The Portsmouth inquirer. [volume] (Portsmouth, O. [Ohio]) 1849-1855, 1850-09-30

ADDISON AND THE ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.
1t IS curious to observe how often that
which is regarded as fantastical and chimer-
icol in one age, acquires the character of
cold reality in another. Strada, in one Of
his prolusions, says Addison, "gives an &c.
count ofa chimerical correspondence be.
tween two frienos by the help Of a certain
loodstone. which had such virtue in it, that,
it touched by two several needles, when
one ofthese needles SO touched began 10
move, the other, though at ever so great q
distance, moved at the same time and in
the same manner. He tells us that two
friends, being each Of them possessed Of
these needles, made kind Of dial-plate,
inscribing it with twcnty-four letters, in
the same manner that the hours Of the day
are marked upon the ordinary dial-plate.
They then fix one ofthe needles on each
OF these plates in such manner, that il
could move around without impediment, SO
as to point to any Of the twenty-four let
tiers. Upon their separating from one an
other into distant countries, they agreed to
Withdraw themselves punctuully into their
closets at a certain hour Of the day, aBd 70
converse with one another by this their
invention. Accordingly, whom they were
some hundred miles asunder, each Of them
shut himself up in his closet ut the time ap.
pointed, and Immediately cast his eye upon
the dial-plate. lfhe had q mind to write
any thing to his friend, he directed bis
needle to every letter that formed tho
words that he had accession for, making a
little pause at the end Of every word or
sentence, TO avoid confusion.
The friend in the meanwhile, saw his
own sympathetic needle moving ofitselfto
every letter which that Of his correspondent
pointed at. BY this means they talked to-
gether across whole continent, and con.
veyed their thoughts to one another in an
instant over cities or mountains, seas or
deserts" If NJ. Scuddery, or any other
writer Of romance CONTINUES Addison) had
introduceda Ia necromnncer, who is general.
ly in the train Of a knight-errant, making
present to two lovers Of couple Of those
aforementioned needles, the reader would
not have been little pleased 10 have seen
them corresponding with one another when
they were guarded by spies and watches
or separated by castles and adventures -
l"In the meanwhile, if ever this invention
should be revived or put in practice, /
would propose that on the lovers dial-pfate
there should be written not only the twen-
ty-iour letters, but several entire words,
which have always place in passionate
epistles--ns flames, darts, die, longuage,
absence, cupid, heart, eyes, hang, drown,
and the like. This would very much
abridge the lovers pains in this way Ol
writing letter. MS Il would ennblc him %
express the most useful and significant
words with a single turn Of the needle. -
Addison wrote this in It'll. Hldhe lived
hundred and forty years later, be would
have seen not only the sympathetic needles
3 of fStrada, but even the nlphnbetic dial lite
0 rally realized. d.-Dublia University Mdg'
"A GRAMAT1cAL PurL----A country
schoolmasler in the ncighborhood of Cunlk
!, ney, giving ono Of his pupils asevere drub
bing for speaking bad grdmmer, sent hin
to the other end Of the room 10 inform an
! other boy that be wished to speak to him
, , md at the same time, promising to rspea
the dose il bespoke to him aagr amaticaily
4 The youngster, bsing quite satisfied viii
what he bad got, determined to be exac
land thus addressed biz pupil aThere Is
commop sabs,dhtirc c iks s;asraline gen
der, singular nsabsr, noainaiips cass
and 10 an aagfy mood tha, sits perched u
! on the eminence u The olher end of "a
, room who wishes % nrticuiafo fsN scn
Fences 10 Won IN Tho ,yesenf fensa.'