Across this reception-hall, on the left of which are the secretary’s and accountant’s offices, there is at each side a long counter or table, that on the right being divided by green curtains into six desks, at which are to be seen the round, stout, slight, slim backs of persons of all shapes, and occasionally of both sexes, intently occupied in writing--unseen by each other--the important communications they are severally desirous to despatch. These messages are required to be written on a half-sheet of large-sized letter-paper, nearly one half of which is pre-occupied by a printed form, to be filled up by the name and address of the writer, as also of the person to whom his communication is addressed; the charge of the message, answer, porterage, or cab-hire; the date and hour at which the message is received; and lastly, the date and hour at which the operation of conveying it was commenced and finished by the person who works the electric instrument. On glancing at these forms our first impression was that the space allotted for the letter or message was insufficient. It is, however, practically found that the Company’s charges, which amount, from, say London-- To Birmingham or Stafford 3-9/10 _d._ per word. „ Derby, Norwich, Nottingham, or Yarmouth 4⅕ „ „ Liverpool, Leeds, Manchester 5⅒ „ „ York 5⅖ „ „ Edinburgh 7⅘ „ „ Glasgow 8⅖ „ seriously admonish writers of all descriptions to be as brief as possible: indeed it is a very curious fact in natural philosophy that a lawyer under the Company’s galvanic influence is suddenly gifted with a description of _clairvoyance_ which enables him to write on any subject in a laconic style, which in his chambers he would consider, and would most conscientiously assure his client, to be utterly impracticable! As fast as these messages are written, they are, one after another, passed through a glass window to a small compartment, or rather department, on the ground-floor, termed “_the Booking-office_,” where, after having been briefly noted and marked with their distinctive numbers, they are by the same hand put into a small box, a bell is then rung, and at the same instant up they fly, through a sort of wooden chimney, to the attic regions of the building, to “_the Instrument department_;” and as we slowly followed them by a staircase, on every landing-place of which we involuntarily paused for a moment or two to reflect on the wonderful process we were about to witness, we own it was with admiration and surprise that, on entering the attic, we suddenly saw before us the simple materials with which such astonishing effects are produced.