gratifying to human pride to feel that man was mastering space, and triumphing over the winds and waves; that from his hands down in the eternal night of waters there was trailing a slender channel through which the obedient lightning would flash for ever instinct with the sympathies, passions, and interests of two mighty nations, and binding together the very ends of the earth. And then came “a fault”--or “dead earth” spoke to us. _Monday, July 31st._--We have been passing over the valley in the Atlantic which is more than two miles deep. With the morning came the news that all had gone well during the night. Some had got up an hour after midnight to watch the transfer of the coil from the after to the fore tank, which was looked forward to with interest, as it was supposed to be attended with some little difficulty. But they were agreeably disappointed; the operation was effected with the utmost facility. At 3·30 o’clock a.m. the ship was stopped, to permit the transfer to be made. At 3·50 a.m. the Cable was running out of the fore hold, passing down the trough, and going out over the stern as she steamed ahead again. The Great Eastern was now near a fatal spot--somewhere below us lay the bones of three Atlantic Cables. But all during the forenoon, engineers and electricians, agreed in the most favourable statements respecting the Cable and its progress. At 9 a.m. (Greenwich time) 868 miles had been run out, and 770 miles made from land. In the forenoon Mr. Canning brought to trial the coils in which the peccant part that had wrought such mischief existed. The Court was held at the door of the Testing-Room. Mr. de Sauty acted as judge. The jury consisted of cells, wires, and galvanometers. The accused cable, cut in junks, was subjected to a silent examination, and many fathoms were pronounced not guilty, flake by flake, till at last the criminal was detected and at once carried off by Mr. Canning. The process of examination was conducted in Mr. Clifford’s cabin, to which a few anxious spectators were admitted. The core was laid bare by untwisting the strands of Manilla covered with iron, and before a foot of it was uncovered an exclamation literally of horror escaped our lips! There, driven right through the centre of the coil so as to touch the inner wires, was a piece of iron wire, bright as if cut with nippers at one end and broken off short at the other. It was tried with the gauge, and found to be of the same thickness as the wire used in making the protecting cover of the Cable. On examining the strands a mark of a cut was perceived on the Manilla where the wire had entered, but it did not come through on the other side. In fact, it corresponded in length exactly with the diameter of the Cable, so that the ends did not project beyond the outer surface of the covering. Now here was at once, we thought, demonstration of a villanous design. No man who saw it could doubt that the wire had been driven in by a skilful hand. And as that