  members  request  that  they 
may  hear  from  your  lips  the  story  of  this  great  un- 
dertaking ;"  and  the  evening  of  Xovember  loth  was 
the  one  chosen. 

The  toast  to  which  he  replied  was  : 

"  Cyrus  W.  Field,  the  projector  and  mainspring  of  the  At- 
lantic telegraph:  while  the  British  government  justl}*  honors 
those  who  have  taken  part  with  him  in  this  great  work  of 
the  age,  his  fame  belongs  to  us,  and  will  be  cherished  and 
guarded  by  his  countrymen." 

'•'  The  story  of  this  great  undertaking  "  has  been 
told,  and  as  far  as  possible  in  his  own  words,  in  these 
chapters ;  but  there  are  two  or  three  further  ex- 
tracts from  his  speech  that  it  seems  expedient  to 
give,  for  they  explain  the  pages  just  read;  they  refer 
to  the  voyage,  grappling,  and  manner  of  working 
the  cable. 

"Yet  this  was  not  a  '  luckj'  hit' — a  fine  run  across  the 
ocean  in  calm  weather.  It  was  the  worst  weather  I  ever 
knew  at  that  season  of  the  year.  In  the  despatch  which  ap- 
peared in  the  New  York  papers  you  may  have  read,  '  The 
weather  has  been  most  pleasant.'  I  wrote  it  'unpleasant.' 
We  had  fogs  and  storms  almost  the  whole  waj'.  Our  success 
was  tlie  result  of  the  highest  science  combined  with  practical 
experience.  Everything  was  perfectly  organized  to  the  mi- 
nutest detail.  We  had  on  board  an  admirable  staff  of  offi- 
cers, such  men  as  Halpin  and  Beckwith  ;  and  engineers  long 
used  to  this  business,  such  as  Canning  and  Clifford  and 
Temple,  the  first  of  whom  has  been  knighted  for  his  part  in 
this  great  achievement  ;  and  electricians,  such  as  Professor 
Thomson,  of  Glasgow,  and  Willoughby  Smith,  and  Laws  ; 
while  ^Ir.  C.  F.  Yarley,  our  companion  of  the  year  before, 
who  stands  among  the  first  in  knowledge  and  practical  skill, 
remained  with  Sir  Richard  Glass  at  Valentia,  to  keep  watch 
at  that  end  of  the  line,  and  Mr.  Latimer  Clark,  who  was  to 
test  the  cable  when  done.     We  had  four  ships,  and  on  board 

15 


226  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

of  them  some  of  the  best  seameu  in  England,  men  who  knew 
the  ocean  as  a  hunter  knows  eveiy  trail  in  the  forest.  Cap- 
tain Moriarty  had,  with  Captain  Anderson,  taken  most  exact 
observations  at  the  spot  where  the  cable  broke  in  1865,  and 
they  were  so  exact  that  the}'  could  go  right  to  the  spot. 
After  finding  it  they  marked  the  line  of  the  cable  bj'  a  row 
of  buoys,  for  fogs  would  come  down  and  shut  out  sun  and 
stars,  so  that  no  man  could  take  an  observation.  These  buoys 
were  anchored  a  few  miles  apart.  They  were  numbered,  and 
each  had  a  flag-staff  on  it,  so  that  it  could  be  seen  by  daj^ 
and  a  lantern  by  night.  Thus  having  taken  our  bearings, 
we  stood  off  three  or  four  miles,  so  as  to  come  broadside  on, 
and  then  casting  over  tiie  grapnel,  drifted  slowlj^  down  upon 
it,  dragging  the  bottom  of  the  ocean  as  we  went.  At  first  it 
was  a  little  awkward  to  fish  iu  such  deep  water,  but  our  men 
got  used  to  it,  and  soon  could  cast  a  grapnel  almost  as 
straight  as  an  old  whaler  throws  a  harpoon.  Our  fishing- 
line  was  of  formidable  size.  It  was  made  of  rope,  twisted 
with  wires  of  stet.1,  so  as  to  bear  a  strain  of  thirty  tons.  It 
took  about  two  hours  for  the  grapnel  to  reach  bottom,  but 
we  could  tell  when  it  struck.  I  often  went  to  the  bow  and 
sat  on  the  rope,  and  could  feel  by  the  quiver  that  the  grap- 
nel was  dragging  on  the  bottom  two  miles  under  us.  But  it 
was  a  very  slow  business.  "We  had  storms  and  calms  and 
fogs  and  squalls.  Still  we  worked  on  day  after  day.  Once, 
on  the  17tli  of  August,  we  got  the  cable  up,  and  had  it  in 
full  sight  for  five  minutes — a  long  slimy  monster,  fresh  from 
the  ooze  of  the  ocean's  bed — but  our  men  began  to  cheer  so 
wildly  that  it  seemed  to  be  frightened,  and  suddenly  broke 
awa}'  and  went  down  into  the  sea. 

"  This  accident  kept  us  at  work  two  weeks  longer;  but  final- 
ly, on  the  last  night  of  August,  we  caught  it.  We  had  cast  the 
grapnel  thirty  times.  It  was  a  little  before  midnight  on 
Friday  night  that  we  hooked  the  cable,  and  it  was  a  little 
after  midnight  Sunday  morning  that  we  got  it  on  board. 
What  was  the  anxiety  of  those  twenty -six  hours  ?  The 
strain  on  every  man's  life  was  like  the  strain  on  the  cable 
itself.  When  finally  it  appeared  it  was  midnight ;  the  lights 
of  the  ship,  and  in  the  boats  around  our  bows,  as  they  flashed 
in  the  faces  of  the  men,  showed  them  eagerly  watching  for 
the  cable  to  appear  on  the  water.  At  length  it  was  brought 
to  the  surface.  All  who  were  allowed  to  approach  crowded 
forward  to  see  it  ;  yet  not  a  word  was  spoken  ;  only  the  voices 


CABLE  OF  1865  RECOVERED         227 

of  the  officers  in  commnnd  were  heard  giving  orders.  All 
felt  as  if  life  and  death  hung  on  the  issue.  It  was  only  when 
it  was  brought  over  the  bow  and  on  to  the  deck  that  men 
dared  to  breathe.  Even  then  they  hardly  believed  their  eyes. 
Some  crept  towards  it  to  feel  of  it — to  be  sure  it  was  there. 
Then  we  carried  it  along  to  tiie  electrician's  room  to  see  if 
our  long-sought  treasure  was  alive  or  dead.  A  few  minutes  of 
suspense  and  a  flash  told  of  the  lightning  current  again  set 
free.  Then  did  the  feeling,  long  pent  up,  burst  forth.  Some 
turned  away  their  heads  and  wept.  Others  broke  into  cheers, 
and  the  cry  ran  from  man  to  man  and  was  heard  down  in  the 
engine-rooms,  deck  below  deck,  and  from  the  boats  on  the 
water  and  the  other  ships,  while  rockets  lighted  up  the  dark- 
ness of  the  sea.  Then  with  thankful  hearts  we  turned  our 
faces  again  to  the  west.  But  soon  the  wind  arose,  and  for 
thirty-six  hours  we  were  exposed  to  all  the  dangers  of  a  storm 
on  the  Atlantic.  Yet  in  the  very  height  and  fury  of  the  gale, 
as  I  sat  in  the  electrician's  room,  a  flash  of  light  came  up 
from  the  deep  which,  having  crossed  to  Ireland,  came  back 
to  me  in  mid-ocean  telling  that  those  so  dear  to  me  were  well. 
"When  the  first  cable  was  laid  in  1858  electricians  thought 
that  to  send  a  current  two  thousand  miles  it  must  be  almost 
like  a  stroke  of  lightning.  But  God  was  not  in  the  earthquake, 
but  in  the  still,  small  voice.  The  other  daj'  Mr.  Latimer  Clark 
telegraphed  from  Ireland  across  the  ocean  and  back  again 
with  a  battery  fortned  in  a  lady's  thimble  !  And  now  Mr. 
Collett  writes  me  from  Heart's  Content :  '  I  have  just  sent  ray 
compliments  to  Dr.  Gould,  of  Cambridge,  who  is  at  Valentia, 
with  a  battery  composed  of  a  gun  cap,  with  a  strip  of  zinc, 
excited  by  a  drop  of  water,  the  simple  bulk  of  a  tear  !' " 

These  were  among  the  toasts  given  on  the  same 
evening  : 

"Captain  Anderson  and  the  officers  of  the  Great  Eastern 
and  the  other  ships  engaged  in  the  late  expedition  :  they  de- 
serve the  thanks  not  only  of  their  own  country,  but  of  the 
civflized  world." 

"Tiie  capitalists  of  England  and  America  who  use  their 
wealth  to  achieve  great  enterprises,  and  leave  behind  tliem 
enduring  monuments  of  their  wise  munificence." 

And  this  sentiment  was  read  : 


228  CYRUS    W.  FIELD 

"  While  expressing  our  grateful  appreciation  of  the  energy 
and  sagacity  that  practically  achieved  the  spanning  of  the 
Atlantic  b\^  the  electric  current,  let  us  not  fail  to  do  iiouor  to 
those  whose  genius  and  patient  investigation  of  the  laws  of 
nature  furnished  the  scientific  knowledge  requisite  to  suc- 
cess." 

A  reception  was  given  to  Mr.  Field  by  the  Cen- 
tur}^  Club  on  Saturday  evening,  November  17th. 

It  was  in  a  speech  made  at  Leeds  early  in  Octo- 
ber that  Mr.  John  Bright  had  said  : 

"To-morrow  is  the  greatest  day  in  the  United  States,  when 
perhaps  millions  of  men  will  go  to  the  polls,  and  they  will 
give  their  votes  on  the  great  question  whether  justice  shall 
or  shall  not  be  done  to  the  liberated  African  ;  and  in  a  day  or 
two  we  shall  hear  the  result,  and  I  shall  be  greatly  surprised 
if  that  result  does  not  add  one  more  proof  to  those  already 
given  of  the  solidity,  intelligence,  and  public  spirit  of  the 
great  body  of  the  people  of  the  United  States.  I  have  men- 
tioned the  North  American  continent.  I  refer  to  the  colonies 
which  are  still  part  of  this  empire,  as  well  as  to  those  other 
colonies  which  now  form  this  great  and  free  republic,  founded 
by  the  old  Genoese  captain  at  the  end  of  the  fifteenth  centu^3^ 
A  friend  of  mine,  Cyrus  Field,  of  New  York,  is  tlie  Colum- 
bus of  our  time,  for  after  no  less  than  forty  passages  across 
the  Atlantic  in  pursuit  of  the  great  aim  of  his  life,  he  has  at 
length  by  his  cable  moved  the  New  World  close  alongside 
the  Old.  To  speak  from  the  United  Kingdom  to  the  North 
American  continent,  and  from  North  America  to  the  United 
Kingdom,  now  is  but  the  work  of  a  moment  of  time,  and  it 
does  not  require  the  utterance  even  of  a  whisper.  The  Eng- 
lish nations  are  brought  together,  and  they  must  march  on 
together." 

And  Mr.  Bright  also  wrote  : 

"Rochdale,  Novemier  23,  1866. 
"  My  dear  Mr.  Field, — I  sent  a  short  message  to  Sir  James 
Anderson,  that  he  might  send  it  on  to  the  chairman  of  the 
banquet.  I  have  not  heard  from  him  since,  but  I  hope  it 
reached  you  in  proper  time.  The  words  were  as  follows  : 
'  It  is  fitting  you  should  honor  the  man  to  whom  the  whole 


CABLE   OF    1865   RECOVERED  229 

world  is  debtor.  He  brought  capital  and  science  together  to 
do  his  bidding,  and  Europe  and  America  are  forever  united. 
I  cannot  sit  at  your  table,  but  I  can  join  in  doing  honor  to 
Cyrus  W.  Field.  ]\Iy  liearty  thanks  to  him  may  mingle  with 
yours.' 

"  This  is  but  a  faint  expression  of  my  estimation  of  j'our 
wonderful  energy  and  persistency  and  faith  in  the  great  work 
to  which  so  manj'  years  of  your  life  have  been  devoted. 

"  Tlie  world  as  yet  does  not  know  how  much  it  owes  to 
you,  and  this  generation  will  never  know  it.  I  regard  what 
has  been  d(jne  as  the  most  marvellous  thing  in  human  history. 
I  think  it  more  marvellous  than  the  invention  of  printing,  or, 
I  am  almost  ready  to  say,  than  the  voyage  of  the  Genoese. 
But  we  will  not  compare  these  things,  which  are  all  great. 
Let  us  rather  rejoice  at  what  has  been  done,  and  I  will  rejoice 
that  you  mainly  have  done  it. 

"  I  wish  I  could  have  been  at  the  dinner,  for  my  reluctance 
to  make  a  speech  would  have  given  way  to  ui}'  desire  to  say 
something  about  you  and  about  the  cable,  and  its  grand  sig- 
nificance to  our  Old  World  and  your  New  one. 

"  I  need  not  tell  you  how  much  I  am  glad  to  believe  that 
in  a  sense  that  is  very  useful  in  this  world  you  will  profit 
largely  by  the  success  of  the  great  enterprise,  and  how  fer- 
vently I  hope  your  prosperity  may  increase.  .  .  . 

"  Your  elections  have  turned  out  well.  I  hope  you  will 
yet  be  '  reconstructed '  on  sound  principles,  and  not  on  the 
unhappy  doctrines  of  the  President. 

"  If  I  were  with  you  I  coidd  talk  a  good  deal,  but  I  can- 
not write  more,  so  farewell. 

"  With  every  good  wish  for  you, 

"  I  am  always  sincerely  your  friend, 

"  Jorrx  BiiifJHT." 

A  joint  resoltition  presenting  the  thanks  of  Con- 
gress to  Cyrus  ^\.  Field  was  introduced  in  the 
Senate  of  the  United  States  on  December  12th.  and 
it  was  reported  by  Mr.  Snmner  without  amendment 
on  December  18th. 

"Resolved.  By  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of 
tlie  United  States  of  America,  in  Congress  assembled, 

"  Tliat  the  thanks  of  Congress  be,  and  they  hereby  are, 


230  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

presented  to  Cyrus  "W.  Field,  of  New  York,  for  bis  foresight, 
courage,  and  determination  in  establishing  telegraphic  com- 
munication by  means  of  the  Atlantic  cable,  traversing  mid- 
ocean  and  connecting  the  Old  World  with  the  New  ;  and  that 
the  President  of  the  United  States  be  requested  to  cause  a 
gold  medal  to  be  struck,  with  suitable  emblems,  devices,  and 
inscription,  to  be  presented  to  Mr.  Field.     And  be  it  further 

''Resolved,  That  when  the  medal  shall  have  been  struck, 
the  President  shall  cause  a  copy  of  this  joint  resolution  to  be 
engrossed  on  i^archment,  and  shall  transmit  the  same,  to- 
gether with  the  medal,  to  Mr.  Field,  to  be  presented  to  him 
in  the  name  of  the  people  of  the  United  States  of  America. 
And  be  it  further 

"Resolved,  That  a  sufficient  sum  of  money  to  carry  this 
resolution  into  effect  is  hereby  appropriated  out  of  any  money 
in  the  Treasurj^  not  otherwise  appropriated. 

"Approved  March  2,  1867." 

Immediately  on  his  return  to  New  York  Mr.  Field 
sold  enough  of  his  cable  stock  to  enable  him  early  in 
November  to  write  to  those  who  hud  compromised 
with  him  in  1860  and  enclose  to  each  the  full  amount 
of  his  indebtedness,  with  seven  per  cent,  interest  to 
date.  One  check  was  for  $G8  60,  another  was  for 
S16,666  67  ;  in  all  he  paid  $170,897  62. 

The  New  York  Evening  Post  wrote  of  this  act : 

"  We  hope  we  do  not  vioLite  confidence  in  stating  a  fact  to 
the  honor  of  a  New  York  merchant,  which,  lliougli  a  private 
transaction,  ought  to  be  known.  Our  fellow-citizen,  Mr.  Cyrus 
W.  Field,  whose  name  will  alwaj's  be  connected  with  the  At- 
lantic telegraph,  has  twice  nearly  ruined  himself  bj^  his  de- 
votion to  that  enterprise.  Though  a  man  of  independent 
fortune  when  he  began,  he  embarked  in  it  so  large  a  portion 
of  his  capital  as  nearly  to  make  shipwreck  of  the  whole. 
While  in  England  engaged  in  the  expedition  of  1857  a  finan- 
cial storm  swept  over  this  counlrj'  and  his  house  suspended  ; 
but  on  his  return  he  asked  only  for  time,  and  paid  all  in  full 
with  interest.  But  the  stoppage  was  a  heavy  blow,  and  be- 
ing followed  by  a  fire,  in  1859,  which  buiiied  his  store  to  the 
ground,  and  by  the  panic  of  December,  1860,  just  before  the 


PAYMENT   OF   DEBTS  231 

breaking  out  of  the  war,  he  was  finally  obliged  to  compro- 
mise with  his  creditors.  Thus  released,  he  devoted  himself  to 
the  work  of  his  life,  which  he  has  at  last  carried  through. 
The  success  of  the  Atlantic  telegraph,  we  are  happy  to  learn, 
has  brought  back  a  portion  of  his  lost  wealth,  and  his  first 
care  has  been  to  make  good  all  losses  to  others.  He  has  ad- 
dressed a  letter  to  ever\'  creditor  who  suffered  l)y  the  failure 
of  his  house  in  1860,  requesting  him  to  send  a  statement  of 
the  amount  compromised,  adding  tlie  interest  for  nearly  six 
years,  and  as  fast  as  presented  returns  a  check  in  full.  The 
whole  amount  will  be  about  .^'200,000.  Such  a  fact,  however 
he  ma}'  wish  to  keep  it  a  secret,  ought  to  be  known,  to  his 
honor  and  to  the  honor  of  the  merchants  of  New  York." 

It  was  at  tliis  time  that  Mr.  George  Peabody  gave 
liim  a  service  of  silver,  aiicl  asked  that  this  inscrip- 
tion shoukl  be  engraved  on  each  piece  : 

GEORGE    PEABODY 

TO 

CYRUS  W.  FIELD, 
In  testimony  and  commemoration 

of  an  act  of  very  high 
Commercial  integrity  and  honor. 
New  York,  10th  November,  1866. 


CHAPTER    XIII 

THE     RECONSTRUCTION    PERIOD 

(186T-1ST0) 

The  Governor  of  the  State  of  Wisconsin,  in  his 
annual  message  to  the  Legislature  in  JanuaiT,  18G7, 
suggested  that  the  State  make  to  Mr.  Field  "  a  suit- 
able acknowledgment  of  their  appreciation  of  the 
priceless  value  of  the  success  he  had  achieved." 

The  recommendation  "was  acted  upon.  Resolu- 
tions were  adopted  by  both  branches  of  the  Legis- 
lature and  approved  by  the  Governor  on  March  29th, 
and  a  gold  medal  was  also  ordered  to  be  sent,  "  prop- 
erly inscribed." 

On  the  Gth  of  February  Mr.  Field  sailed  for  Eng- 
land for  the  purpose  of  making  "arrangements  be- 
tween the  Anglo-American  Telegraj^h  ComjDany  and 
the  New  York,  Newfoundland,  and  London  Tele- 
graph Company."  The  land  lines  across  Newfound- 
land were  often  broken  ;  complaints  were  made  ;  the 
public  was  naturally  inclined  to  overrate  trivial  ac- 
cidents, and  it  was  necessary  to  give  an  exj^lanation. 

"22  Old  Broad  Street,  Janvary  24:t7i. 
'•  To  THK  Editor  of  the  Daily  ^ews  : 

"Sir, — A  statement  having  appeared  in  the  paper  of  this 
day  to  the  efEect  that  the  comnmnication  with  New  York 
was  interrupted,  I  have  to  inform  you  that  in  consequence 
of  a  heavy  fall  of  snow  the  land  line  in  Cape  Breton  appears 


THE   EECOXSTPtUCTIOX   PERIOD  233 

to  have  broken  down.     TLie  cables  of  this  company  are,  as 
they  ever  have  been,  in  perfect  order. 
"  I  ana,  etc., 

"John  C.  Deane,  Secretary." 

Before  Mr.  Field  sailed  for  home  this  was  pub- 
lished in  the  London  papers  : 

"  It  appears  that  a  contract  was  signed  yesterday  by  Mr. 
Cyrus  W.  Fiehl,  acting  in  behalf  of  the  New  York,  Xew- 
fouudland,  and  London  Telegraph  Compau}',  with  the  Tele- 
graph Construction  and  3Iainteiiauce  Company  for  a  sub- 
marine cable  between  Placentia,  Xewfoundland,  and  Sj'dney, 
Xova  Scotia.  The  line  will  be  laid  in  the  early  part  of  the 
summer.  Mr.  Field,  having  effected  tliis  very  satisfactory 
arrangement  in  the  interests  of  Atlantic  telegraphy,  will 
leave  for  New  York  in  the  Great  Eastern  on  the  20th  of 
31arch." 

Soon  after  his  arrival  in  London  the  letters  that 
immediately  follow  had  been  received  : 

"P.\Ris,  February  28,  1867. 
"Cyrus  W.  Field,  Esq.: 

"■  Dear  Sir, — The  undersigned  American  citizens,  at  present 
in  Europe,  hearing  of  your  arrival  in  England,  and  desiring 
to  express  their  warm  appreciation  of  j'our  untiring  labors 
and  your  final  success  in  thelayingof  the  Atlantic  telegraph, 
desire  to  give  you  a  pulilic  reception  in  this  city  at  an  early 
day,  or  at  your  own  convenience. 

"  Hoping  soon  to  hear  from  you,  we  remain,  sir, 
"Your  sincere  friends. 

"Samuel  F.  B.  Morse, 
"James  McKaye, 
"joun  munroe, 
"Emory  McClixtock, 
I  "Chas.  S.  p.  Bowles, 

"And  many  others." 


"Paris,  March  1,  1807. 
"My  dear  Sir, — Singular  as  it  may  seem.  I  was  in  the 
Hiidst  of  your  speech  before  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  re- 


234  CYKUS   \y.  FIELD 

ception  lo  you  in  Xew  York,  perusing  it  with  deep  interest, 
when  my  valet  handed  me  your  letter  of  the  27lh  ult. 

"I  regret  exceedingly  that  I  shall  not  have  the  great 
pleasure  I  had  anticipated  with  other  friends  here,  who  were 
preparing  to  receive  you  in  Paris  with  the  welcome  you  so 
richlj'  deserve.  You  invite  me  to  London.  I  have  the  mat- 
ter under  consideration.  March  winds  and  that  boisterous 
Channel  have  some  weight  in  my  decision,  but  I  so  long  to 
take  j^ou  bj'  the  hand,  and  to  get  posted  up  on  teleizraph  mat- 
ters at  home,  that  I  feel  disposed  to  make  the  attempt.  .  .  . 
""With  unabated  respect  and  esteem, 
"  Your  friend,  as  ever, 

"Samuel  F.  B.  Morse. 
"  Cyrus  "W.  Field,  Esq.,  Palace  Hotel,  London." 

The  next  letter  is  from  the  Speaker  of  the  House 
of  Commons  : 

"House  op  Commons,  March  13,  1867. 
"Dear  Sir, — The  last  few  hours  before  your  departure  will 
be  too  much  occupied  for  me  to  intrude  upon  them.  I  sliould 
have  been  glad  to  have  thanked  you  (I  might  have  vent\ired 
to  have  done  so  in  the  name  of  the  House  of  Commons)  for 
the  services  you  have  rendered  to  this  country,  as  well  as  to 
your  own. 

"I  offer  you  my  best  wishes  for  a  safe  and  prosperous 
voyage. 

"Believe  me 

"  Faithfully  5'ours, 

"J.  Evelyn  Denison. 
"C.  Field,  Esq.,  Palace  Hotel." 

The  next  is  from  the  Prime-Minister  : 

"St.  James  Square,  March  17,  1867. 
"  Sir, — Understanding  that  you  are  on  the  point  of  return- 
ing to  the  United  States  after  a  short  visit  to  this  country,  I 
am  anxious  to  take  the  opportunity  of  saying  to  yourself, 
what  in  the  Queen's  name  I  was  authorized  to  write  to  the 
chairman  of  the  banquet  in  the  autumn  at  Liverpool,  how 
much  of  the  success  of  the  great  undertaking  of  laying  the 
Atlantic  cable  was  due  to  the  energy  and  perseverance  with 
which,  from  the  very  first,  in  sjjite  of  all  discouragements. 


THE   RECOXSTllUCTIOX   TERIOD  235 

you  adhered  to  and  supported  the  project.  Your  signal 
services  in  carrj'ing  out  this  great  undertaliing  have  been  al- 
ready fully  recognized  by  Congress,  and  it  would  have  been 
very  satisfactory  to  the  Queen  to  have  included  your  name 
among  those  on  whom,  in  commemoration  of  this  great 
event,  Her  Majesty  was  pleased  to  bestow  British  honors,  if 
it  bad  not  been  felt  that,  as  a  citizen  of  the  United  States,  it 
would  hardly  have  been  competent  to  you  to  accept  them. 
As  long,  however,  as  the  telegraphic  communication  between 
the  two  continents  lasts  your  name  cannot  fail  to  be  honor- 
ably associated  with  it. 

"Wishing  you  a  safe  and  prosperous  return  to  your  own 
country, 

"I  have  the  honor  to  be,  .sir, 

"  Your  obedient  servant, 

"  Derby. 

"Cyrus  "W.  Field,  Esq." 

"AMERIC.\X   Cn.\MBER  OF   COMMERCE, 

"Liverpool,  18th  February.  1867. 
"  Dear  Sir, — The  American  Chamber  of  Commerce  of 
Liverpool,  being  desirous  of  commemorating  the  success- 
ful completion  of  the  Atlantic  cable  between  England  and 
America,  resolved  in  September  last  to  present  gold  medals 
to  younself.  Sir  Samuel  Canning,  Sir  James  Anderson,  and 
Mr.  Willoughby  Smith  as  representatives  of  the  enterprise. 

"The  medals  are  now  read}',  and  it  is  proposed  to  present 
them  at  a  banquet  to  be  given  by  the  Chamber  at  Liver- 
pool. 

"I  understand  that  the  14th  of  March  next  will  suit  your- 
self and  Sir  James  Anderson.  .  .   . 
"  I  remain 

"  Yours  truh', 

"  Henry  W.  Gair,  President. 
"Cyrus  W.  Field,  Esq.,  Palace  Hotel,  Buckingham  Gale, 
London." 

This  invitation  was  accej^ted,  and  the  description 
of  the  banquet  which  follows  is  taken  from  the 
Liverpool  Daily  Post  of  March  loth  : 

"  Tiie  members  of  the  American  Cliamber  of  Commerce  in 
this  town  gave  a  splendid  banquet  last  night,  in  the  Law  As- 


236  CYPvUS   W.  FIELD 

sociation  Rooms,  Cook  Street,  to  Sir  Samuel  Canning,  Sir 
James  Anderson,  Mr.  Cyrus  \Y.  Field,  and  Mi-.  "Willoughb}' 
Smitli,  the  layers  of  the  Atlantic  telegraph  cable,  on  iviiich 
occasion  a  magnificent  solid  gold  medal  was  presented  to 
each  of  those  gentlemen.  .  .  . 

"The  chairman  in  proposing  'The  projector  and  the  as- 
sociates in  the  laying  of  the  Atlantic  cable,' said:  'Gentle- 
men, I  now  come  to  the  business,  to  the  pleasure  which  has 
brought  us  together  this  evening,  and  if  what  I  saj'  on  the 
subject  is  short,  it  is  not  because  there  is  not  a  great  deal  to 
be  said  on  it,  but  because  I  know  you  are  impatient  to  hear 
it  said  ])}'  those  whose  acts  give  them  the  means  and  right  to 
speak  Aviih  knowledge  and  authority.  Acts  are  better  than 
words,  and  in  the  acts  we  are  met  here  to  perform  we  but 
express  the  gratitude  we  feel  to  those  who  through  so  many 
difficulties  and  discouragements  have  brought  this  great 
work  to  a  successful  termination.  Tliis  success  is  one  of 
which  Ave,  as  a  nation,  are  proud,  and  rightl}'  so.  But  it  is 
good  for  our  humil:':y — a  virtue  in  which  we  do  not  natural- 
ly excel — to  remember  that  the  first  credit  of  that  success  is 
due,  not  to  an  Englishman,  but  to  an  American,  Mr.  Cj'rus 
Field.  He  is  the  projector  of  the  plan,  and  had  it  not  been 
for  his  tenacity  of  purpose,  his  faith — which,  if  it  did  not 
remove  mountains,  at  least  defied  oceans  to  shake  his  pur- 
pose— tlie  plan  would  long  ago  have  been  abandoned  in  de- 
spair. In  this  tenacity  and  utter  incapacity  to  understand  de- 
feat Mr.  Field  is  a  representative  man  of  the  Anglo-Saxon 
race  wlierever  found.  ...  I  have  now  the  pleasure  to  pro- 
pose that  the  health  of  the  projector  and  his  associates  in 
laA^iug  the  Atlantic  cable  shall  be  drunk  with  a  hearty 
tliree  times  three.'  The  call  was  vociferoiisl}'  responded  to, 
and  the  chairman  then  handed  a  medal  to  ]Mr.  Cyrus  Field, 
Sir  James  Anderson,  and  Mr.  Willoughby  Smith,  each  of 
whom  was  loudly  applauded  on  rising  to  receive  it. 

"  3Ir.  Field  said :  '  Mr.  Chairman,  I  thaidc  you  for  the  kind 
manner  in  which  you  have  spoken  of  me,  and  you  gentle- 
men for  the  flattering  way  in  which  you  have  responded  to 
the  toast.  ...  I  think  I  may  safely  affirm  that  never  before 
were  so  many  men  brought  together  in  one  enterprise  who 
were  so  pre  eminently  fitted  by  diversified  endowm.mts  and  by 
special  knowledge  and  experience  to  solve  the  problem  of 
the  Atlantic  telegraph.  Most  fortunate,  moreover,  were  w^e 
in  finding  such  a  ship  as  the  Great  Eastern,  and  such  a  com- 


THE   KECONSTRUCTIOX   PERIOD  237 

mandcr  as  Sir  James  Anderson.  The  man  was  made  for  the 
ship,  and  both  were  made  for  us.  I  would  also  give  expres- 
sion to  the  sense  of  gratitude  we  must  all  feel  to  the  press  of 
England  and  America  for  its  support  in  adversity  as  well  as 
in  good  fortune,  and  to  the  statesmen  of  all  parlies  on  l)oth 
sides  of  the  Atlantic,  whose  cordial  sympathy  and  encourage- 
ment were  never  once  withheld.  .  .  .  Nor  must  I  forget  that, 
during  the  thirteen  years  to  which  I  have  referred,  prayers 
for  our  success  perpetually  ascended  to  the  x\.lmiglity  from 
Christian  men  and  women  who,  although  most  of  them  had 
nothing  to  gain  or  to  lose  b}'  the  undertaking,  were  drawn 
towards  it  by  the  deep-felt  conviction  that,  if  it  were  realized, 
it  could  not  fail  to  serve  their  Divine  Master's  cause  by  pro- 
moting '  Peace  on  earth  and  goodwill  among  men.'  " 

The  Great  Eastern,  in  which  steamship  he  sailed 
for  home,  arrived  in  New  York  late  in  the  first 
week  in  April,  and  the  spring  and  early  summer  of 
this  3-ear  were  passed  with  his  family  and  friends. 
From  one  of  the  latter  he  received  this  note,  writ- 
ten on  paper  which  bore  the  red  cross  and  the 
words  "American  Association  for  the  Eelief  of 
Misery  of  Battle-fields  "  : 

"  Xew  York,  May  16, 1867. 
"Many  thanks,  dear  Mr.  Field,  for  your  letter.  I  shall 
hope  to  have  the  pleasure  of  meeting  you  abroad.  But  in 
any  event  I  wish  j^ou  and  your  family  prosperity  and  in- 
crease of  your  well-earned  honors,  and  your  rightful  self- 
complacency  in  your  victories  over  time  and  space,  and  at 
last  over  this  world  and  its  last  enemy. 

"Affectionately  yours, 

"H.  W.  Bellows." 

July  1, 18G7,  he  writes  : 

"  Left  last  "Wednesday  for  Canada  and  the  provinces  ;  to- 
day at  Ottawa.  Returned  to  Xew  York  for  a  few  days,  and 
then  for  six  weeks  was  in  Xova  Scotia  and  Newfoundland; 
on  August  15th  af  the  Government  House,  St.  John's,  New- 
foundland." 


238  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

Mau)'  minor  trials  came  to  the  telegraph  com- 
panies during  these  first  years  of  ocean  telegraphy, 
and  this  letter  refers  to  some  of  them  : 

"  Xew  York,  October  1,  1867. 

"  My  dear  Mr.  Beane, — In  relation  to  the  tariff,  and  par- 
ticuJarl}' that  part  touching  cipJters,!  must  again  appeal  to 
3'ou.  and  I  do  wish  my  words  could  carry  conviction  to  your 
mind  of  the  fatal  tendency  of  the  course  we  are  carried  into 
by  your  rules.  .  .  . 

"But  let  us  inquire  if  we  are  benefited  by  this  rule  of 
strictness.  We  see  that  very  few  acknowledged  cipher 
messages  are  forwarded.  There  are  people  who  can  make 
messages  apparently  in  plain  text  but  which  are  actually 
cipher,  and  in  the  various  attempts  to  get  much  into  little 
there  lies  the  germ  of  many  disputes  between  customers  and 
receiving  clerks.  The  truth  is,  we  make  nothing  and  lose 
much.  3Iany  who  were  our  best  customers  now  use  the 
line  onlj'  in  cases  of  emergencj',  whereas  thej^  would  use  it 
daily  if  our  terms  were  liberal.  The  U.  S.  government  and 
the  representatives  at  Washington  of  all  the  foreign  govern- 
ments are  determined  to  use  us  as  little  as  possible.  We  are 
reviled  on  every  side.  The  government,  the  press,  and  all  the 
people  will  do  all  in  their  power  to  encourage  a  competing 
line.  Something  must  be  done  to  arrest  this  feeling.  Why 
not  try  reduction  for  three  months,  and  see  what  the  effect 
will  be.  .  .  , 

"I  remain,  my  dear  Mr.  Deane, 
"Very  truly  your  friend, 

"  Cyrus  W.  Field." 

Mistakes  made  in  the  transmission  of  messages 
by  cable  were  of  course  more  annoying  than  other 
telegraphic  errors  in  proportion  to  the  costliness 
and  delay  of  correcting  them.  One  cablegram  as 
received  at  the  Western  Union  office,  Xew  York, 
read  :  "  Letter  thirteen  received ;  ycu  better 
travel."  The  first  change  was  from  ''you"  into 
"son";  and  it  was  delivered  in  Paris,  "Letter 
thirteen  received  ;  son  pretty  well."     By  this  time 


THE   RECOXSTRUCTION   PERIOD  239 

the  message  had  become  unintelligible,  and  there- 
fore useless.  A  serious  complaint  was  naturally 
made  when  instead  of  the  cable  message  reading 
"Protect  our  drafts  "it  was  "Protest  our  drafts." 
In  a  letter  to  London  on  February  4th  he  says  : 

"I  think  there  can  be  no  doubt  if  the  several  telegraph 
lines  between  London  and  New  York  were  under  an  efficient 
management  the  business  could  be  done  much  better  and 
enormously  increased,  and  I  would  work  energetically  with 
you,  Mr.  Morgan,  and  others  to  secure  this  object  if  it  can 
be  done  in  a  satisfactor}-  manner.  I  consider  it  of  great 
importance  that  this  business  should  be  under  the  control  of 
persons  that  can  comprehend  what  it  can  be  made." 

On  the  eve  of  sailing  for  England,  on  February 
18th,  he  wrote  to  the  Hon.  Hugh  McCulloch,  Secre- 
tary of  the  Treasury  : 

"I  have  undoubted  confidence  in  the  good  faith  of  our 
government  that  it  will  pa}'  the  principal  and  interest  of 
every  dollar  of  its  bonded  debt  in  gold,  and  shall  do  all  in 
my  power  to  make  my  friends  in  Europe  tiiink  as  I  do." 

The  day  before  this  had  been  sent  to  him  : 

"Washington,  February  17, 1868. 
"My  dear  Sir, — Accept  my  thanks  and  best  wishes.    I  have 
onlj'  to  say  that  the  wise  men  whom  you  will  find  in  the  East 
are  not  ver}'  wise  in  expecting  that  our  troubles  will  diminish 
while  they  insist  upon  concessions  which  we  cannot  make. 
"  Very  truly  your  friend, 

"William  H.  Seward. 
"Cyrus  W.  Field,  Esq." 


"Rochdale,  March  8,  1868. 
"  My  dear  Mr.  Field,—!  have  only  just  received  your  kind 
invitation.    Unluckily  Tuesday  is  fixed  for  the  Irish  debate, 
and  I  cannot  be  away  from  the  House  on  that  evening. 


240  CYKUS   AV.  FIELD 

"I  regret  this  ver}'  much,  for  it  would  give  me  mucli 
pleasure  to  spend  an  evening  witli  you.  I  must  call  upon 
3'ou,  and  have  a  talk  with  you  on  the  new  crisis  which  has 
arisen  in  your  country. 

"  Some  of  your  statesmen  are  in  favor  of  repudiation,  and 
you  are  dethroning  your  President,  and  yet  your  stocks  are 
not  sensibly  shaken  by  all  tliis  in  the  English  market.  There 
is  more  faith  in  you  than  there  was  three  or  four  years  ago ! 

"  But  I  hope  your  people  will  not  repudiate. 

"  Alwa3's  sincerely  yours, 

' '  John  Bright. 

"I  expect  to  be  in  town  in  the  course  of  to-morrow." 

Mr.  Briglit's  letter  referred  to  the  dinner  to  be 
given  by  Mr.  Field,  on  March  10th,  at  the  Buck- 
ingham Palace  Hotel,  "^ou  the  fourteenth  anniver- 
sary of  the  day  on  which  the  first  contract  with  the 
New  York,  Xewfoundland,  and  London  Telegraph 
Company  had  been  signed  at  his  house  on  Gramercy 
Square,  Ncav  York." 

On  the  evening  of  March  Gth  there  had  been  a 
debate  in  the  House  of  Commons  on  the  Alabama 
claims,  and  many  of  the  sj)eeches  at  the  dinner 
bore  references  to  that  debate.  The  key-note  of 
the  occasion  was  struck  when  the  Eight  Hon.  James 
Stuai-t  Wortley  said  : 

"  One  of  its  greatest  feats"  (of  the  ocean  telegraph)  "has 
lately  been  accomplished  under  the  auspices  of  our  worthy 
chairman  by  his  sending  the  conciliator}-  debate  of  the 
House  of  Commons  on  the  Alabama  claims  to  America.  I 
am  very  glad  this  has  been  done,  as  it  i?  far  more  likely  to 
create  good  feeling  between  the  two  countries  than  anything 
else." 

In  giving  one  of  the  toasts  Mr.  Field  said  : 

"  Gentlemen,  on  Friday  evening  I  had  great  pleasure  in 
hearing  the  debate  in  the  House  of  Commons  on  the  Alabama 
claims.  Before  that,  I  confess  to  j'ou,  I  felt  exceedingly 
anxious  about  the  relations  between  England  and  the  United 


THE   RECONSTKUCTIOX  PERIOD  241 

States;  aud  on  Thursday  last,  in  sending  a  private  telegram 
to  Washington,  I  used  these  words :  '  When  you  see  the 
President,  Mr.  Seward,  and  ]\Ir.  Sumner,  please  sa}^  to  them 
that  I  am  perfectl}'  convinced  that  tlie  English  government 
and  people  are  very  desirous  of  settling  all  questions  in  dis- 
pute between  the  United  Slates  and  this  country,  and  that 
with  a  little  conciliation  on  both  sides  this  desirable  object 
can  be  accomplished.'  Gentlemen,  w^e  are  honored  here  to- 
night with  the  presence  of  several  distinguished  persons 
connected  with  the  press  in  England  aud  America,  and  I  am 
going  to  give  you  as  a  toast  '  The  Press'  of  those  countries  ; 
and  I  shall  ask  them,  who  so  well  know  public  opinion,  to 
tell  us  frankly  wlietiier  I  was  justified  in  sending  such  a 
message  to  Washington." 

Mr.  Walker,  of  the  Daily  Xews,  euded  his  sjoeech 
with  these  words  : 

"As  to  this  matter  of  the  Alabama  claims  at  present  di- 
viding the  two  countries,  I  think  we  are  approximating  to 
an  understanding.  One  after  another  misapprehensions  have 
been  removed,  and  I  cannot  but  think  that,  with  the  prevail- 
ing good  disposition  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic,  the  matter 
will  be  more  easily  settled  than  we  in  England  have  been  in- 
clined to  imagine." 

Colonel  Anderson,  of  the  K^ew  York  Herald,  closed 
his  speech  in  this  way  : 

"  About  the  message  which  Mr.  Field  sent  to  America  the 
other  day,  I  may  say  that  some  months  ago  I  sent  a  similar 
one,  for  I  had  found  that  among  a  large  class  of  people  in 
England  there  was  a  disposition  to  settle  all  disputes  with 
the  United  States.  I  am  pleased  to  see  in  the  press  of  both 
countries  evidence  of  a  kindly  disposition,  and  I  hope  that 
nothing  will  ever  occur  to  disturb  the  friendly  relations  now 
existing.  I  believe  that  I  had  the  honor  of  sending  the  first 
message  for  the  press  through  the  Atlantic  cable  after  it 
was  opened  for  business.  That  was  a  message  of  peace  an- 
nouncing the  end  of  the  war  in  Germany.  I  may  have  to 
use  the  telegraph  in  England  for  many  years,  but  I  sincerely 
trust  that  no  angry  word  will  ever  pass  through  the  Atlantic 
cable." 

16 


242  CYRUS   W.  FIEI-D 

Mr.  Smalley,  of  the  Xew  York  Trihune,  said  : 

"  Having  been  awaj'  so  loni;  from  home,  I  liave,  lU'iiiaps, 
no  right  to  say  what  they  tliink  there,  ihough  the  persever- 
ance and  enterprise  of  our  frieml  Mr.  Field  have  brought 
England  so  near  to  America  that  we  ought  to  be  able  to 
know  what  is  going  on  at  home  as  if  we  were  living  in  New- 
York.  Independently  of  that  source,  I  think  one  is  entitled 
to  say  that  the  feeling  in  America  responds  to  the  feeling  of 
Great  Britain  in  a  degree  which  it  has  not  for  the  last  seven 
years.  I  heard  with  pleasure  from  Mr.  Field  that  he  had 
sent  the  Alabama  debate  to  New  York,  an  instance  of  public 
spirit  for  wliich  the  two  countries  owe  him  a  debt  of  grati- 
tude ;  for  through  it  there  is,  I  suppose,  this  morning  in 
every  journal  in  America,  certaiul}'  in  every  large  journal 
on  the  Eastern  coast,  full  tidings  of  tlie  debate.  It  is,  per- 
haps, such  a  message  as  was  never  before  sent  from  one 
countrj^  to  another.  It  was  my  fortune  to  listen  to  that  de- 
bate. No  newsp.iper  report  can  give  such  a  notion  of  the 
tone  and  temper  of  the  House  as  hearing  it  conveyed  to 
me.  It  was  not  only  the  sincere  purpose,  it  was  not  only 
the  enthusiasm  and  earnestness,  the  good-will  to  America 
which  ever}'  speaker  showed,  but  there  was  a  certain  elec- 
tric sympathy  which  seemed  to  pervade  the  House.  It  mani- 
fested itself  in  cheers  for  every  liberal  sentiment  and  ever}^ 
kindly  expressiim  that  fell  from  the  speakers'  lips.  Several 
members  of  the  House  came  to  me  as  I  sat  under  the  gal- 
lery, and  with  what  I  may  be  pardoned  for  calling  an  almost 
bo3'ish  enthusiasm,  said,  '  Is  not  that  capital  ?'  as  some  sen- 
tence of  conciliation  and  of  justice  fell  from  the  lips  of  Lord 
Stanley,  of  ^Mr.  Forster,  or  of  Mr.  31111.  Now,  sir,  I  should 
not  be  loyal  to  the  journal  which  I  represent  if  I  did  not 
sav  that  this  authoritative  declaration  of  a  changed  feeling 
in  England  is  sure  to  be  welcome  in  America.  Not  one  but 
many  journals  came  to  us  from  the  United  States  in  advance 
of  this  debate  breathing  a  similar  spirit.  The  cloud  which 
for  years  has  hung  between  the  two  countries  seems  to  be 
passing  away,  and  it  would  be  ungrateful  not  to  believe  that 
a  spark  along  this  cable  has  helped  to  dispel  it.  At  any  rate, 
1  cannot  make  a  mistake  in  saying  that  wuy  disposition  to 
close  up  the  old  quarrel,  any  wisii  for  future  union  which 
English  Hds  may  utter,  is  sure  to  find  a  cordial  echo  from  the 
press  on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic." 


THE   RECONSTRUCTION   PERIOD  243 

On  the  same  evening  Mr.  Field  said  : 

"I  now  propose  a  toast:  'The  merao-iy  of  Richard  Cob- 
den,  who  proposed  to  the  late  Prince  Consort  that  the  profits 
of  the  exhibition  of  1851  should  be  devoted  to  the  est:vl)lish- 
ment  of  telegraphic  communication  between  England  and 
America,  and  who,  later,  desired  that  the  English  govern- 
ment should  supply  one-half  of  the  capital  necessary  to  es- 
tablish telegraphic  communication  across  the  Atlantic'  Mr. 
Cobden's  argument  was  this  :  '  I  am  opposed  to  the  govern- 
ment giving  an  unconditional  guarantee,  because  it  is  a  bai'- 
gain  all  on  one  side.  If  j'ou  fail,  then  government  pays  the 
loss  ;  if  you  succeed,  you  reap  all  the  benefit.  But  I  will  advo- 
cate, with  all  my  power,  that  the  government  shall  supply 
one-half  the  mone}^  necessary  to  establish  telegraphic  com- 
munication between  England  and  America,  and  in  the  event 
of  success  that  they  should  have  half  the  profit.'  If  the  gov- 
ernment had  followed  his  advice  they  would  to-day  be  receiv- 
ing half  the  dividends  on  the  Anglo-American  and  Atlantic 
telegraph  stocks.  I  hope  this  consideration  may  lead  them 
to  pursue  a  liberal  policy  in  regard  to  the  extension  of  the 
telegraph  to  India,  China,  and  Australia." 

This  toast  was  drunk  in  silence,  all  present  rising. 
Before  dinner  this  note  was  handed  to  the  chair- 
man : 

"  House  of  Commons,  March  10,  1868,  7  r.M. 

"My  dear  Sir,—],  have  cherished  to  the  last  the  hope  of 
coming  to  see  you,  but  unhappily  it  is  now  arranged  that 
Lord  Mayo  will  not  speak  until  after  dinner,  and  I  therefore 
fear  that  my  presence  at  the  only  time  of  the  evening  when 
it  would  have  been  of  use  will  be  impossible.  I  should  have 
much  enjoyed,  and  I  had  greatly  coveted,  the  opportunity 
your  kindness  offered — speaking  a  word  of  good-will  to  your 
country — but  I  am  detained  here  by  a  higher  duty;  for  there 
is,  in  my  judgment,  no  duty  for  public  men  in  England 
which  at  this  juncture  is  so  high,  so  sacred,  as  that  of  study- 
ing the  case  of  Ireland,  and  applying  the  remedies  which  I 
believe  it  admits. 

"  We  sliall  bi'  here  until  midnight,  but  not  without  thoughts 
of  your  festival  and  of  the  greatness  of  the  country  with 
which  it  is  connected.     You  are  called  upon  to  encoiinter 


244  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

difficulties  and  to  sustain  struggles  which  some  years  ago 
I  should  have  said  were  beyond  human  strength.  But  I  have 
learned  to  be  more  cautious  in  taking  the  measure  of  Amer- 
ican possibilities  ;  and,  looking  to  your  past,  there  is  nothing 
which  we  may  not  hope  of  your  future. 

"  I  remain,  my  dear  sir,  most  faithfully  j'ours, 

"  W.  E.  Gladstone. 
"Cyrus  W.  Field,  Esq." 

In  one  of  the  weekly  letters  sent  to  him  from 
Xew  York  there  is  this  announcement : 

"  A  circular  has  been  received  from  the  State  Department, 
dated  June  3d,  stating  that  they  have  received  for  you  from 
Paris  'A  Grand  Prize  and  Diploma.'" 

He  was  invited  to  a  banquet  to  be  given  at  Willis's 
Rooms  on  July  1,  1868,  "as  an  acknowledgment," 
so  the  invitations  read,  "of  the  eminent  services 
rendered  to  the  New  and  Old  Worlds  by  his  devo- 
tion to  the  interests  of  Atlantic  telegraphy  through 
circumstances  of  protracted  difficulty  and  doubt." 

The  Duke  of  Argyll  was  chairman  of  the  Com- 
mittee of  Invitation,  and  Sir  James  Anderson  was 
at  the  head  of  the  Executive  Committee. 

The  following  letter  was  received  from  the  Amer- 
ican minister  to  France  : 

"Paris,  24:th  June,  1868. 
"Sir  James  Anderson: 

"■  Dear  Sir, — No  one  appreciates  more  highly  than  mj'self 
the  valuable  service  rendered  by  Mr.  Field  in  establishing  a  con- 
nection by  telegraph  between  the  Eastern  and  Western  Hemi- 
spheres, and  the  unfaltering  confidence  a."d  persevering  efforts 
with  which  he  entertained  this  great  international  enterprise 
through  the  circumstances  of  protracted  difficulty  and 
doubt  to  which  you  allude.  It  would  have  given  me  sin- 
cere pleasure,  had  it  been  in  my  power,  to  unite  in  the  tribute 
of  respect  proposed  to  be  paid  to  him — a  pleasure  I  relinquish 
with  an  equally  sincere  regret. 

"  I  am,  dear  sir,  very  respectfully  j'onrs, 

"  John  A.  Dix." 


THE   RECONSTRUCTIOX   PERIOD  245 

"June  19,  1868. 
"Sir, — It  would  give  me  great  pleasure  to  show  any  mark 
of  respect  in  mj'  power  to  Mr.  Cyrus  Field  and  to  the  great 
nation  to  which  he  belongs. 

"  I  shall  be  happy  to  attend  the  dinner  on  Jul}'  1st,  if  by 
so  doing  I  can  attest  my  sense  of  Mr.  Field's  services. 

"  I  trust  that  I  shall  not  give  offence,  should  1  be  compelled 
to  retire  before  the  rest  of  the  company. 

"  I  remain  your  servant, 

' '  Shaftesbury. 
"  Sir  James  Andersox." 


"Grosvexor  Crescent,  June  7, 1868. 
"Sir, — I  am  extremely  sorry    that   a   prior  engagement 
must  prevent  my  attending  the  banquet  that  is  to  be  given  to 
3rr.  Cyrus  W.  Field. 

"It  would  have  been  a  real  pleasure  to  me  to  take  part  in 
any  proceeding  having  for  its  object  to  do  honor  to  that  dis- 
tinguished gentleman,  for  whose  energetic  character,  as  well 
as  for  his  zealous  efforts  in  promoting  friendly  relations  be- 
tween our  respective  countries,  I  have  long  felt  the  highest 
admiration.  I  am  sir, 

"  Your  obedient  servant, 

"  Clarendon. 
"James  Anderson,  Esq." 


"  107  Victoria  Street,  S.  "W., 
"Garrick  Club. 
"My  clear  Anderson, — I  would  like  so  much  to  dine  with 
you  all  in  honor  of  Cyrus  the  Great. 

"Yours  very  trulv. 

"W.'h.  Russell." 

"120  Piccadilly,  June  18,  1868. 

"  Dear  Sir, — I  fully  intend  to  be  present,  if  possible,  at  tlie 
banquet  to  Mr.  Cyrus  W.  Field,  but  I  have  been  of  late  in 
the  doctor's  hands,  and  it  may  happen  that  I  could  not  be 
present. 

"I  should,  therefore,  feel  much  obliged  to  you  if  you 
would  give  the  reply  to  the  toast  to  .some  one  else,  and  release 
me  altogether  from  making  a  speech.  For  various  reasons 
I  am  anxious  not  to  speak  on  the  occasion,  especially  as  I 


246  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

have  been  compelled  to  decline  all  invitations  to  public  din- 
ners of  late ;  otherwise  anything  tiiat  1  could  have  done  to 
contribute  to  the  siiccess  of  this  well-deserved  tribute  to  the 
great  services  of  Mr.  C3'rus  Field  I  would  have  done  with 
the  greatest  pleasure. 

"  Yours  truly, 

"A.  H.  Latard." 


"  London,  June  30,  1868. 
''My  dear  Field, — I  regret  very  much  not  being  able  to  be 
one  of  those  who  will   meet  to-morrow  to  do  you  honor  for 
your  great  services  in  carrying  out  telegraphic  communica- 
tion between  this  country  and    America.     ISTo  one   present 
will  feel  and  appreciate  more  than  I  do  how  important  a  part 
you  took  in  tliat  great  work,  and  with  what  energy  and  per- 
severance you  devoted  yourself  to  its  success. 
"  "Wishing  you  long  life  and  every  happiness, 
"Believe  me, 

"  Yours  very  sincereh', 

"  Daniel  Gooch." 

The  speeches  made  at  this  dinner  can  be  given 
only  in  part. 

The  Duke  of  Argyll  said  : 

"My  Lords  and  Gentlemen, — It  now  becomes  my  duty  to 
propose  that  which  is  pre  erainentlj'  tlie  toast  of  the  evening, 
and  to  ask  you  to  return  to  our  distinguished  guest  our 
warm  and  hearty  acknowledgments  of  the  great  service  he 
has  rendered  to  England,  to  America,  and  to  the  world  bj^ 
his  exertions  in  promoting  the  success  of  the  Atlantic  tele- 
graph, an  enterprise  which  is  the  culminating  triumph  of  a 
long  series  of  discoveries  prosecuted  by  many  generations  of 
men.  It  is  not  easy  to  apportion  with  exactitude  the  merits 
which  may  belong  to  those  who  have  engaged  in  it ;  but  I 
much  mistake  the  character  of  our  distinguished  guest— and 
I  have  now  known  him  for  several  years,  and  have  had  much 
communication  with  him — I  much  mistake  his  character  if 
he  desires  to  displace  for  a  single  moment  any  of  those  who 
have  preceded  him  in  the  history  of  electrical  discovery. 
This  great  triumph  may  be  looked  at  from  various  points  of 
view,  and  in  the  first  place  I  think  I  am  safe  in  saying  that 
we  all  feel  it  to  be  a  triumph  of  pure  science — I  saj',  of  pure 


THE   RECOXSTKUCTION   PERIOD  247 

science,  of  tlie  pure  desire  and  love  of  knowledsxe.  ...  I 
have  tlie  honor  of  spealving  to  many  distingui.shed  scientific 
men,  and  I  think  they  "will  l)ear  me  out  when  I  say  that  if 
there  is  one  question  whicli  they  hear  witli  the  utmost  indig- 
nation and  contempt  addressed  to  them  when  tliey  are  in 
the  course  of  their  investigations  it  is  tlie  question,  What 
is  the  use  of  tlieir  discoveries?  The  answer  whicli  the  man 
of  science  returns  to  this  question,  as  to  what  is  the  use  of 
liis  discovery,  is,  'I  only  tell  you  what  is  the  interest  of 
that  discovery,  that  interest  which  compels  and  impels  me  to 
go  on  in  the  path  of  investigation.'  It  is  knowledge,  mere 
knowledge  of  the  facts  and  laws  of  nature,  that  tlie  scientific 
mind  seeks  to  gain.  Nevertheless,  I  think  it  is  a  great  com- 
fort to  scientific  men  to  be  sure  that  even  those  discoveries 
which  for  j'ears,  and  even  for  centuries,  remain  apparently 
entirely  useless  may  at  any  time  and  at  any  moment  become 
serviceable  in  the  highest  degree  to  tiie  human  family.  .  .  . 
And  I  believe  the  success  of  this  enterprise  would  have 
been  delaj'ed  for  many  years — perhaps  for  whole  generations 
of  men — had  it  not  been  for  the  single  exertions,  for  the 
confidence  and  zeal,  for  the  foresight  and  faith,  amounting, 
as  I  think,  to  genius,  of  our  distinguished  guest,  Mr.  Cyrus 
Field.  None  of  us  in  our  day,  I  rejoice  to  think,  are  dis- 
posed to  undervalue  the  influence  which  the  spirit  of  com- 
mercial enterprise  is  having  upon  the  progress  and  civiliza- 
tion of  mankind.  In  nothing  perhaps  is  there  so  strange  a 
contrast  between  the  spirit  and  the  wisdom  of  modern  times 
and  the  spirit  and  wisdom  of  ancient  philo-sophy.  It  is  sure- 
ly a  most  wonderful  fact  that  in  the  most  brilliant  civiliza- 
tions of  the  ancient  world  the  wise  men  of  those  times — and 
they  were  men  so  wise  that  many  of  us  to  this  day  are  influ- 
enced by  their  thoughts — many  nf  those  men  held  that  com- 
mercial enterprise  was  the  bane  of  nations.  Now  I  must  say 
this,  that  of  all  commercial  enterprises  wliich  liave  ever  been 
undertaken,  this  one  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Cyrus  Field  repre- 
sents the  noblest  and  purest  motives  by  whicli  commercial 
enterpri.se  can  ever  be  inspired.  I  believe  it  was  the  very 
greatness  of  the  project — the  great  results  which  were  certain 
to  issue — I  believe  it  was  this,  and  this  alone,  which  supported 
liim  with  that  confidence  and  decision  which  through  many 
difficulties  and  many  disappointments  has  carried  him  at  last 
to  the  triumphant  conclusion  of  this  great  project.  And, 
gentlemen,  I  rejoice  to  say  tliat  whilst  as  a  commercial  enter- 


248  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

prise  it  has  come  from  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic,  it  has 
been  well  seconded  and  supported  b}'  the  capitalists  not  only 
of  America  but  of  England.  And  surelj'  this  is  another  link 
of  friendly  intercourse  between  tlie  people  of  the  two  coun- 
tries. Now  let  me  also  say  this — and  this  is  a  point  which  I 
have  ascertained  from  other  sources — I  believe  so  great  was 
the  confidence  of  Mr.  Field  in  the  triumph  of  this  great  un- 
dertaking that  he  risked  every  farthing  of  his  own  private 
fortune  in  promoting  its  success.  On  these  grounds,  ladies 
and  gentlemen,  1  ask  you  to  drink  his  health.  But  on  one 
other  ground  also  I  ask  you  to  drink  it,  and  that  is  this,  that 
he  is  personally  one  of  the  most  genial  and  kindly-hearted  of 
men.  At  a  time  when  his  country  was  in  great  difficulty, 
and  when  manj''  Americans  thought  at  least  they  had  some- 
thing to  complain  of  in  the  tone  of  English  society,  I  was 
in  the  constant  habit  of  meeting  Mr.  Field,  and  I  never  saw 
his  temper  ruffled  for  a  moment.  I  never  heard  any  words 
fall  from  him  but  words  of  peace  between  the  two  countries  ; 
and  I  often  heard  him  express  a  hope  that  a  time  would  come 
when  a  better  understanding  would  arise  in  the  minds  of  the 
people  of  this  country  and  those  of  the  United  States  ;  and  I 
have  reason  to  believe  that  his  services  and  exertions  in  the 
United  States  have  not  a  little  contributed  to  secure  the  re- 
turn of  that  feeling,  what  I  believe  is  the  real  and  permanent 
feeling  of  the  people  of  those  two  great  countries.  Allow 
me,  then,  to  ask  you  most  heartily  to  drink  this  toast  Avith 
me — the  health  of  Mr.  Cyrus  Field,  as  the  promoter  of  this 
great  enterprise,  and  as  a  gentleman  whom  we  all  know  and 
honor." 

The  Eight  Hon.  Sir  John  Pakingtou  said  : 

"There  are  few  men  who,  more  than  myself,  have  in  their 
own  personal  experience  been  struck  by  the  greatness  of  the 
event  which  we  are  now  assembled  to  celebrate.  I  am  one 
of  the  few  —  and  they  are  quickly  becoming  fewer  —  who 
made  a  tour  in  the  United  States  not  only  before  electric 
telegraphs  were  thought  of,  but  before  even  steamboats  had 
crossed  the  Atlantic.  I  went  to  America  in  the  quickest  way 
it  was  then  possible  to  go,  in  one  of  the  celebrated  American 
liners  ;  but  it  so  happened  that  the  wind  was  in  the  west,  as 
it  generally  is,  and  I  was  exactly  six  weeks  from  shore  to 
shore.  My  next  personal  communication  with  America  was 
just  ten  years  ago.     It  then  became  my  duty,  on  account  of 


THE   RECONSTRUCTION   PERIOD  249 

the  office  I  lield,  to  attend  the  Queen  upon  the  occasion  of 
her  visit  to  the  Emperor  of  the  French  at  Clierbourg — one  of 
those  interchanges  of  courtesy  whicli  have  done  so  much  to 
create  and  prolong  good  feeling  between  France  and  Eng- 
land. One  of  the  festivities  during  that  visit  was  a  banquet 
given  by  the  Emperor  to  the  Queen,  on  board  one  of  his  fin- 
est line  of  battle  ships.  I  had  the  honor  of  being  present,  and 
during  the  dinner  a  servant  came  to  me  and  delivered  a  letter 
whicli  contained  a  telegram  from  the  United  States,  announc- 
ing the  completion  of  telegraphic  communication  between 
America  and  England.  I  can  never  forget  the  interest  of 
such  a  communication  at  such  a  moment,  nor  the  feeling 
which  it  excited  among  the  distinguished  persons  of  both 
nations  by  wliom  I  was  tlien  surrounded. 

"Another  agreeable  memory  of  the  same  period  was  the 
assistance  which  ni}'  office  enabled  me  to  give  by  lending  the 
ships  of  war  of  this  country  for  the  accomplishment  of  that 
extraordinary  event.  It  is  true  that  the  communication  so 
established  was  sliortly  afterwards  interrupted,  but  it  is  now 
restored.  We  may  now,  without  exaggeration,  say  that  Eng- 
land and  America  are  no  longer  separated  by  tiie  breadth  of 
the  Atlantic  Ocean,  for  even  during  this  dinner  we  have  been 
corresponding  briskly  with  our  American  friends  ;  and  it  is 
impossible,  gentlemen,  to  resist  tlie  conclusion  that  this 
greatest  triumpli  of  modern  science  must  have  the  effect  of 
softening  prejudice,  increasing  and  cementing  good  feeling, 
and  in  every  way  promoting  the  welfare  and  the  prosperity 
of  the  two  great  peoples  so  brought  together. 

"That  communication,  which  at  the  time  to  which  I  first 
referred  occupied  six  weeks,  may  now  be  effected  in  as  many 
minutes,  and  I  rejoice  that  I  am  enabled  to  attend  here  to- 
daj^  to  join  in  doing  honor  to  tlie  man  to  whom,  more  than  to 
any  other  human  agenc3%  we  are  indebted  for  this  wonderful 
change." 

Mr.  John  Bright  spoke  as  follows  : 

"In  attempting  to  respond  to  the  sentiment  that  has  been 
submitted  to  us,  I  have  a  certain  anxiety  with  regard  to  a 
mysterious  box  which  is  said  to  be  on  these  premises,  con- 
taining an  instrument  by  which  every  word  we  utter  to-night, 
be  it  wise  or  be  it  foolish,  will  be  tran.smitted  with  more  than 
lightning  speed  to  the  dwellers  on  tl)at  part  of  the  earth's 
surface  which  we  describe  as  the  regions  of  the  setting  sun. 


250  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

But  we  are  so  entirely  agreed  that  there  seems  no  possibility 
that  aiiytliing  will  be  said  to-night  which  any  one  who  hears 
it  will  desire  to  contradict,  and  I  hope  we  may  avoid  the 
charge  of  sajiiig  anything  that  is  foolish  or  hasty. 

"Sir  Stafford  Northcote  has  submitted  tliis  sentiment, 
'  The  peace  and  prosperity  of  Great  Britain  and  the  United 
States,'  which  means,  I  presume,  that  we  are  here  in  favor 
of  a  crowing  and  boundless  trade  with  America,  and  at  the 
same  lime  desire  an  unbroken  friendship  with  the  people  of 
that  countr3^  With  one  heart  and  voice  I  presume  to  accept 
tliat  sentiment,  and  without  any  fear  of  contradiction  we  as- 
sert that  we  are  on  that  point  truly  representative  of  the  unan- 
imous feeling  of  the  three  kingdoms.  There  are  those — I 
meet  them  frequentlj-,  for  tliere  are  cavillers  and  critics  every- 
where— there  are  those  who  condemn  the  United  States,  and 
sometimes  with  something  like  scorn  and  bitterness,  because 
at  this  moment  the  people  of  the  United  States  are  bearing- 
heavy  taxation,  and  because  they  have  a  ruinous  tariff  ;  but 
if  these  critics  were  to  look  back  to  our  own  position  a  few 
years  ago  the}'^  would  see  how  mucli  allowance  is  to  be  made 
for  others.  During  the  years  which  passed  between  1790  and 
1815,  for  nearly  twenty-five  years  the  government  and  peo- 
ple of  this  country  were  waging  a  war  of  a  terrific  character 
with  a  neighboring  state.  The  result  of  that  war  was  that 
which  is,  I  believe,  the  result  of  every  great  war — enormous 
expenditure,  great  loans,  heavy  taxation,  growing  debt,  and, 
of  course,  much  suffering  among  the  people,  who  have  to  bear 
the  load  of  those  burdens.  But  after  tiiat  war,  during  twen- 
ty-five years,  from  1815  to  1841,  there  was  scarcely  anything 
done  by  the  government  of  this  country  to  remedy  the  gross 
and  scandalous  inequalities  of  taxation,  and  to  adopt  a  better 
system  in  apportioning  the  necessary  burdens  of  the  state 
upon  the  various  classes  of  tiie  people.  But  since  1841,  as 
we  all  know,  we  have  seen  a  revolution  in  this  country  in 
regard  to  taxation  and  finance,  and  I  need  not  remind  you 
that  this  has  been  mainly  produced  by  the  teaching  of  one 
who  is  not  with  us  to-night,  but  who  Avould  have  rejoiced,  as 
we  now  rejoice,  over  the  great  event  which  we  are  here  to 
celebrate,  whose  spirit  and  whose  mind  will,  I  believe,  for 
generations  yet  to  come  stimulate  and  elevate  the  minds  of 
multitudes  of  his  countrymen.  But  this  revolution  of  whicli 
I  speak  is  not  confined  to  this  countr}-,  for,  notwithstanding 
Xwhat  we  now  see  in  the  United  States,  it  may  be  affirmed  pos- 


THE   RECOXSTRUCTIOX   PERIOD  251 

itlve]}'  that  it  is  goin<^  on  tliore,  and  that  in  the  course  of  no 
remote  period  it  will  embrace  in  its  world-blessing  influence 
all  the  civilized  nations  of  the  globe.  The  United  States 
have  had  four  years  of  appalling  struggle  and  disaster.  It 
was,  nevertheless,  in  some  sort  a  time  of  unspeakable  gran- 
deur, and  it  has  had  this  great  result,  that  it  has  sustained  the 
life  of  a  great  nation  and  has  given  universal  and  permanent 
freedom  over  the  whole  continent  of  North  America.  But  as 
was  the  case  with  our  war,  so  with  the  American  war  :  it  has 
been  attended  with  enormous  cost,  with  great  loans,  with 
grievous  taxation,  and  with  a  tariff  which  intelligent  men  will 
not  long  submit  to ;  but  at  this  moment  and  for  some  time 
the  strife  has  been  ended,  the  wounds  inflicted  are  healing, 
freedom  is  secured,  and  the  restoration  of  the  Union,  sur- 
mounting the  difficulties  that  have  interposed,  is  being  grad- 
ually and  certainly  accomplished.  I  conclude  that  such  a 
nation  as  the  United  States — such  a  people,  so  free  and  so 
instructed — will  not  be  twenty-five  years  before  tliey  remedy 
the  evils  and  the  blunders  and  the  unequal  burdens  of  their 
taxation  and  their  tariff.  They  will  discover,  in  much  less 
time  than  we  discovered  it,  that  a  great  nation  is  advanced  by 
freedom  of  industry  and  of  commerce,  and  that  without  this 
freedom  every  other  kind  of  freedom  is  but  a  partial  good. 
This  sentiment  speaks,  also,  of  unbroken  friendship  between 
the  two  countries.  May  I  say  now,  in  a  moment  of  calm 
and  of  reason,  that  with  regard  to  ihe  United  States  both  our 
rulers  and  our  people,  and  especially  the  most  influential 
classes  of  our  people,  have  greatly  erred  ?  Men  here  forget 
that,  after  all,  we  are  but  one  nation  having  two  governments, 
we  are  of  the  same  noble  and  heroic  race.  Half  the  English 
family  is  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  in  its  ancient  home,  and 
the  other  half  over  the  ocean  (there  being  no  room  for  them 
here)  settled  on  the  American  continent.  It  is  so  with  thou- 
sands of  individual  families  throughout  this  country.  No 
member  of  my  family  has  emigrated  to  America  for  forty  j'ears 
past,  and  yet  I  have  far  more  blood  relations  in  the  United 
States  than  I  have  within  the  limits  of  the  United  King- 
dom ;  and  that,  I  believe,  is  true  of  thousands  in  this  country. 
And  I  assert  this,  that  he  is  an  enemy  of  our  English  race, 
and,  indeed,  an  enemy  of  the  human  race,  who  creates  any 
difficulty  that  sl)all  interfere  with  the  permanent  peace  and 
friendship  of  all  the  members  of  our  f^reat  English-speaking 
family.     One  other  sentence  upon  that  point.     No  man  will 


252  CYRUS    W.  FIELD 

dare  to  say  that  the  people  of  the  United  States  or  the  people 
of  the  United  Kingdom  are  not  in  favor  of  peace.  .  .  .  But 
leaving  for  a  moment — in  fact,  leaving  altogether — the  senti- 
ment and  the  toast  which  have  been  submitted  to  us,  you 
will  permit  me  to  turn  more  immediately  to  the  purposes  of 
this  banquet  only  for  a  sentence  or  two.  I  rejoice  very  much 
at  this  banquet,  because  we  are  met  to  do  honor  to  a  man  of 
rare  qualities,  who  has  conferred  upon  us — and,  I  believe, 
upon  mankind — rare  services.  I  have  known  Mr.  Field  for 
a  good  many  j'ears,  and  although,  I  dare  say,  to  any  sailor 
who  may  be  here  it  is  not  much,  to  me  it  seems  a  good  deal 
that  Mr.  Cyrus  Field,  in  the  prosecution  of  this  great  work 
(not  being  a  sailor,  alwaj'S  bear  that  in  mind),  has  crossed  the 
Atlantic  more  than  forty  times  ;  and  he  has,  as  you  know, 
by  an  energy  almost  without  example,  by  a  courage  nothing 
coidd  daunt,  by  a  faith  that  nothing  could  make  to  falter, 
and  by  sacrifices  beyond  estimation — for  there  are  sacrifices 
that  he  has  made  I  would  not  in  his  presence  relate  to  this 
meeting — aided  by  discovery  and  by  science  and  by  capital, 
he  has  accomplished  the  grandest  triumph  which  the  science 
and  the  intellect  of  man  have  ever  achieved.  Soon  after  the 
successful  laying  of  the  cable  I  had  an  opportunit}^  of  refer- 
ring to  it  in  a  speech  spoken  in  the  north  of  England,  when 
I  took  the  liberty  of  describing  Mr.  Cyrus  Field  as  the 
Columbus  of  the  nineteenth  century;  and  may  I  not  ask, 
when  that  cable  was  laid,  when  the  iron  hand  grasped  in  the 
almost  fathomless  recesses  of  the  ocean  the  lost  and  broken 
cable,  if  it  be  given  to  the  spirits  of  great  men  in  the  eternal 
world,  in  their  eternal  life,  to  behold  the  great  actions  of  our 
lives,  how  must  the  spirit  of  that  grand  old  Genoese  have 
rejoiced  at  the  triumph  of  that  hour,  and  at  the  new  tie 
which  bound  the  world  he  had  discovered  to  the  world  to 
which  but  for  him  it  might  have  been  for  ages  to  come  un- 
known !  .  .  .  I  believe  no  man — not  Cyrus  Field  himself— 
has  ever  been  able  to  comprehend  the  maguitude  of  the  great 
discovery,  of  the  great  blessing,  to  mankind  which  we  have 
received  through  the  instrumentality  of  him  and  his  friends, 
the  scientific  men  by  whom  he  has  been  assisted.  I  say  with 
the  greatest  sinceritj'  that  my  heart  is  too  full,  when  I  look 
at  this  question,  to  permit  me  to  speak  of  it  in  the  manner 
in  which  I  feel  that  I  should  speak.  We  all  know  that  there 
are  in  our  lives  joys,  and  there  are  sometimes  sorrows,  that 
are  too  deep  for  utterance,  and  there  are  manifestations  of 


THE   RECONSTRUCTION   PERIOD  253 

the  goodness,  and  the  wisdom,  and  the  greatness  of  the 
Supreme  which  our  modes  of  speech  are  utterly  unable  to 
describe.  We  can  only  stand,  and  look  on,  and  wonder,  and 
adore.  But  of  the  agency — the  human  agency — concerned 
we  may  more  freely  speak.  I  honor  the  great  inventors.  In 
their  lifetime  they  seldom  receive  all  the  consideration  to 
wliicli  they  are  entitled.  .  .  .  I  honor  Professor  Wheat.stone 
and  Professor  Morse  and  all  those  men  of  science  who  have 
made  this  great  marvel  possible;  and  I  honor  the  gallant 
captain  of  that  great  ship,  whose  precious  cargo,  not  landed 
in  any  port,  but  sunk  in  ocean's  solitary  depths,  has  brought 
measureless  blessings  to  mankind  ;  and  I  honor  him,  our  dis- 
tinguished (may  I  not  say  our  illustrious?)  guest  of  to-night, 
for,  after  all  that  can  be  said  of  invention,  and  of  .science, 
and  of  capital,  it  required  the  unmatched  energy  and  perse- 
verance and  faith  of  C\'rus  Field  to  bring  to  one  grand  com- 
pletion the  mightiest  achievement  which  the  human  intellect, 
in  my  opinion,  has  ever  accomplished." 

Viscouut  Stratford  de  Redcliffe,  in  closing  his 
sjDeech,  said  : 

"If  the  share  I  had  in  bj'gone  transactions  between  the 
two  countries  is  indifferent  to  you,  as  it  ma}'  easily  be,  you 
will  feel,  nevertheless,  with  me  how  naturally  the  Atlantic 
cable  and  all  its  prospective  advantages  bring  to  mind  that 
state  of  things  wliich  formerly  estranged  us  from  America 
and  threatened  the  interruption  of  those  friendly  relations 
which  so  many  motives  of  interest  and  sympathy  concur  in 
urging  both  parties  to  maintain  and  improve.  Mr.  Cj^rus 
Field  has  called  forth  our  present  expressive  tribute  to  his 
character  and  merits  of  the  signal  exertion  he  made,  at  so 
much  hazard  and  self-sacrifice,  to  realize  the  grand  concep- 
tion of  I  he  cable.  He  crossed  the  Atlantic  more  than  forty 
times  in  pursuit  of  that  glorious  object,  and  I,  who  have 
cros.sed  it  but  twice,  have  learned  thereby  to  ai)preciate  the 
results,  as  well  as  the  perils,  of  so  immense  an  undertaking. 
Eternal  honor  to  him,  and  also  to  those  of  our  countrymen 
who,  in  concert  with  him,  have  enabled  the  two  worlds  to 
converse  with  each  other." 

M.  Ferdinand  de  Lesseps  said  : 

"  Je  viens  d'etre  charge  de  vous  entreteuir  des  avantages 


254  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

du  telegraphe  electriquc  outre  les  diverses  parties  du  monde. 
Les  liommes  out  toiijours  cherche  a  creer  et  a  perfectioniier  les 
moyens  de  commiiniquer  eutre  eux.  Reunir  les  peuples  par 
des  voies  rapides  et  abregees  est  un  progres  veritablenieut 
Chretien  ;  car  il  nous  perniet  de  nous  aimer  et  de  uous  aider 
les  uns  les  autres  pour  nous  rendre  meilleurs  et  plus  lierueux. 
L'element  essentiel  de  ce  progres  est  la  propagation  de  la 
pensee  par  la  parole,  par  I'ecriture,  par  Timprimerie,  par  la 
presse  periodique  et  journaliere,  entin  par  la  lelegrapbie  elec- 
trique,  merveilleuse  invention  moderne  mettant  au  service  de 
rbomme  la  force  que  les  aucicus  donnaieut  pour  embl^me  a 
la  diviuite  ;  et  qui,  au  lieu  de  planer  sur  nos  tetes  en  signe 
de  menace,  poursuit  uue  marcbe  bienfaisaute  jusque  dans  les 
profondeurs  des  raers.  La  telegraphic  electiique  est  encore 
k  son  debut  et  dejil  elle  euveloppe  le  monde.  Son  application 
la  plus  surprenante,  celle  qui  a  deniande  le  plus  de  courage 
et  d'eilorts  perseverants,  a  ete  la  communication  instantanee 
entre  I'Amerique  et  I'Europe.  Honneur  a  Cjtus  Field,  qui 
a  ele  le  grand  propagateur  et  fondateur  de  la  telegraphie 
transatlantique  !  Honneur  a  ses  compagnons  de  travail  et 
de  victoire !" 

The  Duke  of  Argyll  sent  the  following  message 
to  his  Excellency  Andrew  Johnson,  President  of 
the  United  States,  Washington  : 

"  I  am  now  surrounded  by  upwards  of  three  hundred  gen- 
tlemen and  many  ladies  who  have  assembled  to  do  honor  to 
Mr.  Cj'rus  Field  for  his  acknowledged  exeitions  in  promot- 
ing telegraphic  communication  between  the  New  and  the  Old 
World.  It  bids  fair  for  the  kindly  intiuences  of  the  Atlantic 
cable  that  its  success  should  have  brought  together  so  friend- 
ly a  gathering  ;  and  in  asking  you  to  join  our  toast  of  'Long 
life,  health,  and  happiness  to  your  most  worthy  country- 
man,'let  me  add  a  Highlander's  wish  —  that  England  and 
America  may  always  be  found,  in  peace  and  in  war,  '  shoulder 
to  shoulder.' " 

Mr.  Seward's  answer  from  Washington  was  read 
during  the  evening  : 

"Your  salutations  to  the  President  from  the  banqueting- 
hallat  Willis's  Rooms  have  been  received.     The  dinner-hour 


THE   RECOXSTRUCTIOX   PERIOD  255 

here  has  not  arrived — it  is  ouly  five  o'clock  ;  the  sun  is  yet 
two  hours  liigli.  When  tlie  dinner-hour  arrives  the  President 
will  accept  your  pledge  of  honor  to  our  distinguislied  country- 
nuin,  Cyrus  W.  Field,  and  will  cordially  respond  to  your  High- 
land aspiration  fur  perpetual  union  between  the  two  nations." 

And  before  the  company  se2)arated  the  Duke  of 
Argyll  said : 

"1  hope  you  will  allow  me  to  read  to  you  another  thanks 
which  I  have  received  by  telegraph  from  jMiss  Field,  Xew 
Yoik  : 

"  '  I  thank  j'ou  most  sincerely  for  the  kind  words  you 
have  spoken  of  my  father,  causing  me  to  feel  that  we  are 
friends,  although  our  acquaintance  is  thus  made  across 
the  sea  and  in  a  moment  of  time.'  " 

This  testimonial  banquet  afforded  a  congenial  text 
for  the  new^sjoapers  of  both  countries,  and  some  ex- 
tracts follow  from  the  comments  of  the  London 
papers. 

From  the  London  Times : 

"Mere  knowledge  is  itself  a  great  possession;  but  we 
want  things  done  as  well  as  known,  and  we  are  impelled  by 
an  irresistible  instinct  to  honor  the  men  who  actually  do  tliem, 
or  get  them  done.  This  is  Mr.  Cyrus  Field's  distinction.  By 
general  confession  it  is  to  him  we  owe  it  that  the  science  of 
men  like  Faraday  and  Wheatstone  was  utilized,  and  that 
l)hilosophers  and  sailors  and  capitalists  and  governments 
were  all  uuitetl  to  produce  one  great  result.  It  is  surprising 
even  now  to  read  his  enumeration  of  the  agencies  which  co- 
operated in  the  work.  Scientific  investigations  above  and 
beneath  the  sea,  the  survey  of  the  Atlantic  basin,  the  manu- 
facture of  the  cables,  the  mechanical  appliances  for  laying 
them,  the  skilful  seamanship,  the  great  ship,  the  enterprises 
of  capitalists,  the  ability  of  directors,  the  resources  of  gov- 
rnments — '  in  a  word,  the  unexampled  combination  of  nauti- 
cal, electrical,  engineering,  and  executive  resources' — all  these 
were  necessary  to  stretch  tliat  piece  of  wire  from  ccmtinent 
to  continent.  We  may  imagine  what  energy,  determination, 
and  skill  were  needed  to  set  all  these  agents  at  work,  and  to 
maintain  them  in  working  order  in  spite  of  disappointments  ; 


256  CYRUS  \V.  FIELD 

and  it  is  as  having  been  the  principal  canse  of  tliis  persever- 
ance and  co-operalion  tliat  Mr.  Field  received  so  handsome 
an  acknowledgment  the  other  evening." 

From  The  Daily  Xeics : 

"The  name  which  the  general  estimate  of  the  public — an 
estimate  seldom  erroneous  in  such  matters — has  associated 
with  the  idea  of  transatlantic  telegraphy  is  that  of  ]\Ir.  Cyrus 
Field,  the  guest  of  last  night's  dinner.  The  creditof  the  un- 
dertaking is  far  too  vast  to  be  monopolized  by  any  single 
name,  and  common  justice,  as  well  as  regard  for  national 
honor,  bids  us  remember  that  the  material  resources  of  tlie 
enterprise  were  due  in  the  main  to  English  energy,  English 
wealth,  and  English  perseverance.  The  organized  power  of 
an  old  country  was  required  to  accomplish  an  undertaking 
too  immense  to  be  successfully  grasped  by  the  not  less  power- 
ful but  less  concentrated  resources  of  a  new  communitj-. 
Still,  if  the  glory  of  ihe  ultimate  achievement  rests  with  Eng- 
land, the  credit  ot  having  conceived  and  iniiialed  the  enter- 
prise must  be  ascribed  to  America.  And  of  the  American 
pioneers  of  the  work,  there  is  none  who  has  labored  so  inde- 
fatigably  as  Mr.  Cyrus  Field.  The  distinguished  guest  de- 
serves to  be  numbered  among  the  '  representative  men  '  of  his 
own  country.  If  you  want  to  understand  how  it  is  that 
America  has  grown  to  be  what  she  is,  you  must  seek  for  an 
e.xplanalion  in  the  fact  that  men  of  the  Field  type  are  not  only 
to  be  found  among  her  citizens,  but  are  able  to  develop  their 
peculiar  powers  after  a  fashion  impossible  in  an  old-fashioned 
country  like  our  own." 

From  the  Morning  Star : 

"  Mr.  Cyrus  W.  Field  is  too  earnest  and  energetic  a  man, 
too  completely  devoted  to  great  projects  and  great  success, 
to  have  much  of  mere  egotism  left  in  him.  A  life  so  thor- 
ouo-hly  absorbed  in  pursuits  wliich  belong  to  the  business 
and  benefit  of  the  whole  world  can  have  little  time  for  the 
indulgence  of  vanity.  But  one  might  well  excuse  a  little 
self-gratulation  and  pride  on  the  part  of  a  guest  entertained 
as  'Mr.  Cvrus  Field  was  at  Willis's  Rooms  last  night.  Not 
often,  certainly,  is  such  a  banquet  given  in  England  to  a 
man  who  is  neither  a  politician  nor  a  soldier.  .  .  .  Mr.  Field, 
when  he  glanced  around  that  splendidly  filled  banquet-room 


THE   RECONSTRUCTION   PERIOD  257 

last  night,  may  have  felt  but  little  personal  pride  in  the  well- 
merited  honors  lie  received.  But  he  must  have  felt  gratified 
at  the  evidence  thus  practically  and  brilliantly  afforded  that 
the  public  of  civilized  nations  are  at  last  trying  to  unlearn 
the  fatal  habit  which  made  them  so  long  ungrateful  to  some 
of  their  best  benefactors. 

"  We  never  remember  to  have  read  of  a  public  demonstra- 
tion to  any  individual  in  London  which  had  less  of  a  sectarian 
or  sectional  character.  The  Duke  of  Argyll,  one  of  the  most 
advanced  of  our  Liberal  peers,  one  of  the  most  enliglitened  of 
our  scientific  thinkers,  was  liardly  more  prominent  in  doing 
honor  to  Mr.  Field  than  was  Sir  John  Pakington,  the  steady- 
going  Tory  of  the  old,  old  school.  Lord  Stratford  de  Red- 
cliffe,  the  great  Elchi  of  j\Ir.  Kinglake's  delightful  sensation 
romance,  sat  side  by  side  with  Mr.  Bright,  who  denounced  in 
such  powerful  and  unsparing  eloquence  so  much  of  Lord 
Stratford's  policy  and  conduct  duriug  the  Crimean  war.  Mr. 
Layard  joined  wnth  Sir  Stafford  Northcote  in  the  compliment 
to  the  guest.  Two  common  sentiments  animated  the  whole 
of  the  companj' — a  company  representing  politics,  science, 
literature,  arts,  and  commerce — the  sentiment  of  personal  ad- 
miration for  ]\Ir.  Field's  labors  and  character,  and  that  of 
cordial  friendship  towards  the  great  people  of  whose  indom- 
itable energy  he  is  so  striking  an  illustration.  .  .  .  Much  of 
the  honor,  of  course,  was  entirely  personal.  It  was  tendered 
to  Mr.  Field  because  he  individually  had  deserved  it.  Mr. 
Bright,  in  a  few  words,  accurately  described  Mr.  Field's  posi- 
tion as  regards  the  Atlantic  telegraph.  Otiier  men  may 
have  thought  of  the  projec/  ;  other  men  may,  for  aught  we 
know,  have  thought  of  it  even  before  he  did  ;  other  men  may 
have  mentally  planned  it  out,  and  proposed  schemes  for  its 
realization.  .  .  .  The  idea  is  not  exclusively  Mr.  Field's  ;  nor 
is  the  success  exclusively  his.  But  assuredlj'  his  was  the 
energy,  the  jirodigious  strength  of  will,  the  unconquerable 
perseverance,  which  forced  the  scheme  upon  the  intellect, 
the  activity,  and  the  influence  of  England  and  America,  and 
pover  desisted  until  the  dream  had  become  a  reality.  A 
slight  and  delicate  allusion  was  made  once  or  twice  last 
night  to  the  sacrifices  Mr.  Field  had  made,  the  responsibili- 
ties he  had  incurred,  the  risks  he  had  ruu,  to  bring  forward 
his  darling  scheme  again  and  again  after  each  new  defeat 
and  disaster.  There  are  more  men  by  far  who  could  bear  to 
make  the  sacrifices  than  men  who  could  raise  their  heads  as 


258  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

Mr.  Field  did,  undismayed  after  ever\'  defeat,  full  of  new 
hope  after  each  disaster.  Certainly  that  glorious  vitality  of 
hope  is  one  of  the  rarest  as  it  is  one  of  the  grandest  of  human 
attributes.  Mr.  Field  brought  to  the  great  project  with  which 
his  life  will  be  identified  more  than  the  genius  of  a  discover- 
er— he  brought  the  courage,  the  energy,  the  heart,  and  hope 
of  a  very  conqueror.  Therefore  was  liis  share  in  the  work 
so  unique  ;  therefore  did  the  company  at  Willis's  Rooms  last 
night  do  him  special  honor.  But  in  honoring  him  they  hon- 
ored also  his  country.  Better  words,  holier  messages  of 
peace  and  brotherhood,  were  never  sent  along  a  wire  than 
those  whicli  thrilled  last  night  through  the  depths  of  the  At- 
lantic from  the  Englishmen  around  Mr.  Field  to  the  brethren 
of  their  race  in  America." 


"Argyll  Lodge,  Kexstngton,  July  3. 1868. 
"My  dear  Mr.  Field, — I  am  much  obliged  by  your  kind  note. 
I  assure  you  it  gave  me  great  pleasure  to  preside  at  j^our 
banquet.  I  wouli  rather  have  my  name  associated  with  the 
Atlantic  Telegraph  than  with  any  other  undertaking  of  an- 
cient or  modern  times. 

'"Yours  very  sincerelj% 

"Argyll." 


"  Mortimer  Reading,  July  2, 1868. 
"My  dear  Friend, — I  was  exceedingly  sorry  that  I  was 
prevented  from  taking  part,  as  I  had  intended,  in  doing  hon- 
or to  you  last  night.  You  know  that  in  all  that  number  of 
admirers  tliere  was  not  one  whose  feelings  towards  j^ou  were 
■warmer  than  mine.  Indeed,  few  of  them  could  feel  the  per- 
sonal gratitude  which  I  feel  to  the  author  and  the  indomita- 
ble promoter  of  an  enterprise  the  success  of  "which  will  link 
me,  though  far  awaj',  to  my  English  liome. 

"Ever  your.«!  sincerel}', 

"GoLDWiN  Smith." 


"  Castle-Connell  by  Limerick, 
''July  20,1868. 
"  My  dear  Mr.  Field, — I  saw  by  the  papers  tuat  the  great 
banquet  given  to  you  at  Willis's  Rooms  passed  off  most  suc- 
cessfully, and  Mr.  Bright,  who  has  been  staying  a  week  with 
me,  confirms  even  the  most  favorable  accounts.    I  think  you 


THE   RECOXSTRUCTION  PERIOD  259 

may  well  be  satisfied  with  the  honors  that  have  been  paid 
you  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic,  but  should  more  be  prof- 
fered you  may  readily  receive  ihem  as  deserved.  .  .  . 
"  Very  respectfully  and  truly  yours, 

"George  Peabodt." 

When  he  sailed  for  England,  in  February,  Mr. 
Field  had  taken  to  Mr.  Bright  an  invitation  to  vis- 
it this  country,  signed  by  many  of  his  American 
friends,  and  ending  with  these  words  :  "  Your  pres- 
ence at  this  time  would  tend  to  strengthen  the  ties 
between  your  country  and  ours,  and  we  beg  leave 
to  suggest  a  visit  during  the  ensuing  spring." 

"Torquay,  Devon,  October  13, 1868. 

"My  dear  Mr.  Field, — Your  letter  has  been  sent  on  to  me, 
and  has  followed  me  in  my  journey  in  Cornwall.  ...  I  re- 
joice at  the  patriotism  of  your  countrymen,  many  of  whom 
have  gone  or  are  going  home  to  take  part  in  the  great  elec- 
tion; and  I  hope  most  earnestly  that  the  Republican  candi- 
dates maj"  be  elected  by  a  grand  majority. 

"In  this  country  the  elections  seem  likely  to  go  strongly 
against  the  Tories;  they  deserve  to  be  well  beaten. 

"As  to  the  invitation  from  New  York,  I  can  say  nothing 
except  that  I  am  deeply  indebted  to  your  friends  for  their 
kind  invitation,  and  that  I  regret  extremely  tiiat  I  have 
never  yet  been  able  to  visit  your  country.  I  need  not  tell 
you  how  many  are  my  engagements  here,  and  how  uncertain 
is  the  prospect  of  my  being  able  to  see  the  manj'  kind 
friends  I  have  in  the  States. 

"I  must  ask  3'ou  to  thank  the  gentlemen  who  wrote  to 
me,  and  to  say  that  I  am  very  grateful  to  them  for  their 
kind  remembrance  of  me. 

"I  wisli  you  a  pleasant  vo3'age  and  return.  I  almost 
envy  you  the  ease  with  which,  after  your  long  experience, 
you  cross  the  Atlantic. 

"I  shall  wait  with  confidence,  but  not  without  anxiety, 
wliat  the  cable  will  bring  us  the  day  after  your  election.  I 
see  four  States  have  their  elections  to-day,  from  which  some- 
thing may  be  judged  of  what  is  to  come. 

"  I  am,  always  very  sincere!}',  j'our  friend, 

"John  Bright." 


260  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

Xovember  2,  1868,  in  writing  to  a  friend  he  says, 
"I  returned  home  last  Thursday  in  time  to  vote 
for  General  Grant," 

On  December  29,  1868,  a  banquet  was  given  to 
Professor  Morse,  who  in  closing  his  speech  said : 

"I  have  claimed  for  America  the  origination  of  the  modern 
telegraph  system  of  the  world.  Impartial  history,  I  think, 
will  support  the  claim.  Do  not  misunderstand  me  as  dispar- 
aging or  disregarding  the  labors  and  ingenious  modifications 
of  others  in  various  countries  employed  in  the  same  field  of 
invention.  Gladly,  did  time  permit,  would  I  descant  upon 
their  great  and  varied  merits.  Yet  in  tracing  the  birth  and 
pedigree  of  the  modern  telegraph,  'American 'is  not  the 
highest  term  of  the  series  that  connects  the  past  with  the 
present  ;  there  is  at  least  one  higher  term,  the  highest  of  all, 
which  cannot  and  must  not  be  ignored.  If  not  a  sparrow 
falls  to  the  ground  without  a  definite  purpose  in  the  plans  of 
infinite  wisdom,  can  the  creation  of  an  instrumentality  so 
vital)}'  affecting  the  interests  of  the  whole  human  race  have  an 
origin  less  humble  than  the  Father  of  every  good  and  perfect 
gift  ?  I  am  sure  I  have  the  sj'mpathy  of  such  an  assembly 
as  is  here  gathered  if,  in  all  humility  and  in  the  sincerity  of 
a  grateful  heart,  I  use  the  words  of  inspiration  in  ascribing 
honor  and  praise  to  Him  to  whom  first  of  all  and  most  of  all 
it  is  pre-eminently  due.  '  Not  unto  us,  not  unto  us,  but  to 
God  be  all  the  glory.' 

"Not  what  hath  man,  but  '  what  hath  God  wrought.'  " 


' '  DEPART>rEXT   OF   StATE, 

"  Washixgton,  January  7,  1869. 
"  Sir, — Pursuant  to  the  resolution  of  Congress  of  March  3, 
1867,  the  President  has  caused  to  be  prepared  for  presenta- 
tion to  you.  in  the  name  of  the  people  of  the  United  States,  a 
gold  medal,  with  suitable  devices  and  inscriptions,  in  ac- 
knowledgment of  your  eminent  services  in  the  establish- 
ment of  telegraphic  communication  by  means  of  the  Atlantic 
cable  between  the  Old  World  and  the  New.  This  testi- 
monial, together  with  an  engrossed  copy  of  the  resolution 
referred  to,  is  herewith  transmitted  to  you  by  direction  of  the 
President.  I  am,  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

"  William  H.  Seward." 


THE   RECONSTRUCTION  PERIOD  261 

Two  years  had  passed  since  this  resolution  was 
adopted  and  the  medal  ordered,  and  the  reason  for 
its  not  liaving  been  given  before  this  time  was  a 
strange  one.  In  1868  he  had  received  word  that 
the  medal  would  be  presented  to  him  on  his  going 
to  Washington,  but  upon  his  arrival  there  he  was 
asked  not  to  name  the  subject.  The  medal  had 
been  shown  at  a  meeting  of  the  Cabinet  and  had  dis- 
appeared. Another  had  been  ordered,  and  would 
be  sent  to  him  as  soon  as  possible.  The  mystery 
was  not  solved  until  1874,  when  in  London  he  re- 
ceived a  cable  message  from  Washington. 

"The  missing  original  Congressional  gold  medal,  a  dupli- 
cate of  which  was  made  and  presented  to  j-ou,  has  been  found. 
Its  value  is  about  $600.  Secretar}'  Treasury  wishes  infor- 
mally to  know  -whether  you  wish  to  possess  it.  If  so,  it 
will  be  given  to  you  on  receipt  of  value." 

Soon  after  his  return  home  he  was  in  Washing- 
ton, and  while  there  was  told  this  story  :  One  day 
a  clerk  in  the  Treasury  Department  asked  the 
Secretary  why  Mr.  Field  had  never  received  the 
medal  ordered  for  him.  When  desired  to  explain 
his  question,  he  answered  that  he  had  been  directed 
to  put  the  medal  away  carefidUj  after  the  meeting 
of  the  Cabinet,  and  that  he  had  not  heard  the  sub- 
ject mentioned  since  that  day;  neither  had  he 
known  that  the  medal  was  sought  for.  And  now 
when  Mr.  Field  called  for  the  "original  medal"  he 
was  told  that  it  had  been  given  to  the  Mint  in 
Piiiladelphia.  A  telegram  was  sent  to  the  direc- 
tor, and  only  just  in  time,  for  already  a  hole  had 
been  drilled  in  it. 

Mr.  Varley  wrote  this  letter  on  his  visit  to  New 


262  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

York,  but  it  was  over  a  year  before  the  suggestions 
that  he  made  were  acted  upon. 

' '  Fifth  Avenue  Hotel, 
"  New  York,  October  6,  1868. 

"  My  dear  Sir,— I  hope  you  will  paidou  uie  for  addressing 
j-ou  upon  the  subject  of  the  Atlantic  circuits. 

"  I  am  a  small  shareholder  in  the  New  Y'ork,  Newfound- 
land, and  London  Telegraph  Company,  a  larger  in  the  An- 
glo-American and  Atlantic  Telegraph  companies  ;  and  it  is 
with  deep  regret  that  I  see  that  the  latter  two  companies  are 
figliting  instead  of  working. 

"  It  seems  as  if  tiiey  were  re-euacting  just  the  same  farces 
that  were  performed  when  we  were  endeavoring  to  raise 
funds  both  for  the  1865  and  the  1866  cables.  I  venture  un- 
hesitatingly to  assert  that  we  should  not  have  succeeded  but 
for  the  indomitable  energy  and  the  excellent  judgment  of 
Mr.  Cyrus  Field. 

"  I  do  not  believf  tlie  present  attempt  at  an  adjustment 
will  end  in  any  useful  results  unless  some  one  like  Mr.  Cy- 
rus Field,  enjoying  the  confidence  and  personal  regard  of 
those  interested  on  this  side,  as  well  as  such  men  as  Brassey, 
Hawkshaw,  Fairbairne,  Fowler,  Gladstone,  Bright,  Whit- 
worth,  and  others  in  Europe,  go  to  England  empowered  to 
act  on  behalf  of  your  company.  The  jealousies  and  conflict- 
ing interests  existing  between  the  directors  on  the  other 
side  prevent  tliem  from  acting  with  that  vigor  and  integrity 
of  purpose  so  necessary  to  command  success,  and  which  qual- 
ities are  possessed  to  so  large  an  extent  by  Mr.  Cyrus  Field, 
to  whom  the  world  is  mainly  indebted  for  tlie  Atlantic  ca- 
bles. He  of  all  others  is,  in  my  opinion,  the  one  most  capa- 
ble of  effecting  the  settlement  we  are  all  so  interested  in. 
He  succeeded  in  restoring  public  confidence,  in  harmonizing 
the  disputants,  and  in  raising  the  money  w^hen  the  enterprise 
had  twice  proved  a  failure,  and  had  as  often  been  virtually 
abandoned  by  its  natural  protectors.  How  much  the  more, 
then,  will  lie  succeed  now  wlien  he  reappears  among.st  his 
old  supporters  and  his  true  friends,  backed  this  time  not  by 
failure,  but  by  triumpiiant  success,  and  with  all  his  predic- 
tions realized  !  .   .  . 

"  Very  truly  yours, 

'Cromwell  F.  Varlet. 

"  Peter  Cooper,  Esq.,  New  Y'ork." 


THE   RECOKSTRUCTIOX   PERIOD  263 

On  January  20th  Mr.  Field  sailed  from  Xew  York 
in  the  steamship  Cuba  and  joined  his  wife  and  two 
of  his  daughters,  who  were  in  Pau.  He  was  in 
England  early  in  the  spring,  and  among  the  cable 
messages  sent  to  him  we  find  this,  dated  the  10th 
of  May,  which  he  was  asked  to  forward  to  General 
Dix  in  Paris  : 

"  Conipletiou  of  Pacific  Railway  celebrated  to  day  by  Te 
Deum  ill  Trinity  Cliurch." 

He  was  back  in  New  York  early  in  June,  and  al- 
most immediately  after  his  return  his  countrj^-house 
at  Irvington-on-the-Hudson  was  opened ;  this  was 
the  first  summer  that  he  passed  there, 

"Irvington-on-the-Hudson,  June  24:,  1869. 
"My  dear  Mr.  Sumner, — Many  thanks  for  your  letter  of 
the  13th  instant  ;  it  should  have  been  answered  at  once,  but 
it  was  sent  to  my  liouse  in  Gramercy  Park. 

"  I  thank  you  for  your  letter  to  Secretary  Fish.  I  do  most 
sincerely  hope  that  we  shall  soon  liave  a  better  feeling  be- 
tween this  country  and  England,  and  I  know  of  no  one  that 
can  do  more  to  bring  about  this  desirable  n-sult  than  yourself. 
"  You  may  be  sure  that  I  shall  do  all  I  can.  I  wish  you 
would  write  our  mutual  friend,  Mr.  John  Bright,  franklj'. 

"  I  hope  soon  to  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you  again  and 
renewing  our  late  conversation. 

"  With  great  respect  I  remain,  my  dear  ^Ir.  Sumner, 
"  Very  truly  your  friend, 

"  Cykus  W.  Field." 


"New  York,  August  9,  1869. 
"My  dear  President  Woolsey, — I  have  this  day  read  in  the 
New  Englander  for  July  with  great  pleasure  your  very  able 
article  on  the  Alabama  question,  and  I  cannot  help  writing 
to  thank  you  for  it.  I  shall  mail  it  Thursday  to  my  friend, 
Mr.  John  Bright. 

"With  great  respect, 

"  I  remain,  my  dear  President  Woolsey, 
"  Very  truly  your  friend, 

"  Cyrus  W.  Field." 


264:  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

"New  York,  August  9, 1869. 

''  My  dear  Mr.  Bright, — Since  my  return  from  England  I 
have  seen  many  of  our  ablest  men,  including  the  President 
of  the  United  States,  the  Secretary  of  State,  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury,  Senator  Sumner,  several  other  members  of  the 
Senate,  and  members  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  the 
Governors  of  seveial  States,  leading  editors  in  New  York, 
Philadelphia,  Boston,  and  Washington,  and  I  have  found 
only  one  that  advocated  war  with  England. 

"  I  am  more  than  ever  convinced  that  if  the  English  gov- 
ernment would  send  to  Washington  yourself,  the  Duke  of 
Argyll,  and  Earl  Granville  as  special  ambassadors  to  act  with 
the  British  minister,  the  whole  controversj-  between  England 
and  America  could  be  settled  in  a  few  months.  Please  give 
this  matter  3'our  careful  consideration.  I  send  you  by  this 
mail  the  Ketc  Englunder  for  July,  containing  an  article  on 
the  Alabama  ciuesliou  written  by  President  Woolsey,  of  Yale 
College. 

"  With  kind  regards  to  your  family  and  with  great  respect, 
"I  remain,  my  dear  Mr.  Bright. 

"Very  Irulj^your  friend, 

"Cyrus  W.  Field." 


"  Rochdale,  August  24, 1869. 

"  My  dear  Mr.  Field, — I  am  glad  to  have  your  letter,  and 
note  its  contents  with  much  interest.  I  do  not  see  how  your 
suggestion  can  be  adopted  at  present. 

"Whatever  is  done  now  towards  a  settlement  must  neces- 
sarily come  from  j'our  side.  We  have  done  all  we  can. 
Your  government  sent  an  envoy  with  the  unanimous  assent 
of  the  Senate.  He  came  avowedly  with  the  object  of  ar- 
ranging an  existing  difficult)'.  He  made  certain  propositions 
on  the  part  of  his  government.  These  were  considered  by 
our  government,  and  finally  were  adopted  and  consented  to. 
A  convention  was  signed,  including  everything  j'our  min- 
ister had  asked  for,  and  this  convention  was  rejected  by 
your  Senate.  Who  knows  that  it  will  not  reject  any  other 
convention?  If  you  liave  an  envoy  who  Iims  no  power  to 
negotiate,  and  an  executive  government  which  cai.not  ratify 
a  treaty,  where  is  the  security  for  further  negotiation?  We 
cannot  come  to  Washington  and  express  our  regret  that  Rev- 
erdy  Johnson  did  not  ask  for  more.     We  gave  him  all  he 


B 
2 


THE   RECO^'STRUCTION   PERIOD  265 

asked  for,  all  that  Mr.  Seward  asked  for,  all  that  the  then 
President  asked  for.  "What  could  we  have  done,  what  can 
we  DOW  do  more? 

"It  is  clearly  for  your  government  to  explain  why  the 
convention  failed,  and  what,  in  their  opicion,  is  now  re- 
quired from  us.  The  civilized  world,  I  am  quite  sure,  will 
say  that  we  are  on  a  certain  vantage-ground,  having  con- 
sented to  all  that  was  asked  from  us,  the  convention  not 
having  failed  through  our  default. 

"I  could  easily  suggest  a  mode  of  settlement  which  all 
mankind,  outside  the  two  countries,  would  approve  of;  but 
how  do  I  know  what  your  government  can  do"?  If  there  is 
passion  enough  for  Mr.  Sumner  to  appeal  to,  or  believers  in 
his  wild  theories  of  international  obligation,  how  can  any 
settlement  be  looked  for  ?  There  is  abundant  good  feeling 
here  to  enable  our  government  to  do  what  is  just,  but  no 
feeling  that  will  permit  of  any  voluntary  humiliation  of  the 
countr}'. 

"Until  something  is  known  of  what  will  content  the  pow- 
ers that  will  meet  in  Washington  in  December  next,  I  do 
not  see  what  any  mission  from  this  to  you  would  be  likely 
to  effect.  I  have  read  the  article  in  the  jS'eic  Enf/lander.  It 
is  moderate,  and  written  in  a  good  spirit.  I  do  not  know 
that  there  is  anything  in  it  that  I  could  not  freely  indorse. 
Upon  the  basis  of  its  argument  there  could  be  no  difficulty 
in  terminating  all  that  is  in  dispute  between  the  two  coun- 
tries. But  the  article  is  in  answer  to  Mr.  Sumner  ;  and  the 
question  is,  does  your  government,  and  will  your  Congress, 
go  with  Mr.  Sumner  or  with  the  review  article?  And  what 
view  will  your  people  take? 

"I  Avrite  all  this  privately  to  you.  It  is  not  from  a  Cab- 
inet minister,  but  from  an  old  friend  of  yours,  who  is  a 
member  of  the  English  Parliament,  and  who  has  taken  some 
interest  in  the  affairs  of  your  country.  You  will  con- 
sider what  I  say,  therefore,  as  in  no  degree  expressing  any 
opinion  but  my  own.  I  have  abstained  from  writing  or  speak- 
ing in  public  on  the  subject  of  the  dispute.  I  could  say 
something  to  the  purpose  probablj'  if  I  thought  men  on  your 
side  were  in  a  mood  to  listen  and  to  think  calmlj'.  But  after 
what  has  happened  in  connection  with  the  convention  I  think 
we  can  only  wait  for  some  intimation  from  j'our  side. 

"  There  is  a  good  opinion  existing  here  with  regard  to  your 
government,  and  especially  as  regards  your  Secretary  of 


266  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

State.     I  hope  he  may  have  the  houor  of  assisting  with  a 
wise  moderation  to  the  settlement  of  the  disputes  on  which 
so  much  has  been  said  and  written  and  so  little  done.   .   .   . 
"  Believe  me  always  sincerely  your  friend, 

"John  Bright." 

He  answered  this  letter  on  September  14th : 

"I  regret  Mr.  Sumner's  speech  and  his  course  about  the 
Alabairm  claims  more  than  I  can  express,  and  shall  do  all  I 
can  to  counteract  the  efEect  of  his  actions,  and  you  can  help 
me,  I  think,  very  much,  if  you  will  take  the  trouble  to  write 
your  views  fully.  ...  I  am  anxious  to  do  all  in  my  power 
to  keep  good  feeling  between  England  and  America." 

And  on  November  1st  he  wrote  again  to  Mr. 
Bright : 

"I  do  hope  and  pray  that  all  matters  in  dispute  between 
England  and  America  will  be  honorably  settled,  and  I  felt 
encouraged  when  I  read  the  sentence  in  your  letter,  'I  feel 
sure  that  some  more  successful  attempt  at  settlement  cannot 
be  far  off.' " 

Dean  Stanley's  words,  spoken  at  the  breakfast 
given  to  him  by  the  Century  Club  on  his  visit  to 
New  York  in  1878,  describe  Mr.  Field's  life  dur- 
ing these  years : 

"The  -wonderful  cable,  on  which  it  is  popularly  believed 
in  England  that  my  friend  and  host  3Ir.  Cyrus  W.  Field 
passes  his  mysterious  existence,  appearing  and  reappearing 
at  one  and  the  same  moment  in  London  and  New  York." 


CHAPTER  XIV 

INTERNATIONAL    POLITICS — RAPID   TRANSIT 

(1870-1880) 

The  Journey  to  England  in  December,  1869,  was 
taken  in  order,  if  possible,  to  effect  the  consolida- 
tion of  the  Anglo-American  and  the  Atlantic  Cable 
companies  ;  this  was  done,  the  latter  losing  its  name 
and  being  absorbed  in  the  other.  Mr.  Field  also 
made  a  working  arrangement  between  the  Anglo- 
American  Telegraph  Company,  the  French  Cable 
Company,  and  the  New  York,  Newfoundland,  and 
London  Company,  and  a  division  of  revenue  was 
arranged  between  the  three  companies. 

He  returned  to  his  home  in  February,  and  he 
was  in  Washington  in  March,  and  while  there  had 
a  talk  with  Mr.  Sumner  on  the  settlement  of  the 
Alabama  claims. 

The  New  York  Herald  of  March  22d  says : 

"Mr.  Field  proposes  that  tlie  United  States  shall  name 
three  eminent  persons,  crowned  heads,  as  arbitrators,  from 
whom  Great  Britain  shall  select  one,  and  his  decision  of  the 
case  shall  be  binding  on  both  parties.  Or  that  Great  Britain 
shall  name  the  arbitrators,  and  that  the  United  States  shall 
make  the  selection  of  the  fated  individuals.  Mr.  Field  had 
a  long  conference  j'csterday  with  Mr.  Sumner  upon  the  sub- 
ject. The  latter  does  not  favor  the  proposition.  With  all  his 
respect  for  royalty,  he  does  not  think  the  United  States  will 
get  a  fair  show  from  any  of  the  crowned  heads  of  Europe. 


268  CYRUS    W.  FIELD 

He  is  opposed  to  all  sorts  of  arbitration  iu  tliis  matter,  be- 
cause lie  considers  it  beneath  the  dignity  of  our  government 
to  submit  to  anything  of  tlie  liind." 

Fourteen  months  later  a  treaty  had  been  made 
and  was  before  the  Senate  of  the  United  States. 

On  the  evening  of  May  23,  1871,  Mr.  Field  gave 
a  dinner  to  Her  Britannic  Majesty's  High  Commis- 
sioners.    The  Marquis  of  Eipon  said  in  his  speech : 

"It  is  sufficient  for  me  to  say  that  I  believe — aye,  I  think 
that  I  may  say  that  1  ivnow — that  it  is  an  honest  treaty,  that 
it  has  been  the  result  of  an  honest  endeavor  to  meet  the  just 
claims  of  both  countries.  I  do  not  doubt  that  if  this  treaty 
had  been  written  exclusively  in  Loudon  or  exclusively  in 
Washington  it  would  have  contained  different  provisions 
from  those  now  found  in  it.  The  treaties  which  are  not 
compromises,  which  represent  only  one  side,  can  be  dictated 
only  under  the  suadovv  of  a  victorious  army.  These  are  not 
the  treaties,  these  are  not  the  conventions,  that  are  made  be- 
tween free  and  equal  people." 

Before  the  evening  closed  the  Marquis  of  RiiDon 
said  that  he  wished  to  propose  the  health  of  the 
host  of  the  evening,  and  then  added  : 

"  He  trusted  that  both  branches  of  the  late  commission  had 
done  their  share .  .  .  but  far  greater  credit  was  due  to  the  lit- 
tle wire  which  tied  the  two  nations  so  close  together." 

He  had  written  to  Mr.  Field  two  weeks  before 
from  Washington  : 

"  I  am  delighted  to  hear  that  you  art  inclined  to  look  with 
favor  upon  our  work.  I  believe  the  treaty  to  be  equally  fair 
and  honorable  to  both  countries  ;  and  if  it  is  to  be  confirmed 
by  the  Senate  it  will,  I  trust,  lay  the  foundation  of  a  firm  and 
lasting  friendship  between  the  two  nations." 

On  May  18th  Professor  Goklwin  Smith  wrote  : 

"  No  doubt  you  rejoice,  as  I  do,  in  the  treaty.  1  suppose 
it  is  safe." 


INTERNATIONAL  POLITICS— RAPID   TRANSIT      269 

Thirteen  years  later  the  Marquis  of  Ripon  ^'rote, 
expressing  regret  that  he  would  not  be  able  to  dine 
with  his  host  of  1871,  and  added : 

"  Also  because  I  might  tlius  have  had  an  opportunity  of 
bearing  my  testimonj-  to  the  very  important  part  which  tiie 
telegrnpli  cable  played  in  the  negotiations  for  the  treaty  of 
Washington.  If  it  had  not  been  for  the  existence  of  the 
cable,  those  negotiations  must  have  been  protracted  in  a 
manner  which  might  have  been  verj'  injurious  to  their  suc- 
cess." 

And  at  the  same  time  Lord  Iddesleigh,  who  as 
Sir  Stafford  Korthcote  had  served  as  a  member  of 
the  commission,  wrote  of  the  use  of  the  Atlantic 
cable  during  the  Washington  negotiations  : 

"  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  it  was  a  main  agent  in  the 
matter.  We  usually  met  our  American  colleagues  at  mid- 
day, and  we  were  bj^  tiiat  time  in  possession  of  tlie  views  of 
our  home  government  as  adopted  by  their  Cabinet  in  the  af- 
ternoon of  the  same  day." 

At  a  dinner  given  by  Mr.  Field  in  London  on 
Thanksgiving  Day,  November  28,  1872,  Mr.  Glad- 
stone said  : 

"The  union  of  the  two  countries  means,  after  all,  the 
union  of  the  men  by  whom  they  are  inhabited ;  and  among  the 
men  by  whom  they  are  inhabited  there  are  some  whose 
happy  lot  it  has  been  to  contribute  more  than  others  to  the 
accomplishment  of  what  I  will  venture  to  call  that  sacred 
work.  And  who  is  there,  gentlemen,  of  them  all  that  has 
been  more  marked,  either  by  energetic  motion  or  by  happy 
success  in  that  great  undertaking,  than  j^our  chairman,  who 
lias  gathered  us  round  his  liospitable  board  to-nigiit  ?  His 
business  has  been  to  unite  these  two  countries  b\'  a  tele- 
graphic wire  ;  but,  gentlemen,  he  is  almost  a  telegraphic  wire 
himself.  With  the  exception  of  the  telegraphic  wire,  there 
is  not,  I  believe,  any  one  who  has  so  frequently  passed  any- 
thing between  the  two  countries.  I  am  quite  certain  there 
is  no  man  who,  often  as  he  has  crossed  the  ocean,  has  more 


270  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

weiglitil}-  been  charged  upon  every  voyage  with  sentiments 
of  kindness  and  good-will,  of  which  he  has  been  the  messen- 
ger between  the  one  and  ihe  other  people." 

It  is  appropriate  here  to  introditce  a  note  from 
Mr.  Beecher  of  May  7,  1870  : 

"  My  dear  Mr.  Field, — On  Frida)'  noon,  as  I  sat  writing  in 
the  Christian  Union  office,  about  twelve  of  the  clock,  it  sud- 
denly flashed  across  me  that  I  had  engaged  to  breakfast  with 
you  at  nine  of  the  morning,  alas  !  and  have  onlj'  to  say  in 
excuse  that  I  forgot. 

"  Ordinaril}'  thai  would  be  an  aggravation,  for  it  would  ar- 
gue indifference  ;  but  in  a  man  who  forgets,  he  is  grieved  to 
sa}',  funerals,  weddings,  and  social  engagements  ;  who  for- 
gets what  he  reads,  what  he  knows,  it  ought  not  to  be  con- 
sidered as  a  specific  sin  so  much  as  a  generic  infirmity.  I 
l^ray  j'ou  forgive  me,  and  invite  me  again  !  Then  see  if  I 
forget. 

"  I  am  very  truly  j^ours, 

"Henry  Ward  Beecher." 

It  was  about  this  time  that  Mr.  Field's  thoughts 
were  turned  to  the  possibility  of  laying  a  cable 
across  the  Pacific,  and  in  that  way  carrying  out  his 
favorite  project  of  completing  the  circuit  of  the 
globe. 

In  writing  on  April  22,  1870,  he  says  : 

"I  enclose  a  memorial  and  bill  before  Congress  in  regard 
to  a  submarine  cable  from  California  to  China  and  Japan." 

On  April  23d  : 

"If  I  obtain  (as  I  liope)  mj'  telegraph  bill,  I  propose 
that  the  Pacific  Submarine  Telegraph  Company  make  an 
agreement,  offensive  and  defensive,  with  the  submarine 
lines  from  England  to  China  via  India.  Our  cable  would 
give  an  alternate  route  from  China  to  England,  and  I  would 
suggest  that  we  have  a  joint  office  in  China,  and  that  par- 
ties there  have  the  option  of  sending  by  either  line  ;  and  in 
case  one  line  should  be  down,  messages  should  be  imme- 
diately forw^arded  by  the  other." 


INTERNATIONAL   POLITICS— RAPID  TRANSIT      271 

"Aitgvsi  20,  1870. 
"At  the  request  of  prominent  members  of  the  United 
States  government  we  have  decided  to  adopt  the  following 
route  for  the  Pacific  cable  : 

San  Francisco  to  Sandwich  Islands 2,080  miles. 

Sandwicli  Islands  to  Medway  Island...  1,140      " 

Medway  Island  to  Yokohama 2,260     " 

Yokohama  to  Shang-Hai 1.035     " 

"eTsis    " 

"Medway  Island  is  the  new  coaling  station  of  the  steam- 
ers between  California  and  Japan." 

He  writes  to  CajDtain  Sherard  Osborn  in  August, 
1870: 

"In  your  letter  of  10th  June  you  state  the  total  length  re- 
quired for  the  Pacific  cable  as  7842  nautical  miles,  and  give 
the  price  for  the  whole,  complete,  as  £2,900,000  sterling. 
This  is  at  the  rate  of  over  £382  Qs.  per  nautical  mile." 

From  a  letter  written  on  January  21,  1871: 

"It  is  uncertain  what  Congress  will  do  with  regard  to  the 
Pacific  telegraph.'" 

On  the  13th  of  June,  1871,  he  sailed  from  New 
York  as  one  of  the  deputation  from  the  American 
branch  of  the  Evangelical  Alliance,  commissioned 
to  wait  on  His  Majesty  the  Emperor  of  Russia  in 
behalf  of  religious  liberty  for  all  his  subjects. 

It  was  upon  his  return  to  England  that  he  wrote 
the  following  letter  to  the  Grand  Duke  Constan- 
tine,  and  the  one  of  September  19th  on  his  return 
to  New  York : 

"London,  \U7i  August,  1871. 

"To  His  Imperial  Highness  the  Grand  Duke  Constantine  : 

"Sir, — With  this  I  have  the  honor  to  enclose  a  memorial 

addressed  to  His  Majesty  the  Emperor  of  Russia  respecting 

the  establishment  of  a  submarine  telegraph  communication 


272  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

between  the  west  coast  of  America  and  the  eastern  shores  of 
Russia,  China,  etc. 

"  I  shall  esteem  it  a  great  favor  if  your  Imperial  Highness 
will  be  so  good  as  to  forward  the  memorial  to  His  Majest}% 
with  any  observations  on  the  subject  which  may  be  thought 
desirable. 

"With  respect  to  the  gentlemen  mentioned  in  the  memo- 
rial as  prepared  to  join  me  in  the  enterprise,  I  may  explain 
that  they  are  among  the  very  first  merchants  and  capitalists 
of  the  United  States.  ...  As  I  am  leaving  for  the  United 
States  this  evening,  my  address  will  be  Gramercy  Park,  New 
Tork.  I  would  express  my  sincere  thanks  for  the  great 
kindness  shown  to  myself  by  your  Imperial  Highness,  and 
for  the  interest  you  have  taken  in  the  subject  I  have  so  much 
at  heart. 

"  I  beg  to  subscribe  myself, 
"With  great  respect, 

"  Your  most  obedient  servant, 

' '  Cyrus  W.  Field. 

"  '  To  His  Imperial  Majesty  the  Emperor  of  Russia : 

"'The  memorial  of  Cyrus  West  Field,  a  citizen  of  the 
United  States  of  America,  respectfully  thereto, 

"  '  That  having  taken  an  active  part  in  tlie  establishment  of 
electric  telegraph  communication  across  the  Atlantic  Ocean 
between  America  and  Europe,  and  having  been  also  inter- 
ested in  the  laying  of  the  existing  submarine  telegraph  lines 
between  Europe  and  the  East,  he  is  now  desirous  of  submit- 
ting to  your  iSIajestj'  a  project  for  completing  the  electric 
telegraph  circle  round  the  globe  by  uniting  by  submarine 
cables  the  western  coast  of  America  wilh  the  eastern  shores 
of  3'our  Mnjestj''s  dominions,  and  with  China  or  Japan,  or 
both,  as  may  be  found  most  expedient. 

"  'Having  regard  to  the  complete  success,  both  scientific 
and  practical,  of  the  submarine  telegraph  cables  now  work- 
ing, which  are  in  the  aggregate  about  40.000  miles  in  length, 
your  memorialist  deems  it  wholly  unnecessar}-  to  enlarge  on 
the  perfection  attained  in  the  manufacture  of  telegraph 
cables,  or  the  facility  and  certainty  with  which  the}'  are  laid 
in  all  parts  of  the  world. 

"  'Experience  has  proved  that  submarine  telegraph  cables 
can  readily  be  recovered  and  repaired  in  case  of  accident,  so 
that  there  is  practically  no  limit  to  the  length  of  line  which 


IXTERNATIOXAL   POLITICS— RAPID   TRANSIT      273 

may  be  employed  or  the  depth  of  the  -water  in  which  they 
may  witli  perfect  safety  be  submerged. 

"  'Memorialist  is  aware  of  the  strong  desire  existing  in 
the  United  States  of  America  for  the  establishment  of  a  tele- 
graph cable  across  the  Pacific  Ocean  in  order  to  the  further- 
ance of  commercial  interests  and  to  the  strengthening  of  the 
friendly  relations  which  have  for  so  many  years  existed  be- 
tween the  United  States  and  your  Imperial  Majesty's  gov- 
ernment. 

"  '  From  communications  which  memorialist  has  had  with 
the  government  of  the  United  States  and  with  many  lead- 
ing members  of  Congress,  he  is  able  to  say  with  confidence 
that  both  the  government  and  the  legislature  take  a  deep 
interest  in  the  subject,  and  that,  as  memorialist  believes, 
they  will  readily  join  with  your  Majesty  in  making  such 
arrangements  as  may  be  found  necessary  to  carry  out  the 
enterprise. 

"'Memorialist  has  made  diligent  inquiry  from  the  per- 
sons best  able  to  advise  with  respect  to  the  practicability 
of  uniting  the  two  great  continents  by  telegraphic  cable, 
and  he  has  received  most  satisfactory  assurances  on  the  sub- 
ject. 

"  'The  proposed  line  would  be  about  6000  miles  in  length, 
and  would  be  made  in  at  least  two  lengths,  landing  at  one  or 
more  of  the  islands  of  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

"  'From  this  point  the  line  would  extend  on  the  one  hand 
to  Russian  territory,  where  it  would  be  connected  with  the 
imperial  system  of  land  lines,  and  on  the  other  hand  it 
would  run  to  the  western  coast  of  the  United  States,  joining 
there  the  American  wires,  and  thus  give  direct  communica- 
tion between  Russia  and  the  whole  continent  of  America, 
and,  by  means  of  the  cables  now  laid,  with  every  important 
telegraph  line  in  the  world. 

"  '  Your  Majesty  will  not  fail  to  appreciate  the  importance 
and  value  of  sucii  a  commimication  to  Russia  as  well  as  to 
the  United  States  of  America. 

"  '  It  would  be  an  act  of  presumption  on  tlie  part  of  memo- 
rialist to  affect  to  point  out  to  your  Majesty  the  advantages 
of  the  line  in  its  international  and  political  aspect.  The  cost 
of  the  line  cannot  be  ascertained  until  the  route  is  definitely 
settled,  but  it  will  be  manifest  that  for  such  an  undertaking 
the  very  best  description  of  cable  must  be  used. 

"  '  From  the  best  information  which  could  be  obtained,  and 

18 


274  CYRUS   ^y.  FIELD 

from  the  experience  of  existing  lines,  memorialist  is  led  to 
believe  that  for  some  j'ears  such  a  line  would  not  in  itself  be 
remunerative  as  a  commercial  speculation,  although  there 
would  doubtless  be  a  large  amount  of  business  passing 
through  it ;  and,  further,  that  having  regard  to  the  risks  neces- 
saril}- incident  to  so  great  a  work,  it  is  and  will  be  impossible 
to  raise  the  capital  required  for  establishing  the  line  without 
material  aid  from  the  governments  directly  interested. 

"  '  Memorialist  is  therefore  led  to  look  to  your  Majesty  and 
the  United  Slates  government  for  assistance  in  carrying  out 
this  great  undertaking,  and,  having  taken  counsel  of  his  asso- 
ciates in  former  telegraphic  enterprises  as  to  the  best  means 
of  effecting  the  desired  object  in  the  shortest  time,  he  respect- 
fully submits  to  your  Majesty  the  following  project  : 

"  '1.  That  the  proposed  Pacific  telegraph  line  should  be 
established  by  a  company  formed  by  responsible  persons 
experienced  in  telegraphic  business,  under  the  sanction  and 
supervision  of  your  Majesty's  government  and  the  govern- 
ment of  the  Uni'ed  States  of  America. 

"  '  2.  That  the  respective  governments  should  each  appoint 
a  permanent  director  of  the  company. 

"  '3.  That  the  course  of  the  line,  its  termini  and  stations, 
and  other  needful  arrangements  be  determined  under  the  joint 
approval  of  the  official  directors  representing  the  two  govern- 
ments. 

"  '  4.  That  each  government  should  guarantee  for  twenty- 
five  years  interest  at  three  per  cent,  per  annum  on  the  cost 
of  the  line,  the  net  receipts  for  each  j^ear  (after  providing 
for  maintenance  and  repairs)  being  applied  pro  rata  in  relief 
of  the  guarantees. 

"  '5.  That  one-half  net  profits  above  six  per  cent,  per  annum 
be  set  apart  as  a  sinking  fund  for  return  of  capital,  and  the 
balance  divided  equally  between  the  stockholders  and  the 
government. 

"  '  6.  That  at  the  end  of  twenty-five  years  of  guarantee  the 
company  shall  retain  the  cable  and  other  propert}',  but  with- 
out any  exclusive  right. 

"  '  Memorialist  believes  that  with  such  assistance  as  is  indi- 
cated above  the  cables  could  be  made  and  laid  within  three 
years. 

"  '  The  following  eminent  citizens  of  the  United  States  have 
expressed  their  willingness  to  join  memorialist  in  this  impor- 
tant enterprise  : 


IXTERNATIOXAL   POLITICS— RAPID   TRANSIT       275 

"  '  Peter  Cooper,  Prof.  S.  F.  B.  Morse, 

Moses  Tajior,  Dudley  Field, 

Marshall  O.  Roberts,  Wm.  H.  Webb, 

Wilson  G.  Hunt,  Darius  Ogden  Mills. 

"  '  Memorialist  now  humbly  seeks  your  Majesty's  approval 
of  the  above  project,  believing  that  if  so  approved  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  United  States  will  give  their  concurrence, 
and  that  the  work  will  be  speedily  accomplished. 

"  '  Cyrus  W.  Field, 

"  'of  New  York.'" 


"  Gramercy  Park, 
"  New  York,  19^/i  September,  1871. 

"Sir, — Referring  to  my  personal  interviews  with  you,  and 
to  my  letter  of  11th  ultimo,  in  which  I  enclosed  a  memorial 
to  His  Majesty  the  Emperor  of  Russia  respecting  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  submarine  telegraph  cable  between  Russia  and 
the  United  States  of  America,  I  now  beg  respectfully  to  sub- 
rait  to  your  Imperial  Highness  the  following  modifications  of 
the  propositions  contained  in  that  memorial,  which  I  think 
will  commend  themselves  to  j'our  good  judgment : 

"1.  The  proposed  guarantee  of  three  per  cent,  not  to  com- 
mence until  the  day  the  cable  is  completed  and  in  successful 
working  order. 

"2.  The  amount  of  capital  guaranteed  not  to  exceed 
£3,000,000. 

"3.  The  company  to  bind  itself  not  to  kill  seals,  nor  to 
deal  in  furs  on  any  portion  of  Russian  territory. 

"4.  The  cable  not  to  be  landed  on  the  island  of  Sagha- 
lien. 

"5.  In  the  event  of  any  dispute  arising  between  the 
cable  company  and  any  subject  of  His  Imperial  Majesty, 
the  question  to  be  referred  to  the  Russian  courts.  In  dis- 
putes between  the  cable  company  and  American  citizens, 
the  courts  of  the  United  States  to  have  sole  jurisdiction. 

"  May  I  respectfully  solicit  your  Imperial  Highness  to  take 
these  proposed  modifications  into  your  consideration,  and, 
should  they  meet  with  your  approval,  I  would  beg  the  favor 
of  your  laying  them  before  His  Majesty  the  Emperor,  with 
such  suggestions  as  may  seem  to  you  advisable. 

"  It  is  important  that  I  should  know  the  views  of  His  Im- 
perial Majesty's  government  at  the  earliest  moment,  as  the 


276  GYRUS  W.  FIELD 

Congress  of  the  United  States  meets  on  the  first  Monday  in 
December. 

"I  beg  again  to  express  my  sincere  thanks  for  the  great 
kindness  shown  to  myself  by  your  Imperial  Highness,  and 
for  the  interest  you  have  taken  in  the  subject  I  have  so  much 
at  heart. 

"I  have  the  honor  to  subscribe  myself, 

"  With  great  respect, 

"  Your  Imperial  Highness's  most  obedient  servant, 

"  Cyrus  W.  Field." 

In  January,  1872,  he  was  again  in  Russia,  but  after 
that  time  there  appears  to  be  no  mention  made  of 
that  government's  taking  any  interest  in  a  Pacific 
cable,  and  it  is  only  possible  to  give  bits  of  corre- 
spondence in  connection  with  this  project,  to  which 
he  gave  so  much  of  his  time  and  thought. 

On  the  27th  of  November,  1876,  he  wrote : 

"I  strongly  advise  that  the  Pacific  cable  be  landed  a  few 
miles  south  of  San  Francisco,  at  a  spot  which  I  selected  two 
years  ago.  There  is  a  most  excellent  sandy  beach,  and  the 
cable  could  be  easily  connected  with  the  existing  telegraph 
lines  across  the  continent." 


"July  11,  1878. 
"When  the  Hawaiian  government  fulfil  their  promise  to 
me  in  regard  to  landing  cables  on  their  shores,  the  question 
of  a  Pacific  submarine  telegraph  may  be  entertained  by  me. 
Until  then  I  certainly  shall  do  nothing  towards  the  accom- 
plishment of  the  enterprise  via  the  Sandwich  Islands." 


"  Hawaiian  Legation,  March  10,  1879. 

"  Sir, — The  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  the  formation  of 
the  company  for  laying  the  Atlantic  cable  seems  an  appro- 
priate occasion  for  giving  an  impulse  to  the  great  work  of 
extending  a  cable  across  the  Pacific. 

"  I  am  sure  that  j^ou  will  not  be  satisfied  with  anything  less 
than  a  cable  round  the  world. 

"The  Hawaiian  Islands  have  a  very  central  position  for 


INTERNATIONAL   POLITICS— RAPID   TRANSIT       277 

the  navigation  of  the  Nortli  Pacific.  They  are  a  great  resort 
for  the  naval  and  mercantile  marine  of  the  commercial 
countries. 

"His  Majest}'  the  King  has  long  realized  the  great  im- 
jjortance  of  a  submarine  cable  to  his  kingdom,  as  well  as  to 
all  nations  whose  vessels  and  citizens  visit  there,  and  has 
authorized  me,  by  advice  of  his  Cabinet,  to  grant  you,  your 
associates  and  assigns,  the  exclusive  privilege  of  landing  a 
submarine  cable  or  cables  on  any  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands, 
and  for  using  the  same  for  connection  with  the  United  States, 
or  any  other  country,  and  crossing  any  or  all  of  the  islands, 
and  this  for  the  period  of  twenty-five  years. 

"  Any  land  which  you  may  find  necessarj^  to  have  for  any 
of  these  purposes  will  be  furnished  by  the  government  free 
of  expense  to  you,  not  intended  to  include  land  for  oflices  or 
houses. 

"  It  is  to  be  understood  that  if  you  do  not  within  five  years 
begin  the  construction  of  the  cable  necessary  to  connect  the 
islands  with  the  United  States,  and  establish  the  connection 
within  ten  years,  this  grant  is  to  cease. 

' '  The  King  and  Cabinet,  having  the  greatest  confidence  in 
your  ability  and  energy,  anticipate  the  completion  of  the 
cable  to  the  islands  at  an  early  day. 

"  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  sir, 
"With  great  respect, 

"  Your  obedient  servant, 

"Elisha  H.  Allen, 
"His  Hawaiian  Majesty's  Envoy  Extraordinary  and  Minister 

Plenipotentiar3\" 

It  was  on  the  evening  of  the  10th  of  March,  1879, 
that  he  said : 

"One  thing  only  remains  which  I  still  hope  to  be  spared 
to  see,  and  in  which  to  take  a  part :  the  laying  of  a  cable  from 
San  Francisco  to  the  Sandwich  Islands  .  .  .  and  from  tiience 
to  Japan,  by  which  the  island  groups  of  the  Pacific  may  be 
brought  into  communication  with  the  continents  on  either 
side — Asia  and  America — thus  completing  the  circuit  of  the 
globe." 

Two  months  later  this  note  was  sent: 


278  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

"  New  York,,  May  17,  1879. 
"Dear  Judge  Allen,  —  I  sail  for  Europe  ou  Wednesday 
next,  the  21st  instant,  and  shall  be  absent  five  weeks  from 
Ibis  city.  During  xay  visit  there  I  shall  confer  with  my 
friends  in  regard  to  the  Pacific  cable,  and  I  am  willing  to 
head  a  subscription  list  with  my  own  subscription  of  oue 
hundred  thousand  dollars. 

"  I  shall  be  happy  to  confer  with  you  on  mj^  return  to  this 
country. 

"  I  have  had  a  bill  introduced  into  Congress  granting  per- 
mission to  land  and  operate  cables  in  the  United  States,  which 
I  hope  will  pass  during  this  session. 

"  With  great  respect, 

"  I  remain,  dear  Judge  Allen, 

"  Very  truly  3'our  friend, 

"Cykus  W.  Field." 

To  follow  Ms  .steps  more  closely,  it  is  best  to  turn 
back  to  the  fall  of  1871.  It  was  on  October  10th 
that  he  cabled  to  London  : 

"  A  great  fire  has  been  rairing  in  Chicago  for  the  last  two 
days,  and  more  than  100,000  persons  are  homeless  and  desti- 
tute of  food,  shelter,  and  clothing.  Five  square  miles  in 
heart  of  Chicago  utterly  destroj'ed.  Loss  between  two  and 
three  huudred  millions.  All  principal  business  houses,  banks, 
and  hotels  destroyed.  Could  not  you.  Captain  Hamilton, 
and  Mr.  Rate  call  upon  the  large  banking-houses  connected 
with  America,  such  as  Morgan,  Baring,  Jay  Cooke,  Morton, 
Brown,  Shipley,  and  others,  and  endeavor  to  organize  a  re- 
lief committee  for  the  purpose  of  rendering  the  assistance 
that  is  so  much  needed  ?  The  large  cities  of  the  United 
States  are  acting  nobly  in  this  fearful  calamity  that  has  be- 
fallen Chicago,  and  the  citizens  subscribe  liberally." 

The  cablegrams  that  he  received  and  forwarded 
on  this  occasion  were  numberless.  Those  that  fol- 
low were  sent  by  Mr.  Mason,  the  Mayor  of  Chi- 
cago : 

■'  We  are  sorely  afl3icted,  but  our  spirit  is  not  broken." 

"  God  bless  the  noble  people  of  London." 


INTERNATIONAL  POLITICS— RAPID   TRANSIT       279 

"Receive  oiir  warmest  blessing  for  your  most  noble  re- 
sponse to  our  stricken  city.  It  was  received  by  our  commit- 
tee ill  tears." 

"Your  generosity  defies  space,  as  these  wonderful  gifts 
liave  been  Hashed  to  us  from  all  parts  of  the  earth.  We  are 
lifted  from  our  desolation.  The  arm  of  the  civilized  world 
is  thrown  around  us.  Heaven  bless  you  for  this  needed  help 
and  for  the  language  of  encouragement  and  deep  love  which 
it  speaks  to  an  afllicted  people." 

"Our  people,  lifted  from  despair  by  this  regal  aid,  are 
to  day  in  the  work  of  restoration,  full  of  hope.  We  read  in 
these  gifts  the  determination  of  the  universal  world  that  we 
shall  go  forward." 

Mr.  Field  received  an  official  invitation  from  the 
Italian  government,  and  he  was  also  the  represent- 
ative of  the  Xew  York,  Newfoundland,  and  Lon- 
don Telegraph  Company,  to  attend  the  Triennial 
Telegraphic  Convention  of  representatives  from 
the  various  governments  and  telegraph  companies 
of  the  world  appointed  to  meet  in  Home  in  Decem- 
ber, 1871. 

On  the  4th  of  that  month  Professor  Morse  wTote  : 

"  I  have  wished  for  a  few  calm  moments  to  put  on  paper 
some  thoughts  respecting  the  doings  of  the  great  telegraphic 
convention  to  which  you  are  a  delegate. 

"  The  telegraph  has  now  assumed  such  a  marvellous  posi- 
tion in  human  affairs  throughoiit  the  world,  its  influences 
are  so  great  and  important  in  all  the  varied  concerns  of  na- 
tions, that  its  eflicient  protection  from  injury  has  become  a 
necessity.  It  is  a  powerful  advocate  for  universal  peace. 
Not  that,  of  itself,  it  can  command  a  '  Peace,  be  si  ill  '  to  the 
angry  waves  of  human  passions,  but  that,  by  its  rapid  inter- 
change of  thought  and  opinion,  it  gives  the  opportunity  of 
explanations  to  acts  and  to  laws  which,  in  their  ordinary 
wording,  often  create  doubt  and  suspicion. 

"  Were  there  no  means  of  quick  explanation  it  is  readily 
seen  that  doubt  and  suspicion,  working  on  the  susceptibili- 
ties of  the  public  mind,  would  engender  misconception,  ha- 


280  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

tred,  and  strife.  How  important,  then,  tliat  in  the  intercourse 
of  nations  there  should  be  the  ready  means  at  hand  for 
prompt  correction  and  explanation  ! 

"Could  tliere  not  be  passed  in  the  great  international 
convention  some  resolution  to  the  effect  that,  in  whatever 
condition,  whether  of  peace  or  war  between  nations,  the  tel- 
egraph should  be  deemed  a  sacred  thing,  to  be  by  common 
consent  effectually  protected  both  ou  the  land  and  beneatti 
the  waters? 

"In  the  interest  of  human  happiness,  of  the  'Peace  on 
earth '  which,  in  announcing  the  advent  of  the  Saviour,  the 
angels  proclaimed  with  '  good  will  to  men,'  I  hope  that  the 
convention  will  not  adjourn  without  adopting  a  resolution 
asking  of  the  nations  their  united,  effective  iDrotection  to  this 
great  agent  of  civilization." 

This  telegram  was  sent  from  Eome  on  December 
'^^8tli : 

"  Telegraphic  conference  to-day,  after  a  long  debate,  by 
a  unanimous  vote,  adopted  Mr.  Cyrus  Field's  proposition  to 
recommend  tlie  different  governments  represented  at  the  con- 
ference to  enter  into  a  treat}'  to  protect  submarine  wires  in 
war  as  well  as  peace,  and  recommended  that  no  government 
should  grant  any  right  to  connect  its  country  with  another 
without  the  joint  consent  of  the  countries  proposed  to  be 
connected." 

In  speaking  of  this  convention  he  said  : 

"It  represented  twenty-one  countries,  six  hundred  millions 
of  people,  and  twent}'  six  different  languages." 

The  proposal  of  Professor  Morse  was  so  obvious- 
ly in  the  interest  of  peace  and  humanity  that  it 
may  seem  that  its  adoption  was  a  matter  of  course. 
In  fact,  however,  the  opposition  to  it  was  at  first  so 
strong  and  general  that  it  w^ould  have  been  defeat- 
ed but  for  the  personal  exertions  of  Mr.  Field  in 
its  behalf,  and  his  own  narrative  of  how  the  adop- 
tion Avas  brought  about  is  so  interesting  as  to  de- 


INTERN ATIOXAL    POLITICS— RAPID  TRANSIT       281 

serve  being  giveu  in  full.  In  his  report,  dated 
Eome,  January  14, 1872,  to  the  directors  of  the  Xew 
York,  Newfoundland,  and  London  Telegraph  Com- 
pany, he  said  : 

"  The  International  Telegraph  Conference  adjourned  this 
afternoon  after  a  session  of  six  weeks  and  three  days.  .  .  . 

"The  conference  opened  on  Friday  morning,  December 
1st,  but  I  did  not  arrive  here  till  the  20th  ultimo.  On  my 
arrival  I  was  very  sorry  to  learn  that  the  representative  from 
Norway  had  on  tiie  4th  of  December  proposed  to  the  confer- 
ence that  they  should  recommend  to  their  different  govern- 
ments to  enter  into  a  treaty  to  protect  submarine  cables  in 
war  as  well  as  peace,  and  that  his  proposition  had  met  with 
such  opposition  that  he  had  withdrawn  it,  as  he  was  sure  it 
could  not  pass.  As  soon  as  I  got  all  the  facts,  I  determined 
ray  course.  It  was  to  get  personally  acquainted  with  every 
delegate  and  urge  ni}-  views  upon  him  before  bringing  them 
before  the  conference.  Finally,  on  Thursday,  the  28th  ultimo, 
I  presented  my  views  in  a  carefully  prepared  argument  to  the 
conference.  Every  single  member  was  in  his  seat,  and  final- 
ly, after  a  long  discussion,  in  which  there  were  forty -nine 
separate  speeches,  nij'  propositions  were  carried  without  a 
dissenting  voice.  The  representatives  of  nine  governments, 
although  personally  in  favor  of  it,  were  not  willing  to  take 
the  responsibility  of  voting  without  positive  instructions 
from  their  governments,  so  they  simply  abstained  from 
voting. 

"The  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs  of  Italj',  Visconte  Ve- 
nosta,  will  jDrepare  a  circular  and  send  it  to  the  different  gov- 
ernments, inviting  tliem  to  enter  into  an  international  treaty 
to  protect  submarine  cables  in  time  of  war. 

"I  shall  leave  here  to-morrow  morning  for  New  York  via 
Vienna,  St.  Petersburg,  Berlin,  Paris,  and  London.  In  each  of 
tiiese  cities  I  hope  to  persuade  the  American  minister  to  help 
on  this  treaty,  which  I  believe  will  add  much  to  the  security 
of  submarine  telegraph  property." 

Soon  after  he  reached  London  he  received  this 
note  from  Mr.  Gladstone;  he  refers,  doubtless,  to 
the  letter  already  given  in  this  memoir,  setting 
forth  the  view  he  entertained,  during  the  early  ])art 


282  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

of  the  civil  war,  of  the  hopelessness  of  endeavoring 
to  restore  the  Union  by  arms.  It  had  not,  however, 
been  published  in  1872,  nor  has  it  appeared  until 
the  publication  of  this  volume. 

"11  Carlton  House  Terrace, 

''February  10,  1872. 
''Dear  Mr.  Cyrus  Field, — Will  you  kiudly  refer  me,  if  you 
can,  to  a  letter  of  mine,  I  think  addressed  to  you  respeciiug 
my  declaration  in  1862  tLiat  the  leaders  of  the  South  had 
made  a  nation — as  to  its  date,  and,  if  possible,  without  incon- 
venience, as  to  any  publication  in  which  I  might  find  it, 
though  probably  the  date  will  suffice  ? 
"  Believe  me, 

"Very  faithfullj'  yours, 

"  W.  E.  Gladstone." 

Mr.  Field  was  in  London  during  the  excitement 
caused  by  the  claims  for  indirect  damages  which 
were  to  be  put  forward  by  the  American  agents  at 
Geneva.     These  letters  refer  to  that  controversy: 

"House  of  Commons, 
"London,  March  1,  1872. 

"Dear  Mr.  Field, — As  I  hear,  with  regret,  that  you  are  de- 
tained here  by  illness,  I  take  the  liberty,  as  an  old  acquaint- 
ance, of  asking  whether  3'ou  cannot  do  something  in  your 
compulsor}^  leisure  to  help  our  countries  in  this  untoward 
business  as  to  the  case. 

"  If  you,  who  are  so  well  known  here,  believe  your  gov- 
ernment to  be  in  the  right,  and  that  they  never  did  waive, 
or  meant  to  waive,  the  claim  for  indirect  damages,  and  if 
you  will  make  this  statement  publicly  here,  in  any  manner 
you  please,  it  would  certainly  go  far  to  induce  me,  and  I 
think  most  of  the  other  public  men  who  were  strong  Union- 
ists during  your  civil  war,  to  advocate  the  submission  of 
the  whole  case  as  it  stands  to  the  Geneva  board.  On  the 
other  hand,  if  you  cannot  do  this,  I  really  think  we  may  ask 
for  3'our  testimony  on  the  other  side. 

"If  you  do  not  see  your  way  to  taking  any  action  in  the 


INTERNATIONAL   POLITICS— RAPID  TRANSIT       283 

matter,  pray  excuse  this  note,  for  which  my  apology  must 
be  that  this  is  no  time  for  any  of  us  who  are  lilcely  to  get  a 
hearing  to  iieep  silence. 

"  I  am  always  yours  very  truly, 

"Thomas  Hughes." 

He  thanked  Mr.  Hughes  for  his  ''kind  note/' 
and  at  the  same  time  gave  to  him  the  letter  he  had 
written  to  Mr.  Colfax  on  February  24th,  and  this 
letter  Mr.  Hughes  sent  to  the  Times  : 

"London,  2^1  February,  1873. 

"  3fy  dear  Mr.  C'6>//«.r,— Having  read  this  morning  a  brief 
telegraphic  summary  of  the  speech  which  you  delivered  at 
Brooklyn  on  Washington's  Birthday,  I  feel  constrained  to 
address  you  on  the  subject  upon  which  you  have  spoken 
with  so  much  emphasis.  I  refer  to  the  Treaty  of  Washing- 
ton. I  share  your  opinion  that  neitlier  nation  will  dare,  in 
the  face  of  civilization,  to  destroy  the  treaty  ;  but  neverthe- 
less the  crisis  is  a  grave  one.  It  therefore  behooves  every 
one  who  can  assist  to  bring  about  a  better  understanding  on 
the  points  of  difference  between  the  two  countries  to  make 
his  contribution  to  that  end.  This  is  my  apology  for  ad- 
dressing you. 

"The  grave  misunderstanding  which  has  arisen  between 
Great  Britain  and  the  United  States  is  due  to  tlie  widely  dif- 
ferent manner  in  which  the  Treaty  of  Wasliington  has  been 
from  the  outset  interpreted  by  the  two  nations.  I  have  not 
met  a  single  person  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  who  expresses 
any  desire  "to  back  out"  of  the  treatj^  or  refuse  the  fulfil- 
ment of  any  one  of  the  obligations  wliich  it  is  believed  to 
impose  ;  nay,  more,  my  conviction  is  that  if  the  British  peo- 
ple were  satisfied  that  tlie  principle  of  referring  vague  and 
indefinite  claims  to  arbitration  liad  somehow  or  otiier  crept 
into  the  treaty,  they  yet  would,  while  passing  emphatic 
votes  of  censure  on  their  representatives  at  Washington,  at 
the  same  time  never  dream  of  calling  back  the  pledge  which 
Lord  Ripon  and  his  colleagues  had  given  on  their  behalf. 

"The  excitement  which  followed  the  publication  of  the 
American  case  was  occasioned  by  the  l)elief — universal  among 
all  classes  of  the  Eiiglisli  people — that  their  own  interpreta- 
tion of  the  treaty  was  the  right  one,  and  that  indeed  no  other 


284  CYKUS   W.  FIELD 

interpretatioa  had  ever  been  or  would  be  given  to  it.  It  is 
desirable  that  Americans  should  remember  this  fact — that 
until  the  publication  of  the  American  case  nobody  on  this  side 
of  the  water  had  the  remotest  idea  that  the  Washington  Treaty 
contemplated  more  than  arbitration  with  reference  to  the  di- 
rect losses  inflicted  by  the  Alabama  and  other  Confederate 
cruisers  which  escaped  from  British  ports  during  our  civil 
war.  This  is  not  a  matter  of  surmise  ;  it  is  demonstrable  on 
the  clearest  evidence.  I  therefore  contend  that  whether  the 
public  sentiment  of  England  be  well  founded  or  not,  its  ex- 
istence is  so  natural  that  even  if  we  Americans  are  wholly  in 
the  right  we  ought  to  make  every  allowance  for  it — in  fact, 
treat  it  with  generous  forbearance. 

"  So  early  as  June  12th  last,  when  Lord  Russell,  in  moving 
a  resolution  for  the  rejection  of  the  treaty,  charged  the  Amer- 
icans with  having  made  no  concessions,  Lord  Granville  re- 
torted by  pointing  to  the  abandonment  of  the  claim  for  conse- 
quential damages.  '  These  were  pretensions,'  he  said,  '  which 
might  have  been  carried  out  under  the  former  arbitration,  but 
they  entirely  disappear  under  the  limited  reference.'  There 
could  be  no  mistake  as  to  his  meaning,  because  in  describing 
the  aforesaid  '  pretensions  '  he  quoted  the  strong  and  explicit 
language  which  Mr.  Fish  had  employed.  We  are  bound  to 
believe  that  Lord  Granville  spoke  in  perfect  good  faith,  espe- 
cially as  the  American  minister  was  present  during  the  debate, 
and  sent  the  newspaper  verbatim  report  of  it  to  his  own  gov- 
ernment by  the  ensuing  mail.  When  the  debate  took  place 
the  ratification  of  the  treaty  hud  not  been  exchanged.  If 
Lord  Granville  was  in  error,  why  did  not  General  Schenck 
correct  him  ? 

"  On  the  same  occasion  the  Marquis  of  Ripon,  also  reply- 
ing to  Lord  Russell's  taunt,  remarked  that  '  so  far  from  our 
conduct  being  a  constant  course  of  concession,  there  were,  as 
my  noble  friend  behind  me  [Earl  Granville]  has  said,  numer- 
ous occasions  on  which  it  was  our  duty  to  say  that  the  pro- 
posals made  to  us  were  such  as  it  was  impossible  for  us  to 
think  of  entertaining.'  This,  also,  was  understood  to  refer 
to  the  indirect  claims. 

"  Turning  to  the  debate  which  took  place  in  +be  House  of 
Commons  on  the  4th  of  August,  one  searches  in  vain  for  any 
remark  in  the  speeches  of  Mr.  Gladstone,  Sir  Stafford  North- 
cote,  or  Sir  Roundell  Palmer  which  indicated  any  suspicion 
that  the  Alabama  claims  had  assumed  the  portentous  char- 


INTERNATIONAL   POLITICS— RAPID  TRANSIT       285 

acter  which  now  attaches  to  them.  The  doubt  which  Lord 
Cairns  at  one  time  entertained  had  been  set  at  rest  by  the  min- 
isterial explanations  made  at  the  lime  in  the  House  of  Lords, 
and  not  a  single  argument  advanced  in  the  Lower  House, either 
in  support  of  or  in  opposition  to  the  treaty,  touched  upon  the 
question  of  these  claims.  Even  Mr.  Baillie  Cochrane,  the  well- 
known  Conservative  member,  who  denounced  the  treaty  on 
all  sorts  of  grounds,  and  whose  avowed  object  was  to  pick  as 
many  holes  in  it  as  possible,  was  unable  to  allege  that  Eng- 
land had  consented  to  an  arbritration  which  might  involve 
her  in  indefinite  liabilities. 

"Sir  Stafford  Northcote,  in  the  course  of  his  humorous 
speech  —  a  speech  instinct  with  good  feeling  towards  the 
United  States — said  that  '  a  number  of  the  claims  under  the 
convention  which  was  not  adopted  [tlie  Johnson-Clarendon 
Treaty]  were  so  vague  that  it  would  have  been  possible  for 
the  Americans  to  liave  raised  a  number  of  questions  which  the 
commissioners  were  unwilling  to  submit  to  arbitration.  They 
might  have  raised  the  question  with  regard  to  the  recognition 
of  bel]igerenc3%  with  regard  to  constructive  damages  arising 
out  of  the  recognition  of  belligerenc}',  and  a  number  of  other 
matters  which  tiiis  country  could  not  admit.  But  if  honorable 
gentlemen  would  look  to  the  terms  of  the  treaty  actually  con- 
tracted they  would  see  that  the  commissioners  followed  the 
subjects  very  closely  by  making  a  reference  only  to  a  list  grow- 
ing out  of  the  acts  of  particular  vessels,  and  in  so  doing  shut 
out  a  large  number  of  claims  which  the  Americans  had  pre- 
viously insisted  upon,  but  which  the  commissioners  had  pre- 
vented from  being  raised  before  the  arbitrators.'  All  this 
points  unmistakably  to  tlie  definite  and  limited  character  of 
the  claims  which,  in  the  judgment  of  the  English  negotiators, 
were  alone  to  be  submitted  to  arbitration. 

"  It  seems  to  me  tliat  Judge  Williams,  in  the  speech  he  made 
at  the  banquet  I  had  the  honor  to  give  to  the  British  High 
Commissioners  in  New  York,  expressed  sentiments  which  can 
only  be  similarly  construed.  'Many  persons,'  he  said,  'no 
doubt,  will  be  dissatisfied  with  their  [the  Joint  Higii  Commis- 
sioners'] labors  ;  but  to  deal  with  questions  so  complicated, 
involving  so  many  conflicting  interests,  so  as  to  please  every- 
body, is  a  plain  impossibility  ;  but  in  view  of  tlie  irritation 
which  the  course  of  Great  Britain  produced  in  this  country 
during  our  late  rebellion,  and  in  view  of  the  one-sided  and 
generally  exaggerated  statements  of  our  case  made  to  the 


286  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

people,  the  American  commissioners  consider  themselves  quite 
fortunate  that  what  they  have  done  has  met  with  so  much 
public  favor  in  all  parts  of  the  coimtry  and  among  men  of  all 
political  parties.' 

"  That  true  friend  of  America,  the  Duke  of  Argyll,  speak- 
ing in  the  Upper  House,  was  equally  emplialic.  '  The  great 
boon  we  have  secured  by  this  treaty,'  he  said,  '  is  this  :  that 
for  the  future  the  law  of  nations,  as  between  the  two  greatest 
maritime  states  in  the  world,  is  settled  in  regard  to  this  mat- 
ter, and  that  for  this  great  boon  we  have  literally  sacrificed 
nothing  except  the  admission  tliat  we  are  willing  to  apply  to 
the  case  of  the  Alabama  and  that  of  otlier  vessels  those  rules, 
I  do  not  say  of  international  law,  but  of  international  com- 
itj'',  which  we  have  ourselves  over  and  over  again  admitted.' 
It  is  impossible  that  the  duke  would  have  expressed  himself 
in  language  so  hopeful  and  so  contented  if  behind  '  the  case 
of  the  Alabama  and  that  of  other  vessels '  he  had  seen  loom- 
ing up  the  colossal  demands  which  were  originally  embodied 
in  Senator  Sumner's  memorable  oration. 

"The  views  thus  put  forward  sank  deep  into  the  public 
mind,  and  the  treaty  was  accepted  and  ratified  by  popular 
opinion  on  this  basis.  General  Schenck,  several  months  after 
the  delivery  of  the  above  speeches,  in  addressing  a  Lord  May- 
or's banquet  at  the  Guildhall,  bade  the  English  ministry  and 
Lord  Ripon  'congratulate  themselves  upon  the  success  with 
which  the}'  have  endeavored  to  bring  about  friendly  relations 
between  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain.' 

"  People  here  ask  how  he  could  congratulate  the  British 
government  if  he  knew  all  the  while  that  their  construction 
of  the  treaty,  which  was  to  cement  the  friendship  of  the  two 
countries,  fatally  differed  from  the  construction  put  upon  it 
by  the  government  at  Washington. 

"I  have  not  given  my  own  but  the  English  view  of  the 
matter.  When  such  momentous  issues  are  at  stake — when  a 
false  move  on  the  diplomatic  board  may  endanger  the  peace 
of  two  kindred  nations — it  is  absolutely  necessary  that  our 
people  should  know  what  is  the  English  side  in  this  contro- 
versy. The  first  duty  of  a  loyal  American  citizen  is  to  ascer- 
tain the  whole  truth,  and  not  by  ignorance  or  obstinacy  to 
commit  himself  to  a  wrong  course. 

"Many  hard  words  have  been  lately  spoken  and  written 
about  Mr.  Gladstone.  I  therefore  feel  it  incumbent  upon  me 
to  bear  my  testimony  to  the  large  and  statesmanlike  view  of 


INTERNATIONAL   POLITICS— RAPID   TRANSIT       287 

American  affairs  which  he  has  taken  for  several  j-ears  past, 
and  to  the  cordial  good  feeling  he  has  shown  towards  our 
country  since  he  has  been  at  the  head  of  the  present  govern- 
ment. In  spite  of  temporary  misunderstanding,  I  will  con- 
tinue to  hope  that  the  Treaty  of  Washington  will  bear  the 
fruit  which  he  anticipated  ;  that,  to  quote  his  own  eloquent 
words  in  tlie  House  of  Commons  on  the  4tli  of  August,  that 
treaty  will  do  much  'towards  the  accomplishment  of  the 
great  work  of  uniting  the  two  countries  in  the  ties  of  affection 
where  they  are  already  bound  by  the  ties  of  interest,  of  kin- 
dred, of  race,  and  of  language,  therebj^  promoting  tliat  strong 
and  lasting  union  between  them  which  is  in  itself  one  of  the 
main  guarantees  for  the  peace  of  the  civilized  world.' 
"  With  great  respect  I  remain, 

"My  dear  Mr.  Colfax, 

"Very  truly  your  friend, 

"Cyrus  W.  Field." 

Mr.  Bright  wrote  to  him  at  this  time  : 

"This  trouble  about  the  treaty  is  very  unfortunate.  I 
think  your  letter  admirable,  and  I  hope  it  will  do  good  in  the 
States,  where,  I  presume,  it  will  be  published.  I  confess  I 
am  greatly  surprised  at  the  'case'  to  be  submitted  to  the 
Geneva  tribunal.  There  is  too  much  of  what  we  call'at- 
torne3'.ship  '  in  it,  and  too  little  of  '  statesmanship.'  It  is  rather 
like  a  passionate  speech  than  a  thoughtful  state  document. 
And  what  a  follj'  to  offer  to  a  tribunal  claims  which  cannot 
be  proved.  No  facts  and  no  figures  can  show  tiiat  the  war 
was  prolonged  by  the  mischief  of  the  pirate  ships  ;  and  sure- 
ly what  cannot  be  proved  by  distinct  evidence  cannot  be 
made  the  subject  of  an  award.  This  country  will  not  go  into 
a  court  to  ask  for  an  award  which,  if  against  it,  it  will  nevei 
accept.  An  award  against  it  in  the  matter  of  the  indirect 
claims  will  never  be  paid,  and  therefore  the  only  honest 
course  is  to  object  now  l)efore  going  into  court.  Has  the 
coming  Presidential  election  or  nomination  anything  to  do 
with  this  matter  ?  Or  is  Mr.  Sumner's  view  of  the  dispute 
dominant  in  Washington  ?  I  should  have  thought  your  gov- 
ernment might  have  said  :  'We  will  not  press  the  claims 
objected  to  before  the  tribunal,  but  we  shall  retain  them  in  our 
"  case  "  as  historic  evidence  of  our  sense  of  magnitude  of  the 
grievance  of  which  we  complain.' 

"This,  I  dare  saj',  would  have  satisfied  our  government 


28S  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

and  people,  and  practically  it  would  have  satisfied  every  rea- 
sonable man  in  the  States.  To  such  as  would  not  be  conteut 
with  it,  friendship  and  peace  would,  in  the  nature  of  things, 
seem  to  be  denied." 

Soon  after  his  return  home  he  received  the  fol- 
lowing letter,  and  returned  the  answer  to  that  of 
Mr.  Bright : 

"  Washtngton,  1513  H  Street,  29th  March. 

"My  dear  Mr.  Field, — I  cannot  tell  you  how  grieved  I  have 
been  at  the  difficulty  which  has  arisen  respecting  the  Wash- 
ington Treaty. 

"I  do  not  tliink  that  anything  would  have  induced  me  to 
accept  the  appointment  which  brouglit  me  here  but  the  pride 
I  felt  in  taking  a  part,  however  humble,  in  the  execution  of 
a  treaty  which  I  thought  the  glniy  of  the  age  and  which 
seemed  to  me  so  full  of  promise  to  all  civilized  nations. 

' '  I  cannot  think  with  patience  of  all  our  hopes  being  dashed 
to  the  ground  by  what  Bright  trul}'  describes  as  a  '  passionate 
speech,'  followed  by  a  claim  utterly  extravagant,  from  which 
the  party  making  it  never  expected  to  get  a  farthing. 

"I  confess  that  1  should  not  have  been  afraid  to  goto 
arbitration  upon  it, but  I  see  the  difficulty  which  any  govern- 
ment would  have  in  justifying  themselves  to  their  people  in 
leaving  it  to  any  five  persons  to  say  whether  a  fine  of  two 
hundred  millions  should  be  inflicted  on  tliem. 

"You  have  done  your  part  excellently,  but  why  do  not 
others  raise  their  voices  against  this  tremendous  folly  which 
is  not  unlikel}',  sooner  or  later,  to  lead  us  into  war  ? 

"  I  fully  believe  that  both  governments  are  very  anxious 
to  accommodate  matters,  but  I  confess  that  I  do  not  see  how 
that  accommodation  is  to  be  brought  about  without  a  conces- 
sion, which  it  is  very  difficult  for  a  government  to  make  on 
the  eve  of  a  Presidential  election. 

"  Believe  me 

"Very  sincerely  yours, 

"Rtjssell  Gurnet." 

' '  Gramercy  Park, 
"  New  York,  2d  April,  1873. 
"My  dear  Mr.  Bright,—!  arrived  on  35th  March,  after  a 
very  rough  passage  of  sixteen  days.  .  .  . 


IXTERXATIOXAL   POLITICS— RAPID  TRANSIT       289 

"  Since  my  return  I  have  devoted  much  of  nij-  time  to  as- 
certain the  real  sentiment  of  the  people  of  this  countrj'  in 
regard  to  the  Washington  Treaty,  and  as  far  as  I  can  judge, 
after  seeing  man}' persons  of  different  political  parties,  it  ap- 
pears to  be  almost  unanimous  that  our  government  has  made 
a  great  mistake  in  including  these  indirect  claims  in  the  '  case.' 
I  am  convinced  that  the  best  people  in  England  and  America 
desire  to  have  this  question  settled  in  a  fair  and  honorable 
manner.  In  fact,  many  say  to  me  that  they  have  got  tired 
of  hearing  about  the  indirect  claims.  .  .  . 

"With  great  respect  and  kind  regards  to  your  family, 
"I  remain,  my  dear  Mr.  Bright, 
"Very  truly  your  friend, 

"Cyrus  W.  Field." 

It  was  while  he  was  in  London,  in  December, 
1872,  that  Mr.  Junius  Morgan  said  to  him  that  he 
had  Just  received  a  letter  from  Mr.  John  Taylor 
Johnston  about  the  Cesnola  collection,  then  in  Lon- 
don, and  he  asked  him,  if  he  had  the  time  to  do  so, 
to  examine  it  and  give  him  his  opinion.  Mr.  Field 
went  at  once  to  see  it,  and  he  was  much  imjDressed 
with  its  value.    Of  this  time  General  Cesnola  writes  : 

"The  officers  of  the  British  Museum  had  ahead}-  examined 
the  collection,  and  it  was  perhaps  on  their  report  that  Mr. 
Gladstone  came  to  see  the  collection;  but  whether  he  came 
witli  a  view  to  securing  it  for  the  British  Museum  or  not  I 
cannot  say.  Your  father  asked  me  to  drive  back  with  him 
to  Mv.  Morgan's  office,  and  suggested  to  Mr.  Morgan  (as 
agent  for  Mr.  Johnston)  to  close  the  purchase  of  the  collec.- 
tion  with  me  verbally  at  once,  and  a  payment  was  made  on 
account  without  delay,  and  without  waiting  for  the  papers 
to  be  drawn  up. 

"It  was  through  your  father  that  my  collection  became 
the  property  of  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art.  It  was  he 
who  introduced  me  to  Mr.  Gladstone,  Earl  Granville,  Mr. 
Adams,  then  United  States  minister  in  London  ;  also  to  the 
Dean  of  Westminster  and  Lady  Augusta  Stanley,  and  to 
many  otlier  of  his  English  friends.  He  invited  a  large  party 
to  meet  me  at  dinner,  and  also  brougiit  many  to  see  my  Cyp- 

19 


290  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

riote  collection.  I  doubt  if,  without  the  great  personal  in- 
terest shown  by  ymir  father,  it  would  ever  have  become  the 
propert)'  of  the  Metropolitan  Museum;  because  it  was  only 
after  this  that  the  London  press  went  wild  over  securing  it 
for  England. 

"I  have  said,  and  shall  always  say,  that  it  is  chiefly,  if  not 
wholly,  due  to  Cyrus  W.  Field  that  my  discoveries  are  in  this 
city  to-daj'." 

The  sale  of  the  New  York,  Newfoundhmd,  and 
London  Telegraph  Company  was  made  early  in  this 
year,  and  on  July  '^,  1873,  he  writes  to  Mr.  Orton, 
the  president  of  the  Western  Union  Telegraph 
Company  : 

"  The  New  York,  Newfoundland,  and  London  Telegraph 
Company,  having  been  consolidated  with  the  Anglo-Ameri- 
can Telegraph  Company,  Limited,  drafts  will  hereafter  be 
made  upon  your  compan}',  and  communications  made  in  the 
name  of  the  said  Anglo-American  Telegraph  Company,  Lim- 
ited." 

Among  the  cahle  messages  sent  during  the  au- 
tumn of  this  year  these  are  of  interest : 

"  September  19th. — Great  panic  here  in  money  market." 

"September  20tli. — Confidently  believed,  reliable  quarter, 
government  will  take  measures  relieve  market  before  Mon- 
day, but  thus  far  panic  has  exceeded  anything  ever  known." 

"Saturday,  October  30th. — Most  of  the  firms  that  have 
suspended  are  those  tliat  have  been  doing  too  much  business 
for  their  capital,  but  confidence  is  so  shaken  that  many  stocks 
are  being  sold  at  whatever  they  will  bring.  Think  perhaps 
have  seen  worst,  but  don't  yet  see  signs  permanent  improve- 
ment." 

"Monday,  November  1st.  —  Western  Union  sold  before 
panic  at  90.     Has  sold  in  last  few  days  less  than  44." 

"We  find  these  entries  in  his  diary  : 

"January  13th,  1874. — Arrived  in  London." 
"February  14tli. — Sailed  from  Liverpool  for  New  York  in 
the  Cuba;  fifty-sixth  voyage." 


INTERXATIOXAL  POLITICS— RAPID  TRANSIT       291 
This  letter  followed  him  to  Xew  York  : 

"11  Carlton  House  Terrace, 
"J/a7T/i31,1874. 
"My  dear  Mr.  Cyrus  Field, — When  I  was  about  to  tliank 
you  for  your  kind  letter  of  the  lOtli,  I  received  that  of  tlie 
17th  announcing  to  me  the  funeral  of  Mr.  C.  Sumner,  and 
the  great  manifestation  of  feeling  which  it  called  forth. 

"  His  loss  must  be  heavily  felt,  and  his  name  will  long  be 
remembered  in  connection  with  the  abolition  of  slavery, 
which  was  wrought  out  in  the  United  States  by  methods  so 
wonderful  and  so  remote  from  the  general  expectation. 

"As  respects  events  in  this  country,  they  have  brought 
about  for  me  a  great  and  personally  not  an  unacceptable 
change.  I  have  always  desired  earnestly  that  the  closing 
period  of  my  life  might  be  spent  in  freedom  from  political 
commotion,  and  I  have  plenty  of  work  cut  out  for  me  in 
other  regions  of  a  more  free  and  open  atmosphere. 

"As  respects  the  political  po.siiion,  it  has  been  one  per- 
fectly honorable  for  us,  inasmuch  as  w^e  are  dismissed  for  or 
upon  having  done  what  we  undertook  or  were  charged  to  do; 
and  as  respects  the  new  ministrj".  they  show  at  present  a  dis- 
position to  be  quiet. 

"  Believe  me,  my  dear  Mr.  Field, 

"Yours  very  faithfully, 

"  W.  E.  Gladstone." 

The  following  extract  is  taken  from  Mr.  Field's 
private  papers  : 

"  The  bill  for  the  expansion  of  the  currency, 
which  at  this  period  passed  both  houses  of  Con- 
gress, after  exhaustive  debates,  created  much  alarm 
among  the  leading  financial  men  of  Xew  York  and 
the  Eastern  States.  Meetings  were  held  at  various 
places  to  protest  against  it,  and  to  request  the  Pres- 
ident to  exercise  his  veto." 

A  number  of  the  leading  bankers,  capitalists,  and 
merchants  of  Xew  York  assembled  on  Ajiril  15th 
at  Mr.  Field's  house  on  Gramercy  Park  to  consider 
what  action   should   be   taken   in   the  matter.     A 


292  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

petition  very  extensively  signed  was  read,  and  the 
following  resolutions  were  adopted  : 

"  Eesolved,  Tliat  the  following  gentlemen  be  appointed  a 
committee  to  take  charge  of  and  present  the  foregoing  peti- 
tion to  the  President,  bearing  the  signatures  of  all  the  2500 
leading  bankers  and  business  firms  of  the  City  of  New  York, 
asking  iiim  to  interpose  his  veto  to  prevent  the  enactment  of 
the  Senate  currency  bill,  which  has  recently  passed  both 
houses  of  Congress  ;  or  any  otiier  bill  having  in  view  the  in- 
crease of  inconvertible  currency. 

"Resolved,  That  the  Senators  from  the  State  of  New  York, 
and  such  members  of  the  House  of  Representatives  from  this 
State  as  entertain  the  views  indicated  in  the  foregoing  reso- 
lution, be  added  to  the  committee,  and  their  co-operation  in- 
vited.    The  members  of  this  committee  are  : 

"J.  J.  Astor,  Rev.  Dr.  Adams,  Ethan  Allen, W.  H.  Aspin- 
"wall,  AV.  A.  Booth.  James  M.  Brown,  August  Belmont,  S. 
D.  Babcock,  S.  B.  Chittenden,  E.  C.  Cowdin,  George  S.  Cole, 
John  J.  Cisco,  W.  B.  Duncan.  W.  M.  Evarts,  Cyrus  W.  Field. 
Wilson  G.  Hunt,  B.  W.  Jaynes,  J.  T.  Jolinston,  A.  A.  Low, 
W.  J.  Lane.  C.  Linier,  C.  P.  Leverich,  W.  H.  Macy,  C.  H. 
]V[ar.«ihall,  R.  B.  ^Miuturn.  Royal  Phelps,  Howard  Potter,  M. 
O.  Roberts,  A.  T.  Stewart,  J.  H.  Schultz,  Isaac  Sherman, 
Jonathan  Sturges,  Moses  Taylor,  J.  A.  Aguew,  J.  D.  Ver- 
milye,  G.  C.  Ward,  etc." 

Mr.  Field,  with  many  influential  members  of  this 
committee,  jDroceeded  to  "Washington  with  the  pe- 
tition, and  had  an  interview  with  the  President, 
who  promised  to  give  the  subject  his  mature  con- 
sideration. It  is  thought  that  the  argtiments  ad- 
duced by  the  committee  on  this  occasion  had  great 
weight  with  the  President,  and,  combined  with 
other  influences,  finally  determined  him  to  veto  the 
bill,  which  he  did  shortly  afterwards  in  a  message 
in  which  he  committed  himself  strongly  against  any 
further  inflation  of  the  currency.  Had  this  bill 
passed  into  a  law  it  would  have  been  the  first  step 


INTERNATIONAL   POLITICS— RAPID  TRANSIT      293 

towards  national  repudiation,  for  the  wedge  once 
inserted,  it  is  impossible  to  predict  how  far  it  would 
eventually  have  been  driven,  and  Avhat  effect  even 
a  moderate  addition  to  the  inconvertible  currency 
would  have  had,  not  only  on  commerce,  but  on  the 
moral  conscience  of  the  nation.  A  return  of  gov- 
ernment bonds  held  in  foreign  countries  would 
have  been  the  inevitable  result,  and  all  values  would 
have  been  unsettled.  Reasoning  and  thoughtful 
men  foresaw  the  crisis  that  was  imj^ending,  and  the 
country  owes  a  debt  of  gratitude  to  the  Chamber 
of  Commerce  for  its  prompt  action,  and  to  Presi- 
dent Grant  for  listening  attentively  to  the  argu- 
ments of  the  committee  for  saving  the  country  from 
threatened  disaster. 

On  May  6th,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Field  were  members 
of  a  large  party  which  left  New  York  for  California, 
and  on  the  12th,  at  Omaha,  Canon  Kingsley  and 
Miss  Kingsley  joined  them.  The  jouruey  was  a 
pleasant  one,  but  uneventful.  Friday,  May  22d, 
he  writes  : 

"After  breakfast  I  sent  a  telegraphic  message  to  Dean 
Stanley,  informing  liim  that  Canon  Kingsley  was  well  and 
would  preach  for  us  in  tbe  Yosemite  Valley  on  Sunday." 

In  his  sermon  on  the  afternoon  of  Whit  Sunday, 
Dean  Stanley  alluded  to  this  message. 

Early  in  June  he  sailed  for  England,  and  of  his 
journey  to  Iceland,  undertaken  during  this  sum- 
mer, Mr.  Murat  Halstead  writes  : 

"  My  judgment  is  that  j^our  father  had  no  business  reasons 
for  going  to  Iceland.  Really  the  trip  was  a  sentimental  ad- 
venture. Mr.  Field  had  been  a  profound  student  of  the 
Nortii  xVtlantic,  and  was  familiar  with  tlie  fact  lliat  Iceland 
is  but  nine  hundred  miles  from  Scotland  and  Norway  and 


294  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

three  hundred  from  Greenland.  '  It  seemed  so  near,  and  yet 
so  far.'  ...  In  the  spring  of  1874  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cyrus  W. 
Field  visited  Ciuciiiuati,  and  at  a  reception  given  by  Mr. 
Probasco  Mr.  Field  said  to  me:  'Come  and  go  with  me  to 
Icelauil ;  it  is  the  millennial  year  of  the  settlement  of  the 
island.  It  would  be  verj'  interesting.  Tlie  King  of  Den- 
mark is  to  he  there,  and  the  whole  affair  will  be  extraordi- 
nary.' I  asked  how  one  could  get  to  Iceland,  and  Mr.  Field 
had  evidently  made  the  subject  a  close  study.  He  said  there 
■were  monthly  boats  from  Copenhagen  touching  at  Leith,  the 
port  of  Edinburgh,  and  we  should  sail  from  Scotland,  and 
Iceland  was  about  a  thousand  miles  from  Scotland. 

'■  Mr.  Field  must  have  gotten  his  impulse  to  go  to  Iceland 
from  his  familiarity  with  the  North  Atlantic  during  the 
anxious  years  he  spent  in  studying  it  with  reference  to  the 
cable.  He  was  struck  by  the  narrowness  of  the  ocean 
between  Greenland  and  Norway,  with  Iceland  between 
just  below  the  arctic  circle.  He  had,  of  course,  contem- 
plated a  cable  by  v>  ay  of  Greenland  and  Iceland  to  Scotland- 
if  it  should  be  found  impracticable  to  cross  the  Atlantic  be- 
tween Newfoundland  and  Ireland.  When  it  became  known 
that  Mr.  Field  was  going  to  Iceland  there  were  conjectures 
that  he  thought  of  a  cable  to  the  island  ;  but  that  was  a  mere 
fancy.  There  was  not  a  chance  for  business  over  the  line. 
There  would  be  no  news  except  of  volcanoes  and  the  price  of 
codfisii.  If  tliere  should  ever  be  a  cable  connection  with 
Iceland  it  would  be  for  the  weather  reports. 

"  1  was  thinking  of  a  trip  to  Europe  in  the  summer  of  1874, 
when  Mr.  Field  spoke  to  me,  and  a  few  weeks  later  decided 
to  go.  Mr.  Field  was  going  earlier  than  I  could,  and  just 
before  he  sailed  I  telegraphed,  asking  on  what  date  it  would 
be  necessarj^  for  me  to  meet  him  in  London  in  order  to  go 
with  hirn  to  Iceland.  His  reply  was,  'July9lh.'  On  my  ar- 
rival at  Southampton  bj^  the  Bremen  boat  I  remembered  the 
day  was  the  9th  of  July,  and  that  night  Jibout  ten  o'clock  I 
found  Mr.  Field  at  the  Buckingham  Palace  Hotel,  and  he 
said  he  had  been  expecting  me,  and  was  waiting  to  see  me 
before  going  to  bed.  That,  I  suppose,  was  a  joke,  but  it  was 
not  all  a  joke.  I  found  in  London  Bayard  Taylor,  going  to 
the  Icelandic  millennium  for  the  New  York  Tribune,  and 
Dr.  I.  I.  Hayes,  the  arctic  explorer,  going  for  the  New 
Y'ork  Herald;  Dr.  Kueeland,  of  the  Boston  Institute  of 
Technology,  and  Professor  Magnussen,  of  Cambridge  Uni- 


IXTERNATIOXAL  POLITICS— RAPID  TRANSIT      295 

ver?ity,  an  Icelander  by  birth.  I  resolved  to  go,  and  we  cliar- 
tered  tlie  steam  yacht  Albion,  Captain  Rowland,  sailing  from 
Leith.  Mr.  Field  and  I  made  a  tour  throngli  the  Highlands, 
and,  passing  Balmoral  and  tlie  Earl  of  Fyfe's  hunting  and 
fishing  lodge,  found  the  rest  of  the  party  at  Aberdeen,  where 
it  was  necessary  for  us  to  enlist  as  British  seamen,  and  we 
were  paid  a  shilling  each  for  our  services  during  the  voyage, 
which  was  one  of  great  interest  and  considerable  liardship. 
We  halted  at  the  Orkney,  Siietland,  and  Faroe  islands,  at 
tlie  latter  place  falling  in  with  the  king's  fleet.  Our  Ice- 
landic experiences  are  familiar,  as  Mr.  Taylor  and  Dr.  Knee- 
land  published  books  on  the  subject.  Mr.  Field's  Iceland 
party,  for  he  was  our  leader,  attracted  much  attention  —  al- 
most as  much  sometimes  as  the  king's  procession.  We  rode 
across  the  lava  beds  to  the  geysers,  saw  ^Mount  Hecla — and 
the  Great  Geyser  would  not  spout  for  the  king." 


It  will  have  been  observed,  in  the  course  of  this 
narrative,  that  witli  Mr,  Field,  so  inexhaustible 
was  his  energy,  rest  was  only  a  "change  of  mo- 
tion." 

When  he  sought  relaxation  from  exhausting 
business  cares  he  found  it  in  fatiguing  Journeys, 
and  he  preferred  that  these  should  be  as  difficult 
and  adventurous  as  possible.  This  was  the  case  in 
his  journey  to  the  Andes  Avitli  Mr.  Church  in  his 
earlier  manhood.  It  was  the  case  with  the  excur- 
sion in  ripe  middle  age  beyond  the  "furthest 
Thule  "  of  the  ancients.  He  was  now  again,  thanks 
to  his  own  exertions,  and  after  years  of  struggle 
and  of  doubt  that  to  others  meant  despair,  inde- 
pendent in  circumstances,  and,  as  it  seemed,  beyond 
the  power  of  fortune,  and  he  was  nearing  his  sixti- 
eth birthday.  Most  men  would  have  regarded  this 
condition  as  an  occasion  to  "rest  and  be  thankful." 
But  it  was  in  this  condition  that  Mr.  Field  under- 
took a  new  and  arduous  enterprise,  for  which  he  had 


296  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

had  little  specific  training.  It  is  evident  that  its 
very  difficulty,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Atlantic  cable, 
was  to  him  an  element  of  attractiveness.  But 
there  was  this  difference  between  the  Atlantic  cable 
and  the  elevated  railway  system  of  New  York.  He 
was  the  pioneer,  the  projector,  of  the  former.  The 
latter  had  already  been  undertaken,  and  practically, 
it  may  be  said,  to  have  failed.  Indeed,  there  was 
no  "system"  of  elevated  railways.  The  fragmen- 
tary roads  that  were  in  operation  or  projected  were 
unrelated  to  each  other  in  ownership,  management, 
and  traflfic.  Financially  and  practically  they  were 
languishing.  It  Avill  be  seen  from  the  letter  which 
will  presently  be  given  that  the  company  with 
which  he  proposed  to  ally  himself,  the  New  York, 
which  possessed  the  franchise  for  Third  Avenue, 
had  been  so  far  from  successful  that  sixty  cents  on 
the  dollar  was  held  to  be  a  fair  price  for  its  secu- 
rities. It  may  fairly  be  said  that  the  elevated  "sys- 
tem" is  due  to  Mr.  Field.  Whoever  remembers 
the  conditions  of  transit  in  New  York  before  1877, 
and  indeed  for  some  years  after,  must  own  that 
the  creation  of  this  system  has  constituted  a  public 
benefaction.  Many  millions  have  been  transported, 
with  a  loss  of  life  that  has  been  infinitesimal  in 
comparison  with  the  volume  of  the  traffic,  at  a  cost 
no  greater  than  that  of  the  conveyances  which  the 
system  has  superseded,  and  at  a  rate  of  speed  that 
has  built  up  the  new  and  large  cities,  one  on  the 
east  and  one  on  the  west  side  of  Manhattan  Isl- 
and, which  before  it  went  into  operation  were  out- 
lying districts,  practically  inaccessible  to  busy  men 
for  purposes  of  residence.  It  was  on  May  16,  1877, 
that  Mr.  Field  made  this  entry  in  his  diary : 


INTERNATIONAL   POLITICS— RAPID  TRANSIT       297 

"  Bought  this  day  a  controlling  interest  in  the  jSTew  York 
Elevated  Railroad  Company  and  was  elected  president  of 
the  company." 

Some  of  the  conditions  on  which  he  had  made 
this  investment  and  venture  are  set  forth  in  the 
following  letter  to  his  friend,  Mr.  John  H.  Hall : 

"  New  York,  Ut7i  May,  1877. 

"My  dear  Mr.  Hall, — It  is  possible  that  I  ma3'  purchase  a 
majority  of  the  stock  of  the  Elevated  Raih-oad,  but  before  de- 
ciding I  wish  to  ascertain  whether,  if  I  do,  you  will  remain 
in  the  board  with  Jlr.  David  Dows,  myself,  and  some  other 
gentlemen  of  character  and  financial  strength,  and  also 
whether  you  will  take  bonds  at  sixty  cents  for  the  debt  now 
due  yon.  If  I  have  anything  to  do  with  the  company  I 
want  it  free  from  all  floating  debt,  and  everything  purchased 
at  the  lowest  price  for  cash. 

"  j\[r.  Dows  has  told  rae  this  morning  that  he  will  remain 
in  the  board  and  will  take  bonds  for  tlie  $25,000  due  him, 
provided  I  make  the  purchase  and  accept  the  presidency  of 
the  company. 

"  Will  you  have  the  kindness  to  see  our  mutual  friend,  Mr. 
A.  S.  Barnes,  and  ascertain  whether  he  will  take  bonds  for  the 
debt  due  liim  and  remain  as  a  director.  If  I  go  into  the  con- 
cern I  shall  be  willing  to  be  president,  but  without  salary, 
for  the  enterprise,  to  be  a  success,  must  be  managed  in  every 
way  with  the  greatest  economy. 

"An  early  answer  will  oblige. 

"Verj^  truly  your  friend, 

"  Cyrus  W.  Field." 

His  promptitude  and  energy  are  shown  in  the 
fact  that  on  June  4tli,  less  than  three  weeks  after 
he  took  charge,  a  public  meeting  in  favor  of  rapid 
transit  Avas  held. 

'■'■TJie  Evening  Post, 
"  New  York,  June  4, 1877. 
"To  Cyrus  "W.  Field,  Esq. : 

"  I  cannot  be  present  at  the  meeting  to  be  held  this  evening 
at  Chickering  Hall,  but  I  am  heartily  with  j'ou  and  your 


298  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

friends  in  the  object  of  the  meeting.  I  hope  that  a  decided 
expression  will  be  given  to  tlie  conviction  tliat  an  absolute 
necessity  has  arisen  of  instituting  some  method  of  convey- 
ing passengers  between  the  upper  and  lower  parts  of  the 
city  which  shall  unite  the  greatest  convenience  with  the  ut- 
most possible  speed. 

"  Yours  faithfully, 

"  Wm.  C.  Bryant." 

Mr.  Charles  O'Conor  wrote  ou  the  same  clay  to 
the  chairman  of  the  meeting  : 

"  I  much  regret  my  inability  to  attend  the  meeting  in  favor 
of  rapid  transit,  the  state  of  my  health  not  admitting  of  my 
doing  so.  I  full}^  sympathize,  however,  with  the  objects 
sought  to  be  obtained,  and  here  repeat  the  remarks  which  I 
made  in  closing  my  address  before  the  New  York  Historical 
Society  at  the  Academj'  of  Music  on  the  8th  of  last  month  : 

"  '  It  is  said,  and  doubtless  with  truth,  tliat  the  great  cities 
have  hitherto  been  destroyers  of  the  human  race.  A  single 
American  contrivance  promises  to  correct  the  mischief.  The 
cheap  and  rapid  transportation  of  passengers  on  the  elevated 
rail,  when  its  capacity  shall  have  been  fullj^  developed,  will 
give  healthful  and  pleasant  homes  in  rural  territory  to  the 
toiling  millions  of  our  commercial  and  manufacturing  cen- 
tres. It  will  snatch  their  wives  and  children  from  tenement- 
house  horrors,  and,  by  promoting  domesticity,  greatly  dimin- 
ish the  habits  of  intemperance  aiui  vice  so  liable  to  be  forced 
upon  the  humbler  classes  or  nurtured  in  them  by  the  present 
concomitants  of  their  city  life.' " 

On  the  26tli  of  September  of  this  year  the  new 
president  wrote  : 

"I  believe  that  the  early  completion  of  the  New  York 
Elevated  Railroad  from  the  South  Ferry,  passing  Wall,  Fulton 
and  Catharine  Street  ferries  up  the  Bowery  and  Third  Av- 
enue to  the  Grand  Central  Depot,  will  be  a  benefit  to  the 
three  great  railroads  the  trains  of  which  start  from  the 
depot." 

And  on  the  1st  of  IN^ovember,  1878,  he  was  able  to 
report  to  the  directors  : 


INTERNATIONAL  POLITICS— RAPID   TRANSIT       299 

"It  is  not  eighteen  months  since  I  purchased  from  some 
of  your  then  directors  a  majority  of  the  stock  of  your  com- 
pany at  such  a  price  tliat  to-da}^  it  sells  for  more  than  five 
times  as  much  as  it  cost  me  ;  and  at  the  same  time  I  bought 
from  tlie  same  parties  a  very  laige  amount  of  bonds,  and  to- 
day thej^  sell  for  more  than  double  what  they  cost  me,  includ- 
ing seven  per  cent,  interest  to  date.  The  above  stock  and 
bonds  I  purchased  on  the  express  condition  that  the  con- 
tracts of  the  company  with  certain  parties  to  build  this  road 
for  one  million  two  hundred  thousand  dollars  per  mile 
(^1,200,000),  payable  one-half  in  stock  and  the  balance  in  first 
mortgage  bonds  of  this  company  at  par,  should  be  cancelled. 
The  amount  that  has  been  saved  to  tliis  company  by  the  can- 
celling of  this  contract  you  all  well  know." 

William  0.  McDowell,  in  Harper's  Magazine  for 
June,  1893,  Avrites : 

"At  the  time  of  the  strike  of  the  engineers  on  the  elevated 
road  in  New  York  I  had  a  part  in  bringing  the  representa- 
tives of  the  engineers  and  the  late  Cyrus  W.  Field,  a  director 
in  the  elevated  company,  to  a  meeting  that  resulted  in  a 
quick  understanding  between  the  conflicting  interests  and  an 
ending  of  the  strike.  Mr.  Field  was  so  pleased  with  the  fair- 
ness of  the  committee  representing  the  engineers  with  whom 
he  had  to  deal  that  he  invited  them  at  once  to  dine  with  liim 
at  Delmonico's,  an  invitation  wliich  their  representatives  de- 
clined for  them,  fearing  that  its  acceptance  might  be  misun- 
derstood. Mr.  Field,  however,  continued  to  feel  that  he 
wished  to  extend  some  social  courtesy  to  the  employes  of  the 
elevated  road,  and  at  a  later  date,  when  he  was  all-powerful 
in  that  corporation,  lie  issued  a  formal  invitation  to  the  em- 
ployes to  a  reception  at  his  house.  To  a  large  number  the 
initials  '  R.  S.  V.  P.'  on  the  lower  corner  of  the  invitation 
were  a  great  mystery,  and,  as  the  story  goes,  the  invited 
compared  notes  and  sought  an  explanation  of  them.  At  last 
one  bright  young  man  announced  that  he  had  discovered 
what  they  meant,  and  he  explained  to  the  others  that  '  R.  S. 
V.  P.'  stood  for  '  Reduced  salaries  very  probable.' " 

This  story  is  true,  but  the  end  is  not  given.  The 
men  accepted  the  invitation,  enjoyed  their  supper, 
and  listened  with  great  interest  to  a  speech  made  by 


300  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

Mr.  Peter  Cooper,  which  histed  over  an  hour.  Mr. 
Cooper  told  the  men  of  New  York  as  it  was  in 
1800,  and  the  story  of  his  life. 

Dean  Stanley  preached  in  Calvary  Church  on 
Sunday  evening,  October  7,  1878.  He  came  to  Mr. 
Field's  home  at  Irvington  the  following  morning. 
Soon  after  breakfast  on  Tuesday  the  family  realized 
that  their  guest  was  more  familiar  with  the  history 
of  this  part  of  the  country  than  they  were.  It  was 
just  above  Tarrytown  that  Major  Andre  had  been 
captured ;  he  was  executed  across  the  river.  That 
was  enough  to  excite  the  curiosity  of  the  visitors, 
and  at  dinner  on  Tuesday  evening  it  was  proposed 
to  the  dean  that  the  next  morning  he  should  cross 
the  river  to  TajDpan  and  find  the  spot.  This  was 
not  easily  done ;  no  one  knew  the  exact  place. 
There  was  Washington's  headquarters,  and  he  had 
closed  his  shutters  so  as  not  to  see  Andre  hanged, 
so  that  the  scene  of  the  execution  must  have  been 
near  that  house.  At  last  an  old  man  of  over  ninety 
came  and  said  that  in  1821,  when  Andre's  body  was 
removed  to  England,  he  had  stood  by  and  had  seen 
the  grave  opened ;  and  that  the  roots  of  an  apple- 
tree,  which  he  pointed  out,  were  twisted  about  the 
head  of  the  coffin.  The  drive  had  been  so  long 
that  it  was  past  three  o'clock  before  the  party  re- 
turned ;  and  not  until  dinner  did  they  tell  that 
their  search  had  been  successful,  li  was  then  that 
Mr.  Field  said  :  "  Mr.  Dean,  if  you  will  write  an 
inscription  I  will  buy  the  land  and  put  uj)  a  stone, 
and  then  the  place  will  be  known."  His  idea  was 
simply  to  mark  an  event  in  the  history  of  the  coun- 
try; but  a  part  of  the  press  insisted  that  an  Ameri- 
can had  erected  a  monument  to  a  British  spy,  and 


INTERXATIONAL  POLITICS— RAPID   TRANSIT      301 

this  was  reiterated  far  and  wide,  and  flew  from  the 
Atlantic  to  the  Pacific. 

Dean  Stanley  felt  this  keenly,  and  wrote : 

"If  you  find  that  there  is  real!}-  a  feeling  against  it,  pray 
do  not  think  of  it.  The  game  is  not  worth  the  candle.  Poor 
Major  Andre,  engaging  as  he  was,  is  not  worth  the  rekindling 
forgotten  animosities." 

The  monnment  was  twice  injnred  by  explosion 
of  dynamite.  After  the  second  of  these,  on  No- 
vember 3,  1885,  Mr.  Field  refused  to  replace  the 
stone.  He  said  that  the  spot  was  now  sufficiently 
marked.     On  the  stone  were  these  words  : 


Here  died,  October  2,  1780, 

Major  John  Andre,  of  tlie  British  Army, 

Who,  entering  the  American  Lines 

On  a  Secret  Mission  to  Benedict  Arnold, 

For  the  Surrender  of  West  Point, 

Was  taken  Prisoner,  tried,  and  condemned  as  a  Spy. 

His  Death, 

Though  according  to  the  stern  code  of  war, 

Moved  even  his  enemies  to  pity. 

And  both  armies  mourned  the  fate 

Of  one  so  young  and  so  brave. 

In  1821  his  remains  were  removed  to  We.stminster  Abbey. 

A  hundred  j'ears  after  the  execution 

This  stone  was  placed  above  the  spot  where  he  lay 

By  a  citizen  of  the  United  States,  against  which  he  fought, 

Not  to  perpetuate  tlie  record  of  strife, 

But  in  token  of  those  better  feelings 

Wiiich  have  since  united  two  nations 

One  in  race,  in  language,  and  one  in  religion, 

With  the  hope  that  this  friendly  union 

Will  never  be  broken. 


Arthur  Penrhyn  Stanley,  Dean  of  Westminster. 


The  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  the  signing  of 
the   first  cable   contract  was  remembered  on  the 


302  CYRUS    W.  FIELD 

evening  of  March  10,  1879.     To  use  the  words  of 
the  New  York  Evening  Post : 

"It  was  a  notable  anniversary  which  Mr.  Cyrus  W.  Field 
celebrated  last  night,  with  tlie  assistance  of  a  multitude  of 
his  fellow-citizens,  many  of  them  eminent  in  various  depart- 
ments of  public  life.  The  obvious  sentiment  of  the  occasion, 
and  the  words  with  which  ever3body  would  describe  it.  are 
contained  in  the  telegraphic  message  sent  from  Westminster 
Abbey  by  Dean  Stanley,  who  calls  it  the  'silver  wedding  of 
England  and  America,'  and  says  :  '  What  God  hath  joined 
together  let  no  man  put  asunder.'  The  event  which  was 
commemorated  is  scarcely  more  remarkable  than  the  rapid 
advance  of  all  nineteentli  century  events  which  the  recollec- 
tion of  this  one  suggests.  It  is  only  twenty -five  years  since 
a  determined  effort  was  made  to  realize  what  had  been  wildly 
dreamed  of  ;  it  is  considerably  less  than  twenty-five  years 
since  the  dream  became  a  reality  ;  yet  already  instantaneous 
communication  between  the  Old  World  and  the  New  has 
been  consigned  to  the  commonplace  book  of  history.  It  has 
become  one  of  those  familiar  things  which  we  forget  all 
about  because  they  are  familiar,  but  whicli  are  also  indis- 
pensable, as  we  would  be  sharply  reminded  if  we  should  lose 
them  for  a  day,  or  an  hour — things  which  are  of  the  highest 
value,  but  of  whicli  it  is  hard  to  speak  without  talking  plati- 
tudes. With  this  great  event  tiie  names  of  Mr.  Field  and  other 
men  of  business  whose  intelligence,  liberality,  and  energy 
make  the  work  of  ^Morse  and  other  men  of  science  a  practi- 
cal triumph  Avill  be  alwaj's  and  honorably  associated." 

A  short  extract  is  given  from  the  speech  of  Eev. 
Dr.  William  Adams  : 

"I  have  no  intention  of  saying  a  word  in  laudation  of  the 
Atlantic  cable.  The  time  for  that  has  passed.  '  He  is  of 
age:  ask  him  :  he  shall  speak  for  himself.'  Though  the  ear 
catches  no  articulate  words  passing  along  its  quivering 
strands,  yet  this  polyglot  interpreter  is  speaking  now,  with 
tongue  of  fire,  beneath  the  astonished  sea,  in  all  thj  languages 
of  the  civilized  world." 


THE   ANDRE   MONUMENT,   TAPPAN.  NEW    YORK 


CHAPTER  XV 

THE   PACIFIC  CABLE — THE  GOLDEN  WEDDING 

(1880-1891) 

The  winter  and  early  spring  of  1880  were  passed 
in  the  South  of  France  and  in  Algiers. 

Mr.  Field  was  back  in  New  York  in  April ;  and 
on  the  8th  in  a  letter  says : 

"  I  have  already  written  to  London  in  regard  to  the  esti- 
mated cost  of  manufacturing  and  laying  a  telegraphic  cable 
across  the  Pacific.  The  route  I  have  suggested  is  as  follows  : 
One  cable  from  San  Francisco  to  the  Hawaiian  Islands  ;  one 
cable  from  the  Hawaiian  Islands  to  Japan  ;  one  cable  from  the 
Hawaiian  Islands  to  Australia,  touching  at  the  Fiji  Islands 
and  New  Caledonia." 

In  a  letter  to  England  on  the  9th,  he  writes  that  he 
had  received  a  letter  from  Washington  in  Avhich  the 
hope  was  expressed  that  he  would  give  some  atten- 
tion to  the  transpacific  cable  before  he  left  Amer- 
ica. He  answered  the  question  as  to  the  expense 
of  manufacturing  a  cable  briefly:  ''A  submarine 
cable,  like  a  watch,  can  be  manufactured  at  a  great 
variation  in  price." 

The  two  letters  that  follow  were  sent  to  Wash- 
ington, the  first  on  August  19,  1880  : 

"  Referring  to  my  letters  to  you  dated  May  26th  and  June 
10th,  in  relation  to  a  telegraphic  cable  across  the  Pacific 
Ocean,  I  would  suggest : 


804  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

"1.  Tliat  the  United  States  government  obtain  from  some 
eminent  electrician  specifications  for  the  best  description  of 
cable  suitable  for  the  great  depths  and  the  great  lengths  re- 
quired to  connect  the  western  with  the  eastern  coasts  of  the 
Pacific. 

"2.  That  the  government  advertise  for  tenders  to  manu- 
facture and  lay  such  description  of  cable,  one -fourth  the 
amount  to  be  paid  when  the  cables  are  all  manufactured,  one- 
fourth  when  they  are  on  board  the  steamers  and  the  steamers 
ready  to  sail,  one-fourth  when  the  cables  have  been  success- 
fullj'  laid,  and  the  remaining  fourth  when  they  have  been 
worked  successfully  and  without  interruption  for  thirty 
days. 

"  By  adopting  this  course  I  think  you  would  obtain  a  good 
cable  at  the  low^est  price. 

"  The  government  could  pay  for  such  a  cable  by  selling  its 
four  per  cent,  bonds,  liaving  a  long  time  to  run,  at  a  consid- 
erable premium ;  and  the  revenue  from  such  a  cable  would, 
in  my  opinion,  steadily  increase  from  year  to  year,  and  at 
no  distant  day  be  a  source  of  revenue  to  the  country." 


"  I  thank  you  for  your  letter  of  yesterday,  and  for  the  in- 
terest you  are  taking  in  the  matter  of  the  proposed  Pacific 
cable. 

"Have  you  ever  written  to  the  American  ministers  in 
Japan  and  China  on  the  subject  ?  If  the  United  States  gov- 
ernment desired  it,  and  took  the  proper  steps,  I  think  that 
England,  Russia,  France,  Japan,  and  China  would  each  do 
something  towards  encouraging  the  enterprise." 

The  latest  mention  I  find  of  this  project  is  on  the 
30th  of  April,  1884,  and  then  it  is  suggested  as  only 
possible  as  far  as  the  Sandwich  Islands,  and  that  it 
would  cost  £650,000.  There  had  been  no  enthu- 
siasm shown,  and  as  no  company  had  been  formed 
the  grant  given  on  March  10,  18T9,  had  become 
Talueless ;  btit  as  long  as  his  brothers  dined  with 
him  the  thought  of  a  Pacific  cable  was  recalled  by 
the  favorite  toast  of  Mr.  David  Dudley  Field,  who 
would  say,  before  the  family  left  the  table,  "And 


THE   PACIFIC   CABLE— THE   GOLDEN  WEDDING    305 

now,  Cyrus,  we  must  not  forget  to  drink  to  the  world 
encircling."  The  recent  revival  of  the  subject  has 
evidently  been  rather  political  than  commercial. 
It  was  during  the  summer  of  1880  that  this  was 
written : 

"I  decided  some  weeks  ago  upon  leaving  New  York,  on 
my  trip  around  the  world,  on  October  13tb,  provided  I  could 
fiml  some  Democratic  friend  who  would  pair  off  with,  me ; 
and  if  I  cannot  accomplish  this  I  sliall  wait  and  vote  on  No- 
vember 2d,  and  leave  on  the  3d." 

And  on  September  13th  : 

"It  appears  to  me  to  be  all-important  that  the  Republican 
party  should  carry  the  election  in  Indiana  in  October.  .  .  . 
I  have  now  decided  not  to  leave  for  San  Francisco  until  after 
the  Presidential  election." 

And  two  days  later,  September  15th  : 

"  After  mature  reflection,  I  have  determined  to  remain  until 
after  the  election  and  do  all  I  possibly  can  to  secure  the  suc- 
cess of  the  Republican  ticket  by  working  until  the  polls 
close  on  the  evening  of  November  the  2d,  and  then  leave  on 
the  morning  of  the  3d  for  San  Francisco,  and  sail  from 
thence  in  the  Oceanic  on  the  18th.  ...  By  remaining  and 
working  I  liope  to  induce  others  to  vote  for  our  mutual 
friend,  James  A.  Garfield." 

These  letters  were  sent  to  the  ISTew  York  His- 
torical Society  on  September  17th  and  20th : 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  that  it  is  proposed  to  erect  a  monu- 
ment to  Nathan  Hale.  Many  years  ago  I  joined  with  others 
in  such  a  memorial  at  Coventry,  Conn.,  where  he  was  born. 
But  one  ought  to  be  erected  in  this  city,  and,  if  possible,  on 
the  ver}^  spot  where  he  died.  That  spot  you  have,  I  under- 
stand, ascertained  to  be  at  or  very  near  tlie  armory  of  the 
Seventh  Regiment.  What  an  inspiration  would  a  monument 
there  be  to  our  young  soldiers  !  There  ought  to  be  inscribed 
on  it  iiis  own  immortal  words :  '  I  only  regret  that  I  have  but 
one  life  to  give  for  my  country.' 

20 


306  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

"If  the  New  York  Historical  Society  will  obtain  permis- 
sion to  have  a  monument  erected  there,  I  will,  with  pleasure, 
bear  the  -whole  expense." 

"I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  letter 
18th  instant. 

"Enclosed  I  send  5'ou  a  printed  slip  of  an  inscription 
which  I  propose  to  put  upon  the  stone  wiiich  marks  the  spot 
where  Major  Andre  was  executed,  should  the  New  York 
Historical  Society  decide  to  accept  the  same,  as  suggested 
by  me  in  a  verbal  conversation  with  Mr.  George  H.  Moore." 

This  letter  was  received  on  September  30th  : 

"Cyrus  W.  Field,  Esq.,  New  York  : 

"Dear  Sir, — A  few  of  your  neighbors  and  personal  friends 
are  desirous  of  meeting  you  in  a  social  and  informal  way 
before  you  start  upon  your  tour  round  the  world.  They  will 
be  glad  if  you  will  give  them  the  pleasure  of  your  company 
at  dinner  on  some  evening  in  the  latter  part  of  October. 
Tuesday,  the  26th,  is  suggested  as  a  suitable  time;  but  if 
any  other  day  will  better  comport  with  your  convenience, 
3'ou  have  onlj-  to  name  it.  They  are  not  willing  you  should 
go  away  without  their  greeting  and  God-speed." 

In  his  reply  to  the  toast  to  his  health  he  said  : 

"  Some  of  you  began  your  business  and  professional  life 
with  me,  and  it  will  be  pleasant  to  take  so  many  of  my  old 
friends  by  the  hand  and  to  receive  their  kind  wishes  for  a 
prosperous  journey  and  safe  return." 

Mr.  Field  thoroughly  enjoyed  the  evening.  Gen- 
eral Horace  Porter  closed  his  speech  with  these 
words  : 

"  Now  let  me  simply  say  that  beyond  the  sentiment  of 
friendship  we  all  have  a  profound  admiration  for  one  who, 
at  a  period  of  life  when  most  men,  having  surrounded  them- 
selves with  the  rich  things  of  earth,  in  personal  comfort,  art, 
and  literature,  would  be  content  to  retire  to  some  shady 
Arcadia  and  enjoy  the  rest  to  which  they  were  so  fully  en- 
titled, is  bristling  with  all  the  activity  of  j'outh,  seeking  new 
worlds  to  conquer  and  projecting  new  enterprises. 


THE   PACIFIC   CABLE— THE   GOLDEN  WEDDING    307 

"  1  know  I  speak  the  sentiment  of  all  in  saj'ing  tliat  the 
henrty  leavetakinu;  and  hand  shaking  will  be  surpassed  by 
the  cordial  welcome  extended  to  him  when,  after  passing 
over  many  lands  and  many  seas,  he  will  gladden  the  hearts 
of  his  fellow-countrymen  by  once  more  setting  foot  upon 
his  native  shore." 

He  left  New  York,  as  he  proposed,  at  four  o'clock 
on  the  morning  of  the  3d  of  November,  and  it  will 
surprise  no  one  who  knew  him  to  hear  that  he  was 
in  the  South  of  France  early  in  March  and  arrived 
in  New  York  on  May  the  loth. 

"  Department  of  State, 
"Washington,  D.  C,  23rf  May,  1881. 
"  My  dear  Mr.  Field, — Welcome,  thou  wanderer  !     We  in- 
tend now  to  anchor  you  for  some  time  in  your  native  waters. 
"Your  arrival  is  timely.     You  can  be  of  great  service  to 
the  country  and  to  the  administration,  which  counts  you 
among  its  chief  friends.  .  .  . 

"Hastily  and  truly, 

"James  G.  Blaine." 
And  on  June  3d  : 

"  With  reference  to  your  kind  invitation  to  visit  you  at 
Irvington  on  the  Hudson  about  the  29th  of  June,  I  beg  to 
say  for  myself  that  it  is  doubtful  as  to  whether  I  shall  be 
able  to  accompany  the  President  upon  his  proposed  visit  to 
Williams  College.  Should  I  do  so,  however,  it  would  give 
me  the  very  greatest  pleasure  to  accept  of  your  hospitality. 
I  liave  taken  the  liberty  to  transmit  your  letter  to  the  Presi- 
dent, and  presume  that  he  will  write  you  directly  with  refer- 
ence to  his  ability  to  become  your  guest." 

This  entry  was  made  in  his  diary  on  June  6th : 

"  I  have  invited  President  Garfield  to  come  to  Irvington 
for  a  visit  and  then  go  to  Williamstown  for  Commencement 
on  July  6th." 

To  quote  again  from  his  private  papers : 

"Mr.  and  Mrs.  Garfield,  with  several  members  of  the  Cab- 
inet and  their  wives,  were  to  come  to  us  at  Irvington,  pass 


308  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

Sunday  with  us,  and  on  Monday  leave  for  Williamstown.  It 
was  as  Mr.  Garfield  was  leaving  Washington  that  he  was 
shot  in  the  Pennsylvania  depot." 

In  a  letter  he  writes  : 

"When  the  first  excitement  had  in  a  naeasure  subsided,  I 
wrote  to  a  friend  in  Wasliington  and  asked  if  in  case  of  Mr. 
Garfield's  death  his  family  would  be  left  in  comfortable 
circumstances. " 

It  was  on  July  6th  that  he  sent  this  message 
by  cable  and  telegraph  to  friends  in  Europe  and 
America  : 

"If  President  Garfield  should  die  from  the  wounds  received 
on  2d  instant  lie  would  leave  for  his  wife  and  five  children 
about  |;20,000.  I  shall  to-morrow,  Thursday,  morning  exert 
myself  to  the  utmost  to  raise  a  sum  of  money  to  be  presented 
to  him  at  once,  as  I  feel  confident  it  would  help  his  recovery 
if  he  linew  iliat  in  tlie  event  of  his  death  his  family  would 
be  provided  for.  I  shall  cheerfully  subscribe  $5000  tow- 
ards the  sum  to  be  raised.  If  you  or  any  of  your  friends 
would  like  to  join,  please  telegraph  to  me  early  to-morrow, 
Thursday,  for  what  amount  I  may  put  your  name,  and 
oblige." 

The  subscriptions  were  from  85000  to  a  ten-cent 
piece  (given  by  an  office-boy),  and  there  was  de- 
posited in  the  United  States  Trust  Company 
$362,238  52. 

A  silver  coin  of  the  value  of  ten  cents  Avas  sold, 
and  he  sent  this  note  to  the  child  Avho  made  the 
donation  r 

' '  145  Broadway, 
"New  York,  IWi  July,  1881. 

''My  dear  young  Friend. — I  was  very  much  pleased  to 
read  your  nice  letter  enclosing  the  silver  coin  you  had  kept 
so  long.  I  showed  your  letter  to  a  gentleman  who  came  to 
see  me  at  my  office,  and  he  kindly  said  he  would  give  one 
hundred  times  the  value  of  the  coin,  and  handed  me  twenty 


THE   PACIFIC   CABLE— THE   GOLDEX  WEDDING    309 

dollars  in  exchange  for  it  and  your  letter,  so  that  yon  see 
your  little  offering  to  Mollie  Garfield's  mamma  hfls  realized 
quite  a  large  sum. 

"I  thank  you  very  much  for  your  contribution,  and  am 
"  Very  truly  your  friend, 

"Cyrus  W.  Field." 


"  Mr.  Field  : 

"  Dear  Sir, — I  thought  it  was  very  funny  to  see  ray  little 
letter  printed  in  the  newspaper,  and  I  think  it  was  so  kind 
of  that  gentleman  to  give  twenty  dollars  in  my  name.  I 
wish  I  knew  who  it  was,  so  I  could  thank  him  for  it.  Will 
you  please  thank  him  for  me  ?     I  am  seven  years  old. 

"  Berdie  Hazeltox. 

"  I  don't  know  Mollie  Garfield  very  well,  for  I  never  saw 
her,  but  I  am  so  sorry  for  her,  'cause  her  poor  papa  got 
shot." 

With  the  invitation  to  attend  the  Garfiekl  me- 
morial service  came  this  note  : 

' '  Washington,  Febrimry  18, 1883. 
"  My  dear  Mr.  Field, — You  must  come  to  the  address  on 
the  27th,  Monday.     You  will  go  on  the  floor  with  me.     I 
should  feel  that  my  audience  was  incomplete  if  you  were  not 
present.  Sincerely, 

"James  G.  Blaine.' 

As  he  had  received  the  thanks  of  Congress,  he 
was  entitled  for  life  to  the  privilege  of  going  upon 
the  floor, 

A  message  sent  from  the  Yorktown  celebration, 
in  October,  1881,  to  Mr.  Gladstone,  called  forth 
this  answer  : 

"  Haw.\.rden  Castle.  Ciiester, 

,  "  October  2\,\%%\. 

"  Dear  Mr.  Cyrus  Field, — I  thank  you  for  j-our  telegram. 
The  gratifying  intelligence  which  it  contains  may  probably 
come  through  another  channel.  In  the  meantime,  unofficial- 
ly, I  express  the  hope  that  we  may  one  and  all  consider  it  a 


310  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

personal  duty  to  cherish  and  foster  the  feelings  so  admirably 
expressed  in  the  President's  order,  and  prevailing,  happily, 
alike  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic. 

"  I  remain,  very  faithfully  yours, 

"  Wm.  E.  Gladstone." 


In  April,  1882,  he  suffered  qtiite  a  disagreeable 
experience.  One  evening  a  police  officer  and  two 
or  three  gentlemen  came  to  the  house,  bringing  the 
torn  and  burned  remains  of  a  package  addressed  to 
him.  It  had  been  in  the  mail-bag  which  a  postman 
threw  on  the  platform  of  the  Tliird  Avenue  ele- 
vated road  as  he  stepped  off  the  train.  As  the  bag 
fell  there  was  an  immediate  explosion,  and,  upon 
examination,  the  box  and  wrapper  of  the  package 
were  found.  Tlie  wrapper  was  an  old  German 
newspaper  with  Mr.  Field's  name  on  it,  and  another 
like  package  in  the  bag  bore  the  name  of  Mr.  Wm. 
H.  Vanderbilt. 

He  took  the  matter  very  calmly,  only  afterwards 
telling  the  butler  that  no  package  brought  to  the 
house  mtist  be  delivered  until  it  had  first  been 
plunged  in  a  bucket  of  water.  This  order  spread 
consternation  among  some  members  of  the  family, 
who  trembled  for  their  new  spring  clothes. 

On  August  25, 188-4,  he  left  Tarrytown  in  the  car 
"  Eailway  Age,"  with  several  members  of  his  fam- 
ily, for  a  jotirney  that  lasted  six  weeks,  and  during 
that  time  he  travelled  11,000  miles  ')y  rail  and  300 
by  boat.  On  September  12th  he  left  Portland, 
Oregon,  for  Tacoma,  and  early  on  the  morning  of 
the  13th,  as  he  was  waiting  at  Iltsaladdy  for  the 
tide  to  carry  the  North  Pacific,  the  boat  he  was  on, 
through  Deception  Pass,  went  on  shore,  and  found 
that  it  was  from  this  place  that  the  wooden  mast 


THE   PACIFIC   CABLE— THE   GOLDEN  WEDDING    311 

for  the  Great  Eastern  had  been  cut.  It  was  sent 
to  England  by  the  way  of  Cape  Horn. 

September  22d  he  joined  Sir  Donald  Smith  and 
his  party  at  Silver  Heights,  and  his  car  was  at- 
tached to  their  special  train.  Four  days  were  given 
to  crossing  the  Rockies  and  returning  to  Winnipeg, 
to  the  then  western  terminus  of  the  Canadian  Pa- 
cific. On  the  afternoon  of  September  24tli  the  cars 
stopped  in  front  of  a  large  tent ;  it  was  the  station, 
and  has  since  been  known  as  Field. 

A  few  hours  earlier,  as  we  all  stood  looking  up  at 
Mount  Stephen,  and  then  off  at  the  mountains,  Sir 
Donald  Smith  turned  to  Mr.  Field  and  said,  "  That 
is  Mount  Field."  One  of  the  employes  of  the  road 
suggested  that  it  had  been  already  named,  but  that 
was  of  no  account ;  Sir  Donald's  word  was  law,  and 
Mount  Field  it  became. 

It  was  upon  one  of  his  Western  Journeys  that  he 
stopped  at  a  telegraph  office,  wrote  a  message,  and 
handed  it  to  the  clerk  to  send.  Instead  of  turning 
at  once  to  his  instrument,  the  man  studied  Mr. 
Field  intently,  and  then  said,"  Are  you  the  original 
Cyrus  ?" 

On  his  return  home  he  was  much  interested  in 
the  Presidential  election ;  but  he  accepted  the  re- 
sult quietly,  and  wrote  to  a  friend  : 

"  I  thank  you  for  what  you  say  in  regard  to  the  election. 
Whoever  has  received  a  majority  of  the  votes  will  be  declared 
elected.  I  do  not  know  of  an}'  human  being  who  wishes  to 
defeat  the  popular  will  -when  known.  In  my  own  opinion, 
no  one  can  tell  who  is  elected  until  after  the  official  count." 

This  year  was  that  of  the  long  and  painful  ill- 
ness and  affecting  death  of  General  Grant.  Mr. 
Field's  sympathy  with  the  sufferer  was  intense,  and 


312  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

it  was  with  regret  that  he  received  this  letter,  and 
also  one  from  one  of  General  Grant's  sons,  to  which 
he  refers  in  his  answer  : 

"New  York  City,  January  6, 1885. 
"  My  dear  Sir, — Through  the  press  and  otherwise  I  learn 
that  you,  with  a  few  other  friends  of  mine,  are  engaged  in 
raising  a  subscription  for  my  benefit.  I  appreciate  both  the 
motive  and  the  friendsliip  which  have  dictated  this  course  on 
your  part, but,  on  mature  reflection,  I  regard  it  as  due  to  my- 
self and  family  to  decline  this  proffered  generosity. 
"  I  regret  that  I  did  not  make  this  known  earlier. 

"  Verj'  truly  yours, 

"U.  S.Grant. 
"  Cykus  W.  Field,  Esq." 


"  Wi  January,  1885. 
"  My  dear  General  Grant, — I  have  this  moment  received 
your  letter  of  this  dpte,  and  I  shall,  as  requested  in  the  letter 
from  j'our  son,  send  a  copy  immediately  to  Messrs.  A.  J. 
Drexel  and  George  W.  Childs,  of  Philadelphia  ;  to  General 
W.  T.  Sherman,  St.  Louis,  and  Mr.  E.  F.  Beale,  of  Washing- 
ton. 

"  I  have  for  several  daj'S  been  very  anxious  to  call  and  see 
you,  but  have  been  prevented  by  press  of  business  and  a  se- 
vere cold. 

"  With  great  respect,  I  remain, 

"  Dear  General  Grant, 

"  Very  truly  your  friend, 

""Cyrus  W.  Field." 

He  was  in  London  part  of  the  summer  of  1885, 
and  the  extracts  that  follow  are  made  from  a  letter 
written  to  the  New  York  Tribune  by  Mr.  Smalley 
on  July  5th,  in  which  he  gives  an  account  of  the 
Fourth  in  London,  and  of  a  dinner  given  on  the 
evening  of  that  day.  There  were  but  thirty  pres- 
ent, and  only  eight  Americans. 

"The  toast  of  the  evening  was  proposed  by  Mr.  Field, 
and  responded  to  first  by  the  American  minister  and  then  by 
the  Duke  of  Argyll.     Mr.  Phelps's  speech  had  the  one  fault 


THE   PACIFIC   CABLE— THE   GOLDEN  WEDDING    313 

of  being  too  brief.  All  he  said  was  to  tlie  point,  and  was 
said  with  genuine  feeling  and  in  good  taste.  The  duke  has 
grown  to  be  a  venerable  figure.  ...  He  spealis  to-night  with 
a  depth  of  regard  for  America  and  Americans  whicli  goes 
straight  to  every  American  Iieart.  The  best  friends  of  his 
life,  he  tells  us,  have  been  Americans  —  Prescott,  Charles 
Sumner,  Motley,  Longfellow,  and  his  liost,  Jlr.  Cyrus  Field. 
He  has  brought  baciv  vivid  memories  of  Iiis  brief  visit  to 
America,  and  paints  for  us  one  or  two  vivid  pictures  of 
American  scenery  and  American  life.  He  rejoices  in  our 
joy ;  in  our  independence  ;  in  the  triumph  of  tlie  Union  over 
the  rebellion  ;  iu  the  triumph  we  have  since  won  liere  in 
England  over  English  unfiiendliuess.  And  he  says,  truly, 
that  it  is  difficult  now  to  find  an  Englishman  who  is  not  con- 
vinced lie  was  on  our  side  all  the  time. 

"  Mr.  Bright  followed.  He  is  seldom  heard  in  these  days. 
...  He  gave  us  of  his  best.  He  went  back  to  the  days  of  the 
civil  war,  when,  as  he  told  us,  and  as  I  have  heard  him  say  oft- 
en, he  used  to  spend  the  week  in  anxious  expectation  of  the 
news  which  the  Saturday  steamer  was  to  bring  of  events  in 
America.  I  forget  whether  it  was  in  this  speech  or  later  in  the 
evening  that  Mr.  Bright  described  the  emotion  with  which 
he  received  the  tidings  of  the  defeat  of  Bull  Run.  At  the 
first  moment  he  thought,  as  so  many  of  us  in  America  thought 
at  the  first  moment,  that  all  was  over.  '  No  calamity  ever 
seemed  to  me  greater,'  said  this  English  friend  of  America. 
The  ultimate  victory  of  freedom  over  slavery  filled  liis  life 
with  happiness.  ...  If  anything  could  make  us  free-traders 
it  might  well  be  Mr.  Bright's  eloquence,  and  his  unequalled 
power  of  seeing  the  one  side  of  the  question  in  which  his 
faith  is  so  fervent.  As  long  as  I  hear  Jiis  voice  I  suspend 
my  convictions.  .  .  . 

"  This  dinner  of  Mr.  Cyrus  Field'.s,  though  private  in  one 
sense,  was  pretty  fully  reported  in  the  London  papers.  .  .  . 
Mr.  Field's  health  was  proposed  by  the  Duke  of  Argyll,  and 
drunk  with  all  the  honors.  Telegrams  were  read  to  and  from 
General  Grant  and  the  President  of  the  United  States." 

Just  a  month  later  Mr.  Phelps,  then  American 
minister  in  London,  wrote  to  Mr.  Field  : 

"  You  will  be  glad  to  know  that  I  have  a  message  from 
the  Queen,  who  desires  to  send  a  representation  to  our  ser- 


314  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

vice.    I  have  also  a  telegiam  that  Mr.  Gladstoue  will  attend, 
and  Lord  Harrowby,  Lord  Privy  Seal,  for  the  government." 

The  service  referred  to  was  the  eulogy  on  Gen- 
eral Grant,  delivered  at  Westminster  Abbey,  on 
August  -ith,  by  Archbishop  Farrar. 

To  this  service  these  two  letters  also  refer : 

"  August  Q,  1885. 

"  Ml/  dear  Mr.  Field., — I  had  a  long  search  for  you  among 
the  crowds  at  Westminster,  after  the  service,  when  1  found 
that  you  were  not  among  those  bound  to  the  dean's  lodging, 
but  failed  to  find  )ou,  and  I  therefore  write  a  line  to  thank 
j'ou  for  having  asked  me  to  attend  the  service  in  memory  of 
our  great  friend,  as  I  was  grateful  for  the  opportunity  to  be 
again  among  so  many  of  your  countrj'men,  and  to  do  honor 
to  the  memorj'  of  a  most  remarkable  citizen. 

"I  thiuk  Farrar's  oration  was  excellent,  and  the  place — 
the  common  shrine  of  so  much  of  our  past  glories,  to  which 
both  nations  can  equally  look  witii  pride  —  a  very  fitting 
one  for  the  expression  of  our  common  mourning. 
"  Believe  me,  dear  Mr.  Field, 

"  Yours  very  truly, 

"  LORNE." 

This  is  from  Professor  Eoswell  D.  Hitchcock,  of 
the  Union  Theological  Seminary  in  New  York  : 

"  I  hardly  need  say  how  glad  I  am  that  such  a  service  has 
been  provided  for.  Your  countrymen  owe  you  much  grati- 
tude for  the  lead  you  have  taken  in  the  matter." 

It  was  after  his  return  home  this  year  that  this 
telegraphic  correspondence  occurred  between  him 
and  his  brothers  and  Mr.  George  Bancroft,  then  at 
Newport : 

"Most  hearty  congratulations  on  your  eiglity-fifth  birth- 
day—  congratulations  which  we  hope  to  renew  for  many 
years  to  come. 

"  David,  Stephen,  Cykus,  and  Henry  Field." 


THE   PACIFIC   CABLE— THE   GOLDEN   WEDDING  315 

'■'Dear  David,  Stephen,  Cynis,  and  Henry  FUid, — Thauksfor 
your  good-will,  and  wiieu  I  am  gone  keep  the  departed  trav- 
eller kindly  in  memory. 

"  Ever  yours, 

' '  George  Bancroft. 

"Wi  October." 

Mr.  Field  was  again  in  London  in  1886,  and  was 
at  a  dinner  given  on  July  16th  by  the  Liberal  Clnb 
to  Mr.  Chesson,  who,  in  his  speech,  said  : 

"My  personal  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Field  dates  back 
for  more  than  twenty  years — from  the  period  when  the  first 
Atlantic  cable  was  laid  ;  and  I  had  reason  then,  as  I  have 
had  greater  reason  since,  to  admire  his  indomitable  persever- 
ance, his  unwearied  patience,  and  his  great  ability.  I  was 
for  a  time  on  board  the  Great  Eastern  with  him  in  1866, 
when  the  Atlantic  cable  was  successfully  laid  and  permanent 
telegraphic  communication  established  between  the  two  con- 
tinents. I  saw  him  daily,  and  held  constant  social  inter- 
course with  him  until  the  splicing  of  the  shore  end  of  the 
cable  with  the  huge  coil  which  tilled  the  vast  tank  of  the 
Great  Eastern  took  place ;  and  I  noticed  that  there  was  noth- 
ing in  his  demeanor  to  distinguish  him  from  other  persons  on 
board,  although  when  some  of  us  cast  wistful  looks  at  the 
big  tank  we  knew  that  it  contained  all  his  worldly  goods, 
and,  for  aught  he  knew  to  the  contrary,  his  fortune  was  des- 
tined to  be  buried,  with  the  cable,  at  the  bottom  of  the  At- 
lantic." 

The  last  of  August  and  part  of  September  this 
year  were  spent  in  another  journey  to  the  Pacific 
coast,  in  which  he  was  much  impressed  with  the 
marvellous  beauty  of  the  Canadian  road. 

From  a  New  York  paper  of  November,  1886,  this 
is  taken : 

"  Mr.  Field  has  fought  almost  since  the  very  beginning  of 
the  system  as  a  public  conve5'ance  for  a  uniform  charge  of 
five  cents  at  all  hours  for  passengers  on  all  the  New  York 
elevated  lines,  and  the  morning  of  the  1st  of  October,  1886, 


316  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

first  saw  the  complete  victory  which  attended  his  effort  in 
this  direction." 

When,  ill  1882,  he  bought  a  large  tract  of  laud  in 
the  valley  of  the  Saw  Mill  Eiver,  adjoining  on  the 
east  his  home  at  Irvington,  he  intended  building 
there  a  number  of  small  but  comfortable  houses 
for  working-men.  Around  each  house  he  proposed 
that  there  should  be  a  jilot  of  ground,  and  the  rent 
was  to  be  from  ten  to  twenty  dollars  a  month  for 
house  and  land.  The  building  of  the  new  aqueduct 
made  it  impossible  for  him  to  carry  out  at  once  this 
project,  and  before  the  aqueduct  was  completed  he 
suffered,  in  1887,  heavy  financial  losses  from  the 
sudden  decline  of  the  stock  of  the  New  York  ele- 
vated roads,  in  which  he  was  so  largely  interested. 

The  last  message  that  passed  between  Mr,  Field 
and  Mr.  Bright  was  on  the  11th  of  December,  1888, 
when  he  cabled  : 

"  The  Right  Hon.  John  Bright, — Your  friends  in  America 
read  with  interest  the  news  that  comes  daily  from  your 
sicli-room.  Accept  the  affectionate  remembrance  of  one 
who  has  known  and  loved  3-ou  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a 
century. 

"  It  may  comfort  you  in  your  long  illness  to  know  that 
your  name  is  on  the  lips  and  in  the  hearts  of  millions  on  this 
side  of  the  Atlantic,  who  can  never  forget  how  you  stood  by 
the  cause  of  their  country. 

"Cyrus  W.  Field." 

December  2,  1890,  was  a  day  that  his  family  had 
long  looked  forward  to.  It  was  on  this  day  that 
these  messages  and  telegrams  were  received,  and 
that  many  friends  came  to  offer  their  congratula- 
tions. Among  the  messages  of  good-will  was  this 
poem  from  President  Henry  Morton,  of  the  Stevens 
Institute : 


THE   PACIFIC   CABLE— THE   GOLDEN  WEDDING    317 
"MR.   AND   MRS.    CYRUS   W.   FIELD 

ON  THE  FIFTIETH  ANNIVERSABY  OP  THEIR  MARRIAGE 

"  Golden  light  the  sun  is  shedding, 
Ushering  in  this  golden  wedding, 
As  he  did  on  that  bright  day 
Fifty  golden  years  away. 
Then  as  now  the  'golden  flowers,' 
Lingering  after  summer's  hours, 
The  chrysanthemums,  foretold 
Anniversary  of  gold. 
Golden  love  and  golden  truth 
To  gold  age  from  golden  youth. 
In  the  tire  of  life,  thrice  tried. 
Pure  themselves,  j'et  purified 
By  the  sorrows  borne  together. 
By  the  stress  of  stormy  w'eather ; 
This  pure  gold,  outlasting  earth, 
Proves  its  own  celestial  birth, 
And  shall  shine  with  golden  light, 
Star-like,  from  heaven's  dome  of  night." 


"Cyrus  W.  Field,  Esq.,  Gramercy  Park,  New  York: 

''Dear  Sir, — We,  the  undersigned,  who  have  known  you 
for  many  j'ears,  and  some  of  whom  have  been  long  and  inti- 
mately associated  with  you,  desire  to  express  to  you  and  to 
your  amiable  and  devoted  wife  our  earnest  and  heartfelt  con- 
gratulations on  your  golden-wedding  day,  the  2d  of  Decem- 
ber, 1890. 

"We  earnestly  wish  you  both  many  j-ears  of  health  and 
happiness,  enjoying  the  fruits  of  your  useful  and  well-spent 
lives,  and  seeing  on  every  side  the  wide-spreading  develop- 
ment of  the  submarine  telegraph  enterprise  in  which  you,  Mr. 
Field,  have  labored  so  long,  so  zealously,  and  so  successfully. 
This  great  work,  pursued  hy  you  with  unflagging  energy 
and  perseverance  for  many  years,  through  the  greatest  diffi- 
culties and  hinderauces,  has  now  become  a  first  necessity  of 
national  and  commercial  life,  and  you  have  tlie  profound  sat- 
isfaction of  knowing  that  its  object  and  its  results  are,  and 
ever  have  been,  peaceable  and  beneficent  in  their  character. 
"  We  ask  you  to  accept  this  message  of  our  good- will  and 


318 


CYRUS   W.  FIELD 


good  wishes,  which  will  be  sent  to  you  both  over  and  under 
the  sea.  Verj^  faithfully  yours, 


'  Argyll, 
Frederic  W.  Farrar, 
Mouck, 

W.  E.  Gladstone, 
W.  H.  Russell, 
Douglas  Gallon, 
Tweeddale, 
Ilemy  C.  Forde, 
"W.  Andrews, 
H.  Weaver, 
G.  von  Chauvin, 
J.  H.  Carson, 
Samuel  Canning, 
Richard  C.  Mayne, 
C.  W.  Earle, 
Catherine  Gladstone, 
J.  S.  Forbes, 

Caroline  Roberts  Van  Wart, 
G.  W.  Smalley, 
Gerald  Hai-per, 
William  Barber, 
L.  M.  Rate, 
John  Muirhead, 
George  Draper, 
Richard  Collett, 
W.  Leatham  Bright, 
Latimer  Clark, 
R.  T.  Brown, 

F.  A.  Bevan, 
H.  D.  Gooch, 
W.  Thomson, 

G.  Shaw  Lefevre, 

J.  Russell  Reynolds, 

John  Pender, 

James  Anderson, 

W.  Cunard, 

William  Ford, 

George  Elliot, 

George  Henry  Richards, 

W.  Shuter, 

Henry  Clifford, 

Willoughby  Smith, 


W.  S.  Cunard, 

Julius  Renter, 

H.  A.  C.  Saunders, 

G.  W.  Campbell, 

H.  M.  Stanley,  of  Alderley, 

John  H.  Puleston, 

George  Cox  Bompas, 

James  Stern, 

H.  L.  Bischoffsheim, 

Louis  Floersheim, 

T.  H.  Wells, 

J.  H.  Tritton, 

W.  H.  Preece. 

C.  V.  DeSauly, 

George  Grove, 

Jane  Cobden, 

Thomas  B.  Potter, 

Charles  Burt, 

Margaret  Anderson, 

Robert  C.  Halpin, 

Edward  Satterthwaite, 

Frank  H.  Hill, 

J.  C.  Parkinson, 

William  Pay  ton, 

Henry  Dever, 

Kenneth  L.  M.  Anderson, 

Charles  W.  Stronge, 

Oscar  Wilde, 

Lewis  Wells, 

John  G.  Griffiths, 

Robert  Dudley, 

Emily  F.  Lloyd, 

Ch.  Gerhardi, 

W.  T.  An  sell, 

Julian  Goldsmid, 

John  Chatterton, 

Frances  Baillie, 

Constance  Wilde, 

B.  Smith, 

John  Temple, 

Montague  McMurdo, 

Philip  Rawson." 


THE   PACIFIC   CABLE— THE   GOLDEN  WEDDING    319 

"WixcHESTER  House, 

"50  Old  Broad  Street, 

"  London,  December  3,  1890. 

"  My  dear  Mr.  Field, — It  came  to  my  knowledge  last  month 
that  the  2d  of  December  was  the  golden-wedding  day  of 
Mrs.  Field  and  yourself.  It  happened  when  we  were  in 
Paris  at  the  telegiaph  conference  in  the  month  of  June 
tliat  my  birtliday  occurred,  aged  sixty-six.  (Is  it  not  terrible 
that  one  should  be  so  old  't)  But  it  was  also  fifty  years  since 
I  went  to  sea  as  a  sailor  boj%  and  it  was  just  twentj'-five 
years  since  we  made  our  first  voyage  in  the  Oreat  Eastern. 

"Mr.  Charles  Burt,  who  was  in  Paris  representing  the 
Anglo-American  Companj',  was  kind  enough  to  get  up  a  din- 
ner in  my  honor,  and  I  was  presented  with  an  illuminated 
memorial  or  address.  It  occurred  to  me  that  it  would  be  a 
pleasing  act  on  our  part  to  get  up  a  similar  address  upon  the 
occasion  of  your  golden  wedding,  and  no  do\ibt  you  would 
have  the  result  yesterday. 

"Mr.  Charles  Burt  and  the  staff  of  the  Anglo  have  cordially 
done  all  they  could  to  get  as  many  names  as  we  could  recall, 
but  as  they  are  a  good  deal  scattered  it  has  taken  more  time 
than  we  anticipated.  Then,  oh,  how^  many  have  passed  away  ! 
It  is  like  calling  the  roll  after  a  battle — so  few  could  be  found. 
We  are  to-day  trying  to  get  at  a  few  more,  who  w^e  feel 
sure  would  like  to  add  their  names.  I  was  looking  up  Sir 
"William  Drake,  but  he  was  too  ill,  and  died  this  morning.  .  .  . 

"Now,  my  dear  Mr.  Field,  let  me  once  more  wish  Mrs. 
Field  and  yourself  every  sort  of  kind  good  wish.  The  days 
and  years  are  rolling  away,  and  we  may  well  cling  to  the 
memory  of  exciting  and  active  days  when  we  were  twenty- 
five  to  thirty  years  younger  and  the  future  filled  with  ner- 
vous uncertainties. 

"Always  yours  sincerely, 

"James  Anderson." 


'In  the  glow  of  the  morning  was  the  song  of  rejoicing, 

Ye  twain  are  now  one  till  death  shall  you  part ; 
In  the  calm  of  the  evening  is  the  song  of  thanksgiving. 
Ye  twain  are  still  one  in  life  and  in  heart. 

'It  was  faith  in  the  morning,  it  is  knowledge  this  evening. 
We  sang  of  the  future,  we  sing  of  the  past ; 


320  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

But  this  jubilee  hour  finds  the  refrain  unchanging, 
We  twain  are  still  one,  only  one  at  the  last. 

"We  wait  in  the  evening  for  the  dawn  of  the  morrow, 
But  the  song  of  our  lives  will  not  end  with  the  day 
'Midst  the  music  celestial  hear  the  anthem  of  glory — 
We  twain  are  still  one,  for  ever  and  aye." 

D.  J.  B. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

LAST  DAYS  AND  DEATH — IN  MESIORIAM 

(1891-1892) 

The  golden  wedding  was  to  be  almost  the  last 
gleam  of  brightness  and  happiness  that  came  to  the 
home  of  Mr,  Field.  It  was  in  March,  1890,  that  his 
children  had  been  told  that  any  sudden  excitement 
might  end  his  life,  and  in  April,  1891,  they  realized 
that  their  mother's  illness  must  soon  come  to  a  fatal 
termination.  Both  father  and  mother  were  watched 
with  eager  solicitude  throughout  the  summer  of 
1891. 

The  family  dined  together  for  the  last  time  on 
the  28th  of  August  in  that  year — Mrs.  Field's  birth- 
day— and  her  brother-in-law,  Mr.  David  Dudley 
Field,  proposed  her  health  and  gave  this  toast : 
"Mary  Stone  Field,  the  wife  of  Cyrus  W.  Field, 
the  mother  of  seven  children  and  of  sixteen  grand- 
children, a  perfect  wife,  a  perfect  mother,  a  perfect 
grandmother.     GJ^od  bless  her." 

It  was  on  the  23d  of  November  that  Mrs.  Field  died. 
An  old  friend  writes  of  the  married  life  thus  ended  : 

"  Oh,  -n-hat  a  family  theirs  was— so  loving,  considerate, 
and  true !  How  many  hearts  must  be  full  of  gratitude  to  them 
and  all  their  benevolence  !  For  theirs  was  true  charity  '  that 
vaunteth  not  itself,"  not  letting  the  left  hand  know  what  the 
right  hand  doeth." 

21 


322  CYRUS    W.  FIELD 

And  of  her  the  Rev.  Dr.  Arthur  Brooks  wrote  iu 
The  Ghurcliman : 

"Mrs.  Cyrus  W.  Field  was  one  whose  death  has  been  felt 
as  a  great  loss  in  Xew  York  City.  By  those  who  have  shared 
her  gracious,  kindly,  and  intelligent  hospitality  she  will 
never  be  forgotten. 

"  For  her  large  charit}',  wide  information,  quick  memory, 
and  unfailing  tact  made  her  the  warm  friend  of  all  who  met 
her.  The  position  in  which  her  life  placed  her  was  one  which 
made  great  demands,  and  she  met  them  all.  As  the  centre 
of  a  large  family  circle,  involving  wide  and  important  inter- 
ests, and  also  as  the  intimate  friend  of  men  and  women  of 
leading  position,  she  never  failed  to  manifest  the  readj'  wis- 
dom and  large  sympathy  for  which  each  occasion  called. 
She  was  cahn  under  all  trouble,  reasonable  iu  all  perplexity, 
and  thankful  in  all  happiness. 

"  Mrs.  Field's  earnest  and  deep  religious  spirit  was  recog- 
nized by  her  intimate  friends  as  the  foundation  of  those  graces 
which  were  evident  to  all.  Her  Christian  faith  was  eminently 
strong  and  simple.  It  grew  as  the  emergencies  of  life  called 
for  its  exercise,  and  her  intelligence  and  information  were  in 
the  closest  relation  with  her  faith  at  all  times.  Her  love  for 
nature  and  her  knowledge  of  trees  and  flowers  were  re- 
markable, and,  to  those  who  did  not  know  her  deep  and  large 
nature,  surprising  in  one  whose  life  in  the  city  was  so  en- 
grossing. Her  interest  in  missionary  undertakings  was  equal- 
ly marked;  it  laid  hold  of  her  large  experiences  as  a  traveller 
in  all  parts  of  the  world,  and  made  them  helpful  to  a  large 
understanding  of  all  movements  in  foreign  lands. 

"One  recalls  with  constant  pleasure  all  the  circumstances 
of  so  large,  devoted,  and  refined  a  life,  which,  wherever  it 
moved,  brought  new  brightness  and  larger  confidence  and 
deeper  faith.  Her  passage  from  this  world  to  the  larger 
realm  of  the  life  which  is  unseen  is  but  the  farther  expan- 
sion under  perfect  conditions  of  the  character  which,  while 
it  was  amongst  us,  was  ever  going  from  strength  to  strength." 

It  was  at  this  time  that  disasters  iu  business  and 
calamities  that  were  calculated  to  affect  him  far 
more  keenly  fell  upon  him,  and  what  remained  of 
his  life  was  full  of  great  anguish,  both  mental  and 


LAST   DAYS   AND    DEATH— IX    MEMORIAM         323 

physical.  On  liis  seventy-second  birthday,  Novem- 
ber 30th,  he  found  that  of  the  fortunes  that  he  had 
invested  in  the  Atlantic  cables,  the  elevated  roads, 
and  the  "Washington  Building,  but  one  thousand 
pounds  of  Anglo-American  cable  stock  remained, 
and  had  it  not  been  for  the  kindness  of  his  friend 
Mr.  J.  Pierpont  Morgan,  he  could  not  in  May,  1893, 
have  gone  to  his  country  home.  It  was  Mr.  Morgan 
also  who  advanced  the  necessary  money  to  keep  in 
force  the  premium  on  Mr.  Field's  life-insurance 
policies.  That  in  the  New  York  Mutual  Insurance 
Company  had  been  taken  out  in  1843,  and  was 
number  421.  It  was  thought  that  the  change  to 
the  country  would  benefit  him,  but  in  fact  it  only 
increased  his  distress  and  his  weakness.  Early  on 
the  morning  of  July  12th  his  family  were  called, 
and  watched  by  his  side  from  half-past  four  until 
ten  minutes  before  ten,  when  the  rest  he  so  longed 
for  was  given.  It  was  with  a  prayer  of  thanksgiv- 
ing that  they  laid  his  tired  head  back  on  his  pillow. 
During  those  long  hours  he  had  spoken  but  once, 
and  that  Avas  to  ask  for  air,  but  his  loving  eyes  fol- 
lowed them  almost  to  the  end. 

From  the  New  York  Tribune  of  July  loth  these 
sentences  are  copied  : 

' '  As  simple  and  as  unostentatious  as  he  would  have  wished 
was  the  funeral  of  Cyrus  "W.  Field,  which  was  lield  yester- 
day. There  was  no  eulogy,  and  there  were  few  floral  trib- 
utes.    The  simple  Protestant  Episcopal  service  was  read." 

He  was  buried  in  Stockbridge. 
Some  mention  of  his  personal  traits  may  not  be 
unwelcome  here. 

His   disposition  was   sunny  and   genial,  and  he 


324  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

thoroughly  enjoyed  his  home.  All  his  life  he  was 
subject  to  periods  of  depression,  but  they  were 
quickly  over,  and,  in  connection  with  the  trials  that 
come  to  all,  he  would  say  that  this  or  that  had  been 
for  the  best,  and  that  it  had  brought  with  it  good 
results.  When  asked  how  he  was  his  answer  in- 
variably was,  "Jolly,"  and  his  telegrams  ended  with 
the  words  "All  well,"  or,  "In  good  health  and 
spirits." 

His  love  for  children  was  great.  No  matter  how 
forlorn  or  poor  the  child  was,  he  would  stop  and 
speak  to  it,  and  offer  to  buy  the  little  one,  and  as- 
sure it  that  it  was  "an  angel  baby."  And  he  delight- 
ed to  gather  his  family  and  friends  around  him. 
Both  summer  and  vvinter  he  was  up  by  six  o'clock, 
and  by  seven  was  in  his  library.  It  was  there  that 
he  planned  his  work  for  the  day.  Each  morn- 
ing a  list  was  made  of  those  he  wished  to  see  and 
the  order  in  which  he  desired  to  meet  each  one, 
and  this  list  was  placed  in  his  hat  on  his  way  to 
breakfast.  That  meal  was  served  at  the  instant ; 
and  once  when  reproached  for  not  having  waited 
until  all  were  at  the  table,  he  answered  that  he  could 
not  afford  to  lose  ten  minutes  in  the  morning,  for 
that  meant  seventy  in  a  week,  or  rather  sixty  hours, 
two  and  a  half  full  days,  in  the  year.  Telegrams  or 
letters  received  late  in  the  evening  were  placed  on 
his  desk  unopened.  He  would  say,  "If  they  bring 
me  bad  news  I  shall  not  sleep  if  I  read  them,  and 
if  the  news  is  good  it  will  keep  until  morning." 

Letters  that  if  seen  would  cause  others  pain  or 
might  be  misunderstood  were  instantly  destroyed. 
Questions  put  to  him  that  it  would  be  indiscreet  to 
answer  were  apparently  not  heard. 


LAST   DAYS   AND   DEATH— IN   MEMORIAM        325 

An  important  paper  was  never  thrust  loosely  into 
his  pocket,  but  was  placed  in  an  envelope  and  his 
name  and  address  distinctly  written  upon  it ;  the 
same  care  was  given  to  any  package  that  he  carried. 
His  reason  for  so  doing  was  that  if,  after  having  taken 
this  precaution,  he  lost  either  paper  or  package,  it 
would  be  at  once  returned  to  him. 

His  quick  and  energetic  manner  often  amused 
his  guests,  and  when  a  friend  was  with  him  in  1885, 
he  said,  "  It  seemed  like  living  on  the  top  of  a  'bus.'' 
On  Sunday  evening,  in  reply  to  the  question  as  to 
whether  or  no  he  would  be  obliged  to  leave  the 
next  morning,  this  guest  said  :  ''I  shall  go  to  town 
with  you  Mr.  Field.  At  what  hour  do  you  break- 
fast ?"  The  answer  surprised  him:  "At  half-past 
seven  o'clock  sharp."  The  reply  was  :  "I  am  ready 
now."     It  was  then  past  eleven. 

These  extracts  are  taken  from  two  of  Mr.  Smal- 
ley's  letters  sent  from  London  to  the  New  York 
Tribune: 

"Those  in  England  who  regret  the  great  American's  death 
on  the  groiinds  of  private  affection  are  many,  and  among 
them  some  of  the  best  and  most  prominent  Englishmen  now 
living.  .  .  . 

"Mr.  Cyrus  Field  was  at  one  time  almost  as  well  known 
in  London  as  in  New  York.  The  tributes  now  paid  him 
show  that  he  was  not  forgotten  in  the  later  years  of  his  life, 
and  that  such  misfortunes  as  befell  him  did  not  shake  his 
hold  on  his  English  friendships.  Of  these  he  had  a  consider- 
able number  among  the  most  eminent  men  in  England.  3Ir. 
Gladstone  was  one,  Mr.  Bright  and  the  Duke  of  Argyll  were 
two  others.  These  relations  lasted  for  many  years.  They 
lusted  in  Mr.  Bright's  case  till  his  death,  and  there  was  be- 
tween him  and  Mr.  Field  something  which  might  be  called 
affection.  The  great  orator  spoke  of  the  great  American  in 
terms  which  he  did  not  bestow  lavishly,  and  never  bestowed 
carelessly.     His  respect   for  Mr.   Field's  public  work  was 


326  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

sufflcientl}-  sbowu  in  the  splendid  eulog}-  lie  passed  upon  Lim. 
To  be  called  by  such  a  man  as  Mr.  Bright  the  Columbus  of 
the  nineteenth  century  is  renown  enough  for  any  man.  The 
epithet  is  imperishable.  It  is,  as  Thackeray  said  of  a  similar 
tribute  to  Fielding  in  Gibbon,  like  having  your  name  written 
on  the  dome  of  St.  Peter's.  The  world  knows  it,  and  the 
Avorld  remembers.  1  heard  Mr.  Bright  use  the  phrase,  and 
he  adorned  and  emphasized  it  in  his  noblest  tones.  He  had, 
indeed,  a  deep  regard  for  great  service  done  to  the  public, 
and  for  the  doer  of  it,  and  he  did  not  stint  his  acknowledg- 
ments. He  was  great  enough  to  be  willing  to  acknowledge 
greatness  in  others.  Mr.  Cyrus  Field,  for  his  part,  returned 
the  good- will  shown  him  with  fulness.  He  took  a  great 
pleasure  in  such  friendships  as  these  I  have  named.  To 
secure  Mr.  Bright  as  a  speaker  at  one  of  his  dinners  was  a 
delight  to  him  ;  and  Mr.  Bright  made  at  least  one  of  bis 
most  admirable  speeches  on  such  an  occasion.  .  .  .  Even 
those  who  thought  Mr.  Cyrus  Field  somewhat  masterful  in 
business  matters  could  not  overcome  their  liking  for  the 
man.  I  have  in  mind  one  or  two  men,  famous  in  telegraphy, 
■who  resented  very  strongly  Mr.  Field's  handling  of  certain 
matters,  and  said  strong  things  about  it.  I  do  not  know 
whether  be  was  right  or  whether  they  were  right,  nor  does  it 
matter.  The  point  is  that  these  very  men  remained  attached 
to  him,  and  were  among  bis  friends  to  the  last  in  England. 
The  secret  of  his  power  of  winning  over  men  might  be 
diflBcult  to  define.  Whatever  it  was,  he  possessed  it  in  no 
ordinary  degree.  He  bad  an  affectionate  and  persuasive 
manner.  No  doubt,  I  think,  ever  crossed  his  mind  that  his 
aim,  whatever  it  might  be,  was  a  right  one.  This  conviction, 
arising  in  his  own  breast,  he  was  able  to  impart  to  others. 
That  is  not  an  explanation  of  tbe  mystery,  it  is  only  another 
way  of  stating  it. 

"He  seemed  to  me  never  to  forget  a  friend,  whether  in 
prosperity  or  adversity.  If,  as  his  adversaries  sometimes 
asserted  after  their  defeat,  he  was  hard  in  business  matters, 
that  is  only  what  must  be  said  of  all  successful  men  of  busi- 
ness". It  is  a  condition  of  success.  He  none  the  less  bad 
fine  and  generous  impulses,  and,  unlike  some  otheii!,  acted 
on  them.  A  good  impulse  unacted  on  seldom  seems  to  be  of 
any  particular  use  to  anj'bodj' — least  of  all  to  bim  Avbo  con- 
trols it.  There  was  in  Mr.  Field  none  of  that  cynicism 
which  led  Talleyrand  to  say  you  must  suspect  your  first 


LAST    DAYS    AND   DEATH— IX   ilEMORlAil         327 

impulse,  because  it  is  general!}'  a  good  one.     He  was  not 
cynical,  whatever  else  he  was. 

"Pie  made  himself  liked,  or  rather  he  was  liked  whether 
he  tried  to  be  or  not.  He  was  genial,  serviceable ;  liked  to 
do  a  kind  thing,  and  to  give  pleasure.  His  sterner  and  more 
efficient  traits  of  character  are  known  to  everybod}'  ;  on 
Ihem  there  is  no  need  to  dwell.  Every  message  that  flashes 
through  the  Atlantic  cables  is  his  eulogy.  His  virtues  are 
written  in  water  in  a  new  sense  ;  and  the  memory  of  his  in- 
domitable courage  ;  of  his  just  sense  of  the  right  means  to 
the  right  end ;  of  his  enthusiasm,  and  of  his  power  of  gen- 
erating enthusiasm  in  others  ;  of  his  fortitude  ;  of  his  wise 
generalship  ;  of  his  large  views,  and  of  much  else,  will  en- 
dure." 

Tlie  next  extract  is  taken  from  the  report  of  the 
Century  Club  for  1892.  It  was  written  by  Judge 
Howland,  the  secretary  of  the  Century : 

"  The  name  of  Cyrus  W.  Field  is  worthy  of  association  with 
those  of  Fulton,  Stephenson,  Morse,  and  Ericsson  as  bene- 
factors to  mankind.  Inheriting  from  a  vigorous  ancestry  a 
capacity,  energy,  and  perseverance  that  would  brook  no 
obstacles — cbaracteristic  of  other  members  of  his  family  as 
well — he  strode  from  poverty  to  wealth,  through  various 
vicissitudes,  but  with  unstained  integrilj-.  Engaged  in 
gigantic  enterprises,  he  stood  on  tiie  brink  of  financial  ruin 
in  promoting  them  ;  endured  failure  on  the  verge  of  success, 
despair  on  the  heels  of  hope,  ridicule  swift  after  praise,  long 
unbroken  ;  wearying  suspense,  varying  with  exaltation  and 
depression,  until  after  thirteen  }'ears  of  doubt  and  trial  and 
tireless  labor  his  triumph  came,  and  with  it  fame  and  the 
honors  of  two  continents.  The  Atlantic  cable  is  a  monument 
to  his  memory  that  shall  endure  wlnle  time  shall  last,  but  as 
the  promoter  of  the  elevated  railroad  in  New  York,  at  a 
time  when  its  feasibility  was  problematical,  success  uncer- 
tain, and  capital  was  timid,  he  is  entitled  no  less  to  the  grate- 
ful memory  of  our  people. 

"Despite  mistakes  (and  who  has  not  made  them?),  what 
single  enterprise  since  the  building  of  the  Erie  Canal  has 
done  more  to  enhance  the  wealth  and  prosperity  of  the 
metropolis  tiian  this  last  monument  to  hrs  foresight  and 
energy  ?    Deceit  and  betrayal  at  various  times  by  his  asso- 


328  CYRUS  W.  FIELD 

ciates  he  bore  without  a  murmur  ;  but  at  the  last,  when 
domestic  sorrows  came  upon  him — not  as  single  spies,  but  in 
battalions — he  sank  beneath  them,  and  our  pit}'  follows  him 
as  did  our  praise." 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  on 
October  6,  1892,  Mr.  Orr  said  : 

"With  sincere  regret  I  announce  the  death  of  seven  of  our 
members  during  the  summer.  Two  were  honorar}'  mem- 
bers, namelj- : 

"Cvrus  W.  Field,  elected  August  21,  1858,  and  died  12th 
July,  'l892. 

"George  William  Curtis,  elected  ]\Iiuxli  5,  1891,  and  died 
31st  August,  1892. 

"As  resolutions  of  respect  and  sympathy  are  to  be  pre- 
sented for  j'our  consideration,  I  beg  permission  to  suspend, 
for  a  short  time,  the  general  order  of  business,  and  call  upon 
Mr.  William  E.  Dodge  co  present  the  resolutions  relative  to 
the  late  Mr.  Field." 

Mr,  Dodge  thereupon  offered  the  following  pre- 
amble and  resolutions : 

"Whereas,  The  death  of  Cyrus  W.  Field  has  removed  from 
this  countr}'  one  of  its  most  di.stinguished  citizens,  and  from 
this  chamber  one  of  its  oldest  and  most  honored  members, 
we  "wish  to  place  on  record  our  sincere  regard  fnr  his  mem- 
ory and  our  esteem  for  liis  invaluable  services  to  the  cause 
of  civiliziition  and  the  progress  of  commerce;  therefore,  be  it 

"  ReHolced,  That  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  State  of 
JiTew  York,  in  common  with  the  citizens  of  all  portions  of 
our  country,  sincerely  mourns  the  death  of  Cyrus  W.  Field, 
the  first  honorarj'  member  of  this  chamber,  as  one  wiio  had 
through  a  long  and  useful  life  been  closely  identified  with 
the  commercial  interests  of  this  cit}',  and  by  his  great  ability, 
tireless  activity,  and  large  achievements,  had  greatly  honored 
the  name  of  American  merchant. 

"  Resolted,  That  by  the  successful  carrying  out  of  tie  proj- 
ect for  uniting  the  Old  World  with  the  Xew  by  the  Atlantic 
cable  he  has  brought  all  nations  into  instant  touch  and 
given  lasting  honor  to  his  name,  as  among  those  who  have 
done  the  world  great  service.     During  the  long  and  weary 


LAST   DAYS  AND   DEATH— IX   MEMORIAM        329 

years  of  discouragement  and  failure  before  this  magnificent 
work  was  accomplished  he  showed  an  undaunted  courage,  a 
fertility  of  resource,  an  unwearied  patience  and  untiring 
ability  for  worli  which  won  the  wonder  and  admiration  of 
two  continents.  The  example  of  his  success  was  at  once 
followed  by  lilie  communication  across  all  seas,  so  that  as 
the  result  of  his  supreme  elTort  the  conditions  of  commer- 
cial and  friendly  intercourse  throughout  the  world  have  been 
changed,  and  instant  communication  made  between  all  na- 
tions. 

"Besolved,  That  we  wish  to  recall  to  our  membership  the 
words  of  eulogy  and  sincere  appreciation  spoken  at  the  brill- 
iant banquet  given  by  this  chamber  to  Mr.  Field  on  the 
final  successful  laying  of  the  cable  more  than  twenty-five 
years  ago,  and  to  indorse  and  emphasize  them  by  our  action 
today. 

"Besolved,  That  as  a  loyal  and  enthusiastic  American,  a 
useful  and  enlightened  citizen,  and  as  a  warm  and  faithful 
friend,  Mr.  Field's  memory  will  always  be  held  sacred  by  all 
who  knew  him  here,  and  his  invaluable  service  to  mankind 
will  make  his  name  honored  in  all  the  civilized  world. 

"Besolved,  That  the  Executive  Committee  be  requested  to 
suggest  to  the  chamber  some  plan  by  which  an  appropriate 
and  lasting  memorial  to  Mr.  Field's  great  work  may  be  pro- 
cured for  this  city. 

"Besolved,  Tliat  a  copy  of  these  resolutions  be  sent  to  the 
family  of  Mr.  Field,  with  the  assurances  of  our  profound 
sympathy  and  regard." 

"  Mr.  President,  in  presenting  these  resolutions  for  your 
consideration  may  I  be  allowed  to  say  a  few  words  as  to  the 
character  and  life  of  our  honored  friend?  Mr.  Field  needs 
no  eulogy.  His  fame  and  his  place  in  histor}'  are  secure. 
The  news  that  comes  to  us  every  morning  from  all  parts  of 
the  world  ;  the  dailj^  quotations  on  which  we  base  our  busi- 
ness action;  the  friendly  messages  which  assure  us  of  tlie  in- 
stant welfare  of  dear  ones  in  far-off  countries,  are  ever-recur- 
ring reminders  of  his  great  genius.  Although  nothing  we 
can  say  will  add  to  tlie  lustre  of  great  deeds,  still  it  is  well 
for  us,  from  time  to  time,  to  refresh  our  memories  as  to  the 
full  meaning  of  the  great  achievements  which  mark  the 
progress  of  the  world.  In  tlie  rush  and  hurry  of  modern 
life,  what  at  first  startles  us  soon  falls  into  the  common- 


330  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

place  and  is  perhaps  uadervalued.  Iii  the  pamphlet  pub- 
lished iu  1866  at  the  time  of  the  banquet  given  to  Mr.  Cyrus 
W.  Field  by  this  chamber,  the  statement  was  made  that  '  the 
success  of  the  Atlantic  telegraph  was  one  of  the  great  events 
of  the  nineteenth  centur}'.'  Historj-  will  point  to  it  as  one 
of  the  landmarks  of  modern  progress.  On  the  morning  after 
the  landing  of  the  cable  at  Valentia  the  London  Times  said : 
'  Since  the  discovery  of  Columbus  nothing  has  been  done  in 
any  degree  comparable  to  the  enlargement  thus  given  to  the 
sphere  of  human  activity.'  This  was  confirmed  by  unani- 
mous statement  of  distinguished  men  and  leading  journals 
in  all  parts  of  the  world. 

"Our  country  was  filled  with  enthusiasm  and  the  world 
with  wonder.  John  Bright,  in  a  splendid  tribute  to  'his 
friend  Cyrus  Field,'  spoke  of  bim  as  '  the  Columbus  of  mod- 
ern times,  who,  by  his  cable,  had  moored  the  New  "World 
alongside  the  Old.'  Mr.  Evarts  said  :  '  Columbus  found  one 
world  and  left  it  two.  Cyrus  W.  Field  found  two  continents 
and  left  them  one.' 

"In  all  the  years  that  have  passed,  this  cord  of  connection 
between  the  Old  "World  and  the  New  has  grown  more  prac- 
tical and  useful,  and  the  old  cities  in  the  far  Eastern  world 
can  now  communicate  with  the  new  cities  of  our  Pacific 
shores  in  a  few  moments  of  time.  "What  will  be  the  result  of 
these  facilities  we  cannot  estimate.  Alreadj'  practical  schemes 
for  the  establishment  of  communication  b}'  telephone  are  un- 
der advisement,  and  it  may  be  but  a  short  time  before  we  can 
converse  with  friends  thousands  of  miles  across  the  sea.      * 

"  We  do  not  claim  for  Mr.  Field  the  discovery  of  the  pos- 
sibilities of  the  cable,  but  it  was  owing  to  his  superb  and  al- 
most superhimian  exertions  that  the  project  was  made  prac- 
ticable. It  is  hard  for  us  to  estimate  the  severe  trials  through 
which  he  pas.sed.  For  nearly  thirteen  years  he  labored  against 
every  obstacle,  cro.ssing  the  ocean  more  thnn  fortj'  times, 
spending  months  with  the  cable  ships  on  the  stormy  Atlantic, 
exhausting  himself  in  the  swamps  and  inland  forests  of  New- 
foundland and  Cape  Breton,  with  alternations  of  hope  and 
fear,  of  success  and  discouragement,  that  would  have  ex- 
hausted almost  any  other  man. 

"  This  was  the  great  work  of  his  life,  but  his  energy,  vig- 
orous thought,  and  executive  ability  enabled  him  to  carry  out 
many  other  business  enterprises,  which  were  of  great  value 
to  this  city  and  country. 


LAST   DAYS   AND   DEATH— IX   MEilORIAM         331 

"He  was  born  of  sturdy  and  choice  New  England  stock. 
His  father,  the  Rev.  Di\  David  Dudley  Field,  was  a  distin- 
guished clergyman  in  Massachusetts,  and  his  grandfather  an 
officer  in  the  Revolution. 

"His  home  training,  in  Xew  England,  was  of  the  liind  that 
has  developed  so  many  able  men  in  the  history  of  our  country. 

"  He  very  early  entered  in  business,  but  a  few  months  after- 
wards, through  no  fault  or  action  of  his,  his  firm  became  in- 
solvent, and  although  from  his  youth  and  small  capital  he  was 
to  a  certain  extent  exempt  from  the  responsibility,  he  showed 
his  nice  sense  of  honor  by  devoting  his  first  earnings  after- 
wards to  the  payment  of  principal  and  interest  of  all  the  debts 
of  the  firm  with  which  he  had  been  connected.  Years  after- 
wards, when  he  had  been  most  successful  in  his  chosen  line 
of  enterprise,  owing  to  the  disturbed  condition  of  affairs  he 
again  became  involved  in  business  difficulties,  but  with  the 
same  pluck  and  courage  he  resumed  his  work,  and  paid  prin- 
cipal and  interest  on  all  his  indebtedness. 

"  But  no  details  of  ordinary  business  could  confine  his  wide 
grasp  of  affairs,  and  he  took  hold  of  telegraph  and  cable  with 
a  faith  and  energy  which  deserved  success. 

"  Time  and  distance  were  as  nothing  to  him  on  carrying 
out  his  projects.  Although  a  loyal  and  enthusiastic  Ameri- 
can, he  was,  in  the  best  sense,  a  '  citizen  of  the  world.'  I  re- 
member meeting  him  many  yeare  ago  in  southern  Europe, 
and  asking  him  to  join  some  excursion  for  the  following  day. 
He  told  me  how  much  pleasure  it  would  give  him,  but  that 
he  unfortunately  had  to  attend  a  meeting  the  next  day.  I 
found  that  he  left  that  night  by  the  fast  express,  and  rushed 
through  to  London  to  spend  two  hours  at  a  meeting  of  a  com- 
mittee, and  without  rest  returned  immediately  to  the  place 
where  I  had  met  him. 

"His  last  years  were  crowded  with  sorrow  and  disappoint- 
ment, under  circumstances  most  pathetic  and  terrible.  In 
all  of  this  he  had  the  warm  sympathy  of  loving  friends  and 
of  all  his  business  associates. 

"I  have  felt  that  the  terrific  strain  upon  his  whole  system 
during  the  thirteen  years  of  trial,  when  the  efforts  were 
being  made  to  lay  the  cable,  with  their  alternations  of  hope 
and  fear  and  the  great  exposure,  told  upon  his  constitution 
more  than  he  knew,  and  that  when  the  reaction  came  he  had 
not,  perhaps,  the  same  clearness  of  vision  and  wise  power  of 
judgment  as  before. 


332  CYRUS   W.  FIELD 

"All  the  disappointment  and  sadness  of  his  later  life  will 
be  forgotten,  and  history  will  only  remember  the  great  loyal 
American,  whose  intense  power  and  large  faith  enabled  him 
to  carry  through  one  of  the  greatest  and  most  beneficial  en- 
terprises the  world  has  ever  known." 


"Ah,  me!  how  dark  the  discipline  of  pain 
Were  not  the  suffering  followed  by  the  sense 
Of  infinite  rest  and  infinite  release! 
This  is  our  consolation  ;  and  again 
A  great  soul  cries  to  us  in  our  suspense  : 
'  I  came  from  martyrdom  unto  this  peace  !' " 


THE  EN^D 


EHODES'S   UNITED   STATES 


History  of  the  United  States  from  the  Compromise 
of  1850.  By  James  Ford  Rhodes.  8vo,  Cloth, 
Uncut  Edges  and  Gilt  Tops.  Vols.  I.  and  II.,  1850- 
1860,  $5  GO;   Vol.  III.,  1860-1862,  $2   50. 

If  there  is  a  book  now  in  course  of  publication  which  supplies 
an  urgent  want,  it  is  the  "History  of  the  United  States  from  the 
Compromise  of  1850,"  by  James  Ford  Rhodes.  ...  It  was  high 
time  that  the  service  herein  rendered  by  the  author  of  this  work 
should  have  been  performed. — JV.  Y.  Sim. 

Mr.  Rhodes's  pages  bring  before  us  a  vivid  picture  of  what  we 
were  forty  years  ago.  .  .  .  The  author's  candid  and  impartial  spirit 
are  as  evident  as  his  intelligence. — y.  Y.  Times. 

In  no  single  publication  can  the  student  of  American  politics 
obtain  a  more  satisfactory  and  reliable  account  of  the  slavery 
agitation  beginning  with  the  Compromise  measures  of  1850  and 
culminating  in  civil  war  a  decade  thereafter  than  in  the  first  two 
volumes  issued  by  Mr.  Rhodes.  .  .  .  The  third  volume,  now  before 
us,  fully  maintains  the  high  character  and  complete  research  of  the 
first  two  volumes. — Philadelphia  Times. 

A  work  which  no  serious  student  of  American  affairs  can  afford 
to  overlook.  In  wealth  of  erudition,  in  breadth  of  view,  in  attain- 
ment of  the  true  historical  perspective,  it  has  qualities  of  obviously 
high  and  impressive  merit,  wliile  in  the  charm  that  comes  from 
graceful  literary  expression  it  has  nothing  to  lose  by  comparison 
with  the  histories  of  the  country  that  have  heretofore  ranked  as 
standard. — Boston  Beacon. 

Volume  III.  is  the  fitting  and  able  sequel  of  the  two  which  have 
preceded  it.  It  is  an  informing  work.  The  author  draws  from  a 
multitude  of  sources,  digests  his  material  well,  and  writes  in  a 
style  that  is  at  once  readable  and  instructive.  .  .  .  Such  a  history  as 
that  which  Mr.  Rhodes  is  furnishing  has  great  and  permanent 
value. —  Observer,  N.  T. 

Mr.  Rhodes  is  a  historian,  not  a  partisan ;  a  chronicler  of  truth, 
not  an  advocate,  yet  possessing  a  style  which  makes  his  chronicles 
interesting  and  refresliing.  Carefully  sifting  his  material,  with  a 
keen  appreciation  of  literary  and  historical  values,  he  has  earned 
a  prominent  place  in  the  ranks  of  American  historians. — Boston 
Advertiser.  

Published  by   HARPER    &    BROTHERS,   New   York 

For  sale  by  all  booksellers,  or  loill  be  sent  by  the  publishers,  carriage  pre- 
paid, on  receipt  of  the  price. 


BIGELOWS   LIFE   OF   TILDEX 


The  Life  of  Saiuuel  J.  Tilden.  By  Johx  Bigelow, 
Author  of  "Life  of  Benjamin  Franklin,"  "France 
and  the  Confederate  Navy,"  Editor  of  "  Writings 
and  Speeches  of  Samuel  J.  Tilden,"  etc.  With  Por- 
traits and  Illustrations.  Two  Volumes.  8vo,  Cloth, 
L'ncut  Edges  and  Gilt  Tops,  $6  00.     [In  a  Box.) 

A  complete  and  vivid  portrait  of  a  memorable  figure  in  the  pub- 
lic life  of  the  Empire  commonwealth  and  of  the  nation,  and  also 
miiteiials  of  great  value  for  the  political  history  of  the  country 
(luring  the  momentous  period  that  intervened  between  1830  and 
] 880— X.  Y.  Sun. 

Mr.  Bigelow's  long  and  close  intimacy  with  Tilden,  and  his  own 
large  experience  in  politics  and  in  authorship,  made  him  naturally 
the  literary  executor  of  his  friend,  as  he  was  a  trustee  of  his  estate. 
The  resulting  biography,  now  before  us,  has  an  assured  historical 
value,  corresponding  to  the  importance  of  Mr.  Tilden's  career. — 
Xation,  N.  Y. 

Intensely  interesting,  because  they  deal  with  things  that  are 
common  to  the  knowledge  of  all  Americans  who  have  followed  the 
progress  of  the  events  of  the  last  twenty-five  years. — N.  Y.  Herald. 

The  author  has  acquitted  himself  of  his  trust  with  rare  skill, 
judgment,  and  delicacy;  and  while  there  is  never  absent  from  the 
pages  of  this  memoir  a  distinct  appreciation  of  the  character  and 
achievements  of  its  subject,  it  is  happily  free  from  the  suggestion 
of  fulsome  eulogism. — Philadelphia  Press. 

Of  the  literary  quality  and  the  fairness  of  this  work  nothing 
need  be  said.  Mr.  Bigelow's  name  is  a  guarantee  of  excellence,  of 
faithfulness,  and  fairness.  The  work  ■will  have  first  rank  among 
the  biographies  of  the  year. — Boston  Advertiser. 

The  most  important  American  biography  that  has  been  published 
in  many  years.  Moreover,  its  importance  and  interest  are  pro- 
gressive and  cumulative. — Philadelphia  Inquirer. 


The  "Writings  and  Speeches  of  Samuei  J.  Tilden. 
Edited  by  John  Bigelow.  Two  Volumes.  8vo, 
Cloth,  Uncut  Edges  and  Gilt  Tops,  $6  00.  {In  a 
Box.)  

Published  by   HARPER    &    BROTHERS,   New   York 

For  sale  hy  all  booksellers,  or  will  be  sent  by  the  publishers,  carriage  pre- 
paid, on  receipt  of  the  price. 


CAMPBELL'S  THE   PUKITAN 


The  Puritan  in  Holland,  England,  and  America.  An 
Introduction  to  American  History.  By  Douglas 
Campbell.  Two  Volumes.  8vo,  Cloth,  Uncut  Edges 
and  Gilt  Tops,  $5  00.     {In  a  Box.) 

The  tone  of  the  work  is  calm  and  judicial,  and  the  style  of  the 
writer  is  clear  and  dignified,  possessing  a  literary  Snish  which 
gives  the  work  a  place  of  honor  among  our  national  histories.  It 
will  modify  many  prevalent  conceptions  of  American  history  with 
its  novel  way  of  accounting  for  some  of  the  things  existing  among 
us ;  but  the  facts  the  author  summons  from  the  results  of  his  wide 
researches,  and  his  well-balanced  judgment  in  dealing  with  these 
results,  amply  sustain  him  in  the  novel  positions  he  assumes.  The 
work  is  a  classic  of  American  history,  and  is  an  addition  to  the 
literature  of  the  country  of  which  we  mav  be  proud. —  Observer, 
X.  Y. 

The  more  one  scrutinizes  this  book  the  firmer  becomes  convic- 
tion that  the  brilliant  and  scholarly  autlior  has  made  his  point  and 
accomplished  his  end.  The  tone  is  rational  and  wholesome,  and 
the  book  itself  a  memorial  of  careful  and  laborious  investigation. — 
Philadelphia  Ledger. 

A  more  interesting  book  of  the  kind  has  not  appeared  since 
Mr.  Green  wrote  his  "  Short  History  of  the  English  People." — ^V.  Y. 
Herald. 

The  central  idea  of  ilr.  Campbell's  book  is  that  our  country 
with  its  institutions  is  not  as  much  a  child  of  English  parentage  as 
it  is  of  Dutch.  ...  It  is  a  book  remarkable  for  boldness,  for 
breadth,  for  analytical  power,  for  commanding  generalization,  and 
for  piling  up  all  this  mass  of  learning  and  argument  with  compre- 
hensive system,  and  in  a  way  to  interest  as  well  as  instruct  any 
reader  of  intelligence.  —  Chicago  Times. 

This  work  is  destined  to  create  a  revolution  in  our  early  Ameri- 
can history,  as  written  by  our  standard  historians.  ...  In  many  re- 
spects it  is  the  most  important  contribution  to  the  colonial  history 
of  America  that  has  yet  been  written. — Lutheran  Observer,  Pliila- 
delphia. 

A  book  of  intense  interest  to  every  student  of  American  institu- 
tions and  character,  and  the  development  of  its  republican  ideal. 
.  .  .  This  book  is  significant  and  suggestive. — Presbyterian,  Phila- 
delphia. 

Mr.  Campbell  enters  very  thoroughly  and  conscientiously  into 
the  examination  of  his  subject,  and  his  book  is  one  that  is  valuable 
to  the  student  of  history,  and  full  of  interest  for  readers  of  all 
classes. — Louisville  Courier- Journal. 


Published  by  HARPER   &    BROTHERS,   New   York 

For  sale  by  all  booksellers,  or  will  be  stiit  bii  Vie  publishers,  carriage  pre- 
paid, on  receipt  of  the  price. 


CUETIS'S   ORATIONS   AND  ADDRESSES 


Orations  and  Addresses  of  George  William  Curtis. 
Edited  by  Charles  Eliot  Norton.  With  Photo- 
gravure Portrait.  Vol.  I.  Orations  and  Addresses 
on  the  Principles  and  Character  of  American  In- 
stitutions and  the  Duties  of  American  Citizens. 
Vol.  II.  Addresses  and  Reports  on  the  Reform  of 
the  Civil  Service  of  the  United  States.  Vol.  III. 
Historical  and  Memorial  Addresses.  8vo,  Cloth, 
Uncut  Edges  and  Gilt  Tops,  $3  50  per  volume. 
(/?i  a  Box.) 

An  exceptional!}'  interesting  speaker,  he  is  on  record  here — as 
so  often  before  now — as  an  exceptionally  interesting  writer.  To 
young  Americans  they  are  golden  volumes  that  present  the  mind 
of  such  a  citizen  and  such  a  cultivated,  discriminating  literary 
mind. — N.  Y.  Mail  and  Kxpress. 

It  is  a  great  book  which  these  addresses  make  [Volume  III.]. 
All  young  men  ought  to  read  it  and  ponder  it.  Its  insight  into 
character,  uplifting  of  lofty  ideals,  and  deep,  sturdy  patriotism 
would  cause  it  to  live  quite  apart  from  its  in  their  own  way  equally 
admirable  literary  ability  and  grace. — Congregationalist,  Boston. 

A  splendid  memorial  of  that  ideal  man  and  patriot,  George 
William  Curtis.  The  books  are  a  much-to-be-desired  addition  to 
any  library. — Interior,  Chicago. 

Mr.  Curtis  made  a  contribution  of  ine-timable  value  in  the  ap- 
plication of  morals  to  politics  —  an  application  needing  all  the 
time  to  be  made,  and  which  those  noble  discourses  will  assuredly 
do  much  to  promote. — Literary  World,  Boston. 

The  brilliancy,  depth,  power,  and  insight  characteristic  of  the 
orations  included  in  the  first  volume  of  this  series  are  in  the  second 
volume  displayed  in  a  field  Mr.  Curtis  had  made  peculiarly  his 
own. — Jewish  Messenger,  N.  Y. 

The  eloquence  of  many  of  these  addresses  is  of  the  highest  order 
of  public  oratory,  and  merely  as  examples  of  the  art  of  expression 
they  are  of  permanent  interest. — Boston  Beacon. 


Published  by   HARPER    &    BROTHERS,  New  York 

For  sale  by  all  booksellers,  or  will  be  sent  bp  the  publishers,  carriage  pre- 
paid, on  receipt  of  the  price. 


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