1 JUNE 1878, Page 2

Sir Michael Hicks-Beach announced on Thursday that if the Cape

Colony and other Colonies interested would vote fair sums towards the maintenance of an electric-cable communication with Great Britain,—that is, really with Madeira,—her Majesty's Government would be prepared to assist them financially. This is sensible, the expenditure caused by want of communication with the Cape being almost as great as the cost of maintaining a cable ; but we trust the assistance will take the form of a grant for so many years, and not of a guarantee. A guaranteed cable will never get quickly mended, and its managers will never regulate their charges so as to attract a poor and scattexed population.