148 Proceedings. 



and unflagging co-operation. These efforts proved futile. 

 The closing of the Aquarium about coincided with the 

 appearance of Professor Graham Bell with his telephone, 

 at the Plymouth meeting of the British Association in 1877. 

 Mr. Moseley was one of the first to realise the commercial 

 importance of the discovery, and immediately set to work 

 to introduce it in this part of the country. The writer 

 witnessed his first trials with the instrument at the 

 Chapelfield Works, and well remembers the enthusiasm 

 and confidence with which he spoke of its future. Later 

 on, as Chairman of the Lancashire and Cheshire Telephone 

 Company, Mr. Moseley carried on with singular energy and 

 ability a contest with the Post Office in order to promote 

 the development of long-distance telephoning, which the 

 Government endeavoured, under the Telegraphs Act, to 

 prevent. As a result of Mr. Moseley's severe labours and 

 frequent interviews with the Postmaster-General (Mr. 

 Fawcett) the " trunk-line " system, by which it is possible 

 for most of the Lancashire towns to hold communication 

 with each other, was established. He also took a 

 strong interest in the development of electric lighting. 

 He was a Director of the Edison Electric Light Com- 

 pany, and his own residence was lighted throughout by 

 electricity. Mr. Moseley was a leading member of the 

 Consultative Committee formed to prepare an independent 

 report on the Manchester Ship Canal project after the failure 

 of the first attempt to raise the capital, and was conspicu- 

 ously influential in connection with the subsequent successful 

 launching of the enterprise. As Chairman of the Music, 

 Electric Lighting, Refreshments, and Gardens Committee 

 of the Manchester Jubilee Exibition, Mr. Moseley con- 

 tributed powerfully to the extraordinary success of that 

 memorable undertaking. Few men have compressed so 

 much and such important public work within the short 

 space of about ten years, and there can be no doubt that 



