The Sun.
London, England, 1859-09-23 00:00:00

ELECTRIC TELEGRAPHS IN FRANCE.

The Constitutionnel gives an interesting sum-
mary of the career and progress of the electric
telegraph in France, based on statistics of the sub-
ject lately published. The first credit opened for
the first line was by a Royal order at the end of
1844. The line was from Paris to Rouen, and was

intended as an experiment. Next came that from
Paiis to Lille and the Belgian frontier. The advan-
tages of the system being ascertained, rapid pro-
gress was made, especially since the establishment
of the Empire, and in 1855 all the chief towns of
departments were connected by wires with the ca-
pital. In 1857 the number of stations in activity

was 178 ;in 1858 they increased to 193. The whole
of the network desirable and contemplated is not,
however, complete. Up to last year, there were
13,030 kilometres of telegraph wire working in
France, but many secondary lines remained to be
constructed. The French railways for which con-
cessions have been granted form an aggregate dis-
tance of more than 16,000kilometres, and there are
more than 35,000 kilometres of Imperial roads in
France. Hence it is inferred that a great deal more
telegraph line remains to be made.
The French lines were first opened for private
correspondence on the Ist of March, 1851. There
were then but 17 working stations, and the num-
ber of the messages sent by the public that year
was little more than 9,000. In 1856 there were
360,000 ; in 1857, 413,000 ; and in 1858, 463,000 ;
showing an increase of 50,000 in each of the last
two yeaas. Some rather curious details are given as
to whence and whither the messages were sent, and
their nature. The last quarter of 1858, during
which were sent, in round numbers, 156,000 mes-
sages, has been chosen for this investigation.
Out of that number, 98,000 were sent between
the 193 French stations, and 58,000 between
those stations, and about 2,000 foreign stations.
Thus it is seen that the telegraphic correspondence
with foreign countries was nearly two-fifths of the
whole. Out of the 98,000 messages in France,
74,000 were between provincial towns, and 24,000
between Paris and the provinces one-fourth
of the whole to Paris. Out of these 24,000, 15,000
were exchanged with the 30 principal towns of the
empire, at their head Lyons, Marseilles, Bordeaux,
Havre, Lille, Rouen, Toulouse. In investigating
the nature of the messages, the statician has con-
fined himself to these 15,000, and has found that
40 per cent. were for commercial and manufacturing
affairs, 34 per cent. for Bourse affairs, 20 per cent.
for private affairs and family interests, 4 per cent.
for newspapers and publicity, and 2 per cent. for
sundries. The international telegraph shows rather
different results ; 25,000 messages, exchanged
between Paris and the 30 largest foreign towns
in the last quarter of 1858, have been taken for
study. Bourse affairs constitute the largest class,
and are 48 per cent. of the whole. Private affairs
are 20 per cent., trade and manufactures show the
same per tentage, publicity and newspapers 9 per
cent., sundries 3 per cent. The order of importance
in which the different foreign cities come for each
class of correspondence is as follows : —For Bourse
affairs (public- funds, &c.) Vienna, Geneva, Frank-
fort, London, Berlin, Amsterdam; trade and manu-
factures, London, Madrid, St. Petersburg, Brussels,
Liverpool; private affairs and family interests, Lon-
don, Brussels, Madrid, St. Petersburg, Geneva, and
Vienna. The important place occupied by Mad-
rid in these last two categories will, doubtless, sur-
prise many. The proportion of single despatches
(one to 15 words) in the 98,000 sent in the interior
of France in the last three months of 1858 is 63
per cent. ; it is still larger in the messages sent to
and received from abroad, because, of course, the
greater the distance and expense the more the care
taken to diminish the number of words. It is
asked whether it would not be good policy to in-
crease the number of words allowed for a single
despatch, and also for the post-office to augment the
weight allowed for a single letter. The Constitu-
tionnel urges that such facilities given to the public
would be likely to increase the receipts of the admi-
nistration, and concludes its article as follows :
"The produce of the despatches, which was but 1,500,000 f.
in • 1853, rose successively to 3,333,000 f. in 1857, and to
3,516,000 f. in 1858. It is but the commencement of a
branch of receipts which we believe destined to take a-pretty
important rank in the table of the public revenue. It must
not be lost sight of that, besides the private despatches, the
State employs the electric telegraph for Government de-
spatches. Formerly, the service of the aerial telegraph was
a charge upon the State. Now, the private despatches pay
the expenses of the electric' telegraph ; they even leave a
profit, which is destined notably to increase, and they pro-
cure, besides, to the State the gratuitous use of the most
admirable instrument of Government that ever existed."