BY J. W. SUTTON. XXIII. 



which at that time he could not understand. The following is 

 his own description of experiments in December, 1B79 : " I 

 invited several persons to see the result then obtained, and 

 amongst others who called and saw my results were W. H. 

 Preece, Sir W. Crookes, Sir W. R. Austin, Professor G. Adams, 

 M. W. Grove, M. Spottswoode, Professor Huxley, Sir G. G. 

 Stokes, and Professor Devvar. They all saw the experiments 

 in aerial transmission by means of the extra current produced 

 from a small coil, and received upon a semi-metallic microphone ; 

 the transmitter and receiver were in different rooms, about 60 

 feet apart. After trying all distances allowed in my residence, 

 my usual method was to put the transmitter in operation and 

 walk up and down Great Portland-street with the receiver in my 

 hands and the telephone to the ear. The sounds seemed to 

 slightly increase for a distance of 60 yards and gradually 

 diminish, until at 500 yards I could hear no longer with a certainty 

 the transmitted signals. The experiments shown were most 

 successful, and at first they seemed astonished at the results, 

 but towards the close of three hours' experiments Professor 

 Stokes said that all the results could be explained by known 

 electro-magnetic induction eiifects, and therefore he could not 

 accept my views of actual aerial electric waves, unknown up to 

 that time. I was so discouraged at being unable to convince 

 them of the truth of these aerial electric waves, that I actually 

 refused to write a paper on the subject, until I was better 

 prepared to demonstrate the existence of these waves, and I con- 

 tinued my experiments for some years, in hopes of arriving at a 

 perfect scientific demonstration of the existence of aerial 

 electric waves produced by a spark, from the extra current 

 in induction coils, or from frictional electricity. " But 

 the triumphant demonstration of these waves, was reserved to 

 Professor Hertz, who by his masterly researches upon the subject 

 in 1887 and 1889, completely proved not only their existence, 

 but their identity with ordinary light, in having the power of 

 being reflected and refracted, by means of which the length of 

 the waves could be measured. Hertz's experiments were far more 

 conclusive than Hughes, although he used a much less effective 

 receiver than the microphone or coherer, and now as we all 

 know, Marconi has lately demonstrated that by the use of the 

 Hertzian waves, and Branley's coherer he has been able to 

 transmit and receive aerial electric waves, to greater distances 



