Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1839-05-30
EageGela Court House, S. G. :Aay 80, 15as

he desired OH The scure of extent and az
curacy, and by experiments OH lis merits
gained over the national convention 10 a
dopt it in the year 1893. Forty six years
have since elapsed and it is still in use;
long period, which certainly is an undenia-
bic evidence of lis utility. Sill it is only
known by its results. A single govern
ment possessed itself both Of Mr.. Chappe
aud his invention. No information res
pectiug lis details has passed the threshold
of the administrator to whom alone the Sc
cret was confded. 1t It's impossible, there
fore, to discuss the science itself-evcry
thing that can be said respecting thai sub
ject would be merely conjeclural. and we
must confine ourselves to results alone.
1t is easy to comprehend that it would
not be difficult to combine certain num-
ber Of signs TO make them correspond with
certain phrases or words. This has heen
accomplished in the works of the authors
above uamed But the essential object is
to arrive al au accurate and easy method
of correspondence. TO do this, it is ne
cessary;; one would suppose, to invent a
series Of happy combinations, and above
all, as Mr.. Gonon has done. to arrive al
such perfect accuracy as not to exhibit
more signs than words, even in dispatches
of an abstract nature. Mr.. g., has been
remarked, exhibits fcweT signs than words
in his system, which in every respect is
entirely simple.
We have witnessed some Of Mr.. G.'s
experiments, and tile features which we
have just described, were always devclo-
ped. The dictionary which be uses is moth
lug moro than common volume, contain.
ing not more than $50 to 200 pages.
The labor of compiling such work
must have been immcnse-an observation
that was made by every person who was
present AT the experiments, and it struck
us fnrcihly that the United States would
derive incalculable advantage from lis
adoption. Some days ago, the arrival of
the Great Wcstern was looked for with in
tense anxiety. The unusual length of her
voyage gave rise 10 apprehensions Of great
importauce-a dead calm pervadcd ,bc
trade Of The country. The Great Western
was to restore business to its equilibrium.
Her arrival reused New York from The
lctharsy in which Sc lay, as ii were, en-
lranced. Bul New Orleans had to wait
seven or eight days, even though the ex-
press mail was NOT retarded Instead of
This delay. if this line Of tclesrapts were
established, the Great WcSrc1I would ne
hardly seen from L Island when she would
be telegraphcd fionl n. York to n. Orleans.
Before she anchors the telcgrap!lic ma
chincry would be ser in motion, aud in
thirty minutes the people Of New Orleans
would be made acquainted with the intel
iecnte circulating in Wall street, before il
was known in the suburbs Of New York.
These things appear marvellous, but
ile reflection will show t'at they are
practicable. Nothing, in truth. is more
simple. One can see 10 great distance
with the aid Of n good telescope. The
signs being repeated TO the next station,
and repeated again and again, are easily
carried 10 the point of destination. IpIcl-
ieence is carried, as every body knows,
from Paris TO Calais in three minutes, by
means Of twenlysevcn Ielegraphs. and
from Brest TO Paris by eighty lelesraphs in
eight minutes.
Although not menaccd with the inllic-
tions of war, yeti is pertinent 10 observe
that to facilitate military operations, the
system photographs operates like magic.
The fac, is not mentioned in the history Of
Napoleon, and. yet it is incontestible, that
he owes a great portion Of his glory to the
moveabIe telegraphs that followed his ar
mics. How many errors and false move
meuts were repaired.-what commands
were made known at distant points in few
moments; in a word, VI hat advantages were
realized by this aerial correspondence,
which The hulcls of the enemy were una
Bile 10 reach!
81. Juan de UlIoa could have made n
more prnIonged resistance. if Vera Cruz
aud the city OF Mexico had been connec-
ted by a line Of telegraphs. The Mex-
can government, receiving every minutc.
news from the seat of action, could have
taken means 10 defeat the attack to save
the fortress.
We here close our remarks for to-day,
on this subject, which appears to be inl-
malely connected with The interest of COM
nerce and the defence Of the country.
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