The Sun.
London, England, 1866-10-17 00:00:00

The Electric Telegraph.

The following letter appeared the other day in the
columns of the Times :—Sir,-1-laving the honour of being
a friend of Mr. Wheatstone, and feeling much gratified with
the letter of " J. D." in your paper, and also your just and
complimentary remarks in reference to his part in the dis-
covery and introduction of the electric telegraph, I beg you
will allow me to state that the discovery arose, I believe,
from the circumstance of Mr. Wheatstone, when first ap-
pointed lecturer at King's College, having seven miles of
wire in the lower part of that building which abuts upon
the river Thames, for the purpose of measuring the speed
of lightning, or the electric current, and upon one occasion,
when explaining his experiments to one, he said, "I intend
ono day to lay some of this wire across the bed of the
Thames, and to carry it up to the top of the Shot Tower on
the other side, and so make signals
;" and this was, I be-
lieve, the first idea, or suggestion of a submarine telegraph.
We aro also indebted to Mr. Wheatstone for the electric
bell, for long before this telegraph came before the public,
in explaining the machinery to me, he said, as it was pos-
sible that one party might be asleep at one end of the wire,
he had so arranged the working that the first touch should
ring a bell at the other end, even if thousands of miles
apart. This, it will be admitted, is an important part of
the discovery, and therefore I am sure that every one will
feel that the man who has done such wonders for the public
advantage in introducing such instant communication with
the "wide, wide world" well deserves the honours and re-
wards which your correspondent and yourself have sug-
gested should be conferred upon the old and highly
esteemed friend of Your obedient servant,

GEORGE CRUIESIIANR.

263, Hampstead-road, Oct. 13.

Foreign Mail Packet List.

MAILS DUE.

Australia and New Zealand, via Southampton..... Oct. 20.

Ditto, via Marseilles.- Nov. 13.
Brazil and Cape Verde., by British packet NO7. 5.
Ditto, by French packet
Cape of Good Mope, Ascension, and St. Helena... Oct. 28
China, Penang. and Singapore, via Southampton Oct 20.

Ditto, via Marseilles Oct. 38.
Falkland Islands

Gibraltar, via Southampton ..... •• • ............ Oot. 20.
India (Calcutta), and Ceylon, via Southampton.... Oct. 20

Ditto, via htarseillea •.. ..... • ....Oct. 28
India (Bombay), via Southampton. .. .... Oct. 29

Ditto, via Marseilles . Oct. 23
Malta, Egypt, and Aden, via Southampton Oct. 20.

Ditto, via Marseilles Oot. 23
Mauritius, via Southampton ............ Oot. 20
Ditto, via Marseille j. . Nov. 13
Newfoundland ............................ , Oct. 21.

Portugal • . .Nov. 5
Ditto, by private ship to Lisbon
United States and British North America, by Bri-

tish packet •• Oct. 2t.
Ditto, by United States packet, via Southamp-

ton . •

Ditto, via Cork
Ditto, by Canadian packet. via Londonderry .. Oct. 18.
West Coatis of Africa, Madeira, and Teneriffe 10.
West Indies and Pacific (except Bahamas and
Honduras) ***** .• • Oat. 29
Cuba and Mexioo ........................... Oa. V 9
Bermuda. via Halifax. ......... Oat. 24
Bahamas, via New York. Nov. 15

SLAUGHTERHOUSES IN THE' METROPOLIS.—At a
special session, held yesterday for the division of the
Strand Union, before Mr. Antrobus and Mr. Sambrooke,
magistrates, at the Vestry-room of St. Martin's in-the-
Fields, several applications were made for renewal of
licences for slaughterhouses within the districts. There
was no opposition ; the parties had not obtained other
places for the slaughter of cattle, and wished the licences
to be continued. Tho Chairman (Mr. Antrobus) said the
licences would be granted, but he would impress on the
applicants that some means might be adopted for carrying
on their business, instead of having slaughterhouses.in the
metropolis. He fully believed that the Legislature in-
tended-to deal with the matter in.the next session, and lie
had no doubt that all slaughterhouses would be pre-
vented being licensed within the metropolitan district.