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,—Having 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 me, he said, "I intend
one 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 are 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 past of
the discovery, and therefore I am sure that every one wit
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 CR GIKSHANK.
263: Hampstead-road, Oct. 13.

Foreign Mail Packet List.

MAILS DUE.

Australia and New Zealand, via Bouthr,mpton.,...oet. 20.

Ditto, via Marseilles . Nov. 13.
Brazil and Capa `rads. by British paoket ...... ....Nov. 5.
Ditto, by French packet . Oot. 22.
Cape of Good Hope, Asocnsion, and ,St. Helena....Oot. '2B
China, Penang. and Sing.tpore. via Southampton—Oct 20.
Ditto, via Museilles Oct. ZlB.
Falkland Islands

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

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

Ditto, viakarseilles .
Malta, Egypt, and Aden, via Southampton Oct. 20.
Ditto, via Marseilles Oct. 23
Mauritius, via Southampton
Ditto, via Marseilles. 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. 21.
Ditto. by United States packet, via Sontbamp-

ton •• ..........

Ditto, Ttii Cork ................. .
Ditto, by Canadian packet, via Londonderry ..Oct. 18
West Coa.t of Africa, Madeira, and T..meriffe
West Indies and Pacific (except Bahamas and
Honduras) .................. . ................ ....Oct. 20

Cuba and lifexioo .................................. Cod. '29

Bermuda, via Halifax Oct. 24
Bahamas, via New Y ark. 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 licencee
to be continued.. The Chairman (Mr. Autrobus) said the
licences would be granted, but he would impress on the
applicants that some means might be adopted for carrying
on their bnsiness, 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 he
had no doubt that all slaughterhouses would be pre-
vented being licensed within the metropolitan district. •

In no place out of England is a horserace enjoyed
as we enjoy it. The love of horses is indigenous to
the English soil, and the mixture of business with
pleasure, which is the great characteristic of an
English racecourse, is witnessed nowhere out of our
country in anything like the extent to which it pre-
vails among us. There is only one Derby, and that
is at Epsom ; but the best gathering to witness the
running for the Grand Prix in the Bois de Boulogne
falls far short of that at Ascot, and Newmarket and
the St. Leger are quite as peculiarly English insti-
tutions as even the Derby itself. There are races
here every year, and races with the break-neck re-
commendations of a steeplechase, but rarely are they
attended by very large numbers, and one half of
those who do go to them don't know the names of
the horses and don't look at the running. Things
took a more English turn on Sunday last, owing to
the presence at the Champ des Manoeuvres, the
Brussels racecourse, of so many hundred Volunteers,
and there was very considerable interest prevailing
in the immediate neighbourhood of the temporary
fences, some of which were' over six feet high, one
of which was a "double," but none of which were
very dangerous, though there did occur a couple of
what would be called in Ireland " very pretty falls."
The course is on the ground where the garrison of
Brussels and the Garde Civique are exercised, and
an admirable one it is. The soil is as nice as tan for
the horses' feet, and from any spot you can see the
whole way round. There aretwo large stand-houses,
with a box for the Royal family between them, but
this was vacant on Sunday owing to the circum-
stance to which I alluded in my last letter as the one
which would make it so,— the illness of the Empress
of Mexico. The stands were not very well filled,
but there were, perhaps, 10,000 people round the
running ground, and a pretty strong muster of com-
pany in carriages and on horseback. " Correct
cards," or, as they call them here, " progranintee des
courses," were hawked about the course; but
there were no dealers in " cigars and lights." The
programme is a very neat affair, and contains a plan
of the course, in addition to all the other particu-
lars to be found on our cards. In every race the
11PrAectWent twice round the4iStlanee ;- but solittlk
intexest did the starting exeitti-tho; no one seemed.
to be aware of its having taken place till the horses
were already in full swing. The pace was not nearly
so rapid as at our races, and the principal noise made
when the winner came to the post was by the music-
of a band stationed opposite the grand stand. There
was one fence nearly seven feet high, but it consisted
of light branches covered with leaves, on which a
horse might alight with comparatively little harm
to himself or the rider. The two leaps at the double
hurdles were about 20 feet apart ; the fences were
of wicker-work, lightly placed in position, and in
the intermediate space between the two tan was
thickly strewn. The fences themselves were about
four feet high. All the horses bnt one went safely
over both ; the exception came to grief in crossing
the first, and, threw his rider. He mounted again
in an instant or two, but his steed bolted subse-
quently, and was " nowhere" when the horses were
coming to the post. The race was, how. ever, a good
one, and afforded ouch interest to the lovers of
sport who witnessed it.
In the evening there was a grand fete in the
gardens of La Societe Royale de Zoologie.
There were brilliantilluminations, and an admirable
concert was executed by the band of the Regiment
of Carbineers. The entertainment of the night
was, however, the ball of La Societe Royale de la
Grand Harmonic, which was one of the most mag-
nificent ever organised by any of the societies of
this city. There was an enormous assembly of
ladies and gentlemen present on the occasion, the
rooms were gorgeously decorated, and champagne
and other wines, as well as a profussion of light
refreshments, were served to the guests almost
unceasingly from 9 o'clock in the evening till 3
in the morning. At 10 o'clock M. Anspach, the
bourgmestre, entered the reception-room, accom-
panied by Colonel Loyd-Lindsay and M. Le Chef
de Bataillon Deherpe, commandant of the French
riflemen. They were received by the president and
council of the society, who led them up the room,
and delivered an address of welcome, to which
both gallant gentlemen returned suitable replies.
The cheers which greeted Colonel Loyd-Lindsay
and M. Deherpe were general and enthusiastic.
At Laeken the King and Queen gave a dinner
party, at which Colonel Loyd-Lindsay, M. Deherpe
and the several officers of the French Guard, the
captains of the Volunteers, the bourgmestre, the
commandant of the Garde Civique, Dr. Eustace
Smith, of London, physician extraordinary to his
Majesty, the president and vice-president of the
Tir, and several other gentlemen were present.
Unfortunately, at about the time the inspection
of the troops by their Majesties was taking place
in the daytime, a fire broke out in the King's
palace here, and before it could be extinguished
one of the finest of his pictures, a Raphael, was
destroyed ; with this exception very little damage
was done. So quiet was the matter kept, lest it
might occasion any discomfort to the foreign visi-
tors, that no one outside the palace had heard of it
for some hours after it had occurred. None
of the Volunteers fired at the Tir on Sun-
day, but yesterday they were there in great
numbers. As I explained in my last letter, there
are two ranges ; one is about 250 and the other
110 yards. In the former the white disc, or bull's
eye, is of some 8 inches diameter ; in the latter it
is only half that size. For certain prizes one is
allowed to fire h volonte, or as many shots as he
likes. The finest shot wade yet has been by a
rifleman named Constance Colet, of Lesve, near
Namur. His small rifle ball went as directly through
the centre of the inner ring as if its passage had
been regulated by a pair of compasses. The best
English shot has been by E. Phillips, of Surrey, but
capital marks have been made also by Woolley, of
Chester; Self, of Bucks ; and Field, of Arundel.
The long range, however, is what the Volunteers
delight in, and this was opened this morning under
the direction of Sir Paul Hunter, whose efforts were
efficiently seconded by Mr. E. Bourlant, secretary
of the Belgian Tir Commission. The long-range.
ground is situated at a somewhat greater distance
from town than the Tir. It is admirably chosen.
The competing riflemen, standing on one hill, fire
across a valley at the targets which are put up in a
trench on another height, the distance being 500
yards. Besides the sighting one, there are two tar-
gets for the Volunteers and one for the Belgians.
The system of marking is precisely the same as that
carried out at Wimbledon, and the men of the
Garde Civique told off to raise and lower the tar-
gets and work the signals at once fell into their
business directly it was explained to them. When
all the men entered for the long distance shall have
fired at the range of 500 yards, the half having the
highest scores will be selected to bring the contest
to a conclusion at the range of 600 yards. The
avenue leading from the high road to the shooting
ground is handsomely decorated with flags of the
Belgian colours, and there is a very neat little
sican-
teen just behind the spot where the marksmen
stand. stand. The Belgians are immensely interestedw
to
the Jong-range shooting, which is quited neester-
them. The greatest number of points ma eNsy,as
_l,
day at the target reserved for the Belgtaoufsl6 1
were
M. Andre being the marksman ; scoresd I
made by MM. Goa,verts, L. Colette,
of 15 points by E. Sacre, Aanineinanisuertis).;
k A. Jansen,
Monami. and J. MaNsin ; and P.
pointsl;y A.
Paulet, C. Colet, A. Vaumeerbroo ,
Tb. Heeren, and L. Sotteau.

Cow-liousEs.—An application was made yester-
day by a cowkeeper carrying on business in St. Clement
Danes, at the special session of the Strand Union, for a
licence to keep a cow-house hear Drury-lane, at which he
intended keeping some 50 cows. lie had formerly kept as
many as 90. The Bench (11r. Antrobus and Mr. Sam-
brooke) refused a licence.

Every officer and man of the expedition will have
pleasapt recollection of the cheerful zeal of Captain
Commerill, V.C., and officers of her Majesty's ship
Terrible. Captain Commerill frequently visited us
in his boats, both in high seas and calms, and his
cheery way of saying " You'll do it yet," " What
can I do ?" and " I'll do it," was truly characteristic
of him. We felt we could not ask what he would not
do. It was sufficient for him to learn a single want
that he could aid in accomplishing, and " I'll do it!"
was his ready word, and it was done as a matter of
course. The officers of the Terrible would do any-
thing for their captain, and entered heartily into the
object of the voyage.
I shall but do scant justice to Commanders Prowse
and Batt, R.N., and Captains Eddington and
Harris, Mercantile Marine, of the Medway and Al-
bany, if I recall the three weeks spent upon the
" grappling ground," where we were often separated
by fog, gale, or darkness ; yet whenever day
dawned, or the fog cleared, there the squadron
were to be seen converging from different points
towards the Mark Buoy, a small spot looking no
bigger than a man's hat on the surface of the ocean.
Unless all had concentrated their minds and watched
their ships and compasses night and day, no such
beautiful illustration of nautical science could have
been possible. The vessels of the squadron keeping
always together, and commanded by men who knew
the importance of keeping close enough to begin
work whenever it was possible, and yet to avoid
collision in fog, was of the greatest importance, and
we owe much to that invaluable system of signalling
by night and day invented by Captain Colomb,
R.N., which enabled us even in dayk nights, when
two or three miles apart, to communicate or ascer-
tain anything we desired.
I hope Captain Richards, hydrographer, Captain
Evans, of the Compass Department, and many others
of her Majesty's service, will do me the justice to
believe that I esteem more than I can publicly ex-
press their readiness to aid the late enterprise with-
out any reserve, and with a cheerful friendliness to
myself personally that I shall never forget.
I tried as a duty to say in substance all this when
I had an opportunity of speaking publicly at Liver-
pool ; doubtless, I said it indistinctly ; but, as far
more than what I can say as representing the nauti-
cal department of the expedition is due to these
gentlemen, I hope my attempt to do this much
justice to them will be sufficient apology for taking
up-so much of your space ; and if I did not at the
banquet, and do not now, say anything of any other
department, it is because they all know we only
claim credit for doing all that seamen could do to
aid in effecting the one grand object we all had in
view.--I remain, Sir, yours truly,
JAMjS ANDERSON.
Steamship Great Eastern.