'' I hope the day is not far distant when St. Johns will be the first link in the electric chain which will unite the Old World with the New."

In the winter of 1853-54, Mr. F. N. Gisborne, the original pioneer of telegraphy in the Maritime Provinces, conceived the idea of connecting the two countries by submarine cable. He came on to New York and was introduced to Mr. Cyrus Field, before whom he placed his project. Mr. Field was much impressed with Mr. Gisborne's plans, and, with his brother Dudley, returned with Gisborne to Newfoundland, and obtained from the Legislature a charter for landing the cable on the shores of that country. Mr. Gisborne was then engaged by Mr. Field as chief-engineer, to build a telegraph line through the Island of Newfoundland to form the connection between the terminus of the Atlantic cable, the Maritime Provinces and the United States, which, after great hardships, he successfully accomplished early in the fall of 1856. Immediately after the completion of this work Mr. Field started for England, for the purpose of placing the scheme before the British public and enlisting capital for the enterprise. On reaching England, Mr. Field associated himself with Mr. Brett (who had registered an Atlantic Cable Company in 1845, as already mentioned), which was not agreeable to Mr. Gisborne, who thereupon withdrew entirely from the undertaking. After a great deal of hard work and wonderful resolution on the part of Mr. Field the money was raised, and the company was formed in December, 1856. The ships engaged to lay the cable were the Agamemnon, Capt. Noddall, belonging tq the British Government, and the United States steam frigate Niagara, Capt. William L,. Hudson. The expedition left Valentia, Ireland, on August 7th, 1857, and the cable continued to be successfully paid out until the 11th, when it broke in 2,000 fathoms (two miles) of water, after about 335 miles had been laid.

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