The French system of telegraphs comprised, in 1866, 20,628 miles of
route, 68,687 miles of wire, and 1,209 stations open to the public. The
number of messages amounted to 2,842,554. The gross receipts for the
year were 7,707,590, and the expenditures were 8,983,460, showing a loss
for the year of 1,275,870.