I sent
an assistant and workman to put it in order, and since that time it
has generally acted very well.--Application has been made to me from
one of the important offices of Government (the Post Office) for the
galvanic regulation of their clocks.--On considering the risks to
which various galvanic communications are liable, and the financial
necessity for occupying wires as little as possible, I perceived that
it was necessary to devise constructions which should satisfy the
following conditions. First, that a current sent once a day should
suffice for adjusting the clock, even if it had gone ten or more
seconds wrong. Secondly, that an occasional failure of the current
should not stop the clock. I have arranged constructions which possess
these characters, and the artist (Mr C. Shepherd) is now engaged in
preparing estimates of the expense. I think it likely that this may
prove to be the beginning of a very extensive system of clock
regulation."--With respect to the operations for determining the
longitude of Paris, it is stated that, "The whole number of days of
signal transmission was eighteen, and the whole number of signals
transmitted was 2530. The number of days considered available for
longitude, in consequence of transits of stars having been observed at
both Observatories, was twelve, and the number of signals was
1703.
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