May I, 1891.] 
THE TROPIGAL AGRiCUL 3'UR!ST 
777 
cheers for Mr. Lewis, who cocclndecl the cerf'iiioijy by 
distributing Madeira among tha congregation.” In the 
same year the baptismal iee for a slave was fixed by 
statute at two shilJiugs and six pence. Between 1821 
and 1821 one clergyman baptized 12,000 slaves at halt- 
a-crown a iuad, 
Dr. Wolcot (Peter Pindar) wss, for a 
time, one o£ the exemplary clergy rot'erred to. 
Some of the Observer readers may be as ignorant 
as we were until we read the literature of the Jamaica 
Exhibition, that, amongst Queen Victoria’s titles, 
in addition to Empress of India is “ Supreme 
Lady of Jamaica.” Wo notice that the working of 
the railway by the American company to which 
it was so unwisely sold by Government is described 
as most unsatisfactory. A fatal accident is ropoitel 
in the paper before us. Amongst the distinguished 
personages present at the landing of Prince George 
wsS Major Knollys, c. m. g., Inspector-General of 
Police, who oamo to Ceylon as Bir Arthur Gordon’s 
A. D. C. The report states that 
The photo-artist of “Harper’s Magazine”, the “lilas- 
trated American” and “ Frauk Leslie's Newspaper ” 
was busy during the interval of waitiug taking photo- 
graphs with the camera. 
If we quote a no. ice of the opening ceremony at 
the tail-end of this communication, it is due to the 
arrangement of the matter in the three sheets of 
the special edition of the Gleaner, From its report 
we learn that 
The ceremony which took place in the Exhibition 
Building was certainly one of the prettiest from a 
spectacular point of view that has ever been performed 
in ourislaiid. For never before hes such a handsome 
nilding graced our town and seldom has such a 
galaxy of distinguished nicn and womau been ga hered 
together on so interesliog and important an occasion 
is this when our first luternatioual Exhibition was 
opined by His Royal Highness Prince George of Wales. 
Truly our Royal visitor received a welcome worthy of 
the gi-and.'-on of the Queen — a welccuie which every 
one could see was the source of deep giatilicati, n tu 
him. 
His Royal Highness then stood in the centre of the 
dais, the Goveruor ou his right aud Lady Blake on 
his left, the Vice-Admiral Watson being next to her. 
Lady Blake was attired in a dre.ss made in an English 
School of Art and designed by a Baroue:s. It was 
trimmed with Orchids and leaves embossed on light 
Canary Satin with Ohaueille trimming, each end of 
which alternated with bahsof Canary aud Heliotrope. 
Her Bonnet, wa.s of light canary velvet with Helio- 
trope Orchids and aigrette. 
From the address by the Commissioners to Prince 
George, we take a few paragraphs : — 
The original suggestion from which this Exhibition 
took its rite was, by collecting and displaying .samples 
of the Agricultural Industrial and Oorameroial pro- 
ducts of the Island, to arouse and foster a spirit of 
enterprise aud emulation among the inhabitants of 
Jamaica, and at the same time to disseminate among 
the people of other countries a more exteneivo 
knowledge of the retoutces and capabilities ot the 
colony. 
The spoutaaeons and liberal manner in which funds 
for carrying out the enterprise were guaranteed by 
the people of the colony and those iuteresteii in its 
welfii-o aud the ready respo’iso with which the invi- 
tation to take part in the Exhibition was met by the 
Mother Oouiitry, and the sister colonies — notably by 
Canada — and by many Foreign states led to the en- 
largement of the original schonae and has resulted in 
an Exhibition 011 a larger scale, aud of a more 
general and comprohcusivu character than that at first 
contemplated hy its originators. 
Every effort has been made to render the Jamaican 
Exhibits a complete and representative collection of 
the agricultural, mineral aud industrial products of 
the Island and wo would venture resp ctlully to 
express a hope that, as such, tliey will bo found by 
Your Royal Highness to possr.ss leaturea of novelty 
and interest, 
The P.'inca made a suitable reply ; and alter a 
prayer by the Bishop, during which a canary 
poured out its song, and alter Su' Henry Blake 
had presented a golden key to the Prince as a 
fitting emblem ot a golden future for Jamaica, 
Prince George declared the Exhibition open. The 
address from the oily was enclosed in a casket 
made from 120 ounces of silver. When we 
left Britain for Ceylon in August 1837, there were 
not more than 2U0 miius of railway completed, 
and the first experiments in telegraph were being 
conducted by Wheatstone. Deeply interesting is 
the progress of telegraphy m the interval, as 
narraie.l in oonneotiou with exhibits of the ap- 
pliances of the art : — 
Of Historical Telegraph Apiparatus there are Cooke 
and Wheatstone’s 4 needle Telegrapih 1838, C mke 
and Wheatstone’s Double Needle leiegraph 1844, First 
Train Bgiialliug Instrument 1840 used ou the Black- 
wall Railway between Limeheuse and Stepney. 
Specimen first 'Telegraph Line 1837 between Eustou 
and Camden Town. Double needle small pattern, 
Hightoa’s single needle 'Telegrapjh 1848 Wheatstone’s 
Type Printer 1841. Varley’s Horizontal Relay 1850. 
Wheekey 1855 ; set 0 ; wir ■ joints 1842. to 1851 Switch 
or ermmutatur 1857. Preeco's Semapore 1861). bain's 
Chemical Telegraph 1850. More Embosser 1853, 
Uuivtr.sai Switch 1800. Specimen of first submarine 
cable Dover and Calais 1850. 
Mr. Wilson informed us that this cable was of 
soliil copper wire insulated with Gutta Percha there 
being no outer protectiou whatever, the consequences 
were that the Giuta Percha ahnostly immediately 
chafed through and the uudertakiiig tailed. 'To make 
the cable sink to the bottom weights were attached 
during the laying at, about every 100 yards. 
lu 1851 ano:her effort vras made to carry the 
Telegraph Lme across the Ohanneq which was suc- 
cessful. This Cable is now working, that is to say 
portious of it, for iu the many repairs it has been 
subject lo fresh oabje has been put iu, to repilace 
the old. 
Mr. Wilson also informed ns thura is today over 
100.0. 0 mil s of Submarine Telegraph Cables in 
operation. The general portion is owned by English 
companies, and all are manufactured aud laid by 
Euglnh firms. 
Mr. Wilson said, to give some idea of the employ- 
ment of labour throughout the world bioushb about 
by the varied ajipliuatious of electricity the lollowing 
is about the luimber of persons employed. Lautl 
Telegraphs, 180,000 persons. Telexihoiie Companies 
30,OUO persons. Eleoiric Lightning Uompanies 100,000 
persoii.s. Suljiuir.no Cable Manufacture (Jiaiuly Bri- 
tish) 5,000 person-^, tiubmaruio Cable Company 
(Mainly British) 0,000. 
51r. Wilson inlorm.d us that at the present day the 
'Telegr.qih systems throughout the world possess about 
1,800,000 imle,s of wire. Russia claims 154,000, Franoo 
170.000, Germany 180,000, tiie UuiDed KingUoiu 
240.000. India and Colonies 200,000 and the United 
Btates 000,000. Traliiic carried over such Li, es — 
United Slates 70,0ou,000 messages per annum, Unicod 
Kiugdom 45,000,000, Uoionies aud India 12,OOU,OUO, 
Franco and her Uoionies 32,000,000, Germany 
18.000. 000. 
Mr. Wilson told us all Englishmen should be proud 
that the first specification of patent taken out in any 
Cl uiitry for telegra]ili apparatus wa.s granted to Cooke 
and Wheatstone iu 1837. 
It wa.s not till 1845 that publio interest was really 
attracted towards the Telegraph — Fame aud success 
aio irequeuily due to a meie accident aud this was 
the case with tlio 'Telegraph. A murder w.is committed 
at Slough aud the murderer escaped by the first train 
to Loudon. 'The telegraph was set to work aud the 
carriage occupied by Favvoll— that was iho m.an's mime 
— was arrested much to his surprise he not having taken 
into calculation the new element which ha.l been used 
ag liusl him. 
We fear wo have extracted too freely, but we think 
I the interest of tho matter will more than atone for its 
