Genre:

News-Commentary, Drollery

Subjects:

Telegraphy, Technology, Accidents, Commerce

    Discusses an extract of an article from The Times which consists of a garbled telegram sent from China: 'Question United States Treaty tim latms Pashisky worse'. Ponders the cost of transmitting this information and its use. Offers some general remarks about the unintelligibility of telegrams. Wonders that the 'workers of a telegraph should take the trouble to transmit such gibberish by their wires', given that it could be 'easily concocted at the place where it is said to be received'. Ponders the legal problems associated with sending such information and whether the sender can be compensated for garbled messages. More sceptically, the author wonders why people 'should submit to pay' for such messages and 'that any one should place the least reliance on a telegram' given the grave mistakes made in them.