5i 



nection with a lecture which Dr. Andrews gave in this room 

 on the Gramme Machine. He was the first inventor of the 

 ring armature, which was afterwards reinvented and made a 

 great commercial success by Gramme. Pacinotti's original 

 machine, and two others subsequently constructed by him, 

 were exhibited in the Exhibition : and special attention was 

 called to them by a lecture given upon them by Professor Govi, 

 at a meeting of the Society of Telegraph Engineers which was 

 held in the Congress Room. The question of priority was 

 established by Pacinotti's description of his first machine in the 

 "Nuovo Cimento" for 1864, which was put in evidence, and the 

 machine itself was carefully examined. Dr. Andrews gathered 

 from the information at his disposal that the contacts for col- 

 lecting the currents were made in the wrong places, but this 

 impression was erroneous, the contacts are made at the right 

 places, and it is clear that Pacinotti well understood the theory 

 of the machine. He was present at Professor Govi's lecture? 

 and I met him several times afterwards. 



As to addressing an audience in French, it is an exceedingly 

 formidable thing to contemplate for the first time, and I almost 

 shuddered at my own hardihood when I first said " je demande 

 la parole," and proceeded to the tribune to address an audience 

 comprising the most eminent men of science of France and the 

 Continent. It was like plunging into deep water without know- 

 ing whether I could swim ; but after the first shock was over 

 I enjoyed the excitement ; and as the vocabulary of the subject 

 under debate had become familiar to me by listening to previous 

 speakers, my course was tolerably easy after I was once started. 

 The report in the official proces-verbal, as well as the resume 

 with comments in La Lumiere Electrique, showed that I suc- 

 ceeded in making myself understood. 



Indeed, I think that as a rule the English and German 

 speakers were better understood than the French ; most of the 

 latter spoke too fast and in too low a voice to be clearly heard. 



The leading spirit in the Congress was unquestionably Sir 

 Wm. Thomson. His masterly acquaintance with the various 

 subjects which came under discussion was very conspicuous, and 



