The square-sails were at once taken in. Great animation prevailed at the prospect of a third grapple with the Cable. But in a few moments the hope proved delusive, and the ship continued to drift to S. and W., the buoy bearing S.E. The bow swept round, varying from W. and by N. to N. W. and by N. At noon the Great Eastern, if all reckonings were right, was but half a mile from the Cable, and the officers hoped she would come across it about half a mile west of the spot where she last hooked it. But at 3·30 p.m. the last hope vanished. The ship must by that time have long passed the course of the Cable. Captain Anderson had an idea that we grappled it for a moment soon after noon, when the ship’s head came 3 points to the N., and the strain increased for a moment to 60 cwt. The buoy was now 2½ to 3 miles E.--ship’s head being W.N.W. All that could be done was to take up grapnel, and make another cast for the Cable. The wind increased from eastward. At 4·15 p.m. ship’s head was set N. by E. by screw, in order to enable the grapnel line to be taken in, and the capstan was set to haul up the grapnel. The wire rope came over the bows unstranded, and in very bad condition. Much controversy arose respecting the cause of this mischief. Some, the practical men, maintaining it was because there were not swivels enough on it; others, the theoretical men, demonstrating that the swivels had nothing to do with the torsion or detorsion; and both arguing as keenly with respect to what was happening 2 miles below them in the sea as if they were on the spot. The process of pulling up such a length of wire is tedious, and although no one had expressed much confidence in the experiment, every one was chagrined at the aspect of the tortured wire as it came curling and twisting inboard from its abortive mission. At midnight 1000 fathoms had been hauled in. _August 11th._--Nothing to record of the night and early morning, save that both were fine, and that the capstan took in the iron fishing-line easily till 5·20 a.m., ship’s time, when the grapnel came up to the bows. The cause of the failure was at once explained: the grapnel could not have caught the Cable, because in going down, or in dragging at the bottom, the chain of the shank had caught round one of the flukes. From the condition of the rope it was calculated that we were in only 1,950 fathoms of water, for nearly 500 fathoms of it were covered with the grey ooze of the bottom. The collectors scraped away at the precious gathering all the morning, and for a time forgot their sorrows. It was now a dead calm, and Mr. Canning mustered his forces for another attempt for the Cable! He overhauled the wire rope, and exorcised hawsers out of crypts all over the ship. “Hope lives eternal in the human breast.” [Illustration: E. Walker, lith from a drawing by R. Dudley London, Day & Sons, Limited, Lith. FORWARD DECK CLEARED FOR THE FINAL ATTEMPT AT GRAPPLING. AUGUST 11TH.]