Commons took the form of "Proposed to brand Speaker"; and an
excursion party assured their friends at home of their security by
the message, "Arrived all tight."

Telegraphs, in the literal sense of the word, which actually write
the message as with a pen, and make a copy or facsimile of the
original, have been invented from time to time. Such are the
"telegraphic pen" of Mr. E. A. Cowper, and the "telautographs" of
Mr. J. H. Robertson and Mr. Elisha Gray. The first two are based
on a method of varying the strength of the current in accordance
with the curves of the handwriting, and making the varied current
actuate by means of magnetism a writing pen or stylus at the
distant station. The instrument of Gray, which is the most
successful, works by intermittent currents or electrical impulses,
that excite electro-magnets and move the stylus at the far end of
the line. They are too complicated for description here, and are
not of much practical importance.

Telegraphs for transmitting sketches and drawings have also been
devised by D'Ablincourt and others, but they have not come into
general use. Of late another step forward has been taken by Mr.
Amstutz, who has invented an apparatus for transmitting
photographic pictures to a distance by means of electricity. The
system may be described as a combination of the photograph and
telegraph. An ordinary negative picture is taken, and then
impressed on a gelatine plate sensitised with bichromate of
potash. The parts of the gelatine in light become insoluble, while
the parts in shade can be washed away by water. In this way a
relief or engraving of the picture is obtained on the gelatine,
and a cross section through the plate would, if looked at