The 1888 Crystal Palace recordings

Box of wax cylinders from the ILN engraving

Dinner with Colonel Gouraud, 5th October 1888

By October 1888, the Perfected Phonograph had had many public demonstrations in London and plenty of mentions in the Press. At least two private dinner parties had already taken place at Little Menlo, to which friends and acquaintances of Gouraud were invited, and then made recordings of themselves afterwards. One of these dinners, on 30th August, was probably the occasion when Sir Henry Irving made his earliest recordings and Sir August Manns made his phonogram for Theodore Thomas.

On 5th October, Colonel Gouraud invited some more special friends to dinner at Little Menlo. They comprised:

Henry Cecil Raikes (1838-1891)

Conservative Party politician and Her Majesty's Postmaster General from 1886 until his death. Vital to Edison and Gouraud if phonograms were to be sent by the Royal Mail.

Edmund Hodgson Yates (1831-1894)

A British novelist and dramatist. He was born in Edinburgh and held an appointment for a period of time in the General Post Office as an adult. He worked as a journalist, mainly as a dramatic writer, and also wrote many dramatic pieces and some novels, including Running the Gauntlet and The Black Sheep.

Alexander Meyrick Broadley (1847-1916)

English lawyer, journalist and historian. Defender of Arabi Pacha, counsel to Khedive Ismail Pacha. He acted as toastmaster for Gouraud.

Joseph Charles Parkinson (1833-1908)

A friend of Edmund Yates, with connections to telegraphy.

Sir Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900)

Composer and conductor, collaborator with W.S. Gilbert in the Savoy Operas. Part of Sullivan's contribution to the evening's speeches has been known and widely available for many years. But only part - the introduction is generally omitted.

Sir Augustus Harris (1852-1896)

Actor, impressario and dramatist. Widely known as "Augustus Druriolanus" - he managed the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane from 1879.

Speeches and toasts were made and messages recorded for Edison. The remaining cylinders indicate that they are not a complete set of those made that evening. Nevertheless, it is possible to piece them together into something which approximates the events of that evening.

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Broadley: My Lords and Gentlemen … My Lords and Gentlemen, Pray Silence for our Host, Colonel Gouraud.

Gouraud: (clears throat) My Lords and Gentlemen. I confess to some embarrassment upon this occasion (clears throat) speaking as I do for the first time in public, and in the presence of so distinguished a company (clears throat) I feel greatly honoured by your presence here tonight; a company distinctly representative in its character.

Her Majesty’s Postmaster General, Mr. Cecil Raikes, is here to speak, not only for politics in its highest sense, but for that great Department over which he so worthily presides, and to whose administrative ability we confidently look for the means of sending innocent phonograms from point to point throughout the world without their being opened en route or being otherwise tampered with by over-inquisitive officials.

There is, in the association with the name of the Postmaster General the name of Mr. Edmund Yates, a peculiar business, he having served with distinction for no less than a quarter of a century in the same important department of the public service. In welcoming Mr. Yates at Little Menlo, my English home, for the first time, I feel that I am meeting an old friend, for it was my pleasure and my honour to be one of that vast army of Americans who welcomed him in America, now some twenty years ago.

Nobody can better answer than Mr. Yates for Literature: and who better could answer for Music than that distinguished composer, Sir Arthur Sullivan, and to whom the Phonograph takes this earliest opportunity of expressing its delight at the great success achieved but a few nights since by that distinguished composer’s latest production, The Yeomen of the Guard.

Mr. J.C. Parkinson’s interests of many years since, and his identification with the Atlantic Cable dating since the beginning to so appropriate and interesting an end so far as we have gone as is presented by this latest achievement in connection [groove sticks].

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Gouraud: Mr. (indistinct) … and…I thank you very sincerely for the cordial manner in which you have received the toast just proposed, and for the very kindly expressions with which it was accompanied by its proposer.

But I confess that in my reply I am thinking rather of another than of myself. I am thinking of him, that Great Genius in whose real honour we have met here tonight, and of whom I am but the feeble shadow in Europe.

I am but expressing aloud what I feel must be in the mind of each of you when I say how much I regret that he cannot be here in the flesh as well as he is in the spirit and, as you will presently see, in the voice. I thank you in the name of Mr. Edison first, and then for myself.

And in conclusion I will say that I sincerely trust that this will be but the beginning of many more interesting meetings under similar interesting circumstances. And with your permission, I should like to take this occasion to express my thanks to Mr. Hamilton and his assistants for their able cooperation in the preparation of the interesting matter with which we have been entertained, and are yet to be.

I will now only ask you to drink to the health of Edison – standing, uppers, and cheers.

Those cheers and any kind words which any of you may like to say to Mr. Edison in response to this toast will be recorded on another instrument in the adjoining room and will be sent to America through the kind agency of Her Majesty’s General Post…

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Gouraud: Little Menlo, October the 5th, 1888: Phonogram, Gouraud to Edison.

Dear Edison, I propose to conclude a most interesting and agreeable evening, so far as I am concerned, by introducing to you a few friends who have honoured me this evening by their presence here. Each of them has expressed a desire to say a few words to you, and I am sure you will be glad to hear their voices, as I am glad to be the medium of communicating them to you, need I say, through your marvellous Phonograph.

First, the Rt. Honourable Cecil Raikes, Her Majesty’s Postmaster General. Now listen to Mr. Raikes’ voice:

Raikes: We thank you for a most interesting and delightful evening. We feel that you are become inventor of a new magic. We regard this invention as destined almost to revolutionise the means of human communication, and we wish you all success in promoting a discovery which cannot fail to have the most beneficial results for the whole community of nations.

Cecil Raikes, Her Majesty’s Postmaster General.

Gouraud: I next have the pleasure of introducing to you a name that is as familiar to you and all of our countrymen, as it is, I am happy to say, to myself and my family: Mr. Edmund Yates.

Yates: This is the record of a most marvellous dinner, transmitted to you by your most marvellous invention. If I lack words to describe the dinner it is because I am so enrapt and so enchanted by your invention that I find myself much more stupid than I ought to be after the grand excitement of our friend’s meats and wines.

Edmund Yates. Not Her Majesty’s Postmaster General, but one who was a poor clerk under Her Majesty’s Postmaster General for five-and-twenty years!

Gouraud: We will now pass on to the next Phonogram which will begin with a record which I am sure you will receive with infinite delight, knowing your love for music, I need only say that the record will be the voice of the great composer, Sir Arthur Sullivan, whose music is as well-known in America as it is in England, and as well loved by those who know it.

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Gouraud: Little Menlo, October 5th 1888. George Gouraud to Edison.
Continuation of introduction of friends. Now listen to the voice of Sir Arthur Sullivan:

Sullivan: Dear Mr. Edison, If my friend Edmund Yates has been a little incoherent, it is in consequence of the excellent dinner and good wine that he has drunk. Therefore I think you will excuse him – he has his lucid intervals. (laughter)

For myself, I can only say that I am astonished and somewhat terrified as a result of this evening’s experiment: astonished at the wonderful power you have developed, and terrified at the thought that so much hideous and bad music may be put on record forever.

But all the same I think it is the most wonderful thing that I have ever experienced, and I congratulate you with all my heart on this wonderful discovery.

Arthur Sullivan.

Gouraud: My next introduction is Mr. Broadley, well-known English barrister, whose name will always be remembered by his distinguished defence of Arabi Pacha. Now listen to his voice:

Broadley: It would be difficult for me to convey…

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Broadley: Dear Mr. Edison, It would be very difficult for me to convey to you any idea of the impression which your invention has caused tonight upon the guests who have assembled around the hospitable table of Colonel Gouraud.

The mysteries of the East, and the mysteries of Egypt pale before an invention which is doubtless destined to effect a revolution in the means of communication throughout the civilized world. I trust that one of the first outcomes of the dinner today will be a safer transmission of your phonographic records to their destinations. As I am speaking to you, the Postmaster General is holding a serious consultation with Colonel Gouraud upon the subject of the transmission of these records.

There is one other subject to which I think these phonographs may be very judiciously applied, and that is as a substitute for the great plethora of after-dinner speaking for us on which we do to some extent suffer in this country.

I have had the privilege tonight of officiating as phonographic toastmaster, and when this instrument is introduced for that purpose I shall claim to be the ancestor of a long line of toastmasters who instead of discharging their function – er - in the present manner have recourse to the Phonograph for the expeditious – er - fulfillment of those duties which in this country we are sufficiently familiar. Er - I can only express – er - my great thanks to Colonel Gouraud for giving us the opportunity of which it has been your intention, and express an earnest hope that – er - in the near future we may have again an opportunity of witnessing some further experiments…with the Phonograph.

A.M. Broadley, Barrister-at-law

Gouraud: Our next guest to whom I (stumbles) whom I will present to you is Mr. J.C. Parkinson, whose name you will remember, as an old telegraphist yourself, as having an early identification with that most important phase of telegraphy which now goes by the common name of Atlantic Cable. Mr. Parkinson will now speak:

Parkinson: It is a great privilege to have taken part this evening in this most interesting celebration. You have heard from our friends previously how deeply we are indebted to our host tonight for the use.

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Gouraud: I must apologise to Mr. Tomkinson for leaving him so wrongly in ignorance and will now relieve him from his embarrassment by passing on to Mr Augustus Harris, more popularly known as “Augustus Druriolanus” [he actually says “Drurylanus”].

I confess that I had supposed that – er - Mr 'Augustus Druriolanus' thought that there remained to him no more worlds to conquer. But there can be no doubt that he has sat in the lodgings of the Armida, he has eclipsed all of his previous most brilliant efforts. He has my most sincere congratulations, but his triumph will not be complete unless the good ship Armida finally drops her anchors in American waters.

Passing from the drama, we find ourselves where we always knew in time vis-à-vis with the law!

In our friend Mr Broadley we have a distinguished representative whose achievements I have not forgotten in connection with that most interesting event, known in history as the defence of Arabi Pacha: I beg Mr Pacha's pardon, I should have said Arabi Pacha.

Our congratulations to Mr Broadley would be incomplete if we were not to mention his more recent victory in the case of Ishmael Pacha, which I hope has been as satisfactory to his pocket as I hear it has been to his client. Mr. Broadley has added to my personal obligations to him in consenting to act tonight as Toastmaster, in which role he has again, for a third time, distinguished himself, to say nothing of the distinguish… the distinction he has thus conferred upon the Phonograph in giving to it an entirely original and most useful role amongst his many.

Broadley: My Lords and Gentlemen, Pray Silence for Her Majesty's Postmaster General, Cecil Raikes, Esquire, Member of Parliament.

Charge your glasses, gentlemen, uppers if you please.

[Cheers and laughter]

Charge your glasses! Uppers if you please! Postmaster General!

[General cheering]

Your good health Mr. Raikes, your very good health.

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Broadley: Silence, gentlemen! Silence if you please: Mr. Edmund Yates

Gouraud: My Lords and Gentlemen, being myself a complete failure as an after-dinner speaker, I better than anyone else can appreciate the treat which you are about to enjoy listening to the eloquence of one of England’s most famous after-dinner speakers, Mr. Edmund Yates, upon whom the phonograph now calls to speak in response to the toast to Literature which I now ask you to drink.

Broadley: Gentlemen, the toast is Literature, coupled with the name of Mr Edmund Yates. Charge your glasses, gentlemen, Uppers, if you please! [long pause]

Voices: Mr. Edmund Yates, your very good health, Yates [loud cheering] Charge, up your glass, Hip, Hip, Hip Hooray!

Broadley: Gentlemen, pray silence for our host who will now consider the last toast for your consideration.

Gouraud: Gentlemen, the next toast is Music. And with what name could be more appropriately coupled that toast than with the name of Sir Arthur Sullivan. As a lover of music myself, and with a room dedicated to the muse, I may be permitted to say, and on this occasion it is my peculiar happiness to say, that at Little Menlo, where we hear much music, there is no music we hear so often, or with more pleasure, than that which comes from him.

Broadley: Gentlemen, charge your glasses if you please! The toast is Music, coupled with the name of Sir Arthur Sullivan, Doctor of Law.

Voices: Sir Arthur Sullivan! Your very good health, Sir Arthur!