Excerpt from Descriptions of an Electrical Telegraph: And of Some Other Electrical Apparatus

Printed BY charles wood. Poppin's Court, Fleet Street.session of this society was inaugurated on Wednesday night at the rooms of the Institutionof Civil Engineers, Great Geo treet, Westminster. Mr. Intimer Clarke, the Presi t of the year, occupied the chair, and delivered an interesting address on the early history and subsequent development of the electric telegraph. At the outset he alluded to several striking features connected with the in vention of the telegraph, many of which were embraced in a recent article in The Times entitled Fifty Years' Progress. He spoke of Sir Francis Ronalds as having lived some 30 years before his age, otherwise he might have had toa?e writtefnuthe' inventtgr of the efleail'io telegra h. Ter care u y racing e progress 0 e graphyp during the eat 30 or 40 years, Mr. Clarke went on to speak 0 the great development the sys tem has undergone since it was transferred to the Post Office in 1870. Lt is estimated that in the days of the Telegraph Companies the total number of messages in a year did not exceed six millions. But Mr. Clarke showed how in 1871 the number had been increased to in 1872 to nearly in 1873 to upwards of and last car to The number of miles of w re ossesse by the Post Office at the present time was etc. To upwards of 106,000, in addition to nearly miles of sub marine cableafl'he number of postal telegraph offices opened at the resent time is and the number of instruments work by the Post Office exceeds Mr. Clarke pointed out that the Government, instead of retarding the progress of inventions. As was at one time feared, had done everything in its power to foster them. And was always prepared to receive practical suggestions, from whatever quarter they might be offered. Adverting to the history of the society, if a society can be said to have a history which has only been three years in existence, the President nu nounced the gratifying fact that the members at the present time exceed 650, and that the annual revenue is nearly This result is all the more wonderful when taken in connexion with the fact that the parent society, the Civil Eugineers, was 30 years in existence before it possessed so large a membership. The society sacases a journal in which its proceedings are printed, an Mr. Clarke did not despair of the time when it would possess a laboratory and a system of experimental lines for the benefit of students, many of whom are members of the society. Their example, too, had been followed in America, where an Electrical Society had been formed in Chicago with every prospect of success. But perhaps the most interesting fea ture of the evening's proceedings was the announcement that the magnificent lib of electrical works collected thy the late Sir Francis Renal had been transferred in trustto the society, with reversion to the R0 al Society in the event of the dissolution of the Society 0 Telegraph Engi neers. This library, which is said to contain nearly volumes, was bequeathed to Mr. Samuel Carter, brother-in law of Sir Francis Ronalds, who was present at the meeting and elected an houbrary member of t e society. Mr. Clarke concluded by pointing out that the progress of telegraph}, whereby messages could be sent at greater speed than for merly, must ultimately lead to the chea enmg of the rates, and s gested a eci and higher rate or ex ss mes sages, ust as we ave express trains at higher s. This is a subject which has often engaged public atten tion, but it may fairly be doubted whether, with the national system of telegraphy which we now possess, tidy such system of special telegrams could be worked with vantage to the numerous interests concerned. A vote of thanks to Mr. Clarke for his admirable address was posed by Mr. W. Heeper, the well-known cable man se turer, and seconded by Professor Hughes, the well-known electrician, and inventor of the admirable instrument whic...