"Thus, by this simple and inexpensive means, (by two electrical machines, and ii double series of wires with their appendages,) say between Portsmouth or Plymouth and London, news of the greatest political importance may be con veyed in a few minutes, by a gentleman connected with the apparatus at either of these places; he has only to excite the wires which correspond to each in dividual number of the telegraph made to him by the common flag signals, which will, in almost the same instant of time, affect their corresponding in London, and give the necessary intelligence in a series of numbers, whose sym bols will be found by referring to the signal books now in use.
Domestic telegraphs (which are now very common) are designed toprevent the trouble of calling for certain articles in a dwelling-house, and to dispense with one-half of the journeys of the servants in answering bells. They are made in a variety of ways, but usually consist of two circular indexes or dials, equally divided into a given number of parts, and marked on these divisions, with the names of such things or necessaries as are generally wanted in a house, such as dinner, tea, supper, coals, lights, carriage, horse, &c. These indexes exactly
correspond, and are provided with hands, the axes of which pass through pulleys of equal diameter; a wire or chain extends from the pulley of one of them, fixed in the sitting room, to another fixed in the or servants' hall. The pulley of the latter contains a spring, and that of the former a ratchet wheel and catch, so that if the hand of the sitting room index be turned, it also turns that of the servants' room an equal portion of a revolution, and thereby points to the same word. The pull is lifted off the ratchet after it is used, by touching a pin, when the spring in the other pulley draws the chain or wire round it, and so returns both the hands to their original place at o. The attention of the servant is called by the ringing of a bell.