THE NETHERLANDS TELEGRAPHIC LINES. 



attended ; and after a full discussion of the subject, it was resolved 

 to form an Austro- Germanic Telegraphic Union. This union 

 includes all the states of Europe east of the Rhine, and also the 

 Austrian provinces in Northern Italy. It was agreed that a common 

 system of telegraphic instruments and symbols should be adopted 

 throughout all the associated states, and that for the present, 

 Morse's telegraph, with its receiving magnets, registers, and 

 uniform alphabet, should be everywhere iised, so that telegraphic 

 communications may at all times be made between any two stations 

 of the Union without the delay and inconvenience of translating 

 despatches at intermediate stations from one system of telegraphic 

 symbols into another. 



306. Despatches are transmitted and received at all the stations of 

 the Union, either in German or French. They are also transmitted 

 and received in English at such of the chief stations as are found 

 by experience to have frequent communication with this country. 



Since the convention was concluded, the Germanic lines have 

 received considerable extensions, so that many important stations 

 have been recently established within the telegraphic connection. 

 Thus a line of telegraphic wires has been laid extending from 

 Bremen to Gluckstadt, and from Hanover to Lauenburg. Also from 

 Hamburgh through Denmark, by Rendsburg, Kiel, Schleswig, to 

 Kiel, across the Little Belt, by Odense, across the Great Belt to 

 Copenhagen and Helsingor. 



Lines are also in operation from Dantzic to Konigsberg, from 

 Troppau to Lemberg, from Vienna, by Pesth, with various branches 

 to Klausenberg, Orsova, Semlin, Peterwardin, and Eszeg. 



THE XETHERLAtfDS TELEGKAPHIC LIXES. 



307. Notwithstanding the dense population and active commerce 

 of the kingdom of the Netherlands, its limited territory has ren- 

 dered a very small telegraphic net- work sufficient for its purposes. 

 Only eight of its chief towns are connected by telegraphic wires. 

 These are : 



Amsterdam (e), Rotterdam (e], the Hague (e), Utrecht, Haarlem, 

 Breda, Dordrecht (e), and Arnheim. 



They are connected at the Hague by seven submarine wires 

 with the English lines, at Antwerp with those of Belgium, and at 

 Arnheim with those of the German Union. 



Despatches are received in German and French at all the stations, 

 and in English at those marked (e}. 



THE SWISS TELEGKAPHS. 



308. The natural difficulties opposed to the construction of 

 railways in Switzerland did not offer such serious impediments 



143 



