The French Government Telegraph Administration became at
once interested in the new receiver, and a commission of eminent
electricians, consisting of Du Moncel, Blavier, Froment, Gaugain, and
other practical and theoretical specialists, was appointed to decide on
its merits. The first trial of the type-printer took place on the Paris
to Lyons circuit, and there is a little anecdote connected with it which
is worthy of being told. The instrument was started, and for a while
worked as well as could be desired; but suddenly it came to a stop, and
to the utter discomfiture of the inventor he could neither find out what
was wrong nor get the printer to go again. In the midst of his
confusion, it seemed like satire to him to hear the commissioners say,
as they smiled all round, and bowed themselves gracefully off, 'TRES-
BIEN, MONSIEUR HUGHES--TRES-BIEN, JE VOUS FELICITE.' But the matter was
explained next morning, when Professor Hughes learned that the
transmitting clerk at Lyons had been purposely instructed to earth the
line at the time in question, to test whether there was no deception in
the trial, a proceeding which would have seemed strange, had not the
occurrence of a sham trial some months previous rendered it a prudent
course.
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