ENGLISH MAIL NEWS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXIV, Issue 194, 18 August 1890, Page 2

ENGLISH MAIL NEWS.

A remarkable instrument was exhibited at the Post Office jubilee conversazione. It is called the electro -phonoscope, and is the joint invention of Professor Hughes, F.R.S., and Mr W. 11. Preece, F.R.S., the work having boen carried out by Mr Stroh and Mr Martin Roberts, of the Post Office. It is olaimed by the inventors that the electrophonoscope solves the question of " visual telegraphy" (if such a phraso may be employed.) The sender of a message from a distant station appears in person before hia correspondent, and, with a telephone, it is possible not only to speak to him, but also to see him and to watch the exgres .ion of his features. The instrument is a perfect complement to the telephone, and will ili lustrate what telegraphy will be in 1990. Several eminent American electrioians have long been working at the difficult problem of " visual telegraphy ;" and the news of the invention of the eleotro-phonoscopa when telegraphed across the Atlantic ia likely to cause no small oonsternation in, their camp. The London correspondent of the Press writes : —Here are some facts for the curious about Stanley's new book :— On Friday night, June 28th, at six o'clock thou* eauds of copies of Stanley's book were distributed to the trade, and by Monday ifc was circulated throughout the length and breadth of the land The first English edition numbered 20,000 copies (this is in« elusive of the luxe edition, &c). It is estimated (gays an English paner) that during the last four months nearly 11,000 men, women, and children have been employed upon it. In England alone 60 compositors, 17 readers, 12 reading boys, 200 machine and warehousemen were at work on it. In the binding of 40,000 volumes, 500 men and 600 women were employed. There are ten foreign editions. The printing ink consumed amounts to 1 ton lOcwt ; multiply these figurea by eight for the foreign editions, and you arrive a. the enormous quantity of 12 tons. The paper for the English edition weighs 65£ tons. As the foreign editions are not so large as the English, the figures are multi-* plied by four only, whioh produoes a total of 262 tons. The binders' oloth used for England amounts to 4,500 yards, in Amerioa to 9000, aod in other -oun.ri.s to XO QQ