|84 THE TELEGRAPH SOIREE AT THE 



and the state of the weather in St Petersburg. They were in a position 

 then to receive a message from Paris sent to-morrow (Sunday), and received 

 there that day (Saturday). (Laughter.) Paris was situated to the east of 

 London ; and if a message were sent from that city as the clock struck 

 twelve, it would he sent to-morrow and received here to-day. 



From the platform to the opposite end of the gallery there was a wire 

 stretched, and Mr Grove concluded by firing off six fusees by electric 

 sparks discharged from a battery on the platform. 



The question which Mr Grove had just mentioned having been trans- 

 mitted to St Petersburg, the following answer was now announced : — 



" The time at St Petersburg is fifty-two minutes past ten ; the weather 

 is beautiful, the sky clear, and the thermometer 12^ cleg. Eeaumur. 



Mr Grove suggested that a question should go to St Petersburg asking 

 what the temperature was by Fahrenheit. The question was transmitted, 

 and the reply quickly returned, " I have given the degrees in Reaumur ; 

 you give them in Fahrenheit." (Laughter.) 



The President said that Dr Robinson had just made the calculation, 

 and found that 12J Reaumur would be equivalent to 69^ Fahrenheit. 



The Electric and International Telegraph Company's large collection of 

 apparatus, &c, included two single-needle instruments, one in connection 

 with Derby, the second with Birmingham ; a double-needle instrument in 

 connection with Liverpool ; a Bain's printing instrument, in connection 

 with Bristol, Cardiff, and Falmouth. A Morse's embossing instrument 

 communicated with Dublin ; a second with Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aber- 

 deen, and Balmoral ; a third with London, the Hague, Amsterdam, 

 Hamburg, Berlin, St Petersburg, Moscow, Odessa, and Nicolaev. 



At 8.32 the message from the Prince Consort to the President of the 

 Association was received, and at 8.45 the reply was returned to Balmoral. 



As the Electric and International Telegraph Company offered to the 

 persons present gratuitous correspondence with any friends at those towns 

 with which they were in communication, we need hardly say that many 

 ladies and gentlemen availed themselves of the opportunity to address 

 inquiries and congratulations to their distant relatives and friends, of 

 which we offer a few examples : 



message. 



" 9.20 p.m. — Miss , Free-trade Hall, Manchester, to Miss . , 



street, Aberdeen. — I cannot answer your letter this week, but will write 

 early next week. How are you ? Answer per bearer." 



reply. 



" 9.50 p.m. — Joseph , street, Aberdeen, to Miss , Free- 

 trade Hall, Manchester. — Mag is at tea with the P s. All well. She 



can't answer herself. She will write soon." 



message. 



9.27 p.m. — Henry , Manchester, to John , street, Edin- 

 burgh. — Will be glad to know how father and the family are. Reply per 

 bearer." 



