TELEGRAPHIC BLUNDERING AT HOME.

Globe, Volume II, Issue 148, 24 November 1874, Page 3

TELEGRAPHIC BLUNDERING AT HOME.

The Cork Constitution seems to be suffering from a severe attack of telegraphic blundering. In its issue of the 11th ult it says :—“We occasionally have to correct in our telegraphic supply errors of the most absurd character. In our report of the House of Lords last night, as it was received from the Postal Telegraph Department, Lord Hatherley, in referring to a scheme of legal education, was made to say that ‘in such a scheme he should be rejoiced to see the barrier taken down which at present existed between the barrister and the soldier.’ Of course the context at once showed that the words which Lord Hatherley made use of were ‘ between the barrister and the solici tor.’ On the morning of June 27th a telegram reached us to the effect that a meeting of the ‘lrish Relief Society’ had been held in the metropolis. The word ‘Relief’ was repeated twice in the telegram. After a close examination of the context it was apparent that the word intended was not ‘ Relief ’ but Rifle. In the same telegram we were informed that the Irish Eight had been selected for the competition at Wigbreton, such being the manner in which the Postal Telegraph Department wrote ‘Wimbledon.’ A short time ago a most ludicrous error occurred in a special telegram which we received of a meeting of the Royal Geographical Society in London. One of the sentences in that message contained the announcement that certain explorers had ‘ buried their backs in the Nile.’ On second reading it was evident that the words which had been handed to the Postal Telegraph Department were ‘turned their backs on the Nile.’ In all these instances, the correction of the error was entrusted to us, and we had no official notification of the mistake.”