$2 THE TELEGRAPH SOIREE AT THE 



yet be squared, perpetual motion discovered, and the philosopher's stone 

 be a thing that might be had for the asking ? Looking at what human 

 genius has achieved — and such exhibitions as that we are noticing will force 

 the reflection on the most obtuse mind — surely we must all sympathise 

 with that poet who wrote the couplet — 



"Two things only I tremble while I scan,— 

 The stars of heaven and the mind of man." 



The instruments which were worked were arranged in the central com- 

 partment of the room, and the Electric and International Telegraph 

 Company had wires suspended from the Free-trade Hall to their Man- 

 chester office, where they were connected with lines extending over the 

 whole of Europe. 



At eight o'clock the President made his appearance on the platform, 

 accompanied by Major-General Sabine, Sir D. Brewster, Lord Wrottesley, 

 Rev. Dr Robinson, Professor Stevelly, Professor Miller, Sir E. Armitage, 

 Mr James Heywood, F.R.S., &c. &c. 



The President introduced Mr Grove, Q.C., who had been announced 

 to deliver a brief address to the meeting. 



Mr Grove said that some three or four days ago he was recpiested by the 

 authorities of the British Association to give a short impromptu address 

 on the electric telegraph, and to slightly indicate to them what they were 

 about to see. The various instruments then present were at that time in a 

 small room, and he believed that all he would have to do would be to get 

 on a chair and deliver a brief address in that room. To his surprise, after 

 he had given his assent, and when he had gone too far to recede, he found 

 that he was expected to address the whole body of the British Association in 

 that hall assembled. (Laughter.) He would endeavour to sketch the history 

 of the rise and progress of the electric telegraph ; but if he were to go into 

 details of each invention, it would take him thirty-six days to accomplish his 

 task. Without referring to the numerous individuals who had contributed 

 to the first notion of an electric telegraph, he would take as his starting- 

 point the experiments of Bishop Watson and the Committee of the Royal 

 Society, which might be taken as that which first gave to the public mind the 

 idea of an electric telegraph. At that time, it was not known how far the 

 electric spark could be transmitted; and he described the experiments made 

 at Shooter's Hill to ascertain this fact, and said that round the hill there were 

 several miles of wire stretched out to operate upon. After referring to the 

 most important discovery by (Ersted in 1819, which materially hastened the 

 application of electricity to purposes of telegraphy; that a magnetic needle 

 delicately suspended in proximity to a conductor, through which an 

 electric current was passing, had a tendency to place itself at right angles 

 to such conductor; and that the moment the battery power was applied to 

 the galvanometer, the magnetic needle was deflected to the right, and on 

 reversing the current an opposite effect was produced; and to Herschel's 

 discovery in 1821 of the connection between electricity and magnetism, and 

 to experiments which had been made subsequently at the suggestion of 



