TELEGRAPH. 



ficient to exprefs all the remaining letters, and fome otlier 

 neceflary iignals. 



The dial for each arm is double ; that is, a dial is fixed 

 at each fide of the mail, and the axles of the indices or 

 hands proceed quite through the mall, fo as to have a hand 

 at each end. Thefe dials are not numbered cxaftly fimilar 

 to each other, but are reverfed ; and the two indices on tlie 

 oppofite ends of the fame axle, though tliey point in one 

 diredlion, do not indicate the fame numbers on the two dials ; 

 becaufe each dial is adapted to indicate the meaning which 

 the different pofitions of the arms will have, when the tele- 

 graph is viewed on that fide to whicli the dial faces. 



For when a fignal is made, tliat arm vvhicli projcfts from 

 the right-hand iide, if the telegraph is examined on one fide, 

 will projeft on the left hand, when the telegraph is viewed 

 on the other fide. 



It was before flated, that the telegraph can be turned 

 round, fo as to prefent its arms to any direftion. This is 

 done by the pivot, L, at the lower hand ; but to hold it fad 

 in the defired dii'edtion, a circular iron plate is placed on the 

 floor, with holes in it ; and a bolt, W, is fitted into two 

 eyes, which are fixed to the axle of the mail. The point of 

 this bolt drops into any of the holes in the plate, and thus 

 holds the mall firm ; but if the bolt is lifted up, to draw its 

 point out of the holes, it can be turned round. The arms 

 are made with boards, like Venetian blinds ; and each has a 

 piece of calt-iron at the oppofite end, to coimterpoife the 

 weight, and make the arm move freely into all pofitions. 



Since the telegraph has been brought into aftual ufe, its 

 great utility has been obvious ; and many ingenious perfons 

 have ftudied the means of fimplifying the methods of repre- 

 ienting the fignals, with a view to obtain the greater facihty 

 and rapidity of communication. This would enable us to 

 avoid the danger of miftakes, by being able to repeat the 

 whole communication feveral times, which at prefent is 

 tedious. Many of thefe contrivances difplay great in- 

 genuity ; but it appears to us, that the defeA or difficulty 

 'of communicating detailed intelligence by means of tele- 

 graphs, arifes from the complicated conflruftion of all the 

 languages at prefent in ufe, rather than from any defedls 

 in the machines, which have been propofed to exhibit the 

 fymbols ; and that to perfeft telegraphic communication, it 

 would be neceffary to invent a new and more perfetl lan- 

 guage, which would be a moil valuable acquifition, to faci- 

 litate all other modes of communicating ideas. 



All languages originated in a very rude ftate of fociety, 

 and were at firft limited to the exprefiTion of very fimple 

 ideas. As men advanced in civilization, they found the ne- 

 ceflity of increafing the number of their words ; and to 

 enable them to exprefs more complex ideas, compound 

 words were occafionally introduced ; but, in all cafes, 

 knowledge mull have made a confiderable advance, before 

 any arrangement or claffification of words was imagined : 

 becaufe the necefiity of any grammar would not be dif- 

 covered, until the number of words were fo multiplied, as 

 to render the ufe of them troublefome, and hable to con- 

 fufion. Before a fyftem of grammar was eftablifiied, no 

 improvements could be made in a language, except by the 

 addition of new words ; and every fuch addition mud have 

 introduced new difficulties in the ufe of the language. 

 Even when a fyftem of grammar is completely eftablifhed, 

 as is now the cafe in all the languages of civilized nations, 

 the number of words which were invented, or introduced 

 without any fyftem, is fo confiderable, as to prevent that 

 perfedlion of expreffion which might be obtained, if the 

 language had been wholly conftrufted in an advanced ftage 

 of fociety. There is no doubt but a new language might 



be contrived, which, with .i very fmall number of words, 

 compared with any of the known languages, might exprefj 

 all ideas in a much more expeditious and definite manner 

 than they do. In oral communication, this defeftive con- 

 ftruclion of language, and the want of precifion, is little 

 experienced, unlefs by thofe who begin to learn a foreign 

 language ; becaufe the extreme rapidity of expreffion en- 

 ables us to amplify and enlarge upon any fubjeft, fo as to 

 elucidate any words or phrafes which are not direftly ap- 

 plicable to the expreffion of an idea to be communicated, or 

 which are at all indefinite. In writing or reading, the de- 

 ficiency of language is more obfervable, from the greater 

 difficulty of expreffion and communication. But when we 

 attempt to converfe by fignals, we experience in its full 

 force the great complexity of language, and find tliat it 

 becomes a tedious operation to rcprefent a fcntencc clearly 

 by fignals, which is fpoken or written in a moment ; and 

 this muft continue to be tlie cafe, even if the mechanical 

 operation of exhibiting the fignals is reduced to the utmoft 

 poifible fimi>hcity. As no fucli fcientific language as that 

 wiiich we hint at has been perfefted, we muft content our- 

 felves to find the beil means of communicating our ideas by 

 fignals, which ftiall indicate the letters and words of our 

 prefent languages : and this may be done in two ways ; 

 firft, by charadlers or fignals, which fliall either exprefs the 

 letters of the alphabet, or words, or, in fome cafes, com- 

 plete fentences. Tiie other method is to exhibit fignals, 

 which fliall indicate numbers ; and thefe numbers can be 

 tranflated into words, by means of a diftionary in which 

 every word is numbered. The telegraphs which we have 

 defcribed are of the former clafs, and we have explained the 

 manner of ufing them ; but the latter kind requires a greater 

 variety of fignals, becaufe they muft be capable of making 

 as many fignals as there are words in the language in which 

 the communication is intended to be made. There is fome 

 difficulty in making a telegraph fo univerfal as this requires, 

 otherwife the numeral method has decided advantages, in 

 the convenience witli which it can be carried on by means 

 of a common diftionary, alphabetically arranged, and in 

 which every word is regularly numbered from one end to 

 the other. In this any word can be inftantly found, by its 

 place in the alphabet ; and the number correfponding to it 

 being exhibited by the telegraph, and obferved by the op- 

 pofite party, he can as quickly find out the fame word in 

 the diftionary by means of its number. 



The numeral method is perliaps the eafieft of all others, 

 and may be exhibited by fire and fmoke in the fimpleft 

 manner, without any telegraph or compUcated apparatus 

 being made for the purpofe. 



The meaning of a fignal is afcertained by the continuance 

 or difappearance of fire and fmoke at a different place. In 

 the day-time, the fmoke on a particular iiill may give notice 

 to an obferver on the next liill, tliat a communication is to 

 be made : he of courfe will anfwer it by fmoke, to ftiew 

 that he is upon his watch. The fmoke will then difappear 

 on both hills, by a cover being placed over the fire ; which, 

 being taken off and put on again repeatedly, will fhew a 

 fucceffion of clouds of fmoke rifing at proper inter>als in 

 the air. The obferver notes the number of times that the 

 fmoke rifes without a confiderable interval, fuppofe three 

 times; and he then writes down the number 3. After a 

 more confiderable intcrvid, determined on by the parties, 

 the fmoke rifes again, we will fnppofe four times ; he writes 

 down the number 4. He lias now the number 34 to com- 

 municate by fignals to the next poft. At night this is done 

 by a fucceffive appearance and difappearance of fire. 



As the number denoted by the fucccffive appearance of 

 Ee 2 fmoke 



