Perhaps that was written by John Vance, the Irish exile. And perhaps the editorial article which appeared the following day was written by Beach himself:
Victoria’s message ... in its complete form, as it appears in our columns to-day, is friendly and courteous, though rather commonplace in expression and style.
New York had a great celebration over the laying of the cable that week. The Sun’s building bore a sign illuminated by gaslight:
S. F. B. MORSE AND CYRUS W. FIELD,
WIRE-PULLERS OF THE NINETEENTH
CENTURY.
The first piece of news to come by cable was printed in the Sun of August 27, 1858, and ran:
A treaty of peace has been concluded with China, by which England and France obtain all their demands, including the establishment of embassies at Peking and indemnification for the expenses of the war.
It will be remembered that this first cable was not a success, and that permanent undersea telegraph service did not come until 1866; but the results produced in 1858 convinced the world that Field and his associates were right, and that perseverance and money would bring perfect results.
After the war, when paper became cheaper, Beach preferred to enlarge the Sun rather than reduce its price to one cent. He never printed more than four pages, but the lost columns were restored, with interest, so that there were eight to a page. Even at two cents a copy it was still the cheapest of the morning papers; still the beloved of the working classes and the desired of the politicians. Just after the war ended the Sun declared that it was read by half a million people.
On January 25, 1868, when the Sun had been in the possession of the Beaches for about thirty of its thirty-five years, a new editor and manager, speaking for a new ownership of the Sun, made this announcement at the head of the editorial column:
THE SUN