Letter to The Atlantic Telegraph Company, 1859

[Letter] 1859 Mar 4, The Atlantic Telegraph Company, 22 Old Broad Street, London / C.W. Lundy, [certifying that the first words transmitted through the Atlantic Telegraph Cable were received on this machine, (a Henley needle galvanometer), on 10 Aug 1858. The Henley needle galvanometer is in the museum's collections]

Letter, 1859 Mar 4, The Atlantic Telegraph Company, 22 Old Broad Street, London / C.W. Lundy, certifying that the first words transmitted through the Atlantic Telegraph Cable were received on this machine, (a Henley needle galvanometer), on 10 Aug 1858.

A galvanometer made by W T Henley & Co was one of the instruments installed at the Valentia (Ireland) end of the 1858 transatlantic cable. On 10 August 1858 it received the first message transmitted from Newfoundland: 'Europe and America are united by telegraphy. Glory to God in the highest; on earth, peace and good will toward men'. However, as its design was based on ordinary telegraph practices, it was not sensitive enough to make a satisfactory receiver for long distances. This letter certifies that the first words transmitted through the 1858 transatlantic cable were received on this particular Henley needle galvanometer.