Scientific Meeting in Germany. 279 



sian Embassy at Munich, was a particular friend of Soemmering'^ 

 and a frequent visitor at his laboratory in 1807 and 1808, when 

 he was occupied with his galvanic telegraph. When Oersted in 

 1820 published his important discovery, it occurred to Schilling 

 that the instant declination of the magnetic needle on the appli- 

 cation of a stream of galvanism through a surrounding wire might 

 be applied to telegraphic purposes ; and although Ampere, no 

 doubt, so early as the autumn of 1820, had announced an appli- 

 cation of Oersted's discovery to telegraphy as something that was 

 perhaps possible, Schilling was the first to realise the idea by ac- 

 tually producing an electro-magnetic telegraph, simpler in con- 

 struction than that which Ampere had imagined. By degrees he 

 succeeded in producing an apparatus with which, by means of a 

 wire several (German) miles long, he was able successfully to 

 transmit electro-magnetic signals, previously sounding an alarm 

 when required. His journey to Mongolia (commenced in May 

 1830) interupted for a time his telegraphic labours, but he 

 speedily resumed them upon his return home in 1832. The ser- 

 vices of Professor Weber of Gottingen in the same cause in 1833 

 Dr. Hamel passed over as already known to his auditory. In May 

 1835 Baron Schilling left St. Petersburgh on a tour through 

 Germany, France, and Holland, and he attended the meeting of 

 German naturalists which took place that year in Bonn. At the 

 sitting of the Physical Section on the 23d September, of which 

 the President for the day was Professor Muncke of Heidelberg, 

 Schilling exhibited and explained his telegraphic apparatus, with 

 which Muncke was greatly taken. He frequently spoke of it after 

 his return to Heidelberg, and on the 6th March following (1836) 

 he explained the whole thing to William Fothergill Cooke, who 

 was then occupied at the Anatomical Museum with Professor 

 Tiedemann's sanction, in the preparation of wax models for his 

 father, then recently appointed Professor of Anatomy in the Uni- 

 versity of Durham. Cooke, although he had never previously 

 studied phjsics or electricity, was so struck with what Muncke 

 told him, that he instantly resolved on abandoning the work he 

 was engaged on, and on endeavouring to introduce electro-magne- 

 tic telegraphs upon the English railways. With this object in 

 view he reached London on the 22d April. On the 27th of Feb- 

 ruary 1837, he became acquainted with Professor Wheatstone of 

 King's College ; and early in May the two gentlemen resolved to 

 labour in common for the introduction of the Telegraph into 



