846 
Note G. — Plutarch records that on the temple of Isis at Sais was 
inscribed the sentence, “ I am that which is, and which was, and is to come, 
and my veil no man has ever lifted.” 
Note H. — Whilst writing, the telegraphic wire conveys a message to the 
other side of the world and brings back a reply, over 25,000 miles, . in so 
short a time, that, as the Times records, Nov. 16, 1872, “ The' chairman 
opened yesterday’s proceedings by sending a telegram to the Mayor of 
Adelaide, and an answer was received before he had got far in the speech- 
making after dinner.” 
The Adelaide Observer , of July 20, 1872, gives the following details of the 
telegraphic- route from Falmouth to Port Augusta : — 
Miles. 
Falmouth to Gibraltar, via Lisbon cable 1,250 
Gibraltar to Malta (cable) 981 
Malta to Alexandria (cable) ... ... ... ... 819 
Alexandria to Su6z (overland line) .._ ... ... 224 
Suez to Aden (cable) 1,308 
Aden to Bombay 1,664 
Bombay to Madras (overland) 600 
Madras to Penang (cable) ... 1,213 
Penang to Singapore (cable) 301 
Singapore to Batavia (cable) ... 560 
Batavia to Bangoewangi (wire) ... 480 
Bangoewangi to Port Darwin (cable) ... 970 
Port Darwin to Port Augusta (wire) 1,800 
Port Augusta to Adelaide 212 
Total 12,382 
Lisbon to Falmouth 268 
Total 12,650 
But this gives but a feeble conception of the swiftness with which the 
thrill of magnetic influence is communicated, and the following is more 
directly to the point. On the 1st September, 1859, Messrs. Carrington and 
Hodgson were observing the sun in different localities. Their scrutiny 
was directed to certain large spots which at that time marked the sun’s face. 
Suddenly a bright light was seen by each observer to. break out on the 
sun’s surface and travel slowly in appearance, but in reality at the rate of 
about 7,000 miles in a minute across a part of the solar disk. Now, it was 
found afterwards that the self-registering magnetic instruments at Kew had 
