292 ON THE TRACK OF THE MAIL-COACH 



Telegraphic blunders lost none of their humour 

 when improved apparatus replaced the old forms. 



The Eight Hon. G. J. Goschen, M.P., in a debate 

 on the currency, the proper value and the denomina- 

 tion of coins, was reported by telegraph to have said 

 that ' all coivs should have their exact value stamped 

 in plain figures upon their faces.' But this was 

 clearly the result of indistinct writing. So, too, was 

 the announcement between parentheses of ' Ironclad 

 chairs,' following on a speech of doubtful acceptance 

 delivered by another honourable member. 



Again, the report of a cricket-match in the South of 

 England read : ' The match was commenced at twelve- 

 thirty, in the presence of a small boy ' — the word 

 ' company ' having been abbreviated to ' coy,' and 

 misread ' boy.' 



I saw in print once, in the columns of a daily 

 paper, an amusing blunder, due also to abbreviation. 

 In long press-messages the telegraph clerks were in 

 the habit of using certain contractions, known onl}' to 

 themselves, which saved the trouble of signalling long 

 words. This was all very well if the clerks at each 

 end understood the code, not otherwise. I think 

 the late Lord Derby was speaking in Lancashire on 

 the education of the young. He dwelt on the im- 

 portance of certain methods of instruction for children. 

 * The noble lord laid special stress on simple teaching 

 for kids,' was the telegraphic version. 



* The favourite,' said the rej^ort of a race-meeting, 

 ' won somewhat easily by a week ' — a phenomenal 



