§ SIR JOHN LENGI beg to ask the Postmaster-General if he will state what progress has been made with the underground telegraphic cables to the North of England and Scotland; and when it is expected they will reach Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, and Aberdeen.
LORD STANLEYThe line of pipes for the underground cable now runs continuously from London to Carlisle, and a section of nineteen miles has also been laid over the Beattock incline in Scotland. By the end of the financial year a double line of pipes will also have been laid from Manchester to Leeds; the permanent cable will be ready for use as far as Warrington, and it may have been possible to draw in temporary cables between Manchester and Leeds. I cannot at present state when the underground cables will reach the places named, but I shall endeavour to expedite their construction.