MR. EDISON'S PHONOGRAPH.
To the Editor of The Times.
Sir,—At two o'clock this afternoon, at the address below, I had the honour to receive from Mr. Edison his "perfected phonograph," which, on the authority of Mr. Edison's own statement, in his own familiar voice, communicated to me by the phonograph itself, "is the first instrument of his latest model that has been seen outside of his laboratory, or has left his hands," and is consequently the first to reach this country.
At five minutes past two o'clock precisely, I and my family were enjoying the at once unprecedented and astounding experience of listening to Mr. Edison's own familiar and unmistakable tones here in England—more than three thousand miles from the place where he had spoken, and exactly ten days after, the voice having meanwhile voyaged across the Atlantic Ocean.
"His first phonogram," as Mr. Edison calls it, tells me, among other things, that this instrument contains many modifications of those which, a few weeks ago, were exhibited at the Electrical Club in New York, and so widely reported by the Press.
In the several long phonogramic communications to me (no single word of which had to be repeated in order to be clearly and easily understood by every person present, including a child of seven years old), Mr. Edison mentions that he will send me phonograms by every mail leaving New York, and requests me to correspond with him exclusively through the medium of the phonograph, humorously remarking in this connection upon the advantages he will himself derive from the substitution of phonograms for a style of writing not always too legible.
Next to the phonogram from Mr. Edison himself, and before all the remainder of the deeply interesting contents of the "phonogramic cabinet" sent me, is an exquisite poem entitled, "The Phonograph's Salutation," composed by the well-known and gifted American poet and preacher, Horatio Nelson Powers, D.D., of Piermont, on the Hudson. This poem makes the phonograph tell its own story of what it is and what it does, in a style and with a power that must add not a little to the already high reputation of its author. It was spoken by him into the phonograph, so that we cannot fail to read it as he would have it read—a privilege of no small importance to both the poet and those who hear him.
Perhaps the highest justification of the phonograph's description of its own power in its "Salutation" is found in the fact that to several members of my family who are familiar with the Doctor's style of oratory, from having sat under his preaching in former years, the voice of the author is perfectly recognizable, even by my youngest child of seven years, who had not heard the voice since he was five years old.
Besides the above, Mr. Edison has sent for our amusement numerous musical records of great interest and beauty—pianoforte, cornet, and other instruments, solos, duets, &c., many of which, he tells me, have been very frequently repeated—some, several hundred times.