pany, inventing the printing telegraph for gold and stock quotations. For the manufacture of this appliance he established a large workshop at Newark, N. J., and continued there till 1876, when he removed to Menlo Park, N. J., and thenceforth devoted his whole attention to inventing. Among his principal inventions are his system of duplex telegraphy, which he subsequently developed into quadruplex and sextuplex transmission; the carbon telephone transmitter, now used by nearly all telephones throughout the world, in which the variation in the current is produced by the variable resistance of a solid conductor subjected to pressure, rendering more faithfully than any other telephone the inflections and changes in the intensity of the vocal sounds to be transmitted; the microtasimeter, used for the detection, on the same principle, of small variations in temperature, and successfully employed during the total eclipse of 1878 to demonstrate the presence of heat in the sun's corona; the aerphone, which may be used to amplify sound without impairing the distinctness of articulation; and the megaphone, which, when inserted in the ear, so magnifies sounds that faint whispers may he heard at a distance of 1,000 feet. The phonograph, which records sound in such a manner that it may be reproduced at will, and the phonometer and apparatus for measuring the force of sound-waves produced by the human voice, are inventions of this period. His attention then became absorbed in the problem of electric lighting. He believed that the process of lighting by the voltaic arc, in which great results had already been achieved by Charles F. Brush, would never answer for general illumination, and so devoted himself to the perfection of the incandescent lamp. After entirely perfecting a device for a lamp with a platinum burner, he adopted a filament of carbon inclosed in a glass chamber from which the air was almost completely exhausted. He also solved the problem of the commercial subdivision of the light in a system of general distribution of electricity, like gas, and in December, 1879, gave a public exhibition in Menlo Park of a complete system of electric lighting. This was the first instance of subdivision, of the electric light, and created great interest throughout the world, especially as scientific experts had testified before a committee of the English house of commons in the previous year that such a subdivision was impossible. His system is now in general use, and in 1882 Mr. Edison came to New York for the purpose of supervising its establishment in that city. In 1878 he received the degree of Ph. D. from Union, and during the same year was made a chevalier of the Legion of Honor by the French government.
EDMONDS, Francis W,, artist, b. in Hudson,
N. Y., 22 Nov., 1800 ; d. at his country-seat, Bronx-
ville, Westchester co., 7 Feb., 1863. He showed
great love for art in his youth, but was a bank
cashier in his native city and in New York city till
1855. During this time he studied at the National
academy of design, and eraployed his leisure with
his pencil. In 1835 he sent to the academy, under
an assumed name, his first picture, " Sammy the
Tailor." He was secretary from 1860 till 18(53 of
the American bank-note company, and his " Barn-
Yard," " Sewing-Girl," " Grinding the Scythe," and
" Mechanic " were engraved on notes printed by
that establishment. He was elected an associate
of the National academy in 1838, was afterward
a trustee, and became an academician in 1840.
After this he studied in Europe, and on his return
aided in the establishment of the New York gal-
lery of fine arts. Among the better known of his
pictures, besides those named above, are "Domi-
nie Sampson" (1837); "The City and Country
Beaux," " The Penny Paper " (1839) ; " Sparkling "
(1840); "Vesuvius and Florence" (^1844); "Com-
modore Trunion." " The Sleepy Student " (1846) ;
"Trial of Patience" (1848); '"The Speculator"
(1852) ; " Taking the Census " (1854) ; " The Thirsty
Drover " (1856) ; " Bargaining " (1858) ; and " The
New Bonnet " (1859).
EDMONDS, John Worth, jurist, b. in Hudson,
N. Y., 13 March, 1799 ; d. in New York city, 5
April, 1874. He was graduated at Union in 1816,
studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1819, and
began practice in Hudson in 1820. He rose to the
rank of colonel of militia, and received from Gov.
De Witt Clinton the appointment of state recorder.
He was a member of the New York assembly in
1831, and in 1832-6 of the state senate. In 1836-'8
he was sent on special missions to the Indians by
the government, and became familiar with several
Indian languages. In 1841 he settled in New York
city, and resumed law practice. He was appointed
one of the state-prison inspectors in 1843, founded
a prison association for improving the condition
of convicted criminals, and effected important re-
forms in prison discipline. By his exertions cor-
poral punishment was abolished by the legisla-
ture, a series of rewards for good conduct was in-
stituted, and measures adopted for obtaining for
discharged criminals an honest livelihood. Mr.
Edmonds became a circuit judge in 1845, one of
the judges of the state supreme court in 1847, and
in 1852 was appointed to the court of appeals,
from which he afterward retired to the private
practice of law. Judge Edmonds became a con-
vert to the doctrines of spiritualism in 1851, and
in 1853 openly avowed and defended them, believ-
ing himself to be in almost constant communica-
tion with departed spirits. His peculiar views
were sustained with the greatest courage and per-
sistence, and it was said that they cost him his
place on the bench of the supreme court. He was
a jurist of unquestioned ability, and the honesty
of his convictions was never doubted. Besides
contributions to periodicals in favor of his belief,
he published " Spiritualism," in connection with
George T. Dexter, M. D. (2 vols.. New York, 1853-'5);
" Reports of Select Law Cases " (1868) ; and " Let-
ters and Tracts on Spiritualism " (London, 1874).
EDMUNDS, George Franklin, statesman, b. in Richmond, Vt., 1 Feb., 1828. He was educated at the common schools and by a private tutor; studied law at an early age, and began practice in 1849, removing in 1851 to Burlington, Vt. He was a representative in the Vermont legislature in 1854-9, serving as speaker for three years, and in 1861-2 was a member of the state senate, and its president pro tempore. At the beginning of the civil war he was a member of the State convention that formed a coalition between the Republicans and war Democrats, and drew up the resolutions adopted there. He was appointed to the U. S. senate in March. 1866, by the governor of Vermont, to fill the vacancy made by the death of Solomon Foot, and was then elected by the legislature to fill the unexpired term, and three times reelected. Mr. Edmunds was active in the impeachment of Andrew Johnson, sided with President Grant against Charles Sumner, and acted an influential part in the passage of the reconstruction measures, adopting a conservative course. In 1876-'7 he was one of the members of the electoral commission, having been previously chairman of the committee which, in concert with a similar committee of the house of representatives, prepared
