Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1847-01-26
RICH MOND, VA
Tuesday Morning, January 26. Is
ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.

Among the wonders oil the age III ~hieh ~
live, are the various inventions making eleclrl
city subservient TO the transmission oil 'ntellI
gence; and among those inventions The Electro
Magnetic Telegraph OF Professor Morse stands
pre-eminent. The rapidity with which il trans
mits intelligence, is said 10 be al least louril
that of any other system which has been lrieo
| and il records what il transmits in distinct DOL!
and marks, while others only make signs, wh'cf
have to be observed, and their meaning nolet
down bv a clerk. Successful Efforts have been
made TO devise Teegrsphs which would print The
,eller OF the alphabet; bull The instruments were
SO complicated, and the operation so slow, as &c
throw them out OF competition. Morse makes
an alphabet out OF combinations OF dots and
marks just as coed, when once understood, as Il
he printed the Roman letter. A dot & is his lei
Ter &, and represents the same sound; Two dol:
{. y constitute another letter; three another; a
dot and mark {. y another; and SO on through
the alphabet. They are learnt as The alphabet is
learnt words are made up with them as with The
common letters, and practised person can read
Them as he can print This alphabet is better fol
Telesraphic purposes than the common alphabet
because intelligence can be transmitted by il fou
times as fast.
The uses OF the Electro Magnetic Telegraph
are as diversified as the business and relations o
human society.
The transactions OF every city from New Or
leans Saint Louis and Buffalo 10 Boston, may be
known in every other city of The Union hourly
as they pass.
When steamer arrives at New York or Bos'
ton, The prices ofproduce may be known in few
minutes Throughout, the Union, and operations
every where commenced
A Richmond merchant may give an order 10
his correspondent at New York in The morning,
and before night be informed that his goods ale
shipped.
AT noon Today be gives directions that parcel
be senthm by railroad from Baltimore, and To-
morrow he gets il.
He holds bill of exchange payable in New
York, where he has sent it for collection. The
Telegraph informs him il has been paid, and in
return he directs what shall be done with the mo-
ney.
A bill is offered him on good house in New
York; but he doubt, its acceptance. He inquiries
through The Telegraph, is answered in halt an
hour, and makes The purchase.
He can by like mean. ascertain The soundness
and genuineness of endorsements By persons IN
distant cities.
A stranger, whose funds have been lost, stolen,
or exhausted, wishes 10 check on his bank, or
draw on his friend In few minutes the bank
or broker 10 whom he offers his paper can asceT-
tain whether be has funds In bank al the place oil
his residence, or whether his friend is good and
will accept.
Men in distant cities, when emergencies require
them 10 meet, can make appointments and come
together in half The time j, would take without The
Telegraph.
In domestic relations, the Telegraph is destined
TO be source OF incslimable comfort.
The husband and father, though thousand
miles from home, can exchange saulaIlons with
his family and learn their condition every morn
ing. II one OF them be sick, he will be enabled
every hour 10 learn The vcissudes Of The disease,
and hasten home in case OF danger
If he be himself sick, he can enable some oil
his family 10 reach his bedside in halt the time
which would now be required.
These are net fancy sketches, but incidents
which have been realized on The lines now in or
eraion. The Telegraph has enabled distant men,
bers OF families 10 know, as il they had been in
the next room, the progress Of disease and hasten
to receive the last farewell. Physicians have
been consulted through il; and in innumeraole
ways i, has administered 10 the relief and CON-
fort of friends and families.
The traveller whose baggage has been LEFT,
finds it useful in recovering it and through IL
while a hundred miles distant he engages a
berth in a steamboat or room in hotel.
The criminal flies in vain. A description OF
him ou,-runs The Railroad train, and ne finds
an officer at the depot ready 10 arrest him.
The Telegraph is The enemy Of spectators
as we'll as rogues. Wherever its wires extend,
il conveys daily knowledge OF prices in al
The principal cities; and on the arrival OF
steamer from abroad, gives in few minutes lis
leading articles OF news and prices al all It's prln-
cipal stations. II is because it prevents specula-
lion, not because il promotes il, that spectators
have, in few instances, cut lis wires.
To The government as well as The citizen, II
will be found great facility in time Of peace,
and an essential auxiliary in time OF war
n. as in The war OF 1872, our country
were beleaguered by land and sea, by means
of the Magnetic Telegraph, the Govern
ment might know every night the condition
of all its armies and seaports, and direct
the movements Of The succeeding day. II a
hostile fleet were discovered approaching a city
the Telegraph would Instantly give the alarm TO
the neighborng cities and The surrounding couL-
try, which, by railroad and steamboat, would pour
in their thousands for its defence before an enc
my could land. In the present war with Mexico,
two weeks would be saved in receiving inlelli-
gence and conveying orders in return TO The Navy
in the Gulf and The Army in MEXICO, by line
Of Telegraph 10 Pensacola and New Orleans
and in preventing The muster OF militia under
the order of Gen. Gaines and other unnecessary
movements, such line might have saved pro-
badly million Of dollars.
By permission Of The County Courts, The Pro-
prelors Of Morse's Telegraph are constructing
line from Washington 10 Fredericksburg, which
is nearly completed. We understand they az
piled for permission 10 build along the railroad 10
Richmond on The same terms that they have al
ready bull, ON six or egb, hundred miles OF rail-
road, which was refused. Application was then
made to The General Assembly for the right OF
way along the common roads throughout the
Commonwealth, which is now pending
The annexed form OF bill, we are informed ,
embodies the views OF The proprielors of Morses
Telegraph II such bill should pass, (and We are
satisfied that il is entirely reasonable and just0 we
are assured,he proprisors are not only willing, but
desirons, tha, the Commonwealth, or The railroad
companies, or the citizens OF Virginia, shall fur
nish The means 10 construct The line of Telegraph
and participate in its income, and will give them
preference over such as may be willing 10 fur
nish them on the same terms elsewhere: