VERY SIMPLE TELEGRAPH. 1^5 



Perfuaded of the importance of communicating our ideas at 

 diftances too great for the voice or hearing, I have employed 

 myfelf in enquiries for a telegraph wliich Ihould be at once 

 cheap and fufficiently perfect to be *afily ufed. I believe I 

 have difcovered it ; nature herfelf has given it to all the world. 

 This telegraph is the human body, its branches are the arms, Natural tele- 

 which, with each other and with the perpendicular line of the S'^'P"- 

 trunk, may form a great number of figures, fufficiently diftind 

 to be readily feen, at confiderable diftances, by fimple vifion 

 or by the afliftance of a telefcope. It would certainly be very 

 agreeable for two friends, living oppofile to each other in an 

 extenfive place or on the banks of a large river, to be able to 

 converfe together. Of what utility might it be to the inhabit 

 tants of open countries to have a method of communication 

 which is at once fpeedy and requires no expence ! 



I hope, therefore, that the generality of readers will fee with 

 pleafure that a method of communication is opened to them, 

 fufceptible of being varied and brought to perfeflion by them- 

 felves. In the annexed Plate X. are found the figns for all the Method of writ- 

 charaders in the alphabet, for the figures, and for the pundtu- ^"S the fignals. 

 ation. To Amplify the writing of thefe figns, the perpendicu- 

 lar and immoveable line, which reprefents the trunk of the 

 body, may be omitted, as I have done, only indicating it in 

 (brae figns or charadlers by a point, as in the e and u ; and to 

 write them with more rapidity, they may perhaps be joined 

 in the manner of ftiort-hand writers. 



Three different pofitions of the right arm, and as many of Telegraphic 



the other, form the figns for the vowels. The right arm^'^nsby thehu- 



" . " man ngure* 



firetched out, and a little raifed, forming an angle of about 



45? with the line jpf the trunk, gives the fign which exprefl!es 



a ; the f^me arm extended and more elevated, or horizontal, 



forming a right angle with the trunk, gives e ; more elevated, 



and forming an obtufe angle of about 135", it furniflies i. The 



left arm extended, and forming an angle of about 45^ with 



the trunk, gives us the fign for o ; more elevated, or hori-^ 



zontal, it fignifies u; Hill more elevated, and forming an angle; 



of about jlSS", it gives _y. 



It may be obferved, were it only to affift the memory, that 



fi and o, whofe founds have fome refemblance in feveral wprds, 



are indicated by the fame fign, and likewife i and j^, which 



in the French language often exprefs but a fingle found j with 



thi$ 



