284 
THE TELEGRAPH 
and wounded were enabled to reach the nearest hospital, and the 
system was so arranged that officers and soldiers were rarely 
permitted to send private telegrams. At a later period, however, 
where the number of stations had increased, such messages 
were allowed. Whenever that was the case, a special wire was 
set apart for private messages at fixed prices. 
The military protection of the lines was organized by 
patrols. It was, nevertheless, rare for a line to remain in good 
order more than twenty-four hours, and the work of repair¬ 
ing was incessant. The only method of preventing damage 
was to make the French authorities responsible by imposing 
heavy requisitions on the neighbouring towns. This plan 
worked better than any other. In forming their lines the 
Prussians also made use of the large stores of telegraphic 
materials which they found in France. 
In Prussia the inferior officers are exercised in the use of 
the telegraph at Berlin, and are afterwards sent as assistants to 
the principal towns in the various military divisions. 
In England the military telegraph is one of the functions 
of the Royal Engineers, who are aided by civil assistants. 
In Italy the Engineer corps are employed in the telegraphic 
service, and soldiers manipulate the instruments. 
In Russia, four special companies have recently been formed 
of non-military telegraphists. 
In Austria, the lines are the property of the Governmental 
Telegraph Department, which employs military assistants. 
Application of the Telegraph to forecasting the iveather .—In 
Romme’s Report to the Assembly in 1793 on Chappe’s aerial 
telegraph, he did not forget to mention, among the advantages 
of the new invention, the possibility of warning being given 
of the approach of storms for the benefit of mariners and 
agriculturists. 
In an interesting work on this question, M. Marie-Davy 
states that Lavoisier had begun, in France, the publication of 
a journal of predictions founded on data supplied from the 
provinces ; but as he was unable to obtain his information 
with sufficient promptness, the publication was necessarily 
discontinued. 
In England and in America, meteorological telegraphy has 
been largely developed; and in France, thanks to the labour 
