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281
Heroes of the Telegraph
·
John Munro
4
These
properties
of
amber
and
lodestone
appear
to
have
been
widely
known.
The
Persian
name
for
amber
is
KAHRUBA,
attractor
of
straws,
and
that
for
lodestone
AHANG-RUBA
attractor
of
iron.
In
the
old
Persian
romance,
THE
LOVES
OF
MAJNOON
AND
LEILA,
the
lover
sings--
'She
was
as
amber,
and
I
but
as
straw:
She
touched
me,
and
I
shall
ever
cling
to
her.'
The
Chinese
philosopher,
Kuopho,
who
flourished
in
the
fourth
century,
writes
that,
'the
attraction
of
a
magnet
for
iron
is
like
that
of
amber
for
the
smallest
grain
of
mustard
seed.
It
is
like
a
breath
of
wind
which
mysteriously
penetrates
through
both,
and
communicates
itself
with
the
speed
of
an
arrow.'
[Lodestone
was
probably
known
in
China
before
the
Christian
era.]
Other
electrical
effects
were
also
observed
by
the
ancients.
Classical
writers,
as
Homer,
Caesar,
and
Plutarch,
speak
of
flames
on
the
points
of
javelins
and
the
tips
of
masts.
They
regarded
them
as
manifestations
of
the
Deity,
as
did
the
soldiers
of
the
Mahdi
lately
in
the
Soudan.
It
is
recorded
of
Servius
Tullus,
the
sixth
king
of
Rome,
that
his
hair
emitted
sparks
on
being
combed;
and
that
sparks
came
from
the
body
of
Walimer,
a
Gothic
chief,
who
lived
in
the
year
415
A.D.
During
the
dark
ages
the
mystical
virtues
of
the
lodestone
drew
more
attention
than
those
of
the
more
precious
amber,
and
interesting
experiments
were
made
with
it.
The
Romans
knew
that
it
could
attract
iron
at
some
distance
through
an
intervening
fence
of
wood,
brass,
or
stone.
One
of
their
experiments
was
to
float
a
needle
on
a
piece
of
cork,
and
make
it
follow
a
lodestone
held
in
the
hand.
This
arrangement
was
perhaps
copied
from
the
compass
of
the
Phoenician
sailors,
who
buoyed
a
lodestone
and
observed
it
set
towards
the
north.
There
is
reason
to
believe
that
the
magnet
was
employed
by
the
priests
of
the
Oracle
in
answering
questions.
We
are
told
that
the
Emperor
Valerius,
while
at
Antioch
in
370
A.D.,
was
shown
a
floating
needle
which
pointed
to
the
letters
of
the
alphabet
when
guided
by
the
directive
force
of
a
lodestone.
It
was
also
believed
that
this
effect
might
be
produced
although
a
stone
wall
intervened,
so
that
a
person
outside
a
house
or
prison
might
convey
intelligence
to
another
inside.
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