236 POPULAR LECTrKES AND ADDRESSES. 



is tu go up in a balloon, but that takes us beyond 

 telegraphic regions, and therefore I must stop. 

 But I do say that superintendents and telegraphic 

 operators in various stations might sometimes 

 make observations ; and I do hope that the com- 

 panies will so arrange their work, and provide such 

 means for their spending their spare time, that 

 each telegraph station may be a sub-section of 

 the Society of Telegraph Engineers, and may be 

 able to have meetings, and make experiments, 

 and put their forces together to endeavour to 

 arrive at the truth. If telegraph operators would 

 repeat such experiments in various parts of the 

 world, they would give us most valuable inform- 

 ation. And we may hope that, besides definite 

 information regarding atmospheric electricity, in 

 which we arc at present so very deficient, we shall 

 also get towards that great mystery of nature 

 the explanation of terrestrial magnetism and its 

 associated phenomena, the grand circular varia- 

 tion of magnetism, the magnetic storms and the 

 aurora boreal is. 



And now, gentlemen, I must apologise to y>u 

 for having trespassed so long upon your time. I 



