"The records of your actions are borne in the waters, in the air,
in electricity, in the unknown powers that, by the command of Him
who made them all, pervade infinite space. His might is everywhere;
and the man who transgresses, sins in the presence of myriads of
witnesses."
In my reign some interesting discoveries were made with regard to water.
From a source situated in the midst of a lovely scene flowed a spring of
remarkably pure quality, some drops of which, taken at a distance,
presented, when viewed through a microscope, a true picture of the
landscape close to the source from whence they came. Rocks, trees,
shrubs, sky, were there faithfully delineated with their varied forms
and colours, together with the resemblances of two persons, lovers,
seated on the banks. As we afterwards learned, they had been attracted
by the beauty of the scene, had sat for a long time in the same place,
and their portrait was, as it were, fixed on the water.
The electricity of the sun and light had thrown the shadow or picture of
the scene on the fluid, whose electricity had been sufficiently strong
to retain it, and bear it to the spot whence the drops of water had been
taken. This circumstance, and our knowledge that the reflecting power of
the water is the result in part of its peculiar electricity, led to a
very interesting discovery.
With the assistance of a powerfully attracting electric machine we can
produce, together with the surrounding landscape, the likeness of a
person, or of a group, actually many miles from the machine, if near the
water. The image is received on the reflecting mirror of the machine,
and an artist immediately copies outlines and colours.
With the aid of the attracting machine we have obtained pictures of our
Swan-vessels, though a long way out at sea, with the passengers on the
decks; who, on arriving, have been surprised to find their likenesses,
with a similitude of the costume they wore while on board.
The machine, through the medium of the water, throws its attracting
power many miles out through the sea, and reflects objects back on a
large plate of a kind of ground-glass. The objects reflected are not
fixed permanently, but remain on the plate for about an hour and a half
after the connection with the machine has ceased. During this time an
artist traces the picture which it is desired to retain, and fills in
the colours. The reflection thrown is indeed little more than a
pale-coloured shadow, but we make of it a reality at will.
Our knowledge of the properties of water enables us, with the aid of an
electric-attracting machine, to see the bottom of the sea. Images of the
deepest parts are thrown upon the mirror, the force of the machine being
increased according to the depth of the sea, and the distance from the
machine.
Some parts of the bottom of the sea reveal nothing but uninhabited,
uneven ground, whilst other parts present the appearance of an inhabited
world. We have seen the entrances to large caverns with what may be
called doors, and immense moving masses; flowers and parterres of most
delicate and lovely beauty; varieties of precious stones, forming
devices and figures of different kinds; and large shrubs that glistened
as diamonds in the sun, and thriving and blossoming, seemed replete with
life. In other parts of the sea lie strewn in irregular masses things of
every description in incredible quantities, heaps upon heaps, as though
these parts had at some time been dry land, where riches of every
description had been congregated. A description of the wonders seen
would fill many volumes.