Bibliographical history of electricity & magnetism, chronologically arranged — John Shaqi
Bibliographical history of electricity & magnetism, chronologically arranged
History
Bibliographical history of electricity & magnetism, chronologically arranged
Electricity -- History; Electricity -- History -- Bibliography; Magnetism -- History; Magnetism -- History -- Bibliography; Science, Medieval
=B.C. 341.=--Æneas, the tactician, believed to be the same Æneas
of Stymphale alluded to by Xenophon, invented a singular method of
telegraphing phrases commonly used, especially in war. These were
written upon exactly similar oblong boards placed at the dispatching
and receiving stations, where they stood upon floats in vessels of
water. At a given signal the water was allowed to flow out of the
vessel at each station, and, when the desired phrase on the board had
reached the level of the vessel, another signal was made so that the
outflow could be stopped and the desired signal read at the receiving
station.
REFERENCES.--Laurencin, “Le Télégraphe,” Chap. I; “Penny
Encycl.,” Vol. XXIV. p. 145; “Michaud Bio.,” Paris, 1855, Vol.
XII. pp. 459–460.
=B.C. 337–330.=--From the well-known work by Mme. Blavatsky (“Isis
Unveiled,” New York, 1877) the following curious extracts are made
regarding “The Ether or Astral Light” (Vol. I. chap. v. pp. 125–162):
“There has been an infinite confusion of names to express one and
the same thing, amongst others, the Hermes-fire, the lightning of
Cybelè, the nerve-aura and the fluid of the magnetists, the od of
Reichenbach, the fire-globe, or meteor-_cat_ of Babinet, the physic
force of Sergeant Cox and Mr. Crookes, the atmospheric magnetism of
some naturalists, galvanism, and finally, electricity, which are but
various names for many different manifestations or effects of the same
all-pervading causes--the Greek Archeus....” Only in connection with
these _discoveries_ (Edison’s Force and Graham Bell’s Telephone, which
may unsettle, if not utterly upset all our ideas of the imponderable
fluids) we may perhaps well remind our readers of the many hints to be
found in the ancient histories as to a certain secret in the possession
of the Egyptian priesthood, who could instantly communicate, during
the celebration of the Mysteries, from one temple to another, even
though the former were at Thebes and the latter at the other end of
the country; the legends attributing it, as a matter of course, to
the “invisible tribes” of the air which carry messages for mortals.
The author of “Pre-Adamite Man” (P. B. Randolph, at p. 48) quotes
an instance, which, being merely given on his own authority, and he
seeming uncertain whether the story comes from Macrinus or some other
writer, may be taken for what it is worth. He found good evidence, he
says, during his stay in Egypt, that one of the Cleopatras actually
sent news by a wire to all of the cities from Heliopolis (the
magnificent chief seat of sun-worship) to the island of Elephantine, on
the Upper Nile.
Further on, Mme. Blavatsky thus alludes to the loadstone:
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