A CENTURY OF THE TELEGRAPH IN FRANCE. 797 



nary credit of two hundred and forty thousand francs for mak- 

 ing experiments. The works commenced promptly on the railroad 

 of Paris to Rouen, and on the 18th of May, 1845, the first dis- 

 patches by the electric telegraph took place. 



The first telegraphic apparatus used was the patent of Foy- 

 Bre'guet. On the 20th of November, 1850, a law was made per- 

 mitting private persons to send dispatches over the wires (the 

 state hitherto was the only party using it) after rigorous investiga- 

 tion of their identity. The tariff was established at three francs 

 per dispatch of one to twenty words ; over, twelve centimes per 

 myriametre. On the 31st of December, 1851, was inaugurated 

 the submarine cable from Calais to Dover. 



The number of dispatches in 1851 was 9,014. The length of 

 the telegraphic lines in operation attained at December 31, 1851, 

 2,133 kilometres. 



In 1854 was created the general direction of telegraphic lines. 

 The writing apparatus of Morse substituted the fugitive signals 

 of the Foy-Brdguet system, and the telegraphic system went from 

 7,175 kilometres to 9,244 kilometres of lines. 



The year 1860 was signaled by an important fact. A condi- 

 tional agreement was concluded with Mr. Hughes, professor of 

 physics at New York, the celebrated inventor of the printing ap- 

 paratus, which was definitely adopted in 1861 by the French. 



The decree of the 13th of August, 1864, lowered from one franc 

 to fifty centimes the tariff on dispatches simply circulating in 

 Paris. The happy consequences of this liberal measure surpassed 

 the most optimistic prophecies. They resulted in the following 

 figures, comment on which is superfluous. Number of dispatches 

 in January, 1864, 577 ; in December, 1864, 11,250. 



The year 1865 was marked by one of the most considerable 

 events in telegraphy the reunion at Paris of the first interna- 

 tional telegraphic conference, due to the initiative of France. 



Two years later the first pneumatic line appeared in Paris. 

 With the advent of the third republic, and up to within the last 

 years, prodigious developments have been made in telegraphy. 



Military telegraphy, or optical telegraphy with the aid of the 

 sun, has also advanced. A description of these apparatus would 

 run into too much space. It will suffice to state that two teleg- 

 raphists are necessary for managing an optical apparatus. One 

 reads the signals aloud as he perceives them, the other writes 

 them down. There are two classes of instruments, telescopic and 

 " campaign." 



Here are the last statistics of the telegraphic bureau in France 

 for one year: Number of inland telegrams, 26,084,742; interna- 

 tional, 5,318,265 ; total, 31,403,007. 



Development of the telegraphic system : Overhead lines, 86,440 



