130 THE TELEGKAPH IN DORSET. 



fires in this country seem to have been alarms simply, and as such 

 were employed in historic times, notably when the descent of the 

 Spanish Armada was daily anticipated. The firing of the beacons 

 has often furnished a stirring theme for the historian and the 

 poet. 



The first attempt in this country to improve Telegraphy seems 

 to have been made by the Rev. J. Gamble. His apparatus was 

 constructed of five boards, arranged as shutters. This, however, 

 was soon after superseded by a somewhat different plan, submitted 

 to the Admiralty in 1795 by Lord George Murray, and adopted 

 between London and Dover in the following year. This consisted 

 of six shutters, arranged in two vertical rows with an interval 

 space, in which worked the ropes and pulleys which controlled the 

 shutters. This plan was modified in 1805 by Davis, who adapted 

 to the frame signal lights for use by night. His idea was, 

 however, not generally carried out, certainly not in Dorset, I 

 believe. The ball once set going, numerous were the inventions 

 for increasing the efficiency of the instrument ; but as they mostly 

 added to the complexity of the arrangement they were not often 

 adopted. In fact, all the shutter machines were in 1816 super- 

 seded by the Semaphore of Sir Home Popham, which consisted of 

 a simple mast with two moveable arms. The use of this was 

 continued until December 31st, 1847, when it gave place to that 

 necessity of modern society the Electric Telegraph. The 

 Semaphore is still found useful on board ship, especially when 

 fleets are lying in a roadstead and there is not wind enough to extend 

 a flag. 



Of the original Murray Telegraph, such as surmounted so 

 many of our Dorset hills, I fortunately found a contemporaneous 

 drawing, which I have the honour to exhibit to the Club. It 

 represents the erection which in my grandfather's time (he occupied 

 the home farm at Minterne) stood on High Stoy. The shutters 

 are painted black with a white spot (or possibly open space) in the 

 n-nhv, and for rapidity of working are divided into three. Ropes 

 attached to the cranks which actuate the shutters pass through the 



