CHAP. X.] ARDHALLOW, 1857. 279 



the produce of its soil. I was writing great screeds of 

 letters to Professor Thomson about those Rings, and lo ! he 

 was a-laying of the telegraph which was to go to America, 

 and bringing his obtrusive science to bear upon the engineers, 

 so that they broke the cable with not following (it appears) 

 his advice. However, I know nothing. List to the new 

 words to a common song, which I conceived on the railway 

 to Glasgow. As I have only a bizzing, loose, interruption- 

 to - talking - & - deathblow - to - general - conversation - memory of 

 the orthodox version, I don't know if the metre is correct ; 

 but it is some such rambling metre anyhow, and contains 

 some insignificant though apparently treasonable remarks in 

 a perfect thicket of vain repetitions. To avoid these let 



(u) = " Under the sea," 



so that 2(u), by parity of reasoning, represents two repeti- 

 tions of that sentiment. This being granted, we shall have 

 as follows : 



THE SONG OF THE ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH COMPANY. 

 i. 



2(u) 

 Mark how the telegraph motions to me, 



2(u) 



Signals are coming along, 

 With a wag, wag, wag ; 

 The telegraph needle is vibrating free, 

 And every vibration is telling to me 

 How they drag, drag, drag, 



The telegraph cable along, 



ii. 

 2(u) 

 No little signals are coming to me, 



2(u) 



Something has surely gone wrong, 

 And it's broke, broke, broke ; 

 What is the cause of it does not transpire, 

 But something has broken the telegraph wire 

 With a stroke, stroke, stroke, 



Or else they've been pulling too strong. 



