The Sun.
London, England, 1849-06-28 00:00:00

CIT Y ELLUT lON.

The writ for the election of a member to serve in
Parliament for the city of London was received by the
Sheriffs this morting.
At two o'clock Mr. Sheriff and Alderman Finnis,
Mr. Under-Sheriff Shearman. and Mr. Secondary Potter
appeared on the hustings, in the Guildhall, %hen the
writ having been read by Mr. Marker.
Mr Alderman FINNIS stated that the Sheriffs would
proceed to the nomination and election of a fit and
discreet citizen to serve in Parliament for the City of
London, on Monday next, the 2d of July, at 11 for 12
oe tho clock at noon precisely, and in the event of a
ppKl"ltitc demanded, the poll will be opened the follow.
day.
Mr. 1-14-I"Mb. having made the usual proclamation
fir.
r. Harker afterwards pro-
the sheriff's withure;'
teroclamation at the Royal
ceeded and made the us
Exchange.

ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE PROM

HOKSEMONUER•LANE GAOL.

For some time past considerable excitement has been
created among the functionaries belonging to the above
prison, in consequence of the determined and extraor-
dinary attempt of three burglars to escape therefrom,
in consequence of whichte
visitingwholethejustices ofs ttiliceesa few
circumstancesda).s
were investigated by the
ago, from which we have gleaned the following parti •
whirs :
The parties in question were notorious housebreakers,
nam• d Durant, Martin, and Smith, and were tried and
sentenced to 14 years' tkanspurtation each at the last
Surrey Assizes, but in consequence of some recent altera-
tions taking place in the convict department were not re-
moved at an earlier period. Durant was tried at Kingston
in 1847, and sentenced to 10 years' transportation for
breaking into the Archbishop of Canterbury's Palace,
at Addington, near Croydon. On the same day that
he received bid sentenced he managed to break out of
Kingston Gaol, and was not heard of until February last,
when he was detected in the pet of committing sacri-
lege, and when brought to Horsemonger-lane Gaol
i,lentified by Mr. Keene, the Governor, as the runaway
convict. Martin was tried at the same assizes, and
minced to siinilsr punishment for breaking into a

gentleman's house near Kingston, but. through the
intrepid conduct of the sun of the owner, he was
captured. bmith was one of the same iterup, and
being such desperate characters it was judged pru-
dent to confine them in one of the strong mums
of the prison. Adjoining the latter a room was fitted
up for prisoners, who were allowed by the county to keep
the m,elves with food and drink; consequently those
prisoners were allowed a certain portion of porter daily.
The three burglars during the time of their incarceration
contrived to get into their possession a pewter pot,
which was the extraordinary means of their getting be-
-3 ond the cells. It appeared that they sere eusbled
to see through the key-hole,, and by means of tallow
and some other substance take an impression of the
wards. They then, with the assistance of a piece of
old ircn, which they sharpened, formed a key out of the
pint pot, and in the middle of the night, .‘ when all
were wrapt in slumber," they unlocked the doors wed
forced their way into a passage called the arcade.
Their ingenious key also unlocked the door of that
place, w hen they found themselves on the
green at the rear of the Sessions-house, the
outer wall of which is about twenty feet high, and
surmounted with sloping spikce. They bad previously
torn their blankets and rugs and tied them together, alio
had actually attached an end to the spikes ready to as-
cend when one of the watchmen perceived their move-
ments and instantly communicated with the others.
Durant was about to climb up the wall when the
watchman in question ran to the spot and se-
cured him, and while he was struggling to prevent
the others from escaping, Mr. Ket ne and a number
of turnkeys came to his assistance, and overpowered th(
others. They were taken back to the interior of the
prison, and so heavily ironed as to prevent their making
such a desperate attempt again. Not the least blame
could be attached to the Governor or his servants, as the
locks were of extraordinary strength. and it is a matter
of surprise how they were able to make such a key from
an old pewter pot to unlock them. The key is kept as
a matter of great curiosity, and its construction would
do credit to some of the first locksmiths in the me-
tropolis.

A NEW ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.
Science is always preparing some new wonder for
the world. The specification of the invention of a
remarkable " copying telegraph," to which we have
on previous cccasions alluded, has just been enrolled,
and we are now enabled to describe the manner by
which this curious process is carried into opera-
tion. It is proposed by Mr. Bakewell, the inventor
of this telegraph, to make exact copies at a distant
town of any written car printed characters which
may be applied to the transmitting instrument, and to
do this at a rate far exceeding that by which the most
rapid penman can write. The message to be trans-
mitted is written with a pen dipped in varnish instead
of ink, and on tin foil instead of on paper. The tele-
graphic instrument consists of a train of wheels actu-
ated by a weight for the purpose of giving motion to a
cylinder whereon the message to be transmitted is
applied. A screw nut, which traverses on a screw
parallel to the cylinder, carries a metal point that
presses on the cylinder as it revolves, and is, by the
revolution of the screw, gradually moved from one
end to the other. The point is connected with the
wire from one end of a voltaic battery and the cylin
der with the other end, after it has been extended to
the distant instrument ; the electric circuit being
so arranged as to traverse from the battery to the
point, thence to the cylinder; from the cylinder
through the earth to the corresponding instrument,
and back through the main insulated wire to the
other pole of the battery. In this course the electri-
city passes from the point to the cylinder of each in-
strument, for they are both exactly alike. When the
point of the transmitting instrument rests on the
uncovered tin foil, the circuit is completed ; but when
it rests on the varnish, which is a non conductor of
electricity, the circuit is interrupted. The cylinder
of the receiving instrument is covered with paper
prepared with a mixture which electricity will de-
compose and make a mark; therefore, when the
point of the transmitting instrument rests on the tin-
foil, a mark is made on the paper of the other
instrument, and when passing over tt a varnish
letters, there is no mark on the paper. It is in this
manner that the point, by passing several tiaies over
each letter in different parts, produces copies
of its form on the pacer, the letters being
made by the discontinuance of the marking
where the electric circuit is interrupted. The
writing is thus seen of a pale colour on a blue
ground, the dark ground being formed of numerous
fine lines in those parts where the point touches
the tinfoil. Each line of writing passes under
the point six or seven times to bring out
the forms distinctly ; but as the cylinders may
be regulated to make thirty revolutions in a
minute, or even more if required, the pro-
cess is very rapid —so rapid, indeed, that
with a velocity of thirty revolutions in a minute, 400
letters of the alphabet, written in round hand, may
be copied in that short space of time; and as the
instrument is capable of copying short-hand,
the rapidity of transmission would in that case be at
least quadrupled. This degree of rapidity is attain
able with a single wire, and were two wires used, it
doubled, by having two points to copy with
I instead of one.

It is evident that, as the points of the two instru-
ments hive to pass several times over the s:ime letters
to bring out their forms, it is essenti3l that they
should move exactly together, end that the person in
charge of the receiving instrument should be able to
regulate it if there be a difference in
their respective movements. The inventor has
provided for this by employing electromagnets to
regulate each instrument. The electromagnets arc
brought into action by means of clock pendulums, in
such a manner that at each vibration the electro
magnet attracts a lever which regulates the move-
ment of the cylinder four times or oftener in each
revolution. Tnere is also a guide line placed on the
transmitting instrument, by the aid of which the
pendulums of the t wo corresponding instruments may
be adjusted to beat exactly together.
The invention comprises, in addition to the copy-
ing telegraph, a mode of breaking and renewing the
electric circuit at any station, so that the place re-
quired may be put in communication, and no other. By
a lnodification of the arrangement, branch lines may be
brought into circuit and thrown out again, and thus
every station is under control, whether on the main
line, or on branches from it.