MR. JAMESsaid, he had given notice of a question which he intended to put to the Secretary of the Admiralty; but he had received a communication from that hon. Gentleman, stating that he had gone out of town, but that the right hon. Member for Ripon would be in his place and give him a reply. He begged, therefore, to ask that right hon. Baronet, whether the attention of the First Lord of the Admiralty had been directed to an electric telegraph recently invented by a scientific gentleman of the name of Knott? The machinery of this telegraph, as he understood, was of so simple a nature, was so much less complicated, and less liable to get out of order, than any other telegraph hitherto invented; and could be got, besides, at comparatively so cheap a cost, that it would be of great importance, not only to the Admiralty service, but to the interests of the country at large. He was given to understand that the late First Lord of the Treasury (Lord Haddington), after Dr. Faraday, with the principal Engineer on the London and Birmingham Railway, and other scientific gentlemen, had reported favourably of it, had given orders to the officers of the establishment over which he had control to make a special report on the subject. Such a report, he understood, was made by Captain Brandon and General Pasley; and he wished to know whether the right hon. Gentleman would have any objection to state the nature of that report, or whether he would have any objection to lay it on the Table of the House?
§ SIR G. COCKBURNreplied, that it was quite true that Mr. Knott did propose certain alterations or improvements in the electric telegraph, and that the Lords of the Admiralty had requested Captain Brandon and General Pasley to examine it and report upon it, which they had both done unfavourably. General Pasley considered it to be substantially on the same principle as the telegraph at present in use, but with some variations of an inferior kind. General Pasley had likewise stated that Mr. Knott appeared to be little acquainted with the principle of the telegraph, and that, therefore, it would not be wise in the Government to induce him to put himself, and certainly it would not be wise to put the country, to any additional expense on the subject.
MR. JAMESwas much obliged to the right hon. Baronet for the information. He understood, decidedly, that Dr. Faraday 528 was in favour of Mr. Knott's improvement, and that he considered it much more simple and much less likely to get out of order than the other. If it were not so, he could only say he had been deceived.
§ House adjourned at seven o'clock.