HENRY AND THE TELEGRAPH. 331 



In a still more popular work on galvanism, by Prof. Joseph Izarn, entitled "Manuel 

 du Galvanisme," etc. octavo, published at Paris, in 1805, in section ix, at page 120, it 

 is also stated: "According to the observations of Romagndsi, a physicist of Trent, a 

 magnetic needle being submitted to a galvanic current undergoes a declination." This 

 work is referred to in a discussion by Mr. Latimer Clark, of Loudon.* Lastly, in the 

 memoir of Romagnosi contained in the "Nouvelle Biographic G6n(Srale" (edited by 

 Hojfer), vol. xlii, pages 574, 575, it is mentioned, " He discovered the deviation of the 

 magnetic needle by galvanism." 



Although this pi-egnant discovery of Romagnosi appears to have been known both 

 to Dr. Sojmraeriug and to Baron Schilling in 1815, yet to neither of them did it sug- 

 gest any applicability to the purpose of telegraphy. Dr. Hamel, of St. Petersburg, in 

 his iuterestuig account of the early history of the telegraph, informs us : " I have been 

 endeavoring to find out from the papers of Sffimmeriug whether ho and Baron Schilling 

 might have had a knowledge of the Italian Gian-Domenico Romagnosi's Important dis- 

 covery made many years ago, that the magnetic needle deviates from its normal direc- 

 tion when under the influence of the galvanic current, and of which he had published 

 an account in a newspaper at Trent on the 3d of August, 1802. ... I found that 

 Baron Schilling, immediately after his return to Munich in 1815, communicated to 

 Soemmering the little book, ' Manuel du Galvanisme,' by Joseph Izarn, professor of 

 natural philosophy at the Lyc6e Bonaparte, which was printed in Paris in 1805, and 

 in which, on page 120, mention is made of Romagnosi's discovery. I have also seen a 

 note from Soemmering mentioning that he had read this treatise with attention. I 

 came however to the conclusion that neither to Soemmering nor to Baron Schilling, had 

 any idea of a practical application of Romagnosi's observation presented itself. "t Nor 

 is this at all surprising : for the similar discovery and announcement by Oersted in 1820, 

 would just as little have suggested any practical method of communicating intelligence 

 to a distance. And indeed had tlio experiment been attempted, it would have resulted 

 in absolute failure. It needed the keen brains and active hands of a succession of j)ro- 

 found investigators, — of Sehweigger, and Amiifere, and Arago, and Sturgeon, and 

 Henry, — to develop fully the twofold capacity of electro-magnetism. 



To the natural inquiry why the very same aunoiincement which — made at the be- 

 ginnmg of the century — fell as it were "still-born," should when again made eighteen 

 years later, have sprung into so exuberant and active a vitality, the answer seems to 

 be, — first, the greater care taken by Oersted, the later husbandman, to scatter the seed 

 broadcast over Europe ; t and secondly, the riper condition of the intellectual soil, 

 at the later Spring. Romagnosi's work would seem to have been prematurely attempt- 

 ed ; while Oersted's, no more meritorious, had the good fortune to be taken up and 

 fostered by still more scrutinizing coadjutors : and thus while the early sowing fell 

 by the wayside or in stony places, the later sowing fell on good ground, well pre- 

 pared ; and there speedily followed at the hands of a diligent band of laborers an 

 abundant and most i^recious harvest. 



The question may possibly arise, could Oersted have probaldy had any intimation 

 of Romagnosi's earlier cultivation of the same field ? Considering how little the lat- 

 ter name is known among scientific men to-day, the question may be confidently 

 answered in the negative. Dr. Hamel however has ventured the severe judgment: 

 " I cannot forego stating my belief that Oersted knew of Romagnosi's discovery 

 announced in 1802, which was eighteen years before the publication of his own obser- 

 vations. It was mentioned in Giovanni Aldini's (the nephew of Galvani's) book. . . 

 . Oersted was in Paris in 1802, and 1803, and it appears from the book of Aldini, 

 that at the time he finished it, Oersted was still in communication with him ; for he 



* Journal of the Society of Arts, April 23, 1858, vol. vi, p. 356. 



\ Journal of the Society of Arts, July 29, 1859, vol. vii, j). 605. 



t "Hans Christian Oersted, at Copenhagen, had directed the attention of the scien- 

 tific world much more ell'ectually than Romagnosi of Italy had done, to the fact that 

 the magnetic needle defiects when a galvanic current comes near it." Dr. Hamel. 

 {Jour. Soc. Arts. 1859, vol. vii, p. 606.) 



