ELECTRIC TELEGRAPHS. 413 



really at last proved itself to be the survival of the fittest, is the type- 

 printing instrument we have here, viz., that of Hughes. There is also 

 an exceedingly beautiful type-printing instrument by Mr. Siemens 

 which is to be seen at work downstairs. This is a type-printing 

 instrument which has been sent over by a French house, and has 

 evidently been sent in such a form as to prevent the possibility of 

 any foreign fingers interfering with it. We have tried to get it in 

 order for this meeting, but unfortunately have failed. However, you 

 will find on examining it, we have a type-wheel on which the letters 

 of the alphabet are raised, and we find as these keys are depressed 

 the letters are printed in bold, unmistakable Roman type on strips of 

 paper. 



Now the next system to which I shall call your attention is one de- 

 pendent upon quite a different organ of the body, and that is the 

 acoustic system of telegraphy ; it appeals to the understanding, not 

 through the eye, but through the ear. Now an alphabet of the Morse 

 type is based, as I told you, on dots and dashes. We can make sounds 

 to represent these dots and dashes. We can have a short sound or a 

 long sound. I am not quite sure that I can make it heard through the 

 whole room, but we will try and make short sounds or long sounds. The 

 letter " e," which is that most frequently used in the English language, 

 can be represented b'y a short sound. The letter " t," which is also 

 very frequently used, by a long sound. The letter " b" can be pro- 

 duced by one long and three short dots, and so on throughout the whole 

 alphabet. Well, those dots and dashes can also be indicated by bells. 

 For instance, we have here two bells which give out strokes, of different 

 tones, and based upon that was constructed one of the earlier telegraphs 

 suggested by Steinheil. These two little bells that are used are really 

 made to represent Steinheil's Bell Telegraph, and here is one of his 

 coils. The deflexion of the needle simply caused a little hammer to 

 fly out and strike the bell, but in this instrument which we have here 

 this system has been carried to a more practical issue by Sir Charles 

 Bright and his brother, Mr. Edward Bright. This is called the Bell 

 Telegraph. It was exclusively used in England by the Magnetic 

 Telegraph Company, and is now very largely employed in different 

 parts of England by the Post Office. It is an instrument exceedingly 

 rapid in its action, and enables clerks to read with great freedom 



