.S/A' //'//./. 1. 1. M .sy/-:.i//-:.y.s, /.:A-..V. 43 



with their rivals, they must use a one-wire system. Mr. Ilighton 

 then read an extract from a work published by Mr. lionalds, in 

 I N-';;, which showed that the first telegraphic message ever trans- 

 mit trd in Europe was transmitted by an Englishman, in the year 

 1816, and that Mr. Ronalds then recommended the use of under- 

 ground wires. Mr. Highton then exhibited and explained the 

 instruments invented by himself, and used by the company with 

 which he was connected, and which, through one wire, trans- 

 mitted the last parliamentary speech of the Queen from London 

 to Liverpool at the rate of 32 words a minute ; and, through the 

 same kind of instrument, with three wires, the speech of the 

 American President, containing upwards of 16,000 words, was 

 telegraphed from Liverpool to London at the rate of upwards of 

 3,500 words an hour, without a single mistake. He was sure that 

 every one present would join in a vote of thanks to Mr. Siemens 

 for his interesting paper. 



Mr. Pearsall regarded the historical record of the electric tele- 

 graph, presented to them that evening, as of great value, especially 

 that portion which referred to the experiments of Steinheil. 

 Some years ago, in passing through Bavaria, he (Mr. Pearsall) was 

 charged to ascertain the practical results of Professor Steinheil's 

 researches and experiments, when the Professor stated that he had 

 carried on electro-telegraph communication, without any wire at 

 all, by which he now understood him to mean that he had made 

 use of the rails of the railroad for the line wire, using the earth as 

 the return circuit. With reference to the use of wire rope, he 

 remembered that when the plan of metallic shutters to shop-fronts 

 was first introduced, it was found that great wear and tear was 

 experienced in the friction of the chain by which the shutters were 

 raised and lowered ; this had been obviated by the introduction of 

 a rope of twisted wire, sufficiently flexible for the purpose. In 

 the course of the experiments for ascertaining what was a proper 

 material for the purpose, attention was drawn to the means by 

 which the extraordinary flights of ballet aerials on the Italian 

 stage were effected, which was found to be by means of twisted 

 wire rope, and the idea was at once adopted. The machinery then 

 used for the manufacture of wire rope was the same in almost all 

 its details as was now employed in the manufacture of the outer 

 sheathing of submarine telegraphic cables. 



