. Sandford Fleming, empire builder . e time two otherislands (Christmas and Penrhyn) were taken possession of forthe same purpose. Christmas Island (i° 57 N. lat., 1570 27W. long.) is an atoll ninety miles in circumference, barren,with only brackish water. A trading firm collects mother-of-pearl shells. Penrhyn Island (90 S. lat., 1580 3 long.) is alsoa small atoll, thirty miles in circumference, partly coveredwith coco-nut trees, and having a population of about is exported. Suwarrow Island (130 13S. lat., 1630 9 W. long.) was also annexed as a possiblelanding-place for th
. Sandford Fleming, empire builder . e time two otherislands (Christmas and Penrhyn) were taken possession of forthe same purpose. Christmas Island (i° 57 N. lat., 1570 27W. long.) is an atoll ninety miles in circumference, barren,with only brackish water. A trading firm collects mother-of-pearl shells. Penrhyn Island (90 S. lat., 1580 3 long.) is alsoa small atoll, thirty miles in circumference, partly coveredwith coco-nut trees, and having a population of about is exported. Suwarrow Island (130 13S. lat., 1630 9 W. long.) was also annexed as a possiblelanding-place for the Pacific Cable on the 22nd April, is now proposed that Suwarrow, Penrhyn, and one or twoother small islands which were taken about the same time,should be annexed to New Zealand. With the exception ofFanning Island, none of these small atolls would be availablefor the purposes of the Pacific Cable. How well they couldhave been spared, and that barren little rock, Necker Island,annexed in their stead ! But it was not to CHAPTER XV THE ALL-RED LINE In the preceding chapter some account has been given ofthe movement for a British state-owned cable across thePacific from Canada to Australia and New Zealand, a move-ment initiated by Sandford Fleming and carried to a success-ful conclusion mainly through his efforts, after nearlya quarter of a century of persistent agitation. Long before the triumph of the movement for a PacificCable, Flemings thoughts had turned to the larger schemeof a system of submarine cables and land telegraphs circlingthe globe, touching only British territory, and owned by theEmpire. In fact it is altogether probable that from thebeginning of his agitation for the Pacific Cable he had thewider project in mind, waiting for a fitting opportunity tobring it forward. That opportunity came in 1898, when heoutlined his scheme in a communication addressed to theSecretary of State for the Colonies, after the close of theJubilee Conference. Four years l
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