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and in France, was in Paris told that Baron Schilling had invented his electro-magnetic telegraph some time after his return from the frontiers of China, in December, 1832, and in 1833. This erroneous statement became for Morse a welcome encouragement to confirm to himself the ill-founded priority of October, 1832, and, unfortunately, in most of the works printed since that time, Baron Schilling is stated to have invented his telegraph in 1833.
We have seen what sort of a telegraph Morse, with the aid of Dr. Gale, had (in 1837) invented. It was a thing quite useless for practical purposes. Alfred Vail, with hie brother, very soon after, made for Morse, as I have already mentioned, a better one, and, in the course of a good many years, that practically very useful instrument was brought about, which at present goes by the name of Morse's.
The first telegraph line in England was constructed by Mr. Cooke, from London (Paddington) along the Great Western railroad to West Drayton, in 1838–39. In 1840, he established the telegraph along the Blackwall railway, and, in 1841, a short line from the Queen-street station at Glasgow, through the tunnel to the engine-house at Cowlairs, on the railway to Edinburgh. In 1842–3, the line from West Drayton was continued to Slough. In
