Mr. Hubbard gives the number of stations in Switzerland at 333, while the best English authority[[22]] gives it at 252. He also gives the number of messages transmitted in England, in 1866, as 6,127,000, while Mr. Scudamore, in his reply to the statement of the Electric and International Telegraph Company, published in May, 1868,[[23]] points out the fact that only 5,781,189 messages were transmitted throughout Great Britain and Ireland during that year.
[22]. Government and the Telegraphs. London, 1868.
[23]. Return to an order of the Honorable the House of Commons for copy of further correspondence between the Treasury and the Postmaster-General relating to the Electric Telegraphs Bill.
It will be observed that Mr. Hubbard has “estimated”—that is, guessed at—the number of and receipts for telegrams in the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Turkey, and Greece. He estimates the average cost per message to be 42 cents; but as we happen to know that the average cost in Denmark was more than twice this amount, we are not willing to accept any of his estimates.
ERRONEOUS TABLE OF EUROPEAN STATISTICS.
From Mr. Hubbard’s pamphlet:—
| Statistics of the Telegraph in Europe for the Year 1866. | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name of Country. | Number of Stations | Miles of Wire. | Rates in 1866. | Number of Messages. | Receipts. | |||
| England | 2,151 | 80,466 | 1 shilling. | 6,127,000 | £ sterling | 521,707 × | $4.84 = | $2,481,500.00 |
| France | 1,209 | 68,687 | ½ and 1 franc. | 2,842,554 | Francs | 7,707,590 × | 0.20 = | 1,541.518.00 |
| Austria | 851 | 73,854 | 2,507,472 | Florins | 1,644,742 × | 0.41 = | 674,344.00 | |
| Prussia | 538 | 55,149 | 1,964,003 | Thalers | 1,275,785 × | 0.72 = | 918,565.00 | |
| Belgium | 356 | 6,146 | ½ franc. | 1,128,005 | Francs | 961,112 × | 0.20 = | 194,442.00 |
| Switzerland | 333 | 3,717 | ½ franc. | 668,916 | Francs | 684,471 × | 0.20 = | 136,894.00 |
| Bavaria | 4,945 | Florins | 322,876 × | 0.41 = | 132,383.00 | |||
| Norway | 73 | 2,710 | 269,375 | Rix Dolls. | 343,645 × | 0.53 = | 182,131.00 | |
| Russia | 308 | 37,330 | 838,653 | Roubles | 1,872,659 × | 0.213 7 = | 372,309.00 | |
| Italy | 529 | 22,214 | 1,760,889 | Lira | 4,120,311 × | 0.186 10 = | 766,750.00 | |
| Spain | 533,376 | Dollars | 554,475 × | 1.00 = | 554,475.00 | |||
| Netherlands Denmark Sweden Turkey Greece | 1,500,000 | × 0.42 = | 630,000.00 | |||||
| Total Messages | 18,640,243 | Total receipts | $8,585,311.00 | |||||
| Average rate per message in Europe | $0.42 | |||||||
EUROPEAN TELEGRAMS COUNTED SEVERAL TIMES.
An examination of Mr. Hubbard’s statement of the number of messages sent in Europe, in 1866, will reveal the fact that he has included inland, international, and transit messages to make up the grand total. In this way he has counted the same message several times. For instance, messages sent from England to France, or any two contiguous countries, would be counted in each. Messages between France and Germany would be counted in France and Germany as international messages, and in Belgium and perhaps some other country as transit. The same would be the case between all European countries whose territories do not border on each other. A message going from France to Russia, or from England to Turkey, might be counted a dozen times.
In the United States each message is counted but once, although it may traverse thousands of miles in reaching its place of destination.