,,samuel ,f4,b4 ,,morse ,,his ,,letters ,,and ,,journals ,,in ,,two ,,volumes ,,volume ,,ii ,illustration3 ,sam'l4 ,f4,b4 ,morse ,,samuel ,f4,b4 ,,morse ,,his ,,letters ,,and ,,journals ,,edited ,,and ,,supplemented ,,by ,,his ,,son ,,edward ,,lind ,,morse ,,illustrated ,,with ,,reproductions ,,of ,,his ,,paintings ,,and ,,with ,,notes ,,and ,,diagrams ,,bearing ,,on ,,the ,,invention ,,of ,,the ,,telegraph ,,volume ,,ii #aiad ,published ,november #aiad ,th' invention all admir'd1 and each how he ,to be th' inventor miss'd1 so easy it seem'd ,once found1 which yet unfound most would have thought ,impossible4 ,,milton4 ,,contents ,,chapter ,,xxi ,,october #a1 #ahcb--;,,february #bh1 #ahcc ,packet-ship ,sully4--,dinner-table conversation4--,dr4 ,charles ,t4 ,jackson4-- ,first conception of telegraph4--,sketch-book4--,idea of #ahcb basic principle of telegraph of to-day4--,thoughts on priority4--,testimony of passengers and ,captain ,pell4--,difference between discovery and invention4--,professor ,e4,n4 ,hereford's paper4--,arrival in ,new ,york4-- ,testimony of his brothers4--,first steps toward perfection of the invention4--,letters to ,fenimore ,cooper ,,chapter ,,xxii #ahcc--ahcf ,still painting4--,thoughts on art4--,picture of the ,louvre4--,rejection as painter of one of the pictures in the ,capitol4--,john ,quincy ,adams4--,james ,fenimore ,cooper's article4--,death blow to his artistic ambition4-- ,washington ,allston's letter4--,commission by fellow artists4--,definite abandonment of art4--,repayment of money advanced4--,death of ,lafayette4-- ,religious controversies4--,appointed ,professor in ,university of ,city of ,new ,york4--,description of first telegraphic instrument4--,successful experiments4--,relay4--,address in #ahec ,,chapter ,,xxiii #ahcf--ahcg ,first exhibitions of the ,telegraph4--,testimony of ,robert ,g4 ,rankin and ,rev4 ,henry ,b4 ,tappan4--,cooke and ,wheatstone4--,joseph ,henry1 ,leonard ,d4 ,gale1 and ,alfred ,vail4--,professor ,gale's testimony4--,professor ,henry's discoveries4--,regrettable controversy of later years4--,professor ,charles ,t4 ,jackson's claims4--,alfred ,vail4--,contract of ,september #bc1 #ahcg4--,work at ,morristown1 ,new ,jersey4--,the ,morse ,alphabet4--,reading by sound4-- ,first and second forms of alphabet ,,chapter ,,xxiv ,,october #c1 #ahcg--,,may #ah1 #ahch ,the ,caveat4--,work at ,morristown4--,judge ,vail4--,first success4--,resolution in ,congress regarding telegraphs4--,morse's reply4--,illness4--,heaviness of first instruments4--,successful exhibition in ,morristown4--,exhibition in ,new ,york ,university4--,first use of ,morse alphabet4--,change from first form of alphabet to present form4--,trials of an inventor4--,dr4 ,jackson4-- ,slight friction between ,morse and ,vail4--,exhibition at ,franklin ,institute1 ,philadelphia4--,exhibitions in ,washington4--,skepticism of public4--,f4,o4,j4 ,smith4--,f4,l4 ,pope's estimate of ,smith4--,proposal for government telegraph4--,smith's report4--,departure for ,europe ,,chapter ,,xxv ,,june1 #ahch--;,,january #ba4 #ahci ,arrival in ,england4--,application for letters patent4--,cooke and ,wheatstone's telegraph4--,patent refused4--,departure for ,paris4--,patent secured in ,france4--,earl of ,elgin4--,earl of ,lincoln4--,baron de ,meyendorff4--,russian contract4--,return to ,london4--,exhibition at the ,earl of ,lincoln's4--,letter from secretary of ,lord ,campbell1 ,attorney-,general4 --,coronation of ,queen ,victoria4--,letters to daughter4--,birth of the ,count of ,paris4--,exhibition before the ,institute of ,france4--,arago2 ,baron ,humboldt4--,negotiations with the ,government and ,saint-,germain ,railway4-- ,reminiscences of ,dr4 ,kirk4--,letter of the ,honorable ,h4 ,l4 ,ellsworth4-- ,letter to ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith4--,dilatoriness of the ,french ,,chapter ,,xxvi ,,january #f1 #ahci--,,march #i1 #ahci ,despondent letter to his brother ,sidney4--,longing for a home4--,letter to ,smith4--,more delays4--,change of ministry4--,proposal to form private company4--,impossible under the laws of ,france4--,telegraphs a government monopoly4--,refusal of ,czar to sign ,russian contract4--,dr4 ,jackson4--,m4 ,amyot4--,failure to gain audience of king4--,lord ,elgin4--,earl of ,lincoln4 --,robert ,walsh prophesies success4--,meeting with ,earl of ,lincoln in later years4--,daguerre4--,letter to ,mrs4 ,cass on lotteries4--,railway and military telegraphs4--,skepticism of a ,marshal of ,france ,,chapter ,,xxvii ,,april #ae1 #ahci--,,september #cj1 #ahdj ,arrival in ,new ,york4--,disappointment at finding nothing done by ,congress or his associates4--,letter to ,professor ,henry4--,henry's reply4-- ,correspondence with ,daguerre4--,experiments with daguerreotypes4-- ,professor ,draper4--,first group photograph of a college class4--,failure of ,russian contract4--,mr4 ,chamberlain4--,discouragement through lack of funds4--,no help from his associates4--,improvements in telegraph made by ,morse4--,humorous letter ,,chapter ,,xxviii ,,june #bj1 #ahdj--;,,august #ab1 #ahdb ,first patent issued4--,proposal of ,cooke and ,wheatstone to join forces rejected4--,letter to ,rev4 ,e4,s4 ,salisbury4--,money advanced by brother artists repaid4--,poverty4--,reminiscences of ,general ,strother1 ,porte ,crayon4--,other reminiscences4--,inaction in ,congress4--,flattering letter of ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith4--,letter to ,smith urging action4--,gonon and ,wheatstone4-- ,temptation to abandon enterprise4--,partners all financially crippled4-- ,morse alone doing any work4--,encouraging letter from ,professor ,henry4-- ,renewed enthusiasm4--,letter to ,hon4 ,w4,w4 ,boardman urging appropriation of #cejj by ,congress4--,not even considered4--,despair of inventor ,,chapter ,,xxix ,,july #af1 #ahdb--,,march #bf1 #ahdc ,continued discouragements4--,working on improvements4--,first submarine cable from ,battery to ,governor's ,island4--,the ,vails refuse to give financial assistance4--,goes to ,washington4--,experiments conducted at the ,capitol4--,first to discover duplex and wireless telegraphy4--,dr4 ,fisher4 --,friends in ,congress4--,finds his statuette of ,dying ,hercules in basement of ,capitol4--,alternately hopes and despairs of bill passing ,congress4-- ,bill favorably reported from committee4--,clouds breaking4--,ridicule in ,congress4--,bill passes ,house by narrow majority4--,long delay in ,senate4-- ,last day of session4--,despair4--,bill passes4--,victory at last ,,chapter ,,xxx ,,march #ae1 #ahdh--;,,june #ah1 #ahdd ,work on first telegraph line begun4--,gale1 ,fisher1 and ,vail appointed assistants4--,f4,o4,j4 ,smith to secure contract for trenching4--,morse not satisfied with contract4--,death of ,washington ,allston4--,reports to ,secretary of the ,treasury4--,prophesies ,atlantic cable4--,failure of underground wires4--,carelessness of ,fisher4--,f4,o4,j4 ,smith shows cloven hoof4--,ezra ,cornell solves a difficult problem4--,cornell's plan for insulation endorsed by ,professor ,henry4--,many discouragements4--,work finally progresses favorably4--,frelinghuysen's nomination as ,vice-,president reported by telegraph4--,line to ,baltimore completed4-- ,first message4--,triumph4--,reports of ,democratic ,convention4--,first long-distance conversation4--,utility of telegraph established4--,offer to sell to ,government ,,chapter ,,xxxi ,,june #bc1 #ahdd--,,october #i1 #ahde ,fame and fortune now assured4--,government declines purchase of telegraph4--,accident to leg gives needed rest4--,reflections on ways of ,providence4--,consideration of financial propositions4--,f4,o4,j4 ,smith's fulsome praise4--,morse's reply4--,extension of telegraph proceeds slowly4 --,letter to ,russian ,minister4--,letter to ,london ,mechanics' ,magazine claiming priority and first experiments in wireless telegraphy4--,hopes that ,government may yet purchase4--,longing for a home4--,dinner at ,russian ,minister's4--,congress again fails him4--,amos ,kendall chosen as business agent4--,first telegraph company4--,fourth voyage to ,europe4--,london1 ,broek1 ,hamburg4--,letter of ,charles ,t4 ,fleischmann4--,paris4--,nothing definite accomplished ,,chapter ,,xxxii ,,december #bj1 #ahde--;,,april #ai1 #ahdh ,return to ,america4--,telegraph affairs in bad shape4--,degree of ,,ll4,d4 from ,yale4--,letter from ,cambridge ,livingston4--,henry ,o',reilly4--,grief at unfaithfulness of friends4--,estrangement from ,professor ,henry4--,morse's ,defense4--,his regret at feeling compelled to publish it4--,hopes to resume his brush4--,capitol panel4--,again disappointed4--,another accident4--,first money earned from telegraph devoted to religious purposes4--,letters to his brother ,sidney4--,telegraph matters4--,mexican ,war4--,faith in the future4--,desire to be lenient to opponents4--,dr4 ,jackson4--,edward ,warren4--,alfred ,vail remains loyal4--,troubles in ,virginia4--,henry ,j4 ,rogers4--,letter to ,j4,d4 ,reid about ,o',reilly4--,f4,o4,j4 ,smith again4--,purchases a home at last4--,locust ,grove1 on the ,hudson1 near ,poughkeepsie4--,enthusiastic description4--,more troubles without1 but peace in his new home ,,chapter ,,xxxiii ,,january #i1 #ahdh--;,,december #ai1 #ahdi ,preparation for lawsuits4--,letter from ,colonel ,shaffner4--,morse's reply deprecating bloodshed4--,shaffner allays his fears4--,morse attends his son's wedding at ,utica4--,his own second marriage4--,first of great lawsuits4--,almost all suits in ,morse's favor4--,decision of ,supreme ,court of ,united ,states4--,extract from an earlier opinion4--,alfred ,vail leaves the telegraph business4--,remarks on this by ,james ,d4 ,reid4--,morse receives decoration from ,sultan of ,turkey4--,letter to organizers of ,printers' ,festival4--,letter concerning aviation4--,optimistic letter from ,mr4 ,kendall4--,humorous letter from ,george ,wood4--,thomas ,r4 ,walker4-- ,letter to ,fenimore ,cooper4--,dr4 ,jackson again4--,unfairness of the press4 --,letter from ,charles ,c4 ,ingham on art matters4--,letter from ,george ,vail4--,f4,o4,j4 ,smith continues to embarrass4--,letter from ,morse to ,smith ,,chapter ,,xxxiv ,,march #e1 #ahej--,,november #aj1 #ahed ,precarious financial condition4--,regret at not being able to make loan4-- ,false impression of great wealth4--,fears he may have to sell home4-- ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith continues to give trouble4--,morse system extending throughout the world4--,death of ,fenimore ,cooper4--,subscriptions to charities1 etc4--,first use of word ,telegram4--,mysterious fire in ,supreme ,court clerk's room4--,letter of ,commodore ,perry4--,disinclination to antagonize ,henry4--,temporary triumph of ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith4--,order gradually emerging4--,expenses of the law4--,triumph in ,australia4--,gift to ,yale ,college4--,supreme ,court decision and extension of patent4--,social diversions in ,washington4--,letters of ,george ,wood and ,p4 ,h4 ,watson on extension of patent4--,loyalty to ,mr4 ,kendall2 also to ,alfred ,vail4-- ,decides to publish ,defense4--,controversy with ,bishop ,spaulding4--,creed on ,slavery4--,political views4--,defeated for ,congress ,,chapter ,,xxxv ,,january #h1 #ahee--;,,august #ad1 #ahef ,payment of dividends delayed4--,concern for welfare of his country4-- ,indignation at corrupt proposal from ,california4--,kendall hampered by the ,vails4--,proposition by capitalists to purchase patent rights4--,cyrus ,w4 ,field4--,newfoundland ,electric ,telegraph ,company4--,suggestion of ,atlantic ,cable4--,hopes thereby to eliminate war4--,trip to ,newfoundland4--,temporary failure4--,f4,o4,j4 ,smith continues to give trouble4--,financial conditions improve4--,morse and his wife sail for ,europe4--,fted in ,london4-- ,experiments with ,dr4 ,whitehouse4--,mr4 ,brett4--,dr4 ,o',shaughnessy and the telegraph in ,india4--,mr4 ,cooke4--,charles ,r4 ,leslie4--,paris4--,hamburg4-- ,copenhagen4--,presentation to king4--,thorwaldsen ,museum4--,oersted's daughter4--,st4 ,petersburg4--,presentation to ,czar at ,peterhoff ,,chapter ,,xxxvi ,,august #bc1 #ahef--,,september #ae1 #aheh ,berlin4--,baron von ,humboldt4--,london1 successful cable experiments with ,whitehouse and ,bright4--,banquet at ,albion ,tavern4--,flattering speech of ,w4 ,f4 ,cooke4--,returns to ,america4--,troubles multiply4--,letter to the ,honorable ,john ,y4 ,mason on political matters4--,kendall urges severing of connection with cable company4--,morse1 nevertheless1 decides to continue4--,appointed electrician of company4--,sails on ,u4,s4,s4 ,niagara4-- ,letter from ,paris on the crinoline4--,expedition sails from ,liverpool4-- ,queenstown harbor4--,accident to his leg4--,valencia4--,laying of cable begun4--,anxieties4--,three successful days4--,cable breaks4--,failure4-- ,returns to ,america4--,retires from cable enterprise4--,predicts in #aheh failure of apparently successful laying of cable4--,sidney ,e4 ,morse4--,the ,hare and the ,tortoise4--,european testimonial3 considered niggardly by ,kendall4--,decorations1 medals1 etc41 from ,european nations4--,letter of thanks to ,count ,walewski ,,chapter ,,xxxvii ,,september #c4 #aheh--,,september #ba1 #ahfc ,visits ,europe again with a large family party4--,regrets this4--,sails for ,porto ,rico with wife and two children4--,first impressions of the tropics4--,hospitalities4--,his son-in-law's plantation4--,death of ,alfred ,vail4--,smithsonian exonerates ,henry4--,european honors to ,morse4--,first line of telegraph in ,porto ,rico4--,banquet4--,returns home4--,reception at ,poughkeepsie4--,refuses to become candidate for the ,presidency4--,purchases ,new ,york house4--,f4,o4,j4 ,smith claims part of ,european gratuity4--,succeeds through legal technicality4--,visit of ,prince of ,wales4--,duke of ,newcastle4--,war clouds4--,letters on slavery1 etc4--,matthew ,vassar4-- ,efforts as peacemaker4--,foresees ,northern victory4--,gloomy forebodings4-- ,monument to his father4--,divides part of ,european gratuity with widow of ,vail4--,continued efforts in behalf of peace4--,bible arguments in favor of slavery ,,chapter ,,xxxviii ,,february #bf1 #ahfd--,,november #h1 #ahfg ,sanitary ,commission4--,letter to ,dr4 ,bellows4--,letter on loyalty4--,his brother ,richard upholds ,lincoln4--,letters of brotherly reproof4-- ,introduces ,mc,clellan at prelection parade4--,lincoln reelected4--,anxiety as to future of country4--,unsuccessful effort to take up art again4-- ,letter to his sons4--,gratification at rapid progress of telegraph4-- ,letter to ,george ,wood on two great mysteries of life4--,presents portrait of ,allston to the ,national ,academy of ,design4--,endows lectureship in ,union ,theological ,seminary4--,refuses to attend fifty-fifth reunion of his class4--,statue to him proposed4--,ezra ,cornell's benefaction4--,american ,asiatic ,society4--,amalgamation of telegraph companies4--,protest against stock manipulations4--,approves of ,president ,andrew ,johnson4--,sails with family for ,europe4--,paris ,exposition of #ahfg4--;,descriptions of festivities4--,cyrus ,w4 ,field4--,incident in early life of ,napoleon ,,iii4-- ,made ,honorary ,commissioner to ,exposition4--,attempt on life of ,czar4--,ball at ,hotel de ,ville4--,isle of ,wight4--,england and ,scotland4--,the ,sounder4--,returns to ,paris ,,chapter ,,xxxix ,,november #bh1 #ahfg--;,,june #aj4 #ahga ,goes to ,dresden4--,trials financial and personal4--,humorous letter to ,e4,s4 ,sanford4--,berlin4--,the telegraph in the war of #ahff4--,paris4--,returns to ,america4--,death of his brother ,richard4--,banquet in ,new ,york4--,addresses of ,chief ,justice ,chase1 ,morse1 and ,daniel ,huntington4--,report as ,commissioner finished4--,professor ,w4,p4 ,blake's letter urging recognition of ,professor ,henry4--,morse complies4--,henry refuses to be reconciled4-- ,reading by sound4--,morse breaks his leg4--,deaths of ,amos ,kendall and ,george ,wood4--,statue in ,central ,park4--,addresses of ,governor ,hoffman and ,william ,cullen ,bryant4--,ceremonies at ,academy of ,music4--,morse bids farewell to his children of the telegraph ,,chapter ,,xl ,,june #ad1 #ahga--;,,april #af1 #ahgb ,nearing the end4--,estimate of the ,reverend ,f4,b4 ,wheeler4--,early poem4-- ,leaves ,locust ,grove for last time4--,death of his brother ,sidney4-- ,letter to ,cyrus ,field on neutrality of telegraph4--,letter of ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith to ,h4,j4 ,rogers4--,reply by ,professor ,gale4--,vicious attack by ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith4--,death prevents reply by ,morse4--,unveils statue of ,franklin in last public appearance4--,last hours4--,death4--,tributes of ,james ,d4 ,reid1 ,new ,york ,evening ,post1 ,new ,york ,herald1 and ,louisville ,courier-,journal4--,funeral4--,monument in ,greenwood ,cemetery4--,memorial services in ,house of ,representatives1 ,washington4--,address of ,james ,g4 ,blaine4--,other memorial services4--,mr4 ,prime's review of ,morse's character4--,epilogue ,,illustrations ,,morse ,,the ,,inventor 7,photogravure7 ,from a photograph4 ,,drawings ,,from #ahcb ,,sketch-,,book1 ,,showing ,,first ,,conception ,,of ,,telegraph ,,morse',s ,,first ,,telegraph ,,instrument ,now in the ,national ,museum1 ,washington4 ,,rough ,,drawing ,,by ,,morse ,,showing ,,the ,,first ,,form ,,of ,,the ,,alphabet ,,and ,,the ,,changes ,,to ,,the ,,present ,,form ,,quantities ,,of ,,the ,,type ,,found ,,in ,,the ,,type-,,cases ,,of ,a ,,printing-,,office4 ,,calculation ,,made ,,by ,,morse ,,to ,,aid ,,him ,,in ,,simplifying ,,alphabet ,,attention ,,universe1 ,,by ,,kingdoms ,,right ,,wheel4 ,,facsimile ,,of ,,first ,,morse ,,alphabet ,,message ,given to ,general ,thomas ,s4 ,cummings at time of transmission by ,professor ,s4,f4,b4 ,morse1 ,new ,york ,university1 ,wednesday1 ,january #bd1 #ahch4 ,presented to the ,national ,museum at ,washington by the family of ,general ,thomas ,s4 ,cummings of ,new ,york1 ,february #ac1 #aijf4 ,,drawing ,,by ,,morse ,,of ,,railway ,,telegraph1 ,,patented ,,by ,,him ,,in ,,france ,,in #ahch1 ,,and ,,embodying ,,principle ,,of ,,police ,,and ,,fire ,,alarm ,,telegraph ,,first ,,form ,,of ,,key4--,,improved ,,form ,,of ,,key4--,,early ,,relay4--,,first ,,washington-,,baltimore ,,instrument ,the two keys and the relay are in the ,national ,museum1 ,washington4 ,the ,washington-,baltimore instrument is owned by ,cornell ,university4 ,s4 ,f4 ,b4 ,,morse ,from a portrait by ,daniel ,huntington4 ,,house ,,at ,,locust ,,grove1 ,,poughkeepsie1 ,,new ,,york ,,sarah ,,elizabeth ,,griswold1 ,,second ,,wife ,,of ,s4 ,f4 ,b4 ,,morse ,from a daguerreotype4 ,,morse ,,and ,,his ,,youngest ,,son ,from an ambrotype4 ,,house ,,and ,,library ,,at #e ,,west #bb;,d ,,street1 ,,new ,,york ,,telegram ,,showing ,,morse',s ,,characteristic ,,deadhead1 ,,which ,,he ,,always ,,used ,,to ,,frank ,,his ,,messages ,,morse ,,in ,,old ,,age ,from a photograph by ,sarony4 ,,samuel ,f4 ,b4 ,,morse ,,his ,,letters ,,and ,,journals ,,chapter ,,xxi ,,october #a1 #ahcb--;,,february #bh1 #ahcc ,packet-ship ,sully4--,dinner-table conversation4--,dr4 ,charles ,t4 ,jackson4-- ,first conception of telegraph4--,sketch-book4--,idea of #ahcb basic principle of telegraph of to-day4--,thoughts on priority4--,testimony of passengers and ,captain ,pell4--,difference between discovery and invention4--,professor ,e4,n4 ,horsford's paper4--,arrival in ,new ,york4-- ,testimony of his brothers4--,first steps toward perfection of the invention4--,letters to ,fenimore ,cooper4 ,the history of every great invention is a record of struggle1 sometimes ,heart-breaking1 on the part of the inventor to secure and maintain his rights4 ,no sooner has the new step in progress proved itself to be an upward one than claimants arise on every side2 some honestly believing themselves to have solved the problem first2 others striving by dishonest means to appropriate to themselves the honor and the rewards1 and these sometimes succeeding2 and still others1 indifferent to fame1 thinking only of their own pecuniary gain and dishonorable in their methods4 ,the electric telegraph was no exception to this rule2 on the contrary1 its history perhaps leads all the rest as a chronicle of envy1 hatred1 malice1 and all uncharitableness4 ,on the other hand1 it brings out in strong relief the opposing virtues of steadfastness1 perseverance1 integrity1 and loyalty4 ,many were the wordy battles waged in the scientific world over the questions of priority1 exclusive discovery or invention1 indebtedness to others1 and conscious or unconscious plagiarism4 ,some of these questions are1 in many minds1 not yet settled4 ,acrimonious were the legal struggles fought over infringements and rights of way1 and1 in the first years of the building of the lines to all parts of this country1 real warfare was waged by the workers of competing companies4 ,it is not my purpose to treat exhaustively of any of these battles1 scientific1 legal1 or physical4 ,all this has already been written down by abler pens than mine1 and has now become history4 ,my aim in following the career of ,morse the ,inventor is to shed a light 7to some a new light7 on his personality1 self-revealed by his correspondence1 tried first by hardships1 poverty1 and deep discouragement1 and then by success1 calumny1 and fame4 ,like other men who have achieved greatness1 he was made the target for all manner of abuse1 accused of misappropriating the ideas of others1 of lying1 deceit1 and treachery1 and of unbounded conceit and vaingloriousness4 ,but a careful study of his notes and correspondence1 and the testimony of others1 proves him to have been a pure-hearted ,christian gentleman1 earnestly desirous of giving to every one his just due1 but jealous of his own good name and fame1 and fighting valiantly1 when needs must be1 to maintain his rights2 guilty sometimes of mistakes and errors of judgment2 occasionally quick-tempered and testy under the stress of discouragement and the pressure of poverty1 but frank to acknowledge his error and to make amends when convinced of his fault2 and the calm verdict of posterity has awarded him the crown of greatness4 ,morse was now forty-one years old2 he had spent three delightful years in ,france and ,italy2 had matured his art by the intelligent study of the best of the old masters2 had made new friends and cemented more strongly the ties that bound him to old ones2 and he was returning to his dearly loved native land and to his family with high hopes of gaining for himself and his three motherless children at least a competence1 and of continuing his efforts in behalf of the fine arts4 ,from ,mr4 ,cooper's and ,mr4 ,habersham's reminiscences we must conclude that1 in the background of his mind1 there existed a plan1 unformed as yet1 for utilizing electricity to convey intelligence4 ,he was familiar with much that had been discovered with regard to that mysterious force1 through his studies under ,professors ,day and ,silliman at ,yale1 and through the lectures and conversation of ,professors ,dana and ,renwick in ,new ,york1 so that the charge which was brought against him that he knew absolutely nothing of the subject1 can be dismissed as simply proving the ignorance of his critics4 ,thus prepared1 unconsciously to himself1 to receive the inspiration which was to come to him like a flash of the subtle fluid which afterwards became his servant1 he went on board the good ship ,sully1 ,captain ,pell commanding1 on the #ast of ,october1 #ahcb4 ,among the other passengers were the ,honorable ,william ,c4 ,rives1 of ,virginia1 our ,minister to ,france1 with his family2 ,mr4 ,j4,f4 ,fisher1 of ,philadelphia2 ,dr4 ,charles ,t4 ,jackson1 of ,boston1 who was destined to play a malign rle in the subsequent history of the telegraph1 and others4 ,the following letter was written to his friend ,fenimore ,cooper from ,havre1 on the #b;d of ,october3-- ,i have but a moment to write you one line1 as in a few hours ,i shall be under way for dear ,america4 ,i arrived from ,england by way of ,southampton a day or two since1 and have had every moment till now occupied in preparations for embarking4 ,i received yours from ,vevay yesterday and thank you for it4 ,yes1 ,mr4 ,rives and family1 ,mr4 ,fisher1 ,mr4 ,rogers1 ,mr4 ,palmer and family1 and a full cabin beside accompany me4 ,what shall ,i do with such an antistatistical set8 ,i wish you were of the party to shut their mouths on some points4 ,i shall have good opportunity to talk with ,mr4 ,rives1 whom ,i like notwithstanding4 ,i think he has good ,american feeling in the main and means well1 although ,i cannot account for his permitting you to suffer in the chambers 7of the ,general74 ,i will find out that if ,i can4 ,my journey to ,england1 change of scene and air1 have restored me wonderfully4 ,i knew they would4 ,i like ,john's country2 it is a garden beautifully in contrast with ,france1 and ,john's people have excellent qualities1 and he has many good people2 but ,i hate his aristocratic system1 and am more confirmed in my views than ever of its oppressive and unjust character4 ,i saw a great deal of ,leslie2 he is the same good fellow that he always was4 ,be tender of him1 my dear sir2 ,i could mention some things which would soften your judgment of his political feelings4 ,one thing only ,i can now say1--remember he has married an ,english wife1 whom he loves1 and who has never known ,america4 ,he keeps entirely aloof from politics and is wholly absorbed in his art4 ,newton is married to a ,miss ,sullivan1 daughter of ,general ,sullivan1 of ,boston1 an accomplished woman and a belle4 ,he is expected in ,england soon4 ,i found almost everybody out of town in ,london4 ,i called and left a card at ,rogers's1 but he was in the country1 so were most of the artists of my acquaintance4 ,the fine engraver who has executed so many of ,leslie's works1 ,danforth1 is a stanch ,american2 he would be a man after your heart2 he admires you for that very quality4--,i must close in great haste4 ,the transatlantic traveller did not depart on schedule time in #ahcb1 as we find from another letter written to ,mr4 ,cooper on ,october #e3-- ,here ,i am yet1 wind-bound1 with a tremendous southwester directly in our teeth4 ,yesterday the ,formosa arrived and brought papers1 etc41 to the #ajth ,september4 ,i have been looking them over4 ,matters look serious at the ,south2 they are mad there2 great decision and prudence will be required to restore them to reason again1 but they are so hot-headed1 and are so far committed1 ,i know not what will be the issue4 ,yet ,i think our institutions are equal to any crisis4444 ,october #f1 #g o'clock4 ,we are getting under way4 ,good-bye4 ,it is greatly to be regretted that ,morse did not1 on this voyage as on previous ones1 keep a careful diary4 ,had he done so1 many points relating to the first conception of his invention would1 from the beginning1 have been made much clearer4 ,as it is1 however1 from his own accounts at a later date1 and from the depositions of the captain of the ship and some of the passengers1 the story can be told4 ,the voyage was1 on the whole1 ,i believe1 a pleasant one and the company in the cabin congenial4 ,one night at the dinner-table the conversation chanced upon the subject of electro-magnetism1 and ,dr4 ,jackson described some of the more recent discoveries of ,european scientists--the length of wire in the coil of a magnet1 the fact that electricity passed instantaneously through any known length of wire1 and that its presence could be observed at any part of the line by breaking the circuit4 ,morse was1 naturally1 much interested and it was then that the inspiration1 which had lain dormant in his brain for many years1 suddenly came to him1 and he said3 ,if the presence of electricity can be made visible in any part of the circuit1 ,i see no reason why intelligence may not be transmitted instantaneously by electricity4 ,the company was not startled by this remark2 they soon turned to other subjects and thought no more of it4 ,little did they realize that this exclamation of ,morse's was to mark an epoch in civilization2 that it was the germ of one of the greatest inventions of any age1 an invention which not only revolutionized the methods by which intelligence was conveyed from place to place1 but paved the way for the subjugation1 to the uses of man in many other ways1 of that mysterious fluid1 electricity1 which up to this time had remained but a plaything of the laboratory4 ,in short1 it ushered in the ,age of ,electricity4 ,least of all1 perhaps1 did that ,dr4 ,jackson1 who afterwards claimed to have given ,morse all his ideas1 apprehend the tremendous importance of that chance remark4 ,the fixed idea had1 however1 taken root in ,morse's brain and obsessed him4 ,he withdrew from the cabin and paced the deck1 revolving in his mind the various means by which the object sought could be attained4 ,soon his ideas were so far focused that he sought to give them expression on paper1 and he drew from his pocket one of the little sketch-books which he always carried with him1 and rapidly jotted down in sketches and words the ideas as they rushed from his brain4 ,this original sketch-book was burned in a mysterious fire which1 some years later1 during one of the many telegraph suits1 destroyed many valuable papers4 ,fortunately1 however1 a certified copy had wisely been made1 and this certified copy is now in the ,national ,museum in ,washington1 and the reproduction here given of some of its pages will show that ,morse's first conception of a ,recording ,electric ,magnetic ,telegraph is practically the telegraph in universal use to-day4 ,illustration3 ,,drawings ,,from #ahcb ,,sketch ,,book1 ,,showing ,,first ,,conception ,,of ,,telegraph ,his first thought was evidently of some system of signs which could be used to transmit intelligence1 and he at once realized that nothing could be simpler than a point or a dot1 a line or dash1 and a space1 and a combination of the three4 ,thus the first sketch shows the embryo of the dot-and-dash alphabet1 applied only to numbers at first1 but afterwards elaborated by ,morse to represent all the letters of the alphabet4 ,next he suggests a method by which these signs may be recorded permanently1 evidently by chemical decomposition on a strip of paper passed along over two rollers4 ,he then shows a message which could be sent by this means1 interspersed with ideas for insulating the wires in tubes or pipes4 ,and here ,i want to call attention to a point which has never1 to my knowledge1 been noticed before4 ,in the message1 which1 in pursuance of his first idea1 adhered to by him for several years1 was to be sent by means of numbers1 every word is numbered conventionally except the proper name ,cuvier1 and for this he put a number for each letter4 ,how this was to be indicated was not made clear1 but it is evident that he saw at once that all proper names could not be numbered2 that some other means must be employed to indicate them2 in other words that each letter of the alphabet must have its own sign4 ,whether at that early period he had actually devised any form of alphabet does not appear1 although some of the depositions of his fellow passengers would indicate that he had4 ,he himself put its invention at a date a few years after this1 and it has been bitterly contested that he did not invent it at all4 ,i shall prove1 in the proper place1 that he did1 but ,i think it is proved that it must have been thought of even at the early date of #ahcb1 and1 at all events1 the dot-and-dash as the basis of a conventional code were original with ,morse and were quite different from any other form of code devised by others4 ,the next drawing of a magnet lifting sixty pounds shows that ,morse was familiar with the discoveries of ,arago1 ,davy1 and ,sturgeon in electro-magnetism1 but what application of them was to be made is not explained4 ,the last sketch is to me the most important of all1 for it embodies the principle of the receiving magnet which is universally used at the present day4 ,the weak permanent magnet has been replaced by a spring1 but the electro-magnet still attracts the lever and produces the dots and dashes of the alphabet2 and this1 simple as it seems to us once found1 was original with ,morse1 was absolutely different from any other form of telegraph devised by others1 and1 improved and elaborated by him through years of struggle1 is now recognized throughout the world as the ,telegraph4 ,it was not yet in a shape to prove to a skeptical world its practical utility2 much had still to be done to bring it to perfection2 new discoveries had still to be made by ,morse and by others which were essential to its success2 the skill1 the means1 and the faith of others had to be enlisted in its behalf1 but the actual invention was there and ,morse was the inventor4 ,how simple it all seems to us now1 and yet its very simplicity is its sublimest feature1 for it was this which compelled the admiration of scientists and practical men of affairs alike1 and which gradually forced into desuetude all other systems of telegraphy until to-day the ,morse telegraph still stands unrivalled4 ,that many other minds had been occupied with the same problem was a fact unknown to the inventor at the time1 although a few years later he was rudely awakened4 ,a fugitive note1 written many years later1 in his handwriting1 although speaking of himself in the third person1 bears witness to this4 ,it is entitled ,good thought3-- ,a circumstance which tends to confuse1 in fairly ascertaining priority of invention1 is that a subsequent state of knowledge is confounded in the general mind with the state of knowledge when the invention is first announced as successful4 ,this is certainly very unfair4 ,when ,morse announced his invention1 what was the general state of knowledge in regard to the telegraph8 ,it should be borne in mind that a knowledge of the futile attempts at electric telegraphs previous to his successful one has been brought out from the lumber garret of science by the research of eighteen years4 ,nothing was known of such telegraphs to many scientific men of the highest attainments in the centres of civilization4 ,professor ,morse says himself 7and certainly he has not given in any single instance a statement which has been falsified7 that1 at the time he devised his system1 he supposed himself to be the first person that ever put the words 'electric telegraph' together4 ,he supposed himself at the time the originator of the phrase as well as the thing4 ,but1 aside from his positive assertion1 the truth of this statement is not only possible but very probable4 ,the comparatively few 7very few as compared with the mass who now are learned in the facts7 who were in the habit of reading the scientific journals may have read of the thought of an electric telegraph about the year #ahcb1 and even of ,ronald's1 and ,betancourt's1 and ,salva's1 and ,lomond's impracticable schemes previously1 and have forgotten them again1 with thousands of other dreams1 as the ingenious ideas of visionary men2 ideas so visionary as to be considered palpably impracticable1 declared to be so1 indeed1 by ,barlow1 a scientific man of high standing and character2 yet the mass of the scientific as well as the general public were ignorant even of the attempts that had been made4 ,the fact of any of them having been published in some magazine at the time1 whose circulation may be two or three thousand1 and which was soon virtually lost amid the shelves of immense libraries1 does not militate against the assertion that the world was ignorant of the fact4 ,we can show conclusively the existence of this ignorance respecting telegraphs at the time of the invention of ,morse's telegraph4 ,the rest of this note 7evidently written for publication7 is missing1 but enough remains to prove the point4 ,thus we have seen that the idea of his telegraph came to ,morse as a sudden inspiration and that he was quite ignorant of the fact that others had thought of using electricity to convey intelligence to a distance4 ,mr4 ,prime in his biography says3 ,of all the great inventions that have made their authors immortal and conferred enduring benefit upon mankind1 no one was so completely grasped at its inception as this4 ,one of his fellow passengers1 ,j4 ,francis ,fisher1 ,esq41 counsellor-at-law of ,philadelphia1 gave the following testimony at ,morse's request3-- ,in the fall of the year #ahcb ,i returned from ,europe as a passenger with ,mr4 ,morse in the ship ,sully1 ,captain ,pell master4 ,during the voyage the subject of an electric telegraph was one of frequent conversation4 ,mr4 ,morse was most constant in pursuing it1 and alone the one who seemed disposed to reduce it to a practical test1 and ,i recollect that1 for this purpose1 he devised a system of signs for letters to be indicated and marked by a quick succession of strokes or shocks of the galvanic current1 and ,i am sure of the fact that it was deemed by ,mr4 ,morse perfectly competent to effect the result stated4 ,i did not suppose that any other person on board the ship claimed any merit in the invention1 or was1 in fact1 interested to pursue it to maturity as ,mr4 ,morse then seemed to be1 nor have ,i been able since that time to recall any fact or circumstance to justify the claim of any person other than ,mr4 ,morse to the invention4 ,this clear statement of ,mr4 ,fisher's was cheerfully given in answer to a request for his recollections of the circumstances1 in order to combat the claim of ,dr4 ,charles ,t4 ,jackson that he had given ,morse all the ideas of the telegraph1 and that he should be considered at least its joint inventor4 ,this was the first of the many claims which the inventor was forced to meet4 ,it resulted in a lawsuit which settled conclusively that ,morse was the sole inventor1 and that ,jackson was the victim of a mania which impelled him to claim the discoveries and achievements of others as his own4 ,i shall have occasion to refer to this matter again4 ,it is to be noted that ,mr4 ,fisher refers to signs for letters4 ,whether ,morse actually had devised or spoken of a conventional alphabet at that time cannot be proved conclusively1 but that it must have been in his mind the ,cuvier referred to before indicates4 ,others of his fellow-passengers gave testimony to the same effect1 and ,captain ,pell stated under oath that1 when he saw the completed instrument in #ahcg1 he recognized it as embodying the principles which ,morse had explained to him on the ,sully2 and he added3 ,before the vessel was in port1 ,mr4 ,morse addressed me in these words3 ',well1 ,captain1 should you hear of the telegraph one of these days as the wonder of the world1 remember the discovery was made on board the good ship ,sully4' ,morse always clung tenaciously to the date of #ahcb as that of his invention1 and1 ,i claim1 with perfect justice4 ,while it required much thought and elaboration to bring it to perfection2 while he used the published discoveries of others in order to make it operate over long distances2 while others labored with him in order to produce a practical working apparatus1 and to force its recognition on a skeptical world1 the basic idea on which everything else depended was his2 it was original with him1 and he pursued it to a successful issue1 himself making certain new and essential discoveries and inventions4 ,while1 as ,i have said1 he made use of the discoveries of others1 these men in turn were dependent on the earlier investigations of scientists who preceded them1 and so the chain lengthens out4 ,there will always be a difference of opinion as to the comparative value of a new discovery and a new invention1 and the difference between these terms should be clearly apprehended4 ,while they are to a certain extent interchangeable1 the word discovery in science is usually applied to the first enunciation of some property of nature till then unrecognized2 invention1 on the other hand1 is the application of this property to the uses of mankind4 ,sometimes discovery and invention are combined in the same individual1 but often the discoverer is satisfied with the fame arising from having called attention to something new1 and leaves to others the practical application of his discovery4 ,scientists will always claim that a new discovery1 which marks an advance in knowledge in their chosen field1 is of paramount importance2 while the world at large is more grateful to the man who1 by combining the discoveries of others and adding the culminating link1 confers a tangible blessing upon humanity4 ,morse was completely possessed by this new idea4 ,he worked over it that day and far into the night4 ,his vivid imagination leaped into the future1 brushing aside all obstacles1 and he realized that here in his hands was an instrument capable of working inconceivable good4 ,he recalled the days and weeks of anxiety when he was hungry for news of his loved ones2 he foresaw that in affairs of state and of commerce rapid communication might mean the avoidance of war or the saving of a fortune2 that1 in affairs nearer to the heart of the people1 it might bring a husband to the bedside of a dying wife1 or save the life of a beloved child2 apprehend the fleeing criminal1 or commute the sentence of an innocent man4 ,his great ambition had always been to work some good for his fellow-men1 and here was a means of bestowing upon them an inestimable boon4 ,after several days of intense application he disclosed his plan to ,mr4 ,rives and to others4 ,objections were raised1 but he was ready with a solution4 ,while the idea appeared to his fellow-passengers as chimerical1 yet1 as we have seen1 his earnestness made so deep an impression that when1 several years afterwards1 he exhibited to some of them a completed model1 they1 like ,captain ,pell1 instantly recognized it as embodying the principles explained to them on the ship4 ,without going deeply into the scientific history of the successive steps which led up to the invention of the telegraph1 ,i shall quote a few sentences from a long paper written by the late ,professor ,e4,n4 ,horsford1 of ,cambridge1 ,massachusetts1 and included in ,mr4 ,prime's biography3-- ,what was needed to the original conception of the ,morse recording telegraph8 #a4 ,a knowledge that soft wire1 bent in the form of a horseshoe1 could be magnetized by sending a galvanic current through a coil wound round the iron1 and that it would lose its magnetism when the current was suspended4 #b4 ,a knowledge that such a magnet had been made to lift and drop masses of iron of considerable weight4 #c4 ,a knowledge1 or a belief1 that the galvanic current could be transmitted through wires of great length4 ,these were all4 ,now comes the conception of devices for employing an agent which could produce reciprocal motion to effect registration1 and the invention of an alphabet4 ,in order to this invention it must be seen how up and down--reciprocal--motion could be produced by the opening and closing of the circuit4 ,into this simple band of vertical tracery of paths in space must be thrown the shuttle of time and a ribbon of paper4 ,it must be seen how a lever-pen1 alternately dropping upon and rising at defined intervals from a fillet of paper moved by independent clock-work1 would produce the fabric of the alphabet and writing and printing4 ,was there anything required to produce these results which was not known to ,morse8444 ,he knew1 for he had witnessed it years before1 that1 by means of a battery and an electro-magnet1 reciprocal motion could be produced4 ,he knew that the force which produced it could be transmitted along a wire4 ,he believed that the battery current could be made1 through an electro-magnet1 to produce physical results at a distance4 ,he saw in his mind's eye the existence of an agent and a medium by which reciprocal motion could be not only produced but controlled at a distance4 ,the question that addressed itself to him at the outset was1 naturally1 this3 ',how can ,i make use of the simple up-and-down motion of opening and closing a circuit to write an intelligible message at one end of a wire1 and at the same time print it at the other8'444 ,like many a kindred work of genius it was in nothing more wonderful than in its simplicity4444 ,not one of the brilliant scientific men who have attached their names to the history of electro-magnetism had brought the means to produce the practical registering telegraph4 ,some of them had ascended the tower that looked out on the field of conquest4 ,some of them brought keener vision than others4 ,some of them stood higher than others4 ,but the genius of invention had not recognized them4 ,there was needed an inventor4 ,now what sort of a want is this8 ,there was required a rare combination of qualities and conditions4 ,there must be ingenuity in the adaptation of available means to desired ends2 there must be the genius to see through non-essentials to the fundamental principle on which success depends2 there must be a kind of skill in manipulation2 great patience and pertinacity2 a certain measure of culture1 and the inventor of a recording telegraph must be capable of being inspired by the grandeur of the thought of writing1 figuratively speaking1 with a pen a thousand miles long--with the thought of a postal system without the element of time4 ,moreover the person who is to be the inventor must be free from the exactions of well-compensated1 everyday1 absorbing duties--perhaps he must have had the final baptism of poverty4 ,now the inventor of the registering telegraph did not rise from the perusal of any brilliant paper2 he happened to be at leisure on shipboard1 ready to contribute and share in the after-dinner conversation of a ship's cabin1 when the occasion arose4 ,morse's electro-magnetic telegraph was mainly an invention employing powers and agencies through mechanical devices to produce a given end4 ,it involved the combination of the results of the labors of others with a succession of special contrivances and some discoveries of the inventor himself4 ,there was an ideal whole almost at the outset1 but involving great thought1 and labor1 and patience1 and invention to produce an art harmonious in its organization and action4 ,after a voyage of over a month ,morse reached home and landed at the foot of ,rector ,street on ,november #ae1 #ahcb4 ,his two brothers1 ,sidney and ,richard1 met him on his arrival1 and were told at once of his invention4 ,his brother ,richard thus described their meeting3-- ,hardly had the usual greetings passed between us three brothers1 and while on our way to my house1 before he informed us that he had made1 during his voyage1 an important invention1 which had occupied almost all his attention on shipboard--one that would astonish the world and of the success of which he was perfectly sanguine2 that this invention was a means of communicating intelligence by electricity1 so that a message could be written down in a permanent manner by characters at a distance from the writer4 ,he took from his pocket and showed from his sketch-book1 in which he had drawn them1 the kind of characters he proposed to use4 ,these characters were dots and spaces representing the ten digits or numerals1 and in the book were sketched other parts of his electro-magnetic machinery and apparatus1 actually drawn out in his sketch-book4 ,the other brother1 ,sidney1 also bore testimony3-- ,he was full of the subject of the telegraph during the walk from the ship1 and for some days afterwards could scarcely speak about anything else4 ,he expressed himself anxious to make apparatus and try experiments for which he had no materials or facilities on shipboard4 ,in the course of a few days after his arrival he made a kind of cogged or saw-toothed type1 the object of which ,i understood was to regulate the interruptions of the electric current1 so as to enable him to make dots1 and regulate the length of marks or spaces on the paper upon which the information transmitted by his telegraph was to be recorded4 ,he proposed at that time a single circuit of wire1 and only a single circuit1 and letters1 words1 and phrases were to be indicated by numerals1 and these numerals were to be indicated by dots and other marks and spaces on paper4 ,it seemed to me that1 as wire was cheap1 it would be better to have twenty-four wires1 each wire representing a letter of the alphabet1 but my brother always insisted upon the superior advantages of his single circuit4 ,thus we see that ,morse1 from the very beginning1 and from intuition1 or inspiration1 or whatever you please1 was insistent on one of the points which differentiated his invention from all others in the same field1 namely1 its simplicity1 and it was this feature which eventually won for it a universal adoption4 ,but1 simple as it was1 it still required much elaboration in order to bring it to perfection1 for as yet it was but an idea roughly sketched on paper2 the appliances to put this idea to a practical test had yet to be devised and made1 and ,morse now entered upon the most trying period of his career4 ,his three years in ,europe1 while they had been enjoyed to the full and had enabled him to perfect himself in his art1 had not yielded him large financial returns2 he had not expected that they would1 but based his hopes on increased patronage after his return4 ,he was entirely dependent on his brush for the support of himself and his three motherless children1 and now this new inspiration had come as a disturbing element4 ,he was on the horns of a dilemma4 ,if he devoted himself to his art1 as he must in order to keep the wolf from the door1 he would not have the leisure to perfect his invention1 and others might grasp the prize before him4 ,if he allowed thoughts of electric currents1 and magnets1 and batteries to monopolize his attention1 he could not give to his art1 notoriously a jealous mistress1 that worship which alone leads to success4 ,an added bar to the rapid development of his invention was the total lack 7hard to realize at the present day7 of the simplest essentials4 ,there were no manufacturers of electrical appliances2 everything1 even to the winding of the wires around the magnets1 had to be done laboriously by hand4 ,even had they existed ,morse had but scant means with which to purchase them4 ,this was his situation when he returned from ,europe in the fall of #ahcb1 and it is small wonder that twelve years elapsed before he could prove to the world that his revolutionizing invention was a success1 and the wonder is great that he succeeded at all1 that he did not sink under the manifold discouragements and hardships1 and let fame and fortune elude him4 ,unknown to him many men in different lands were working over the same problem1 some of them of assured scientific position and with good financial backing2 is it then remarkable that ,morse in later years held himself to be but an instrument in the hands of ,god to carry out ,his will8 ,he never ceased to marvel at the amazing fact that he1 poor1 scoffed at or pitied1 surrounded by difficulties of every sort1 should have been chosen to wrest the palm from the hands of trained scientists of two continents4 ,to us the wonder is not so great1 for we1 if we have read his character aright as revealed by his correspondence1 can see that in him1 more than in any other man of his time1 were combined the qualities necessary to a great inventor as specified by ,professor ,horsford earlier in this chapter4 ,in following ,morse's career at this critical period it will be necessary to record his experiences both as painter and inventor1 for there was no thought of abandoning his profession in his mind at first2 on the contrary1 he still had hopes of ultimate success1 and it was his sole means of livelihood4 ,it is true that he at times gave way to fits of depression4 ,in a letter to his brother ,richard before leaving ,europe he had thus given expression to his fears3-- ,i have frequently felt melancholy in thinking of my prospects for encouragement when ,i return1 and your letter found me in one of those moments4 ,you cannot1 therefore1 conceive with what feelings ,i read your offer of a room in your new house4 ,give me a resting-place and ,i will yet move the country in favor of the arts4 ,i return with some hopes but many fears4 ,will my country employ me on works which may do it honor8 ,i want a commission from ,government to execute two pictures from the life of ,columbus1 and ,i want eight thousand dollars for each1 and on these two ,i will stake my reputation as an artist4 ,it was in his brother ,richard's house that he took the first step towards the construction of the apparatus which was to put his invention to a practical test4 ,this was the manufacture of the saw-toothed type by which he proposed to open and close the circuit and produce his conventional signs4 ,he did not choose the most appropriate place for this operation1 for his sister-in-law rather pathetically remarked3 ,he melted the lead which he used over the fire in the grate of my front parlor1 and1 in his operation of casting the type1 he spilled some of the heated metal upon the drugget1 or loose carpeting1 before the fireplace1 and upon a flagbottomed chair upon which his mould was placed4 ,he was also handicapped by illness just after his return1 as we learn from the following letter to his friend ,fenimore ,cooper4 ,in this letter he also makes some interesting comments on ,new ,york and ,american affairs1 but1 curiously enough1 he says nothing of his invention3 ,february #ba1 #ahcc4 ,don't scold at me4 ,i don't deserve a scolding if you knew all1 and ,i do if you don't know all1 for ,i have not written to you since ,i landed in ,november4 ,what with severe illness for several weeks after my arrival1 and the accumulation of cares consequent on so long an absence from home1 ,i have been overwhelmed and distracted by calls upon my time for a thousand things that pressed upon me for immediate attention2 and so ,i have put off and put off what ,i have been longing 7,i am ashamed to say for weeks if not months7 to do1 ,i mean to write to you4 ,the truth is1 my dear sir1 ,i have so much to say that ,i know not where to commence4 ,i throw myself on your indulgence1 and1 believing you will forgive me1 ,i commence without further apology4 ,first1 as to things at home4 ,new ,york is improved1 as the word goes1 wonderfully4 ,you will return to a strange city2 you will not recognize many of your acquaintances among the old buildings2 brand-new buildings1 stores1 and houses are taking the place of the good1 staid1 modest houses of the early settlers4 ,improvement is all the rage1 and houses and churchyards must be overthrown and upturned whenever the ,corporation plough is set to work for the widening of a narrow1 or the making of a new1 street4 ,i believe you sometimes have a fit of the blues4 ,it is singular if you do not with your temperament4 ,i confess to many fits of this disagreeable disorder1 and ,i know nothing so likely to induce one as the finding1 after an absence of some years from home1 the great hour-hand of life sensibly advanced on all your former friends4 ,what will be your sensations after six or seven years if mine are acute after three years' absence8 ,i have not been much in society as yet4 ,i have many visitations1 but1 until ,i clear off the accumulated rubbish of three years which lies upon my table1 ,i must decline seeing much of my friends4 ,i have seen twice your sisters the ,misses ,delancy1 and was prevented from being at their house last ,friday evening by the severest snow-storm we have had this season4 ,our friends the ,jays ,i have met several times1 and have had much conversation with them about you and your delightful family4 ,mr4 ,p4,a4 ,jay is a member of the club1 so ,i see him every ,friday evening4 ,chancellor ,kent also is a member1 and both warm friends of yours4444 ,my time for ten or twelve days past has been occupied in answering a pamphlet of ,colonel ,trumbull1 who came out for the purpose of justifying his opposition to measures which had been devised for uniting the two ,academies4 ,i send you the first copy hot from the press4 ,there is a great deal to dishearten in the state of feeling1 or rather state of no feeling1 on the arts in this city4 ,the only way ,i can keep up my spirits is by resolutely resisting all disposition to repine1 and by fighting perseveringly against all the obstacles that hinder the progress of art4 ,i have been told several times since my return that ,i was born one hundred years too soon for the arts in our country4 ,i have replied that1 if that be the case1 ,i will try and make it but fifty4 ,i am more and more persuaded that ,i have quite as much to do with the pen for the arts as the pencil1 and if ,i can in my day so enlighten the public mind as to make the way easier for those that come after me1 ,i don't know that ,i shall not have served the cause of the fine arts as effectively as by painting pictures which might be appreciated one hundred years after ,i am gone4 ,if ,i am to be the ,pioneer and am fitted for it1 why should ,i not glory as much in felling trees and clearing away the rubbish as in showing the decorations suited to a more advanced state of cultivation8444 ,you will certainly have the blues when you first arrive1 but the longer you stay abroad the more severe will be the disease4 ,excuse my predictions4444 ,the ,georgia affair is settled after a fashion2 not so the nullifiers2 they are infatuated4 ,disagreeable as it will be1 they will be put down with disgrace to them4 ,in another letter to ,mr4 ,cooper1 dated ,february #bh1 #ahcc1 he writes in the same vein3-- ,the ,south ,carolina business is probably settled by this time by ,mr4 ,clay's compromise bill1 so that the legitimates of ,europe may stop blowing their twopenny trumpets in triumph at our disunion4 ,the same clashing of interests in ,europe would have caused twenty years of war and torrents of bloodshed2 with us it has caused three or four years of wordy war and some hundreds of gallons of ink2 but no necks are broken1 nor heads2 all will be in statu ante bello in a few days4444 ,my dear sir1 you are wanted at home4 ,i want you to encourage me by your presence4 ,i find the pioneer business has less of romance in the reality than in the description1 and ,i find some tough stumps to pry up and heavy stones to roll out of the way1 and ,i get exhausted and desponding1 and ,i should like a little of your sinew to come to my aid at such times1 as it was wont to come at the ,louvre4444 ,there is nothing new in ,new ,york2 everybody is driving after money1 as usual1 and there is an alarm of fire every half-hour1 as usual1 and the pigs have the freedom of the city1 as usual2 so that1 in these respects at least1 you will find ,new ,york as you left it1 except that they are not the same people that are driving after money1 nor the same houses burnt1 nor the same pigs at large in the street4444 ,you will all be welcomed home1 but come prepared to find many1 very many things in taste and manners different from your own good taste and manners4 ,good taste and good manners would not be conspicuous if all around possessed the same manners4 ,,chapter ,,xxii #ahcc--ahcf ,still painting4--,thoughts on art4--,picture of the ,louvre4--,rejection as painter of one of the pictures in the ,capitol4--,john ,quincy ,adams4--,james ,fenimore ,cooper's article4--,death blow to his artistic ambition4-- ,washington ,allston's letter4--,commission by fellow artists4--,definite abandonment of art4--,repayment of money advanced4--,death of ,lafayette4-- ,religious controversies4--,appointed ,professor in ,university of ,city of ,new ,york4--,description of first telegraphic instrument4--,successful experiments4--,relay4--,address in #ahec4 ,it was impossible for the inventor during the next few years to devote himself entirely to the construction of a machine to test his theories1 impatient though he must have been to put his ideas into practical form4 ,his two brothers came nobly to his assistance1 and did what lay in their power and according to their means to help him2 but it was always repugnant to him to be under pecuniary obligations to any one1 and1 while gratefully accepting his brothers' help1 he strained every nerve to earn the money to pay them back4 ,we1 therefore1 find little or no reference in the letters of those years to his invention1 and it was not until the year #ahce that he was able to make any appreciable progress towards the perfection of his telegraphic apparatus4 ,the intervening years were spent in efforts to rouse an interest in the fine arts in this country2 in hard work in behalf of the still young ,academy of ,design2 and in trying to earn a living by the practice of his profession4 ,during this time1 he says1 ,i never lost faith in the practicability of the invention1 nor abandoned the intention of testing it as soon as ,i could command the means4 ,but in order to command the means1 he was obliged to devote himself to his art1 and in this he did not meet with the encouragement which he had expected and which he deserved4 ,his ideals were always high1 perhaps too high for the materialistic age in which he found himself4 ,the following fugitive note will illustrate the trend of his thoughts1 and is not inapplicable to conditions at the present day3-- ,are not the refining influences of the fine arts needed1 doubly needed1 in our country8 ,is there not a tendency in the democracy of our country to low and vulgar pleasures and pursuits8 ,does not the contact of those more cultivated in mind and elevated in purpose with those who are less so1 and to whom the former look for political favor and power1 necessarily debase that cultivated mind and that elevation of purpose8 ,when those are exalted to office who best can flatter the low appetites of the vulgar2 when boorishness and ill manners are preferred to polish and refinement1 and when1 indeed1 the latter1 if not avowedly1 are in reality made an objection1 is there not danger that those who would otherwise encourage refinement will fear to show their favorable inclination lest those to whom they look for favor shall be displeased2 and will not habit fix it1 and another generation bear it as its own inherent1 native character8 ,that he was naturally optimistic is shown by a footnote which he added to this thought1 dated ,october1 #ahcc3-- ,these were once my fears4 ,there is doubtless danger1 but ,i believe in the possibility1 by the diffusion of the highest moral and intellectual cultivation through every class1 of raising the lower classes in refinement4 ,but while in his leisure moments he could indulge in such hopeful dreams1 his chief care at that time1 as stated at the beginning of this chapter1 was to earn money by the exercise of his profession4 ,his important painting of the ,louvre1 from which he had hoped so much1 was placed on exhibition1 and1 while it received high praise from the artists1 its exhibition barely paid expenses1 and it was finally sold to ,mr4 ,george ,clarke1 of ,hyde ,hall1 on ,otsego ,lake1 for thirteen hundred dollars1 although the artist had expected to get at least twenty-five hundred dollars for it4 ,in a letter to ,mr4 ,clarke1 of ,june #cj1 #ahcd1 he says3-- ,the picture of the ,louvre was intended originally for an exhibition picture1 and ,i painted it in the expectation of disposing of it to some person for that purpose who could amply remunerate himself from the receipts of a well-managed exhibition4 ,the time occupied upon this picture was fourteen months1 and at much expense and inconvenience1 so that that sum #bejj for it1 if sold under such circumstances1 would not be more than a fair compensation4 ,i was aware that but few1 if any1 gentlemen in our country would be willing to expend so large a sum on a single picture1 although in fact they would1 in this case1 purchase seven-and-thirty in one4 ,i have lately changed my plans in relation to this picture and to my art generally1 and consequently ,i am able to dispose of it at a much less price4 ,i have need of funds to prosecute my new plans1 and1 if this picture could now realize the sum of twelve hundred dollars it would at this moment be to me equivalent in value to the sum first set upon it4 ,the change of plans no doubt referred to his desire to pursue his electrical experiments1 and for this ready money was most necessary1 and so he gladly1 and even gratefully1 accepted ,mr4 ,clarke's offer of twelve hundred dollars for the painting and one hundred dollars for the frame4 ,even this was not cash1 but was in the form of a note payable in a year6 ,his enthusiasm for his art seems at this period to have been gradually waning1 although he still strove to command success2 but it needed a decisive stroke to wean him entirely from his first love1 and ,fate did not long delay the blow4 ,his great ambition had always been to paint historical pictures which should commemorate the glorious events in the history of his beloved country4 ,in the early part of the year #ahcd his great opportunity had1 apparently1 come1 and he was ready and eager to grasp it4 ,there were four huge panels in the rotunda of the ,capitol at ,washington1 which were still to be filled by historical paintings1 and a committee in ,congress was appointed to select the artists to execute them4 ,morse1 president of the ,national ,academy of ,design1 and enthusiastically supported by the best artists in the country1 had every reason to suppose that he would be chosen to execute at least one of these paintings4 ,confident that he had but to make his wishes known to secure the commission1 he addressed the following circular letter to various members of ,congress1 among whom were such famous men as ,daniel ,webster1 ,john ,c4 ,calhoun1 ,henry ,clay1 and ,john ,quincy ,adams1 all personally known to him3-- ,march #g1 #ahcd4 ,,my ,,dear ,,sir1--,i perceive that the ,library ,committee have before them the consideration of a resolution on the expediency of employing four artists to paint the remaining four pictures in the ,rotunda of the ,capitol4 ,if ,congress should pass a resolution in favor of the measure1 ,i should esteem it a great honor to be selected as one of the artists4 ,i have devoted twenty years of my life1 of which seven were passed in ,england1 ,france1 and ,italy1 studying with special reference to the execution of works of the kind proposed1 and ,i must refer to my professional life and character in proof of my ability to do honor to the commission and to the country4 ,may ,i take the liberty to ask for myself your favorable recommendation to those in ,congress who have the disposal of the commissions8 ,with great respect1 ,sir1 ,your most obedient servant1 ,s4,f4,b4 ,,morse4 ,while this letter was written in #ahcd1 the final decision of the committee was not made until #ahcg1 but ,i shall anticipate a little and give the result which had such a momentous effect on ,morse's career4 ,there was every reason to believe that his request would be granted1 and he and his friends1 many of whom endorsed by letter his candidacy1 had no fear as to the result2 but here again ,fate intervened and ordered differently4 ,among the committee men in ,congress to whom this matter was referred was ,john ,quincy ,adams1 ex-,president of the ,united ,states4 ,in discussing the subject1 ,mr4 ,adams submitted a resolution opening the competition to foreign artists as well as to ,american1 giving it as his opinion that there were no artists in this country of sufficient talent properly to execute such monumental works4 ,the artists and their friends were1 naturally1 greatly incensed at this slur cast upon them1 and an indignant and remarkably able reply appeared anonymously in the ,new ,york ,evening ,post4 ,the authorship of this article was at once saddled on ,morse1 who was known to wield a facile and fearless pen4 ,mr4 ,adams took great offense1 and1 as a result1 ,morse's name was rejected and his great opportunity passed him by4 ,there can be no reasonable doubt that1 had he received this commission1 he would have deferred the perfecting of his telegraphic device until others had so far distanced him in the race that he could never have overtaken them4 ,instead of his having been the author of the ,evening ,post article1 it transpired that he had not even heard of ,mr4 ,adams's resolution until his friend ,fenimore ,cooper1 the real author of the answer1 told him of both attack and reply4 ,this was the second great tragedy of ,morse's life2 the first was the untimely death of his young wife1 and this other marked the death of his hopes and ambitions as an artist4 ,he was stunned4 ,the blow was as unexpected as it was overwhelming1 and what added to its bitterness was that it had been innocently dealt by the hand of one of his dearest friends1 who had sought to render him a favor4 ,the truth came out too late to influence the decision of the committee2 the die was cast1 and his whole future was changed in the twinkling of an eye2 for what had been to him a joy and an inspiration1 he now turned from in despair4 ,he could not1 of course1 realize at the time that ,fate1 in dealing him this cruel blow1 was dedicating him to a higher destiny4 ,it is doubtful if he ever fully realized this1 for in after years he could never speak of it unmoved4 ,in a letter to this same friend1 ,fenimore ,cooper1 written on ,november #bj1 #ahdi1 he thus laments3-- ,alas6 ,my dear sir1 the very name of pictures produces a sadness of heart ,i cannot describe4 ,painting has been a smiling mistress to many1 but she has been a cruel jilt to me4 ,i did not abandon her1 she abandoned me4 ,i have taken scarcely any interest in painting for many years4 ,will you believe it8 ,when last in ,paris1 in #ahde1 ,i did not go into the ,louvre1 nor did ,i visit a single picture gallery4 ,i sometimes indulge a vague dream that ,i may paint again4 ,it is rather the memory of past pleasures1 when hope was enticing me onward only to deceive me at last4 ,except some family portraits1 valuable to me from their likenesses only1 ,i could wish that every picture ,i ever painted was destroyed4 ,i have no wish to be remembered as a painter1 for ,i never was a painter4 ,my ideal of that profession was1 perhaps1 too exalted--,i may say is too exalted4 ,i leave it to others more worthy to fill the niches of art4 ,of course his self-condemnation was too severe1 for we have seen that present-day critics assign him an honorable place in the annals of art1 and while1 at the time of writing that letter1 he had definitely abandoned the brush1 he continued to paint for some years after his rejection by the committee of ,congress4 ,he had to1 for it was his only means of earning a livelihood1 but the old enthusiasm was gone never to return4 ,fortunately for himself and for the world1 however1 he transferred it to the perfecting of his invention1 and devoted all the time he could steal from the daily routine of his duties to that end4 ,his friends sympathized with him most heartily and were indignant at his rejection4 ,washington ,allston wrote to him3-- ,i have learned the disposition of the pictures4 ,i had hoped to find your name among the commissioned artists1 but ,i was grieved to find that all my efforts in your behalf have proved fruitless4 ,i know what your disappointment must have been at this result1 and most sincerely do ,i sympathize with you4 ,that my efforts were both sincere and conscientious ,i hope will be some consolation to you4 ,but let not this disappointment cast you down1 my friend4 ,you have it still in your power to let the world know what you can do4 ,dismiss it1 then1 from your mind1 and determine to paint all the better for it4 ,god bless you4 ,your affectionate friend ,,washington ,,allston4 ,the following sentences from a letter written on ,march #ad1 #ahcg1 by ,thomas ,cole1 one of the most celebrated of the early ,american painters1 will show in what estimation ,morse was held by his brother artists3-- ,i have learned with mortification and disappointment that your name was not among the chosen1 and ,i have feared that you would carry into effect your resolution of abandoning the art and resigning the presidency of our ,academy4 ,i sincerely hope you will have reason to cast aside that resolution4 ,to you our ,academy owes its existence and present prosperity1 and if1 in after times1 it should become a great institution1 your name will always be coupled with its greatness4 ,but1 if you leave us1 ,i very much fear that the fabric will crumble to pieces4 ,you are the keystone of the arch2 if you remain with us time may furnish the ,academy with another block for the place4 ,i hope my fears may be vain1 and that circumstances will conspire to induce you to remain our president4 ,other friends were equally sympathetic and ,morse did retain the presidency of the ,academy until #ahde4 ,to emphasize further their regard for him1 a number of artists1 headed by ,thomas ,s4 ,cummings1 unknown to ,morse1 raised by subscription three thousand dollars1 to be given to him for the painting of some historical subject4 ,general ,cummings1 in his ,annals of the ,academy1 thus describes the receipt of the news by the discouraged artist3-- ,the effect was electrical2 it roused him from his depression and he exclaimed that never had he read or known of such an act of professional generosity1 and that he was fully determined to paint the picture--his favorite subject1 ',the ,signing of the ,first ,compact on board the ,mayflower1'--not of small size1 as requested1 but of the size of the panels in the ,rotunda4 ,that was immediately assented to by the committee1 thinking it possible that one or the other of the pictures so ordered might fail in execution1 in which case it would afford favorable inducements to its substitution1 and1 of course1 much to ,mr4 ,morse's profit2 as the artists from the first never contemplated taking possession of the picture so executed4 ,it was to remain with ,mr4 ,morse1 and for his use and benefit4 ,the enthusiasm thus roused was but a flash in the pan1 however2 the wound he had received was too deep to be thus healed4 ,some of the money was raised and paid to him1 and he made studies and sketches for the painting1 but his mind was now on his invention1 and the painting of the picture was deferred from year to year and finally abandoned4 ,it was characteristic of him that1 when he did finally decide to give up the execution of this work1 he paid back the sums which had been advanced to him1 with interest4 ,another grief which came to him in the summer of #ahcd 7to return to that year7 was the death of his illustrious friend ,general ,lafayette4 ,the last letter received from him was written by his amanuensis and unsigned1 and simply said3-- ,general ,lafayette1 being detained by sickness1 has sent to the reporter of the committee the following note1 which the said reporter has read to the ,house4 ,the note referred to is1 unfortunately1 missing4 ,this letter was written on ,april #bi and the ,general died on ,may #bj4 ,morse sent a letter of sympathy to the son1 ,george ,washington ,lafayette1 a member of the ,chamber of ,deputies1 in which the following sentiments occur3-- ,in common with this whole country1 now clad in mourning1 with the lovers of true liberty and of exalted philanthropy throughout the world1 ,i bemoan the departure from earth of your immortal parent4 ,yet ,i may be permitted to indulge in additional feelings of more private sorrow at the loss of one who honored me with his friendship1 and had not ceased1 till within a few days of his death1 to send to me occasional marks of his affectionate remembrance4 ,be assured1 my dear ,sir1 that the memory of your father will be especially endeared to me and mine4 ,morse's admiration of ,lafayette was most sincere1 and he was greatly influenced in his political feelings by his intercourse with that famous man4 ,among other opinions which he shared with ,lafayette and other thoughtful men1 was the fear of a ,roman ,catholic plot to gain control of the ,government of the ,united ,states4 ,he defended his views fearlessly and vigorously in the public press and by means of pamphlets1 and later entered into a heated controversy with ,bishop ,spaulding of ,kentucky4 ,i shall not attempt to treat exhaustively of these controversies1 but think it only right to refer to them from time to time1 not only that the clearest possible light may be shed upon ,morse's character and convictions1 but to show the extraordinary activity of his brain1 which1 while he was struggling against obstacles of all kinds1 not only to make his invention a success1 but for the very means of existence1 could yet busy itself with the championing of what he conceived to be the right4 ,to illustrate his point of view ,i shall quote a few extracts from a letter to ,r4,s4 ,willington1 ,esq41 who was the editor of a journal which is referred to as the ,courier4 ,this letter was written on ,may #bj1 #ahce1 when ,morse's mind1 we should think1 would have been wholly absorbed in the details of the infant telegraph3-- ,with regard to the more important matter of the ,conspiracy1 ,i perceive with regret that the evidence which has been convincing to so many minds of the first order1 and which continues daily to spread conviction of the truth of the charge ,i have made1 is still viewed by the editors of the ',courier' as inconclusive4 ,my situation in regard to those who dissent from me is somewhat singular4 ,i have brought against the absolute ,governments of ,europe a charge of conspiracy against the liberties of the ,united ,states4 ,i support the charge by facts1 and by reasonings from those facts1 which produce conviction on most of those who examine the matter4444 ,but those that dissent simply say1 ',i don't think there is a conspiracy'2 yet give no reasons for dissent4 ,the ,catholic journals very artfully make no defense themselves1 but adroitly make use of the ,protestant defense kindly prepared for them4444 ,no ,catholic journal has attempted any refutation of the charge4 ,it cannot be refuted1 for it is true4 ,and be assured1 my dear sir1 it is no extravagant prediction when ,i say that the question of ,popery and ,protestantism1 or ,absolutism and ,republicanism1 which in these two opposite categories are convertible terms1 is fast becoming and will shortly be the great absorbing question1 not only of this country but of the whole civilized world4 ,i speak not at random2 ,i speak from long and diligent observation in ,europe1 and from comparison of the state of affairs in this country with the state of public opinion in ,europe4 ,we are asleep1 sir1 when every freeman should be awake and look to his arms4444 ,surely1 if the danger is groundless1 there can be no harm in endeavoring to ascertain its groundlessness4 ,if you were told your house was on fire you would hardly think of calling the man a maniac for informing you of it1 even if he should use a tone of voice and gestures somewhat earnest and impassioned4 ,the course of some of our journals on the subject of ,popery has led to the belief that they are covertly under the control of the ,jesuits4 ,and let me say1 sir1 that the modes of control in the resources of this insidious society1 notorious for its political arts and intrigues1 are more numerous1 more powerful1 and more various than an unsuspicious people are at all conscious of4444 ,mr4 ,y4 falls into the common error and deprecates what he calls a religious controversy1 as if the subject of ,popery was altogether religious4 ,history1 it appears to me1 must have been read to very little purpose by any one who can entertain such an error in regard to the cunningest political despotism that ever cursed mankind4 ,i must refer you to the preface of the second edition1 which ,i send you1 for my reasonings on that point4 ,if they are not conclusive1 ,i should be glad to be shown wherein they are defective4 ,if they are conclusive1 is it not time for every patriot to open his eyes to the truth of the fact that we are politically attacked under guise of a religious system1 and is it not a serious question whether our political press should advocate the cause of foreign enemies to our government1 or help to expose and repel them8 ,it was in the year #ahce that ,morse was appointed ,professor of the ,literature of the ,arts of ,design in the ,university of the ,city of ,new ,york1 and here again we can mark the guiding hand of ,fate4 ,a few years earlier he had been tentatively offered the position of instructor of drawing at the ,united ,states ,military ,academy at ,west ,point1 but this offer he had promptly but courteously declined4 ,had he accepted it he would have missed the opportunity of meeting certain men who gave him valuable assistance4 ,as an instructor in the ,university he not only received a small salary which relieved him1 in a measure1 from the grinding necessity of painting pot-boilers1 but he had assigned to him spacious rooms in the building on ,washington ,square1 which he could utilize not only as studio and living apartments1 but as a workshop4 ,for these rooms1 however1 he paid a rent1 at first of #cbe a year1 afterwards of #djj4 ,three years had clasped since his first conception of the invention1 and1 although burning to devote himself to its perfecting1 he had been compelled to hold himself in check and to devote all his time to painting4 ,now1 however1 an opportunity came to him1 for he moved into the ,university building before it was entirely finished1 and the stairways were in such an embryonic state that he could not expect sitters to attempt their perilous ascent4 ,this enforced leisure gave him the chance he had long desired and he threw himself heart and soul into his electrical experiments4 ,writing of this period in later years he thus records his struggles3-- ,illustration3 ,,first ,,telegraph ,,instrument1 #ahcg ,now in the ,national ,museum1 ,washington ,there ,i immediately commenced1 with very limited means1 to experiment upon my invention4 ,my first instrument was made up of an old picture or canvas frame fastened to a table2 the wheels of an old wooden clock moved by a weight to carry the paper forward2 three wooden drums1 upon one of which the paper was wound and passed over the other two2 a wooden pendulum1 suspended to the top piece of the picture or stretching-frame1 and vibrating across the paper as it passes over the centre wooden drum2 a pencil at the lower end of the pendulum in contact with the paper2 an electro-magnet fastened to a shelf across the picture or stretching frame1 opposite to an armature made fast to the pendulum2 a type rule and type1 for breaking the circuit1 resting on an endless band composed of carpet-binding2 which passed over two wooden rollers1 moved by a wooden crank1 and carried forward by points projecting from the bottom of the rule downward into the carpet-binding2 a lever1 with a small weight on the upper side1 and a tooth projecting downward at one end1 operated on by the type1 and a metallic fork1 also projecting downward1 over two mercury cups2 and a short circuit of wire embracing the helices of the electro-magnet connected with the positive and negative poles of the battery and terminating in the mercury cups4 ,this first rude instrument was carefully preserved by the inventor1 and is now in the ,morse case in the ,national ,museum at ,washington4 ,a reproduction of it is here given4 ,i shall omit certain technical details in the inventor's account of this first instrument1 but ,i wish to call attention to his ingenuity in adapting the means at his disposal to the end desired4 ,much capital has been made1 by those who opposed his claims1 out of the fact that this primitive apparatus could only produce a ,v-shaped mark1 thus-- _/ _/_/ _/_/_/ --and not a dot and a dash1 which they insist was of later introduction and by another hand4 ,but a reference to the sketches made on board the ,sully will show that the original system of signs consisted of dots and lines1 and that the first conception of the means to produce these signs was by an up-and-down motion of a lever controlled by an electro-magnet4 ,it is easy to befog an issue by misstating facts1 but the facts are here to speak for themselves1 and that ,morse temporarily abandoned his first idea1 because he had not the means at his disposal to embody it in workable form and had recourse to another method for producing practically the same result1 only shows wonderful ingenuity on his part4 ,it can easily be seen that the waving line traced by the first instrument--thus1 _/ _/_/ _/_/_/ --can be translated by reading the lower part into a i u 4 - 4 4 4 4 - of the final ,morse alphabet4 ,the beginnings of every great invention have been clumsy and uncouth compared with the results attained by years of study and elaboration participated in by many clever brains4 ,contrast the ,clermont of ,fulton with the floating palaces of the present day1 the ,rocket of ,stephenson with the powerful locomotives of our mile-a-minute fliers1 and the hand-press of ,gutenberg with the marvellous and intricate ,hoe presses of modern times4 ,and yet the names of those who first conceived and wrought these primitive contrivances stand highest in the roll of fame2 and with justice1 for it is infinitely easier to improve on the suggestion of another than to originate a practical advance in human endeavor4 ,returning again to ,morse's own account of his early experiments ,i shall quote the following sentences3-- ,with this apparatus1 rude as it was1 and completed before the first of the year #ahcf1 ,i was enabled to and did mark down telegraphic1 intelligible signs1 and to make and did make distinguishable sounds for telegraphing2 and1 having arrived at that point1 ,i exhibited it to some of my friends early in that year1 and among others to ,professor ,leonard ,d4 ,gale1 who was a college professor in the ,university4 ,i also experimented with the chemical power of the electric current in #ahcf1 and succeeded1 in marking my telegraphic signs upon paper dipped in turmeric and solution of the sulphate of soda 7as well as other salts7 by passing the current through it4 ,i was soon satisfied1 however1 that the electro-magnetic power was more available for telegraphic purposes and possessed many advantages over any other1 and ,i turned my thoughts in that direction4 ,early in #ahcf ,i procured forty feet of wire1 and1 putting it in the circuit1 ,i found that my battery of one cup was not sufficient to work my instrument4 ,this result suggested to me the probability that the magnetism to be obtained from the electric current would diminish in proportion as the circuit was lengthened1 so as to be insufficient for any practical purposes at great distances2 and1 to remove that probable obstacle to my success1 ,i conceived the idea of combining two or more circuits together in the manner described in my first patent1 each with an independent battery1 making use of the magnetism of the current on the first to close and break the second2 the second the third2 and so on4 ,thus modestly does he refer to what was1 in fact1 a wonderful discovery1 the more wonderful because of its simplicity4 ,professor ,horsford thus comments on it3-- ,in #ahce ,morse made the discovery of the relay1 the most brilliant of all the achievements to which his name must be forever attached4 ,it was a discovery of a means by which the current1 which through distance from its source had become feeble1 could be renforced or renewed4 ,this discovery1 according to the different objects for which it is employed1 is variously known as the registering magnet1 the local circuit1 the marginal circuit1 the repeater1 etc4 ,professor ,horsford places the date of this discovery in the year #ahce1 but ,morse himself1 in the statement quoted above1 assigned it to the early part of #ahcf4 ,it is only fair to note that the discovery of the principle of the relay was made independently by other scientists1 notably by ,davy1 ,wheatstone1 and ,henry1 but ,morse apparently antedated them by a year or two1 and could not possibly have been indebted to any of them for the idea4 ,this point has given rise to much discussion among scientists which it will not be necessary to enter into here1 for all authorities agree in according to ,morse independent invention of the relay4 ,up to the autumn of #ahcg1 again to quote ,morse's own words1 my telegraphic apparatus existed in so rude a form that ,i felt a reluctance to have it seen4 ,my means were very limited--so limited as to preclude the possibility of constructing an apparatus of such mechanical finish as to warrant my success in venturing upon its public exhibition4 ,i had no wish to expose to ridicule the representative of so many hours of laborious thought4 ,prior to the summer of #ahcg1 at which time ,mr4 ,alfred ,vail's attention became attracted to my telegraph1 ,i depended upon my pencil for subsistence4 ,indeed1 so straitened were my circumstances that1 in order to save time to carry out my invention and to economize my scanty means1 ,i had for months lodged and eaten in my studio1 procuring my food in small quantities from some grocery1 and preparing it myself4 ,to conceal from my friends the stinted manner in which ,i lived1 ,i was in the habit of bringing my food to my room in the evenings1 and this was my mode of life for many years4 ,nearly twenty years later1 in #ahec1 ,morse referred to this trying period in his career at a meeting of the ,association of the ,alumni of the ,university3-- ,yesternight1 on once more entering your chapel1 ,i saw the same marble staircase and marble floors ,i once so often trod1 and so often with a heart and head overburdened with almost crushing anxieties4 ,separated from the chapel by but a thin partition was that room ,i occupied1 now your ,philomathean ,hall1 whose walls--had thoughts and mental struggles1 with the alternations of joys and sorrows1 the power of being daguerreotyped upon them--would show a thickly studded gallery of evidence that there the ,briarean infant was born who has stretched forth his arms with the intent to encircle the world4 ,yes1 that room of the ,university was the birthplace of the ,recording ,telegraph4 ,attempts1 indeed1 have been made to assign to it other parentage1 and to its birthplace other localities4 ,personally ,i have very little anxiety on this point1 except that the truth should not suffer2 for ,i have a consciousness1 which neither sophistry nor ignorance can shake1 that that room is the place of its birth1 and a confidence1 too1 that its cradle is in hands that will sustain its rightful claim4 ,the old building of the ,university of the ,city of ,new ,york on ,washington ,square has been torn down to be replaced by a mercantile structure2 the ,university has moved to more spacious quarters in the upper part of the great city2 but one of its notable buildings is the ,hall of ,fame1 and among the first names to be immortalized in bronze in the stately colonnade was that of ,samuel ,f4,b4 ,morse4 ,,chapter ,,xxiii #ahce--ahcg ,first exhibitions of the ,telegraph4--,testimony of ,robert ,g4 ,rankin and ,rev4 ,henry ,b4 ,tappan4--,cooke and ,wheatstone4--,joseph ,henry1 ,leonard ,d4 ,gale1 and ,alfred ,vail4--,professor ,gale's testimony4--,professor ,henry's discoveries4--,regrettable controversy of later years4--,professor ,charles ,t4 ,jackson's claims4--,alfred ,vail4--,contract of ,september #bc1 #ahcg4--,work at ,morristown4 ,new ,jersey4--,the ,morse ,alphabet4--,reading by sound4-- first and second forms of alphabet4 ,in after years the question of the time when the telegraph was first exhibited to others was a disputed one2 it will1 therefore1 be well to give the testimony of a few men of undoubted integrity who personally witnessed the first experiments4 ,robert ,g4 ,rankin1 ,esq41 gave his reminiscences to ,mr4 ,prime1 from which ,i shall select the following passages3-- ,professor ,morse was one of the purest and noblest men of any age4 ,i believe ,i was among the earliest1 outside of his family circle1 to whom he communicated his design to encircle the globe with wire4444 ,some time in the fall of #ahce ,i was passing along the easterly walk of ,washington ,parade-,ground1 leading from ,waverly ,place to ,fourth ,street1 when ,i heard my name called4 ,on turning round ,i saw1 over the picketfence1 an outstretched arm from a person standing in the middle or main entrance door of the unfinished ,university building of ,new ,york1 and immediately recognized the professor1 who beckoned me toward him4 ,on meeting and exchanging salutations1--and you know how genial his were1-- he took me by the arm and said3 ',i wish you to go up in my sanctum and examine a piece of mechanism1 which1 if you may not believe in1 you1 at least1 will not laugh at1 as ,i fear some others will4 ,i want you to give me your frank opinion as a friend1 for ,i know your interest in and love of the applied sciences4' ,here follow a description of what he saw and ,morse's explanation1 and1 then he continues3-- ,a long silence on the part of each ensued1 which was at length broken by my exclamation3 ',well1 professor1 you have a pretty play6--theoretically true but practically useful only as a mantel ornament1 or for a mistress in the parlor to direct the maid in the cellar6 ,but1 professor1 cui bono8 ,in imagination one can make a new earth and improve all the land communications of our old one1 but my unfortunate practicality stands in the way of my comprehension as yet4' ,we then had a long conversation on the subject of magnetism and its modifications1 and if ,i do not recollect the very words which clothed his thoughts1 they were substantially as follows4 ,he had been long impressed with the belief that ,god had created the great forces of nature1 not only as manifestations of his own infinite power1 but as expressions of good-will to man1 to do him good1 and that every one of ,god's great forces could yet be utilized for man's welfare2 that modern science was constantly evolving from the hitherto hidden secrets of nature some new development promotive of human welfare2 and that1 at no distant day1 magnetism would do more for the advancement of human sociology than any of the material forces yet known2 that he would scarcely dare to compare spiritual with material forces1 yet that1 analogically1 magnetism would do in the advancement of human welfare what the ,spirit of ,god would do in the moral renovation of man's nature2 that it would educate and enlarge the forces of the world4444 ,he said he had felt as if he was doing a great work for ,god's glory as well as for man's welfare2 that such had been his long cherished thought4 ,his whole soul and heart appeared filled with a glow of love and good-will1 and his sensitive and impassioned nature seemed almost to transform him in my eyes into a prophet4 ,it required1 indeed1 the inspirational vision of a prophet to foresee1 in those narrow1 skeptical days1 the tremendous part which electricity was to play in the civilization of a future age1 and ,i wish again to lay stress on the fact that it was the telegraph which first harnessed this mysterious force1 and opened the eyes of the world to the availability of a power which had lain dormant through all the ages1 but which was now1 for the first time1 to be brought under the control of man1 and which was destined to rival1 and eventually to displace1 in many ways1 its elder brother steam4 ,was not ,morse's ambition to confer a lasting good on his fellowmen more fully realized than even he himself at that time comprehended8 ,the ,reverend ,henry ,b4 ,tappan1 who in #ahce was a colleague of ,morse's in the ,new ,york ,university and afterwards ,president of the ,university of ,michigan1 gave his testimony in reply to a request from ,morse1 and1 among other things1 he said3-- ,in #ahce you had advanced so far that you were prepared to give1 on a small scale1 a practical demonstration of the possibility of transmitting and recording words through distance by means of an electro-magnetic arrangement4 ,i was one of the limited circle whom you invited to witness the first experiments4 ,in a long room of the ,university you had wires extended from end to end1 where the magnetic apparatus was arranged4 ,it is not necessary for me to describe particulars which have now become familiar to every one4 ,the fact which ,i recall with the liveliest interest1 and which ,i mentioned in conversation at ,mr4 ,bancroft's as one of the choicest recollections of my life1 was that of the first transmission and recording of a telegraphic dispatch4 ,i suppose1 of course1 that you had already made these experiments before the company arrived whom you had invited4 ,but ,i claim to have witnessed the first transmission and recording of words by lightning ever made public4444 ,the arrangement which you exhibited on the above mentioned occasion1 as well as the mode of receiving the dispatches1 were substantially the same as those you now employ4 ,i feel certain that you had then already grasped the whole invention1 however you may have since perfected the details4 ,others bore testimony in similar words1 so that we may regard it as proved that1 both in #ahce and #ahcf1 demonstrations were made which1 uncouth though they were1 compared to present-day perfection1 proved that the electric telegraph was about to emerge from the realms of fruitless experiment4 ,among these witnesses were ,daniel ,huntington1 ,hon4 ,hamilton ,fish1 and ,commodore ,shubrick2 and several of these gentlemen asserted that1 at that early period1 ,morse confidently predicted that ,europe and ,america would eventually be united by an electric wire4 ,the letters written by ,morse during these critical years have become hopelessly dispersed1 and but few have come into my possession4 ,his brothers were both in ,new ,york1 so that there was no necessity of writing to them1 and the letters written to others cannot1 at this late day1 be traced4 ,as he also1 unfortunately1 did not keep a journal1 ,i must depend on the testimony of others1 and on his own recollections in later years for a chronicle of his struggles4 ,the pencil copy of a letter written to a friend in ,albany1 on ,august #bg1 #ahcg1 has1 however1 survived1 and the following sentences will1 ,i think1 be found interesting3-- ,thanks to you1 my dear ,c----1 for the concern you express in regard to my health4 ,it has been perfectly good and is now1 with the exception of a little anxiety in relation to the telegraph and to my great pictorial undertaking1 which wears the furrows of my face a little deeper4 ,my ,telegraph1 in all its essential points1 is tested to my own satisfaction and that of the scientific gentlemen who have seen it2 but the machinery 7all which1 from its peculiar character1 ,i have been compelled to make myself7 is imperfect1 and before it can be perfected ,i have reason to fear that other nations will take the hint and rob me both of the credit and the profit4 ,there are indications of this in the foreign journals lately received4 ,i have a defender in the ',journal of ,commerce' 7which ,i send you that you may know what is the progress of the matter71 and doubtless other journals of our country will not allow foreign nations to take the credit of an invention of such vast importance as they assign to it1 when they learn that it certainly belongs to ,america4 ,there is not a thought in any one of the foreign journals relative to the ,telegraph which ,i had not expressed nearly five years ago1 on my passage from ,france1 to scientific friends2 and when it is considered how quick a hint flies from mind to mind and is soon past all tracing back to the original suggester of the hint1 it is certainly by no means improbable that the excitement on the subject in ,england has its origin from my giving the details of the plan of my ,telegraph to some of the ,englishmen or other fellow-passengers on board the ship1 or to some of the many ,i have since made acquainted with it during the five years past4 ,in this he was mistaken1 for the ,english telegraph of ,cooke and ,wheatstone was quite different in principle1 using the deflection1 by a current of electricity1 of a delicately adjusted needle to point to the letters of the alphabet4 ,while this was in use in ,england for a number of years1 it was gradually superseded by the ,morse telegraph which proved its decided superiority4 ,it is also worthy of note that in this letter1 and in all future letters and articles1 he1 with pardonable pride1 uses a capital ,t in speaking of his ,telegraph4 ,one of the most difficult of the problems which confront the historian who sincerely wishes to deal dispassionately with his subject is justly to apportion the credit which must be given to different workers in the same field of endeavor1 and especially in that of invention2 for every invention is but an improvement on something which has gone before4 ,the sail-boat was an advance on the rude dugout propelled by paddles4 ,the first clumsy steamboat seemed a marvel to those who had known no other propulsive power than that of the wind or the oar4 ,the horse-drawn vehicle succeeded the litter and the palanquin1 to be in turn followed by the locomotive2 and so the telegraph1 as a means of rapidly communicating intelligence between distant points1 was the logical successor of the signal fire and the semaphore4 ,in all of these improvements by man upon what man had before accomplished1 the pioneer was not only dependent upon what his predecessors had achieved1 but1 in almost every case1 was compelled to call to his assistance other workers to whom could be confided some of the minuti which were essential to the successful launching of the new enterprise4 ,i have shown conclusively that the idea of transmitting intelligence by electricity was original with ,morse in that he was unaware1 until some years after his first conception1 that anyone else had ever thought of it4 ,i have also shown that he1 unaided by others1 invented and made with his own hands a machine1 rude though it may have been1 which actually did transmit and record intelligence by means of the electric current1 and in a manner entirely different from the method employed by others4 ,but he had now come to a point where knowledge of what others had accomplished along the same line would greatly facilitate his labors1 and when the assistance of one more skilled in mechanical construction was a great desideratum1 and both of these essentials were at hand4 ,it is quite possible that he might have succeeded in working out the problem absolutely unaided1 just as a man might become a great painter without instruction1 without a knowledge of the accumulated wisdom of those who preceded him1 and without the assistance of the color-maker and the manufacturer of brushes and canvas4 ,but the artist is none the less a genius because he listens to the counsels of his master1 profits by the experience of others1 and purchases his supplies instead of grinding his own colors and laboriously manufacturing his own canvas and brushes4 ,the three men to whom ,morse was most indebted for material assistance in his labors at this critical period were ,professor ,joseph ,henry1 ,professor ,leonard ,d4 ,gale1 and ,alfred ,vail1 and it is my earnest desire to do full justice to all of them4 ,unfortunately after the telegraph had become an assured success1 and even down to the present day1 the claims of ,morse have been bitterly assailed1 both by well-meaning persons and by the unscrupulous who sought to break down his patent rights2 and the names of these three men were freely used in the effort to prove that to one or all of them more credit was due than to ,morse4 ,now1 after the lapse of nearly three quarters of a century1 the verdict has been given in favor of ,morse1 his name alone is accepted as that of the ,inventor of the ,telegraph1 and in this work it is my aim to prove that the judgment of posterity has not erred1 but also to give full credit to those who aided him when he was most in need of assistance4 ,my task in some instances will be a delicate one2 ,i shall have to prick some bubbles1 for the friends of some of these men have claimed too much for them1 and1 on that account1 have been bitter in their accusations against ,morse4 ,i shall also have to acknowledge some errors of judgment on the part of ,morse1 for the malice of others fomented a dispute between him and one of these three men1 which caused a permanent estrangement and was greatly to be regretted4 ,the first of the three to enter into the history of the telegraph was ,leonard ,d4 ,gale1 who1 in #ahcf1 was a professor in the ,university of the ,city of ,new ,york1 and he has given his recollections of those early days4 ,avoiding a repetition of facts already recorded ,i shall quote some sentences from ,professor ,gale's statement4 ,after describing the first instrument1 which he saw in ,january of #ahcf1 he continues3-- ,during the years #ahcf and beginning of #ahcg the studies of ,professor ,morse on his telegraph ,i found much interrupted by his attention to his professional duties4 ,i understood that want of pecuniary means prevented him from procuring to be made such mechanical improvements1 and such substantial workmanship1 as would make the operation of his invention more exact4 ,in the months of ,march and ,april1 #ahcg1 the announcement of an extraordinary telegraph on the visual plan 7as it afterwards proved to be71 the invention of two ,french gentlemen of the names of ,gonon and ,servell1 was going the rounds of the papers4 ,the thought occurred to me1 as well as to ,professor ,morse and some others of his friends1 that the invention of his electro-magnetic telegraph had somehow become known1 and was the origin of the new telegraph thus conspicuously announced4 ,this announcement at once aroused ,professor ,morse to renewed exertions to bring the new invention creditably before the public1 and to consent to a public announcement of the existence of his invention4 ,from ,april to ,september1 #ahcg1 ,professor ,morse and myself were engaged together in the work of preparing magnets1 winding wire1 constructing batteries1 etc41 in the ,university for an experiment on a larger1 but still very limited scale1 in the little leisure that each had to spare1 and being at the same time much cramped for funds4444 ,the latter part of ,august1 #ahhg1 the operation of the instruments was shown to numerous visitors at the ,university4444 ,on ,saturday1 the #b;d of ,september1 #ahcg1 ,professor ,daubeny1 of the ,english ,oxford ,university1 being on a visit to this country1 was invited with a few friends to see the operation of the telegraph1 in its then rude form1 in the cabinet of the ,new ,york ,university1 where it had then been put up with a circuit of seventeen hundred feet of copper wire stretched back and forth in that long room4 ,professor ,daubeny1 ,professor ,torrey1 and ,mr4 ,alfred ,vail were present among others4 ,this exhibition of the telegraph1 although of very rude and imperfectly constructed machinery1 demonstrated to all present the practicability of the invention1 and it resulted in enlisting the means1 the skill1 and the zeal of ,mr4 ,alfred ,vail1 who1 early the next week1 called at the rooms and had a more perfect explanation from ,professor ,morse of the character of the invention4 ,it was ,professor ,gale who first called ,morse's attention to the discoveries of ,professor ,joseph ,henry1 especially to that of the intensity magnet1 and he thus describes the interesting event3-- ,morse's machine was complete in all its parts and operated perfectly through a circuit of some forty feet1 but there was not sufficient force to send messages to a distance4 ,at this time ,i was a lecturer on chemistry1 and from necessity was acquainted with all kinds of galvanic batteries1 and knew that a battery of one or a few cups generates a large quantity of electricity capable of producing heat1 etc41 but not of projecting electricity to a great distance1 and that1 to accomplish this1 a battery of many cups is necessary4 ,it was1 therefore1 evident to me that the one large cup-battery of ,morse should be made into ten or fifteen smaller ones to make it a battery of intensity so as to project the electric fluid4444 ,accordingly ,i substituted the battery of many cups for the battery of one cup4 ,the remaining defect in the ,morse machine1 as first seen by me1 was that the coil of wire around the poles of the electro-magnet consisted of but a few turns only1 while1 to give the greatest projectile power1 the number of turns should be increased from tens to hundreds1 as shown by ,professor ,henry in his paper published in the ',american ,journal of ,science1' #ahca4444 ,after substituting the battery of twenty cups for that of a single cup1 we added some hundred or more turns to the coil of wire around the poles of the magnet and sent a message through two hundred feet of conductors1 then through one thousand feet1 and then through ten miles of wire arranged on reels in my own lecture-room in the ,new ,york ,university in the presence of friends4 ,this was a most important step in hastening the reduction of the invention to a practical1 workable basis and ,i wish here to bear testimony to the great services of ,professor ,henry in making this possible4 ,his valuable discoveries were freely given to the world with no attempt on his part to patent them1 which is1 perhaps1 to be regretted1 but much more is it to be deplored that1 in1 the litigation which ensued a few years later1 ,morse and ,henry were drawn into a controversy1 fostered and fomented by others for their own pecuniary benefit1 which involved the honor and veracity of both of these distinguished men4 ,both were men of the greatest sensitiveness1 proud and jealous of their own integrity1 and the breach once made was never healed4 ,of the rights and wrongs of this controversy ,i may have occasion later on to treat more in detail1 although ,i should much prefer to dismiss it with the acknowledgment that there was much to deplore in what was said and written by ,morse1 although he sincerely believed himself to be in the right1 and much to regret in some of the statements and actions of ,henry4 ,at this late day1 when the mists which enveloped the questions have rolled away1 it seems but simple justice to admit that the wonderful discoveries of ,henry were essential to the successful working over long distances of ,morse's discoveries and inventions2 just as the discoveries and inventions of earlier and contemporary scientists were essential to ,henry's improvements4 ,but it is also just to place emphasis on the fact that ,henry's experiments were purely scientific4 ,he never attempted to put them in concrete form for the use of mankind in general2 they led up to the telegraph2 they were not a practical telegraph in themselves4 ,it was ,morse who added the final link in the long chain1 and1 by combining the discoveries of others with those which he had himself made1 gave to the world this wonderful new agent4 ,a recent writer in the ,scientific ,american gave utterance to the following sentiment1 which1 it seems to me1 most aptly describes this difference3 ,we need physical discoveries and revere those who seek truth for its own sake4 ,but mankind with keen instinct saves its warmest acclaim for those who also make discoveries of some avail in adding to the length of life1 its joys1 its possibilities1 its conveniences4 ,we must also remember that1 while the baby telegraph had1 in #ahcg1 been recognized as a promising infant by a very few scientists and personal friends of the inventor1 it was still regarded with suspicion1 if not with scorn1 by the general public and even by many men of scholarly attainments1 and a long and heart-breaking struggle for existence was ahead of it before it should reach maturity and develop into the lusty giant of the present day4 ,here again ,morse proved that he was the one man of his generation most eminently fitted to fight for the child of his brain1 to endure and to persevere until the victor's crown was grasped4 ,it is always idle to speculate on what might have happened if certain events had not taken place2 if certain men had not met certain other men4 ,a telegraph would undoubtedly have been invented if ,morse had never been born2 or he might have perfected his invention without the aid and advice of others1 or with the assistance of different men from those who appeared at the psychological moment4 ,but we are dealing with facts and not with suppositions1 and the facts are that through ,professor ,gale he was made acquainted with the discoveries of ,joseph ,henry1 which had been published to the world several years before1 and could have been used by others if they had had the wit or genius to grasp their significance and hit upon the right means to make them of practical utility4 ,morse was ever ready cheerfully to acknowledge the assistance which had been given to him by others1 but1 at the same time1 he always took the firm stand that this did not give them a claim to an equal share with himself in the honor of the invention4 ,in a long letter to ,professor ,charles ,t4 ,jackson1 written on ,september #ah1 #ahcg1 he vigorously but courteously repudiates the claim of the latter to have been a co-inventor on board the ,sully1 and he proves his point1 for ,jackson not only knew nothing of the plan adopted by ,morse1 and carried by him to a successful issue1 but had never suggested anything of a practical nature4 ,at the same time ,morse freely acknowledges that the conversation between them on the ship suggested to him the train of thought which culminated in the invention1 for he adds3-- ,you say1 ',i trust you will take care that the proper share of credit shall be given to me when you make public your doings4' ,this ,i always have done and with pleasure4 ,i have always given you credit for great genius and acquirements1 and have always said1 in giving any account of my ,telegraph1 that it was during a scientific conversation with you on board the ship that ,i first conceived the thought of an electric ,telegraph4 ,is there really any more that you will claim or that ,i could in truth and justice give8 ,i have acknowledgments of a similar kind to make to ,professor ,silliman and to ,professor ,gale2 to the former of whom ,i am under precisely similar obligations with yourself for several useful hints2 and to the latter ,i am most of all indebted for substantial and effective aid in many of my experiments4 ,if any one has a claim to be considered as a mutual inventor on the score of aid by hints1 it is ,professor ,gale1 but he prefers no claim of the kind4 ,and he never did prefer such a claim 7although it was made for him by others71 but remained always loyal to ,morse4 ,jackson1 on the other hand1 insisted on pressing his demand1 although it was an absurd one1 and he was a thorn in the flesh to ,morse for many years4 ,it will not be necessary to go into the matter in detail1 as ,jackson was1 through his wild claims to other inventions and discoveries1 thoroughly discredited1 and his views have now no weight in the scientific world4 ,the third person who came to the assistance of ,morse at this critical period was ,alfred ,vail1 son of ,judge ,stephen ,vail1 of ,morristown1 ,new ,jersey4 ,in #ahcg he was a young man of thirty and had graduated from the ,university of the ,city of ,new ,york in #ahcf4 ,he was present at the exhibition of ,morse's invention on the #b;d of ,september1 #ahcg1 and he at once grasped its great possibilities4 ,after becoming satisfied that ,morse's device of the relay would permit of operation over great distances1 he expressed a desire to become associated with the inventor in the perfecting and exploitation of the invention4 ,his father was the proprietor of the ,speedwell ,iron ,works in ,morristown1 and young ,vail had had some experience in the manufacture of mechanical appliances in the factory1 although he had taken the theological course at the ,university with the intention of entering the ,presbyterian ministry4 ,he had abandoned the idea of becoming a clergyman1 however1 on account of ill-health1 and was1 for a time1 uncertain as to his future career1 when the interest aroused by the sight of ,morse's machine settled the matter1 and1 after consulting with his father and brother1 he entered into an agreement with ,morse on the #bc;d day of ,september1 #ahcg4 ,in the contract drawn up between them ,vail bound himself to construct1 at his own expense1 a complete set of instruments2 to defray the costs of securing patents in this country and abroad2 and to devote his time to both these purposes4 ,it was also agreed that each should at once communicate to the other any improvement or new invention bearing on the simplification or perfecting of the telegraph1 and that such improvements or inventions should be held to be the property of each in the proportion in which they were to share in any pecuniary benefits which might accrue4 ,as the only way in which ,morse could1 at that time1 pay ,vail for his services and for money advanced1 he gave him a one-fourth interest in the invention in this country1 and one half in what might be obtained from ,europe4 ,this was1 in the following ,march1 changed to three sixteenths in the ,united ,states and one fourth in ,europe4 ,morse had now secured two essentials most necessary to the rapid perfection of his invention1 the means to purchase materials and an assistant more skilled than he in mechanical construction1 and who was imbued with faith in the ultimate success of the enterprise4 ,now began the serious work of putting the invention into such a form that it could demonstrate to the skeptical its capability of performing what was then considered a miracle4 ,it is hard for us at the present time1 when new marvels of science and invention are of everyday occurrence1 to realize the hidebound incredulousness which prevailed during the first half of the nineteenth century4 ,men tapped their foreheads and shook their heads in speaking of ,morse and his visionary schemes1 and deeply regretted that here was the case of a brilliant man and excellent artist evidently gone wrong4 ,but he was not to be turned from his great purpose by the jeers of the ignorant and the anxious solicitations of his friends1 and he was greatly heartened by the encouragement of such men as ,gale and ,vail4 ,they all three worked over the problems yet to be solved1 ,morse going backwards and forwards between ,new ,york and ,morristown4 ,that both ,gale and ,vail suggested improvements which were adopted by ,morse1 can be taken for granted1 but1 as ,i have said before1 to modify or elaborate something originated by another is a comparatively easy matter1 and the basic idea1 first conceived by ,morse on the ,sully1 was retained throughout4 ,all the details of these experiments have not been recorded1 but ,i believe that at first an attempt was made to put into a more finished form the principle of the machine made by ,morse1 with its swinging pendulum tracing a waving line1 but this was soon abandoned in favor of an instrument using the up-and-down motion of a lever1 as drawn in the #ahcb sketch-book4 ,in other words1 it was a return to first principles as thought out by ,morse1 and not1 as some would have us believe1 something entirely new suggested and invented independently by ,vail4 ,it was rather unfortunate and curious1 in view of ,morse's love of simplicity1 that he at first insisted on using the dots and dashes to indicate numbers only1 the numbers to correspond to words in a specially prepared dictionary4 ,his arguments in favor of this plan were specious1 but the event has proved that his reasoning was faulty4 ,his first idea was that the telegraph should belong to the ,government2 that intelligence sent should be secret by means of a kind of cipher2 that it would take less time to send a number than each letter of each word1 especially in the case of the longer words2 and1 finally1 that although the labor in preparing a dictionary of all the most important words in the language and giving to each its number would be great1 once done it would be done for all time4 ,i say that this was unfortunate because the fact that the telegraphic alphabet of dots and dashes was not used until after his association with ,vail has lent strength to the claims on the part of ,vail's family and friends that he was the inventor of it and not ,morse4 ,this claim has been so insistently1 and even bitterly1 made1 especially after ,morse's death1 that it gained wide credence and has even been incorporated in some encyclopedias and histories4 ,fortunately it can be easily disproved1 and ,i am desirous of finally settling this vexed question because ,i consider the conception of this simplest of all conventional alphabets one of the grandest of ,morse's inventions1 and one which has conferred great good upon mankind4 ,it is used to convey intelligence not only by electricity1 but in many other ways4 ,its cabalistic characters can be read by the eye1 the ear1 and the touch4 ,just as the names of ,ampre1 ,volta1 and ,watt have been used to designate certain properties or things discovered by them1 so the name of ,morse is immortalized in the alphabet invented by him4 ,the telegraph operators all over the world send ,morse when they tick off the dots and dashes of the alphabet1 and happily ,i can prove that this is not an honor filched from another4 ,it is a matter of record that ,vail himself never claimed in any of his letters or diaries 7and these are voluminous7 that he had anything to do with the devising of this conventional alphabet1 even with the modification of the first form4 ,on the other hand1 in several letters to ,morse he refers to it as being ,morse's4 ,for instance1 in a letter of ,april #bj1 #ahdh1 he uses the words your system of marking1 lines and dots1 which you have patented4 ,all the evidence brought forward by the advocates of ,vail is purely hearsay2 he is said to have said that he invented the alphabet4 ,morse1 however1 always1 in every one of his many written references to the matter1 speaks of it as my conventional alphabet4 ,in an article which ,i contributed to the ,century ,magazine of ,march1 #aiab1 ,i treated this question at length and proved by documentary evidence that ,morse alone devised the dot-and-dash alphabet4 ,it will not be necessary for me to repeat all this evidence here2 ,i shall simply give enough to prove conclusively that the ,morse ,alphabet has not been misnamed4 ,the following is a fugitive note which was reproduced photographically in the ,century article3-- ,mr4 ,vail1 in his work on the ,telegraph1 at p4 #cb1 intimates that the saw-teeth type for letters1 as he has described them in the diagram 7#i71 were devised by me as early as the year #ahcb4 ,two of the elements of these letters1 indeed1 were then devised1 the dot and space1 and used in constructing the type for numerals1 but1 so far as my recollection now serves me1 it was not until ,i experimented with the first instrument in #ahce that ,i added the -- dash1 which supplied me with the three elements for combinations for letters4 ,it was on noticing the fact that1 when the circuit was closed a longer time than was necessary to make a dot1 there was produced a line or dash1 that1 if ,i rightly remember1 the broken parts of a continuous line as the means of imprinting at a distance were suggested to me2 since the inequalities of long and short lines1 separated by long and short spaces1 gave me all the variations or combinations of long and short lines necessary to form the alphabet4 ,the date of the code complete must1 therefore1 be put at #ahce1 and not #ahcb1 although at the date of #ahcb the principle of the code was evolved4 ,in addition to this being a definite claim in writing on the part of ,morse that he had devised an alphabetic code in #ahcf1 two years before ,vail had ever heard of the telegraph1 it is well to note his scrupulous insistence on historical accuracy4 ,in a letter to ,professor ,gale1 referring to reading by sound as well as by sight1 occur the following sentences4 7,let me remark1 by the way1 that it is interesting to note that ,morse thus early recognized the possibility of reading by sound1 an honor which has been claimed for many others47 ,exactly at what time ,i recognized the adaptation of the difference in the intervals in reading the letters as well as the numerals1 ,i have now no means of fixing except in a general manner4 ,it was1 however1 almost immediately on the construction of the letters by dots and lines1 and this was some little time previous to your seeing the instrument4 ,soon after the first operation of the instrument in #ahce1 in which the type for writing numbers were used1 ,i not only conceived the letter type1 but made them from some leads used in the printing-office4 ,i have still quite a quantity of these type4 ,they were used in ,washington as well as the type for numerals in the winter of #ahcg-ch4 ,in the earlier period of the invention it was a matter which experience alone could determine whether the numerical system1 by means of a numbered dictionary1 or the alphabetic mode1 by spelling of the words1 was the better4 ,while ,i perceived some advantages in the alphabetic system1 especially in the writing of proper names1 ,i at that time leaned rather towards the numerical mode under the impression that it would1 on the whole1 be the more rapid4 ,a very short experience1 however1 showed the superiority of the alphabetic mode1 and the big leaves of the numbered dictionary1 which cost me a world of labor1 and which you1 perhaps1 remember1 were discarded and the alphabetic installed in its stead4 ,perhaps the most conclusive evidence that ,vail did not invent this alphabet is contained in his own book on the ,american ,electro-,magnetic ,telegraph1 published in #ahde1 in which he lays claim to certain improvements4 ,after describing the dot-and-dash alphabet1 he says3-- ,this conventional alphabet was originated on board the packet ,sully by ,professor ,morse1 the very first elements of the invention1 and arose from the necessity of the case2 the motion produced by the magnet being limited to a single action4 ,during the period of the thirteen years many plans have been devised by the inventor to bring the telegraphic alphabet to its simplest form4 ,the italics are mine1 for the advocates of ,vail have always quoted the first sentence only1 and have said that the word originated implies that1 while ,vail admitted that the embryo of the alphabet--the dots and dashes to represent numbers only--was conceived on the ,sully1 he did not admit that the alphabetical code was ,morse's4 ,but when we read the second sentence with the words devised by the inventor1 the meaning is so plain that it is astonishing that any one at all familiar with the facts could have been misled4 ,the first form of the alphabet which was attached to ,morse's caveat of ,october #c1 #ahcg1 is shown in the drawing of the type in the accompanying figure4 ,illustration3 ,,rough ,,drawing ,,of ,,alphabet ,,by ,,morse ,showing the first form of the alphabet and the changes to the present form ,it has been stated by some historians that the system of signs for letters was not attached to the caveat1 but a careful reading of the text1 in which reference is made to the drawing1 will prove conclusively that it was4 ,moreover1 in this caveat under section #e1 ,the ,dictionary or ,vocabulary1 the very first sentence reads3 ,the dictionary is a complete vocabulary of words alphabetically arranged and regularly numbered1 beginning with the letters of the alphabet4 ,the italics are mine4 ,the mistake arose because the drawing was detached from the caveat and affixed to the various patents which were issued1 even after the first form of the alphabet had been superseded by a better one1 the principle1 however1 remaining the same1 so that it was not necessary to patent the new form4 ,as soon as it was proved that it would be simpler to use the letters of the alphabet in sending intelligence1 the first form of the alphabet was changed in the manner shown in the preceding figure4 ,exactly when this was done has not been recorded1 but it was after ,vail's association with ,morse1 and it is quite possible that they worked over the problem together1 but there is no written proof of this1 whereas the accompanying reproduction of calculations in ,morse's handwriting will prove that he gave himself seriously to its consideration4 ,the large numbers represent the quantities of type found in the type-cases of a printing-office2 for1 after puzzling over the question of the relative frequency of the occurrence of the different letters in the written language1 a visit to the printing-office easily settled the matter4 ,this dispute1 concerning the paternity of the alphabet1 lasting for many years after the death of both principals1 and regrettably creating much bad feeling1 is typical of many which arose in the case of the telegraph1 as well as in that of every other great invention1 and it may not be amiss at this point to introduce the following fugitive note of ,morse's1 which1 though evidently written many years later1 is applicable to this as well as to other cases3-- ,it is quite common to misapprehend the nature and extent of an improvement without a thorough knowledge of an original invention4 ,a casual observer is apt to confound the new and the old1 and1 in noting a new arrangement1 is often led to consider the whole as new4 ,it is1 therefore1 necessary to exercise a proper discrimination lest injustice be done to the various laborers in the same field of invention4 ,i trust it will not be deemed egotistical on my part if1 while conscious of the unfeigned desire to concede to all who are attempting improvements in the art of telegraphy that which belongs to them1 ,i should now and then recognize the familiar features of my own offspring and claim their paternity4 ,illustration3 ,,quantities ,,of ,,the ,,type ,,found ,,in ,a ,,printing-,,office ,calculation made by ,morse to aid him in simplifying alphabet ,,chapter ,,xxiv ,,october #c1 #ahcg--,,may #af1 #ahch ,the ,caveat4--,work at ,morristown4--,judge ,vail4--,first success4--,resolution in ,congress regarding telegraphs4--,morse's reply4--,illness4--,heaviness of first instruments4--,successful exhibition in ,morristown4--,exhibition in ,new ,york ,university4--,first use of ,morse alphabet4--,change from first form of alphabet to present form4--,trials of an inventor4--,dr4 ,jackson4-- ,slight friction between ,morse and ,vail4--,exhibition at ,franklin ,institute1 ,philadelphia4--,exhibitions in ,washington4--,skepticism of public4--,f4,o4,j4 ,smith1--,f4,l4 ,pope's estimate of ,smith4--,proposal for government telegraph4--,smith's report4--,departure for ,europe4 ,i have incidentally mentioned the caveat in the preceding chapter1 but a more detailed account of this important step in bringing the invention into the light of day should1 perhaps1 be given4 ,the reports in the newspapers of the activities of others1 especially of scientists in ,europe1 led ,morse to decide that he must at once take steps legally to protect himself if he did not wish to be distanced in the race4 ,he accordingly wrote to the ,commissioner of ,patents1 ,henry ,l4 ,ellsworth1 who had been a classmate of his at ,yale1 for information as to the form to be used in applying for a caveat1 and1 after receiving a cordial reply enclosing the required form1 he immediately set to work to prepare his caveat4 ,this was in the early part of ,september1 #ahhg1 before he had met ,vail4 ,the rough draft1 which is still among his papers1 was completed on ,september #bh1 and the finished copy was sent to ,washington on ,october #c1 and the receipt acknowledged by ,commissioner ,ellsworth on ,october #f4 ,the drawing containing the signs for both numbers and letters was attached to this caveat4 ,having now safeguarded himself1 he was able to give his whole mind to the perfecting of the mechanical parts of his invention1 and in this he was ably assisted by his new partner1 ,alfred ,vail1 and by ,professor ,gale4 ,the next few months were trying ones to both ,morse and ,vail4 ,it must not be supposed that the work went along smoothly without a hitch4 ,many were the discouragements1 and many experiments were tried and then discarded4 ,to add to the difficulties1 ,judge ,vail1 who1 of course1 was supplying the cash1 piqued by the sneers of his neighbors and noting the feverish anxiety of his son and of ,morse1 lost faith1 and would have willingly abandoned the whole enterprise4 ,the two enthusiasts worked steadily on1 however1 avoiding the ,judge as much as possible1 and finally1 on the #fth of ,january1 #ahch1 they proudly invited him to come to the workshop and witness the telegraph in operation4 ,his hopes renewed by their confident demeanor1 he hastened down from his house4 ,after a few words of explanation he handed a slip of paper to his son on which he had written the words--,a patient waiter is no loser4 ,he knew that ,morse could not possibly know what he had written1 and he said3 ,if you can send this and ,mr4 ,morse can read it at the other end1 ,i shall be convinced4 ,slowly the message was ticked off1 and when ,morse handed him the duplicate of his message1 his enthusiasm knew no bounds1 and he proposed to go at once to ,washington and urge upon ,congress the establishment of a government line4 ,but the instrument was not yet in a shape to be seen of all men1 and many years were yet to elapse before the legislators of the country awoke to their opportunity4 ,morse and ,vail were1 of course1 greatly encouraged by this first triumph1 and worked on with increased enthusiasm4 ,many years after their early struggles1 when the telegraph was an established success and ,morse had been honored both at home and abroad1 he thus spoke of his friend3-- ,alfred ,vail1 then a student in the university1 and a young man of great ingenuity1 having heard of my invention1 came to my rooms and ,i explained it to him1 and from that moment he has taken the deepest interest in the ,telegraph4 ,finding that ,i was unable to command the means to bring my invention properly before the public1 and believing that he could command those means through his father and brother1 he expressed the belief to me1 and ,i at once made such an arrangement with him as to procure the pecuniary means and the skill of these gentlemen4 ,it is to their joint liberality1 but especially to the attention1 and skill1 and faith in the final success of the enterprise maintained by ,alfred ,vail1 that is due the success of my endeavors to bring the ,telegraph at that time creditably before the public4 ,the idea of telegraphs seems to have been in the air in the year #ahcg1 for the ,house of ,representatives had passed a resolution on the #c;d of ,february1 #ahhg1 requesting the ,secretary of the ,treasury1 ,hon4 ,levi ,woodbury1 to report to the ,house upon the propriety of establishing a system of telegraphs for the ,united ,states4 ,the term telegraph in those days included semaphores and other visual appliances1 and1 in fact1 anything by which intelligence could be transmitted to a distance4 ,the ,secretary issued a circular to ,collectors of ,customs1 ,commanders of ,revenue ,cutters1 and other ,persons1 requesting information4 ,morse received one of these circulars1 and in reply sent a long account of his invention4 ,but so hard to convince were the good people of that day1 and so skeptical and even flippant were most of the members of ,congress that six long years were to elapse1 years filled with struggles1 discouragements1 and heart-breaking disappointments1 before the victory was won4 ,morse had still to contend with occasional fits of illness1 for he writes to his brother ,sidney from ,morristown on ,november #h1 #ahcg3-- ,you will perhaps be surprised to learn that ,i came out here to be sick4 ,i caught a severe cold the day ,i left ,new ,york from the sudden change of temperature1 and was taken down the next morning with one of my bilious attacks1 which1 under other treatment and circumstances1 might have resulted seriously4 ,but1 through a kind ,providence1 ,i have been thrown among most attentive1 and kind1 and skilful friends1 who have treated me more like one of their own children than like a stranger4 ,mrs4 ,vail has been a perfect mother to me2 our good ,nancy ,shepard can alone compare with her4 ,through her nursing and constant attention ,i am now able to leave my room and have been downstairs to-day1 and hope to be out in a few days4 ,this sickness will1 of course1 detain me a while longer than ,i intended1 for ,i must finish the portraits before ,i return4 ,this refers to portraits of various members of the ,vail family which he had undertaken to execute while he was in ,morristown4 ,farther on in the letter he says3-- ,the machinery for the ,telegraph goes forward daily2 slowly but well and thorough4 ,you will be surprised at the strength and quantity of machinery1 greater1 doubtless1 than will eventually be necessary1 yet it gives the main points1 certainty and accuracy4 ,it may be well to note here that ,morse evidently foresaw that the machinery constructed by ,alfred ,vail was too heavy and cumbersome2 that more delicate workmanship would later be called for1 and this proved to be the case4 ,the iron works at ,morristown were only adapted to the manufacture of heavy machinery for ships1 etc41 and ,alfred ,vail had had experience in that class of work only1 so that he naturally made the telegraphic instruments much heavier and more unwieldy than was necessary4 ,while these answered the purpose for the time being1 they were soon superseded by instruments of greater delicacy and infinitely smaller bulk made by more skilful hands4 ,the future looked bright to the sanguine inventor in the early days of the year #ahch1 as we learn from the following letter to his brother ,sidney1 written on the #acth of ,january3-- ,mr4 ,alfred ,vail is just going in to ,new ,york and will return on ,monday morning4 ,the machinery is at length completed and we have shown it to the ,morristown people with great clat4 ,it is the talk of all the people round1 and the principal inhabitants of ,newark made a special excursion on ,friday to see it4 ,the success is complete4 ,we have tried the experiment of sending a pretty full letter1 which ,i set up from the numbers given me1 transmitting through two miles of wire and deciphered with but a single unimportant error4 ,i am staying out to perfect a modification of my portrule and hope to see you on ,tuesday1 or1 at the farthest1 on ,wednesday1 when ,i shall tell you all about it4 ,the matter looks well now1 and ,i desire to feel grateful to ,him who gives success1 and be always prepared for any disappointment which ,he in infinite wisdom may have in store4 ,we see from this letter1 and from an account which appeared in the ,morristown ,journal1 that in these exhibitions the messages were sent by numbers with the aid of the cumbersome dictionary which ,morse had been at such pains to compile4 ,very soon after this1 however1 as will appear from what follows1 the dictionary was discarded forever1 and the ,morse alphabet came into practical use4 ,the following invitation was sent from the ,new ,york ,university on ,january #bb1 #ahch3-- ,professor ,morse requests the honor of ,thomas ,s4 ,cummings1 ,esq41 and family's company in the ,geological ,cabinet of the ,university1 ,washington ,square1 to witness the operation of the ,electro-,magnetic ,telegraph at a private exhibition of it to a few friends1 previous to its leaving the city for ,washington4 ,the apparatus will be prepared at precisely twelve o'clock on ,wednesday1 #bdth instant4 ,the time being limited punctuality is specially requested4 ,similar invitations were sent to other prominent persons and a very select company gathered at the appointed hour4 ,that the exhibition was a success we learn from the following account in the ,journal of ,commerce of ,january #bi1 #ahch3-- ,,the ,,telegraph4--,we did not witness the operation of ,professor ,morse's ,electro-,magnetic ,telegraph on ,wednesday last1 but we learn that the numerous company of scientific persons who were present pronounced it entirely successful4 ,intelligence was instantaneously transmitted through a circuit of ,,ten ,,miles1 and legibly written on a cylinder at the extremity of the circuit4 ,the great advantages which must result to the public from this invention will warrant an outlay on the part of the ,government sufficient to test its practicability as a general means of transmitting intelligence4 ,professor ,morse has recently improved on his mode of marking by which he can dispense altogether with the telegraphic dictionary1 using letters instead of numbers1 and he can transmit ten words per minute1 which is more than double the number which can be transmitted by means of the dictionary4 ,a charming and rather dramatic incident occurred at this exhibition which was never forgotten by those who witnessed it4 ,general ,cummings had just been appointed to a military command1 and one of his friends1 with this fact evidently in mind1 wrote a message on a piece of paper and1 without showing it to any one else1 handed it to ,morse4 ,the assembled company was silent and only the monotonous clicking of the strange instrument was heard as the message was ticked off in the dots and dashes1 and then from the other end of the ten miles of wire was read out this sentence pregnant with meaning3-- ,attention1 the ,universe1 by kingdoms right wheel4 ,the name of the man who indited that message seems not to have been preserved1 but1 whoever he was1 he must have been gifted with prophetic vision1 and he must have realized that he was assisting at an occasion which was destined to mark the beginning of a new era in civilization4 ,the attention of the universe was1 indeed1 before long attracted to this child of ,morse's brain1 and kingdom after kingdom wheeled into line1 vying with each other in admiration and acceptance4 ,the message was recorded fourfold by means of a newly invented fountain pen1 and was given to ,general ,cummings and preserved by him4 ,it is here reproduced4 ,illustration3 ,,attention ,,the ,,unniverse6 ,,by ,,kingdoms ,,right ,,wheel6 ,facsimile of the ,first ,morse ,alphabet ,message1 now ,in the ,national ,museum1 ,washington ,it will be noticed that the signs for the letters are those1 not of the first form of the alphabet as embodied in the drawing attached to the caveat1 but of the finally adopted code4 ,this has led some historians1 notably ,mr4 ,franklin ,leonard ,pope1 to infer that some mistake has been made in giving out this as a facsimile of this early message2 that the letters should have been those of the earlier alphabet4 ,i think1 however1 that this is but an added proof that ,morse devised the first form of the code long before he met ,vail1 and that the changes to the final form1 a description of which ,i have given1 were made by ,morse in #ahcg1 or early in #ahch1 as soon as he became convinced of the superiority of the alphabetic mode1 in plenty of time to have been used in this exhibition4 ,the month of ,january1 #ahch1 was a busy one at ,morristown1 for ,morse and ,vail were bending all their energies toward the perfecting and completion of the instruments1 so that a demonstration of the telegraph could be given in ,washington at as early a date as possible4 ,morse refers feelingly to the trials and anxieties of an inventor in a letter to a friend1 dated ,january #bb1 #ahch3-- ,i have just returned from nearly six weeks' absence at ,morristown1 ,new ,jersey1 where ,i have been engaged in the superintendence of the making of my ,telegraph for ,washington4 ,be thankful1 ,c----1 that you are not an inventor4 ,invention may seem an easy way to fame1 or1 what is the same thing to many1 notoriety1 different as are in reality the two objects4 ,but it is far otherwise4 ,i1 indeed1 desire the first1 for true fame implies well-deserving1 but ,i have no wish for the latter1 which yet seems inseparable from it4 ,the condition of an inventor is1 indeed1 not enviable4 ,i know of but one condition that renders it in any degree tolerable1 and that is the reflection that his fellow-men may be benefited by his discoveries4 ,in the outset1 if he has really made a discovery1 which very word implies that it was before unknown to the world1 he encounters the incredulity1 the opposition1 and even the sneers of many1 who look upon him with a kind of pity1 as a little beside himself if not quite mad4 ,and1 while maturing his invention1 he has the comfort of reflection1 in all the various discouragements he meets with from petty failures1 that1 should he by any means fail in the grand result1 he subjects himself rather to the ridicule than the sympathy of his acquaintances1 who will not be slow in attributing his failure to a want of that common sense in which1 by implication1 they so much abound1 and which preserves them from the consequences of any such delusions4 ,but you will1 perhaps1 think that there is an offset in the honors and emoluments that await the successful inventor1 one who has really demonstrated that he has made an important discovery4 ,this is not so4 ,trials of another kind are ready for him after the appropriate difficulties of his task are over4 ,many stand ready to snatch the prize1 or at least to claim a share1 so soon as the success of an invention seems certain1 and honor and profit alone remain to be obtained4 ,this long prelude1 ,c----1 brings me at the same time to the point of my argument and to my excuse for my long silence4 ,my argument goes to prove that1 unless there is a benevolent consideration in our discoveries1 one which enables us to rejoice that others are benefited even though we should suffer loss1 our happiness from any honor awarded to a successful invention is exposed to constant danger from the designs of the unprincipled4 ,my excuse is that1 ever since the receipt of your most welcome letter1 ,i have been engaged in preparing to repel a threatened invasion of my rights to the invention of the ,telegraph by a fellow-passenger from ,france1 one from whom ,i least expected any such insidious design4 ,the attempt startled me and put me on my guard1 and set me to the preparation for any attack4 ,i have been compelled for some weeks to use my pen only for this purpose1 and have written much in the hope of preventing the public exposure of my antagonist2 but ,i fear my labor will be vain on this point1 from what ,i hear and the tone in which he writes4 ,i have no fear for myself1 being now amply prepared with evidence to repel any attempt which may be made to sustain any claim he may prefer to a share with me in the invention of the ,telegraph4 ,i have already shown that this claim of ,dr4 ,jackson's was proved to be but the hallucination of a disordered brain1 and it will not be necessary to go into the details of the controversy4 ,these were anxious and nerve-racking days for both ,morse and ,vail1 and it is small wonder that there should have been some slight friction4 ,vail in his private correspondence makes some mention of this4 ,for instance1 in a letter to his brother ,george1 of ,january #bb1 #ahch1 he says3-- ,we received the machine on ,thursday morning1 and in an hour we made the first trial1 which did not succeed1 nor did it with perfect success until ,saturday--all which time ,professor ,m4 was rather unwell4 ,to-morrow we shall make our first exhibition1 and continue it until ,wednesday1 when we must again box up4 ,professor ,m4 has received a letter from ,mr4 ,patterson inviting us to exhibit at ,philadelphia1 and has answered it1 but has said nothing to me about his intentions4 ,he is altogether inclined to operate in his own name1 so much so that he has had printed five hundred blank invitations in his own name at your expense4 ,on the other hand1 this same ,george ,vail1 writing to ,morse on ,january #bf1 #ahch1 asks him to bear with ,a41 which ,i have no doubt you will4 ,he is easily vexed4 ,trusting to your universal coolness1 however1 there is nothing to fear4 ,keep him from running ahead too fast4 ,again writing to his brother ,george from ,washington1 on ,february #bj1 #ahch1 ,alfred says3 ,in regard to ,professor ,m4 calling me his 'assistant1' this is also settled1 and he has said as much as to apologize for using the term4 ,why ,vail should have objected to being called ,morse's assistant1 ,i cannot quite understand1 for he was so designated in the contract later made with the ,government2 but ,morse was evidently willing to humor him in this4 ,i have thought it best to refer to these little incidents partly in the interest of absolute candor1 partly to emphasize the nervous tension under which both were working at that time4 ,that there was no lasting resentment in the mind of ,vail is amply proved by the following extract from a long letter written by him on ,march #ai1 #ahch3-- ,the great expectations ,i had on my return home of going into partnership with ,george1 founded1 or semi-founded1 on the promises made by my father1 have burst4 ,i am again on vague promises for three months1 and they resting upon the success of the printing machine4 ,i feel1 ,professor ,morse1 that1 if ,i am ever worth anything1 it will be wholly attributable to your kindness4 ,i now should have no earthly prospect of happiness and domestic bliss had it not been for what you have done4 ,for which ,i shall ever remember you with the liveliest emotions of gratitude1 whether it is eventually successful or not4 ,aside from the slight friction to which ,i have referred1 and which was most excusable under the circumstances1 the joint work on the telegraph proceeded harmoniously4 ,the invitation from ,mr4 ,patterson1 to exhibit the instrument before the ,committee of ,science and ,arts of the ,franklin ,institute of ,philadelphia1 was accepted4 ,the exhibition took place on ,february #h1 and was a pronounced success1 and the committee1 in expressing their gratification1 voiced the hope that the ,government would provide the funds for an experiment on an adequate scale4 ,from ,philadelphia ,morse proceeded to ,washington accompanied by ,vail1 confidently believing that it would only be necessary to demonstrate the practicability of his invention to the country's legislators assembled in ,congress1 in order to obtain a generous appropriation to enable him properly to test it4 ,but he had not taken into account that trait of human nature which ,i shall dignify by calling it conservatism1 in order not to give it a harder name4 ,the room of the ,committee on ,commerce was placed at his disposal1 and there he hopefully strung his ten miles of wire and connected them with his instruments4 ,outwardly calm but inwardly nervous and excited1 as he realized that he was facing a supreme moment in his career1 he patiently explained to all who came1 ,congressmen1 men of science1 representatives of foreign governments1 and hard-headed men of business1 the workings of the instrument and proved its feasibility4 ,the majority saw and wondered1 but went away unconvinced4 ,on ,february #ba1 ,president ,martin ,van ,buren and his entire ,cabinet1 at their own special request1 visited the room and saw the telegraph in operation4 ,but no action was taken by ,congress2 the time was not yet ripe for the general acceptance of such a revolutionary departure from the slow-going methods of that early period4 ,while individuals here and there grasped the full significance of what the mysterious ticking of that curious instrument foretold1 they were vastly in the minority4 ,the world1 through its representatives in the capital city of the ,united ,states1 remained incredulous4 ,among those who at once recognized the possibilities of the invention was ,francis ,o4,j4 ,smith1 member of ,congress from ,portland1 ,maine1 and chairman of the ,committee on ,commerce4 ,he was a lawyer of much shrewdness and a man of great energy1 and he very soon offered to become pecuniarily interested in the invention4 ,morse was1 unfortunately1 not a keen judge of men4 ,scrupulously honest and honorable himself1 he had an almost childlike faith in the integrity of others1 and all through his life he fell an easy victim to the schemes of self-seekers4 ,in this case a man of more acute intuition would have hesitated1 and would have made some enquiries before allying himself with one whose ideas of honor proved eventually to be so at variance with his own4 ,smith did so much in later years to injure ,morse1 and to besmirch his fame and good name1 that ,i think it only just to give the following estimate of his character1 made by the late ,franklin ,leonard ,pope in an article contributed to the ,electrical ,world in #ahie3-- ,a sense of justice compels me to say that the uncorroborated statements of ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith1 in any matter affecting the credit or honor due to ,professor ,morse1 should be allowed but little weight4444 ,for no better reason than that ,morse in #ahdc-ahdd courteously but firmly refused to be a party to a questionable scheme devised by ,smith for the irregular diversion into his own pocket of a portion of the governmental appropriation of #cj1jjj for the construction of the experimental line1 he ever after cherished toward the inventor the bitterest animosity2 a feeling which he took no pains to conceal4 ,many of his letters to him at that time1 and for many years afterward1 were couched in studiously insulting language1 which must have been in the highest degree irritating to a sensitive artistic temperament like that of ,morse4 ,it probably by no means tended to mollify the disposition of such a man as ,smith to find that ,morse1 in reply to these covert sneers and open insinuations1 never once lost his self-control1 nor permitted himself to depart from the dignified tone of rejoinder which becomes a gentleman in his dealings with one who1 in his inmost nature1 was essentially a blackguard4 ,however1 it is an old saying that we must give the devil his due1 and the cloven foot did not appear at first4 ,on the other hand1 a man of business acumen and legal knowledge was greatly needed at this stage of the enterprise1 and ,smith possessed them both4 ,morse was so grateful to find any one with faith enough to be willing to invest money in the invention2 and to devote his time and energy to its furtherance1 that he at once accepted ,smith's offer1 and he was made a partner and given a one-fourth interest1 ,morse retaining nine sixteenths1 ,vail two sixteenths1 and ,professor ,gale1 also admitted as a partner1 being allotted one sixteenth4 ,it was characteristic of ,morse that he insisted1 before signing the contract1 that ,smith should obtain leave of absence from ,congress for the remainder of the term1 and should not stand for reelection4 ,it was agreed that ,smith should accompany ,morse to ,europe as soon as possible and endeavor to secure patents in foreign countries1 and1 if successful1 the profits were to be divided differently1 ,morse receiving eight sixteenths1 ,smith five1 ,vail two1 and ,gale one4 ,in spite of the incredulity of the many1 ,morse could not help feeling encouraged1 and in a long letter to ,smith1 written on ,february #ae1 #ahch1 proposing an experiment of one hundred miles1 he thus forecasts the future and proposes an intelligent plan of government control3-- ,if no insurmountable obstacles present themselves in a distance of one hundred miles1 none may be expected in one thousand or in ten thousand miles2 and then will be presented for the consideration of the ,government the propriety of completely organizing this new telegraphic system as a part of the ,government1 attaching it to some department already existing1 or creating a new one which may be called for by the accumulating duties of the present departments4 ,it is obvious1 at the slightest glance1 that this mode of instantaneous communication must inevitably become an instrument of immense power1 to be wielded for good or for evil1 as it shall be properly or improperly directed4 ,in the hands of a company of speculators1 who should monopolize it for themselves1 it might be the means of enriching the corporation at the expense of the bankruptcy of thousands2 and even in the hands of ,government alone it might become the means of working vast mischief to the ,republic4 ,in considering these prospective evils1 ,i would respectfully suggest a remedy which offers itself to my mind4 ,let the sole right of using the ,telegraph belong1 in the first place1 to the ,government1 who should grant1 for a specified sum or bonus1 to any individual or company of individuals who may apply for it1 and under such restrictions and regulations as the ,government may think proper1 the right to lay down a communication between any two points for the purpose of transmitting intelligence1 and thus would be promoted a general competition4 ,the ,government would have a ,telegraph of its own1 and have its modes of communicating with its own officers and agents1 independent of private permission or interference with and interruption to the ordinary transmissions on the private telegraphs4 ,thus there would be a system of checks and preventives of abuse operating to restrain the action of this otherwise dangerous power within those bounds which will permit only the good and neutralize the evil4 ,should the ,government thus take the ,telegraph solely under its own control1 the revenue derived from the bonuses alone1 it must be plain1 will be of vast amount4 ,from the enterprising character of our countrymen1 shown in the manner in which they carry forward any new project which promises private or public advantage1 it is not visionary to suppose that it would not be long ere the whole surface of this country would be channelled for those nerves which are to diffuse1 with the speed of thought1 a knowledge of all that is occurring throughout the land1 making1 in fact1 one neighborhood of the whole country4 ,if the ,government is disposed to test this mode of telegraphic communication by enabling me to give it a fair trial for one hundred miles1 ,i will engage to enter into no arrangement to dispose of my rights1 as the inventor and patentee for the ,united ,states1 to any individual or company of individuals1 previous to offering it to the ,government for such a just and reasonable compensation as shall be mutually agreed upon4 ,we have seen that ,morse was said to be a hundred years ahead of his time as an artist4 ,from the sentences above quoted it would appear that he was far in advance of his contemporaries in some questions of national policy1 for the plan outlined by him for the proper governmental control of a great public utility1 like the telegraph1 it seems to me1 should appeal to those who1 at the present time1 are agitating for that very thing4 ,had the legislators and the people of #ahch been as wise and clear-headed as the poor artist-inventor1 a great leap forward in enlightened statecraft would have been undertaken at a cost inconceivably less than would now be the case4 ,competent authorities estimate that to purchase the present telegraph lines in this country at their market valuation would cost the ,government in the neighborhood of #ejj1jjj1jjj2 to parallel them would cost some #be1jjj1jjj4 ,the enormous difference in these two sums represents what was foretold by ,morse would happen if the telegraph should become a monopoly in the hands of speculators4 ,the history of the telegraph monopoly is too well known to be more than alluded to here1 but it is only fair to ,morse to state that he had sold all his telegraph stock1 and had retired from active participation in the management of the different companies1 long before the system of stock-watering began which has been carried on to the present day4 ,and for what sum could the ,government have kept this great invention under its own control8 ,it is on record that ,morse offered1 in #ahdd1 after the experimental line between ,washington and ,baltimore had demonstrated that the telegraph was a success1 to sell all the rights in his invention to the ,government for #ajj1jjj1 and would have considered himself amply remunerated4 ,but the legislators and the people of #ahch1 and even those of #ahdd1 were not wise and far-sighted2 they failed utterly to realize what a magnificent opportunity had been offered to them for a mere song2 and this in spite of the fact that the few who did glimpse the great future of the telegraph painted it in glowing terms4 ,it is true that the ,house of ,representatives had passed the resolution referred to earlier in this chapter1 but that is as far as they went for several years4 ,on the #fth of ,april1 #ahch1 ,mr4 ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith made a long report on the petition of ,morse asking for an appropriation sufficient to enable him to test his invention adequately4 ,in the course of this report ,mr4 ,smith indulged in the following eulogistic words3-- ,it is obvious1 however1 that the influence of this invention over the political1 commercial1 and social relations of the people of this widely extended country1 looking to nothing beyond1 will1 in the event of success1 of itself amount to a revolution unsurpassed in moral grandeur by any discovery that has been made in the arts and sciences1 from the most distant period to which authentic history extends to the present day4 ,with the means of almost instantaneous communication of intelligence between the most distant points of the country1 and simultaneously between any given number of intermediate points which this invention contemplates1 space will be1 to all practical purposes of information1 completely annihilated between the ,states of the ,union1 as also between the individual citizens thereof4 ,the citizen will be invested with1 and reduce to daily and familiar use1 an approach to the ,,high ,,attribute ,,op ,,ubiquity in a degree that the human mind1 until recently1 has hardly dared to contemplate seriously as belonging to human agency1 from an instinctive feeling of religious reverence and reserve on a power of such awful grandeur4 ,in the face of these enthusiastic1 if somewhat stilted1 periods the majority of his colleagues remained cold1 and no appropriation was voted4 ,morse1 however1 was prepared to meet with discouragements1 for he wrote to ,vail on ,march #ae3-- ,everything looks encouraging1 but ,i need not say to you that in this world a continued course of prosperity is not a rational expectation4 ,we shall1 doubtless1 find troubles and difficulties in store for us1 and it is the part of true wisdom to be prepared for whatever may await us4 ,if our hearts are right we shall not be taken by surprise4 ,i see nothing now but an unclouded prospect1 for which let us pay to ,him who shows it to us the homage of grateful and obedient hearts1 with most earnest prayers for grace to use prosperity aright4 ,this was written while there was still hope that ,congress might take some action at that session1 and ,morse was optimistic4 ,on ,march #ca1 he thus reports progress to ,vail3-- ,i write you a hasty line to say1 in the first place1 that ,i have overcome all difficulties in regard to a portrule1 and have invented one which will be perfect4 ,it is very simple1 and will not take much time or expense to make it4 ,mr4 ,s4 has incorporated it into the specification for the patent4 ,please1 therefore1 not to proceed with the type or portrule as now constructed3 ,i will see you on my return and explain it in season for you to get one ready for us4 ,i find it a most arduous and tedious process to adjust the specification4 ,i have been engaged steadily for three days with ,mr4 ,s41 and have not yet got half through1 but there is one consolation1 when done it will be well done4 ,the drawings1 ,i find on enquiry1 would cost you from forty to fifty dollars if procured from the draughtsman about the ,patent ,office4 ,i have1 therefore1 determined to do them myself and save you that sum4 ,the portrule1 referred to above1 was a device for sending automatically messages which were recorded permanently on the tape at the other end of the line4 ,it worked well enough1 but it was soon superseded by the key manipulated by hand1 as this was much simpler and the dots and dashes could be sent more rapidly4 ,it is curious to note1 however1 that down to the present day inventors have been busy in an effort to devise some mechanism by which messages could be sent automatically1 and consequently more rapidly than by hand1 which was ,morse's original idea1 but1 to the best of my knowledge1 no satisfactory solution of the problem has yet been found4 ,morse was now preparing to go to ,europe with ,smith to endeavor to secure patents abroad1 and1 while he had put in his application for a patent in this country1 he requested that the issuing of it should be held back until his return1 so that a publication on this side should not injure his chances abroad4 ,all the partners were working under high pressure along their several lines to get everything in readiness for a successful exhibition of the telegraph in ,europe4 ,vail sent a long letter to ,morse on ,april #ah1 detailing some of the difficulties which he was encountering1 and ,morse answered on the #bdth3-- ,i write in greatest haste1 just to say that the boxes have safely arrived1 and we shall proceed immediately to examine into the difficulties which have troubled you1 but about which we apprehend no serious issue4444 ,if you can possibly get the circular portrule completed before we go it will be a great convenience1 not to say an indispensable matter1 for ,i have just learned so much of ,wheatstone's ,telegraph as to be pretty well persuaded that my superiority over him will be made evident more by the rapidity with which ,i can make the portrule work than in almost any other particular4 ,at last every detail had been attended to1 and in a postscript to a letter of ,april #bh he says3 ,we sail on the #afth of ,may for ,liverpool in the ship ,europe1 so ,i think you will have time to complete circular portrule4 ,try1 won't you8 ,,chapter ,,xxv ,,june1 #ahch--;,,january #ba1 #ahci ,arrival in ,england4--,application for letters patent4--,cooke and ,wheatstone's telegraph4--,patent refused4--,departure for ,paris4--,patent secured in ,france4--,earl of ,elgin4--,earl of ,lincoln4--,baron de ,meyendorff4--,russian contract4--,return to ,london4--,exhibition at the ,earl of ,lincoln's4--,letter from secretary of ,lord ,campbell1 ,attorney-,general4 --,coronation of ,queen ,victoria4--,letters to daughter4--,birth of the ,count of ,paris4--,exhibition before the ,institute of ,france4--,arago2 ,baron ,humboldt4--,negotiations with the ,government and ,saint-,germain ,railway4-- ,reminiscences of ,dr4 ,kirk4--,letter of the ,honorable ,h4,l4 ,ellsworth4-- ,letter to ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith4--,dilatoriness of the ,french4 ,it seems almost incredible to us1 who have come to look upon marvel after marvel of science and invention as a matter of course1 that it should have taken so many years to convince the world that the telegraph was a possibility and not an iridescent dream4 ,while men of science and a few far-sighted laymen saw that the time was ripe for this much-needed advance in the means of conveying intelligence1 governments and capitalists had held shyly aloof1 and1 even now1 weighed carefully the advantages of different systems before deciding which1 if any1 was the best4 ,for there were at this time several different systems in the field1 and ,morse soon found that he would have to compete with the trained scientists of the ,old ,world1 backed1 at last1 by their respective governments1 in his effort to prove that his invention was the simplest and the best of them all4 ,that he should have persisted in spite of discouragement after discouragement1 struggling to overcome obstacles which to the faint-hearted would have seemed insuperable1 constitutes one of his greatest claims to undying fame4 ,he left on record an account of his experiences in ,europe on this voyage1 memorable in more ways than one1 and extracts from this1 and from letters written to his daughter and brothers1 will best tell the story3-- ,on ,may #af1 #ahch1 ,i left the ,united ,states and arrived in ,london in ,june1 for the purpose of obtaining letters patent for my ,electro-,magnetic ,telegraph ,system4 ,i learned before ,i left the ,united ,states that ,professor ,wheatstone and ,mr4 ,cooke1 of ,london1 had obtained letters patent in ,england for a ',magnetic-,needle ,telegraph1' based1 as the name implies1 on the deflection of the magnetic needle4 ,their telegraph1 at that time1 required six conductors between the two points of intercommunication for a single instrument at each of the two termini4 ,their mode of indicating signs for communicating intelligence was by deflecting five magnetic needles in various directions1 in such a way as to point to the required letters upon a diamond-shaped dial-plate4 ,it was necessary that the signal should be observed at the instant1 or it was lost and vanished forever4 ,i applied for letters patent for my system of communicating intelligence at a distance by electricity1 differing in all respects from ,messrs4 ,wheatstone and ,cooke's system1 invented five years before theirs1 and having nothing in common in the whole system but the use of electricity on metallic conductors1 for which use no one could obtain an exclusive privilege1 since this much had been used for nearly one hundred years4 ,my system is peculiar in the employment of electro-magnetism1 or the motive power of electricity1 to imprint permanent signs at a distance4 ,i made no use of the deflections of the magnetic needle as signs4 ,i required but one conductor between the two termini1 or any number of intermediate points of intercommunication4 ,i used paper moved by clockwork upon which ,i caused a lever moved by magnetism to imprint the letters and words of any required dispatch1 having also invented and adapted to telegraph writing a new and peculiar alphabetic character for that purpose1 a conventional alphabet1 easily acquired and easily made and used by the operator4 ,it is obvious at once1 from a simple statement of these facts1 that the system of ,messrs4 ,wheatstone and ,cooke and my system were wholly unlike each other4 ,as ,i have just observed1 there was nothing in common in the two systems but the use of electricity upon metallic conductors1 for which no one could obtain an exclusive privilege4 ,the various steps required by the ,english law were taken by me to procure a patent for my mode1 and the fees were paid at the ,clerk's office1 ,june #bb1 and at the ,home ,department1 ,june #be1 #ahch2 also1 ,june #bf1 caveats were entered at the ,attorney and ,solicitor-,general's1 and ,i had reached that part of the process which required the sanction of the ,attorney-,general4 ,at this point ,i met the opposition of ,messrs4 ,wheatstone and ,cooke1 and also of ,mr4 ,davy1 and a hearing was ordered before the ,attorney-,general1 ,sir ,john ,campbell1 on ,july #ab1 #ahch4 ,i attended at the ,attorney-,general's residence on the morning of that day1 carrying with me my telegraphic apparatus for the purpose of explaining to him the total dissimilarity between my system and those of my opponents4 ,but1 contrary to my expectation1 the similarity or dissimilarity of my mode from that of my opponents was not considered by the ,attorney-,general4 ,he neither examined my instrument1 which ,i had brought for that purpose1 nor did he ask any questions bearing upon its resemblance to my opponents' system4 ,i was met by the single declaration that my 'invention had been published1' and in proof a copy of the ,london ',mechanics' ,magazine1' ,no4 #geg1 for ,february #aj1 #ahch1 was produced1 and ,i was told that 'in consequence of said publication ,i could not proceed4' ,at this summary decision ,i was certainly surprised1 being conscious that there had been no such publication of my method as the law required to invalidate a patent2 and1 even if there had been1 ,i ventured to hint to the ,attorney-,general that1 if ,i was rightly informed in regard to the ,british law1 it was the province of a court and jury1 and not of the ,attorney-,general1 to try1 and to decide that point4 ,the publication to which the ,attorney-,general referred had merely stated results1 with no description whatever of the means by which these results were to be obtained and it was manifestly unfair to ,morse on the part of this official to have refused his sanction2 but he remained obdurate4 ,morse then wrote him a long letter1 after consultation with ,mr4 ,smith1 setting forth all these points and begging for another interview4 ,in consequence of my request in this letter ,i was allowed a second hearing4 ,i attended accordingly1 but1 to my chagrin1 the ,attorney-,general remarked that he had not had time to examine the letter4 ,he carelessly took it up and turned over the leaves without reading it1 and then asked me if ,i had not taken measures for a patent in my own country4 ,and1 upon my reply in the affirmative1 he remarked that3 ',america was a large country and ,i ought to be satisfied with a patent there4' ,i replied that1 with all due deference1 ,i did not consider that as a point submitted for the ,attorney-,general's decision2 that the question submitted was whether there was any legal obstacle in the way of my obtaining letters patent for my ,telegraph in ,england4 ,he observed that he considered my invention as having been published1 and that he must therefore forbid me to proceed4 ,thus forbidden to proceed by an authority from which there was no appeal1 as ,i afterward learned1 but to ,parliament1 and this at great cost of time and money1 ,i immediately left ,england for ,france1 where ,i found no difficulty in securing a patent4 ,my invention there not only attracted the regards of the distinguished savants of ,paris1 but1 in a marked degree1 the admiration of many of the ,english nobility and gentry at that time in the ,french capital4 ,to several of these1 while explaining the operation of my telegraphic system1 ,i related the history of my treatment by the ,english ,attorney-,general4 ,the celebrated ,earl of ,elgin took a deep interest in the matter and was intent on my obtaining a special ,act of ,parliament to secure to me my just rights as the inventor of the ,electro-,magnetic ,telegraph4 ,he repeatedly visited me1 bringing with him many of his distinguished friends1 and on one occasion the noble ,earl of ,lincoln1 since one of ,her ,majesty's ,privy ,council4 ,the ,honorable ,henry ,drummond also interested himself for me1 and through his kindness and ,lord ,elgin's ,i received letters of introduction to ,lord ,brougham and to the ,marquis of ,northampton1 the ,president of the ,royal ,society1 and several other distinguished persons in ,england4 ,the ,earl of ,lincoln showed me special kindness4 ,in taking leave of me in ,paris he gave me his card1 and1 requesting me to bring my telegraphic instruments with me to ,london1 pressed me to give him the earliest notice of my arrival in ,london4 ,i must here say that for weeks in ,paris ,i had been engaged in negotiation with the ,russian ,counselor of ,state1 the ,baron ,alexander de ,meyendorff1 arranging measures for putting the telegraph in operation in ,russia4 ,the terms of a contract had been mutually agreed upon1 and all was concluded but the signature of the ,emperor to legalize it4 ,in order to take advantage of the ensuing summer season for my operations in ,russia1 ,i determined to proceed immediately to the ,united ,states to make some necessary preparations for the enterprise1 without waiting for the formal completion of the contract papers1 being led to believe that the signature of the ,emperor was sure1 a matter of mere form4 ,under these circumstances ,i left ,paris on the #acth of ,march1 #ahci1 and arrived in ,london on the #aeth of the same month4 ,the next day ,i sent my card to the ,earl of ,lincoln and my letter and card to the ,marquis of ,northampton1 and in two or three days received a visit from both4 ,by ,earl ,lincoln ,i was at once invited to send my ,telegraph to his house in ,park ,lane1 and on the #aith of ,march ,i exhibited its operation to members of both ,houses of ,parliament1 of the ,royal ,society1 and the ,lords of the ,admiralty1 invited to meet me by the ,earl of ,lincoln4 ,from the circumstances mentioned my time in ,london was necessarily short1 my passage having been secured in the ,great ,western to sail on the #bc;d of ,march4 ,although solicited to remain a while in ,london1 both by the ,earl of ,lincoln and the ,honorable ,henry ,drummond1 with a view to obtaining a special ,act of ,parliament for a patent1 ,i was compelled by the circumstances of the case to defer till some more favorable opportunity1 on my expected return to ,england1 any attempt of the kind4 ,the ,emperor of ,russia1 however1 refused to ratify the contract made with me by the ,counselor of ,state1 and my design of returning to ,europe was frustrated1 and ,i have not to this hour ,april #b1 #ahdg had the means to prosecute this enterprise to a result in ,england4 ,all my exertions were needed to establish my telegraphic system in my own country4 ,time has shown conclusively the essential difference of my telegraphic system from those of my opponents2 time has also shown that my system was not published in ,england1 as alleged by the ,attorney-,general1 for1 to this day1 no work in ,england has published anything that does not show that1 as yet1 it is perfectly misunderstood4444 ,the refusal to grant me a patent was1 at that period1 very disastrous4 ,it was especially discouraging to have made a long voyage across the ,atlantic in vain1 incurring great expenditure and loss of time1 which in their consequences also produced years of delay in the prosecution of my enterprise in the ,united ,states4 ,the long statement1 from which ,i have taken the above extracts1 was written1 as ,i have noted1 on ,april #b1 #ahdg1 but the following interesting addition was made to it on ,december #aa1 #ahdh3-- ,at the time of preparing this statement ,i lacked one item of evidence1 which it was desirable to have aside from my own assertion1 viz41 evidence that the refusal of the ,attorney-,general was on the ground 'that a publication of the invention had been made4' ,i deemed it advisable rather to suffer from the delay and endure the taunts1 which my unscrupulous opponents have not been slow to lavish upon me in consequence1 if ,i could but obtain this evidence in proper shape4 ,i accordingly wrote to my brother1 then in ,london1 to procure1 if possible1 from ,lord ,campbell or his secretary an acknowledgment of the ground on which he refused my application for a patent in #ahch1 since no public report or record in such cases is made4 ,my brother1 in connection with ,mr4 ,carpmael1 one of the most distinguished patent agents in ,england1 addressed a note to ,mr4 ,h4 ,cooper1 the ,attorney-,general's secretary at the time1 and the only official person besides ,lord ,campbell connected with the matter4 ,the following is ,mr4 ,cooper's reply3-- ',,wilmington ,,square1 ,may #bc;d1 #ahdh4 ',,gentlemen1--,in answer to yours of the #bjth inst41 ,i beg to state that ,i have a distinct recollection of ,professor ,morse's application for a patent1 strengthened by the fact of his not having paid the fees for the hearing1 etc41 and these being now owing4 ,i understood at the time that the patent was stopped on the ground that a publication of the invention had been made1 but ,i cannot procure ,lord ,campbell's certificate of that fact4 ',i am1 gentlemen ',your obedient servant ',h4 ,,cooper4' ,i thus have obtained the evidence ,i desired in the most authentic form1 but accompanied with as gross an insult as could well be conceived4 ,on the receipt of this letter ,i immediately wrote to ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith1 ,esq41 at ,portland1 who accompanied me to ,england1 and at whose sole expense1 according to agreement1 all proceedings in taking out patents in ,europe were to be borne1 to know if this charge of the ,attorney-,general's secretary could possibly be true2 not knowing but through some inadvertence on his 7,mr4 ,smith's7 part1 this bill might have been overlooked4 ,mr4 ,smith writes me in answer1 sending me a copy verbatim of the following receipt1 which he holds and which speaks for itself3-- ',mr4 ,morse to the ,attorney-,general1 ,dr4 s4 d4 ,hearing on a patent 4 4 4 4 #c #aj #j ,giving notice on the same 4 #a #a #j ------ #d #aa #j ,settled the #acth of ,august1 #ahch4 '7,signed7 ,h4 ,,cooper4' ,this receipt is signed1 as will be perceived1 by the same individual1 ,h4 ,cooper1 who1 nearly ten years after his acknowledgment of the money1 has the impudence to charge me with leaving my fees unpaid4 ,i now leave the public to make their own comments both on the character of the whole transaction in ,england1 and on the character and motives of those in this country who have espoused ,lord ,campbell's course1 making it an occasion to charge me with having invented nothing4 ,,samuel ,f4,b4 ,,morse4 ,i have1 in these extracts from an account of his ,european experiences1 written by ,morse at a later date1 given but a brief summary of certain events2 it will now be necessary to record more in detail some of the happenings on that memorable trip4 ,attention has been called before to the fact that it was ,morse's good fortune to have been an eye-witness of many events of historic interest4 ,still another was now to be added to the list1 for1 while he was in ,london striving unsuccessfully to secure a patent for his invention1 he was privileged to witness the coronation of ,queen ,victoria2 our ,minister1 the ,honorable ,andrew ,stevenson1 having procured for him a ticket of admission to ,westminster ,abbey4 ,writing to his daughter ,susan on ,june #ai1 #ahch1 before he had met with his rebuff from the ,attorney-,general1 he comments briefly on the festivities incident to the occasion3-- ,london is filling fast with crowds of all characters1 from ambassadors and princes to pickpockets and beggars1 all brought together by the coronation of the queen1 which takes place in a few days 7the #bhth of ,june74 ,everything in ,london now is colored by the coming pageant4 ,in the shop windows are the robes of the nobility1 the crimson and ermine dresses1 coronets1 etc4 ,preparations for illuminations are making all over the city4 ,i have scarcely entered upon the business of the ,telegraph1 but have examined 7tell ,dr4 ,gale7 the specification of ,wheatstone at the ,patent ,office1 and except the alarum part1 he has nothing which interferes with mine4 ,his invention is ingenious and beautiful1 but very complicated1 and he must use twelve wires where ,i use but four4 ,i have also seen a telegraph exhibiting at ,exeter ,hall invented by ,davy1 something like ,wheatstone's but still complicated4 ,i find mine is yet the simplest and hope to accomplish something1 but always keep myself prepared for disappointment4 ,at a later date he recounted the following pretty incident1 showing the kindly character of the young queen1 which may not be generally known3-- ,i was in ,london in #ahch1 and was present with my excellent friend1 the late ,charles ,r4 ,leslie1 ,r4,a41 at the imposing ceremonies of the coronation of the queen in ,westminster ,abbey4 ,he then related to me the following incident which1 ,i think1 may truly be said to have been the first act of ,her ,majesty's reign4 ,when her predecessor1 ,william ,,iv1 died1 a messenger was immediately dispatched by his queen 7then become by his death queen dowager7 to ,victoria1 apprising her of the event4 ,she immediately called for paper and indited a letter of condolence to the widow4 ,folding it1 she directed it ',to the ,queen of ,england4' ,her maid of honor in attendance1 noting the inscription1 said3 ',your ,majesty1 you are ,queen of ,england4' ',yes1' she replied1 'but the widowed queen is not to be reminded of that fact first by me4' ,writing to his daughter from ,havre1 on ,july #bf1 #ahch1 while on his way to ,paris1 after telling her of the unjust decision of the ,attorney-,general1 he adds3-- ,professor ,wheatstone and ,mr4 ,davy were my opponents4 ,they have each very ingenious inventions of their own1 particularly the former1 who is a man of genius and one with whom ,i was personally much pleased4 ,he has invented his1 ,i believe1 without knowing that ,i was engaged in an invention to produce a similar result2 for1 although he dates back into #ahcb1 yet1 as no publication of our thoughts was made by either1 we are evidently independent of each other4 ,my time has not been lost1 however1 for ,i have ascertained with certainty that the ,telegraph of a single circuit and a recording apparatus is mine4444 ,i found also that both ,mr4 ,wheatstone and ,mr4 ,davy were endeavoring to simplify theirs by adding a recording apparatus and reducing theirs to a single circuit4 ,the latter showed to the ,attorney-,general a drawing1 which ,i obtained sight of1 of a method by which he proposed a bungling imitation of my first characters1 those that were printed in our journals1 and one1 however plausible on paper1 and sufficiently so to deceive the ,attorney-,general1 was perfectly impracticable4 ,partiality1 from national or other motives1 aside from the justice of the case1 ,i am persuaded1 influenced the decision against me4 ,we are now on our way to ,paris to try what we can do with the ,french ,government4 ,i confess ,i am not sanguine as to any favorable pecuniary result in ,europe1 but we shall try1 and1 at any rate1 we have seen enough to know that the matter is viewed with great interest here1 and the plan of such telegraphs will be adopted1 and1 of course1 the ,united ,states is secured to us1 and ,i do hope something from that4 ,be economical1 my dear child1 and keep your wants within bounds1 for ,i am preparing myself for an unsuccessful result here1 yet every proper effort will be made4 ,i am in excellent health and spirits and leave to-morrow morning for ,paris4 ,paris1 ,august #bi1 #ahch4 ,i have obtained a patent here and it is exciting some attention4 ,the prospects of future benefit from the invention are good1 but ,i shall not probably realize much1 or even anything1 immediately4 ,i saw by the papers1 before ,i got your letter1 that ,congress had not passed the appropriation bill for the ,telegraph4 ,on some accounts ,i regret it1 but it is only delayed1 and it will probably be passed early in the winter4 ,little did he think1 in his cheerful optimism1 that nearly five long years must elapse before ,congress should awaken to its great opportunity4 ,you will be glad to learn1 my dear daughter1 that your father's health was never so good1 and probably before this reaches you he will be on the ocean on his return4 ,i think of leaving ,paris in a very few days4 ,i am only waiting to show the ,telegraph to the ,king1 from whom ,i expect a message hourly4 ,the birth of a prince occupies the whole attention just how of the royal family and the court4 ,he was born on the #bdth inst41 the son of the ,duke and ,duchess of ,orleans4 ,my rooms are as delightfully situated1 perhaps1 as any in ,paris2 they are close to the palace of the ,tuileries and overlook the gardens1 and are within half a stone's throw of the rooms of the ,duke and ,duchess of ,orleans4 ,from my balcony ,i look directly into their rooms4 ,i saw the company that was there assembled on the birthday of the little prince1 and saw him in his nurse's arms at the window the next day after his birth4 ,he looked very much like any other baby1 and not half so handsome as little ,hugh ,peters4 ,i received from the ,minister of ,war1 ,general ,bernard1 who has been very polite to me1 a ticket to be present at the ,te ,deum performed yesterday in the great cathedral of ,paris1 ,notre ,dame1 on account of the birth of the prince4 ,the king and all the royal family and the court1 with all the officers of state1 were present4 ,the cathedral was crowded with all the fashion of ,paris4 ,along the ways and around the church were soldiers without number1 almost2 a proof that some danger was apprehended to the king1 and yet he ought to be popular for he is the best ruler they have had for years4 ,the ceremonies were imposing1 appealing to the senses and the imagination1 and not at all to the reason or the heart4 ,the king was ,louis ,philippe2 the little prince1 his grandson1 was the ,count of ,paris4 ,paris1 ,september #bi1 #ahch4 ,since my last matters have assumed a totally different aspect4 ,at the request of ,monsieur ,arago1 the most distinguished astronomer of the day1 ,i submitted the ,telegraph to the ,institute at one of their meetings1 at which some of the most celebrated philosophers of ,france and of ,germany and of other countries were present4 ,its reception was in the highest degree flattering1 and the interest which they manifested1 by the questions they asked and the exclamations they used1 showed to me then that the invention had obtained their favorable regard4 ,the papers of ,paris immediately announced the ,telegraph in the most favorable terms1 and it has literally been the topic of the day ever since4 ,the ,baron ,humboldt1 the celebrated traveller1 a member of the ,institute and who saw its operation before that body1 told ,mr4 ,wheaton1 our ,minister to ,prussia1 that my ,telegraph was the best of all the plans that had been devised4 ,i received a call from the administrator-in-chief of all the telegraphs of ,france1 ,monsieur ,alphonse ,foy4 ,i explained it to him2 he was highly delighted with it1 and told me that the ,government was about to try an experiment with the view of testing the practicability of the ,electric ,telegraph1 and that he had been requested to see mine and report upon it2 that he should report that 'mine was the best that had been submitted to him'2 and he added that ,i had better forthwith get an introduction to the ,minister of the ,interior1 ,mons4 the ,count ,montalivet4 ,i procured a letter from our ,minister1 and am now waiting the decision of the ,government4 ,everything looks promising thus far1 as much so as ,i could expect1 but it involves the possibility1 not to say the probability1 of my remaining in ,paris during the winter4 ,if ,i should be delayed till ,december it would be prudent to remain until ,april4 ,if it be possible1 without detriment to my affairs1 to make such arrangements that ,i may return this autumn1 ,i shall certainly do it2 but1 if ,i should not1 you must console yourselves that it is in consequence of meeting with success that ,i am detained1 and that ,i shall be more likely to return with advantage to you all on account of the delay4 ,i ought to say that the directors of the ,saint-,germain ,railroad have seen my ,telegraph1 and that there is some talk 7as yet vague7 of establishing a line of my ,telegraph upon that road4 ,i mention these1 my dear child1 to show you that ,i cannot at this moment leave ,paris without detriment to my principal object4 ,paris1 ,october #aj1 #ahch4 ,you are at an age when a parent's care1 and particularly a mother's care1 is most needed4 ,you cannot know the depth of the wound that was inflicted when ,i was deprived of your dear mother1 nor in how many ways that wound was kept open4 ,yet ,i know it is all well2 ,i look to ,god to take care of you2 it is his will that you should be almost truly an orphan1 for1 with all my efforts to have a home for you and to be near you1 ,i have met hitherto only with disappointment4 ,but there are now indications of a change1 and1 while ,i prepare for disappointment and wish you to prepare for disappointment1 we ought to acknowledge the kind hand of our ,heavenly ,father in so far prospering me as to put me in the honorable light before the world which is now my lot4 ,with the eminence is connected the prospect of pecuniary prosperity1 yet this is not consummated1 but only in prospect2 it may be a long time before anything is realized4 ,study1 therefore1 prudence and economy in all things2 make your wants as few as possible1 for the habit thus acquired will be of advantage to you whether you have much or little4 ,thus did hope alternate with despondency as the days and weeks wore away and nothing tangible was accomplished4 ,all who saw the working of the telegraph were loud in their expressions of wonder and admiration1 but1 for reasons which shall presently be explained1 nothing else was gained by the inventor at that time4 ,an old friend of ,morse's1 the ,reverend ,dr4 ,kirk1 was then living in ,paris1 and the two friends not only roomed together but ,dr4 ,kirk1 speaking ,french fluently1 which ,morse did not1 acted as interpreter in the many exhibitions given4 ,writing of this in later years1 ,dr4 ,kirk says3-- ,i remember rallying my friend frequently about the experience of great inventors1 who are generally permitted to starve while living and are canonized after death4 ,when the model telegraph had been set up in our rooms1 ,mr4 ,morse desired to exhibit it to the savants of ,paris1 but1 as he had less of the talking propensity than myself1 ,i was made the grand exhibitor4 ,our levee-day was ,tuesday1 and for weeks we received the visits of distinguished citizens and strangers1 to whom ,i explained the principles and operation of the ,telegraph4 ,the visitors would agree upon a word among themselves which ,i was not to hear2 then the ,professor would receive it at the writing end of the wires1 while it devolved upon me to interpret the characters which recorded it at the other end4 ,as ,i explained the hieroglyphics the announcement of the word1 which they saw could have come to me only through the wire1 would often create a deep sensation of delighted wonder2 and much do ,i now regret that ,i did not take notes of these interviews1 for it would be an interesting record of distinguished names and of valuable remarks4 ,on the #ajth of ,september1 #ahch1 ,morse enjoyed the greatest triumph of all1 for it was on that day that1 by invitation of ,m4 ,arago1 the exhibition of his invention before the ,institute of ,france1 casually mentioned in one of his letters to his daughter1 took place4 ,writing of the occasion to ,alfred ,vail1 he says3-- ,i exhibited the ,telegraph to the ,institute and the sensation produced was as striking as at ,washington4 ,it was evident that hitherto the assembled science of ,europe had considered the plan of an ,electric ,telegraph as ingenious but visionary1 and1 like aronautic navigation1 practicable in little more than theory and destined to be useless4 ,i cannot describe to you the scene at the ,institute when your box with the registering-machine1 just as it left ,speedwell1 was placed upon the table and surrounded by the most distinguished men of all ,europe1 celebrated in the various arts and sciences--,arago1 ,baron ,humboldt1 ,gay-,lussac1 and a host of others whose names are stars that shine in both hemispheres4 ,arago described it to them1 and ,i showed its action4 ,a buzz of admiration and approbation filled the whole hall and the exclamations ',extraordinaire6' ',trs bien6' ',trs admirable6' ,i heard on all sides4 ,the sentiment was universal4 ,another ,american at that time in ,paris1 the ,honorable ,h4,l4 ,ellsworth1 also wrote home about the impression which was produced by the exhibition of this new wonder3-- ,i am sure you will be glad to learn that our ,american friend1 ,professor ,morse1 is producing a very great sensation among the learned men of this kingdom by his ingenious and wonderful ,magnetic ,telegraph4 ,he submitted it to the examination of the ,academy of ,sciences of the ,royal ,institute of ,france1 at their sitting on ,monday last1 and the deepest interest was excited among the members of that learned body on the subject4 ,its novelty1 beauty1 simplicity1 and power were highly commended4444 ,other projects for the establishment of a magnetic telegraph have been broached here1 especially from ,professor ,wheatstone1 of ,london1 and ,professor ,steinheil1 of ,munich4 ,it is said1 however1 to be very manifest that our ,yankee ,professor is ahead of them all in the essential requisitions of such an invention1 and that he is in the way to bear off the palm4 ,in simplicity of design1 cheapness of construction and efficiency1 ,professor ,morse's ,telegraph transcends all yet made known4 ,in each of these qualities it is admitted1 by those who have inspected it closely1 there seems to be little else to desire4 ,it is certain1 moreover1 that in priority of discovery he antedates all others4 ,encouraged by the universal praise which was showered upon him1 the hopeful inventor redoubled his efforts to secure in some way1 either through the ,government or through private parties1 the means to make a practical test of his invention4 ,mr4 ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith had1 in the mean time1 returned to ,america1 and ,morse kept him informed by letter of the progress of affairs in ,paris4 ,avoiding1 as far as possible1 repetitions and irrelevant details1 ,i shall let extracts from these letters tell the story3-- ,september #bi1 #ahch4 ,on ,monday ,i received a very flattering letter from our excellent ,minister1 ,governor ,cass1 introducing me to the ,count ,montalivet1 and ,i accordingly called the next day4 ,i did not see him1 but had an interview with his secretary1 who told me that the ,administrator of the ,telegraphs had not yet reported to the ,minister1 but that he would see him the next day1 and that1 if ,i would call on ,friday1 he would inform me of the result4 ,i called on ,friday4 ,the secretary informed me that he had seen ,m4 ,foy1 and that he had more than confirmed the flattering accounts in the ,american ,minister's letter respecting the ,telegraph1 but was not yet prepared with his report to the ,minister--he wished to make a detailed account of the differences in favor of mine over all others that had been presented to him1 or words to that effect2 and the secretary assured me that the report would be all ,i could wish4 ,this is certainly flattering and ,i am to call on ,monday to learn further4 ,october #bd4 ,i can only add1 in a few words1 that everything here is as encouraging as could be expected4 ,the report of the ,administrator of ,telegraphs has been made to the ,minister of the ,interior1 and ,i have been told that ,i should be notified of the intentions of the ,government in a few days4 ,i have also shown the railroad telegraph to the ,saint-,germain directors1 who are delighted with it1 and from them ,i expect a proposition within a few days4 ,november #bb4 ,i intend sending this letter by the packet of the #bdth inst41 and am in hopes of sending with it some intelligence from those from whom ,i have been so long expecting something4 ,everything moves at a snail's pace here4 ,i find delay in all things2 at least1 so it appears to me1 who have too strong a development of the ,american organ of 'go-ahead-ativeness' to feel easy under its tantalizing effects4 ,a ,frenchman ought to have as many lives as a cat to bring to pass1 on his dilatory plan of procedure1 the same results that a ,yankee would accomplish in his single life4 ,afternoon1 ,november #bb4 ,called on the ,ministre de l',intrieur2 no one at home2 left card and will call again to-morrow1 and hope to be in time yet for the packet4 ,november #bc4 ,i have again called1 but do not find at home the chief secretary1 ,m4 ,merlin4444 ,i shall miss the packet of the #bdth1 but ,i am told she is a slow ship and that ,i shall probably find the letters reach home quite as soon by the next4 ,i will leave this open to add if anything occurs between this and next packet day4 ,november #cj4 ,i have been called off from this letter until the last moment by stirring about and endeavoring to expedite matters with the ,government4 ,i have been to see ,general ,cass since my last date4 ,i talked over matters with him4 ,he complains much of their dilatoriness1 but sees no way of quickening them4444 ,i called again this morning at the ,minister's and1 as usual1 the secretary was absent2 at the palace they said4 ,if ,i could once get them to look at it ,i should be sure of them1 for ,i have never shown it to any one who did not seem in raptures4 ,i showed it a few days ago to ,m4 ,fremel1 the ,director of ,light-,houses1 who came with ,mr4 ,vail and ,captain ,perry4 ,he was cautious at first1 but afterwards became as enthusiastic as any4 ,the railroad directors are as dilatory as the ,government1 but ,i know they are discussing the matter seriously at their meetings1 and ,i was told that the most influential man among them said they 'must have it4' ,there is nothing in the least discouraging that has occurred1 but1 on the contrary1 everything to confirm the practicability of the plan1 both on the score of science and expense4 ,january #ba1 #ahci4 ,i learn that the ,telegraph is much talked of in all society1 and ,i learn that the ,thtre des ,varits1 which is a sort of mirror of the popular topics1 has a piece in which persons are made to converse by means of this ,telegraph some hundreds of miles off4 ,this is a straw which shows the way of the wind1 and although matters move too slow for my impatient spirit1 yet the ,telegraph is evidently gaining on the popular notice1 and in time will demand the attention of ,governments4 ,i have the promise of a visit from the ,count ,boudy1 ,chief of the ,household of the ,king1 and who1 ,i understand1 has great influence with the king and can induce him to adopt the ,telegraph between some of his palaces4 ,hopes1 you perceive1 continue bright1 but they are somewhat unsubstantial to an empty purse4 ,i look for the first fruits in ,america4 ,my confidence increases every day in the certainty of the eventual adoption of this means of communication throughout the civilized world4 ,its practicability1 hitherto doubted by savants here1 is completely established1 and they do not hesitate to give me the credit of having established it4 ,i rejoice quite as much for my country's sake as for my own that both priority and superiority are awarded to my invention4 ,,chapter ,,xxvi ,,january #f1 #ahci--,,march #i1 #ahci ,despondent letter to his brother ,sidney4--,longing for a home4--,letter to ,smith4--,more delays4--,change of ministry4--,proposal to form private company4--,impossible under the laws of ,france4--,telegraphs a government monopoly4--,refusal of ,czar to sign ,russian contract4--,dr4 ,jackson4--,m4 ,amyot4--,failure to gain audience of king4--,lord ,elgin4--,earl of ,lincoln4 --,robert ,walsh prophesies success4--,meeting with ,earl of ,lincoln in later years4--,daguerre4--,letter to ,mrs4 ,cass on lotteries4--,railway and military telegraphs4--,skepticism of a ,marshal of ,france4 ,thus hopefully the inventor kept writing home1 always maintaining that soon all obstacles would be overcome1 and that he would then have a chance to demonstrate in a really practical way the great usefulness of his invention4 ,but1 instead of melting away1 new obstacles kept arising at every turn4 ,the dilatoriness of the ,french ,government seems past all belief1 and yet1 in spite of his faith in the more expeditious methods of his own country1 he was fated to encounter the same exasperating slowness at home4 ,it was1 therefore1 only natural that in spite of the courageous optimism of his nature1 he should at times have given way to fits of depression1 as is instanced by the following extracts from a letter written to his brother ,sidney on ,january #f1 #ahci3-- ,i know not that ,i feel right to indulge in the despondency which1 in spite of all reason to the contrary1 creeps over me when ,i think of returning4 ,i know the feelings of ,tantalus perfectly4 ,all my prospects in regard to the ,telegraph are bright and encouraging1 and so they have been for months1 and they still continue to be so2 but the sober now is that ,i am expending and not acquiring2 it has1 as yet1 been all outgo and no income4 ,at the rate business is done here1 the slow1 dilatory manner in which the most favorable projects are carried forward1 ,i have no reason to believe that anything will be realized before ,i must leave ,france1 which will probably be in about six weeks4 ,if so1 then ,i return penniless1 and1 worse than penniless1 ,i return to find debts and no home2 to find homeless children with all hope extinguished of ever seeing them again in a family4 ,indeed1 ,i may say that1 in this latter respect1 the last ray is departed2 ,i think no more of it4 ,i now feel anxious to see my children educated with the means they have of their own1 and in a way of usefulness1 and for myself ,i desire to live secluded1 without being burdensome to my friends4 ,i should be glad to exchange my rooms in the university for one or two in your new building4 ,i shall probably resign both ,professorship and ,presidency on my return4 ,the first has become merely nominal1 and the latter is connected with duties which properly confine to the city1 and1 as ,i wish to be free to go to other places1 ,i think it will be best to resign4 ,if our ,government should take the ,telegraph1 or companies should be formed for that purpose1 so that a sum is realized from it when ,i get home1 this will1 of course1 change the face of things2 but ,i dare not expect it and ought not to build any plans on such a contingency4 ,so far as praise goes ,i have every reason to be satisfied at the state of things here in regard to the ,telegraph4 ,all the savants1 committees of learned societies1 members of the ,chamber of ,deputies1 and officers of ,government have1 without exception1 been as enthusiastic in its reception as any in the ,united ,states4 ,both the priority and superiority of my invention are established1 and thus the credit1 be it more or less1 is secured to our country4 ,the ,prefect of the ,seine expressed a desire to see it and called by appointment yesterday4 ,he was perfectly satisfied1 and said of his own accord that he should see the king last evening and should mention the ,telegraph to him4 ,i shall probably soon be requested1 therefore1 to show the ,telegraph to the king4 ,all these are most encouraging prospects2 there is1 indeed1 nothing that has arisen to throw any insurmountable obstacle in the way of its adoption with complete success2 and for all this ,i ought to feel gratitude1 and ,i wish to acknowledge it before ,him to whom gratitude is due4 ,is it right or is it wrong1 in view of all this1 to feel despondency8 ,in spite of all ,i do feel sad4 ,i am no longer young2 ,i have children1 but they are orphans1 and orphans they are likely to be4 ,i have a country1 but no home4 ,it is this no home that perpetually haunts me4 ,i feel as if it were duty1 duty most urgent1 for me to settle in a family state at all hazards on account of these children4 ,i know they suffer in this forming period of their lives for the want of a home1 of the care of a father and a mother1 and that no care and attention from friends1 be they ever so kind1 can supply the place of parents4 ,but all efforts1 direct and indirect1 to bring this about have been frustrated4 ,my dear brother1 may you never feel1 as ,i have felt1 the loss of a wife4 ,that wound bleeds afresh daily1 as if it were inflicted but yesterday4 ,there is a meaning in all these acute mental trials1 and they are at times so severe as almost to deprive me of reason1 though few around me would suspect the state of my mind4 ,these last few lines are eminently characteristic of the man4 ,while called upon to endure much1 both mentally and physically1 he possessed such remarkable self-control that few1 if any1 of those around him were aware of his suffering4 ,only to his intimates did he ever reveal the pain which sometimes gnawed at his heart1 and then only occasionally and under great stress4 ,it was this self-control1 united to a lofty purpose and a natural repugnance to wearing his heart on his sleeve1 which enabled him to accomplish what he did4 ,endowed also with a saving sense of humor1 he made light of his trials to others and was a welcome guest in every social gathering4 ,the want of a place which he could really call home was an ever-present grief4 ,it is the dominant note in almost all the letters to his brothers and his children1 and it is rather quaintly expressed in a letter1 of ,november #ad1 #ahch1 to his daughter3-- ,tell ,uncle ,sidney to take good care of you1 and to have a little snug room in the upper corner of his new building1 where a bed can be placed1 a chair1 and a table1 and let me have it as my own1 that there may be one little particular spot which ,i can call home4 ,i will there make three wooden stools1 one for you1 one for ,charles1 and one for ,finley1 and invite you to your father's house4 ,in spite of the enthusiasm which the exhibition of his invention aroused among the learned men and others in ,paris1 he met with obstructions of the most vexatious kind at every turn1 in his effort to bring it into practical use4 ,just as the way seemed clear for its adoption by the ,french ,government1 something happened which is thus described in a letter to ,mr4 ,smith1 of ,january #bh1 #ahhi3 ,i wrote by the ,great ,western a few days ago4 ,the event then anticipated in regard to the ,ministry has occurred4 ,the ,ministers have resigned1 and it is expected that the new ,cabinet will be formed this day with ,marshal ,soult at its head4 ,thus you perceive new causes of delay in obtaining any answer from the ,government4 ,as soon as ,i can learn the name of the new ,minister of the ,interior ,i will address a note to him1 or see him1 as ,i may be advised1 and see if ,i can possibly obtain an answer1 or at least a report of the administration of the ,telegraphs4 ,nothing has occurred in other respects but what is agreeable4444 ,all my leisure 7if that may be called leisure which employs nearly all my time7 is devoted to perfecting the whole matter4 ,the invention of the correspondent1 ,i think you will say1 is a more essential improvement4 ,it has been my winter's labor1 and1 to avoid expense1 ,i have been compelled to make it entirely with my own hands4 ,i can now give you its exact dimensions--twelve and a half inches long1 six and a half wide1 and six and a half deep4 ,it dispenses entirely with boxes of type 7one set alone being necessary7 and dispenses also with the rules1 and with all machinery for moving the rules4 ,there is no winding up and it is ready at all times4 ,you touch the letter and the letter is written immediately at the other extremity4444 ,in my next ,i hope to send you reports of my further progress4 ,one thing seems certain1 my ,telegraph has driven out of the field all the other plans on the magnetic principle4 ,i hear nothing of them in public or private4 ,no society notices them4 ,february #b4 ,i can compare the state of things here to an ,april day1 at one moment sunshine1 at the next cloudy4 ,the ,telegraph is evidently growing in favor2 testimonials of approbation and compliments multiply1 and yesterday ,i was advised by the secretary of the ,academie ,industrielle to interest moneyed men in the matter if ,i intended to profit by it2 and he observed that now was the precise time to do it in the interval of the ,chambers4 ,i am at a loss how to act4 ,i am not a business man and fear every movement which suggests itself to me4 ,i am thinking of proposing a company on the same plan you last proposed in your letter from ,liverpool1 and which you intend to create in case the ,government shall choose to do nothing2 that is to say1 a company taking the right at one thousand francs per mile1 paying the proprietors fifty per cent in stocks and fifty per cent in cash1 raising about fifty thousand francs for a trial some distance4 ,i shall take advice and let you know the result4 ,i wish you were here2 ,i am sure something could be done by an energetic business man like yourself4 ,as for poor me ,i feel that ,i am a child in business matters4 ,i can invent and perfect the invention1 and demonstrate its uses and practicability1 but 'further the deponent saith not4' ,perhaps ,i underrate myself in this case1 but that is not a usual fault in human nature4 ,it was natural that a keen business man like ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith should have leaned rather toward a private corporation1 with its possibilities of great pecuniary gain1 than toward government ownership4 ,morse1 on the contrary1 would have preferred1 both at home and abroad1 to place the great power which he knew his invention was destined to wield in the hands of a responsible government4 ,however1 so eager was he to make a practical test of the telegraph that1 governments apparently not appreciating their great opportunity1 he was willing to entrust the enterprise to capitalists4 ,here again he was balked1 however1 for1 writing of his trials later1 he says3-- ,an unforeseen obstacle was interposed which has rendered my patent in ,france of no avail to me4 ,by the ,french patent law at the time one who obtained a patent was obliged to put into operation his invention within two years from the issue of his patent1 under the penalty of forfeiture if he does not comply with the law4 ,in pursuance of this requisition of the law ,i negotiated with the president 7,turneysen7 of the ,saint-,germain ,railroad ,company to construct a line of my ,telegraph on their road from ,paris to ,saint-,germain1 a distance of about seven ,english miles4 ,the company was favorably disposed toward the project1 but1 upon application 7as was necessary7 to the ,government for permission to have the ,telegraph on their road1 they received for answer that telegraphs were a government monopoly1 and could not1 therefore1 be used for private purposes4 ,i thus found myself crushed between the conflicting forces of two opposing laws4 ,this was1 indeed1 a crushing blow1 and ended all hope of accomplishing anything in ,france1 unless the ,government should1 in the short time still left to him1 decide to take it up4 ,the letters home1 during the remainder of his stay in ,europe1 are voluminous1 but as they are1 in the main1 a repetition of experiences similar to those already recorded1 it will not be necessary to give them in full4 ,he tells of the enthusiastic reception accorded to his invention by the savants1 the high officials of the ,government and the ,englishmen of note then stopping in ,paris4 ,he tells also of the exasperating delays to which he was subjected1 and which finally compelled him to return home without having accomplished anything tangible4 ,he goes at length into his negotiations with the representative of the ,czar1 ,baron ,meyendorf1 from which he entertained so many hopes1 hopes which were destined in the end to be blasted1 because the ,czar refused to put his signature to the contract1 his objection being that ,malevolence can easily interrupt the communication4 ,this was a terrible disappointment to the inventor1 for he had made all his plans to return to ,europe in the spring of #ahci to carry out the ,russian contract1 which he was led to believe was perfectly certain1 and the ,czar's signature simply a matter of form4 ,while at the time1 and probably for all his life1 ,morse considered his failure in ,europe as a cruel stroke of ,fate1 we cannot but conclude1 in the light of future developments1 that here again ,fate was cruel in order to be kind4 ,the invention1 while it had been pronounced a scientific success1 and had been awarded the palm over all other systems by the foremost scientists of the world1 had yet to undergo the baptism of fire on the field of battle4 ,it had never been tried over long distances in the open air1 and many practical modifications had yet to be made1 the necessity for which could only be ascertained during the actual construction of a commercial line4 ,morse's first idea1 adhered to by him until found by experience1 in the building of the first line between ,washington and ,baltimore1 to be impracticable1 had been to bury the wires in a trench in the ground4 ,i say it was found to be impracticable1 but that is true only of the conditions at that early date4 ,the inventor was here again ahead of his time1 for the underground system is now used in many cities1 and may in time become universal4 ,however1 we shall see1 when the story of the building of that first historic line is told1 that in this respect1 and in many others1 great difficulties were encountered and failure was averted only by the ingenuity1 the resourcefulness1 and the quick-wittedness of the inventor himself and his able assistants4 ,is it too much to suppose that1 had the ,russian1 or even the ,french1 contract gone through1 and had ,morse been compelled to recruit his assistants from the people of an alien land1 whose language he could neither speak nor thoroughly understand1 the result would have been a dismal failure1 calling down only ridicule on the head of the luckless inventor1 and perhaps causing him to abandon the whole enterprise1 discouraged and disheartened8 ,be this as it may1 the ,european trip was considered a failure in a practical sense1 while having resulted in a personal triumph in so far as the scientific elements of the invention were concerned4 ,i shall1 therefore1 give only occasional extracts from the letters1 some of them dealing with matters not in any way related to the telegraph4 ,he writes to ,mr4 ,smith on ,february #ah1 #ahci3-- ,i have been wholly occupied for the last week in copying out the correspondence and other documents to defend myself against the infamous attack of ,dr4 ,jackson1 notice of which my brother sent me4444 ,i have sent a letter to ,dr4 ,jackson calling on him to save his character by a total disclaimer of his presumptuous claim within one week from the receipt of the letter1 and giving him the plea of a 'mistake' and 'misconception of my invention' by which he may retreat4 ,if he fails to do this1 ,i have requested my brother to publish immediately my defense1 in which ,i give a history of the invention1 the correspondence between ,dr4 ,jackson and myself1 and close with the letters of ,hon4 ,mr4 ,rives1 ,mr4 ,fisher1 of ,philadelphia1 and ,captain ,pell4 ,i cannot conceive of such infatuation as has possessed this man4 ,he can scarcely be deceived4 ,it must be his consummate self-conceit that deceives him1 if he is deceived4 ,but this cannot be2 he knows he has no title whatever to a single hint of any kind in the matter4 ,i have already alluded to the claim of ,dr4 ,jackson1 and have shown that it was proved to be utterly without foundation1 and have only introduced this reference to it as an instance of the attacks which were made upon ,morse1 attacks which compelled him to consume much valuable time1 in the midst of his other labors1 in order to repel them1 which he always succeeded in doing4 ,in writing of his negotiations with the ,russian ,government he mentions ,m4 ,amyot1 who has proposed also an ,electric ,telegraph1 but upon seeing mine he could not restrain his gratification1 and with his whole soul he is at work to forward it with all who have influence4 ,he is the right-hand man of the ,baron ,meyendorf1 and he is exerting all his power to have the ,russian ,government adopt my ,telegraph4444 ,he is really a noble-minded man4 ,the baron told me he had a large soul1 and ,i find he has4 ,i have no claim on him and yet he seems to take as much interest in my invention as if it were his own4 ,how different a conduct from ,jackson's6444 ,every day is clearing away all the difficulties that prevent its adoption2 the only difficulty that remains1 it is universally said1 is the protection of the wires from malevolent attack1 and this can be prevented by proper police and secret and deep interment4 ,i have no doubt of its universal adoption2 it may take time but it is certain4 ,paris1 ,march #b1 #ahci4 ,by my last letter ,i informed you of the more favorable prospects of the telegraphic enterprise4 ,these prospects still continue1 and ,i shall return with the gratifying reflection that1 after all my anxieties1 and labors1 and privations1 and your and my other associates' expenditures and risks1 we are all in a fair way of reaping the fruits of our toil4 ,the political troubles of ,france have been a hindrance hitherto to the attention of the ,government to the ,telegraph1 but in the mean time ,i have gradually pushed forward the invention into the notice of the most influential individuals of ,france4 ,i had ,colonel ,lasalle1 aide-de-camp to the king1 and his lady to see the ,telegraph a few days ago4 ,he promised that1 without fail1 it should be mentioned to the king4 ,you will be surprised to learn1 after all the promises hitherto made by the ,prefect of the ,seine1 ,count ,remberteau1 and by various other officers of the ,government1 and after ,general ,cass's letter to the aide on service1 four or five months since1 requesting it might be brought to the notice of the king1 that the king has not yet heard of it4 ,but so things go here4 ,such dereliction would destroy a man with us in a moment1 but here there is a different standard 7this1 of course1 entre nous74444 ,among the numerous visitors that have thronged to see the ,telegraph1 there have been a great many of the principal ,english nobility4 ,among them the ,lord and ,lady ,aylmer1 former ,governor of ,canada1 ,lord ,elgin and son1 the ,celebrated preserver1 not depredator 7as he has been most slanderously called7 of the ,phidian ,marbles4 ,lord ,elgin has been twice and expressed a great interest in the invention4 ,he brought with him yesterday the ,earl of ,lincoln1 a young man of unassuming manners2 he was delighted and gave me his card with a pressing invitation to call on him when ,i came to ,london4 ,i have not failed to let the ,english know how ,i was treated in regard to my application for a patent in ,england1 and contrasted the conduct of the ,french in this respect to theirs4 ,i believe they felt it1 and ,i think it was ,lord ,aylmer1 but am not quite sure1 who advised that the subject be brought up in ,parliament by some member and made the object of special legislation1 which he said might be done1 the ,attorney-,general to the contrary notwithstanding4 ,i really believe1 if matters were rightly managed in ,england1 something yet might be done there1 if not by patent1 yet by a parliamentary grant of a proper compensation4 ,it is remarkable that they have not yet made anything like mine in ,england4 ,it is evident that neither ,wheatstone nor ,davy comprehended my mode1 after all their assertions that mine had been published4 ,if matters move slower here than with us1 yet they gain surely4 ,i am told every hour that the two great wonders of ,paris just now1 about which everybody is conversing1 are ,daguerre's wonderful results in fixing permanently the image of the camera obscura1 and ,morse's ,electro-,magnetic ,telegraph1 and they do not hesitate to add that1 beautiful as are the results of ,daguerre's experiments1 the invention of the ,electro-,magnetic ,telegraph is that which will surpass1 in the greatness of the revolution to be effected1 all other inventions4 ,robert ,walsh1 ,esq41 who has just left me1 is beyond measure delighted4 ,i was writing a word from one room to another2 he came to me and said3--',the next word you may write is ,,immortality1 for the sublimity of this invention is of surpassing grandeur4 ,i see now that all physical obstacles1 which may for a while hinder1 will inevitably be overcome2 the problem is solved2 ,,man ,,may ,,instantly ,,converse ,,with ,,his ,,fellow-,,men ,,in ,,any ,,part ,,of ,,the ,,world4' ,this prophecy of the celebrated ,american author1 who was afterwards ,consul-,general to ,france for six years1 is noteworthy considering the date at which it was made4 ,there were indeed many physical obstacles which for a while hindered the practical adoption of the invention1 but they were eventually overcome1 and the problem was solved4 ,five years of heart-breaking struggle1 discouragement and actual poverty had still to be endured by the brave inventor before the tide should turn in his favor1 but ,robert ,walsh shared with ,morse the clear conviction that the victory would finally be won4 ,reference having been made to ,lord ,elgin1 the following letter from him will be found interesting3-- ,paris1 #abth ,march1 #ahci4 ,dear ,sir1--,i cannot help expressing a very strong desire that1 instead of delaying till your return from ,america your wish to take out a patent in ,england for your highly scientific and simple mode of communicating intelligence by an ,electric ,telegraph1 you would take measures to that effect at this moment1 and for that purpose take your model now with you to ,london4 ,your discovery is now much known as well as appreciated1 and the ingenuity now afloat is too extensive for one not to apprehend that individuals1 even in good faith1 may make some addition to qualify them to take out a first patent for the principle2 whereas1 if you brought it at once1 now1 before the competent authorities1 especially under the advantage of an introduction such as ,mr4 ,drummond can give you to ,lord ,brougham1 a short delay in your proceeding to ,america may secure you this desirable object immediately4 ,with every sincere good wish for your success and the credit you so richly deserve1 ,i am1 dear sir1 ,yours faithfully ,,elgin4 ,while it is futile to speculate on what might have been1 it does seem as if ,morse made a serious mistake in not taking ,lord ,elgin's advice1 for there is no doubt that1 with the influential backing which he had now secured1 he could have overcome the churlish objections of the ,attorney-,general1 and have secured a patent in ,england much to his financial benefit4 ,but with the glamour of the ,russian contract in his eyes1 he decided to return home at once1 and the opportunity was lost4 ,we must also marvel at the strange fact that the fear expressed by ,lord ,elgin1 that another might easily appropriate to himself the glory which was rightly due to ,morse1 was not realized4 ,is it to be wondered at that ,morse should have always held that he1 and he alone1 was the humble instrument chosen by an ,all-,wise ,providence to carry to a successful issue this great enterprise8 ,regarding one of his other visitors1 the ,earl of ,lincoln1 it is interesting to learn that there was another meeting between the two men under rather dramatic circumstances1 in later years4 ,this was on the occasion of the visit of the ,prince of ,wales1 afterward ,edward ,,vii1 to ,america1 accompanied by a suite which included1 among others1 the ,duke of ,newcastle4 ,morse was invited to address the ,prince at a meeting given in his honor at the ,university of the ,city of ,new ,york1 and in the course of his address he said3-- ,an allusion in most flattering terms to me1 rendered doubly so in such presence1 has been made by our respected ,chancellor1 which seems to call for at least the expression of my thanks4 ,at the same time it suggests the relation of an incident in the early history of the ,telegraph which may not be inappropriate to this occasion4 ,the infant ,telegraph1 born and nursed within these walls1 had scarcely attained a feeble existence ere it essayed to make its voice heard on the other side of the ,atlantic4 ,i carried it to ,paris in #ahch4 ,it attracted the warm interest1 not only of the continental philosophers1 but also of the intelligent and appreciative among the eminent nobles of ,britain then on a visit to the ,french capital4 ,foremost among these was the late ,marquis of ,northampton1 then ,president of the ,royal ,society1 the late distinguished ,earl of ,elgin1 and1 in a marked degree1 the noble ,earl of ,lincoln4 ,the last-named nobleman in a special manner gave it his favor4 ,he comprehended its important future1 and1 in the midst of the skepticism that clouded its cradle1 he risked his character for sound judgment in venturing to stand godfather to the friendless child4 ,he took it under his roof in ,london1 invited the statesmen and the philosophers of ,britain to see it1 and urged forward with kindly words and generous attentions those who had the infant in charge4 ,it is with no ordinary feelings1 therefore1 that1 after the lapse of twenty years1 ,i have the singular honor this morning of greeting with hearty welcome1 in such presence1 before such an assemblage1 and in the cradle of the ,telegraph1 this noble ,earl of ,lincoln in the person of the present ,duke of ,newcastle4 ,reference was made by ,morse1 in the letter to ,mr4 ,smith of ,march #b1 to ,daguerre and his wonderful discovery4 ,having himself experimented along the same lines many years before1 he was1 naturally1 much interested and sought the acquaintance of ,daguerre1 which was easily brought about4 ,the two inventors became warm friends1 and each disclosed to the other the minutiae of his discoveries4 ,daguerre invited ,morse to his workshop1 selecting a ,sunday as a day convenient to him1 and ,morse replied in the following characteristic note3-- ,professor ,morse asks the indulgence of ,m4 ,daguerre4 ,the time ,m4 ,daguerre1 in his great kindness1 has fixed to show his most interesting experiments is1 unfortunately1 one that will deprive ,mr4 ,m4 of the pleasure he anticipated1 as ,mr4 ,m4 has an engagement for the entire ,sunday of a nature that cannot be broken4 ,will ,monday1 or any other day1 be agreeable to ,m4 ,daguerre8 ,mr4 ,m4 again asks pardon for giving ,m4 ,daguerre so much trouble4 ,having thus satisfied his ,puritan conscience1 another day was cheerfully appointed by ,daguerre1 who generously imparted the secret of this new art to the ,american1 by whom it was carried across the ocean and successfully introduced into the ,united ,states1 as will be shown further on4 ,writing of this experience to his brothers on ,march #i1 #ahci1 he says3-- ,you have1 perhaps1 heard of the ,daguerreotype1 so called from the discoverer1 ,m4 ,daguerre4 ,it is one of the most beautiful discoveries of the age4 ,i don't know if you recollect some experiments of mine in ,new ,haven1 many years ago1 when ,i had my painting-room next to ,professor ,silliman's1--experiments to ascertain if it were possible to fix the image of the camera obscura4 ,i was able to produce different degrees of shade on paper1 dipped into a solution of nitrate of silver1 by means of different degrees of light1 but finding that light produced dark1 and dark light1 ,i presumed the production of a true image to be impracticable1 and gave up the attempt4 ,m4 ,daguerre has realized in the most exquisite manner this idea4 ,here follows the account of his visit to ,daguerre and an enthusiastic description of the wonders seen in his workshop1 and he closes by saying3-- ,but ,i am near the end of my paper1 and ,i have1 unhappily1 to give a melancholy close to my account of this ingenious discovery4 ,m4 ,daguerre appointed yesterday at noon to see my ,telegraph4 ,he came and passed more than an hour with me1 expressing himself highly gratified at its operation4 ,but1 while he was thus employed1 the great building of the ,diorama1 with his own house1 all his beautiful works1 his valuable notes and papers1 the labor of years of experiment1 were1 unknown to him1 at that moment the prey of the flames4 ,his secret1 indeed1 is still safe with him1 but the steps of his progress in the discovery and his valuable researches in science1 are lost to the scientific world4 ,i learn that his ,diorama was insured1 but to what extent ,i know not4 ,i am sure all friends of science and improvement will unite in expressing the deepest sympathy in ,m4 ,daguerre's loss1 and the sincere hope that such a liberal sum will be awarded him by his ,government as shall enable him1 in some degree at least1 to recover from his loss4 ,it is pleasant to record that the ,french ,government did act most generously toward ,daguerre4 ,the reader may remember that1 when ,morse was a young man in ,london1 lotteries were considered such legitimate ways of raising money1 that not only did he openly purchase tickets in the hope of winning a money prize1 but his pious father advised him to dispose of his surplus paintings and sketches in that way4 ,as he grew older1 however1 his views on this question changed1 as will be seen by the following letter addressed to ,mrs4 ,cass1 wife of the ,american ,minister1 who was trying to raise money to help a worthy couple1 suddenly reduced from wealth to poverty3-- ,january #ca1 #ahhi4 ,i am sure ,i need make no apology to you1 my dear madam1 for returning the three lottery tickets enclosed in the interesting note ,i have just had the honor to receive from you1 because ,i know you can fully appreciate the motive which prompts me4 ,in the measures taken some years since for opposing the lottery system in the ,state of ,new ,york1 and which issued in its entire suppression1 ,i took a very prominent part under the conviction that the principle on which the lottery system was founded was wrong4 ,but while1 on this account1 ,i cannot1 my dear madam1 consistently take the tickets1 ,i must beg of you to put the price of them1 which ,i enclose1 into such a channel as shall1 in your judgment1 best promote the benevolent object in which you have interested yourself4 ,poverty is a bitter lot1 even when the habit of long endurance has reconciled the mind and body to its severities1 but how much more bitter must it be when it comes in sudden contrast to a life of affluence and ease4 ,i thank you for giving me the opportunity of contributing my mite to the relief of such affliction1 hoping sincerely that all their earthly wants may lead the sufferers to the inexhaustible fountain of true riches4 ,with sincere respect and ,christian regard ,i remain1 my dear madam ,your most obedient servant ,s4,f4,b4 ,,morse4 ,before closing the record of this ,european trip1 so disappointing in many ways and yet so encouraging in others1 it may be well to note that1 while he was in ,paris1 ,morse in #ahch not only took out a patent on his recording telegraph1 but also on a system to be used on railways to report automatically the presence of a train at any point on the line4 ,a reproduction of his own drawing of the apparatus to be used is here given1 and the mechanism is so simple that an explanation is hardly necessary4 ,from it can be seen not only that he did1 at this early date1 realize the possibilities of his invention along various lines1 but that it embodies the principle of the police and fire-alarm systems now in general use4 ,it is not recorded that he ever realized anything financially from this ingenious modification of his main invention4 ,commenting on it1 and on his plans for a military telegraph1 he gives this amusing sketch3-- ,on ,september #aj1 #ahch1 a telegraph instrument constructed in the ,united ,states on the same principles1 but slightly modified to make it portable1 was exhibited to the ,academy of ,sciences in ,paris1 and explained by ,m4 ,arago at the session of that date4 ,an account of this exhibition is recorded in the ,comptes ,rendus4 ,a week or two after ,i exhibited at my lodgings1 in connection with this instrument1 my railroad telegraph1 an application of signals by sound1 for which ,i took out letters patent in ,paris1 and at the same time ,i communicated to the ,minister of ,war1 ,general ,bernard1 my plans for a military telegraph with which he was much pleased4 ,illustration3 ,,railway ,,telegraph ,,drawing ,,by ,,morse ,patented by him in ,france in #ahch1 and embodying principles of ,police and ,fire ,alarm ,telegraph ,i dined with him by invitation1 and in the evening1 repairing with him to his billiard-room1 while the rest of the guests were amusing themselves with the game1 ,i gave him a general description of my plan4 ,he listened with deep attention while ,i advocated its use on the battle-field1 and gave him my reasons for believing that the army first using the facilities of the electric telegraph for military purposes would be sure of victory4 ,he replied to me1 after my answering many of his questions3-- ',be reticent1' said he1 'on this subject for the present4 ,i will send an officer of high rank to see and converse with you on the matter to-morrow4' ,the next day ,i was visited by an old ,marshal of ,france1 whose name has escaped my memory4 ,conversing by an interpreter1 the ,reverend ,e4,n4 ,kirk1 of ,boston1 ,i found it difficult to make the ,marshal understand its practicability or its importance4 ,the dominant idea in the ,marshal's mind1 which he opposed to the project1 was that it involved an increase of the material of the army1 for ,i proposed the addition of two or more light wagons1 each containing in a small box the telegraph instruments and a reel of fine insulated wire to be kept in readiness at the headquarters on the field4 ,i proposed that1 when required1 the wagons with the corps of operators1 two or three persons1 at a rapid rate should reel off the wire to the right1 the centre and the left of the army1 as near to these parts of the army as practicable or convenient1 and thus instantaneous notice of the condition of the whole army1 and of the enemy's movements1 would be given at headquarters4 ,to all this explanation of my plan was opposed the constant objection that it increased the material of the army4 ,the ,hon4 ,marshal seemed to consider that the great object to be gained by an improvement was a decrease of this material2 an example of this economy which he illustrated by the case of the substitution of the leather drinking cup for the tin cup hung to the soldier's knapsack1 an improvement which enabled the soldier to put his cup in his vest pocket4 ,for this improvement1 if ,i remember right1 he said the inventor1 who was a common soldier1 received at the hands of the ,emperor ,napoleon ,i the cross of the ,legion of ,honor4 ,so set was the good ,marshal in his repugnance to any increase to the material of the army that1 after a few moments' thought1 ,i rebutted his position by putting to him the following case3-- ',m4 ,marshal1' ,i said1 'you are investing a fortress on the capture of which depends the success of your campaign2 you have #aj1jjj men2 on making your calculations of the chances of taking it by assault1 you find that with the addition of #ejjj more troops you could accomplish its capture4 ,you have it in your power1 by a simple order1 to obtain from the ,government these #ejjj men4 ,in this case what would you do8' ,he replied without hesitation3 ',i should order the #ejjj1 of course4' ',but1' ,i rejoined1 'the material of the army would be greatly increased by such an order4' ,he comprehended the case1 and1 laughing heartily1 abandoned the objection1 but took refuge in the general skepticism of that day on the practicability of an electric telegraph4 ,he did not believe it could ever be put in practise4 ,this was an argument ,i could not then repel4 ,time alone could vindicate my opinion1 and time has shown both its practicability and its utility4 ,,chapter ,,xxvii ,,april #ae1 #ahci--,,september #cj1 #ahdj ,arrival in ,new ,york4--,disappointment at finding nothing done by ,congress or his associates4--,letter to ,professor ,henry4--,henry's reply4-- ,correspondence with ,daguerre4--,experiments with ,daguerreotypes4-,professor ,draper4--,first group photograph of a college class4--,failure of ,russian contract4--,mr4 ,chamberlain4--,discouragement through lack of funds4--,no help from his associates4--,improvements in telegraph made by ,morse4-- ,humorous letter4 ,morse sailed from ,europe on the ,great ,western on the #bc;d of ,march1 #ahhi1 and reached ,new ,york1 after a ,stormy passage1 on the #aeth of ,april4 ,discouraged by his lack of success in establishing a line of telegraph in ,europe on a paying basis1 and yet encouraged by the enthusiasm shown by the scientists of the ,old ,world1 he hoped much from what he considered the superior enterprise of his own countrymen4 ,however1 on this point he was doomed to bitter disappointment1 and the next few years were destined to be the darkest through which he was to pass4 ,on the day after his arrival in ,new ,york he wrote to ,mr4 ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith3-- ,i take the first moment of rest from the fatigues of my boisterous voyage to apprise you of my arrival yesterday in the ,great ,western4444 ,i am quite disappointed in finding nothing done by ,congress1 and nothing accomplished in the way of company4 ,i had hoped to find on my return some funds ready for prosecuting with vigor the enterprise1 which ,i fear will suffer for the want4 ,think a moment of my situation4 ,i left ,new ,york for ,europe to be gone three months1 but have been gone eleven months4 ,my only means of support are in my profession1 which ,i have been compelled to abandon entirely for the present1 giving my undivided time and efforts to this enterprise4 ,i return with not a farthing in my pocket1 and have to borrow even for my meals1 and even worse than this1 ,i have incurred a debt of rent by my absence which ,i should have avoided if ,i had been at home1 or rather if ,i had been aware that ,i should have been obliged to stay so long abroad4 ,i do not mention this in the way of complaint1 but merely to show that ,i also have been compelled to make great sacrifices for the common good1 and am willing to make more yet if necessary4 ,if the enterprise is to be pursued1 we must all in our various ways put the shoulder to the wheel4 ,i wish much to see you and talk over all matters1 for it seems to me that the present state of the enterprise in regard to ,russia affects vitally the whole concern4 ,thus gently did he chide one of his partners1 who should have been exerting himself to forward their joint interests in ,america while he himself was doing what he could in ,europe4 ,the other partners1 ,alfred ,vail and ,dr4 ,leonard ,gale1 were equally lax and seem to have lost interest in the enterprise1 as we learn from the following letter to ,mr4 ,smith1 of ,may #bd1 #ahci3-- ,you will think it strange1 perhaps1 that ,i have not answered yours of the #bhth ult4 sooner1 but various causes have prevented an earlier attention to it4 ,my affairs1 in consequence of my protracted absence and the stagnant state of the ,telegraph here at home1 have caused me great embarrassment1 and my whole energies have been called upon to extricate myself from the confusion in which ,i have been unhappily placed4 ,you may judge a little of this when ,i tell you that my absence has deprived me of my usual source of income by my profession2 that the state of the ,university is such that ,i shall probably leave1 and shall have to move into new quarters2 that my family is dispersed1 requiring my care and anxieties under every disadvantage2 that my engagements were such with ,russia that every moment of my time was necessary to complete my arrangements to fulfill the contract in season2 and1 instead of finding my associates ready to sustain me with counsel and means1 ,i find them all dispersed1 leaving me without either the opportunity to consult or a cent of means1 and consequently bringing everything in relation to the ,telegraph to a dead stand4 ,in the midst of this ,i am called on by the state of public opinion to defend myself against the outrageous attempt of ,dr4 ,jackson to pirate from me my invention4 ,the words would be harsh that are properly applicable to this man's conduct4444 ,you see1 therefore1 in what a condition ,i found myself when ,i returned4 ,i was delayed several days beyond the computed time of my arrival by the long passage of the steamer4 ,instead of finding any funds by a vote of ,congress1 or by a company1 and my associates ready to back me1 ,i find not a cent for the purpose1 and my associates scattered to the four winds4 ,you can easily conceive that ,i gave up all as it regarded ,russia1 and considered the whole enterprise as seriously injured if not completely destroyed4 ,in this state of things ,i was hourly dreading to hear from the ,russian ,minister1 and devising how ,i should save myself and the enterprise without implicating my associates in a charge of neglect2 and as it has most fortunately happened for us all1 the #ajth of ,may has passed without the receipt of the promised advices1 and ,i took advantage of this1 and by the ,liverpool steamer of the #ahth wrote to the ,baron ,meyendorff1 and to ,m4 ,amyot1 that it was impossible to fulfill the engagement this season1 since ,i had not received the promised advices in time to prepare4 ,this was1 of course1 before he had heard of the ,czar's refusal to sign the contract1 and he goes on to make plans for carrying out the ,russian enterprise the next year1 and concludes by saying3-- ,do think of this matter and see if means cannot be raised to keep ahead with the ,american ,telegraph4 ,i sometimes am astonished when ,i reflect how ,i have been able to take the stand with my ,telegraph in competition with my ,european rivals1 backed as they are with the purses of the kings and wealthy of their countries1 while our own ,government leaves me to fight their battles for the honor of this invention fettered hand and foot4 ,thanks will be due to you1 not to them1 if ,i am able to maintain the ground occupied by the ,american ,telegraph4 ,shortly after his return from abroad1 on ,april #bd1 ,morse wrote the following letter to ,professor ,henry at ,princeton3-- ,my ,dear ,sir1--,on my return a few days since from ,europe1 ,i found directed to me1 through your politeness1 a copy of your valuable ,contributions1 for which ,i beg you to accept my warmest thanks4 ,the various cares consequent upon so long an absence from home1 and which have demanded my more immediate attention1 have prevented me from more than a cursory perusal of its interesting contents1 yet ,i perceive many things of great interest to me in my telegraphic enterprise4 ,i was glad to learn1 by a letter received in ,paris from ,dr4 ,gale1 that a spool of five miles of my wire was loaned to you1 and ,i perceive that you have already made some interesting experiments with it4 ,in the absence of ,dr4 ,gale1 who has gone ,south1 ,i feel a great desire to consult some scientific gentleman on points of importance bearing upon my ,telegraph1 which ,i am about to establish in ,russia1 being under an engagement with the ,russian ,government agent in ,paris to return to ,europe for that purpose in a few weeks4 ,i should be exceedingly happy to see you and am tempted to break away from my absorbing engagements here to find you at ,princeton4 ,in case ,i should be able to visit ,princeton for a few days a week or two hence1 how should ,i find you engaged8 ,i should come as a learner and could bring no contributions to your stock of experiments of any value1 nor any means of furthering your experiments except1 perhaps1 the loan of an additional five miles of wire which it may be desirable for you to have4 ,i have many questions to ask1 but should be happy1 in your reply to this letter1 of an answer to this general one3 ,have you met with any facts in your experiments thus far that would lead you to think that my mode of telegraphic communication will prove impracticable8 ,so far as ,i have consulted the savants of ,paris1 they have suggested no insurmountable difficulties2 ,i have1 however1 quite as much confidence in your judgment1 from your valuable experience1 as in that of any one ,i have met abroad4 ,i think that you have pursued an original course of experiments1 and discovered facts of more value to me than any that have been published abroad4 ,morse was too modest in saying that he could bring nothing of value to ,henry in his experiments1 for1 as we shall see from ,henry's reply1 the latter had no knowledge at that time of the relay1 for bringing into use a secondary battery when the line was to stretch over long distances4 ,this important discovery ,morse had made several years before4 ,,princeton2 ,may #f1 #ahhi4 ,,dear ,,sir1--,your favor of the #bdth ult4 came to ,princeton during my absence1 which will account for the long delay of my answer4 ,i am pleased to learn that you fully sanction the loan which ,i obtained from ,dr4 ,gale of your wire1 and ,i shall be happy if any of the results are found to have a practical bearing on the electrical telegraph4 ,it will give me much pleasure to see you in ,princeton after this week4 ,my engagements will not then interfere with our communications on the subject of electricity4 ,during this week ,i shall be almost constantly engaged with a friend in some scientific labors which we are prosecuting together4 ,i am acquainted with no fact which would lead me to suppose that the project of the electro-magnetic telegraph is unpractical2 on the contrary1 ,i believe that science is now ripe for the application1 and that there are no difficulties in the way but such as ingenuity and enterprise may obviate4 ,but what form of the apparatus1 or what application of the power will prove best1 can1 ,i believe1 be only determined by careful experiment4 ,i can say1 however1 that1 so far as ,i am acquainted with the minutiae of your plan1 ,i see no practical difficulty in the way of its application for comparatively short distances2 but1 if the length of the wire between the stations is great1 ,i think that some other modification will be found necessary in order to develop a sufficient power at the farther end of the line4 ,i shall1 however1 be happy to converse freely with you on these points when we meet4 ,in the meantime ,i remain1 with much respect ,yours1 etc41 ,,joseph ,,henry4 ,i consider this letter alone a sufficient answer to those who claim that ,henry was the real inventor of the telegraph4 ,he makes no such claim himself4 ,in spite of the cares of various kinds which overwhelmed him during the whole of his eventful life1 ,morse always found time to stretch out a helping hand to others1 or to do a courteous act4 ,so now we find him writing to ,daguerre on ,may #bj1 #ahci3-- ,my dear sir1--,i have the honor to enclose you the note of the ,secretary of our ,academy informing you of your election1 at our last annual meeting1 into the board of ,honorary ,members of our ,national ,academy of ,design4 ,when ,i proposed your name it was received with enthusiasm1 and the vote was unanimous4 ,i hope1 my dear sir1 you will receive this as a testimonial1 not merely of my personal esteem and deep sympathy in your late losses1 but also as a proof that your genius is1 in some degree1 estimated on this side of the water4 ,notwithstanding the efforts made in ,england to give to another the credit which is your due1 ,i think ,i may with confidence assure you that throughout the ,united ,states your name alone will be associated with the brilliant discovery which justly bears your name4 ,the letter ,i wrote from ,paris1 the day after your sad loss1 has been published throughout this whole country in hundreds of journals1 and has excited great interest4 ,should any attempts be made here to give to any other than yourself the honor of this discovery1 my pen is ever ready for your defense4 ,i hope1 before this reaches you1 that the ,french ,government1 long and deservedly celebrated for its generosity to men of genius1 will have amply supplied all your losses by a liberal sum4 ,if1 when the proper remuneration shall be secured to you in ,france1 you should think it may be for your advantage to make an arrangement with the government to hold back the secret for six months or a year1 and would consent to an exhibition of your results in this country for a short time1 the exhibition might be managed1 ,i think1 to your pecuniary advantage4 ,if you should think favorably of the plan1 ,i offer you my services gratuitously4 ,to this letter ,daguerre replied on ,july #bf3-- ,,my ,,dear ,,sir1--,i have received with great pleasure your kind letter by which you announce to me my election as an honorary member of the ,national ,academy of ,design4 ,i beg you will be so good as to express my thanks to the ,academy1 and to say that ,i am very proud of the honor which has been conferred upon me4 ,i shall seize all opportunities of proving my gratitude for it4 ,i am particularly indebted to you in this circumstance1 and ,i feel very thankful for this and all other marks of interest you bestowed upon me4 ,the transaction with the ,french ,government being nearly at an end1 my discovery shall soon be made public4 ,this cause1 added to the immense distance between us1 hinders me from taking the advantage of your good offer to get up at ,new ,york an exhibition of my results4 ,believe me1 my dear sir1 your very devoted servant1 ,,daguerre4 ,a prophecy1 shrewd in some particulars but rather faulty in others1 of the influence of this new art upon painting1 is contained in the following extracts from a letter of ,morse's to his friend and master ,washington ,allston3-- ,i had hoped to have seen you long ere this1 but my many avocations have kept me constantly employed from morning till night4 ,when ,i say morning ,i mean half past four in the morning6 ,i am afraid you will think me a ,goth1 but really the hours from that time till twelve at noon are the richest ,i ever enjoy4 ,you have heard of the ,daguerreotype4 ,i have the instruments on the point of completion1 and if it be possible ,i will yet bring them with me to ,boston1 and show you the beautiful results of this brilliant discovery4 ,art is to be wonderfully enriched by this discovery4 ,how narrow and foolish the idea which some express that it will be the ruin of art1 or rather artists1 for every one will be his own painter4 ,one effect1 ,i think1 will undoubtedly be to banish the sketchy1 slovenly daubs that pass for spirited and learned2 those works which possess mere general effect without detail1 because1 forsooth1 detail destroys general effect4 ,nature1 in the results of ,daguerre's process1 has taken the pencil into her own hands1 and she shows that the minutest detail disturbs not the general repose4 ,artists will learn how to paint1 and amateurs1 or rather connoisseurs1 how to criticise1 how to look at ,nature1 and1 therefore1 how to estimate the value of true art4 ,our studies will now be enriched with sketches from nature which we can store up during the summer1 as the bee gathers her sweets for winter1 and we shall thus have rich materials for composition and an exhaustless store for the imagination to feed upon4 ,an interesting account of his experiences with this wonderful new discovery is contained in a letter written many years later1 on the #ajth of ,february1 #ahee3-- ,as soon as the necessary apparatus was made ,i commenced experimenting with it4 ,the greatest obstacle ,i had to encounter was in the quality of the plates4 ,i obtained the common1 plated copper in coils at the hardware shops1 which1 of course1 was very thinly coated with silver1 and that impure4 ,still ,i was able to verify the truth of ,daguerre's revelations4 ,the first experiment crowned with any success was a view of the ,unitarian ,church from the window on the staircase from the third story of the ,new ,york ,city ,university4 ,this1 of course1 was before the building of the ,new ,york ,hotel4 ,it was in ,september1 #ahci4 ,the time1 if ,i recollect1 in which the plate was exposed to the action of light in the camera was about fifteen minutes4 ,the instruments1 chemicals1 etc41 were strictly in accordance with the directions in ,daguerre's first book4 ,an ,english gentleman1 whose name at present escapes me1 obtained a copy of ,daguerre's book about the same time with myself4 ,he commenced experimenting also4 ,but an ,american of the name of ,walcott was very successful with a modification of ,daguerre's apparatus1 substituting a metallic reflector for the lens4 ,previous1 however1 to ,walcott's experiments1 or rather results1 my friend and colleague1 ,professor ,john ,w4 ,draper1 of the ,new ,york ,city ,university1 was very successful in his investigations1 and with him ,i was engaged for a time in attempting portraits4 ,in my intercourse with ,daguerre ,i specially conversed with him in regard to the practicability of taking portraits of living persons4 ,he expressed himself somewhat skeptical as to its practicability1 only in consequence of the time necessary for the person to remain immovable4 ,the time for taking an outdoor view was from fifteen to twenty minutes1 and this he considered too long a time for any one to remain sufficiently still for a successful result4 ,no sooner1 however1 had ,i mastered the process of ,daguerre than ,i commenced to experiment with a view to accomplish this desirable result4 ,i have now the results of these experiments taken in ,september1 or beginning of ,october1 #ahhi4 ,they are full-length portraits of my daughter1 single1 and also in group with some of her young friends4 ,they were taken out of doors1 on the roof of a building1 in the full sunlight and with the eyes closed4 ,the time was from ten to twenty minutes4 ,about the same time ,professor ,draper was successful in taking portraits1 though whether he or myself took the first portrait successfully1 ,i cannot say4 ,it was afterwards established that to ,professor ,draper must be accorded this honor1 but ,i understand that it was a question of hours only between the two enthusiasts4 ,soon after we commenced together to take portraits1 causing a glass building to be constructed for that purpose on the roof of the ,university4 ,as our experiments had caused us considerable expense1 we made a charge to those who sat for us to defray this expense4 ,professor ,draper's other duties calling him away from the experiments1 except as to their bearing on some philosophical investigations which he pursued with great ingenuity and success1 ,i was left to pursue the artistic results of the process1 as more in accordance with my profession4 ,my expenses had been great1 and for some time1 five or six months1 ,i pursued the taking of portraits by the ,daguerreotype as a means of reimbursing these expenses4 ,after this object had been attained1 ,i abandoned the practice to give my exclusive attention to the ,telegraph1 which required all my time4 ,before leaving the subject of the ,daguerreotype1 in which1 as ,i have shown1 ,morse was a pioneer in this country1 it will be interesting to note that he took the first group photograph of a college class4 ,this was of the surviving members of his own class of #ahaj1 who returned to ,new ,haven for their thirtieth reunion in #ahdj4 ,it was not until ,august of the year #ahci that definite news of the failure of the ,russian agreement was received1 and ,morse1 in a letter to ,smith1 of ,august #ab1 comments on this and on another serious blow to his hopes3-- ,i received yours of the #b;d inst41 and the paper accompanying it containing the notice of ,mr4 ,chamberlain4 ,i had previously been apprised that my forebodings were true in regard to his fate4444 ,our enterprise abroad is destined to give us anxiety1 if not to end in disappointment4 ,i have just received a letter from ,m4 ,amyot1 who was to have been my companion to ,russia1 and learn from him the unwelcome news that the ,emperor has decided against the ,telegraph4444 ,the ,emperor's objections are1 it seems1 that 'malevolence can easily interrupt the communication4' ,m4 ,amyot scouts the idea1 and writes that he refuted the objection to the satisfaction of the ,baron1 who1 indeed1 did not need the refutation for himself1 for the whole matter was fully discussed between us when in ,paris4 ,the ,baron1 ,i should judge from the tone of ,m4 ,amyot's letter1 was much disappointed1 yet1 as a faithful and obedient subject of one whose nay is nay1 he will be cautious in so expressing himself as to be self-committed4 ,thus1 my dear sir1 prospects abroad look dark4 ,i turn with some faint hope to my own country again4 ,will ,congress do anything1 or is my time and your generous zeal and pecuniary sacrifice to end only in disappointment8 ,if so1 ,i can bear it for myself1 but ,i feel it most keenly for those who have been engaged with me2 for you1 for the ,messrs4 ,vail and ,dr4 ,gale4 ,but ,i will yet hope4 ,i don't know that our enterprise looks darker than ,fulton's once appeared4 ,there is no intrinsic difficulty2 the depressing causes are extrinsic4 ,i hope to see you soon and talk over all our affairs4 ,mr4 ,smith1 in sending a copy of the above letter to ,mr4 ,prime1 thus explains the reference to ,mr4 ,chamberlain3-- ,the allusion made in the letter just given to the fate of ,mr4 ,chamberlain1 was another depressing disappointment which occurred to the ,professor contemporaneously with those of the ,russian contract4 ,before ,i left ,paris we had closed a contract with ,mr4 ,chamberlain to carry the telegraph to ,austria1 ,prussia1 the principal cities of ,greece and of ,egypt1 and put it upon exhibition with a view to its utilization there4 ,he was an ,american gentleman 7from ,vermont1 ,i think7 of large wealth1 of eminent business capacities1 of pleasing personal address and sustaining a character for strict integrity4 ,he parted with ,professor ,morse in ,paris to enter upon his expedition1 with high expectations of both pleasure and profit1 shortly after my own departure from ,paris in ,october1 #ahch4 ,he had subsequently apprised ,professor ,morse of very interesting exhibitions of the telegraph which he had made1 and under date of ,athens1 ,january #e1 #ahci1 wrote as follows3 ',we exhibited your telegraph to the learned of ,florence1 much to their gratification4 ,yesterday evening the ,king and ,queen of ,greece were highly delighted with its performance4 ,we have shown it also to the principal inhabitants of ,athens1 by all of whom it was much admired4 ,fame is all you will get for it in these poor countries4 ,we think of starting in a few days for ,alexandria1 and hope to get something worth having from ,mehemet ,ali4 ,it is1 however1 doubtful4 ,nations appear as poor as individuals1 and as unwilling to risk their money upon such matters4 ,i hope the ,french will avail themselves of the benefits you offer them4 ,it is truly strange that it is not grasped at with more avidity4 ,if ,i can do anything in ,egypt1 ,i will try ,turkey and ,st4 ,petersburg4' ,morse himself writes3 ,in another letter from ,mr4 ,chamberlain to ,mr4 ,levering1 dated ,syra1 ,january #i1 he says3 ',the pretty little ,queen of ,greece was delighted with ,morse's telegraph4 ,the string which carried the cannon-ball used for a weight broke1 and came near falling on ,her ,majesty's toes1 but happily missed1 and we1 perhaps1 escaped a prison4 ,my best respects to ,mr4 ,morse1 and say ,i shall ask ,mehemet ,ali for a purse1 a beauty from his seraglio1 and something else4' ,and ,morse concludes3 ,i will add that1 if he will bring me the purse just now1 ,i can dispense with the beauty and the something else4 ,tragedy too often treads on the heels of comedy1 and it is sad to have to relate that ,mr4 ,chamberlain and six other gentlemen were drowned while on an excursion of pleasure on the ,danube in ,july of #ahci4 ,that all these disappointments1 added to the necessity for making money in some way for his bare subsistence1 should have weighed on the inventor's spirits1 is hardly to be wondered at2 the wonder is rather that he did not sink under his manifold trials4 ,far from this1 however1 he only touches on his needs in the following letter to ,alfred ,vail1 written on ,november #ad1 #ahci3-- ,as to the ,telegraph1 ,i have been compelled from necessity to apply myself to those duties which yield immediate pecuniary relief4 ,i feel the pressure as well as others1 and1 having several pupils at the ,university1 ,i must attend to them4 ,nevertheless1 ,i shall hold myself ready in case of need to go to ,washington during the next session with it4 ,the one ,i was constructing is completed except the rotary batteries and the pen-and-ink apparatus1 which ,i shall soon find time to add if required4 ,mr4 ,smith expects me in ,portland1 but ,i have not the means to visit him4 ,the telegraph of ,wheatstone is going ahead in ,england1 even with all its complications2 so1 ,i presume1 is the one of ,steinheil in ,bavaria4 ,whether ours is to be adopted depends on the ,government or on a company1 and the times are not favorable for the formation of a company4 ,perhaps it is the part of wisdom to let the matter rest and watch for an opportunity when times look better1 and which ,i hope will be soon4 ,he gives freer vent to his disappointment in a letter to ,mr4 ,smith1 of ,november #bj1 #ahci3-- ,i feel the want of that sum which ,congress ought to have appropriated two years ago to enable me to compete with my ,european rivals4 ,wheatstone and ,steinheil have money for their projects2 the former by a company1 and the latter by the ,king of ,bavaria4 ,is there any national feeling with us on the subject8 ,i will not say there is not until after the next session of ,congress4 ,but1 if there is any cause for national exultation in being not merely first in the invention as to time1 but best too1 as decided by a foreign tribunal1 ought the inventor to be suffered to work with his hands tied8 ,is it honorable to the nation to boast of its inventors1 to contend for the credit of their inventions as national property1 and not lift a finger to assist them to perfect that of which they boast8 ,but ,i will not complain for myself4 ,i can bear it1 because ,i made up my mind from the very first for this issue1 the common fate of all inventors4 ,but ,i do not feel so agreeable in seeing those who have interested themselves in it1 especially yourself1 suffer also4 ,perhaps ,i look too much on the unfavorable side4 ,i often thus look1 not to discourage others or myself1 but to check those too sanguine expectations which1 with me1 would rise to an inordinate height unless thus reined in and disciplined4 ,shall you not be in ,new ,york soon8 ,i wish much to see you and to concoct plans for future operations4 ,i am at present much straitened in means1 or ,i should yet endeavor to see you in ,portland2 but ,i must yield to necessity and hope another season to be in different and more prosperous circumstances4 ,thus the inventor1 who had hoped so much from the energy and business acumen of his own countrymen1 found that the conditions at home differed not much from those which he had found so exasperating abroad4 ,praise in plenty for the beauty and simplicity of his invention1 but no money1 either public or private1 to enable him to put it to a practical test4 ,his associates had left him to battle alone for his interests and theirs4 ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith was in ,portland1 ,maine1 attending to his own affairs2 ,professor ,gale was in the ,south filling a professorship2 and ,alfred ,vail was in ,philadelphia4 ,no one of them1 as far as ,i can ascertain1 was doing anything to help in this critical period of the enterprise which was to benefit them all4 ,when credit is to be awarded to those who have accomplished something great1 many factors must be taken into consideration4 ,not only must the aspirant for undying fame in the field of invention1 for instance1 have discovered something new1 which1 when properly applied1 will benefit mankind1 but he must prove its practical value to a world constitutionally skeptical1 and he must persevere through trials and discouragements of every kind1 with a sublime faith in the ultimate success of his efforts1 until the fight be won4 ,otherwise1 if he retires beaten from the field of battle1 another will snatch up his sword and hew his way to victory4 ,it must never be forgotten that ,morse won his place in the ,hall of ,fame1 not only because of his invention of the simplest and best method of conveying intelligence by electricity1 but because he1 alone and unaided1 carried forward the enterprise when1 but for him1 it would have been allowed to fail4 ,with no thought of disparaging the others1 who can hardly be blamed for their loss of faith1 and who were of great assistance to him later on when the battle was nearly won1 ,i feel that it is only just to lay emphasis on this factor in the claim of ,morse to greatness4 ,it will not be necessary to record in detail the events of the year #ahdj4 ,the inventor1 always confident that success would eventually crown his efforts1 lived a life of privation and constant labor in the two fields of art and science4 ,he was still ,president of the ,national ,academy of ,design1 and in ,september he was elected an honorary member of the ,mercantile ,library ,association4 ,he strove to keep the wolf from the door by giving lessons in painting and by practising the new art of daguerreotypy1 and1 in the mean time1 he employed every spare moment in improving and still further simplifying his invention4 ,he heard occasionally from his associates4 ,the following sentences are from a letter of ,alfred ,vail's1 dated ,philadelphia1 ,january #ac1 #ahdj3-- ,friend ,s4,f4,b4 ,morse1 ,dear ,sir1 ,it is many a day since ,i last had the pleasure of seeing and conversing with you1 and1 if ,i am not mistaken1 it is as long since any communications have been exchanged4 ,however ,i trust it will not long be so4 ,when ,i last had the pleasure of seeing you it was when on my way to ,philadelphia1 at which time you had the kindness to show me specimens of the greatest discovery ever made1 with the exception of the ,electro-,magnetic ,telegraph4 ,by the by1 ,i have been thinking that it is time money in some way was made out of the ,telegraph1 and ,i am almost ready to order an instrument made1 and to make the proposition to you to exhibit it here4 ,what do you think of the plan8 ,if ,mr4 ,prosch will make me a first-rate1 most perfect machine1 and as speedily as possible1 and will wait six or nine months for his pay1 you may order one for me4 ,morse's reply to this letter has not been preserved1 but he probably agreed to ,vail's proposition1--anything honorable to keep the telegraph in the public eye1--for1 as we shall see1 in a later letter he refers to the machines which ,prosch was to make4 ,before quoting from that letter1 however1 ,i shall give the following sentences from one to ,baron ,meyendorff1 of ,march #ah1 #ahdj3 ,i have1 since ,i returned to the ,united ,states1 made several important improvements1 which ,i regret my limited time will not permit me to describe or send you4444 ,i have so changed the form of the apparatus1 and condensed it into so small a compass1 that you would scarcely know it for the same instrument which you saw in ,paris4 ,this and many other allusions1 in the correspondence of those years1 to ,morse's work in simplifying and perfecting his invention1 some of which ,i have already noted1 answer conclusively the claims of those who have said that all improvements were the work of other brains and hands4 ,on ,september #g1 #ahdj1 he writes again to ,vail3-- ,your letter of #bhth ult4 was received several days ago1 but ,i have not had a moment's time to give you a word in return4 ,i am tied hand and foot during the day endeavoring to realize something from the ,daguerreotype portraits4444 ,as to the ,telegraph1 ,i know not what to say4 ,the delay in finishing the apparatus on the part of ,prosch is exceedingly tantalizing and vexatious4 ,he was to have finished them more than six months ago1 and ,i have borne with his procrastination until ,i utterly despair of their being completed4444 ,i suppose something might be done in ,washington next session if ,i1 or some of you1 could go on1 but ,i have expended so much time in vain1 there and in ,europe1 that ,i feel almost discouraged from pressing it any further2 only1 however1 from want of funds4 ,i have none myself1 and ,i dislike to ask it of the rest of you4 ,you are all so scattered that there is no consultation1 and ,i am under the necessity of attending to duties which will give me the means of living4 ,the reason of its not being in operation is not the fault of the invention1 nor is it my neglect4 ,my faith is not only unshaken in its eventual adoption throughout the world1 but it is confirmed by every new discovery in the science of electricity4 ,while the future looked dark and the present was darker still1 ,morse maintained a cheerful exterior1 and was still able to write to his friends in a light and airy vein4 ,the following letter1 dated ,september #cj1 #ahdj1 was to a ,mr4 ,levering in ,paris3-- ,some time since 7,i believe nearly a year ago7 ,i wrote you to procure for me two lenses and some plates for the ,daguerreotype process1 but have never heard from you nor had any intimation that my letter was ever received4 ,after waiting some months1 ,i procured both lenses and plates here4 ,now1 if ,i knew how to scold at you1 wouldn't ,i scold4 ,well1 ,i recollect a story of a captain who was overloaded by a great many ladies of his acquaintance with orders to procure them various articles in ,india1 just as he was about to sail thither1 all which he promised to fulfill4 ,but1 on his return1 when they flocked round him for their various articles1 to their surprise he had only answered the order of one of them4 ,upon their expressing their disappointment he addressed them thus3 ',ladies1' said he1 ',i have to inform you of a most unlucky accident that occurred to your orders4 ,i was not unmindful of them1 ,i assure you2 so one fine day ,i took your orders all out of my pocketbook and arranged them on the top of the companionway1 but1 just as they were all arranged1 a sudden gust of wind took them all overboard4' ',aye1 a very good excuse1' they exclaimed4 ',how happens it that ,mrs4 ----'s did not go overboard1 too8' ',oh6' said the captain1 ',mrs4 ---- had fortunately enclosed in her order some dozen doubloons which kept the wind from blowing hers away with the rest4' ,now1 friend ,lovering1 ,i have no idea of having my new order blown overboard1 so ,i herewith send by the hands of my young friend and pupil1 ,mr4 ,r4 ,hubbard1 whom ,i also commend to your kind notice1 ten golden half-eagles to keep my order down4 ,,chapter ,,xxviii ,,june #bj1 #ahdj--;,,august #ab1 #ahdb ,first patent issued4--,proposal of ,cooke and ,wheatstone to join forces rejected4--,letter to ,rev4 ,e4,s4 ,salisbury4--,money advanced by brother artists repaid4--,poverty4--,reminiscences of ,general ,strother1 ,porte ,crayon4--,other reminiscences4--,inaction in ,congress4--,flattering letter of ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith4--,letter to ,smith urging action4--,gonon and ,wheatstone4-- ,temptation to abandon enterprise4--,partners all financially crippled4-- ,morse alone doing any work4--,encouraging letter from ,professor ,henry4-- ,renewed enthusiasm4--,letter to ,hon4 ,w4,w4 ,boardman urging appropriation of #cejj by ,congress4--,not even considered4--,despair of inventor4 ,it is only necessary to remember that the year #ahdj1 and the years immediately preceding and following it1 were seasons of great financial depression1 and that in #ahdj the political unrest1 which always precedes a presidential election1 was greatly intensified1 to realize why but little encouragement was given to an enterprise so fantastic as that of an electric telegraph4 ,capitalists were disinclined to embark on new and untried ventures1 and the members of ,congress were too much absorbed in the political game to give heed to the pleadings of a mad inventor4 ,the election of ,harrison1 followed by his untimely death only a month after his inauguration and the elevation of ,tyler to the ,presidency1 prolonged the period of political uncertainty1 so that ,morse and his telegraph received but scant attention on ,capitol ,hill4 ,however1 the year #ahdj marked some progress1 for on the #bjth of ,june the first patent was issued to ,morse4 ,it may be remembered that1 while his caveat and petition were filed in #ahcg1 he had requested that action on them be deferred until after his return from ,europe4 ,he had also during the year been gradually perfecting his invention as time and means permitted4 ,it was during the year #ahdj1 too1 that ,messrs4 ,wheatstone and ,cooke proposed to join forces with the ,morse patentees in ,america1 but this proposition was rejected1 although ,morse seems to have been almost tempted1 for in a letter to ,smith he says3-- ,i send you copies of two letters just received from ,england4 ,what shall ,i say in answer8 ,can we make any arrangements with them8 ,need we do it8 ,does not our patent secure us against foreign interference1 or are we to be defeated1 not only in ,england but in our own country1 by the subsequent inventions of ,wheatstone8 ,i feel my hands tied2 ,i know not what to say4 ,do advise immediately so that ,i can send by the ,british ,queen1 which sails on the first prox4 ,fortunately ,smith advised against a combination1 and the matter was dropped4 ,it will not be necessary to dwell at length on the events of the year #ahda4 ,the situation and aims of the inventor are best summed up in a beautiful and characteristic letter1 written on ,february #ad of that year1 to his cousin1 the ,reverend ,edward ,s4 ,salisbury3-- ,your letter containing a draft for three hundred dollars ,i have received1 for which accept my sincere thanks4 ,i have hesitated about receiving it because ,i had begun to despair of ever being able to touch the pencil again4 ,the blow ,i received from ,congress1 when the decision was made concerning the pictures for the ,rotunda1 has seriously and vitally affected my enthusiasm in my art4 ,when that event was announced to me ,i was tempted to yield up all in despair1 but ,i roused myself to resist the temptation1 and1 determining still to fix my mind upon the work1 cast about for the means of accomplishing it in such ways as my ,heavenly ,father should make plain4 ,my telegraphic enterprise was one of those means4 ,induced to prosecute it by the ,secretary of the ,treasury1 and encouraged by success in every part of its progress1 urged forward to complete it by the advice of the most judicious friends1 ,i have carried the invention on my part to perfection4 ,that is to say1 so far as the invention itself is concerned4 ,i have done my part4 ,it is approved in the highest quarters--in ,england1 ,france1 and at home--by scientific societies and by governments1 and waits only the action of the latter1 or of capitalists1 to carry it into operation4 ,thus after several years' expenditure of time and money in the expectation 7of my friends1 never of my own except as ,i yielded my own judgment to theirs7 of so much at least as to leave me free to pursue my art again1 ,i am left1 humanly speaking1 farther from my object than ever4 ,i am reminded1 too1 that my prime is past2 the snows are on my temples1 the half-century of years will this year be marked against me2 my eyes begin to fail1 and what can ,i now expect to do with declining powers and habits in my art broken up by repeated disappointments8 ,that prize which1 through the best part of my life1 animated me to sacrifice all that most men consider precious--prospects of wealth1 domestic enjoyments1 and1 not least1 the enjoyment of country--was snatched from me at the moment when it appeared to be mine beyond a doubt4 ,i do not state these things to you1 my dear cousin1 in the spirit of complaint of the dealings of ,god's ,providence1 for ,i am perfectly satisfied that1 mysterious as it may seem to me1 it has all been ordered in its minutest particulars in infinite wisdom1 so satisfied that ,i can truly say ,i rejoice in the midst of all these trials1 and in view of my ,heavenly ,father's hand guiding all1 ,i have a joy of spirit which ,i can only express by the word 'singing4' ,it is not in man to direct his steps4 ,i know ,i am so short-sighted that ,i dare not trust myself in the very next step2 how then could ,i presume to plan for my whole life1 and expect that my own wisdom had guided me into that way best for me and the universe of ,god's creatures8 ,i have not painted a picture since that decision in ,congress1 and ,i presume that the mechanical skill ,i once possessed in the art has suffered by the unavoidable neglect4 ,i may possibly recover this skill1 and if anything will tend to this end1 if anything can tune again an instrument so long unstrung1 it is the kindness and liberality of my ,cousin ,edward4 ,i would wish1 therefore1 the matter put on this ground that my mind may be at ease4 ,i am at present engaged in taking portraits by the ,daguerreotype4 ,i have been at considerable expense in perfecting apparatus and the necessary fixtures1 and am just reaping a little profit from it4 ,my ultimate aim is the application of the ,daguerreotype to accumulate for my studio models for my canvas4 ,its first application will be to the study of your picture4 ,yet if any accident1 any unforeseen circumstances should prevent1 ,i have made arrangements with my brother ,sidney to hold the sum you have advanced subject to your order4 ,on these conditions ,i accept it1 and will yet indulge the hope of giving you a picture acceptable to you4 ,the picture was never painted1 for the discouraged artist found neither time nor inclination ever to pick up his brush again2 but we may be sure that the money1 so generously advanced by his cousin1 was repaid4 ,it was in the year #ahda also that1 in spite of the difficulty he found in earning enough to keep him from actual starvation1 he began to pay back the sums which had been advanced to him by his friends for the painting of a historical picture1 which should1 in a measure1 atone to him for the undeserved slight of ,congress4 ,in a circular addressed to each of the subscribers he gives the history of the matter and explains why he had hoped that the telegraph would supply him with the means to paint the picture1 and then he adds3-- ,i have1 as yet1 not realized one cent1 and thus ,i find myself farther from my object than ever4 ,upon deliberately considering the matter the last winter and spring1 ,i came to the determination1 in the first place1 to free myself from the pecuniary obligation under which ,i had so long lain to my friends of the ,association1 and ,i commenced a system of economy and retrenchment by which ,i hoped gradually to amass the necessary sum for that purpose1 which sum1 it will be seen1 amounts in the aggregate to #eaj4 ,three hundred dollars of this sum ,i had already laid aside1 when an article in the ,new ,york ',mirror1' of the #afth ,october1 determined me at once to commence the refunding of the sums received4 ,what the substance of the article in the ,mirror was1 ,i do not know1 but it was probably one of those scurrilous and defamatory attacks1 from many of which he suffered in common with other persons of prominence1 and which was called forth1 perhaps1 by his activity in the politics of the day4 ,that ,i have not exaggerated in saying that he was almost on the verge of starvation during these dark years is evidenced by the following word picture from the pen of ,general ,strother1 of ,virginia1 known in the world of literature under the pen name of ,porte ,crayon3-- ,i engaged to become ,morse's pupil1 and subsequently went to ,new ,york and found him in a room in ,university ,place4 ,he had three other pupils1 and ,i soon found that our professor had very little patronage4 ,i paid my fifty dollars that settled for one quarter's instruction4 ,morse was a faithful teacher1 and took as much interest in our progress--more indeed than--we did ourselves4 ,but he was very poor4 ,i remember that when my second quarter's pay was due my remittance from home did not come as expected1 and one day the professor came in and said1 courteously3-- ',well1 ,strother my boy1 how are we off for money8' ',why1 ,professor1' ,i answered1 ',i am sorry to say ,i have been disappointed2 but ,i expect a remittance next week4' ',next week6' he repeated sadly4 ',i shall be dead by that time4' ',dead1 ,sir8' ',yes1 dead by starvation4' ,i was distressed and astonished4 ,i said hurriedly3-- ',would ten dollars be of any service8' ',ten dollars would save my life2 that is all it would do4' ,i paid the money1 all that ,i had1 and we dined together4 ,it was a modest meal but good1 and1 after he had finished1 he said3-- ',this is my first meal for twenty-four hours4 ,strother1 don't be an artist4 ,it means beggary4 ,your life depends upon people who know nothing of your art and care nothing for you4 ,a house-dog lives better1 and the very sensitiveness that stimulates an artist to work keeps him alive to suffering4' ,another artist describes the conditions in #ahda in the following words3-- ,in the spring of #ahdaa was searching for a studio in which to set up my easel4 ,my 'house-hunting' ended at the ,new ,york ,university1 where ,i found what ,i wanted in one of the turrets of that stately edifice4 ,when ,i had fixed my choice1 the janitor1 who accompanied me in my examination of the rooms1 threw open a door on the opposite side of the hall and invited me to enter4 ,i found myself in what was evidently an artist's studio1 but every object in it bore indubitable signs of unthrift and neglect4 ,the statuettes1 busts1 and models of various kinds were covered with dust and cobwebs2 dusty canvases were faced to the wall1 and stumps of brushes and scraps of paper littered the floor4 ,the only signs of industry consisted of a few masterly crayon drawings1 and little luscious studies of color pinned to the wall4 ',you will have an artist for a neighbor1' said the janitor1 'though he is not here much of late2 he seems to be getting rather shiftless2 he is wasting his time over some silly invention1 a machine by which he expects to send messages from one place to another4 ,he is a very good painter1 and might do well if he would only stick to his business2 but1 ,lord6' he added with a sneer of contempt1 'the idea of telling by a little streak of lightning what a body is saying at the other end of it4' ,judge of my astonishment when he informed me that the 'shiftless individual' whose foolish waste of time so much excited his commiseration1 was none other than the ,president of the ,national ,academy of ,design--the most exalted position1 in my youthful artistic fancy1 it was possible for mortal to attain--,s4,f4,b4 ,morse1 since better known as the inventor of the ,electric ,telegraph4 ,but a little while after this his fame was flashing through the world1 and the unbelievers who voted him insane were forced to confess that there was1 at least1 'method in his madness4' ,the spring and summer of #ahda wore away and nothing was accomplished4 ,on ,august #af ,morse writes to ,smith3-- ,our ,telegraph matters are in a situation to do none of us any good1 unless some understanding can be entered into among the proprietors4 ,i have recently received a letter from ,mr4 ,isaac ,n4 ,coffin1 from ,washington1 with a commendatory letter from ,hon4 ,r4 ,mc,clellan1 of the ,house4 ,mr4 ,coffin proposes to take upon himself the labor of urging through the two houses the bill relating to my ,telegraph1 which you know has long been before ,congress4 ,he will press it and let his compensation depend on his success4 ,this ,mr4 ,coffin wrote many long letters telling1 in vivid language1 of the great difficulties which beset the passage of a bill through both houses of ,congress1 and of how skilled he was in all the diplomatic moves necessary to success1 and finally1 after a long delay1 occasioned by the difficulty of getting powers of attorney from all the proprietors1 he was authorized to go ahead4 ,the sanguine inventor hoped much from this unsolicited offer of assistance1 but he was again doomed to disappointment1 for ,mr4 ,coffin's glowing promises amounted to nothing at all1 and the session of #ahda-db ended with no action taken on the bill4 ,in view of the fact1 alluded to in a former chapter1 that ,francis ,o4,j4 ,smith later became a bitter enemy of ,morse's1 and was responsible for many of the virulent attacks upon him1 going so far as to say that most1 if not all1 of the essentials of the telegraph had been invented by others1 it may be well to quote the following sentences from a letter of ,august #ba1 #ahda1 in reply to ,morse's of ,august #af3-- ,i shall be in ,washington more next winter1 and will lend all aid in my power1 of course1 to any agent we may have there4 ,my expenditures in the affair1 as you know1 have been large and liberal1 and have somewhat embarrassed me4 ,hence ,i cannot incur more outlay4 ,i am1 however1 extremely solicitous for the double purpose of having you witness with your own eyes and in your own lifetime the consummation in actual1 practical1 national utility of this beautiful and wonderful offspring of your mechanical and philosophical genius1 and know that you have not overestimated the service you have been ambitious of rendering to your country and the world4 ,on ,december #h1 #ahda1 ,morse again urges ,smith to action3-- ,indeed1 my dear sir1 something ought to be done to carry forward this enterprise that we may all receive what ,i think we all deserve4 ,the whole labor and expense of moving at all devolve on me1 and ,i have nothing in the world4 ,completely crippled in means ,i have scarcely 7indeed1 ,i have not at all7 the means even to pay the postage of letters on the subject4 ,i feel it most tantalizing to find that there is a movement in ,washington on the subject2 to know that telegraphs will be before ,congress this session1 and from the means possessed by ,gonon and ,wheatstone66 7yes1 ,wheatstone who successfully headed us off in ,england71 one or the other of their two plans will probably be adopted4 ,wheatstone1 ,i suppose you know1 has a patent here1 and has expended #ajjj to get everything prepared for a campaign to carry his project into operation1 and more than that1 his patent is dated before mine6 ,my dear sir1 to speak as ,i feel1 ,i am sick at heart to perceive how easily others1 foreigners1 can manage our ,congress1 and can contrive to cheat our country out of the honor of a discovery of which the country boasts1 and our countrymen out of the profits which are our due2 to perceive how easily they can find men and means to help them in their plans1 and how difficult1 nay1 impossible1 for us to find either4 ,is it really so1 or am ,i deceived8 ,what can be done8 ,do write immediately and propose something4 ,will you not be in ,washington this winter8 ,will you not call on me as you pass through ,new ,york1 if you do go8 ,gonon has his telegraph on the ,capitol1 and a committee of the ,senate reported in favor of trying his for a short distance1 and will pass a bill this session if we are not doing something4 ,some means1 somehow1 must be raised4 ,i have been compelled to stop my machine just at the moment of completion4 ,i cannot move a step without running in debt1 and that ,i cannot do4 ,as to the company that was thought of to carry the ,telegraph into operation here1 it is another of those ignes fatui that have just led me on to waste a little more time1 money1 and patience1 and then vanished4 ,the gentleman who proposed the matter was1 doubtless1 friendly disposed1 but he lacks judgment and perseverance in a matter of this sort4 ,if ,congress would but pass the bill of #cj1jjj before them1 there would be no difficulty4 ,there is no difficulty in the scientific or mechanical part of the matter2 that is a problem solved4 ,the only difficulty that remains is obtaining funds1 which ,congress can furnish1 to carry it into execution4 ,i have a great deal to say1 but must stop for want of time to write more4 ,but he does not stop4 ,he is so full of his subject that he continues at some length3-- ,everything done by me in regard to the ,telegraph is at arm's length4 ,i can do nothing without consultation1 and when ,i wish to consult on the most trivial thing ,i have three letters to write1 and a week or ten days to wait before ,i can receive an answer4 ,i feel at times almost ready to cast the whole matter to the winds1 and turn my attention forever from the subject4 ,indeed1 ,i feel almost inclined1 at tunes1 to destroy the evidences of priority of invention in my possession and let ,wheatstone and ,england take the credit of it4 ,for it is tantalizing in the highest degree to find the papers and the lecturers boasting of the invention as one of the greatest of the age1 and as an honor to ,america1 and yet to have the nation by its representatives leave the inventor without the means either to put his invention fairly before his countrymen1 or to defend himself against foreign attack4 ,if ,i had the means in any way of support in ,washington this winter1 ,i would go on in the middle of ,january and push the matter1 but ,i cannot run the risk4 ,i would write a detailed history of the invention1 which would be an interesting document to have printed in the ,congressional documents1 and establish beyond contradiction both priority and superiority of my invention4 ,has not the ,postmaster-,general1 or ,secretary of ,war or ,treasury1 the power to pay a few hundred dollars from a contingent fund for such purposes8 ,whatever becomes of the invention through the neglect of those who could but would not lend a helping hand1 you1 my dear sir1 will have the reflection that you did all in your power to aid me1 and ,i am deterred from giving up the matter as desperate most of all for the consideration that those who kindly lent their aid when the invention was in its infancy would suffer1 and that1 therefore1 ,i should not be dealing right by them4 ,if this is a little blue1 forgive it4 ,it appears from this letter that ,morse bore no ill-will towards his partners for not coming to his assistance at this critical stage of the enterprise1 so that it behooves us not to be too harsh in our judgment4 ,perhaps ,i have not sufficiently emphasized the fact that1 owing to the great financial depression which prevailed at that time1 ,mr4 ,smith and the ,vails were seriously crippled in their means1 and were not able to advance any more money1 and ,professor ,gale had never been called upon to contribute money4 ,this does not alter my main contention1 however1 for it still remains true that1 if it had not been for ,morse's dogged persistence during these dark years1 the enterprise would1 in all probability1 have failed4 ,with the others it was merely an incident1 with him it had become his whole life4 ,the same refrain runs through all the letters of #ahda and #ahdb2 discouragement at the slow progress which is being made1 and yet a sincere conviction that eventually the cause will triumph4 ,on ,december #ac1 #ahda1 he says in a letter to ,vail3-- ,we are all somewhat crippled1 and ,i most of all1 being obliged to superintend the getting up of a set of machinery complete1 and to make the greater part myself1 and without a cent of money4444 ,all the burden now rests on my shoulders after years of time devoted to the enterprise1 and ,i am willing1 as far as ,i am able1 to bear my share if the other proprietors will lend a helping hand1 and give me facilities to act and a reasonable recompense for my services in case of success4 ,vail1 replying to this letter on ,december #ae1 says3 ,i have recently given considerable thought to the subject of the ,telegraph1 and was intending to get permission of you1 if there is anything to the contrary in our articles of agreement1 to build for myself and my private use a ,telegraph upon your plan4 ,in answering this letter1 on ,december #ah1 ,morse again urges ,vail to give him a power of attorney1 and adds3-- ,you can see in a moment that1 if ,i have to write to all the scattered proprietors of the ,telegraph every time any movement is made1 what a burden falls upon me both of expense of time and money which ,i cannot afford4 ,in acting for my own interest in this matter ,i1 of course1 act for the interest of all4 ,if we can get that thirty thousand dollars bill through ,congress1 the experiment 7if it can any longer be called such7 can then be tried on such a scale as to insure its success4 ,you ask permission to make a ,telegraph for your own use4 ,i have no objection1 but1 before you commence one1 you had better see me and the improvements which ,i have made1 and ,i can suggest a few more1 rather of an ornamental character1 and some economical arrangements which may be of use to you4 ,i thank you for your kind invitation1 and1 when ,i come to ,philadelphia1 shall ,a4 ,vail myself of your politeness4 ,i suppose by this time you have a brood of chickens around you4 ,well1 go on and prosper4 ,as for me1 ,i am not well2 am much depressed at times1 and have many cares1 anxieties1 and disappointments1 in which ,i am aware ,i am not alone4 ,but all will work for the best if we only look through the cloud and see a kind ,parent directing all4 ,this reflection alone cheers me and gives me renewed strength4 ,conditions remained practically unchanged during the early part of the year #ahdb4 ,if it had not been for occasional bits of encouragement from different quarters the inventor would probably have yielded to the temptation to abandon all and depend on his brush again for a living4 ,perhaps the ray of greatest encouragement which lightened the gloom of this depressing period was the following letter from ,professor ,henry1 dated ,february #bd1 #ahdb3-- ,,my ,,dear ,,sir--,i am pleased to learn that you have again petitioned ,congress in reference to your telegraph1 and ,i most sincerely hope you will succeed in convincing our representatives of the importance of the invention4 ,in this you may1 perhaps1 find some difficulty1 since1 in the minds of many1 the electro-magnetic telegraph is associated with the various chimerical projects constantly presented to the public1 and particularly with the schemes so popular a year or two ago for the application of electricity as a moving power in the arts4 ,i have asserted1 from the first1 that all attempts of this kind are premature and made without a proper knowledge of scientific principles4 ,the case is1 however1 entirely different in regard to the electro-magnetic telegraph4 ,science is now fully ripe for this application1 and ,i have not the least doubt1 if proper means be afforded1 of the perfect success of the invention4 ,the idea of transmitting intelligence to a distance by means of electrical action1 has been suggested by various persons1 from the time of ,franklin to the present2 but1 until the last few years1 or since the principal discoveries in electro-magnetism1 all attempts to reduce it to practice were1 necessarily1 unsuccessful4 ,the mere suggestion however1 of a scheme of this kind is a matter for which little credit can be claimed1 since it is one which would naturally arise in the mind of almost any person familiar with the phenomena of electricity2 but the bringing it forward at the proper moment1 when the developments of science are able to furnish the means of certain success1 and the devising a plan for carrying it into practical operation1 are the grounds of a just claim to scientific reputation1 as well as to public patronage4 ,about the same time with yourself ,professor ,wheatstone1 of ,london1 and ,dr4 ,steinheil1 of ,germany1 proposed plans of the electro-magnetic telegraph1 but these differ as much from yours as the nature of the common principle would well permit2 and1 unless some essential improvements have lately been made in these ,european plans1 ,i should 'prefer the one invented by yourself4 ,with my best wishes for your success ,i remain1 with much esteem ,yours truly ,,joseph ,,henry4 ,i consider this one of the most important bits of contemporary evidence that has come down to us4 ,professor ,henry1 perfectly conversant with1 all the minutiae of science and invention1 practically gives to ,morse all the credit which the inventor himself at any time claimed4 ,he dismisses the claims of those who merely suggested a telegraph1 or even made unsuccessful attempts to reduce one to practice1 unsuccessful because the time was not yet ripe2 and he awards ,morse scientific as well as popular reputation4 ,furthermore ,professor ,henry1 with the clear vision of a trained mind1 points out that advances in discovery and invention are necessarily slow and dependent upon the labors of many in the same field4 ,his cordial endorsement of the invention1 in this letter and later1 so pleased and encouraged ,morse that he refers to it several times in his correspondence4 ,to ,mr4 ,smith1 on ,july #af1 #ahdb1 he writes3-- ,professor ,henry visited me a day or two ago2 he knew the principles of the ,telegraph1 but had never before seen it4 ,he told a gentleman1 who mentioned it again to me1 that without exception it was the most beautiful and ingenious instrument he had ever seen4 ,he says mine is the only truly practicable plan4 ,he has been experimenting and making discoveries on celestial electricity1 and he says that ,wheatstone's and ,steinheil's telegraphs must be so influenced in a highly electrical state of the atmosphere as at times to be useless1 they using the deflection of the needle1 while mine1 from the use of the magnet1 is not subject to this disturbing influence4 ,i believe1 if the truth were known1 some such cause is operating to prevent our hearing more of these telegraphs4 ,in this same letter he tells of the application of a certain ,mr4 ,john ,p4 ,manrow for permission to form a company1 but1 as nothing came of it1 it will not be necessary to particularize4 ,mr4 ,manrow1 however1 was a successful contractor on the ,new ,york and ,erie ,railroad1 and it was a most encouraging sign to have practical business men begin to take notice of the invention4 ,so cheered was the ever-hopeful inventor by the praise of ,professor ,henry1 that he redoubled his efforts to get the matter properly before ,congress2 and in this he worked alone1 for1 in the letter to ,smith just quoted from1 he says3 ,i have not heard a word from ,mr4 ,coffin at ,washington since ,i saw you4 ,i presume he has abandoned the idea of doing anything on the terms we proposed1 and so has given it up4 ,well1 so be it2 ,i am content4 ,taking advantage of the fact that he was personally acquainted with many members of ,congress1 he wrote to several of them on the subject4 ,in some of the letters he treats exhaustively of the history and scientific principles of his telegraph1 but ,i have selected the following1 addressed to the ,honorable ,w4,w4 ,boardman1 as containing the most essential facts in the most concise form3-- ,august #aj1 #ahdb4 ,my ,dear ,sir1--,i enclose you a copy of the ,tribune in which you will see a notice of my ,telegraph4 ,i have showed its operation to a few friends occasionally within a few weeks1 among others to ,professor ,henry1 of ,princeton 7a copy of whose letter to me on this subject ,i sent you some time since74 ,he had never seen it in operation1 but had only learned from description the principle on which it is founded4 ,he is not of an enthusiastic temperament1 but exceedingly cautious in giving an opinion on scientific inventions1 yet in this case he expressed himself in the warmest terms1 and told my friend ,dr4 ,chilton 7who informed me of it7 that he had just been witnessing the operation of the most beautiful and ingenious instrument he had ever seen4 ,indeed1 since ,i last wrote you1 ,i have been wholly occupied in perfecting its details and making myself familiar with the whole system4 ,there is not a shadow of a doubt as to its performing all that ,i have promised in regard to it1 and1 indeed1 all that has been conceived of it4 ,few can understand the obstacles arising from want of pecuniary means that ,i have had to encounter the past winter4 ,to avoid debt 7which ,i will never incur7 ,i have been compelled to make with my own hands a great part of my machinery1 but at an expense of time of very serious consideration to me4 ,i have executed in six months what a good machinist1 if ,i had the means to employ him1 would have performed in as many weeks1 and performed much better4 ,i had hoped to be able to show my perfected instrument in ,washington long before this1 and was 7until this morning7 contemplating its transportation thither next week4 ,the news1 just arrived1 of the proposed adjournment of ,congress has stopped my preparations1 and interposes1 ,i fear1 another year of anxious suspense4 ,now1 my dear sir1 as your time is precious1 ,i will state in few words what ,i desire4 ,the ,government will eventually1 without doubt1 become possessed of this invention1 for it will be necessary from many considerations2 not merely as a direct advantage to the ,government and public at large if regulated by the ,government1 but as a preventive of the evil effects which must result if it be a monopoly of a company4 ,to this latter mode of remunerating myself ,i shall be compelled to resort if the ,government should not eventually act upon it4 ,you were so good as to call the attention of the ,house to the subject by a resolution of inquiry early in the session4 ,i wrote you some time after requesting a stay of action on the part of the committee1 in the hope that1 long before this1 ,i could show them the ,telegraph in ,washington2 but1 just as ,i am ready1 ,i find that ,congress will adjourn before ,i can reach ,washington and put the instrument in order for their inspection4 ,will it be possible1 before ,congress rises1 to appropriate a small sum1 say #cejj1 under the direction of the ,secretary of the ,treasury1 to put my ,telegraph in operation for the inspection of ,congress the next session8 ,if ,congress will grant this sum1 ,i will engage to have a complete ,telegraph on my ,electro-,magnetic plan between the ,president's house1 or one of the ,departments1 and the ,capitol and the ,navy ,yard1 so that instantaneous communication can be held between these three points at pleasure1 at any time of day or night1 at any season1 in clear or rainy weather1 and ready for their examination during the next session of ,congress1 so that the whole subject may be fairly understood4 ,i believe that1 did the great majority of ,congress but consider seriously the results of this invention of the ,electric ,telegraph on all the interests of society2 did they suffer themselves to dwell but for a moment on the vast consequences of the instantaneous communication of intelligence from one part to the other of the land in a commercial point of view1 and as facilitating the defenses of the country1 which my invention renders certain2 they would not hesitate to pass all the acts necessary to secure its control to the ,government4 ,i ask not this until they have thoroughly examined its merits1 but will they not assist me in placing the matter fairly before them8 ,surely so small a sum to the ,government for so great an object cannot reasonably be denied4 ,i hardly know in what form this request of mine should be made4 ,should it be by petition to ,congress1 or will this letter handed in to the committee be sufficient8 ,if a petition is required1 for form's sake1 to be referred to the committee to report1 shall ,i ask the favor of you to make such petition in proper form8 ,you know1 my dear sir1 just what ,i wish1 and ,i know1 from the kind and friendly feeling you have shown toward my invention1 ,i may count on your aid4 ,if1 on your return1 you stop a day or two in ,new ,york1 ,i shall be glad to show you the operation of the ,telegraph as it is4 ,this modest request of the inventor was doomed1 like so many of his hopes1 to be shattered1 as we learn from the courteous reply of ,mr4 ,boardman1 dated ,august #ab3-- ,,dear ,,sir1--,yours of the #ajth is received4 ,i had already seen the notice of your ,telegraph in the ,tribune1 and was prepared for such a report4 ,this is not the time to commence any new project before ,congress4 ,we are1 ,i trust1 within ten days of adjournment4 ,there is no prospect of a tariff at this session1 and1 as that matter appears settled1 the sooner ,congress adjourns the better4 ,the subject of your ,telegraph was some months ago1 as you know1 referred to the ,committee on ,commerce1 and by that committee it was referred to ,mr4 ,ferris1 one of the members of that committee1 from the city of ,new ,york1 and who1 by-the-way1 is now at home in the city and will be glad to see you on the subject4 ,i cannot give you his address1 but you can easily find him4 ,the ,treasury and the ,government are both bankrupt1 and that foolish ,tyler has vetoed the tariff bill2 the ,house is in bad humor and nothing of the kind you propose could be done4 ,the only chance would be for the ,committee on ,commerce to report such a plan1 but there would be little or no chance of getting such an appropriation through this session4 ,i have much faith in your plan1 and hope you will continue to push it toward ,congress4 ,this was almost the last straw1 and it is not strange that the long-suffering inventor should have been on the point of giving up in despair1 nor that he should have given vent to his despondency in the following letter to ,smith3-- ,while1 so far as the invention itself is concerned1 everything is favorable1 ,i find myself without sympathy or help from any who are associated with me1 whose interest1 one would think1 would impel them at least to inquire if they could render some assistance4 ,for two years past ,i have devoted all my time and scanty means1 living on a mere pittance1 denying myself all pleasures and even necessary food1 that ,i might have a sum to put my ,telegraph into such a position before ,congress as to insure success to the common enterprise4 ,i am1 crushed for want of means1 and means of so trivial a character1 too1 that they who know how to ask 7which ,i do not7 could obtain in a few hours4 ,one more year has gone for want of these means4 ,i have now ascertained that1 however unpromising were the times last session1 if ,i could but have gone to ,washington1 ,i could have got some aid to enable me to insure success at the next session4 ,the other projects for telegraphs must have been abandoned1 for he goes on to say3-- ,as it is1 although everything is favorable1 although ,i have no competition and no opposition--on the contrary1 although every member of ,congress1 as far as ,i can learn1 is favorable--yet ,i fear all will fail because ,i am too poor to risk the trifling expense which my journey and residence in ,washington will occasion me4 ,i will not run in debt if ,i lose the whole matter4 ,so1 unless ,i have the means from some source1 ,i shall be compelled1 however reluctantly1 to leave it1 and1 if ,i get once engaged in my proper profession again1 the ,telegraph and its proprietors will urge me from it in vain4 ,no one can tell the days and months of anxiety and labor ,i have had in perfecting my telegraphic apparatus4 ,for want of means ,i have been compelled to make with my own hands 7and to labor for weeks7 a piece of mechanism which could be made much better1 and in a tenth part of the time1 by a good mechanician1 thus wasting time--time which ,i cannot recall and which seems double-winged to me4 ',hope deferred maketh the heart sick4' ,it is true and ,i have known the full meaning of it4 ,nothing but the consciousness that ,i have an invention which is to mark an era in human civilization1 and which is to contribute to the happiness of millions1 would have sustained me through so many and such lengthened trials of patience in perfecting it4 ,,chapter ,,xxix ,,july #af4 #ahdb--,,march #bf1 #ahdc ,continued discouragements4--,working on improvements4--,first submarine cable from ,battery to ,governor's ,island4--,the ,vails refuse to give financial assistance4--,goes to ,washington4--,experiments conducted at the ,capitol4--,first to discover duplex and wireless telegraphy4--,dr4 ,fisher4 --,friends in ,congress4--,finds his statuette of ,dying ,hercules in basement of ,capitol4--,alternately hopes and despairs of bill passing ,congress4-- ,bill favorably reported from committee4--,clouds breaking4--,ridicule in ,congress4--,bill passes ,house by narrow majority4--,long delay in ,senate4-- ,last day of session4--,despair4--,bill passes4--,victory at last4 ,slowly the mills of the gods had been grinding1 so slowly that one marvels at their leaden pace1 and wonders why the dream of the man so eager to benefit his fellowmen could not have been realized sooner4 ,we are forced to echo the words of the inventor himself in a previously quoted letter3 ,i am perfectly satisfied that1 mysterious as it may seem to me1 it has all been ordered in its minutest particulars in infinite wisdom4 ,he enlarges on this point in the letter to ,smith of ,july #af1 #ahdb4 ,referring to the difficulties he has encountered through lack of means1 he says3-- ,i have oftentimes risen in the morning not knowing where the means were to come from for the common expenses of the day4 ,reflect one moment on my situation in regard to the invention4 ,compelled from the first1 from my want of the means to carry out the invention to a practical result1 to ask assistance from those who had means1 ,i associated with me the ,messrs4 ,vail and ,dr4 ,gale1 by making over to them1 on certain conditions1 a portion of the patent right4 ,these means enabled me to carry it successfully forward to a certain point4 ,at this point you were also admitted into a share of the patent on certain conditions1 which carried the enterprise forward successfully still further4 ,since then disappointments have occurred and disasters to the property of every one concerned in the enterprise1 but of a character not touching the intrinsic merits of the invention in the least1 yet bearing on its progress so fatally as for several years to paralyze all attempts to proceed4 ,the depressed situation of all my associates in the invention has thrown the whole burden of again attempting a movement entirely on me4 ,with the trifling sum of five hundred dollars ,i could have had my instruments perfected and before ,congress six months ago1 but ,i was unable to run the risk1 and ,i therefore chose to go forward more slowly1 but at a great waste of time4 ,in all these remarks understand me as not throwing the least blame on any individual4 ,i believe that the situation in which you all are thrown is altogether providential--that human foresight could not avert it1 and ,i firmly believe1 too1 that the delays1 tantalizing and trying as they have been1 will1 in the end1 turn out to be beneficial4 ,i have hazarded the opinion that it was a kindly fate which frustrated the consummation of the ,russian contract1 and here again ,i venture to say that the ,fates were kind1 that ,morse was right in saying that the delays would turn out to be beneficial4 ,and why8 ,because it needed all these years of careful thought and experiment on the part of the inventor to bring his instruments to the perfection necessary to complete success1 and because the period of financial depression1 through which the country was then passing1 was unfavorable to an enterprise of this character4 ,the history of all inventions proves that1 no matter how clear a vision of the future some enthusiasts may have had1 the dream was never actually realized until all the conditions were favorable and the psychological moment had arrived4 ,professor ,henry showed1 in his letter of ,february #bd1 that he realized that some day electricity would be used as a motive power1 but that much remained yet to be discovered and invented before this could be actually and practically accomplished4 ,so1 too1 the conquest of the air remained a dream for centuries until1 to use ,professor ,henry's words1 science was ripe for its application4 ,therefore ,i think we can conclude that1 however confident ,morse may have been that his invention could have stood the test of actual commercial use during those years of discouragement1 it heeded the perfection which he himself gave it during those same years to enable it to prove its superiority over other methods4 ,among the other improvements made by ,morse at this time1 the following is mentioned in the letter to ,smith of ,july #af1 #ahdb1 just quoted from3 ,i have invented a battery which will delight you2 it is the most powerful of its size ever invented1 and this part of my telegraphic apparatus the results of experiments have enabled me to simplify and truly to perfect4 ,another most important development of the invention was made in the year #ahdb4 ,the problem of crossing wide bodies of water had1 naturally1 presented itself to the mind of the inventor at an early date1 and during the most of this year he had devoted himself seriously to its solution4 ,he laboriously insulated about two miles of copper wire with pitch1 tar1 and rubber1 and1 on the evening of ,october #ah1 #ahdb1 he carried it1 wound on a reel1 to the ,battery in ,new ,york and hired a row-boat with a man to row him while he paid out his cable4 ,tradition says that it was a beautiful moonlight night and that the strollers on the ,battery were mystified1 and wondered what kind of fish were being trolled for4 ,the next day the following editorial notice appeared in the ,new ,york ,herald3-- ,,morse',s ,,electro-,,magnetic ,,telegraph ,this important invention is to be exhibited in operation at ,castle ,garden between the hours of twelve and one o'clock to-day4 ,one telegraph will be erected on ,governor's ,island1 and one at the ,castle1 and messages will be interchanged and orders transmitted during the day4 ,many have been incredulous as to the powers of this wonderful triumph of science and art4 ,all such may now have an opportunity of fairly testing it4 ,it is destined to work a complete revolution in the mode of transmitting intelligence throughout the civilized world4 ,before the appointed hour on the morning of the #aith1 ,morse hastened to the ,battery1 and found a curious crowd already assembled to witness this new marvel4 ,with confidence he seated himself at the instrument and had succeeded in exchanging a few signals between himself and ,professor ,gale at the other end on ,governor's ,island1 when suddenly the receiving instrument was dumb4 ,looking out across the waters of the bay1 he soon saw the cause of the interruption4 ,six or seven vessels were anchored along the line of his cable1 and one of them1 in raising her anchor1 had fouled the cable and pulled it up4 ,not knowing what it was1 the sailors hauled in about two hundred feet of it2 then1 finding no end1 they cut the cable and sailed away1 ignorant of the blow they had inflicted on the mortified inventor4 ,the crowd1 thinking they had been hoaxed1 turned away with jeers1 and ,morse was left alone to bear his disappointment as philosophically as he could4 ,later1 in ,december1 the experiment was repeated across the canal at ,washington1 and this time with perfect success4 ,still cramped for means1 chafing under the delay which this necessitated1 he turned to his good friends the ,vails1 hoping that they might be able to help him4 ,while he shrank from borrowing money he considered that1 as they were financially interested in the success of the invention1 he could with propriety ask for an advance to enable him to go to ,washington4 ,to his request he received the following answer from the ,honorable ,george ,vail3-- ,,speedwell ,,iron ,,works1 ,december #ca1 #ahdb4 ,s4,f4,b4 ,,morse1 ,esq41 ,,dear ,,sir1--,your favor is at hand4 ,i had expected that my father would visit you1 but he could not go out in the snow-storm of ,wednesday1 and1 if he had1 ,i do not think anything could induce him to raise the needful for the prosecution of our object4 ,he says3 ,tell ,mr4 ,morse that there is no one ,i would sooner assist than him if ,i could1 but1 in the present posture of my affairs1 ,i am not warranted in undertaking anything more than to make my payments as they become due1 of which there are not a few4 ,he thinks that ,mr4 ,s---- might soon learn how to manage it1 and1 as he is there1 it would save a great expense4 ,i do not myself know that he could learn2 but1 as my means are nothing at the present time1 ,i can only wish you success1 if you go on4 ,of course ,mr4 ,vail meant if you go on to ,washington1 but to the sensitive mind of the inventor the words must have seemed to imply a doubt of the advisability of going on with the enterprise4 ,however1 he was not daunted1 but in some way he procured the means to defray his expenses1 perhaps from his good brother ,sidney1 for the next letter to ,mr4 ,vail is from ,washington1 on ,december #ah1 #ahdb3-- ,i have not written you since my arrival as ,i had nothing special to say1 nor have ,i now anything very decided to communicate in relation to my enterprise1 except that it is in a very favorable train4 ,the ,telegraph1 as you will see by ,thursday or ,friday's ',intelligencer1' is established between two of the committee rooms in the ,capitol1 and excites universal admiration4 ,i am told from all quarters that there is but one sentiment in ,congress respecting it1 and that the appropriation will unquestionably pass4 ,the discovery ,i made with ,dr4 ,fisher1 just before leaving ,new ,york1 of the fact that two or more currents will pass1 without interference1 at the same time1 on the same wire1 excites the wonder of all the scientific in and out of ,congress here1 and when ,i show them the certainty of it1 in the practical application of it to simplify my ,telegraph1 their admiration is loudly expressed1 and it has created a feeling highly advantageous to me4 ,i believe ,i drew for you a method by which ,i thought ,i could pass rivers1 without any wires1 through the water4 ,i tried the experiment across the canal here on ,friday afternoon with perfect success4 ,this also has added a fresh interest in my favor1 and ,i begin to hope that ,i am on the eve of realizing something in the shape of compensation for my time and means expended in bringing my invention to its present state4 ,i dare not be sanguine1 however1 for ,i have had too much experience of delusive hopes to indulge in any premature exultation4 ,now there is no opposition1 but it may spring up unexpectedly and defeat all4444 ,i find ,dr4 ,fisher a great help4 ,he is acquainted with a great many of the members1 and he is round among them and creating an interest for the ,telegraph4 ,mr4 ,smith has not yet made his appearance1 and1 if he does not come soon1 everything will be accomplished without him4 ,my associate proprietors1 indeed1 are at present broken reeds1 yet ,i am aware they are disabled in various ways from helping me1 and ,i ought to remember that their help in the commencement of the enterprise was essential in putting the ,telegraph into the position it now is in2 therefore1 although they give me now no aid1 it is not from unwillingness but from inability1 and ,i shall not grudge them their proportion of its profits1 nor do ,i believe they will be unwilling to reimburse me my expenses1 should the ,telegraph eventually be purchased by the ,government4 ,mr4 ,ferris1 our representative1 is very much interested in understanding the scientific principles on which my ,telegraph is based1 and has exerted himself very strongly in my behalf2 so has ,mr4 ,boardman1 and1 in a special manner1 ,dr4 ,aycrigg1 of ,new ,jersey1 the latter of whom is determined the bill shall pass by acclamation4 ,mr4 ,huntington1 of the ,senate1 ,mr4 ,woodbury and ,mr4 ,wright are also very strongly friendly to the ,telegraph4 ,this letter1 to the best of my knowledge1 has never before been published1 and yet it contains statements of the utmost interest4 ,the discovery of duplex telegraphy1 or the possibility of sending two or more messages over the same wire at the same time has been credited by various authorities to different persons2 by some to ,moses ,g4 ,farmer in #aheb1 by others to ,gintl1 of ,vienna1 in #ahec1 or to ,frischen or ,siemens and ,halske in #ahed4 ,yet we see from this letter that ,morse and his assistant ,dr4 ,fisher not only made the discovery ten years earlier1 in #ahdb1 but demonstrated its practicability to the scientists and others in ,washington at that date4 ,why this fact should have been lost sight of ,i cannot tell1 but ,i am glad to be able to bring forward the proof of the paternity of this brilliant discovery even at this late day4 ,still another scientific principle was established by ,morse at this early period1 as we learn from this letter1 and that is the possibility of wireless telegraphy2 but1 as he has been generally credited with the first suggestion of what has now become one of the greatest boons to humanity1 it will not be necessary to enlarge on it4 ,a brighter day seemed at last to be dawning1 and a most curious happening1 just at this time1 came to the inventor as an auspicious omen4 ,in stringing his wires between the two committee rooms he had to descend into a vault beneath them which had been long unused4 ,a workman1 who was helping him1 went ahead and carried a lamp1 and1 as he glanced around the chamber1 ,morse noticed something white on a shelf at one side4 ,curious to see what this could be1 he went up to it1 when what was his amazement to find that it was a plaster cast of that little statuette of the ,dying ,hercules which had won for him the ,adelphi ,gold ,medal so many years before in ,london4 ,there was the token of his first artistic success appearing to him out of the gloom as the harbinger of another success which he hoped would also soon emerge from behind the lowering clouds4 ,the apparently mysterious presence of the little demigod in such an out-of-the-way place was easily explained4 ,six casts of the clay model had been made before the original was broken up4 ,one of these ,morse had kept for himself1 four had been given to various institutions1 and one to his friend ,charles ,bulfinch1 who succeeded ,latrobe as the architect of the ,capitol4 ,a sinister fate seemed to pursue these little effigies1 for his own1 and the four he had presented to different institutions1 were all destroyed in one way and another4 ,after tracing each one of these five to its untimely end1 he came to the conclusion that this evidence of his youthful genius had perished from the earth2 but here1 at last1 the only remaining copy was providentially revealed to the eyes of its creator1 having undoubtedly been placed in the vault for safe-keeping and overlooked4 ,it was cheerfully returned to him4 ,by him it was given to his friend1 the ,reverend ,e4 ,goodrich ,smith1 and by the latter presented to ,yale ,university1 where it now rests in the ,fine ,arts ,building4 ,so ended the year #ahdb1 a decade since the first conception of the telegraph on board the ,sully1 and it found the inventor making his last stand for recognition from that ,government to which he had been so loyal1 and upon which he wished to bestow a priceless gift4 ,with the dawn of the new year1 a year destined to mark an epoch in the history of civilization1 his flagging spirits were revived1 and he entered with zest on what proved to be his final and successful struggle4 ,it passes belief that with so many ocular demonstrations of the practicability of the ,morse telegraph1 and with the reports of the success of other telegraphs abroad1 the popular mind1 as reflected in its representatives in ,congress1 should have remained so incredulous4 ,morse had been led to hope that his bill was going to pass by acclamation1 but in this he was rudely disappointed4 ,still he had many warm friends who believed in him and his invention4 ,first and foremost should be mentioned his classmate1 ,henry ,l4 ,ellsworth1 the ,commissioner of ,patents1 at whose hospitable home the inventor stayed during some of these anxious days1 and who1 with his family1 cheered him with encouraging words and help4 ,among the members of ,congress who were energetic in support of the bill especially worthy of mention are--,kennedy1 of ,maryland2 ,mason1 of ,ohio2 ,wallace1 of ,indiana2 ,ferris and ,boardman1 of ,new ,york2 ,holmes1 of ,south ,carolina2 and ,aycrigg1 of ,new ,jersey4 ,the alternating moods of hope and despair1 through which the inventor passed during the next few weeks1 are best pictured forth by himself in brief extracts from letters to his brother ,sidney3-- ,january #f1 #ahdc4 ,i sent you a copy of the ,report on the ,telegraph a day or two since4 ,i was in hopes of having it called up to-day1 but the ,house refused to go into ,committee of the ,whole on the ,state of the ,union1 so it is deferred4 ,the first time they go into ,committee of the ,whole on the ,state of the ,union it will probably be called up and be decided upon4 ,everything looks favorable1 but ,i do not suffer myself to be sanguine1 for ,i do not know what may be doing secretly against it4 ,i shall believe it passed when the signature of the ,president is affixed to it1 and not before4 ,january #af4 ,i snatch the moments of waiting for company in the ,committee ,room of ,commerce to write a few lines4 ,patience is a virtue much needed and much tried here4 ,so far as opinion goes everything is favorable to my bill4 ,i hear of no opposition1 but should not be surprised if it met with some4 ,the great difficulty is to get it up before the ,house2 there are so many who must 'define their position1' as the term is1 so many who must say something to ',bunkum1' that a great deal of the people's time is wasted in mere idle1 unprofitable speechifying4 ,i hope something may be done this week that shall be decisive1 so that ,i may know what to do4444 ,this waiting at so much risk makes me question myself3 am ,i in the path of duty8 ,when ,i think that the little money ,i brought with me is nearly gone1 that1 if nothing should be done by ,congress1 ,i shall be in a destitute state2 that perhaps ,i shall have again to be a burden to friends until ,i know to what to turn my hands1 ,i feel low-spirited4 ,i am only relieved by naked trust in ,god1 and it is right that this should be so4 ,january #bj4 ,my patience is still tried in waiting for the action of ,congress on my bill4 ,with so much at stake you may easily conceive how tantalizing is this state of suspense4 ,i wish to feel right on this subject2 not to be impatient1 nor distrustful1 nor fretful1 and yet to be prepared for the worst4 ,i find my funds exhausting1 my clothing wearing out1 my time1 especially1 rapidly waning1 and my affairs at home requiring some little looking after2 and then1 if ,i should after all be disappointed1 the alternative looks dark1 and to human eyes disastrous in the extreme4 ,i hardly dare contemplate this side of the matter1 and yet ,i ought so far to consider it as to provide1 if possible1 against being struck down by such a blow4 ,at times1 after waiting all day and day after day1 in the hope that my bill may be called up1 and in vain1 ,i feel heart-sick1 and finding nothing accomplished1 that no progress is made1 that precious time flies1 ,i am depressed and begin to question whether ,i am in the way of duty4 ,but when ,i feel that ,i have done all in my power1 and that this delay may be designed by the wise disposer of all events for a trial of patience1 ,i find relief and a disposition quietly to wait such issue as he shall direct1 knowing that1 if ,i sincerely have put my trust in him1 he will not lead me astray1 and my way will1 in any event1 be made plain4 ,january #be4 ,i am still waiting1 waiting4 ,i know not what the issue will be and wish to be prepared1 and have you all prepared1 for the worst in regard to the bill4 ,although ,i learn of no opposition yet ,i have seen enough of the modes of business in the ,house to know that everything there is more than in ordinary matters uncertain4 ,it will be the end of the session1 probably1 before ,i return4 ,i will not have to reproach myself1 or be reproached by others1 for any neglect1 but under all circumstances ,i am exceedingly tried4 ,i am too foreboding probably1 and ought not so to look ahead as to be distrustful4 ,i fear that ,i have no right feelings in this state of suspense4 ,it is easier to say ',thy will be done' than at all tunes to feel it1 yet ,i can pray that ,god's will may be done whatever becomes of me and mine4 ,january #cj4 ,i am still kept in suspense which is becoming more and more tantalizing and painful4 ,but ,i endeavor to exercise patience4 ,february #ba4 ,i think the clouds begin to break away and a little sunlight begins to cheer me4 ,the ,house in ,committee of the ,whole on the ,state of the ,union have just passed my bill through committee to report to the ,house4 ,there was an attempt made to cast ridicule upon it by a very few headed by ,mr4 ,cave ,johnson1 who proposed an amendment that half the sum should be appropriated to mesmeric experiments4 ,only #bf supported him and it was laid aside to be reported to the ,house without amendment and without division4 ,i was immediately surrounded by my friends in the ,house1 congratulating me and telling me that the crisis is passed1 and that the bill will pass the ,house by a large majority4 ,mr4 ,kennedy1 chairman of the ,committee on ,commerce1 has put the bill on the ,speaker's calendar for ,thursday morning1 when the final vote in the ,house will be taken4 ,it then has to go to the ,senate1 where ,i have reason to believe it will meet with a favorable reception4 ,then to the ,president1 and1 if signed by him1 ,i shall return with renovated spirits1 for ,i assure you ,i have for some time been at the lowest ebb1 and can now scarcely realize that a turn has occurred in my favor4 ,i don't know when ,i have been so much tried as in the tedious delays of the last two months1 but ,i see a reason for it in the ,providence of ,god4 ,he has been pleased to try my patience1 and not until my impatience had yielded unreservedly to submission has ,he relieved me by granting light upon my path4 ,praised be ,his name1 for to ,him alone belongs all the glory4 ,i write with a dreadful headache caused by over excitement in the ,house1 but hope to be better after a night's rest1 ,i have written in haste just to inform you of the first symptoms of success4 ,on the same date as that of the preceding letter1 ,february #ba1 the following appeared in the ,congressional ,globe1 and its very curtness and flippancy is indicative of the indifference of the public in general to this great invention1 and the proceedings which are summarized cast discredit on the intelligence of our national lawmakers3-- ,,electro ,,and ,,animal ,,magnetism ,on motion of ,mr4 ,kennedy of ,maryland1 the committee took up the bill to authorize a series of experiments to be made in order to test the merits of ,morse's electro-magnetic telegraph4 ,the bill appropriates #cj1jjj1 to be expended under the direction of the ,postmaster-,general4 ,on motion of ,mr4 ,kennedy1 the words ,postmaster-,general were stricken out and ,secretary of the ,treasury inserted4 ,mr4 ,cave ,johnson wished to have a word to say upon the bill4 ,as the present ,congress had done much to encourage science1 he did not wish to see the science of mesmerism neglected and overlooked4 ,he therefore proposed that one half of the appropriation be given to ,mr4 ,fisk1 to enable him to carry on experiments1 as well as ,professor ,morse4 ,mr4 ,houston thought that ,millerism should also be included in the benefits of the appropriation4 ,mr4 ,stanly said he should have no objection to the appropriation for mesmeric experiments1 provided the gentleman from ,tennessee ,mr4 ,cave ,johnson was the subject4 ,a laugh4 ,mr4 ,cave ,johnson said he should have no objection provided the gentleman from ,north ,carolina ,mr4 ,stanly was the operator4 ,great laughter4 ,several gentlemen called for the reading of the amendment1 and it was read by the ,clerk1 as follows3-- ,provided1 ,that one half of the said sum shall be appropriated for trying mesmeric experiments under the direction of the ,secretary of the ,treasury4 ,mr4 ,s4 ,mason rose to a question of order4 ,he maintained that the amendment was not bona fide1 and that such amendments were calculated to injure the character of the ,house4 ,he appealed to the chair to rule the amendment out of order4 ,the ,chairman said it was not for him to judge of the motives of members in offering amendments1 and he could not1 therefore1 undertake to pronounce the amendment not bona fide4 ,objections might be raised to it on the ground that it was not sufficiently analogous in character to the bill under consideration1 but1 in the opinion of the ,chair1 it would require a scientific analysis to determine how far the magnetism of mesmerism was analogous to that to be employed in telegraphs4 ,laughter4 ,he therefore ruled the amendment in order4 ,on taking the vote1 the amendment was rejected--ayes #bb1 noes not counted4 ,the bill was then laid aside to be reported4 ,on ,february #bc1 the once more hopeful inventor sent off the following hurriedly written letter to his brother3-- ,you will perceive by the proceedings of the ,house to-day that my bill has passed the ,house by a vote of #hi to #hj4 ,a close vote after the expectations raised by some of my friends in the early part of the session1 but enough is as good as a feast1 and it is safe so far as the ,house is concerned4 ,i will advise you of the progress of it through the ,senate4 ,all my anxieties are now centred there4 ,i write in great haste4 ,a revised record of the voting showed that the margin of victory was even slighter1 for in a letter to ,smith1 ,morse says3-- ,the long agony 7truly agony to me7 is over1 for you will perceive by the papers of to-morrow that1 so far as the ,house is concerned1 the matter is decided4 ,my bill has passed by a vote of eighty-nine to eighty-three4 ,a close vote1 you will say1 but explained upon several grounds not affecting the disposition of many individual members1 who voted against it1 to the invention4 ,in this matter six votes are as good as a thousand1 so far as the appropriation is concerned4 ,the yeas and nays will tell you who were friendly and who adverse to the bill4 ,i shall now bend all my attention to the ,senate4 ,there is a good disposition there and ,i am now strongly encouraged to think that my invention will be placed before the country in such a position as to be properly appreciated1 and to yield to all its proprietors a proper compensation4 ,i have no desire to vaunt my exertions1 but ,i can truly say that ,i have never passed so trying a period as the last two months4 ,professor ,fisher 7who has been of the greatest service to me7 and ,i have been busy from morning till night every day since we have been here4 ,i have brought him on with me at my expense1 and he will be one of the first assistants in the first experimental line1 if the bill passes4444 ,my feelings at the prospect of success are of a joyous character1 as you may well believe1 and one of the principal elements of my joy is that ,i shall be enabled to contribute to the happiness of all who formerly assisted me1 some of whom are1 at present1 specially depressed4 ,writing to ,alfred ,vail on the same day1 he says after telling of the passage of the bill3-- ,you can have but a faint idea of the sacrifices and trials ,i have had in getting the ,telegraph thus far before the country and the world4 ,i cannot detail them here2 ,i can only say that1 for two years1 ,i have labored all my time and at my own expense1 without assistance from the other proprietors 7except in obtaining the iron of the magnets for the last instruments obtained of you7 to forward our enterprise4 ,my means to defray my expenses1 to meet which every cent ,i owned in the world was collected1 are nearly all gone1 and if1 by any means1 the bill should fail in the ,senate1 ,i shall return to ,new ,york with the fraction of a dollar in my pocket4 ,and now the final struggle which meant success or failure was on4 ,only eight days of the session remained and the calendar was1 as usual1 crowded4 ,the inventor1 his nerves stretched to the breaking point1 hoped and yet feared4 ,he had every reason to believe that the ,senate would show more broad-minded enlightenment than the ,house1 and yet he had been told that his bill would pass the ,house by acclamation1 while the event proved that it had barely squeezed through by a beggarly majority of six4 ,he heard disquieting rumors of a determination on the part of some of the ,house members to procure the defeat of the bill in the ,senate4 ,would they succeed1 would the victory1 almost won1 be snatched from him at the last moment1 or would his faith in an overruling ,providence1 and in his own mission as an instrument of that ,providence1 be justified at last8 ,every day of that fateful week saw him in his place in the gallery of the ,senate chamber1 and all day long he sat there1 listening1 as we can well imagine1 with growing impatience to the senatorial oratory on the merits or demerits of bills which to him were of such minor importance1 however heavily freighted with the destinies of the nation they may have been4 ,and every night he returned to his room with the sad reflection that one more of the precious days had passed and his bill had not been reached4 ,and then came the last day1 ,march #c1 that day when the session of the ,senate is prolonged till midnight1 when the ,president1 leaving the ,white ,house1 sits in the room provided for him at the ,capitol1 ready to sign the bills which are passed in these last few hurried hours1 if they meet with his approval1 or to consign them to oblivion if they do not4 ,the now despairing inventor clung to his post in the gallery almost to the end1 but1 being assured by his senatorial friends that there was no possibility of the bill being reached1 and unable to bear the final blow of hearing the gavel fall which should signalize his defeat1 shrinking from the well-meant condolences of his friends1 he returned almost broken-hearted to his room4 ,the future must have looked black indeed4 ,he had staked his all and lost1 and he was resolved to abandon all further efforts to press his invention on an unfeeling and a thankless world4 ,he must pick up his brush again2 he must again woo the fickle goddess of art1 who had deserted him before1 and who would1 in all probability1 be chary of her favors now4 ,in that dark hour it would not have been strange if his trust in ,god had wavered1 if he had doubted the goodness of that ,providence to whose mysterious workings he had always submissively bowed4 ,but his faith seems to have risen triumphant even under this crushing stroke1 for he thus describes the events of that fateful night1 and of the next morning1 in a letter to ,bishop ,stevens1 of ,pennsylvania1 written many years later3-- ,the last days of the last session of that ,congress were about to close4 ,a bill appropriating thirty thousand dollars for my purpose had passed the ,house1 and was before the ,senate for concurrence4 ,on the last day of the session #c;d of ,march1 #ahdc ,i had spent the whole day and part of the evening in the ,senate chamber1 anxiously watching1 the progress of the passing of the various bills1 of which there were1 in the morning of that day1 over one hundred and forty to be acted upon before the one in which ,i was interested would be reached2 and a resolution had a few days before been passed to proceed with the bills on the calendar in their regular order1 forbidding any bill to be taken up out of its regular place4 ,as evening approached there seemed to be but little chance that the ,telegraph ,bill would be reached before the adjournment1 and consequently ,i had the prospect of the delay of another year1 with the loss of time1 and all my means already expended4 ,in my anxiety ,i consulted with two of my senatorial friends--,senator ,huntington1 of ,connecticut1 and ,senator ,wright1 of ,new ,york--asking their opinion of the probability of reaching the bill before the close of the session4 ,their answers were discouraging1 and their advice was to prepare myself for disappointment4 ,in this state of mind ,i retired to my chamber and made all my arrangements for leaving ,washington the next day4 ,painful as was this prospect of renewed disappointment1 you1 my dear sir1 will understand me when ,i say that1 knowing from experience whence my help must come in any difficulty1 ,i soon disposed of my cares1 and slept as quietly as a child4 ,in the morning1 as ,i had just gone into the breakfast-room1 the servant called me out1 announcing that a young lady was in the parlor wishing to speak with me4 ,i was at once greeted with the smiling face of my young friend1 the daughter of my old and valued friend and classmate1 the ,honorable ,h4,l4 ,ellsworth1 the ,commissioner of ,patents4 ,on my expressing surprise at so early a call1 she said3-- ',i have come to congratulate you4' ',indeed1 for what8' ',on the passage of your bill4' ',oh6 no1 my young friend1 you are mistaken2 ,i was in the ,senate chamber till after the lamps were lighted1 and my senatorial friends assured me there was no chance for me4' ',but1' she replied1 'it is you that are mistaken4 ,father was there at the adjournment at midnight1 and saw the ,president put his name to your bill1 and ,i asked father if ,i might come and tell you1 and he gave me leave4 ,am ,i the first to tell you8' ,the news was so unexpected that for some moments ,i could not speak4 ,at length ,i replied3-- ',yes1 ,annie1 you are the first to inform me1 and now ,i am going to make you a promise2 the first dispatch on the completed line from ,washington to ,baltimore shall be yours4' ',well1' said she1 ',i shall hold you to your promise4' ,this was the second great moment in the history of the ,morse ,telegraph4 ,the first was when the inspiration came to him on board the ,sully1 more than a decade before1 and now1 after years of heart-breaking struggles with poverty and discouragements of all kinds1 the faith in ,god and in himself1 which had upheld him through all1 was justified1 and he saw the dawning of a brighter day4 ,on what slight threads do hang our destinies6 ,the change of a few votes in the ,house1 the delay of a few minutes in the ,senate1 would have doomed ,morse to failure1 for it is doubtful whether he would have had the heart1 the means1 or the encouragement to prosecute the enterprise further4 ,he lost no time in informing his associates of the happy turn in their affairs1 and1 in the excitement of the moment1 he not only dated his letter to ,smith ,march #c1 instead of ,march #d1 but he seems not to have understood that the bill had already been signed by the ,president1 and had become a law3-- ,well1 my dear ,sir1 the matter is decided4 ,the ,senate has just passed my bill without division and without opposition1 and it will probably be signed by the ,president in a few hours4 ,this1 ,i think1 is news enough for you at present1 and1 as ,i have other letters that ,i must write before the mail closes1 ,i must say good-bye until ,i see you or hear from you4 ,write to me in ,new ,york1 where ,i hope to be by the latter part of next week4 ,and to ,vail he wrote on the same day3-- ,you will be glad to learn1 doubtless1 that my bill has passed the ,senate without a division and without opposition1 so that now the telegraphic enterprise begins to look bright4 ,i shall want to see you in ,new ,york after my return1 which will probably be the latter part of next week4 ,i have other letters to write1 so excuse the shortness of this1 which1 ,,if ,,short1 ,,is ,,sweet1 at least4 ,my kind regards to your father1 mother1 brothers1 sisters1 and wife4 ,the whole delegation of your ,state1 without exception1 deserve the highest gratitude of us all4 ,the ,representatives from the ,state of ,new ,jersey in the ,house voted unanimously for the bill1 those of every other ,state were divided between the yeas and the nays and those not voting4 ,congratulations now poured in on him from all sides2 and the one he1 perhaps1 prized the most was from his friend and master1 ,washington ,allston1 then living in ,boston3-- ,march #bd1 #ahdc4 ,all your friends here join me in rejoicing at the passing of the act of ,congress appropriating thirty thousand dollars toward carrying out your ,electro-,magnetic ,telegraph4 ,i congratulate you with all my heart4 ,shakespeare says3 ',there is a tide in the affairs of men that1 taken at the flood1 leads on to fortune4' ,you are now fairly launched on what ,i hope will prove to you another ,pactolus4 ,i pede fausto6 ,this has been but a melancholy year to me4 ,i have been ill with one complaint or another nearly the whole time2 the last disorder the erysipelas1 but this has now nearly disappeared4 ,i hope this letter will meet you as well in health as ,i take it you are now in spirits4 ,morse lost no time in replying3-- ,i thank you1 my dear sir1 for your congratulations in regard to my telegraphic enterprise4 ,i hope ,i shall not disappoint the expectations of my friends4 ,i shall exert all my energies to show a complete and satisfactory result4 ,when ,i last wrote you from ,washington1 ,i wrote under the apprehension that my bill would not be acted upon1 and consequently ,i wrote in very low spirits4 ',what has become of painting8' ,i think ,i hear you ask4 ,ah1 my dear sir1 when ,i have diligently and perseveringly wooed the coquettish jade for twenty years1 and she then jilts me1 what can ,i do8 ,but ,i do her injustice1 she is not to blame1 but her guardian for the time being4 ,i shall not give her up yet in despair1 but pursue her even with lightning1 and so overtake her at last4 ,i am now absorbed in my arrangements for fulfilling my designs with the ,telegraph in accordance with the act of ,congress4 ,i know not that ,i shall be able to complete my experiment before ,congress meets again1 but ,i shall endeavor to show it to them at their next session4 ,,chapter ,,xxx ,,march #ae1 #ahdh--;,,june #ac1 #ahdd ,work on first telegraph line begun4--,gale1 ,fisher1 and ,vail appointed assistants4--,f4,o4,j4 ,smith to secure contract for trenching4--,morse not satisfied with contract4--,death of ,washington ,allston4--,reports to ,secretary of the ,treasury4--,prophesies ,atlantic cable4--,failure of underground wires4--,carelessness of ,fisher4--,f4,o4,j4 ,smith shows cloven hoof4--,ezra ,cornell solves a difficult problem4--,cornell's plan for insulation endorsed by ,professor ,henry4--,many discouragements4--,work finally progresses favorably4--,frelinghuysen's nomination as ,vice-,president reported by telegraph4--,line to ,baltimore completed4-- ,first message4--,triumph4--,reports of ,democratic ,convention4--,first long-distance conversation4--,utility of telegraph established4--,offer to sell to ,government4 ,out of the darkness of despair into which he had been plunged1 ,morse had at last emerged into the sunlight of success4 ,for a little while he basked in its rays with no cloud to obscure the horizon1 but his respite was short1 for new difficulties soon arose1 and new trials and sorrows soon darkened his path4 ,immediately after the telegraph bill had become a law he set to work with energy to carry out its provisions4 ,he decided1 after consultation with the ,secretary of the ,treasury1 ,hon4 ,j4,c4 ,spencer1 to erect the experimental line between ,washington and ,baltimore1 along the line of railway1 and all the preliminaries and details were carefully planned4 ,with the sanction of the ,secretary he appointed ,professors ,gale and ,fisher as his assistants1 and soon after added ,mr4 ,alfred ,vail to their number4 ,he returned to ,new ,york1 and from there wrote to ,vail on ,march #ae3-- ,you will not fail1 with your brother and1 if possible1 your father1 to be in ,new ,york on ,tuesday the #bast1 to meet the proprietors of the ,telegraph4 ,i was on the point of coming out this afternoon with young ,mr4 ,serrell1 the patentee of the lead-pipe machine1 which ,i think promises to be the best for our purposes of all that have been invented1 as to it can be applied 'a mode of filling lead-pipe with wire1' for which ,professor ,fisher and myself have entered a caveat at the ,patent ,office4 ,vail gladly agreed to serve as assistant in the construction of the line1 and1 on ,march #ba signed the following agreement3-- ,,professor ,,morse1--,as an assistant in the telegraphic experiment contemplated by the ,act of ,congress lately passed1 ,i can superintend and procure the making of the ,instruments complete according to your direction1 namely3 the registers1 the correspondents with their magnets1 the batteries1 the reels1 and the paper1 and will attend to the procuring of the acids1 the ink1 and the preparation of the various stations4 ,i will assist in filling the tubes with wire1 and the resinous coating1 and ,i will devote my whole time and attention to the business so as to secure a favorable result1 and should you wish to devolve upon me any other business connected with the ,telegraph1 ,i will cheerfully undertake it4 ,three dollars per diem1 with travelling expenses1 ,i shall deem a satisfactory salary4 ,very respectfully1 your ob't ser't1 ,,alfred ,,vail4 ,professor ,fisher was detailed to superintend the manufacture of the wire1 its insulation and its insertion in the lead tubes1 and ,professor ,gale's scientific knowledge was to be placed at the disposal of the patentees wherever and whenever it should be necessary4 ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith undertook to secure a favorable contract for the trenching1 which was necessary to carry out the first idea of placing the wires underground1 and ,morse himself was1 of course1 to be general superintendent of the whole enterprise4 ,in advertising for lead pipe the following quaint answer was received from ,morris1 ,tasker ,morris1 of ,philadelphia3-- ,thy advertisements for about one hundred and twenty miles of #a_/b in4 lead tube1 for ,electro ,magnetic ,telegraphic purposes1 has induced us to forward thee some samples of ,iron ,tube for thy inspection4 ,the quantity required and the terms of payment are the inducement to offer it to thee at the exceeding low price here stated1 which thou wilt please keep to thyself undivulged to other person1 etc41 etc4 ,as iron tubing would not have answered ,morse's purpose1 this decorous solicitation was declined with thanks4 ,during the first few months everything worked smoothly1 and the prospect of an early completion of the line was bright4 ,morse kept all his accounts in the most businesslike manner1 and his monthly accounts to the ,secretary of the ,treasury were models of accuracy and a conscientious regard for the public interest4 ,one small cloud appeared above the horizon1 so small that the unsuspecting inventor hardly noticed it1 and yet it was destined to develop into a storm of portentous dimensions4 ,on ,may #ag1 he wrote to ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith from ,new ,york3-- ,yours of the #bgth ,april ,i have this morning received enclosing the contracts for trenching4 ,i have examined the contract and ,i must say ,i am not exactly pleased with the terms4 ,if ,i understood you right1 before you left for ,boston1 you were confident a contract could be made far within the estimates given in to the ,government1 and ,i had hoped that something could be saved from that estimate as from the others1 so as to present the experiment before the country in as cheap a form as possible4 ,i have taken a pride in showing to ,government how cheaply the ,telegraph could be laid1 since the main objection1 and the one most likely to defeat our ulterior plans1 is its great expense4 ,i have in my other contracts been able to be far within my estimates to ,government1 and ,i had hoped to be able to present to the ,secretary the contract for trenching likewise reduced4 ,there are plenty of applicants here who will do it for much less1 and one even said he thought for one half4 ,i shall do nothing in regard to the matter until ,i see you4 ,a great personal sorrow came to him also1 a short time after this1 to dim the brilliance of success4 ,on ,july #i1 #ahdc1 his dearly loved friend and master1 ,washington ,allston1 died in ,boston after months of suffering4 ,morse immediately dropped everything and hastened to ,boston to pay the last tributes of respect to him whom he regarded as his best friend4 ,he obtained as a memento one of the brushes1 still wet with paint1 which ,allston was using on his last unfinished work1 ,the ,feast of ,belshazzar1 when he was suddenly stricken4 ,this brush he afterwards presented to the ,national ,academy of ,design1 where it is1 ,i believe1 still preserved4 ,sorrowfully he returned to his work in ,washington1 but with the comforting thought that his friend had lived to see his triumph1 the justification for his deserting that art which had been the bond to first bring them together4 ,on ,july #bd1 in his report to the ,secretary of the ,treasury1 he says3-- ,i have also the gratification to report that the contract for the wire has been faithfully fulfilled on the part of ,aaron ,benedict1 the contractor2 that the first covering with cotton and two varnishings of the whole one hundred and sixty miles is also completed2 that experiments made upon forty-three miles have resulted in the most satisfactory manner1 and that the whole work is proceeding with every prospect of a successful issue4 ,it was at first thought necessary to insulate the whole length of the wire1 and it was not until some time afterwards that it was discovered that naked wires could be successfully employed4 ,on ,august #aj1 in his report to the ,secretary1 he indulges in a prophecy which must have seemed in the highest degree visionary in those early days3-- ,some careful experiments on the decomposing power at various distances were made from which the law of propulsion has been deduced1 verifying the results of ,ohm and those which ,i made in the summer of #ahdb1 and alluded to in my letter to the ,honorable ,c4,g4 ,ferris1 published in the ,house ,report1 ,no4 #ag1 of the last ,congress4 ,the practical inference from this law is that a telegraphic communication on my plan may with certainty be established across the ,atlantic6 ,startling as this may seem now1 the time will come when this project will be realized4 ,on ,september #aa1 he reports an item of saving to the ,government which illustrates his characteristic honesty in all business dealings3-- ,i would also direct the attention of the ,honorable ,secretary to the payment in full of ,mr4 ,chase1 7voucher #bae71 for covering the wire according to the contract with him4 ,the sum of #ajaj was to be paid him4 ,in the course of the preparation of the wire several improvements occurred to me of an economical character1 in which ,mr4 ,chase cheerfully concurred1 although at a considerable loss to him of labor contracted for2 so that my wire has been prepared at a cost of #eea4be1 which is receipted in full1 instead of #ajaj1 producing an economy of #deh4ge4 ,the work of trenching was commenced on ,saturday1 ,october #ba1 at #h ,a4,m41 and then his troubles began4 ,describing them at a later date he says3-- ,much time and expense were lost in consequence of my following the plan adopted in ,england of laying the conductors beneath the ground4 ,at the time the ,telegraph bill was passed there had been about thirteen miles of telegraph conductors1 for ,professor ,wheatstone's telegraph system in ,england1 put into tubes and interred in the earth1 and there was no hint publicly given that that mode was not perfectly successful4 ,i did not feel1 therefore1 at liberty to expend the public moneys in useless experiments on a plan which seemed to be already settled as effective in ,england4 ,hence ,i fixed upon this mode as one supposed to be the best4 ,it prosecuted till the winter of #ahdc-dd4 ,it was abandoned1 among other reasons1 in consequence of ascertaining that1 in the process of inserting the wire into the leaden tubes 7which was at the moment of forming the tube from the lead at melting heat71 the insulating covering of the wires had become charred1 at various and numerous points of the line1 to such an extent that greater delay and expense would be necessary to repair the damage than to put the wire on posts4 ,in my letter to the ,secretary of the ,treasury1 of ,september #bg1 #ahcg1 one of the modes of laying the conductors for the ,telegraph was the present almost universal one of extending them on posts set about two hundred feet apart4 ,this mode was adopted with success4 ,the sentence in the letter of ,september #bg1 #ahcg1 just referred to1 reads as follows3 ,if the circuit is laid through the air1 the first cost would1 doubtless1 be much lessened4 ,stout spars1 of some thirty feet in height1 well planted in the ground and placed about three hundred and fifty feet apart1 would in this case be required1 along the tops of which the circuit might be stretched4 ,a rough drawing of this plan also appears in the #ahcb sketch-book4 ,it would seem1 from a voluminous correspondence1 that ,professor ,fisher was responsible for the failure of the underground system1 inasmuch as he did not properly test the wires after they had been inserted in the lead pipe4 ,carelessness of this sort ,morse could never brook1 and he was reluctantly compelled to dispense with the services of one who had been of great use to him previously4 ,he refers to this in a letter to his brother ,sidney of ,december #af1 #ahdc3-- ,the season is against all my operations1 and ,i expect to resume in the spring4 ,i have difficulties and trouble in my work1 but none of a nature as yet to discourage2 they arise from neglect and unfaithfulness 7inter nos7 on the part of ,fisher1 whom ,i shall probably dismiss1 although on many accounts ,i shall do it reluctantly4 ,i shall give him an opportunity to excuse himself1 if he ever gets here4 ,i have been expecting both him and ,gale for three weeks1 and written1 but without bringing either of them4 ,they may have a good excuse4 ,we shall see4 ,the few months of sunshine were now past1 and the clouds began again to gather3-- ,december #ah1 #ahdc4 ,,dear ,,sidney1--,i have made every effort to try and visit ,new ,york4 ,twice ,i have been ready with my baggage in hand1 but am prevented by a pressure of difficulties which you cannot conceive4 ,i was never so tried and never needed more your prayers and those of ,christians for me4 ,troubles cluster in such various shapes that ,i am almost overwhelmed4 ,and then the storm of which the little cloud was the forerunner burst in fury3-- ,december #cj1 #ahdc4 ,,dear ,,sidney1--,i have no heart to give you the details of the troubles which almost crush me1 and which have unexpectedly arisen to throw a cloud over all my prospects4 ,it must suffice at present to say that the unfaithfulness of ,dr4 ,fisher in his inspection of the wires1 and connected with ,serrell's bad pipe1 is the main origin of my difficulties4 ,the trenching is stopped in consequence of this among other reasons1 and has brought the contractor upon me for damages 7that is1 upon the ,government74 ,mr4 ,smith is the contractor1 and where ,i expected to find a friend ,i find a ,,fiend4 ,the word is not too strong1 as ,i may one day show you4 ,i have been compelled to dismiss ,fisher1 and have received a very insolent letter from him in reply4 ,the lead-pipe contract will be litigated1 and ,smith has written a letter full of the bitterest malignity against me to the ,secretary of the ,treasury4 ,he seems perfectly reckless and acts like a madman1 and all for what8 ,because the condition of my pipe and the imperfect insulation of my wires were such that it became necessary to stop trenching on this account alone1 but1 taken in connection with the advanced state of the season1 when it was impossible to carry on my operations out of doors1 ,i was compelled to stop any further trenching4 ,this causes him to lose his profit on the contract4 ,hinc ill lachrym4 ,and because ,i refused to accede to terms which1 as a public officer1 ,i could not do without dishonor and violation of trust1 he pursues me thus malignantly4 ,blessed be ,god1 ,i have escaped snares set for me by this arch-fiend1 one of which a simple inquiry from you was the means of detecting4 ,you remember ,i told you that ,mr4 ,smith had made an advantageous contract with ,tatham ,brothers for pipe1 and had divided the profits with me by which ,i should gain five hundred dollars4 ,you asked if it was all right and1 if it should be made public1 it would be considered so4 ,i replied1 ',oh6 yes2 ,mr4 ,smith says it is all perfectly fair' 7for ,i had the utmost confidence in his fair dealing and uprightness74 ,but your remark led me to think of the matter1 and ,i determined at once that1 since there was a doubt1 ,i would not touch it for myself1 but credit it to the ,government1 and ,i accordingly credited it as so much saved to the ,government from the contract4 ,and now1 will you believe it6 the man who would have persuaded me that all was right in that matter1 turns upon me and accuses me to the ,secretary as dealing in bad faith to the ,government1 citing this very transaction in proof4 ,but1 providentially1 my friend ,ellsworth1 and also a clerk in the ,treasury ,department1 are witnesses that that sum was credited to the ,government before any difficulties arose on the part of ,smith4 ,but ,i leave this unpleasant matter4 ,the enterprise yet looks lowering1 but ,i know who can bring light out of darkness1 and in ,him ,i trust as a sure refuge till these calamities be overpast4444 ,oh6 how these troubles drive all thought of children and brothers and all relatives out of my mind except in the wakeful hours of the night1 and then ,i think of you all with sadness1 that ,i cannot add to your enjoyment but only to your anxiety4 444 ,love to all4 ,specially remember me in your prayers that ,i may have wisdom from above to act wisely and justly and calmly in this sore trial4 ,while thus some of those on whom he had relied failed him at a critical moment1 new helpers were at hand to assist him in carrying on the work4 ,on ,december #bg1 he writes to the ,secretary of the ,treasury3 ,i have the honor to report that ,i have dismissed ,professor ,james ,c4 ,fisher1 one of my assistants1 whose salary was #aejj per annum4444 ,my present labors require the services of an efficient mechanical assistant whom ,i believe ,i have found in ,mr4 ,ezra ,cornell1 and whom ,i present for the approval of the ,honorable ,secretary1 with a compensation at the rate of1 #ajjj per annum from ,december #bg1 #ahdc4 ,cornell proved himself1 indeed1 an efficient assistant1 and much of the success of the enterprise1 from that time forward1 was due to his energy1 quick-wittedness1 and faithfulness4 ,mr4 ,prime1 in his biography of ,morse1 thus describes a dramatic episode of those trying days3-- ,when the pipe had been laid as far as the ,relay ,house1 ,professor ,morse came to ,mr4 ,cornell and expressed a desire to have the work arrested until he could try further experiments1 but he was very anxious that nothing should be said or done to give to the public the impression that the enterprise had failed4 ,mr4 ,cornell said he could easily manage it1 and1 stepping up to the machine1 which was drawn by a team of eight mules1 he cried out3 ',hurrah1 boys6 we must lay another length of pipe before we quit4' ,the teamsters cracked their whips over the mules and they started on a lively pace4 ,mr4 ,cornell grasped the handles of the plough1 and1 watching an opportunity1 canted it so as to catch the point of a rock1 and broke it to pieces while ,professor ,morse stood looking on4 ,consultations long and painful followed4 ,the anxiety of ,professor ,morse at this period was greater than at any previous hour known in the history of the invention4 ,some that were around him had serious apprehensions that he would not stand up under the pressure4 ,cornell having thus cleverly cut the ,gordian knot1 it was decided to string wires on poles1 and ,cornell himself thus describes the solution of the insulation problem3-- ,in the latter part of ,march ,professor ,morse gave me the order to put the wires on poles1 and the question at once arose as to the mode of fastening the wires to the poles1 and the insulation of them at the point of fastening4 ,i submitted a plan to the ,professor which ,i was confident would be successful as an insulating medium1 and which was easily available then and inexpensive4 ,mr4 ,vail also submitted a plan for the same purpose1 which involved the necessity of going to ,new ,york or ,new ,jersey to get it executed4 ,professor ,morse gave preference to ,mr4 ,vail's plan1 and started for ,new ,york to get the fixtures1 directing me to get the wire ready for use and arrange for setting the poles4 ,at the end of a week ,professor ,morse returned from ,new ,york and came to the shop where ,i was at work1 and said he wanted to provide the insulators for putting the wires on the poles upon the plan ,i had suggested2 to which ,i responded3 ',how is that1 ,professor2 ,i thought you had decided to use ,mr4 ,vail's plan8' ,professor ,morse replied3 ',yes1 ,i did so decide1 and on my way to ,new ,york1 where ,i went to order the fixtures1 ,i stopped at ,princeton and called on my old friend1 ,professor ,henry1 who inquired how ,i was getting along with my ,telegraph4 ',i explained to him the failure of the insulation in the pipes1 and stated that ,i had decided to place the wires on poles in the air4 ,he then inquired how ,i proposed to insulate the wires when they were attached to the poles4 ,i showed him the model ,i had of ,mr4 ,vail's plan1 and he said1 ,it will not do2 you will meet the same difficulty you had in the pipes4 ,i then explained to him your plan which he said would answer4' ,however1 before the enterprise had reached this point in ,march1 #ahdd1 many dark and discouraging days and weeks had to be passed1 which we can partially follow by the following extracts from letters to his brother ,sidney and others4 ,to his brother he writes on ,january #i1 #ahdd3-- ,i thank you for your kind and sympathizing letter1 which1 ,i assure you1 helped to mitigate the acuteness of my mental sufferings from the then disastrous aspect of my whole enterprise4 ,god works by instrumentalities1 and he has wonderfully thus far interposed in keeping evils that ,i feared in abeyance4 ,all1 ,i trust1 will yet be well1 but ,i have great difficulties to encounter and overcome1 with the details of which ,i need not now trouble you4 ,i think ,i see light ahead1 and the great result of these difficulties1 ,i am persuaded1 will be a great economy in laying the telegraphic conductors4444 ,i am well in health but have sleepless nights from the great anxieties and cares which weigh me down4 ,january #ac4 ,i am working to retrieve myself under every disadvantage and amidst accumulated and most diversified trials1 but ,i have strength from the source of strength1 and courage to go forward4 ,fisher ,i have dismissed for unfaithfulness2 ,dr4 ,gale has resigned from ill-health2 ,smith has become a malignant enemy1 and ,vail only remains true at his post4 ,all my pipe is useless as the wires are all injured by the hot process of manufacture4 ,i am preparing 7as ,i said before1 under every disadvantage7 a short distance between the ,patent ,office and ,capitol1 which ,i am desirous of having completed as soon as possible1 and by means of it relieving the enterprise from the heavy weight which now threatens it4 ,to his good friend1 ,commissioner ,ellsworth1 he writes from ,baltimore on ,february #g3-- ,in complying with your kind request that ,i would write you1 ,i cannot refrain from expressing my warm thanks for the words of sympathy and the promise of a welcome on my return1 which you gave me as ,i was leaving the door4 ,i find that1 brace myself as ,i will against trouble1 the spirit so sympathises with the body that its moods are in sad bondage to the physical health2 the latter vanquishing the former4 ,for the spirit is often willing and submits1 while the flesh is weak and rebels4 ,i am fully aware that of late ,i have evinced an unusual sensitiveness1 and exposed myself to the charge of great weakness1 which would give me the more distress were ,i not persuaded that ,i have been among real friends who will make every allowance4 ,my temperament1 naturally sensitive1 has lately been made more so by the combination of attacks from deceitful associates without and bodily illness within1 so that even the kind attentions of the dear friends at your house1 and who have so warmly rallied around me1 have scarcely been able to restore me to my usual buoyancy of spirit1 and ,i feel1 amidst other oppressive thoughts1 that ,i have not been grateful enough for your friendship4 ,but ,i hope yet to make amends for the past4444 ,i have no time to add more than that ,i desire sincere love to dear ,annie1 to whom please present for me the accompanying piece from my favorite ,bellini1 and the book on ,etiquette1 after it shall have passed the ordeal of a mother's examination1 as ,i have not had time to read it myself4 ,on ,march #d1 he writes to his brother3-- ,i have nothing new4 ,smith continues to annoy me1 but ,i think ,i have got him in check by a demand for compensation for my services for seven months1 for doing that for him in ,paris which he was bound to do4 ,the agreement stipulates that ,i give my services for 'three months and no longer1' but1 at his earnest solicitation1 ,i remained seven months longer and was his agent in 'negotiating the sale of rights1' which by the articles he was obliged to do2 consequently ,i have a right to compensation1 and ,mr4 ,e4 and others think my claim a valid one4 ,if it is sustained the tables are completely turned on him1 and he is debtor to me to the amount of six or seven hundred dollars4 ,i have commenced my operations with posts which promise well at present4 ,march #bc4 ,my ,telegraph labors go on well at present4 ,the whole matter is now critical1 or1 as our good father used to say1 'a crisis is at hand4' ,i hope for the best while ,i endeavor to prepare my mind for the worst4 ,smith1 if he goes forward with his claim1 is a ruined man in reputation1 but he may sink the ,telegraph also in his passion2 but1 when he returns from the ,east1 where he fortunately is now1 we hope through his friends to persuade him to withdraw it1 which he may do from fear of the consequences4 ,as to his claims privately on me1 ,i think ,i have him in check1 but he is a man of consummate art and unprincipled2 he will1 therefore1 doubtless give me trouble4 ,april #aj4 ,a brighter day is dawning upon me4 ,i send you the ,intelligencer of to-day1 in which you will see that the ,telegraph is successfully under way4 ,through six miles the experiment has been most gratifying4 ,in a few days ,i hope to advise you of more respecting it4 ,i have preferred reserve until ,i could state something positive4 ,i have my posts set to ,beltsville1 twelve miles1 and you will see by the ,intelligencer that ,i am prepared to go directly on to ,baltimore and hope to reach there by the middle of ,may4 ,may #g4 ,let me know when ,susan and the two ,charles arrive his son and his grandson for1 if they come within the next fortnight1 ,i think ,i can contrive to run on and pay a visit of two or three days1 unless my marplot ,smith should prevent again1 as he is likely to do if he comes on here4 ,as yet there is no settlement of that matter1 and he seems determined 7inter nos7 to be as ugly as he can and defeat all application for an appropriation if ,i am to have the management of it4 ,he chafes like a wild boar1 but1 when he finds that he can effect nothing by such a temper1 self-interest may soften him into terms4 ,you will see by the papers that the ,telegraph is in successful operation for twenty-two miles1 to the ,junction of the ,annapolis road with the ,baltimore and ,washington road4 ,the nomination of ,mr4 ,frelinghuysen as ,vice-,president was written1 sent on1 and the receipt acknowledged back in two minutes and one second1 a distance of forty-four miles4 ,the news was spread all over ,washington one hour and four minutes before the cars containing the news by express arrived4 ,in about a fortnight ,i hope to be in ,baltimore1 and a communication will be established between the two cities4 ,good-bye4 ,i am almost asleep from exhaustion1 so excuse abrupt closing4 ,this was the first great triumph of the telegraph4 ,morse and ,vail and ,cornell had worked day and night to get the line in readiness as far as the ,junction so that the proceedings of the ,whig ,convention could be reported from that point4 ,many difficulties were encountered--crossing of wires1 breaks1 injury from thunder storms1 and the natural errors incidental to writing and reading what was virtually a new language4 ,but all obstacles were overcome in time1 and the day before the convention met1 ,morse wrote to ,vail3-- ,get everything ready in the morning for the day1 and do not be out of hearing of your bell4 ,when you learn the name of the candidate nominated1 see if you cannot give it to me and receive an acknowledgment of its receipt before the cars leave you4 ,if you can it will do more to excite the wonder of those in the cars than the mere announcement that the news is gone to ,washington4 ,the next day's report was most encouraging3-- ,things went well to-day4 ,your last writing was good4 ,you did not correct your error of running your letters together until some time4 ,better be deliberate2 we have time to spare1 since we do not spend upon our stock4 ,get ready to-morrow 7,thursday7 as to-day4 ,there is great excitement about the ,telegraph and my room is thronged1 therefore it is important to have it in action during the hours named4 ,i may have some of the ,cabinet to-morrow4444 ,get from the passengers in the cars from ,baltimore1 or elsewhere1 all the news you can and transmit4 ,a good way of exciting wonder will be to tell the passengers to give you some short sentence to send me2 let them note time and call at the ,capitol to verify the time ,i received it4 ,before transmitting notify me with 7#dh74 ,your message to-day that 'the passengers in the cars gave three cheers for ,henry ,clay1' excited the highest wonder in the passenger who gave it to you to send when he found it verified at the ,capitol4 ,in a letter to his friend1 ,dr4 ,aycrigg of ,new ,jersey1 written on ,may #h1 and telling of these successful demonstrations1 this interesting sentence occurs3 ,i find that the ground1 in conformity with the results of experiments of ,dr4 ,franklin1 can be made a part of the circuit1 and ,i have used one wire and the ground with better effect for one circuit than two wires4 ,on the #aath of ,may he again cautions ,vail about his writing3 ,everything worked well yesterday1 but there is one defect in your writing4 ,make a longer space between each letter and a still longer space between each word4 ,i shall have a great crowd to-day and wish all things to go off well4 ,many ,m4,c4s will be present1 perhaps ,mr4 ,clay4 ,give me news by the cars4 ,when the cars come along1 try and get a newspaper from ,philadelphia or ,new ,york and give items of intelligence4 ,the arrival of the cars at the ,junction begins to excite here the greatest interest1 and both morning and evening ,i have had my room thronged4 ,and now at last the supreme moment had arrived4 ,the line from ,washington to ,baltimore was completed1 and on the #bdth day of ,may1 #ahdd1 the company invited by the inventor assembled in the chamber of the ,united ,states ,supreme ,court to witness his triumph4 ,true to his promise to ,miss ,annie ,ellsworth1 he had asked her to indite the first public message which should be flashed over the completed line1 and she1 in consultation with her good mother1 chose the now historic words from the #bc;d verse of the #bc;d chapter of ,numbers--,what hath ,god wrought6 ,the whole verse reads3 ,surely there is no enchantment against ,jacob1 neither is there any divination1 against ,israel3 according to this time it shall be said of ,jacob and of ,israel1 ,what hath ,god wrought6 ,to ,morse1 with his strong religious bent and his belief that he was but a chosen vessel1 every word in this verse seemed singularly appropriate4 ,calmly he seated himself at the instrument and ticked off the inspired words in the dots and dashes of the ,morse alphabet4 ,alfred ,vail1 at the other end of the line in ,baltimore1 received the message without an error1 and immediately flashed it back again1 and the ,electro-,magnetic ,telegraph was no longer the wild dream of a visionary1 but an accomplished fact4 ,mr4 ,prime's comments1 after describing this historic occasion1 are so excellent that ,i shall give them in full3-- ,again the triumph of the inventor was sublime4 ,his confidence had been so unshaken that the surprise of his friends in the result was not shared by him4 ,he knew what the instrument would do1 and the fact accomplished was but the confirmation to others of what to him was a certainty on the packet-ship ,sully in #ahcb4 ,but the result was not the less gratifying and sufficient4 ,had his labors ceased at that moment1 he would have cheerfully exclaimed in the words of ,simeon3 ',lord1 now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace1 for mine eyes have seen thy salvation4' ,illustration3 ,,first ,,form ,,of ,,key ,illustration3 ,,improved ,,form ,,of ,,key ,illustration3 ,,early ,,relay ,the two keys and the relay are in the ,national ,museum1 ,washington ,illustration3 ,,first ,,washington-,,baltimore ,,instrument ,the ,washington-,baltimore instrument is owned by ,cornell ,university ,the congratulations of his friends followed4 ,he received them with modesty1 in perfect harmony with the simplicity of his character4 ,neither then nor at any subsequent period of his life did his language or manner indicate exultation4 ,he believed himself an instrument employed by ,heaven to achieve a great result1 and1 having accomplished it1 he claimed simply to be the original and only instrument by which that result had been reached4 ,with the same steadiness of purpose1 tenacity and perseverance1 with which he had pursued the idea by which he was inspired in #ahcb1 he adhered to his claim to the paternity of that idea1 and to the merit of bringing it to a successful issue4 ,denied1 he asserted it2 assailed1 he defended it4 ,through long years of controversy1 discussion and litigation1 he maintained his right4 ,equable alike in success and discouragement1 calm in the midst of victories1 and undismayed by the number1 the violence1 and the power of those who sought to deprive him of the honor and the reward of his work1 he manfully maintained his ground1 until1 by the verdict of the highest courts of his country1 and of academies of science1 and the practical adoption and indorsement of his system by his own and foreign nations1 those wires1 which were now speaking only forty miles from ,washington to ,baltimore1 were stretched over continents and under oceans making a network to encompass and unite1 in instantaneous intercourse1 for business and enjoyment1 all parts of the civilized world4 ,it was with well-earned but modest satisfaction that he wrote to his brother ,sidney on ,may #ca3-- ,you will see by the papers how great success has attended the first efforts of the ,telegraph4 ,that sentence of ,annie ,ellsworth's was divinely indited1 for it is in my thoughts day and night4 ',what hath ,god wrought6' ,it is his work1 and ,he alone could have carried me thus far through all my trials and enabled me to triumph over the obstacles1 physical and moral1 which opposed me4 ',not unto us1 not unto us1 but to thy name1 ,o ,lord1 be all the praise4' ,i begin to fear now the effects of public favor1 lest it should kindle that pride of heart and self-sufficiency which dwells in my own as well as in others' breasts1 and which1 alas6 is so ready to be inflamed by the slightest spark of praise4 ,i do indeed feel gratified1 and it is right ,i should rejoice1 but ,i rejoice with fear1 and ,i desire that a sense of dependence upon and increased obligation to the ,giver of every good and perfect gift may keep me humble and circumspect4 ,the conventions at ,baltimore happened most opportunely for the display of the powers of the ,telegraph1 especially as it was the means of correspondence1 in one instance1 between the ,democratic ,convention and the first candidate elect for the ,vice-,presidency4 ,the enthusiasm of the crowd before the window of the ,telegraph ,room in the ,capitol was excited to the highest pitch at the announcement of the nomination of the ,presidential candidate1 and the whole of it afterwards seemed turned upon the ,telegraph4 ,they gave the ,telegraph three cheers1 and ,i was called to make my appearance at the window when three cheers were given to me by some hundreds present1 composed mainly of members of ,congress4 ,such is the feeling in ,congress that many tell me they are ready to grant anything4 ,even the most inveterate opposers have changed to admirers1 and one of them1 ,hon4 ,cave ,johnson1 who ridiculed my system last session by associating it with the tricks of animal magnetism1 came to me and said3 ',sir1 ,i give in4 ,it is an astonishing invention4' ,when ,i see all this and such enthusiasm everywhere manifested1 and contrast the present with the past season of darkness and almost despair1 have ,i not occasion to exclaim ',what hath ,god wrought'8 ,surely none but ,he who has all hearts in his hands1 and turns them as the rivers of waters are turned could so have brought light out of darkness4 ',sorrow may continue for a night1 but joy cometh in the morning4' ,pray for me then1 my dear brother1 that ,i may have a heart to praise the great ,deliverer1 and in future1 when discouraged or despairing1 be enabled to remember ,his past mercy1 and in full faith rest all my cares on ,him who careth for us4 ,mr4 ,s4 still embarrasses the progress of the invention by his stubbornness1 but there are indications of giving way2 mainly1 ,i fear1 because he sees his pecuniary interest in doing so1 and not from any sense of the gross injury he has done me4 ,i pray ,god for a right spirit in dealing with him4 ,the incident referred to in this letter with regard to the nomination for the ,vice-,presidency by the ,democratic ,convention is worthy of more extended notice4 ,the convention met in ,baltimore on the #bfth of ,may1 and it was then that the two-thirds rule was first adopted4 ,van ,buren had a majority of the votes1 but could not secure the necessary two thirds1 and finally ,james ,k4 ,polk was unanimously nominated4 ,this news was instantly flashed to ,washington by the telegraph and was received with mingled feelings of enthusiasm1 disappointment1 and wonder1 and not believed by many until confirmed by the arrival of the mail4 ,the convention then nominated ,van ,buren's friend1 ,senator ,silas ,wright1 of ,new ,york1 for the ,vice-,presidency4 ,this news1 too1 was immediately sent by wire to ,washington4 ,morse at once informed ,mr4 ,wright1 who was in the ,capitol at the time1 of his nomination1 but he refused to accept it1 and ,morse wired his refusal to ,vail in ,baltimore1 and it was read to the convention only a few moments after the nomination had been made4 ,this was too much for the credulity of the assembly1 and they adjourned till the following day and sent a committee to ,washington to verify the dispatch4 ,upon the return of the committee1 with the report that the telegraph had indeed performed this wonder1 this new instrumentality received such an advertisement as could not fail to please the most exacting4 ,then a scene was enacted new in the annals of civilization4 ,in ,baltimore the committee of conference surrounded ,vail at his instrument1 and in ,washington ,senator ,wright sat beside ,morse1 all others being excluded4 ,the committee urged ,wright to accept the nomination1 giving him good reasons for doing so4 ,he replied1 giving as good reasons for refusing4 ,this first long-distance conversation was carried on until the committee was finally convinced that ,wright was determined to refuse1 and they so reported to the convention4 ,mr4 ,dallas was then nominated1 and in ,november of that year ,polk and ,dallas were elected4 ,on ,june #c1 ,morse made his report to the ,honorable ,mc,clintock ,young1 who was then ,secretary of the ,treasury ad interim4 ,it was with great satisfaction that he was able to say3 ,of the appropriation made there will remain in the ,treasury1 after the settlement of outstanding accounts1 about #cejj1 which may be needed for contingent liabilities and for sustaining the line already constructed1 until provision by law shall be made for such an organization of a telegraphic department or bureau as shall enable the ,telegraph at least to support itself1 if not to become a profitable source of revenue to the ,government4 ,in the course of this report mention is also made of the following interesting incidents3-- ,in regard to the utility of the ,telegraph1 time alone can determine and develop the whole capacity for good of so perfect a system4 ,in the few days of its infancy it has already casually shown its usefulness in the relief1 in various ways1 of the anxieties of thousands2 and1 when such a sure means of relief is available to the public at large1 the amount of its usefulness becomes incalculable4 ,an instance or two will best illustrate this quality of the ,telegraph4 ,a family in ,washington was thrown into great distress by a rumor that one of its members had met with a violent death in ,baltimore the evening before4 ,several hours must have elapsed ere their state of suspense could be relieved by the ordinary means of conveyance4 ,a note was dispatched to the telegraph rooms at the ,capitol requesting to have inquiry made at ,baltimore4 ,the messenger had occasion to wait but ten minutes when the proper inquiry was made at ,baltimore1 and the answer returned that the rumor was without foundation4 ,thus was a worthy family relieved immediately from a state of distressing suspense4 ,an inquiry from a person in ,baltimore1 holding the check of a gentleman in ,washington upon the ,bank of ,washington1 was sent by telegraph to ascertain if the gentleman in question had funds in that bank4 ,a messenger was instantly dispatched from the ,capitol who returned in a few minutes with an affirmative answer1 which was returned to ,baltimore instantly1 thus establishing a confidence in a money arrangement which might have affected unfavorably 7for many hours1 at least7 the business transactions of a man of good credit4 ,other cases might be given1 but these are deemed sufficient to illustrate the point of utility1 and to suggest to those who will reflect upon them thousands of cases in the public business1 in commercial operations1 and in private and social transactions1 which establish beyond a doubt the immense advantages of such a speedy mode of conveying intelligence4 ,while such instances of the use of the telegraph are but the commonplaces of to-day1 we can imagine with what wonder they were regarded in #ahdd4 ,morse then addressed a memorial to ,congress1 on the same day1 referring to the report just quoted from1 and then saying3-- ,the proprietors respectfully suggest that it is an engine of power1 for good or for evil1 which all opinions seem to concur in desiring to have subject to the control of the ,government1 rather than have it in the hands of private individuals and associations2 and to this end the proprietors respectfully submit their willingness to transfer the exclusive use and control of it1 from ,washington ,city to the city of ,new ,york1 to the ,united ,states1 together with such improvements as shall be made by the proprietors1 or either of them1 if ,congress shall proceed to cause its construction1 and upon either of the following terms4 ,here follow the details of the two plans3 either outright purchase by the ,government of the existing line and construction by the ,government of the line from ,baltimore to ,new ,york1 or construction of the latter by the proprietors under contract to the ,government2 but no specific sum was mentioned in either case4 ,this offer was not accepted1 as will appear further on1 but #hjjj was appropriated for the support of the line already built1 and that was all that ,congress would do4 ,it was while this matter was pending that ,morse wrote to his brother ,sidney1 on ,june #ac3-- ,i am in the crisis of matters1 so far as this session of ,congress is concerned1 in relation to the ,telegraph1 which absorbs all my time4 ,perfect enthusiasm seems to pervade all classes in regard to it1 but there is still the thorn in the flesh which is permitted by a wise ,father to keep me humble1 doubtless4 ,may his strength be sufficient for me and ,i shall fear nothing1 and will bear it till ,he sees fit to remove it4 ,pray for me1 as ,i do for you1 that1 if prosperity is allotted to us1 we may have hearts to use it to the glory of ,god4 ,,chapter ,,xxxi ,,june #bh1 #ahdd--,,october #i1 #ahdf ,fame and fortune now assured4--,government declines purchase of telegraph4--,accident to leg gives needed rest4--,reflections on ways of ,providence4--,consideration of financial propositions4--,f4,o4,j4 ,smith's fulsome praise4--,morse's reply4--,extension of telegraph proceeds slowly4 --,letter to ,russian ,minister4--,letter to ,london ,mechanics' ,magazine claiming priority and first experiments in wireless telegraphy4--,hopes that ,government may yet purchase4--,longing for a home4--,dinner at ,russian ,minister's4--,congress again fails him4--,amos ,kendall chosen as business agent4--,first telegraph company4--,fourth voyage to ,europe4--,london1 ,broek1 ,hamburg4--,letter of ,charles ,t4 ,fleischmann4--,paris4--,nothing definite accomplished4 ,morse's fame was now secure1 and fortune was soon to follow4 ,tried as he had been in the school of adversity1 he was now destined to undergo new trials1 trials incident to success1 to prosperity1 and to world-wide eminence4 ,that he foresaw the new dangers which would beset him on every hand is clearly evidenced in the letters to his brother1 but1 heartened by the success which had at last crowned his efforts1 he buckled on his armor ready to do battle to such foes1 both within and without1 as should in the future assail him4 ,fatalist as we must regard him1 he believed in his star2 or rather he went forward with sublime faith in that ,god who had thus far guarded him from evil1 and in his own good time had given him the victory1 and such a victory6 ,for twelve years he had fought on through trials and privations1 hampered by bodily ailments and the deep discouragements of those who should have aided him4 ,pitted against the trained minds and the wealth of other nations1 he had gone forth a very ,david to battle1 and1 like ,david1 the simplicity of his missile had given him the victory4 ,other telegraphs had been devised by other men2 some had actually been put into operation1 but it would seem as if all the nations had held their breath until his appeared1 and1 sweeping all the others from the field1 demonstrated and maintained its supremacy4 ,from this time forward his life became more complex4 ,honors were showered upon him2 fame carried his name to the uttermost parts of the earth2 his counsel was sought by eminent scientists and by other inventors1 both practical and visionary4 ,on the other hand1 detractors innumerable arose2 his rights to the invention were challenged1 in all sincerity and in insincerity2 infringements of his patent rights necessitated long and acrimonious lawsuits1 and1 like other men of mark1 he was traduced and vilified4 ,in addition to all this he took an active interest in the seething politics of the day and in religious questions which1 to his mind and that of many others1 affected the very foundations of the nation4 ,to follow him through all these labyrinthine ways would require volumes1 and ,i shall content myself with selecting only such letters as may give a fair idea of how he bore himself in the face of these new and manifold trials1 of how he sometimes erred in judgment and in action1 but how through all he was sincere and firm in his faith1 and how1 at last1 he was to find that home and that domestic bliss which he had all his life so earnestly desired1 but which had until the evening of his days been denied to him4 ,having won his great victory1 retirement from the field of battle would have best suited him4 ,he was now fifty-three years of age1 and he felt that he had earned repose4 ,to this end he sought to carry out his long-cherished idea that the telegraph should become the property of the ,government1 and he was willing to accept a very modest remuneration4 ,as ,i have said before1 he and the other proprietors joined in offering the telegraph to the ,government for the paltry sum of #ajj1jjj4 ,but the ,administration of that day seems to have been stricken with unaccountable blindness1 for the ,postmaster-,general1 that same wise and sapient ,cave ,johnson who had sought to kill the telegraph bill by ridicule in the ,house1 and in despite of his acknowledgment to ,morse1 reported3 ,that the operation of the ,telegraph between ,washington and ,baltimore had not satisfied him that1 under any rate of postage that could be adopted1 its revenues could be made equal to its expenditures4 ,congress was equally lax1 and so the ,government lost its great opportunity1 for when1 in after years1 the question of government ownership again came up1 it was found that either to purchase outright or to parallel existing lines would cost many more millions than it would have taken thousands in #ahdd4 ,the failure of the ,government to appreciate the value of what was offered to them was always a source of deep regret to ,morse4 ,for1 while he himself gained much more by the operation of private companies1 the evils which he had foretold were more than realized4 ,but to return to the days of '#dd1 it would seem that in the spring of that year he met with a painful accident4 ,its exact nature is not specified1 but it must have been severe1 and yet we learn from the following letter to his brother ,sidney1 dated ,june #bc1 that he saw in it only another blessing3-- ,i am still in bed1 and from appearances ,i am likely to be held here for many days1 perhaps weeks4 ,the wound on the leg was worse than ,i at first supposed4 ,it seems slow in healing and has been much inflamed1 although now yielding to remedies4 ,my hope was to have spent some weeks in ,new ,york1 but it will now depend on the time of the healing of my leg4 ,the ways of ,god are mysterious1 and ,i find prayer answered in a way not at all anticipated4 ,this accident1 as we are apt to call it1 ,i can plainly see is calculated to effect many salutary objects4 ,i needed rest of body and mind after my intense anxieties and exertions1 and ,i might have neglected it1 and so1 perhaps1 brought on premature disease of both2 but ,i am involuntarily laid up so that ,i must keep quiet1 and1 although the fall that caused my wound was painful at first1 yet ,i have no severe pain with it now4 ,but the principal effect is1 doubtless1 intended to be of a spiritual character1 and ,i am afforded an opportunity of quiet reflection on the wonderful dealings of ,god with me4 ,i cannot but constantly exclaim1 ',what hath ,god wrought6' ,when ,i look back upon the darkness of last winter and reflect how1 at one time everything seemed hopeless2 when ,i remember that all my associates in the enterprise of the ,telegraph had either deserted me or were discouraged1 and one had even turned my enemy1 reviler and accuser 7and even ,mr4 ,vail1 who has held fast to me from the beginning1 felt like giving up just in the deepest darkness of all72 when ,i remember that1 giving up all hope myself from any other source than his right arm which brings salvation1 his salvation did come in answer to prayer1 faith is strengthened1 and did ,i not know by too sad experience the deceitfulness of the heart1 ,i should say that it was impossible for me again to distrust or feel anxiety1 undue anxiety1 for the future4 ,but ,he who knows the heart knows its disease1 and1 as the ,good ,physician1 if we give ourselves unreservedly into his hands to be cured1 ,he will give that medicine which his perfect knowledge of our case prescribes4 ,i am well aware that just now my praises ring from one end of the country to the other4 ,i cannot take up a paper in which ,i do not find something to flatter the natural pride of the heart4 ,i have prayed1 indeed1 against it2 ,i have asked for a right spirit under a trial of a new character1 for prosperity is a trial1 and our ,saviour has denounced a woe on us 'when all men speak well of us4' ,may it not then be in answer to this prayer that ,he shuts me up1 to strengthen me against the temptations which the praises of the world present1 and so1 by meditation on his dealings with me and reviewing the way in which ,he has led me1 showing me my perfect helplessness without ,him1 ,he is preparing to bless me with stronger faith and more unreserved faith in ,him8 ,to ,him1 indeed1 belongs all the glory4 ,i have had evidence enough that without ,christ ,i could do nothing4 ,all my strength is there and ,i fervently desire to ascribe to ,him all the praise4 ,if ,i am to have influence1 increased influence1 ,i desire to have it for ,christ1 to use it for his cause2 if wealth1 for ,christ2 if more knowledge1 for ,christ4 ,i speak sincerely when ,i say ,i fear prosperity lest ,i should be proud and forget whence it comes4 ,having at length recovered from the accident which had given him1 in spite of himself1 the rest which he so much needed1 ,morse again devoted himself to his affairs with his accustomed vigor4 ,the ,government still delaying to take action1 he was compelled1 much to his regret1 to consider the offers of private parties to extend the lines of the telegraph to important points in the ,union4 ,he had received propositions from various persons who were eager to push the enterprise1 but in all negotiations he was hampered by the dilatoriness of ,smith1 who seemed bent on putting as many obstacles in the way of an amicable settlement as possible1 and some of whose propositions had to be rejected for obvious reasons4 ,before ,congress had finally put the quietus on his hopes in that direction1 he considered the advisability of parting with his interest to some individual1 and1 on ,july #a1 #ahdd1 he wrote to ,mr4 ,david ,burbank from ,baltimore3-- ,in reply to your query for what sum ,i would sell my share of the patent right in the ,telegraph1 which amounts to one half1 ,i frankly say that1 if one hundred and ten thousand dollars shall be secured to me in cash1 current funds in the ,united ,states1 or stocks at cash value1 such as ,i may be disposed to accept if presented1 so that in six months from this date ,i shall realize that sum1 ,i will assign over all my rights and privileges in the ,telegraph in the ,united ,states4 ,i offer it at this price1 not that ,i estimate the value of the invention so low1 for it is perfectly demonstrable that the sum above mentioned is not half its value1 but that ,i may have my own mind free to be occupied in perfecting the system1 and in a general superintendence of it1 unembarrassed by the business arrangements necessary to secure its utmost usefulness and value4 ,a ,mr4 ,fry of ,philadelphia had also made an offer1 and1 referring to this1 he wrote to ,smith from ,new ,york1 on ,july #ag3 ,a letter from ,mr4 ,fry1 of ,philadelphia1 in answer to the proposals which you sent1 ,i have just received4 ,i wish much to see you1 as ,i cannot move in this matter until ,i know your views4 ,i am here for about a fortnight and wish some arrangements made by which our business can be transacted without the necessity of so much waiting and so much writing4 ,all these negotiations seem to have come to nothing1 and ,i have only mentioned them as showing ,morse's willingness to part with his interest for much less than he knew it was worth1 in order that he might not prove an obstacle in the expansion of the system by being too mercenary1 and so that he might obtain some measure of freedom from care4 ,mr4 ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith1 while still proving himself a thorn in the flesh to ,morse in many ways1 had compiled a ,telegraph ,dictionary which he called3 ,the ,secret ,corresponding ,vocabulary1 adapted for ,use to ,morse's ,electro-,magnetic ,telegraph1 and also in conducting ,written ,correspondence transmitted by the ,mails1 or otherwise4 ,the dedication reads as follows3 ,to ,professor ,samuel ,f4,b4 ,morse1 ,inventor of the ,electro-,magnetic ,telegraph ,sir1--,the homage of the world during the last half-century has been1 and will ever continue to be1 accorded to the name and genius of the illustrious ,american philosopher1 ,benjamin ,franklin1 for having first taught mankind that the wild and terrific ways and forces of the electric fluid1 as it flies and flashes through the rent atmosphere1 or descends to the surface of the earth1 are guided by positive and fixed laws1 as much as the movements of more sluggish matter in the physical creation1 and that its terrible death-strokes may be rendered harmless by proper scientific precautions4 ,to another name of another generation1 yet of the same proud national nativity1 the glory has been reserved of having first taught mankind to reach even beyond the results of ,franklin1 and to subdue in a modified state1 into the familiar and practical uses of a household servant who runs at his master's bidding1 this same once frightful and tremendous element4 ,indeed the great work of science which ,franklin commenced for the protection of man1 you have most triumphantly subdued to his convenience4 ,and it needs not the gift of prophecy to foresee1 nor the spirit of personal flattery to declare1 that the names of ,franklin and ,morse are destined to glide down the declivity of time together1 the equals in the renown of inventive achievements1 until the hand of ,history shall become palsied1 and whatever pertains to humanity shall be lost in the general dissolution of matter4 ,of one thus rich in the present applause of his countrymen1 and in the prospect of their future gratitude1 it affords the author of the following compilation1 which is designed to contribute in a degree to the practical usefulness of your invention1 a high gratification to speak in the presence of an enlightened public feeling4 ,that you may live to witness the full consummation of the vast revolution in the social and business relations of your countrymen1 which your genius has proved to be feasible1 under the liberal encouragement of our national councils1 and that you may1 with this great gratification1 also realize from it the substantial reward1 which inventive merit too seldom acquires1 in the shape of pecuniary independence1 is the sincere wish of ,your most respectful and obedient servant ,the ,author4 ,this florid and fulsome eulogy was written by that singular being who could thus flatter1 and almost apotheosize1 the inventor in public1 while in secret he was doing everything to thwart him1 and who never1 as long as he lived1 ceased to antagonize him1 and later accused him of having claimed the credit of an invention all the essentials of which were invented by others4 ,no wonder that ,morse was embarrassed and at a loss how to reply to the letter of ,smith's enclosing this eulogy and1 at the same time1 bringing up one of the subjects in dispute3-- ,new ,york1 ,november #ac1 #ahdd4 ,dear ,sir1--,i have received yours of the #dth and #eth inst41 and reply in relation to the several subjects you mention in their order4 ,i like very well the suggestion in regard to the presentation of a set of the ,telegraph ,dictionary you are publishing to each member of ,congress1 and1 when ,i return to ,washington1 will see the ,secretary of the ,treasury and see if he will assent to it4 ,as to the dedication to me1 since you have asked my opinion1 ,i must say ,i should prefer to have it much curtailed and less laudatory4 ,i must refer it entirely to you1 however1 as it is not for me to say what others should write and think of me4 ,in regard to the ,bartlett claim against the ,government and your plan for settling it1 ,i cannot admit that1 as proprietors of the ,telegraph1 we have anything to do with it4 ,i regret that there has been any mention of it1 and ,i had hoped that you yourself had come to the determination to leave the matter altogether1 or at least until the ,telegraph bill had been definitely settled in ,congress4 ,however much ,i may deprecate agitation of the subject in the ,senate1 to mar and probably to defeat all our prospects1 it is a matter over which ,i have no control in the aspect that has been given to it1 and therefore--the suppression of details which had better not be pushed to a decision--does not rest with me4 ,in regard1 however1 to such a division of the property of the ,telegraph as shall enable each of us to labor for the general benefit without embarrassment from each other1 ,i think it worthy of consideration1 and the principle on which such a division is proposed to be made might be extended to embrace the entire property4 ,the subject1 however1 requires mature deliberation1 and ,i am not now prepared to present the plan1 but will think it over and consult with ,vail and ,gale and arrange it1 perhaps definitely1 when ,i see you again in ,washington4 ,i have letters from ,vail at ,washington and ,rogers at ,baltimore stating the fact that complete success has attended all the transmission of results by ,telegraph1 there not having been a failure in a single instance1 and to the entire satisfaction of both political parties in the perfect impartiality of the directors of the ,telegraph4 ,while the success of the ,telegraph had now been fully demonstrated1 and while congratulations and honors were showered on the inventor from all quarters1 negotiations for its extension proceeded but slowly4 ,morse still kept hoping that the ,government would eventually purchase all the rights1 and it was not until well into #ahde that he was compelled to abandon this dream4 ,in the mean time he was kept busy replying to enquiries from the representatives of ,russia1 ,france1 and other ,european countries1 and in repelling attacks which had already been launched against him in scientific circles4 ,as an example of the former ,i shall quote from a letter to ,his ,excellency ,alexander de ,bodisco1 the ,russian ,minister1 written in ,december1 #ahdd3-- ,in complying with your request to write you respecting my invention of the ,electro-,magnetic ,telegraph1 ,i find there are but few points of interest not embraced in the printed documents already in your possession4 ,the principle on which1 my whole invention rests is the power of the electro-magnet commanded at pleasure at any distance4 ,the application of this power to the telegraph is original with me4 ,if the electro-magnet is now used in ,europe for telegraphic purposes1 it has been subsequently introduced4 ,all the systems of electric telegraphs in ,europe from #ahbj to #ahdj are based on the deflection of the magnetic needle1 while my system1 invented in #ahcb1 is based1 as ,i have just observed1 on the electro-magnet4444 ,should the ,emperor be desirous of the superintendence of an experienced person to put the ,telegraph in operation in ,russia1 ,i will either engage myself to visit ,russia for that purpose2 or1 if my own or another government shall1 previous to receiving an answer from ,russia1 engage my personal attendance1 ,i will send an experienced person in my stead4 ,as a specimen of the vigorous style in which he repelled attacks on his merits as an inventor1 ,i shall give the following3-- ,messrs4 ,editors1--,the ,london ,mechanics' ,magazine1 for ,october1 #ahdd1 copies an article from the ,baltimore ,american in which my discovery in relation to causing electricity to cross rivers without wires is announced1 and then in a note to his readers the editor of the magazine makes the following assertion3 ,the ,english reader need scarcely be informed that ,mr4 ,morse has in this1 as in other matters relating to magneto telegraphs1 only rediscovered what was previously well known in this country4 ,more illiberality and deliberate injustice has been seldom condensed within so small a compass4 ,from the experience1 however1 that ,i1 in common with many ,american scientific gentlemen1 have already had of the piratical conjoined with the abusive propensity of a certain class of ,english savans and writers1 ,i can scarcely expect either liberality or justice from the quarter whence this falsehood has issued4 ,but there is1 fortunately1 an appeal to my own countrymen1 to the impartial and liberal-minded of ,continental ,europe1 and the truly noble of ,england herself4 ,i claim to be the original inventor of the ,electro-,magnetic ,telegraph2 to be the first who planned and operated a really practicable ,electric ,telegraph4 ,this is the broad claim ,i make in behalf of my country and myself before the world4 ,if ,i cannot substantiate this claim1 if any other1 to whatever country he belongs1 can make out a previous or better claim1 ,i will cheerfully yield him the palm4 ,although ,i had planned and completed my ,telegraph unconscious1 until after my ,telegraph was in operation1 that even the words ,electric ,telegraph had ever been combined until ,i had combined them1 ,i have now made myself familiar with1 ,i believe1 all the plans1 abortive and otherwise1 which have been given to the world since the time of ,franklin1 who was the first to suggest the possibility of using electricity as a means of transmitting intelligence4 ,with this knowledge1 both of the various plans devised and the time when they were severally devised1 ,i claim to be the first inventor of a really practicable telegraph on the electric principle4 ,when this shall be seriously called in question by any responsible name1 ,i have the proof in readiness4 ,as to ,english electric telegraphs1 the telegraph of ,wheatstone and ,cooke1 called the ,magnetic ,needle ,telegraph1 inefficient as it is1 was invented five years after mine1 and the printing telegraph1 so-called 7the title to the invention of which is litigated by ,wheatstone and ,bain7 was invented seven years after mine4 ,so much for my rediscovering what was previously known in ,england4 ,as to the discovery that electricity may be made to cross the water without wire conductors1 above1 through1 or beneath the water1 the very reference by the editor to another number of the magazine1 and to the experiments of ,cooke1 or rather ,steinheil1 and of ,bain1 shows that the editor is wholly ignorant of the nature of my experiment4 ,i have in detail the experiments of ,bain and ,wheatstone4 ,they were merely in effect repetitions of the experiments of ,steinheil4 ,their object was to show that the earth or water can be made one half of the circuit in conducting electricity1 a fact proved by ,franklin with ordinary electricity in the last century1 and by ,professor ,steinheil1 of ,munich1 with magnetic electricity in #ahcg4 ,mr4 ,bain1 and after him ,mr4 ,wheatstone1 in ,england repeated1 or 7to use the ,english editor's phrase7 rediscovered the same fact in #ahda4 ,but what have these experiments1 in which one wire is carried across the river1 to do with mine which dispenses with wires altogether across the river8 ,i challenge the proof that such an experiment has ever been tried in ,europe1 unless it be since the publication of my results4 ,the year #ahdd was drawing to a close and ,congress still was dilatory4 ,morse hated to abandon his cherished dream of government ownership1 and1 while carrying on negotiations with private parties in order to protect himself1 he still hoped that ,congress would at last see the light4 ,he writes to his brother from ,washington on ,december #cj3-- ,telegraph matters look exceedingly encouraging1 not only for the ,united ,states but for ,europe4 ,i have just got a letter from a special agent of the ,french ,government1 sent to ,boston by the ,minister of ,foreign ,affairs1 in which he says that he has seen mine and 'is convinced of its superiority1' and wishes all information concerning it1 adding3 ',i consider it my duty to make a special report on your admirable invention4' ,and on ,january #ah1 #ahde1 he writes3-- ,i am well1 but anxiously waiting the action of ,congress on the bill for extension of ,telegraph4 ,texas drives everything else into a corner4 ,i have not many fears if they will only get it up4 ,i had to-day the ,russian1 ,spanish1 and ,belgian ,ministers to see the operation of the ,telegraph2 they were astonished and delighted4 ,the ,russian ,minister particularly takes the deepest interest in it1 and will write to his ,government by next steamer4 ,the ,french ,minister also came day before yesterday1 and will write in its favor to his ,government4444 ,senator ,woodbury gave a discourse before the ,institute a few nights ago1 in the ,hall of the ,house of ,representatives1 in which he lauded the ,telegraph in the highest terms1 and thought ,i had gone a step beyond ,franklin6 ,the popularity of the ,telegraph increases rather than declines4 ,the mention of ,texas in this letter refers to the fact that ,polk was elected to the ,presidency on a platform which favored the annexation of that republic to the ,united ,states1 and this question was1 naturally1 paramount in the halls of ,congress4 ,texas was admitted to the ,union in ,december1 #ahde4 ,writing to his daughter1 ,mrs4 ,lind1 in ,porto ,rico on ,february #h1 he says3-- ,the ,telegraph operates to the perfect satisfaction of the public1 as you perhaps see by the laudatory notices of the papers in all parts of the country4 ,i am now in a state of unpleasant suspense waiting the passage of the bill for the extension of the ,telegraph to ,new ,york4 ,i am in hopes they will take it up and pass it next week2 if they should not1 ,i shall at once enter into arrangements with private companies to take it and extend it4 ,i do long for the time1 if it shall be permitted1 to have you with your husband and little ,charles around me4 ,i feel my loneliness more and more keenly every day4 ,fame and money are in themselves a poor substitute for domestic happiness2 as means to that end ,i value them4 ,yesterday was the sad anniversary 7the twentieth7 of your dear mother's death1 and ,i spent the most of it in thinking of her4444 ,thursday1 ,february #ab4 ,i dined at the ,russian ,ambassador's ,tuesday4 ,it was the most gorgeous dinner-party ,i ever attended in any country4 ,thirty-six sat down to table2 there were eleven ,senators1 nearly half the ,senate4444 ,the table1 some twenty or twenty-five feet long1 was decorated with immense gilt vases of flowers on a splendid plateau of richly chased gilt ornaments1 and candelabra with about a hundred and fifty lights4 ,we were ushered into the house through eight liveried servants1 who afterward waited on us at table4 ,i go to-morrow evening to ,mr4 ,wickliffe's1 ,postmaster ,general1 and1 probably1 on ,wednesday evening next to the ,president's4 ,the new ,president1 ,polk1 arrived this evening amid the roar of cannon4 ,he will be inaugurated on the #dth of ,march1 and ,i presume ,i shall be there4 ,i am most anxiously waiting the action of ,congress on the ,telegraph4 ,it is exceedingly tantalizing to suffer so much loss of precious time that cannot be recalled4 ,this time there was no eleventh-hour passage of the bill1 for ,congress adjourned without reaching it1 and while this1 in the light of future events1 was undoubtedly a tactical error on the part of the ,government1 it inured to the financial benefit of the inventor himself4 ,the question now arose of the best means of extending the business of the telegraph through private companies1 and ,morse keenly felt the need of a better business head than he possessed to guide the enterprise through the shoals and quicksands of commerce4 ,he was fortunate in choosing as his business and legal adviser the ,honorable ,amos ,kendall4 ,mr4 ,james ,d4 ,reid1 one of the early telegraphers and a staunch and faithful friend of ,morse's1 thus speaks of ,mr4 ,kendall in his valuable book ,the ,telegraph in ,america3-- ,mr4 ,kendall is too well known in ,american history to require description4 ,he was ,general ,jackson's ,postmaster ,general1 incorruptible1 able1 an educated lawyer1 clear-headed1 methodical1 and ingenious4 ,but he was somewhat rigid in his manners and methods1 and lacked the dash and bonhomie which would have carried him successfully into the business centres of the seaboard cities1 and brought capital largely and cheerfully to his feet4 ,of personal magnetism1 indeed1 except in private intercourse1 where he was eminently delightful1 he had1 at this period of his life1 none4 ,this made his work difficult1 especially with railroad men4 ,yet the ,telegraph could not have been entrusted to more genuinely honest and able hands4 ,on the part of those he represented this confidence was so complete that their interests were committed to him without reserve4 ,professor ,gale and ,alfred ,vail joined with ,morse in entrusting their interests to ,mr4 ,kendall's care1 but ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith preferred to act for himself4 ,this caused much trouble in the future1 for it was a foregone conclusion that the honest1 upright ,kendall and the shifty ,smith were bound to come into conflict with each other4 ,the latter1 as one of the original patentees1 had to be consulted in every sale of patent rights1 and ,kendall soon found it almost impossible to deal with him4 ,at first ,kendall had great difficulty in inducing capitalists to subscribe to what was still looked upon as a very risky venture4 ,mr4 ,corcoran1 of ,washington1 was the first man wise in his generation1 and others then followed his lead1 so that a cash capital of #ae1jjj was raised4 ,mr4 ,reid says3 ,it was provided1 in this original subscription1 that the payment of #ej should entitle the subscriber to two shares of #ej each4 ,a payment of #ae1jjj1 therefore1 required an issue of #cj1jjj stock4 ,to the patentees were issued an additional #cj1jjj stock1 or half of the capital1 as the consideration of the patent4 ,the capital was thus #fj1jjj for the first link4 ,w4,w4 ,corcoran and ,b4,b4 ,french were made trustees to hold the patent rights and property until organization was effected4 ,meanwhile an act of incorporation was granted by the legislature of the ,state of ,maryland1 the first telegraphic charter issued in the ,united ,states4 ,the company was called ,the ,magnetic ,telegraph ,company1 and was the first telegraph company in the ,united ,states4 ,under the able1 if conservative1 management of ,mr4 ,kendall the business of the telegraph progressed slowly but surely4 ,many difficulties were encountered1 many obstacles had to be overcome1 and the efforts of unprincipled men to pirate the invention1 or to infringe on the patent1 were the cause of numerous lawsuits4 ,but it is not my purpose to write a history of the telegraph4 ,mr4 ,reid has accomplished this task much better than ,i possibly could1 and1 in following the personal history of ,morse1 the now famous inventor1 ,i shall but touch1 incidentally on all these matters4 ,on the #ahth of ,july1 #ahde1 the following letter of introduction was sent to ,morse from the ,department of ,state3-- ,to the respective ,diplomatic and ,consular ,agents of the ,united ,states in ,europe4 ,,sir1--,the bearer hereof1 ,professor ,samuel ,f4,b4 ,morse1 of ,new ,york1 ,superintendent of ,electro ,magnetic ,telegraphs for the ,united ,states1 is about to visit ,europe for the purpose of exhibiting to the various governments his own system1 and its superiority over others now in use4 ,from a personal knowledge of ,professor ,morse ,i can speak confidently of his amiability of disposition and high respectability4 ,the merits of his discoveries and inventions in this particular branch of science are1 ,i believe1 universally conceded in this country4 ,i take pleasure in introducing him to your acquaintance and in bespeaking for him1 during his stay in your neighborhood1 such attentions and good offices in aid of his object as you may find it convenient to extend to him4 ,i am1 sir1 with great respect1 ,your obedient servant1 ,,james ,,buchanan1 ,secretary of ,state4 ,illustration3 ,s4,f4,b4 ,morse ,from a portrait by ,daniel ,huntington ,with the assurance that he had left his business affairs in capable hands1 ,morse sailed from ,new ,york on ,august #f1 #ahde1 and arrived in ,liverpool on the #beth4 ,for the fourth time he was crossing from ,america to ,europe1 but under what totally different circumstances4 ,on previous occasions1 practically unknown1 he had voyaged forth to win his spurs in the field of art1 or to achieve higher honors in this same field1 or as a humble petitioner at the courts of ,europe4 ,forced by circumstances to practise the most rigid economy1 he had yet looked confidently to the future for his reward in material as well as spiritual gifts4 ,now1 having abandoned his art1 he had won such fame in a totally different realm that his name was becoming well-known in all the centres of civilization1 and he was assured of a respectful hearing wherever he might present himself4 ,freed already from pecuniary embarrassment1 he need no longer take heed for the morrow1 but could with a light heart give himself up to the enjoyment of new scenes1 and the business of proving to other nations the superiority of his system1 secure in the knowledge that1 whatever might betide him in ,europe1 he was assured of a competence at home4 ,his brother ,sidney1 with his family1 had preceded him to ,europe1 and writing to ,vail from ,london on ,september #a1 ,morse says3-- ,i have just taken lodgings with my brother and his family preparatory to looking about for a week1 when ,i shall continue my journey to ,stockholm and ,st4 ,petersburg1 by the way of ,hamburg1 direct from ,london4 ,on my way from ,liverpool ,i saw at ,rugby the telegraph wires of ,wheatstone1 which extend1 ,i understood1 as far as ,northampton4 ,i went into the office as the train stopped a moment1 and had a glimpse of the instrument as we have seen it in the ',illustrated ,times4' ,the place was the ticket-office and the man very uncommunicative1 but he told me it was not in operation and that they did not use it much4 ,this is easily accounted for from the fact that the two termini are inconsiderable places1 and ,wheatstone's system clumsy and complicated4 ,the advantage of recording is incalculable1 and in this ,i have the undisputed superiority4 ,as soon as ,i can visit the telegraph-office here ,i will give you the result of my observation4 ,i shall probably do nothing until my return from the north4 ,nothing definite was accomplished during his short stay in ,london1 and on the #agth of ,september he left for the ,continent with ,mr4 ,henry ,ellsworth and his wife4 ,mr4 ,ellsworth1 the son of his old friend1 had been appointed attach to the ,american ,legation at ,stockholm4 ,morse's letters to his daughter give a detailed account of his journey1 but ,i shall give only a few extracts from them3-- ,hamburg1 ,september #bg1 #ahde4 ,everything being ready on the morning of the #agth instant1 we left ,brompton ,square in very rainy and stormy weather1 and drove down to the ,custom-house wharf and went on board our destined steamer1 the ,william ,joliffe1 a dirty1 black-looking1 tub-like thing1 about as large but not half so neat as a ,north ,river wood-sloop4 ,the wind was full from the ,southwest1 blowing a gale with rain1 and ,i confess ,i did not much fancy leaving land in so unpromising a craft and in such weather2 yet our vessel proved an excellent seaboat1 and1 although all were sick on board but ,mr4 ,ellsworth and myself1 we had a safe but rough passage across the boisterous ,north ,sea4 ,stopping but a short time in ,rotterdam1 the party proceeded through the ,hague and ,haarlem to ,amsterdam1 and from the latter place they visited the village of ,broek3-- ,the inn at ,broek was another example of the same neatness4 ,here we took a little refreshment before going into the village4 ,we walked of course1 for no carriage1 not even a wheelbarrow1 appeared to be allowed any more than in a gentleman's parlor4 ,everything about the exterior of the houses and gardens was as carefully cared for as the furniture and embellishments of the interior4 ,the streets 7or rather alleys1 like those of a garden7 were narrow and paved with small variously colored bricks forming every variety of ornamental figures4 ,the houses1 from the highest to the lowest class1 exhibited not merely comfort but luxury1 yet it was a selfish sort of luxury4 ,the perpetually closed door and shut-up rooms of ceremony1 the largest and most conspicuous of all in the house1 gave an air of inhospitableness which1 ,i should hope1 was not indicative of the real character of the inhabitants4 ,yet it seemed to be a deserted village1 a place of the dead rather than of the living1 an ornamental graveyard4 ,the liveliness of social beings was absent and was even inconsistent with the superlative neatness of all around us4 ,it was a best parlor out-of-doors1 where the gayety of frolicking children would derange the set order of the furniture1 or an accidental touch of a sacrilegious foot might scratch the polish of a fresh-varnished fence1 or flatten down the nap of the green carpet of grass1 every blade of which is trained to grow exactly so4 ,the grounds and gardens of a ,mr4 ,vander ,beck were1 indeed1 a curiosity from the strange mixture of the useful with the ridiculously ornamental4 ,here were the beautiful banks of a lake and ,nature's embellishment of reeds and water plants1 which1 for a wonder1 were left to grow in their native luxuriance1 and in the midst a huge pasteboard or wooden swan1 and a wooden mermaid of tasteless proportions blowing from a conchshell4 ,in another part was a cottage with puppets the size of life moving by clock-work2 a peasant smoking and turning a reel to wind off the thread which his 'goed vrow' is spinning upon a wheel1 while a most sheep-like dog is made to open his mouth and to bark--a dog which is1 doubtless1 the progenitor of all the barking1 toy-shop dogs of the world4 ,directly in the vicinity is a beautiful grapery1 with the richest clusters of grapes literally covering the top1 sides and walls of the greenhouse1 which stands in the midst of a garden1 gay with dahlias and amaranths and every variety of flowers1 with delicious fruits thickly studding the well-trained trees4 ,everything1 however1 was cut up into miniature landscapes2 little bridges and little temples adorned little canals and little mounds1 miniature representations of streams and bills4 ,we visited the residence of the burgomaster4 ,he was away and his servants permitted us to see the house4 ,it was cleaning-day4 ,everything in the house was in keeping with the character of the village4 ,but the kitchen6 how shall ,i describe it8 ,the polished marble floor1 the dressers with glass doors like a bookcase1 to keep the least particle of dust from the bright-polished utensils of brass and copper4 ,the varnished mahogany handle of the brass spigot1 lest the moisture of the hand in turning it should soil its polish1 and1 will you believe it1 the very pothooks as well as the cranes 7for there were two71 in the fireplace were as bright as your scissors6 ,broek is certainly a curiosity4 ,it is unique1 but the impression left upon me is not1 on the whole1 agreeable4 ,i should not be contented to live there4 ,it is too ridiculously and uncomfortably nice4 ,fancy a lady always dressed throughout the day in her best evening-party dress1 and say if she could move about with that ease which she would like4 ,such1 however1 must be the feeling of the inhabitants of ,broek2 they must be in perpetual fear1 not only of soiling or deranging their clothes merely1 but their very streets every step they take4 ,but good-bye to ,broek4 ,i would not have missed seeing it but do not care to see it again4 ,holland1 which he had never visited before1 interested him greatly1 but he could not help saying3 ,one feels in ,holland like being in a ship1 constantly liable to spring a leak4 ,hamburg he found more to his taste3-- ,september #bf4 ,hamburg1 you may remember1 was nearly destroyed by fire in #ahdb4 ,it is now almost rebuilt and in a most splendid style of architecture4 ,i am much prepossessed in its favor4 ,we have taken up our quarters at the ,victoria ,hotel1 one of the splendid new hotels of the city4 ,i find the season so far advanced in these northern regions that ,i am thinking of giving up my journey farther north4 ,my matters in ,london will demand all my spare time4 ,september #cj4 ,the windows of my hotel look out upon the ,alster ,basin1 a beautiful sheet of water1 three sides of which are surrounded with splendid houses4 ,boats and swans are gliding over the glassy surface1 giving1 with the well-dressed promenaders along the shores1 an air of gayety and liveliness to the scene4 ,it will not be necessary to follow the traveller step by step during this visit to ,europe4 ,he did not go to ,sweden and ,russia1 as he had at first planned1 for he learned that the ,emperor of ,russia was in the ,south1 and that nothing could be accomplished in his absence4 ,he1 therefore1 returned to ,london from ,hamburg4 ,he was respectfully received everywhere and his invention was recognized as being one of great merit and simplicity1 but it takes time for anything new to make its way4 ,this is1 perhaps1 best summed up in the words of ,charles ,t4 ,fleischmann1 who at that time was agent of the ,united ,states ,patent ,office1 and was travelling through ,europe collecting information on agriculture1 education1 and the arts4 ,he was a good friend of ,morse's and an enthusiastic advocate of his invention4 ,he carried with him a complete telegraphic outfit and lost no opportunity to bring it to the notice of the different governments visited by him1 and his official position gave him the entree everywhere4 ,writing from ,vienna on ,october #g1 he says3-- ,there is no doubt ,morse's telegraph is the best of that description ,i have yet seen1 but the difficulty of introducing it is in this circumstance1 that every scientific man invents a similar thing and1 without having the practical experience and practical arrangement which make ,morse's so preferable1 they will experiment a few miles' distance only1 and no doubt it works2 but1 when they come to put it up at a great distance1 then they will find that their experience is not sufficient1 and must come back ultimately to ,morse's plan4 ,the ,austrian ,government is much occupied selecting out of many plans 7of telegraphs7 one for her railroads4 ,i have offered ,morse's and proposed experiments4 ,i am determined to stay for some time1 to give them a chance of making up their minds4 ,two other young ,americans1 ,charles ,robinson and ,charles ,l4 ,chapin1 were also travelling around ,europe at this time for the purpose of introducing ,morse's invention1 but1 while all these efforts resulted in the ultimate adoption by all the nations of ,europe1 and then of the world1 of this system1 the superiority of which all were compelled1 sometimes reluctantly1 to admit1 no arrangement was made by which ,morse and his co-proprietors benefited financially4 ,the gain in fame was great1 in money nil4 ,it was1 therefore1 with mixed feelings that ,morse wrote to his brother from ,paris on ,november #a3-- ,i am still gratified in verifying the fact that my ,telegraph is ahead of all the other systems proposed4 ,wheatstone's is not adopted here4 ,the line from ,paris to ,rouen is not on his plan1 but is an experimental line of the ,governmental ,commission4 ,i went to see it yesterday with my old friend the ,administrator-in-,chief of the ,telegraphs of ,france1 ,mr4 ,poy1 who is one of the committee to decide on the best mode for ,france4 ,the system on this line is his modification4444 ,i have had a long interview with ,m4 ,arago4 ,he is the same affable and polite man as in #ahci4 ,he is a warm friend of mine and contends for priority in my favor1 and is also partial to my telegraphic system as the best4 ,he is ,president of the ,commission and is going to write the ,history of ,electric ,telegraphs4 ,i shall give him the facts concerning mine4 ,the day after to-morrow ,i exhibit my telegraphic system again to the ,academy of ,sciences1 and am in the midst of preparations for a day important to me4 ,i have strong hopes that mine will be the system adopted1 but there may be obstacles ,i do not see4 ,wheatstone1 at any rate1 is not in favor here4444 ,i like the ,french4 ,every nation has its defects and ,i could wish many changes here1 but the ,french are a fine people4 ,i receive a welcome here to which ,i was a perfect stranger in ,england4 ,how deep this welcome may be ,i cannot say1 but if one must be cheated ,i like to have it done in a civil and polite way4 ,he sums up the result of his ,european trip in a letter to his daughter1 written from ,london on ,october #i1 as he was on his way to ,liverpool from where he sailed on ,november #ai1 #ahde3-- ,i know not what to say of my telegraphic matters here yet4 ,there is nothing decided upon and ,i have many obstacles to contend against1 particularly the opposition of the proprietors of existing telegraphs2 but that mine is the best system ,i have now no doubt4 ,all that ,i have seen1 while they are ingenious1 are more complicated1 more expensive1 less efficient and easier deranged4 ,it may take some time to establish the superiority of mine over the others1 for there is the usual array of prejudice and interest against a system which throws others out of use4 ,,chapter ,,xxxii ,,december #bj1 #ahde--;,,april #ah1 #ahdi ,return to ,america4--,telegraph affairs in bad shape4--,degree of ,,ll4,d4 from ,yale4--,letter from ,cambridge ,livingston4--,henry ,o',reilly4--,grief at unfaithfulness of friends4--,estrangement from ,professor ,henry4--,morse's ,defense4--,his regret at feeling compelled to publish it4--,hopes to resume his brush4--,capitol panel4--,again disappointed4--,another accident4--,first money earned from telegraph devoted to religious purposes4--,letters to his brother ,sidney4--,telegraph matters4--,mexican ,war4--,faith in the future4--,desire to be lenient to opponents4--,dr4 ,jackson4--,edward ,warren4--,alfred ,vail remains loyal4--,troubles in ,virginia4--,henry ,j4 ,rogers4--,letter to ,j4,d4 ,reid about ,o',reilly4--,f4,o4,j4 ,smith again4--,purchases a home at last4--,locust ,grove1 on the ,hudson1 near ,poughkeepsie4--,enthusiastic description4--,more troubles without1 but peace in his new home4 ,having established to his satisfaction the fact that his system was better than any of the ,european plans1 which was the main object of his trip abroad1 ,morse returned to his native land1 but not to the rest and quiet which he had so long desired4 ,telegraph lines were being pushed forward in all directions1 but the more the utility of this wonderful new agent was realized1 the greater became the efforts to break down the lawful rights of the patentees1 and competing lines were1 hurriedly built on the plea of fighting a baleful monopoly by the use of the inventions of others1 said to be superior4 ,internal dissensions also arose in the ranks of the workers on the ,morse lines1 and some on whom he had relied proved faithless1 or caused trouble in other ways4 ,but1 while these clouds arose to darken his sky1 there was yet much sunshine to gladden his heart4 ,his health was good1 his children and the families of his brothers were well and prosperous4 ,in the year #ahdf his patent rights were extended for another period of years1 and he was gradually accumulating a competence as the various lines in which he held stock began to declare dividends4 ,in addition to all this his fame had so increased that he was often alluded to in the papers as the idol of the nation1 and honorary degrees were conferred on him by various institutions both at home and abroad4 ,of these the one that1 perhaps1 pleased him the most was the degree of ,,ll4,d4 bestowed by his alma mater1 ,yale4 ,he alludes to it with pride in many of his letters to his brother ,sidney1 and once playfully suggests that it must mean ,lightning ,line ,doctor4 ,one of the first letters which he received on his return to ,america was from ,cambridge ,livingston1 dated ,december #bj1 #ahde1 and reads as follows3-- ,the ,trustees of the ,new ,york and ,boston ,magnetic ,telegraph ,association are getting up a certificate of stock1 and are desirous of making it neat and appropriate4 ,it has seemed to me very desirable that one of its decorations should be your coat of arms1 and if you will do me the favor to transmit a copy1 or a wax impression of the same1 ,i shall be much obliged4 ,to this ,morse replied3-- ,i send you a sketch of the ,morse coat of arms1 according to your request1 to do as you please with it4 ,i am no advocate of heraldic devices1 but the motto in this case sanctions it with me4 ,i wish to live and die in its spirit3-- ',deo non armis fido4' ,i have said that many on whom ,morse relied proved faithless1 and1 while ,i do not intend to go into the details of all these troubles1 it is only right that1 in the interest of historical truth1 some mention should be made of some of these men4 ,the one who1 next to ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith1 caused the most trouble to ,morse and his associates1 was ,henry ,o',reilly4 ,mr4 ,reid1 in his ,telegraph in ,america1 thus describes him3-- ,henry ,o',reilly was in many respects a wonderful man4 ,his tastes were cultivated4 ,his instincts were fine4 ,he was intelligent and genial4 ,his energy was untiring1 his hopefulness shining4 ,his mental activity and power of continuous labor were marvellous4 ,he was liberal1 generous1 profuse1 full of the best instincts of his nation4 ,but he lacked prudence in money matters1 was loose in the use of it1 had little veneration for contracts1 was more anxious for personal fame than wealth4 ,he formed and broke friendships with equal rapidity1 was bitter in his hates1 was impatient of restraint4 ,my personal attachment to him was great and sincere4 ,we were friends for many years until he became the agent of ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith1 and my duties threw me in collision with him4 ,it was not until some years after his first connection with the telegraph1 in #ahde1 that ,o',reilly turned against ,morse and his associates4 ,this will be referred to at the proper time1 but ,i have introduced him now to give point to the following extract from a letter of his to ,morse1 dated ,december #bh1 #ahde3-- ,do you recollect a person who1 while under your hands for a daguerreotype in #ahdj-da1 broke accidentally an eight-dollar lens8 ,tho' many tho't you 'visionary' in your ideas of telegraphic communication1 that person1 you may recollect1 took a lively interest in the matter1 and made some suggestions about the propriety of pressing the matter energetically upon ,congress and upon public attention4 ,you seemed then to feel pleased to find a person who took so lively an interest in your invention1 and you will see by the enclosed circular that that person 7your humble servant7 has not lost any of his early confidence in its value4 ,may you reap an adequate reward for the glorious thought6 ,it was one of life's little ironies that the man who could thus call down good fortune on the head of the inventor should soon after become one of the chief instruments in the effort to rob him of his adequate reward1 and his good name as well4 ,morse had such bitter experiences with several persons1 who turned from friends to enemies1 that it is no wonder he wrote as follows to ,vail some time after this date3-- ,i am grieved to say that many things have lately come to my knowledge in regard to ---- that show double-dealing4 ,be on your guard4 ,i hope it is but appearance1 and that his course may be cleared up by subsequent events4 ,i declare to you that ,i have seen so much duplicity in those in whom ,i had confided as friends1 that ,i feel in danger of entertaining suspicions of everybody4 ,i have hitherto thought you were too much inclined to be suspicious of people1 but ,i no longer think so4 ,keep this to yourself4 ,it may be that appearances are deceptive1 and ,i would not wrong one whom ,i had esteemed as a real friend without the clearest evidence of unfaithfulness4 ,yet when appearances are against1 it is right to be cautious4 ,the name of the person referred to is left blank in the copy of this letter which ,i have1 so ,i do not know who it was1 but the sentiments would apply to several of the early workers in the establishment of the telegraph4 ,i have said that ,morse1 being only human1 was sometimes guilty of errors of judgment1 but1 in a careful study of the facts1 the wonder is great that he committed so few4 ,it is an ungracious task for a son to call attention to anything but the virtues of his father1 especially when any lapses were the result of great provocation1 and were made under the firm conviction that he was in the right4 ,yet in the interest of truth it is best to state the facts fairly and dispassionately1 and let posterity judge whether the virtues do not far outweigh the faults4 ,such an error was committed1 in my judgment1 by ,morse in the bitter controversy which arose between him and ,professor ,joseph ,henry1 and ,i shall briefly sketch the origin and progress of this regrettable incident4 ,in #ahde1 ,alfred ,vail compiled and published a ,history of the ,american ,electro-,magnetic ,telegraph4 ,in this work hardly any mention was made of the important discoveries of ,professor ,henry1 and this caused that gentleman to take great offense1 as he believed that ,morse was the real author of the work1 or had1 at least1 given ,vail all the materials4 ,as a matter of fact he had given ,vail only his notes on ,european telegraphs and had not seen the proofs of the work1 which was published while he was absent in ,europe4 ,as soon as ,morse was made aware of ,henry's feelings1 he wrote to him regretting the omission and explaining his innocence in the matter1 and he also draughted a letter1 at ,vail's request1 which the latter copied and sent to ,henry1 stating that he1 ,vail1 had been unable to obtain the particulars of ,henry's discoveries1 and that1 if he had offended1 he had done so innocently4 ,henry was an extremely sensitive man and he paid no attention to ,vail's letter1 and sent only a curt acknowledgment of the receipt of ,morse's4 ,however1 at a meeting somewhat later1 the misunderstanding seemed to be smoothed over1 on the assurance that1 in a second edition of ,vail's work1 due credit should be given to ,henry1 and that whenever ,morse had the opportunity he would gladly accord to that eminent man the discoveries which were his4 ,there never was a true second edition of ,vail's book1 but in #ahdg a few more copies were struck off from the old plates and the date was1 unfortunately1 changed from #ahde to #ahdg4 ,henry1 naturally1 looked upon this as a second edition and his resentment grew4 ,morse's opportunity to do public honor to ,henry came in #ahdh1 when ,professor ,sears ,c4 ,walker1 of the ,coast ,survey1 published a report containing some remarks on the ,theory of ,morse's ,electro-,magnetic ,telegraph4 ,when ,professor ,walker submitted this report to ,morse the latter said3 ,i have now the long-wished-for opportunity to do justice publicly to ,henry's discovery bearing upon the telegraph4 ,i should like to see him1 however1 previously1 and learn definitely what he claims to have discovered4 ,i will then prepare a paper to be appended and published as a note1 if you see fit1 to your ,report4 ,this paper was written by ,morse and sent to ,professor ,walker with the request that it be submitted to ,professor ,henry for his revision1 which was done1 but it was not included in ,professor ,walker's report1 and this naturally nettled ,morse1 who also had sensitive nerves1 and so the breach was widened4 ,in this paper1 after giving a brief history of electric discoveries bearing on the telegraph1 and of his own inventions1 ,morse sums up3-- ,while1 therefore1 ,i claim to be the first to propose the use of the electro-magnet for telegraphic purposes1 and the first to construct a telegraph on the basis of the electro-magnet1 yet to ,professor ,henry is unquestionably due the honor of the discovery of a fact in science which proves the practicability of exciting magnetism through a long coil or at a distance1 either to deflect a needle or to magnetize soft iron4 ,i wish he had never revised this opinion1 although he was sincere in thinking that a more careful study of the subject justified him in doing so4 ,a few years afterwards ,morse and his associates became involved in a series of bitterly contested litigations with parties interested in breaking down the original patent rights1 and ,henry was called as a witness for the opponents of ,morse4 ,he gave his testimony with great reluctance1 but it was tinged with the bitterness caused by the failure of ,vail to do him justice and his apparent conviction that ,morse was disingenuous4 ,he denied to the latter any scientific discoveries1 and gave the impression 7at least1 to others7 that ,henry1 and not ,morse1 was the real inventor of the telegraph4 ,his testimony was used by the enemies of ,morse1 both at home and abroad1 to invalidate the claims of the latter1 and1 stung by these aspersions on his character and attainments1 and urged thereto by injudicious friends1 ,morse published a lengthy pamphlet entitled3 ,a ,defense against the ,injurious ,deductions drawn from the ,deposition of ,professor ,joseph ,henry4 ,in this pamphlet he not only attempted to prove that he owed nothing to the discoveries of ,henry1 but he called in question the truthfulness of that distinguished man4 ,the breach between these two honorable1 highly sensitive men was now complete1 and it was never healed4 ,the consensus of scientific opinion gives to ,henry's discoveries great value in the invention of the telegraph4 ,while they did not constitute a true telegraph in themselves2 while they needed the inventions and discoveries1 and1 ,i might add1 the sublime faith and indomitable perseverance of ,morse to make the telegraph a commercial success2 they were1 in my opinion1 essential to it1 and ,morse1 ,i think1 erred in denying this4 ,but1 from a thorough study of his character1 we must give him the credit of being sincere in his denial4 ,henry1 too1 erred in ignoring the advances of ,morse and ,vail and in his proud sensitiveness4 ,professor ,leonard ,d4 ,gale1 the friend of both men1 makes the following comment in a letter to ,morse of ,february #i1 #aheb3 ,i fear ,henry and ,i shall never again be on good terms4 ,he is as cold as a polar berg1 and1 ,i am informed1 very sensitive4 ,it has been said by some busybody that his testimony was incompatible with mine1 and so a sort of feeling is manifested as if it were so4 ,i have said nothing about it yet4 ,it would have been more dignified on the part of ,morse to have disregarded the imputations contained in ,henry's testimony1 or to have replied much more briefly and dispassionately4 ,on the other hand1 the provocation was great and he was egged on by others1 partly from motives of self-interest and partly from a sincere desire on the part of his friends that he should justify himself4 ,in a long letter to ,vail1 of ,january #ae1 #ahea1 in which he details the whole unfortunate affair1 he says3 ,if there was a man in the world1 not related to me1 for whom ,i had conceived not merely admiration but affection1 it was for ,professor ,joseph ,henry4 ,i think you will remember1 and can bear me witness1 that ,i often expressed the wish that ,i was able to put several thousand dollars at his service for scientific investigation4444 ,the whole case has saddened me more than ,i can express4 ,i have to fight hard against misanthropy1 friend ,vail1 and ,i have found the best antidote to be1 when the fit is coming on me1 to seek out a case of suffering and to relieve it1 that the act in the one case may neutralize the feeling in the other1 and thus restore the balance in the heart4 ,in taking leave for the present of this unfortunate controversy ,i shall quote from the ,defense1 to show that ,morse sincerely believed it his duty to act as he did1 but that he acted with reluctance3-- ,that ,i have been slow to complain of the injurious character of his testimony2 that ,i have so long allowed1 almost entirely uncontradicted1 its distortions to have all their legal weight against me in four separate trials1 without public exposure and for a space of four years of time1 will at least show1 ,i humbly contend1 my reluctance to appear opposed to him1 even when self-defence is combined with the defence of the interests of a large body of assignees4444 ,painful1 therefore1 as is the task imposed upon me1 ,i cannot shrink from it1 but shall endeavor so to perform it as rather to parry the blows that have been aimed at me than to inflict any in return4 ,if what ,i say shall wound1 it shall be from the severity of the simple truth itself rather than from the manner of setting it forth4 ,in the year #ahdf there still remained one panel in the rotunda of the ,capitol at ,washington to be filled by an historical painting4 ,it had been assigned to ,inman1 but1 that artist having recently died1 ,morse's friends1 artists and others1 sent a petition to ,congress urging the appointment of ,morse in his place4 ,referring to this in a letter to his brother ,sidney1 dated ,march #bh1 he says3-- ,in regard to the rotunda picture ,i learn that my friends are quite zealous1 and it is not improbable that it may be given me to execute4 ,if so1 what should you say to seeing me in ,paris8 ,however1 this is but castle-building4 ,i am quite indifferent as to the result except that1 in case it is given me1 ,i shall be restored to my position as an artist by the same power that prostrated me1 and then shall ,i not more than ever have cause to exclaim3 ',surely ,thou hast led me in away which ,i knew not'8 ,i have already1 in looking back1 seen enough of the dealings of ,providence with me to excite my wonder and gratitude4 ,how singularly has my way been hedged up in my profession at the very moment when1 to human appearance1 everything seemed prosperously tending to the accomplishment of my desire in painting a national picture4 ,the language of ,providence in all his dealings with me has been almost like that to ,abraham3 ',take now thy son1 thine only son ,isaac whom thou lovest1 and offer him for a burnt offering1' etc4 ,it has always seemed a mystery to me how ,i should have been led on to the acquirement of the knowledge ,i possess of painting1 with so much sacrifice of time and money1 and through so many anxieties and perplexities1 and then suddenly be stopped as if a wall were built across my path1 so that ,i could pursue my profession no longer4 ,but1 ,i believe1 ,i had grace to trust in ,god in the darkest hour of trial1 persuaded that ,he could and would clear up in his own time and manner all the mystery that surrounded me4 ,and now1 if not greatly deceived1 ,i have a glimpse of his wonderful1 truly wonderful1 mercy towards me4 ,he has chosen thus to order events that my mind might be concentrated upon that invention which ,he has permitted to be born for the blessing1 ,i trust1 of the world4 ,and ,he has chosen me as the instrument1 and given me the honor1 and at the moment when all has been accomplished which is essential to its success1 ,he so orders events as again to turn my thoughts to my almost sacrificed ,isaac4 ,in this1 however1 he did not read the fates aright1 for a letter from his friend1 ,reverend ,e4 ,goodrich ,smith1 dated ,march #b1 #ahdg1 conveys the following intelligence3 ,i have just learned to-day that1 with their usual discrimination and justice1 ,congress have voted #fjjj to have the panel filled by young ,powell4 ,he enlisted all ,ohio1 and they all electioneered with all their might1 and no one knew that the question would come up4 ,new ,york1 ,i understand1 went for you4 ,i hope1 however1 you may yet yourself resume the pencil1 and furnish the public the most striking commentary on their utter disregard of justice1 by placing somewhere ',the ,germ of the ,republic' in such colors that shall make them blush and hang their heads to think themselves such men4 ,but1 while he was to be blessed in the fulfilment1 of a long cherished dream1 it was not the dream of painting a great historic picture4 ,he never seriously touched a brush again1 for all his energies were needed in the defence of himself and his invention from defamation and attack4 ,in the summer of #ahdf he met with another accident giving him a slight period of rest which he would not otherwise have taken4 ,he writes of it to his brother on ,july #cj3 ,on ,monday last ,i had the misfortune to fall1 into one of those mantraps on ,broadway1 set principally to break people's legs and maim them1 and incidentally for the deposit of the coal of the household4 ,vail refers jestingly to this mishap in a letter of ,august #ba3 ,i trust your unfortunate and unsuccessful attempt to get down cellar has not been a serious affair4 ,and ,morse replies in the same vein3 ,my cellar experiment was not so unsuccessful as you imagine4 ,i succeeded to my entire satisfaction in taking three inches of skin1 a little of the flesh and a trifle of bone from the front of my left leg1 and1 as the result1 got one week's entire leisure with my leg in a chair4 ,the experiment was so satisfactory that ,i deem it needless to try it again1 having established beyond a doubt that skin1 flesh and bone are no match against wood1 iron and stone4 ,i am entirely well of it and enjoyed my visit to the western lines very much4 ,it was characteristic of ,morse that the first money which he received from the actual sale of his patent rights 7#de for the right to use his patent on a short line from the ,post-,office to the ,national ,observatory in ,washington7 was devoted by him to a religious purpose4 ,from a letter of ,october #bj1 #ahdf1 we learn that1 adding #e to this sum1 he presented #be to a ,sunday ,school1 and #be to the fund for repairs4 ,the attachment of the three ,morse brothers to each other was intense1 and lasted to the end of their lives4 ,the letters of ,finley ,morse to his brother ,sidney1 in particular1 would alone fill a volume and are of great interest4 ,most of them have never before been published and ,i shall quote from them freely in following ,morse's career4 ,sidney and his family were still in ,europe1 and the two following extracts are from letters to him3-- ,october #bi1 #ahdf4 ,i don't know where this will find you1 but1 as the steamer ,caledonia goes in a day or two1 and as ,i did not write you by the last steamer1 ,i thought ,i would occupy a few moments 7not exactly of leisure7 to write you4444 ,charles has little to do1 but does all he can4 ,he is desirous of a farm and ,i have made up my mind to indulge him4444 ,i shall go up the river in a day or two and look in the vicinity of ,po'keepsie4444 ,telegraph matters are every day assuming a more and more interesting aspect4 ,all physical and scientific difficulties are vanquished4 ,if conductors are well put up there is nothing more to wish for in the facilities of intercourse4 ,my operators can easily talk with each other as fast as persons usually write1 and faster than this would be faster than is necessary4 ,the ,canadians are alive on the subject1 and lines are projected from ,toronto to ,montreal1 from ,montreal to ,quebec and to ,halifax4 ,lines are also in contemplation from ,toronto to ,detroit1 on the ,canada side1 and from ,buffalo to ,chicago on this side1 so that it may not be visionary to say that our first news from ,england may reach ,new ,york via ,halifax1 ,detroit1 ,buffalo and ,albany4444 ,the papers will inform you of the events of the war4 ,our people are united on this point so far as to pursue it with vigor to a speedy termination4 ,however ,john ,bull may sneer and endeavor to detract from the valor of our troops1 his own annals do not furnish proofs of greater skill and more fearless daring and successful result4 ,the ,mexican race is a worn-out race1 and ,god in his ,providence is taking this mode to regenerate them4 ,whatever may be the opinions of some in relation to the justness or unjustness of our quarrel1 there ought to be but one opinion among all good men1 and that should be that the moment should be improved to throw a light into that darkened nation1 and to raise a standard there which1 whatever may become of the ,stars and ,stripes1 or ,eagle and ,prickly ,pear1 shall be never taken down till all nations have flocked to it4 ,our ,bible and ,tract ,societies and missionaries ought to be in the wake of our armies4 ,january #bh1 #ahdg4 ,telegraph matters are becoming more and more interesting4 ,the people of the country everywhere are desirous of availing themselves of its facilities1 and the lines are being extended in all directions4 ,as might be expected then1 ,i have my plans interfered with by mercenary speculators who threaten to put up rival telegraphs and contest my patent4 ,i am ready for them4 ,we have had to apply for an injunction on the ,philadelphia and ,pittsburg line4 ,the case is an aggravated one and will be decided on ,monday or ,tuesday at ,philadelphia in ,circuit ,court of ,united ,states4 ,i have no uneasiness as to the result4 ,it was decided against him1 however1 but this proved only a temporary check4 ,there are more ,f4,o4,js4 than one1 yet not one quite so bad4 ,i think amid all the scramble ,i shall probably have enough come to my share1 and it does not matter by what means our ,heavenly ,father chooses to curtail my receipts1 for ,i shall have just what he pleases1 none can hinder it1 and more ,i do not want4444 ,house and his associates are making most strenuous efforts to interfere and embarrass me by playing on the ignorance of the public and the natural timidity of capitalists4 ,i shall probably have to lay the law on him and make an example before my patent is confirmed in the minds of the public4 ,it is the course1 ,i am told1 of every substantial patent4 ,it has to undergo the ordeal of one trial in the courts4444 ,although ,i thus write1 you need have no fears that my operations will be seriously affected by any schemes of common letter printing telegraphs4 ,i have just filed a caveat for one which ,i have invented1 which as far transcends in simplicity and efficiency any previous plan for the purpose1 as my telegraph system is superior to the old visual telegraphs4 ,i will have it in operation by the time you return4 ,apropos of the attacks made upon him by would-be infringers1 the following from a letter of his legal counsel1 ,daniel ,lord1 ,esq41 dated ,january #ab1 #ahdg1 may not come amiss3 ,it ought to be a source of great satisfaction to you to have your invention stolen and counterfeited4 ,think what an acknowledgment it is1 and what a tribute to its merits4 ,referring to this in a letter to ,mr4 ,lord of a later date1 ,morse answers3 ,the plot thickens all around me2 ,i think a dnouement not far off4 ,i remember your consoling me under these attacks with bidding me think that ,i had invented something worth contending for4 ,alas6 my dear sir1 what encouragement is there to an inventor if1 after years of toil and anxiety1 he has only purchased for himself the pleasure of being a target for every vile fellow to shoot at1 and1 in proportion as his invention is of public utility1 so much the greater effort is to be made to defame1 that the robbery may excite the less sympathy8 ,i know1 however1 that beyond all this is a clear sky1 but the clouds may not break away until ,i am no longer personally interested whether it be foul or fair4 ,i wish not to complain1 but ,i have feelings and cannot play the stoic if ,i would4 ,it was a new experience for ,morse to become involved in the intricacies of the law1 and1 in a letter to a friend1 ,henry ,i4 ,williams1 ,esq41 dated ,february #bb1 #ahdg1 he naively remarks3 ,a student all my life1 mostly in a profession which is adverse in its habits and tastes from those of the business world1 and never before engaged in a lawsuit1 ,i confess to great ignorance even of the ordinary1 commonplace details of a court4 ,his desire to be both just and merciful is shown in a letter to ,mr4 ,kendall1 written on ,february #af1 just before the decision was rendered against him3 ,i have been in court all day1 and have been much pleased with the clearness and1 ,i think1 conclusiveness of ,mr4 ,miles's argument4 ,i think he has produced an evident change in the views of the judge4 ,yet it is best to be prepared for the worst1 and1 even if we succeed in getting the injunction1 ,i wish as much leniency as possible to be shown to the opposing parties4 ,indeed1 in this ,i know my views are seconded by you4 ,however we may have 'spoken daggers1' let us use none1 and let us make every allowance for honest mistake1 even where appearances are at first against such a supposition4 ,o',reilly may have acted hastily1 under excitement1 under bad advisement1 and in that mood have taken wrong steps4 ,yet ,i still believe he may be recovered1 and1 while ,i would use every precaution to protect our just rights1 ,i wish not to take a single step that can be misconstrued into vindictiveness or triumph4 ,it was well that it was his invariable rule to be prepared for the worst1 for1 writing to his brother ,sidney on ,february #bd1 he says3 ,we have just had a lawsuit in ,philadelphia before ,judge ,kane4 ,we applied for an injunction to stay irregular and injurious proceedings on the part of ,western 7,pittsburg and ,cincinnati7 ,company1 and our application has been refused on technical grounds4 ,i know not what will be the issue4 ,i am trying to have matters compromised1 but do not know if it can be done1 and we may have to contest it in law4 ,our application was in court of equity4 ,a movement of ,smith was the cause of all4 ,another sidelight is thrown on ,morse's character by the following extract from a letter to one of his lieutenants1 ,t4,s4 ,faxton1 written on ,march #ae3 ,we must raise the salaries of our operators or they will all be taken from us1 that is1 all that are good for anything4 ,you will recollect that1 at the first meeting of the ,board of ,directors1 ,i took the ground that 'it was our policy to make the office of operator desirable1 to pay operators well and make their situation so agreeable that intelligent men and men of character will seek the place and dread to lose it4' ,i still think so1 and1 depend upon it1 it is the soundest economy to act on this principle4 ,just about this time1 to add to ,morse's other perplexities1 ,doctor ,charles ,t4 ,jackson began to renew his claims to the invention of the telegraph1 while also disputing with ,morton the discovery of ether as an anaesthetic1 then called ,letheon1 and claiming the invention of gun-cotton and the discovery of the circulation of the blood4 ,morse found a willing and able champion in ,edward ,warren1 ,esq41 of ,boston1 and many letters passed between them4 ,as ,jackson's wild claims were effectually disposed of1 ,i shall not dwell upon this source of annoyance1 but shall content myself with one extract from a letter to ,mr4 ,warren of ,march #bc3 ,i wish not to attack ,dr4 ,jackson nor even to defend myself in public from his private attacks4 ,if in any of his publications he renews his claim1 which ,i consider as long since settled by default1 then it will be time and proper for me to notice him4444 ,the most charitable construction of the ,dr's4 conduct is to attribute it to a monomania induced by excessive vanity4 ,while many of those upon whom he had looked as friends turned against him in the mad scramble for power and wealth engendered by the extension of the telegraph lines1 it is gratifying to turn to those who remained true to him through all1 and among these none was more loyal than ,alfred ,vail4 ,their correspondence1 which was voluminous1 is always characterized by the deepest confidence and affection4 ,in a long letter of ,march #bd1 ,vail shows his solicitude for ,morse's peace of mind3 ,i think ,i would not be bothered with a directorship in the ,new ,york and ,buffalo line1 nor in any other4 ,i should wish to keep clear of them4 ,it will only tend to harass and vex when you should be left quiet and undisturbed to pursue your improvements and the enjoyment of what is most gratifying to you4 ,and ,morse1 writing to ,vail somewhat later in this same year1 exclaims3 ,you say you hope ,i shall not forget that we have spent many hours together4 ,you might have added 'happy hours4' ,i have tried you1 dear ,vail1 as a friend1 and think ,i know you as a zealous and honest one4 ,still earlier1 on ,march #ah1 #ahde1 in one of his reports to the ,postmaster-,general1 ,cave ,johnson1 he adds3 ,in regard to the salary of the 'one clerk at ,washington--#abjj1' ,mr4 ,vail1 who would from the necessity of the case take that post1 is my right-hand man in the whole enterprise4 ,he has been with me from the year #ahcg1 and is as familiar with all the mechanism and scientific arrangements of the ,telegraph as ,i am myself4444 ,his time and talent are more essential to the success of the ,telegraph than those of any two persons that could be named4 ,returning now to the letters to his brother ,sidney1 ,i shall give the following extracts3-- ,march #bi1 #ahdg4 ,i am now in ,new ,york permanently2 that is ,i have no longer any official connection with ,washington1 and am thinking of fixing somewhere so soon as ,i can get my telegraphic matters into such a state as to warrant it2 but my patience is still much tried4 ,although the enterprise looks well and is prospering1 yet somehow ,i do not command the cash as some business men would if they were in the same situation4 ,the property is doubtless good and is increasing1 but ,i cannot use it as ,i could the money1 for1 while everybody seems to think ,i have the wealth of ,john ,jacob1 the only sum ,i have actually realized is my first dividend on one line1 about fourteen hundred dollars1 and with this ,i cannot purchase a house4 ,but time will1 perhaps1 enable me to do so1 if it is well that ,i should have one4444 ,i have had some pretty threatening obstacles1 but they as yet are summer clouds which seem to be dissipating through the smiles of our ,heavenly ,father4 ,house's affair ,i think is dead4 ,i believe it has been held up by speculators to drive a better bargain with me1 thinking to scare me2 but they don't find me so easily frightened4 ,in ,virginia ,i had to oppose a most bigoted1 narrow1 illiberal clique in a railroad company1 which had the address to get a bill through the ,house of ,delegates giving them actually the monopoly of telegraphs1 and ventured to halloo before they were out of the woods4 ,mr4 ,kendall went post-haste to ,richmond1 met the bill and its supporters before the ,committee of the ,senate1 and1 after a sharp contest1 procured its rejection in the ,senate1 and the adoption1 by a vote of #ac to #g1 of a substitute granting me right of way and corporate powers1 which bill1 after violent opposition in the ,house1 was finally passed1 #dd to #bg4 ,so a mean intrigue was defeated most signally1 and ,i came off triumphant4 ,april #bg4 ,this you will recognize by the date is my birthday2 #cf years old4 ,only think1 ,i shall never be #bf again4 ,don't you wish you were as young as ,i am8 ,well1 if feelings determined age ,i should be in reality what ,i have above stated1 but that leaf in the family ,bible1 those boys and that daughter1 those nieces and nephews of younger brothers1 and especially that grandson1 they all concur in putting twenty years more to those #cf4 ,i cannot get them off2 there they are #ef6444 ,there is an underhand intrigue against my telegraph interests in ,virginia1 fostered by a friend turned enemy in the hope to better his own interests1 a man whom ,i have ever treated as a friend while ,i had the governmental patronage to bestow1 and gave him office in ,baltimore4 ,having no more of patronage to give ,i have no more friendship from him4 ,mr4 ,r4 has proved himself false1 notwithstanding his naming his son after me as a proof of friendship4 ,the ,mr4 ,r4 referred to was ,henry ,j4 ,rogers1 and1 writing of him to ,vail on ,april #bf1 ,morse says3 ,i am truly grieved at ,rogers's conduct4 ,he must be conscious of doing great injustice2 for a man that has wronged another is sure to invent some cause for his act if there has been none given4 ,in this case he endeavors to excuse his selfish and injurious acts by the false assertion that ',i had cast him overboard4' ,why1 what does he mean8 ,was ,i not overboard myself8 ,does he or anyone else suppose ,i have nothing else to do than to find them places1 and not only intercede for them1 which in ,rogers's case and ,zantziger's ,i have constantly and perseveringly done to the present hour1 but ,i am bound to force the companies1 over which ,i have no control1 to take them at any rate1 on the penalty of being traduced and injured by them if they do not get the office they seek8 ,as to ,rogers1 you know my feelings towards him and his4 ,i had received him as a friend1 not as a mere employee1 and let no opportunity pass without urging forward his interests4 ,i recollected his naming his son for me1 and had determined1 if the wealth actually came which has been predicted to me1 that that child should be remembered4 ,always desirous of being just and merciful1 ,morse writes to ,vail on ,may #a3 ,rogers is here4 ,i have had a good deal of conversation with him1 and the result is that ,i think that some circumstances which seemed to inculpate him are explicable on other grounds than intention to injure us4 ,but he was finally forced to give him up1 for on ,august #g he writes3 ,you cannot tell how pained ,i am at being compelled to change my opinion of ,r4 ,your feelings correspond entirely with my own4 ,i was hoping to do something gratifying to him and his family1 and soon should have done it if he would permit it2 but no6 ,the mask of friendship covered a deep selfishness that scrupled not to sacrifice a real friendship to a shortsighted and overreaching ambition4 ,let him go4 ,i wished to befriend him and his1 and would have done so from the heart1 but as he cannot trust me ,i have enough who can and do4 ,the case of ,rogers was typical1 and ,i have1 therefore1 given it in some detail4 ,it was always a source of grief to ,morse when men1 whom in his large-hearted way he had admitted to his intimacy1 turned against him2 and he was called upon to suffer many such blows4 ,he has been accused of having quarrelled with all his associates4 ,this1 of course1 is not true1 for we have only to name ,vail1 and ,gale1 and ,kendall1 and ,reid1 and a host of others to prove the contrary4 ,but1 like all men who have achieved great things1 he made bitter enemies1 some of whom at first professed sincere friendship for him and were implicitly trusted by him4 ,however1 a dispassionate study of all the circumstances leading up to the rupture of these friendly ties will prove that1 in practically every case he was sinned against1 not sinning4 ,a letter to ,james ,d4 ,reid1 written on ,december #ba1 will show that the quality of his mercy was not strained3 ,you may recollect when ,i met you in ,philadelphia1 on the unpleasant business of attending in a court to witness the contest of two parties for their rights1 you informed me of the destitute condition of ,o',reilly's family4 ,at that moment ,i was led to believe1 from consultation with the counsel for the ,patentees1 that the case would undoubtedly go in their 7the ,patentees'7 favor4 ,your statement touched me1 and ,i could not bear to think that an innocent wife and inoffensive children should suffer1 even from the wrong-doing of their proper protector1 should this prove to be the case4 ,you remember ,i authorized you to draw on me for twenty dollars to be remitted to ,mr4 ,o',reilly's family1 and to keep the source from whence it was derived secret4 ,my object in writing is to ask if this was done1 and1 in case it was1 to request you to draw on me for that amount4 ,in an earlier letter to his brother he remarks philosophically3 ,smith is ,smith yet and so likely to be1 but ,i have become used to him and you would be surprised to find how well oil and water appear to agree4 ,there must be crosses and the aim should be rather to bear them gracefully1 graciously1 and patiently1 than to have them removed4 ,while thus harassed on all sides by those who would filch from him his good name as well as his purse1 his reward was coming to him for the patience and equanimity with which he was bearing his crosses4 ,the longing for a home of his own had been intense all through his life and now1 in the evening of his years1 this dream was to be realized4 ,he thus announces to his brother the glorious news3-- ,,poughkeepsie1 ,,north ,,river1 ,july #cj1 #ahdg4 ,in my last ,i wrote you that ,i had been looking out for a farm in this region1 and gave you a diagram of a place which ,i fancied4 ,since then ,i was informed of a place for sale south of this village #b miles1 on the bank of the river1 part of the old ,livingston ,manor1 and far superior4 ,i have this day concluded a bargain for it4 ,there are about one hundred acres4 ,i pay for it #ag1ejj4 ,i am almost afraid to tell you of its beauties and advantages4 ,it is just such a place as in ,england could not be purchased for double the number of pounds sterling4 ,its capabilities1 as the landscape gardeners would say1 are unequalled4 ,there is every variety of surface1 plain1 hill1 dale1 glens1 running streams and fine forest1 and every variety of different prospect2 the ,fishkill ,mountains towards the south and the ,catskills towards the north2 the ,hudson with its varieties of river craft1 steamboats of all kinds1 sloops1 etc41 constantly showing a varied scene4 ,illustration3 ,,house ,,at ,,locust ,,grove1 ,,poughkeepsie1 ,n4,y4 ,i will not enlarge4 ,i am congratulated by all in having made an excellent purchase1 and ,i find a most delightful neighborhood4 ,within a few miles around1 approached by excellent roads1 are ,mr4 ,lenox1 ,general ,talmadge1 ,philip ,van ,rensselaer1 etc41 on one side2 on the other1 ,harry ,livingston1 ,mrs4 ,smith ,thomson 7,judge ,thomson's widow1 and sister to the first ,mrs4 ,arthur ,breese71 ,mr4 ,crosby1 ,mr4 ,boorman1 etc41 etc4 ,the new railroad will run at the foot of the grounds 7probably7 on the river1 and bring ,new ,york within two hours of us4 ,there is every faculty for residence--good markets1 churches1 schools4 ,take it all in all ,i think it just the place for us all4 ,if you should fancy a spot on it for building1 ,i can accommodate you1 and ,richard wants twenty acres reserved for him4 ,singularly enough this was the very spot where ,uncle ,arthur found his wife4 ,the old trees are pointed out where he and she used to ramble during their courtship4 ,on ,september #ab1 after again expatiating on the beauties and advantages of his home1 he adds3 ,i have some clouds and mutterings of thunder on the horizon 7the necessary attendants1 ,i suppose1 of a lightning project7 which ,i trust will give no more of storm than will suffice1 under ,him who directs the elements1 to clear the air and make a serener and calmer sunset4 ,on ,october #ab1 he announces the name which he has given to his country place1 and a singular coincidence3-- ,locust ,grove4 ,you see by the date where ,i am4 ,locust ,grove1 it seems1 was the original name given to this place by ,judge ,livingston1 and1 without knowing this fact1 ,i had given the same name to it1 so that there is a natural appropriateness in the designation of my home4 ,the wind is howling mournfully this evening1 a second edition1 ,i fear1 of the late destructive equinoctial1 but1 dreary as it is out-of-doors1 ,i have comfortable quarters within4 ,in the world of affairs the wind was howling1 too1 and the storm was gathering which culminated in the series of lawsuits brought by ,morse and his associates against the infringers on his patents4 ,the letters to his brother are full of the details of these piratical attacks1 but throughout all the turmoil he maintained his poise and his faith in the triumph of justice and truth4 ,in the letter just quoted from he says3 ,these matters do not annoy me as formerly4 ,i have seen so many dark storms which threatened1 and particularly in relation to the ,telegraph1 and ,i have seen them so often hushed at the ',peace1 be still' of our covenant ,god1 that now the fears and anxieties on any fresh gathering soon subside into perfect calm4 ,and on ,november #bg1 he writes3 ,the most annoying part of the matter to me is that1 notwithstanding my matters are all in the hands of agents and ,i have nothing to do with any of the arrangements1 ,i am held up by name to the odium of the public4 ,lawsuits are commenced against them at ,cincinnati and will be in ,indiana and ,illinois as well as here1 and so1 notwithstanding all my efforts to get along peaceably1 ,i find the fate of ,whitney before me4 ,i think ,i may be able to secure my farm1 and so have a place to retire to for the evening of my days1 but even this may be denied me4 ,a few months will decide4444 ,you have before you the fate of an inventor1 and1 take as much pains as you will to secure to yourself your valuable invention1 make up your mind from my experience now1 in addition to others1 that you will be robbed of it and abused into the bargain4 ,this is the lot of a successful inventor or discoverer1 and no precaution1 ,i believe1 will save him from it4 ,he will meet with a mixed estimate2 the enlightened1 the liberal1 the good1 will applaud him and respect him2 the sordid1 the unprincipled will hate him and detract from his reputation to compass their own contemptible and selfish ends4 ,while events in the business world were rapidly converging towards the great lawsuits which should either confirm the inventor's rights to the offspring of his brain1 or deprive him of all the benefits to which he was justly and morally entitled1 he continued to find solace from all his cares and anxieties in his new home1 with his children and friends around him4 ,he touches on the lights and shadows in a letter to his brother1 who was still in ,england1 dated ,new ,york1 ,april #ai1 #ahdh3-- ,i snatch a moment by the ,washington1 which goes to-morrow1 to redeem my character in not having written of late so often as ,i could wish4 ,i have been so constantly under the necessity of watching the movements of the most unprincipled set of pirates ,i have ever known1 that all my time has been occupied in defense1 in putting evidence into something like legal shape that ,i am the inventor of the ,electro-,magnetic ,telegraph66 ,would you have believed it ten years ago that a question could be raised on that subject8 ,yet this very morning in the ',journal of ,commerce' is an article from a ,new ,orleans paper giving an account of a public meeting convened by ,o',reilly1 at which he boldly stated that ,i had 'pirated my invention from a ,german invention' a great deal better than mine4 ,and the ',journal of ,commerce' has a sort of halfway defense of me which implies there is some doubt on the subject4 ,i have written a note which may appear in to-morrow's ',journal1' quite short1 but which ,i think1 will stop that game here4 ,a trial in court is the only event now which will put public opinion right1 so indefatigable have these unprincipled men been in manufacturing a spurious public opinion4 ,although these events embarrass me1 and ,i do not receive1 and may not receive1 my rightful dues1 yet ,i have been so favored by a kind ,providence as to have sufficient collected to free my farm from mortgage on the #ast of ,may1 and so find a home1 a beautiful home1 for me and mine1 unencumbered1 and sufficient over to make some improvements4444 ,i do not wish to raise too many expectations1 but every day ,i am more and more charmed with my purchase4 ,i can truly say ,i have never before so completely realized my wishes in regard to situation1 never before found so many pleasant circumstances associated together to make a home agreeable1 and1 so far as earth is concerned1 ,i only wish now to have you and the rest of the family participate in the advantages with which a kind ,god has been pleased to indulge me4 ,strange1 indeed1 would it be if clouds were not in the sky1 but the ,sun of ,righteousness will dissipate as many and as much of them as shall be right and good1 and this is all that should be required4 ,i look not for freedom from trials2 they must needs be2 but the number1 the kind1 the form1 the degree of them1 ,i can safely leave to ,him who has ordered and will still order all things well4 ,,chapter ,,xxxiii ,,january #i1 #ahdh--;,,december #ai1 #ahdi ,preparation for lawsuits4--,letter from ,colonel ,shaffner4--,morse's reply deprecating bloodshed4--,shaffner allays his fears4--,morse attends his son's wedding at ,utica4--,his own second marriage4--,first of great lawsuits4--,almost all suits in ,morse's favor4--,decision of ,supreme ,court of ,united ,states4--,extract from an earlier opinion4--,alfred ,vail leaves the telegraph business4--,remarks on this by ,james ,d4 ,reid4--,morse receives decoration from ,sultan of ,turkey4--,letter to organizers of ,printers' ,festival4--,letter concerning aviation4--,optimistic letter from ,mr4 ,kendall4--,humorous letter from ,george ,wood4--,thomas ,r4 ,walker4-- ,letter to ,fenimore ,cooper4--,dr4 ,jackson again4--,unfairness of the press4 --,letter from ,charles ,c4 ,ingham on art matters4--,letter from ,george ,vail4--,f4,o4,j4 ,smith continues to embarrass4--,letter from ,morse to ,smith4 ,the year #ahdh was a momentous one to ,morse in more ways than one4 ,the first of the historic lawsuits was to be begun at ,frankfort1 ,kentucky1-- lawsuits which were not only to establish this inventor's claims1 but were to be used as a precedent in all future patent litigation4 ,in his peaceful retreat on the banks of the ,hudson he carefully and systematically prepared the evidence which should confound his enemies1 and calmly awaited the verdict1 firm in his faith that1 however lowering the clouds1 the sun would yet break through4 ,finding relaxation from his cares and worries in the problems of his farm1 he devoted every spare moment to the life out-of-doors1 and drank in new strength and inspiration with every breath of the pure country air4 ,although soon to pass the fifty-seventh milestone1 his sane1 temperate habits had kept him young in heart and vigorous in body1 and in this same year he was to be rewarded for his long and lonely vigil during the dark decades of his middle life1 and to enter upon an ,indian ,summer of happy family life4 ,while spending as much time as possible at his beloved ,locust ,grove1 he was yet compelled1 in the interests of his approaching legal contests1 to consult with his lawyers in ,new ,york and ,washington1 and it was while in the latter city that he received a letter from ,colonel ,tal4 ,p4 ,shaffner1 one of the most energetic of the telegraph pioneers1 and a devoted1 if sometimes injudicious1 friend4 ,it was he who1 more than any one else1 was responsible for the publication of ,morse's ,defense against ,professor ,henry4 ,the letter was written from ,louisville on ,january #i1 #ahdh1 and contains the following sentences3 ,we are going ahead with the line to ,new ,orleans4 ,i have twenty-five hands on the road to ,nashville1 and will put on more next week4 ,i have ten on the road to ,frankfort1 and my associate has gangs at other parts4 ,o',reilly has fifteen hands on the ,nashville route and ,i confidently expect a few fights4 ,my men are well armed and ,i think they can do their duty4 ,i shall be with them when the parties get together1 and1 if anything does occur1 the use of ,dupont's best will be appreciated by me4 ,this is to be lamented1 but1 if it comes1 we shall not back out4 ,deeply exercised1 ,morse answers him post-haste3 ,it gives me real pain to learn that there is any prospect of physical collision between the ,o',reilly party and ours1 and ,i trust that this may arrive in time to prevent any movement of those friendly to me which shall provoke so sad a result4 ,i emphatically say that1 if the law cannot protect me and my rights in your region1 ,i shall never sanction the appeal to force to sustain myself1 however conscious of being in the right4 ,i infinitely prefer to suffer still more from the gross injustice of unprincipled men than to gain my rights by a single illegal step4444 ,i hope you will do all in your power to prevent collision4 ,if the parties meet in putting up posts or wires1 let our opponents have their way unmolested4 ,i have no patent for putting up posts or wires4 ,they as well as we have a right to put them up4 ,it is the use made of them afterwards which may require legal adjustment4 ,the men employed by each party are not to blame4 ,let no ill-feeling be fomented between the two1 no rivalry but that of doing their work the best2 let friendly feeling as between them be cherished1 and teach them to refer all disputes to the principals4 ,i wish no one to fight for me physically4 ,he may 'speak daggers but use none4' ,however much ,i might appreciate his friendship and his motive1 it would give me the deepest sorrow if ,i should learn that a single individual1 friend or foe1 has been injured in life or limb by any professing friendship for me4 ,he was reassured by the following from ,colonel ,shaffner3-- ,january #bg4 ,your favor of the #bast was received yesterday4 ,i was sorry that you allowed your feelings to be so much aroused in the case of contemplated difficulties between our hands and those of ,o',reilly4 ,they held out the threats that we should not pass them1 and we were determined to do it4 ,i had them notified that we were prepared to meet them under any circumstances4 ,we were prepared to have a real 'hug1' but1 when our hands overtook them1 they only 'yelled' a little and mine followed1 and for fifteen miles they were side by side1 and when a man finished his hole1 he ran with all his might to get ahead4 ,but finally1 on the #bdth1 we passed them about eighty miles from here1 and now we are about twenty-five miles ahead of them without the loss of a drop of blood1 and we shall be able to beat them to ,nashville1 if we can get the wire in time1 which is doubtful4 ,there were many such stirring incidents in the early history of the telegraph1 and the half of them has not been told1 thus leaving much material for the future historian4 ,but1 while so much that was exciting was taking place in the outside world1 the cause of it all was turning his thoughts towards matters more domestic4 ,on ,june #ac1 he writes to his brother3 ,charles left me for ,utica last evening1 and ,finley and ,i go this evening to be present at his marriage on ,thursday the #aeth4 ,it was at his son's wedding that he was again strongly attracted to his young second cousin 7or1 to be more exact1 his first cousin once removed71 the first cousin of his son's bride1 and the result is announced to his brother in a letter of ,august #g3 ,before your return ,i shall be again married4 ,i leave to-morrow for ,utica where cousin 7second cousin7 ,sarah ,elizabeth ,griswold now is4 ,on ,thursday morning the #ajth we shall 7,god willing7 be married1 and ,i shall immediately proceed to ,louisville and ,frankfort in ,kentucky to be present at my first suit against ,o',reilly1 the pirate of my invention4 ,it comes off on the #bc;d inst4 ,so far as the justice of the case is concerned ,i am confident of final success1 but there are so many crooks in the law that ,i ought to be prepared for disappointment4 ,continuing1 he tells his brother that he has been secretly in love with his future wife for some years3 ,but1 reflecting on it1 ,i found ,i was in no situation to indulge in any plans of marrying4 ,she had nothing1 ,i had nothing1 and the more ,i loved her the more ,i was determined to stifle my feelings without hinting to her anything of the matter1 or letting her know that ,i was at all interested in her4 ,but now1 with increasing wealth1 the conditions were changed1 and so they were married1 and in their case it can with perfect truth be said1 ,they lived happy ever after1 and failed by but a year of being able to celebrate their silver wedding4 ,soon a young family grew up around him1 to whom he was always a patient and loving father4 ,we his children undoubtedly gave him many an anxious moment1 as children have a habit of doing1 but through all his trials1 domestic as well as extraneous1 he was calm1 wise1 and judicious4 ,illustration3 ,,sarah ,,elizabeth ,,griswold ,second wife of ,s4,f4,b4 ,morse ,but now the first of the great lawsuits1 which were to confirm ,morse's patent rights or to throw his invention open to the world1 was begun1 and1 with his young bride1 he hastened to ,frankfort to be present at the trial4 ,to follow these suits through all their legal intricacies would make dry reading and consume reams of paper4 ,mr4 ,prime in a footnote remarks3 ,mr4 ,henry ,o',reilly has deposited in the ,library of the ,new ,york ,historical ,society more than one hundred volumes containing a complete history of telegraphic litigation in the ,united ,states4 ,these records are at all times accessible to any persons who wish to investigate the claims and rights of individuals or companies4 ,the testimony alone in the various suits fills several volumes1 each as large as this4 ,it will1 therefore1 only be necessary to say that almost all of these suits1 including the final one before the ,supreme ,court of the ,united ,states1 were decided in ,morse's favor4 ,every legal device was used against him2 his claims and those of others were sifted to the uttermost1 and then as now expert opinion was found to uphold both sides of the case4 ,to quote ,mr4 ,prime3 ,the decision of the ,supreme ,court was unanimous on all the points involving the right of ,professor ,morse to the claim of being the original inventor of the ,electro-,magnetic ,recording ,telegraph4 ,a minority of the court went still further1 and gave him the right to the motive power of magnetism as a means of operating machinery to imprint signals or to produce sounds for telegraphic purposes4 ,the testimony of experts in science and art is not introduced because it was thoroughly weighed and sifted by intelligent and impartial men1 whose judgment must be accepted as final and sufficient4 ,the justice of the decision has never been impugned4 ,each succeeding year has confirmed it with accumulating evidence4 ,one point was decided against the ,morse patent1 and it is worthy of being noticed that this decision1 which denied to ,morse the exclusive use of electromagnetism for recording telegraphs1 has never been of injury to his instrument1 because no other inventor has devised an instrument to supersede his4 ,the court decided that the ,electro-,magnetic ,telegraph was the sole and exclusive invention of ,samuel ,f4,b4 ,morse4 ,if others could make better instruments for the same purpose1 they were at liberty to use electromagnetism4 ,twenty years have elapsed since this decision was rendered2 the ,morse patent has expired by limitation of time1 but it is still without a rival in any part of the world4 ,this was written in #ahgc1 but ,i think that ,i am safe in saying that the same is true now after the lapse of forty more years4 ,while1 of course1 there have been both elaboration and simplification1 the basic principle of the universal telegraph of to-day is embodied in the drawings of the sketch-book of #ahcb1 and it was the invention of ,morse1 and was entirely different from any form of telegraph devised by others4 ,i shall make but one quotation from the long opinion handed down by the ,supreme ,court and delivered by ,chief ,justice ,taney3-- ,neither can the inquiries he made1 nor the information or advice he received from men of science1 in the course of his researches1 impair his right to the character of an inventor4 ,no invention can possibly be made1 consisting of a combination of different elements of power1 without a thorough knowledge of the properties of each of them1 and the mode in which they operate on each other4 ,and it can make no difference in this respect whether he derives his information from books1 or from men skilled in the science4 ,if it were otherwise1 no patent in which a combination of different elements is used could ever be obtained4 ,for no man ever made such an invention without having first obtained this information1 unless it was discovered by some fortunate accident4 ,and it is evident that such an invention as the ,electro-,magnetic ,telegraph could never have been brought into action without it4 ,for a very high degree of scientific knowledge1 and the nicest skill in the mechanic arts1 are combined in it1 and were both necessary to bring it into successful operation4 ,and the fact that ,morse sought and1 obtained the necessary information and counsel from the best sources1 and acted upon it1 neither impairs his rights as an inventor1 nor detracts from his merits4 ,the italics are mine1 for it has over and over been claimed for everybody who had a part in the early history of the telegraph1 either by hint1 help1 or discovery1 that more credit should be given to him than to ,morse himself--to ,henry1 to ,gale1 to ,vail1 to ,doctor ,page1 and even to ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith4 ,in fact ,morse used often to say that some people thought he had no right to claim his invention because he had not discovered electricity1 nor the copper from which his wires were made1 nor the brass of his instruments1 nor the glass of his insulators4 ,i shall make one other quotation from the opinion of ,judge ,kane and ,judge ,grier at one of the earlier trials1 in ,philadelphia1 in #ahea3-- ,that he1 ,mr4 ,morse1 was the first to devise and practise the art of recording language1 at telegraphic distances1 by the dynamic force of the electro-magnet1 or1 indeed1 by any agency whatever1 is1 to our minds1 plain upon all the evidence4 ,it is unnecessary to review the testimony for the purpose of showing this4 ,his application for a patent1 in ,april1 #ahch1 was preceded by a series of experiments1 results1 illustrations and proofs of final success1 which leave no doubt whatever but that his great invention was consummated before the early spring of #ahcg4 ,there is no one person1 whose invention has been spoken of by any witness1 or referred to in any book as involving the principle of ,mr4 ,morse's discovery1 but must yield precedence of date to this4 ,neither ,steinheil1 nor ,cooke and ,wheatstone1 nor ,davy1 nor ,dyar1 nor ,henry1 had at this time made a recording telegraph of any sort4 ,the devices then known were merely semaphores1 that spoke to the eye for a moment--bearing about the same relation to the great discovery before us as the ,abb ,sicard's invention of a visual alphabet for the purposes of conversation bore to the art of printing with movable types4 ,mr4 ,dyar's had no recording apparatus1 as he expressly tells us1 and ,professor ,henry had contented himself with the abundant honors of his laboratory and lecture-rooms4 ,one case was decided against him1 but this decision was afterwards overruled by the ,supreme ,court1 so that it caused no lasting injury to his claims4 ,as decision after decision was rendered in his favor he received the news calmly1 always attributing to ,divine ,providence every favor bestowed upon him4 ,letters of congratulation poured in on him from his friends1 and1 among others1 the following from ,alfred ,vail must have aroused mingled feelings of pleasure and regret4 ,it is dated ,september #ba1 #ahdh3-- ,i congratulate you in your success at ,frankfort in arresting thus far that pirate ,o',reilly4 ,i have received many a hearty shake from our friends1 congratulating me upon the glorious issue of the application for an injunction4 ,the pirate dies hard1 and well he may4 ,it is his privilege to kick awhile in this last death struggle4 ,these pirates must be followed up and each in his turn nailed to the wall4 ,the ,wash4 ,n4,o4 ,co4 is at last organized1 and for the last three weeks we have received daily communications from ,n4,o4 ,our prospects are flattering4 ,and what do you think they have done with me8 ,superintendent of ,washington ,n4,o4 line all the way from ,washington to ,columbia at #ijj66666 ,this game will not be played long4 ,i have made up my mind to leave the ,telegraph to take care of itself1 since it cannot take care of me4 ,i shall1 in a few months1 leave ,washington for ,new ,jersey1 family1 kit and all1 and bid adieu to the subject of the ,telegraph for some more profitable business4444 ,i have just finished a most beautiful register with a pen lever key and an expanding reel4 ,have orders for six of the same kind to be made at once2 three for the south and three for the west4 ,i regret you could not1 on your return from the west1 have made us at least a flying visit with your charming lady4 ,i am happy to learn that your cup of happiness is so full in the society of one who1 ,i learn from ,mr4 ,k41 is well calculated to cheer you and relieve the otherwise solitude of your life4444 ,my kindest wishes for yourself and ,mrs4 ,morse1 and believe me to be1 now as ever1 ,yours1 etc41 ,,alfred ,,vail4 ,mr4 ,james ,d4 ,reid in an article in the ,electrical ,world1 ,october #ab1 #ahie1 after quoting from this letter2 adds3-- ,the truth is ,mr4 ,vail had no natural aptitude for executive work1 and he had a temper somewhat variable and unhappy4 ,he and ,i got along very well together until ,i determined to order my own instruments1 his being too heavy and too difficult1 as ,i thought1 for an operator to handle while receiving4 ,we had our instruments made by the same maker--,clark ,co41 ,philadelphia4 ,yet even that did not greatly separate us1 and we were always friends4 ,about some things his notions were very crude4 ,it was under his guidance that ,david ,brooks1 ,henry ,c4 ,hepburn and ,i1 in #ahde1 undertook to insulate the line from ,lancaster to ,harrisburg1 ,pennsylvania1 by saturating bits of cotton cloth in beeswax and wrapping them round projecting arms4 ,the bees enjoyed it greatly1 but it spoiled our work4 ,but ,i have no desire to criticize him4 ,he seemed to me to have great opportunities which he did not use4 ,he might have had1 ,i thought1 the register work of the country and secured a large business4 ,but it went from him to others1 and so he left the field4 ,this eventful year of #ahdh closed with the great telegraph suits in full swing1 but with the inventor calm under all his trials4 ,in a letter1 of ,december #ah1 to his brother ,sidney1 who had now returned to ,america1 he says3 ,my affairs 7,telegraphically7 are only under a slight mist1 hardly a cloud2 ,i see through the mist already4 ,and in another part of this letter he says3 ,i may see you at the end of the week4 ,if ,i can bring ,sarah down with me1 ,i will1 to spend ,christmas1 but the weather may change and prevent4 ,what weather6 ,i am working on the lawn as if it were spring4 ,you have no idea how lovely this spot is4 ,not a day passes that ,i do not feel it4 ,if ,i have trouble abroad1 ,i have peace1 and love1 and happiness at home4 ,my sweet wife ,i find1 indeed1 a rich treasure4 ,uniformly cheerful and most affectionate1 she makes sunshine all the day4 ,god's gifts are worthy of the giver4 ,it was in the early days of #ahdi that a gift of another kind was received by him which could not fail to gratify him4 ,this was a decoration1 the ,nichan ,iftikar or ,order of ,glory1 presented to him by the ,sultan of ,turkey1 the first and only decoration which the ,sultan of the ,ottoman ,empire had conferred upon a citizen of the ,united ,states4 ,it was a beautiful specimen of the jeweller's art1 the monogram of the ,sultan in gold1 surrounded by #acj diamonds in a graceful design4 ,it was accompanied by a diploma 7or berait7 in ,turkish1 which being translated reads3-- ,,in ,,the ,,name ,,of ,,him ,,sultan ,,abdul ,,hamid ,,khan ,son of ,mahmoud ,khan1 son of ,abdul ,hamid ,khan--may he ever be victorious6 ,the object of the present sovereign decoration of ,noble ,exalted ,glory1 of ,elevated ,place1 and of this ,illustrious ,world ,conquering ,monogram is as follows3 ,the bearer of this ,imperial ,monogram of exalted character1 ,mr4 ,morse1 an ,american1 a man of science and of talents1 and who is a model of the ,chiefs of the nation of the ,messiah--may his grade be increased--having invented an ,electrical ,telegraph1 a specimen of which has been exhibited in my ,imperial presence2 and it being proper to patronize knowledge and to express my sense of the value of the attainments of the ,inventor1 as well as to distinguish those persons who are the ,inventors of such objects as serve to extend and facilitate the relations of mankind1 ,i have conferred upon him1 on my exalted part1 an honorable decoration in diamonds1 and issued also this present diploma1 as a token of my benevolence for him4 ,written in the middle of the moon ,sefer1 the fortunate1 the year of the ,flight one thousand two hundred and sixty-four1 in ,constantinople the well-guarded4 ,the person who was instrumental in gaining for the inventor this mark of recognition from the ,sultan was ,dr4 ,james ,lawrence ,smith1 a young geologist at that time in the employ of the ,sultan4 ,he1 aided by the ,reverend ,c4 ,hamlin1 of the ,armenian ,seminary at ,bebek1 gave an exhibition of the working of the telegraph before the ,sultan and all the officers of his ,government1 and when it was proposed to decorate him for his trouble and lucid explanation1 he modestly and generously disclaimed any honor1 and begged that any such recognition should be given to the inventor himself4 ,other decorations and degrees were bestowed upon the inventor from time to time1 but these will be summarized in a future chapter4 ,i have enlarged upon this one as being the first to be received from a foreign monarch4 ,as his fame increased1 requests of all sorts poured in on him1 and it is amazing to find how courteously he answered even the most fantastic1 overwhelmed as he was by his duties in connection with the attacks on his purse and his reputation4 ,two of his answers to correspondents are here given as examples3-- ,january #ag1 #ahdi4 ,gentlemen1--,i have received your polite invitation to the ,printers' ,festival in honor of ,franklin1 on his birthday the #agth of the present month1 and regret that my engagements in the city put it out of my power to be present4 ,i thank you kindly for the flattering notice you are pleased to take of me in connection with the telegraph1 and made peculiarly grateful at the present time as coming from a class of society with whom are my earliest pleasurable associations4 ,i may be allowed1 perhaps1 to say that in my boyhood it was my delight1 during my vacations1 to seek my pastime in the operations of the printing-office4 ,i solicited of my father to take the corrected proofs of his ,geography to the printing-office1 and there1 through the day for weeks1 ,i made myself practically acquainted with all the operations of the printer4 ,at #i years of age ,i compiled a small volume of stories1 called it the ',youth's ,friend1' and then set it up1 locked the matter in its form1 prepared the paper and worked it off2 going through the entire process till it was ready for the binder4 ,i think ,i have some claim1 therefore1 to belong to the fraternity4 ,the other letter was in answer to one from a certain ,solomon ,andrews1 ,president of the ,inventors' ,institute of ,perth ,amboy1 who was making experiments in aviation1 and ,i shall give but a few extracts3-- ,i know by experience the language of the world in regard to an untried invention4 ,he who will accomplish anything useful and new must steel himself against the sneers of the ignorant1 and often against the unimaginative sophistries of the learned4444 ,in regard to the subject on which you desire an opinion1 ,i will say that the idea of navigating the air has been a favorite one with the inventive in all ages2 it is naturally suggested by the flight of a bird4 ,i have watched for hours together in early life1 in my walks across the bridge from ,boston to ,charlestown1 the motions of the sea-gulls4444 ,often have ,i attempted to unravel the mystery of their motion so as to bring the principle of it to bear upon this very subject1 but ,i never experimented upon it4 ,many ingenious men1 however1 have experimented on air navigation1 and have so far succeeded as to travel in the air many miles1 but always with the current of wind in their favor4 ,by navigating the atmosphere is meant something more than dropping down with the tide in a boat1 without sails1 or oars or other means of propulsion4444 ,birds not only rise in the air1 but they can also propel themselves against the ordinary currents4 ,a study1 then1 of the conditions that enable a bird thus to defy the ordinary currents of the atmosphere seems to furnish the most likely mode of solving the problem4 ,whilst a bird flies1 whilst ,i see a mass of matter overcoming1 by its structure and a power within it1 the natural forces of gravitation and a current of air1 ,i dare not say that air navigation is absurd or impossible4 ,i consider the difficulties to be overcome are the combining of strength with lightness in the machine sufficient to allow of the exercise of a force without the machine from a source of power within4 ,a difficulty will occur in the right adaptation of propellers1 and1 should this difficulty be overcome1 the risks of derangement of the machinery from the necessary lightness of its parts would be great1 and consequently the risks to life would be greater than in any other mode of travelling4 ,from a wreck at sea or on shore a man may be rescued with his life1 and so by the running off the track by the railroad car1 the majority of passengers will be saved2 but from a fall some thousands1 or only hundreds1 of feet through the air1 not one would escape death4444 ,i have no time to add more than my best wishes for the success of those who are struggling with these difficulties4 ,these observations1 made nearly sixty-five years ago1 are most pertinent to present-day conditions1 when the conquest of the air has been accomplished1 and along the very lines suggested by ,morse1 but at what a terrible cost in human life4 ,that the inventor1 harassed on all sides by pirates1 unscrupulous men1 and false friends1 should1 in spite of his ,christian philosophy1 have suffered from occasional fits of despondency1 is but natural1 and he must have given vent to his feelings in a letter to his true friend and able business agent1 ,mr4 ,kendall1 for the latter thus strives to hearten him in a letter of ,april #bj1 #ahdi3-- ,you say1 ',mrs4 ,morse and ,elizabeth are both sitting by me4' ,how is it possible1 in the midst of so much that is charming and lovely1 that you could sink into the gloomy spirit which your letter indicates8 ,can there be a ,paradise without ,devils in it--,blue ,devils1 ,i mean8 ,and how is it that now1 instead of addressing themselves first to the woman1 they march boldly up to the man8 ,faith in our ,maker is a most important ,christian virtue1 but man has no right to rely on ,faith alone until he has exhausted his own power4 ,when we have done all we can with pure hands and honest hearts1 then may we rely with confidence on the aid of ,him who governs worlds and atoms1 controls1 when ,he chooses1 the will of man1 restrains his passions and makes his bad designs subservient to the best of ends4 ,now for a short application of a short sermon4 ,we must do our best to have the ,depositions and ,affidavits prepared and forwarded in due time4 ,this done we may have ,faith that we will gain our cause4 ,or1 if with our utmost exertions1 we fail in our preparations1 we shall be warranted in having ,faith that no harm will come of it4 ,but if1 like the ,jews in the ,maccabees1 we rely upon the ,lord to fight our battles1 without lifting a weapon in our defence1 or1 like the wagoner in the fable1 we content ourselves with calling on ,hercules1 we shall find in the end that ',faith without ,works is dead4' 444 ,the world1 as you say1 is 'the world'--a quarrelling1 vicious1 fighting1 plundering world--yet it is a very good world for good men4 ,why should man torment himself about that which he cannot help8 ,if we but enjoy the good things of earth and endure the evil things with a cheerful resignation1 bad spirits--blue devils and all--will fly from our bosoms to their appropriate abode4 ,another true and loyal friend was ,george ,wood1 associated with ,mr4 ,kendall in ,washington1 from whom are many affectionate and witty letters which it would be a pleasure to reproduce1 but for the present ,i shall content myself with extracts from one dated ,may #d1 #ahdi3-- ,it does seem to me that ,satan has1 from the jump1 been at war with this invention of yours4 ,at first he strove to cover you up with a ,f4,o4,g4 of ,egyptian hue2 then he ran your wires through leaden pipe1 constructed by his 'pipe-laying' agents1 into the ground and 'all aground4' ,and when these were hoisted up1 like the ,brazen ,serpent1 on poles for all to gaze at and admire1 then who so devout a worshipper as the ,devil in the person of one of his children of darkness1 who came forward at once to contract for a line reaching to ,st4 ,louis--and round the world--upon that principle of the true construction of constitutions1 and such like contracts1 first promulgated by that ',old ,roman' the ',hero of two ,wars1' and approved by the 'whole hog' ,democracy of the 'first republic of the world1' and which1 like the moral law is summarily comprehended in a few words--',the constitution 7or contract7 is what ,i understand it to be4' ,now without stopping to show you that ,o',reilly was a true disciple of ,o',hickory1 ,i think you will not question his being a son of ,satan1 whose brazen instruments 7one of whom gave his first born the name of ,morse7 instigated by the ,gent in ,black1 not content with inflicting us with the ,irish ,potato ,rot1 has recently brought over the ,scotch ,itch1 if1 perhaps1 by plagues ,job was never called upon to suffer 7for there were no ,courts of ,equity and ,chancery in those early days7 the ,american inventor might be tempted to curse ,god and die4 ,but1 ,ah6 you have such a sweet wife1 and ,job's was such a vinegar cruet4 ,it is1 perhaps1 hardly necessary to explain that ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith was nicknamed ,fog ,smith1 and that the ,scotch ,itch referred to the telegraph of ,alexander ,bain1 which1 for a time1 was used by the enemies of ,morse in the effort to break down his patent rights4 ,the other allusions were to the politics of the day4 ,another good friend and business associate was ,thomas ,r4 ,walker1 who in #ahdi was mayor of ,utica1 ,new ,york4 ,mr4 ,walker's wife was the half-sister of ,mrs4 ,griswold1 ,morse's mother-in-law1 so there were ties of relationship as well as of friendship between the two men1 and ,morse thought so highly of ,mr4 ,walker that he made him one of the executors of his will4 ,in a letter of ,july #aa1 #ahdi1 ,mr4 ,walker says3 ,the course pursued by the press is simply mercenary4 ,were it otherwise you would receive justice at their hands1 and your fame and merits would be vindicated instead of being tarnished by the editorials of selfish and ungenerous men4 ,but-- 'magna est veritas et prevalebit4' ,there is comfort in that at any rate4 ,it would seem that not only was the inventor forced to uphold his rights through a long series of lawsuits1 but a great part of the press of the country was hostile to him on the specious plea that they were attempting to overthrow a baleful monopoly4 ,in this connection the following extract from a letter to ,j4 ,fenimore ,cooper1 written about this time1 is peculiarly apt3-- ,it is not because ,i have not thought of you and your excellent family that ,i have not long since written to you to know your personal welfare4 ,i hear of you often1 it is true1 through the papers4 ,they praise you1 as usual1 for it is praise to have the abuse of such as abuse you4 ,in all your libel suits against these degraded wretches ,i sympathize entirely with you1 and there are thousands who now thank you in their hearts for the moral courage you display in bringing these licentious scamps to a knowledge of their duty4 ,be assured the good sense1 the intelligence1 the right feeling of the community at large are with you4 ,the licentiousness of the press needed the rebuke which you have given it1 and it feels it too despite its awkward attempts to brave it out4 ,i will say nothing of your ',home as ,found4' ,i will use the frankness to say that ,i wish you had not written it4444 ,when in ,paris last ,i several times passed #ei ,rue ,st4 ,dominique4 ,the gate stood invitingly open and ,i looked in1 but did not see my old friends although everything else was present4 ,i felt as one might suppose another to feel on rising from his grave after a lapse of a century4 ,an attack from another and an old quarter is referred to in a letter to his brother ,sidney of ,july #aj1 also another instance of the unfairness of the press3-- ,dr4 ,jackson had the audacity to appear at ,louisville by affidavit against me4 ,my counter-affidavit1 with his original letters1 contradicting in toto his statement1 put him hors de combat4 ,mr4 ,kendall says he was 'completely used up4' 444 ,i have got a copy of ,jackson's affidavit which ,i should like to show you4 ,there never was a more finished specimen of wholesale lying than is contained in it4 ,he is certainly a monomaniac2 no other conclusion could save him from an indictment for perjury4 ,by the ,frankfort paper sent you last week1 and the extract ,i now send you1 you can give a very effective shot to the ',tribune4' ,it is1 perhaps1 worthy of remark that1 while all the papers in ,new ,york were so forward in publishing a false account of ,o',reilly's success in the ,frankfort case1 not one that ,i have seen has noticed the decision just given at ,louisville against him in every particular4 ,this shows the animus of the press towards me4 ,nor have they taken any pains to correct the false account given of the previous decision4 ,although no longer ,president of the ,national ,academy of ,design1 having refused relection in #ahde in order to devote his whole time to the telegraph1 ,morse still took a deep interest in its welfare1 and his counsel was sought by its active members4 ,on ,october #ac1 #ahdi1 ,mr4 ,charles ,c4 ,ingham sent him a long letter detailing the trials and triumphs of the institution1 from which ,i shall quote a few sentences3 ',lang syne1' when you fought the good fight for the cause of ,art1 your prospects in life were not brighter than they are now1 and in bodily and mental vigor you are just the same1 therefore do not1 at this most critical moment1 desert the cause4 ,it is the same and our enemies are the same old insolent quacks and impostors1 who wish to make a footstool of the profession on which to stand and show themselves to the public4444 ,now1 with this prospect before you1 rouse up a little of your old enthusiasm1 put your shoulder to the wheel1 and place the only school of ,art on all this side of the world on a firm foundation4 ,unfortunately the answer to this letter is not in my possession1 but we may be sure that it came from the heart1 while it must have expressed the writer's deep regret that the multiplicity of his other cares would prevent him from undertaking what would have been to him a labor of love4 ,although ,alfred ,vail had severed his active connection with the telegraph1 he and his brother ,george still owned stock in the various lines1 and ,morse did all in his power to safeguard and further their interests4 ,they1 on their part1 were always zealous in championing the rights of the inventor1 as the following letter from ,george ,vail1 dated ,december #ai1 #ahdi1 will show3-- ,enclosed ,i hand you a paragraph cut from the ',newark ,daily' of #agth inst4 ,it was evidently drawn out by a letter which ,i addressed to the editor some months ago1 stating that ,i could not see what consistency there was in his course2 that1 while he was assuming the championship of ,american manufactures1 ingenuity1 enterprise1 etc41 etc41 he was at the same time holding up an ,english inventor to praise1 while he held all the better claims of ,morse in the dark1--alluding to his bespattering ,mr4 ,bain and ,o',reilly with compliments at our expense1 etc4 ,i would now suggest that1 if you are willing1 we give ,mr4 ,daily a temperate article on the rise and progress of telegraphs1 asserting claims for yourself1 and1 as ,i must father the article1 give the ,vails and ,new ,jersey all the 'sodder' they are entitled to1 and a little more1 if you can spare it4 ,will you write something adapted to the case and forward it to me as early as possible1 that it may go in on the heels of this paragraph enclosed8 ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith continued to embarrass and thwart the other proprietors by his various wild schemes for self-aggrandizement4 ,as ,mr4 ,kendall said in a letter of ,august #d3 ,there is much ,fog in ,smith's letter1 but it is nothing else4 ,and on ,december #d1 he writes in a more serious vein3 ,mr4 ,smith peremptorily refuses an arbitration which shall embrace a separation of all our interests1 and ,i think it inexpedient to have any other4 ,he is so utterly unprincipled and selfish that we can expect nothing but renewed impositions as long as we have any connection with him4 ,he asks me to make a proposition to buy or sell1 which ,i have delayed doing1 because ,i know that nothing good can come of it2 but ,i have informed him that ,i will consider any proposition he may make1 if not too absurd to deserve it4 ,i do not expect any that we can accede to without sacrifices to this worse than patent pirate which ,i am not prepared to make4 ,mr4 ,kendall then concludes that the only recourse will be to the law1 but ,morse1 always averse to war1 and preferring to exhaust every effort to bring about an amicable adjustment of difficulties1 sent the following courteous letter to ,smith on ,december #h1 which1 however1 failed of the desired result3-- ,i deeply regret to learn from my agent1 ,mr4 ,kendall1 that an unpleasant collision is likely to take place between your interest in the ,telegraph and the rest of your coproprietors in the patent4 ,i had hoped that an amicable arbitrament might arrange all our mutual interests to our mutual advantage and satisfaction2 but ,i learn that his proposition to that effect has been rejected by you4 ,you must be aware that the rest of your coproprietors have been great sufferers in their property1 for some time past1 from the frequent disagreements between their agent and yourself1 and that1 for the sake of peace1 they have endured much and long4 ,it is impossible for me to say where the fault lies1 for1 from the very fact that ,i put my affairs into the hands of an agent to manage for me1 it is evident ,i cannot have that minute1 full and clear view of the matters at issue between him and yourself that he has1 or1 under other circumstances1 that ,i might have4 ,but this ,i can see1 that mutual disadvantage must be the consequence of litigation between us1 and this we both ought to be desirous to avoid4 ,between fair-minded men ,i cannot see why there should be a difference1 or at least such a difference as cannot be adjusted by uninterested parties chosen to settle it by each of the disagreeing parties4 ,i write this in the hope that1 on second thought1 you will meet my agent ,mr4 ,kendall in the mode of arbitration proposed4 ,i have repeatedly advised my agent to refrain from extreme measures until none others are left us2 and if such are now deemed by him necessary to secure a large amount of our property1 hazarded by perpetual delays1 while ,i shall most sincerely regret the necessity1 there are interests which ,i am bound to protect1 connected with the secure possession of what is rightfully mine1 which will compel me to oppose no further obstacle to his proceeding to obtain my due1 in such manner as1 in his judgment1 he may deem best4 ,,chapter ,,xxxiv ,,march #e1 #ahej--,,november #aj1 #ahed ,precarious financial condition4--,regret at not being able to make loan4-- ,false impression of great wealth4--,fears he may have to sell home4-- ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith continues to give trouble4--,morse system extending throughout the world4--,death of ,fenimore ,cooper4--,subscriptions to charities1 etc4--,first use of word ,telegram4--,mysterious fire in ,supreme ,court clerk's room4--,letter of ,commodore ,perry4--,disinclination to antagonize ,henry4--,temporary triumph of ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith4--,order gradually emerging4--,expenses of the law4--,triumph in ,australia4--,gift to ,yale ,college4--,supreme ,court decision and extension of patent4--,social diversions in ,washington4--,letters of ,george ,wood and ,p4,h4 ,watson on extension of patent4--,loyalty to ,mr4 ,kendall2 also to ,alfred ,vail4-- ,decides to publish ,defense4--,controversy with ,bishop ,spaulding4--,creed on ,slavery4--,political views4--,defeated for ,congress4 ,while ,i have anticipated in giving the results of the various lawsuits1 it must be borne in mind that these dragged along for years1 and that the final decision of the ,supreme ,court was not handed down until ,january #cj1 #ahed4 ,during all this time the inventor was kept in suspense as to the final outcome1 and often the future looked very dark indeed1 and he was hard pressed to provide for the present4 ,on ,march #e1 #ahej1 he writes to a friend who had requested a loan of a few hundred dollars3-- ,it truly pains me to be obliged to tell you of my inability to make you a loan1 however small in amount or amply secured4 ,in the present embarrassed state of my affairs1 consequent upon these never-ending and vexatious suits1 ,i know not how soon all my property may be taken from me4 ,the newspapers1 among their other innumerable falsehoods1 circulate one in regard to my 'enormous wealth4' ,the object is obvious4 ,it is to destroy any feeling of sympathy in the public mind from the gross robberies committed upon me4 ',he is rich enough2 he can afford to give something to the public from his extortionate monopoly1' etc41 etc4 ,now no man likes to proclaim his poverty1 for there is a sort of satisfaction to some minds in being esteemed rich1 even if they are not4 ,the evil of this is that from a rich man more is expected in the way of pecuniary favors 7and justly too71 and consequently applications of all kinds are daily1 ,i might say for the last few months almost hourly1 made to me1 and the fabled wealth attributed to me1 or to ,croesus1 would not suffice to satisfy the requests made4 ,and1 after stating that1 of the #aa1fjg miles of telegraph at that time in operation1 only one company of #eji miles was then paying a dividend1 he adds3 ,if this fails ,i have nothing4 ,on this ,i solely depend1 for ,i have now no profession1 and at my age1 with impaired eyesight1 ,i cannot resume it4 ,i have indeed a farm out of which a farmer might obtain his living1 but to me it is a source of expense1 and ,i have not actually1 though you may think it strange1 the means to make my family comfortable4 ,in a letter to ,mr4 ,kendall of ,january #d1 #ahea1 he enlarges on this subject3-- ,i have been taking in sail for some time past to prepare for the storm which has so long continued and still threatens destruction1 but with every economy my family must suffer for the want of many comforts which the low state of my means prevents me from procuring4 ,i contrived to get through the last month without incurring debt1 but ,i see no prospect now of being able to do so the present month4444 ,i wish much to know1 and1 indeed1 it is indispensably necessary ,i should be informed of the precise condition of things2 for1 if my property is but nominal in the stocks of the companies1 and is to be soon rendered valueless from the operations of pirates1 ,i desire to know it1 that ,i may sell my home and seek another of less pretension1 one of humbler character and suited to my change of circumstances4 ,it will1 indeed1 be like cutting off a right hand to leave my country home1 but1 if ,i cannot retain it without incurring debt1 it must go1 and before debt is incurred and not after4 ,i have made it a rule from my childhood to live always within my means1 to have no debts2 for if there is a terror which would unman me more than any other in this world1 it is the sight of a man to whom ,i owed money1 however inconsiderable in amount1 without my being in a condition to pay him4 ,on this point ,i am nervously sensitive1 to a degree which some might think ridiculous4 ,but so it is and ,i cannot help it4444 ,please tell me how matters stand in relation to ,f4,o4,g4 ,i wish nothing short of entire separation from that unprincipled man if it can possibly be accomplished4444,i can suffer his frauds upon myself with comparative forbearance1 but my indignation boils when ,i am made1 nolens volens1 a particeps criminis in his frauds on others4 ,i will not endure it if ,i must suffer the loss of all the property ,i hold in the world4 ,the beloved country place was not sacrificed1 and a way out of all his difficulties was found1 but his faith and ,christian forbearance were severely tested before his path was smoothed4 ,among all his trials none was so hard to bear as the conduct of ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith1 whose strange tergiversations were almost inconceivable4 ,like the old man of the sea1 he could not be shaken off1 much as ,morse and his partners desired to part company with him forever4 ,the propositions made by him were so absurd that they could not for a moment be seriously considered1 and the reasonable terms submitted by ,mr4 ,kendall were unconditionally rejected by him4 ,it will be necessary to refer to him and his strange conduct from time to time1 but to go into the matter in detail would consume too much valuable space4 ,it seems only right1 however1 to emphasize the fact that his animosity and unscrupulous self-seeking constituted the greatest cross which ,morse was called upon to bear1 even to the end of his life1 and that many of the aspersions which have been cast upon the inventor's fame and good name1 before and after his death1 can be traced to the fertile brain of this same ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith4 ,while the inventor was fighting for his rights in his own country1 his invention1 by the sheer force of its superiority1 was gradually displacing all other systems abroad4 ,even in ,england it was superseding the ,cooke and ,wheatstone needle telegraph1 and on the ,continent it had been adopted by ,prussia1 ,austria1 ,bavaria1 ,hanover1 and ,turkey4 ,it is worthy of note that that broad-minded scientist1 ,professor ,steinheil1 of ,bavaria1 who had himself invented an ingenious plan of telegraph when he was made acquainted with the ,morse system1 at once acknowledged its superiority and urged its adoption by the ,bavarian ,government4 ,in ,france1 too1 it was making its way1 and ,morse1 in answer to a letter of inquiry as to terms1 etc41 by ,m4 ,brequet1 thus characteristically avows his motives1 after finishing the business part of the letter1 which is dated ,april #ba1 #ahea3-- ,to be frank with you1 my dear sir 7and ,i feel that ,i can be frank with you71 while ,i am not indifferent to the pecuniary rewards of my invention 7which will be amply satisfactory if my own countrymen will but do me justice71 yet as these were not the stimulus to my efforts in perfecting and establishing my invention1 so they now hold but a subordinate position when ,i attempt to comprehend the full results of the ,telegraph upon the welfare of my fellow men4 ,i am more solicitous to see its benefits extended world-wide during my lifetime than to turn the stream of wealth1 which it is generating to millions of persons1 into my own pocket4 ,a few drops from the sea1 which may not be missed1 will suffice for me4 ,in the early days of #aheb death took from him one of his dearest friends1 and the following letter1 written in ,february1 #aheb1 to ,rufus ,griswold1 ,esq41 expresses his sentiments3-- ,i sincerely regret that circumstances over which ,i have no control prevent my participation in the services commemorative of the character1 literary and moral1 of my lamented friend the late ,james ,fenimore ,cooper1 ,esq4 ,i can scarcely yet realize that he is no longer with us1 for the announcement of his death came upon me most unexpectedly4 ,the pleasure of years of close intimacy with ,mr4 ,cooper was never for a moment clouded by the slightest coolness4 ,we were in daily1 ,i can truly say1 almost hourly1 intercourse in the year #ahca in ,paris4 ,i never met with a more sincere1 warm-hearted1 constant friend4 ,no man came nearer to the ideal ,i had formed of a truly high-minded man4 ,if he was at times severe or caustic in his remarks on others1 it was when excited by the exhibition of the little arts of little minds4 ,his own frank1 open1 generous nature instinctively recoiled from contact with them4 ,his liberalities1 obedient to his generous sympathies1 were scarcely bounded by prudence2 he was always ready to help a friend1 and many such there are who will learn of his departure with the most poignant sorrow4 ,although unable to be with you1 ,i trust the ,committee will not overlook me when they are collecting the funds for the monument to his genius4 ,it might have been said of ,morse1 too1 that his liberalities were scarcely bounded by prudence1 for he gave away or lost through investments1 urged upon him by men whom he regarded as friends but who were actuated by selfish motives1 much more than he retained4 ,he gave largely to the various religious organizations and charities in which he was interested1 and it was characteristic of him that he could not wait until he had the actual cash in hand1 but1 even while his own future was uncertain1 he made donations of large blocks of stocks1 which1 while of problematical value while the litigation was proceeding1 eventually rose to much above par4 ,while he strove to keep his charities secret1 they were bruited abroad1 much to his sorrow1 for1 although at the time he was hard pressed to make both ends meet1 they created a false impression of great wealth1 and the importunities increased in volume4 ,it is always interesting to note the genesis of familiar words1 and the following is written in pencil by ,morse on a little slip of paper3-- ,telegram was first proposed by the ,albany ',evening ,journal1' ,april #f1 #aheb1 and has been universally adopted as a legitimate word into the ,english language4 ,on ,april #ba1 #aheb1 ,mr4 ,kendall reports a mysterious occurrence3-- ,our case in the ,supreme ,court will very certainly be reached by the middle of next week4 ,a most singular incident has occurred4 ,the papers brought up from the court below1 not entered in the records1 were on a table in the clerk's room4 ,there was no fire in the room4 ,one of the clerks after dark lighted a lamp1 looked up some papers1 blew out the lamp and locked the door4 ,some time afterwards1 wishing to obtain a book1 he entered the room without a light and got the book in the dark4 ,in4 the morning our papers were burnt up1 and nothing else4 ,the papers burnt are all the drawings1 all the books filed1 ,dana's lectures1 ,chester's pamphlet1 your sketchbook 7if the original was there71 your tag of type1 etc41 etc4 ,but we shall replace them as far as possible and go on with the case4 ,was your original sketch-book there8 ,if so1 has any copy been taken8 ,the original sketch-book was in this collection of papers so mysteriously destroyed1 but most fortunately a certified copy had been made1 and this is now in the ,national ,museum in ,washington4 ,also1 most fortunately1 this effort on the part of some enemy to undermine the foundations of the case proved abortive1 if1 indeed1 it was not a boomerang1 for1 as we have seen1 the decision of the ,supreme ,court was in ,morse's favor4 ,in the year #aheb1 ,commodore ,perry sailed on his memorable trip to ,japan1 which1 as is well known1 opened that wonderful country to the outside world and started it on its upward path towards its present powerful position among the nations4 ,the following letter from ,commodore ,perry1 dated ,july #bb1 #aheb1 will1 therefore1 be found of unusual interest3-- ,i shall take with me1 on my cruise to the ,east ,indias1 specimens of the most remarkable inventions of the age1 among which stands preminent your telegraph1 and ,i write a line by ,lieutenant ,budd1 ,united ,states ,navy1 not only to introduce him to your acquaintance1 but to ask as a particular favour that you would give him some information and instruction as to the most practicable means of exhibiting the ,telegraph1 as well as a daguerreotype apparatus1 which ,i am also authorized to purchase1 also other articles connected with drawing4 ,i have directed ,lieutenant ,budd to visit ,poughkeepsie in order to confer with you4 ,he will have lists1 furnished by ,mr4 ,norton and a daguerreotype artist1 which ,i shall not act upon until ,i learn the result of his consultation with you4 ,i hope you will pardon this intrusion upon your time4 ,i feel almost assured1 however1 that you will take a lively interest in having your wonderful invention exhibited to a people so little known to the world1 and there is no one better qualified than yourself to instruct ,lieutenant ,budd in the duties ,i have entrusted to his charge1 and who will fully explain to you the object ,i have in view4 ,i leave this evening for ,washington and should be much obliged if you would address me a line to that place4 ,most truly and respectfully yours ,m4,c4 ,,perry4 ,it was about this time that the testimony of ,professor ,joseph ,henry was being increasingly used by ,morse's opponents to discredit him in the scientific world and to injure his cause in the courts4 ,i shall1 therefore1 revert for a moment to the matter for the purpose of emphasizing ,morse's reluctance to do or say anything against his erstwhile friend4 ,in a letter to ,h4,j4 ,raymond1 editor of the ,new ,york ,times1 he requests space in that journal for a fair exposition of his side of the controversy in reply to an article attacking him4 ,to this ,mr4 ,raymond courteously replies on ,november #bb1 #aheb3 ,the columns of the ',times' are entirely at your service for the purpose you mention1 or1 indeed1 for almost any other4 ,the writer of the article you allude to was ,dr4 ,bettner1 of ,philadelphia4 ,morse answers on ,november #cj3-- ,i regret finding you absent2 ,i wished to have had a few moments' conversation with you in relation to the allusion ,i made to ,professor ,henry4 ,if possible ,i wish to avoid any course which might weaken the influence for good of such a man as ,henry4 ,i will forbear exposure to the last moment1 and1 in view of my duty as a ,christian at least1 ,i will give him an opportunity to explain to me in private4 ,if he refuses1 then ,i shall feel it my duty to show how unfairly he has conducted himself in allowing his testimony to be used to my detriment4 ,i write in haste1 and will merely add that1 to consummate these views1 ,i shall for the present delay the article ,i had requested you to insert in your columns1 and allow the various misrepresentations to remain yet a little longer unexposed1 at the same time thanking you cordially for your courteous accordance of my request4 ,a slight set-back was encountered by ,morse and his associates at this time by the denial of an injunction against ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith1 and1 in a letter to ,mr4 ,kendall of ,december #d1 the long-suffering inventor exclaims3-- ,f4,o4,j4 crows at the top of his voice1 and ,i learned that he and his man ,friday1 ,foss1 had a regular spree in consequence1 and that the latter was noticed in ,broadway drunk and boisterously huzzaing for ,f4,o4,j4 and cursing me and my telegraph4 ,i read in my ,bible3 ',the triumph of the wicked is short4' ,this may have a practical application1 in this case at any rate4 ,i have full confidence in that ,power that1 for wise purposes1 allows wickedness temporarily to triumph that ,his own designs of bringing good out of evil may be the more apparent4 ,another of ,morse's fixed principles in life is referred to in a letter to ,judge ,e4 ,fitch ,smith of ,february #d1 #aheh3 ,yours of the #cast ulto4 is this moment received4 ,your request has given me some trouble of spirit on this account1 to wit3 ,my father lost a large property1 the earnings of his whole life of literary labor1 by simply endorsing4 ,my mother was ever after so affected by this fact that it was the constant theme of her disapprobation1 and on her deathbed ,i gave her my promise1 in accordance with her request1 that ,i never would endorse a note4 ,i have never done such a thing1 and1 of course1 have never requested the endorsement of another4 ,i cannot1 therefore1 in that mode accommodate you1 but ,i can probably aid you as effectually in another way4 ,it will not be necessary to dwell at length on further happenings in the year #ahec4 ,order was gradually emerging from chaos in the various lines of telegraph1 which1 under the wise guidance of ,amos ,kendall1 were tending towards a consolidation into one great company4 ,the decision of the ,supreme ,court had not yet been given1 causing temporary embarrassment to the patentees by allowing the pirates to continue their depredations unchecked4 ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith continued to give trouble4 ,to quote from a letter of ,morse's to ,mr4 ,kendall of ,january #aj1 #ahec3 ,the ,good ,book says that 'one sinner destroyeth much good1' and ,f4,o4,j4 being 7as will be admitted by all1 perhaps1 except himself7 a sinner of that class bent upon destroying as much good as he can1 ,i am desirous1 even at much sacrifice 7a desire1 of course1 inter nos7 to get rid of controversy with him4 ,further on in this letter1 referring to another cause for anxiety1 he says3 ,law is expensive1 and we must look it in the face and expect to pay roundly for it4444 ,it is a delicate task to dispute a professional man's charges1 and1 though it may be an evil to find ourselves bled so freely by lawyers1 it is1 perhaps1 the least of evils to submit to it as gracefully as we can4 ,but1 while he could not escape the common lot of man in having to bear many and severe trials1 there were compensatory blessings which he appreciated to the full4 ,his home life was happy and1 in the main1 serene2 his farm was a source of never-ending pleasure to him2 he was honored at home and abroad by those whose opinion he most valued2 and he was almost daily in receipt of the news of the extension of the ,morse system throughout the world4 ,even from far-off ,australia came the news of his triumph4 ,a letter was sent to him1 written from ,melbourne on ,december #c1 #ahec1 by a ,mr4 ,samuel ,mc,gowan to a friend in ,new ,york1 which contains the following gratifying intelligence3-- ,since the date of my last to you matters with me have undergone a material change4 ,i have come off conqueror in my hard fought battle4 ,the contract has been awarded to me in the faces of the representatives of ,messrs4 ,wheatstone and ,cooke1 ,brett and other telegraphic luminaries1 much to their chagrin1 as ,i afterwards ascertained2 several of them1 it appears1 having been leagued together in order1 as they stated1 to thwart a speculating ,yankee4 ,however1 matters were not so ordained1 and ,i am as well satisfied4 ,i hope they will all live to be the same4 ,in spite of his financial difficulties1 caused by bad management of some of the lines in which he was interested1 he could not resist the temptation to give liberally where his heart inclined him1 and in a letter of ,january #i1 #ahed1 to ,president ,woolsey of ,yale1 he says3-- ,enclosed1 therefore1 you have my check for one thousand dollars1 which please hand to the ,treasurer of the ,college as my subscription towards the fund which is being raised for the benefit of my dearly loved ,alma ,mater4 ,i wish ,i could make it a larger sum1 and1 without promising what ,i may do at some future time1 yet ,i will say that the prosperity of ,yale ,college is so near my heart that1 should my affairs 7now embarrassed by litigations in self-defence yet undecided7 assume a more prosperous aspect1 ,i have it in mind to add something more to the sum now sent4 ,the year #ahed was memorable in the history of the telegraph because of two important events--the decision of the ,supreme ,court in ,morse's favor1 already referred to1 and the extension of his patent for another period of seven years4 ,the first established for all time his legal right to be called the ,inventor of the ,telegraph1 and the second enabled him to reap some adequate reward for his years of privation1 of struggle1 and of heroic faith4 ,it was for a long time doubtful whether his application for an extension of his patent would be granted1 and much of his time in the early part of #ahed was consumed in putting in proper form all the data necessary to substantiate his claim1 and in visiting ,washington to urge the justice of an extension4 ,from that city he wrote often to his wife in ,poughkeepsie1 and ,i shall quote from some of these letters4 ,february #ag4 ,i am at the ,national ,hotel1 which is now quite crowded1 but ,i have an endurable room with furniture hardly endurable1 for it is hard to find1 in this hotel at least1 a table or a bureau that can stand on its four proper legs1 rocking and tetering like a gold-digger's washing-pan1 unless the lame leg is propped up with an old shoe1 or a stray newspaper fifty times folded1 or a magazine of due thickness 7,i am using ',harper's ,magazine' at this moment1 which is somewhat a desecration1 as it is too good to be trampled under foot1 even the foot of a table71 or a coal cinder1 or a towel4 ,well1 it is but for a moment and so let it pass4 ,where do you think ,i was last evening8 ,read the invitation on the enclosed card1 which1 although forbidden to be transferable1 may without breach of honor be transferred to my other and better half4 ,i felt no inclination to go1 but1 as no refusal would be accepted1 ,i put on my best and at nine o'clock1 in company with ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,shaffner 7the latter of whom1 by the by1 is quite a pleasant and pretty woman1 with a boy one year older than ,arthur and about as mischievous7 and ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,john ,kendall4 ,i went to the ladies' parlor and was presented to the ladies1 six in number1 who did the honors 7if that is the expression7 of the evening4 ,there was a great crowd1 ,i think not less than three hundred people1 and from all parts of the country--,senators and their wives1 members of the ,house and their wives and daughters1 and there was a great number of fine looking men and women4 ,i was constantly introduced to a great many1 who uniformly showered their compliments on your modest husband4 ,the card of invitation has been lost1 but it was1 perhaps1 to a ,president's ,reception1 and the great crowd of three hundred would not tax the energies of the ,president's aides at the present day4 ,the next letter is written in a more serious vein3-- ,february #bf4 ,i am very busily engaged in the preparation of my papers for an extension of my patents4 ,this object is of vital importance to me2 it is1 in fact1 the moment to reap the harvest of so many years of labor1 and expense1 and toil1 and neglected would lose me the fruits of all4444 ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith is here1 the same ugly1 fiendlike1 dog-in-the-manger being he has ever been1 the 'thorn in the flesh' which ,i pray to be able to support by the sufficient grace promised4 ,it is difficult to know how to feel and act towards such a man1 so unprincipled1 so vengeful1 so bent on injury1 yet the command to bless those that curse1 to pray for those who despitefully use us and persecute us1 to love our enemies1 to forgive our enemies1 is in full force1 and ,i feel more anxious to comply with this injunction of our blessed ,saviour than to have the thorn removed1 however strongly this latter must be desired4 ,march #d4 ,you have little idea of the trouble and expense to which ,i am put in this 'extension' matter4444 ,i shall have to pay hundreds of dollars more before ,i get through here1 besides being harassed in all sorts of ways from now till the #bjth of ,june next4 ,if ,i get my extension then ,i may expect some respite1 or1 at least1 opposition in another shape4 ,i hope eventually to derive some benefit from the late decision1 but the reckless and desperate character of my opponents may defeat all the good ,i expect from it4 ,such is the reward ,i have purchased for myself by my invention4444 ,mr4 ,wood is here also4 ,he is the same firm1 consistent and indefatigable friend as ever4 ,i know not what ,i should do in the present crisis without him4 ,i could not possibly put my accounts into proper shape without his aid1 and he exerts himself for me as strongly as if ,i were his brother4444 ,mr4 ,kendall has been ill almost all the time that ,i have been here1 which has caused me much delay and consumption of time4 ,it was not until the latter part of ,june that the extension of his patents was granted1 and his good friend1 alluded to in the preceding letter1 ,mr4 ,george ,wood1 tells1 in a letter of ,june #bast1 something of the narrow escape it had3-- ,your ,patent ,extension is another instance of ,god's wonder working ,providence towards you as expressed in the history of this great discovery4 ,of that history1 of all the various shapes and incidents you may never know1 not having been on the spot to watch all its moments of peril1 and the way in which1 like many a good ,christian1 it was 'scarcely saved4' ,in this you must see ,god's hand in giving you a man of remarkable skill1 energy1 talent1 and power as your agent4 ,i refer to ,p4,h4 ,watson1 to whom mainly and mostly1 ,i think1 this extension is due4 ,god works by means1 and1 though he designed to do this for you1 he selected the proper person and gave him the skill1 perseverance and power to accomplish this result4 ,i hope now you have got it you will make it do for you all it can accomplish pecuniarily4 ,but as for the money1 ,i don't think so much as ,i do the effect of this upon your reputation4 ,this is the apex of the pyramid4 ,and ,mr4 ,watson1 in a letter of ,june #bj1 says3 ,we had many difficulties to contend with1 even to-day1 for at one time the ,commissioner intended to withhold his decision for reasons which ,i shall explain at length when we meet4 ,it seemed to give the ,commissioner much pleasure to think that1 in extending the patent1 he was doing an act of justice to you as a great public benefactor1 and a somewhat unfortunate man of genius4 ,dr4 ,gale and myself had to assure him that the extension would legally inure to your benefit1 and not to that of your agents and associates before he could reconcile it with his duty to the public to grant the extension4 ,morse himself1 in a letter to ,mr4 ,kendall1 also of ,june #bj1 thus characteristically expresses himself3-- ,a memorable day4 ,i never had my anxieties so tried as in this case of extension1 and after weeks of suspense1 this suspense was prolonged to the last moment of endurance4 ,i have just returned with the intelligence from the telegraph office from ,mr4 ,watson--',patent extended4 ,all right4' ,well1 what is now to be done8 ,i am for taking time by the forelock and placing ourselves above the contingencies of the next expiration of the patent4 ,while keeping our vantage ground with the pirates ,i wish to meet them in a spirit of compromise and of magnanimity4 ,i hope we may now be able to consolidate on advantageous terms4 ,it appears that at this time he was advised by many of his friends1 including ,dr4 ,gale1 to sever his business connection with ,mr4 ,kendall1 both on account of the increasing feebleness of that gentleman1 and because1 while admittedly the soul of honor1 ,mr4 ,kendall had kept their joint accounts in a very careless and slipshod manner1 thereby causing considerable financial loss to the inventor4 ,but1 true to his friends1 as he always was1 he replies to ,dr4 ,gale on ,june #cj3-- ,let me thank you specially personally for your solicitude for my interests4 ,this ,i may say without disparagement to ,mr4 ,kendall1 that1 were the contract with an agent to be made anew1 ,i might desire to have a younger and more healthy man1 and better acquainted with regular book-keeping1 but ,i could not desire a more upright and more honorable man4 ,if he has committed errors1 7as who has not87 they have been of the head and not of the heart4 ,i have had many years experience of his conduct1 think ,i have seen him under strong temptation to do injustice with prospects of personal benefit1 and with little chance of detection1 and yet firmly resisting4 ,among the calumnies which were spread broadcast1 both during the life of the inventor and after his death1 even down to the present day1 was the accusation of great ingratitude towards those who had helped him in his early struggles1 and especially towards ,alfred ,vail4 ,the more the true history of his connection with his associates is studied1 the more baseless do these accusations appear1 and in this connection the following extracts from letters to ,alfred ,vail and to his brother ,george are most illuminating4 ,the first letter is dated ,july #ae1 #ahed3-- ,the legal title to my ,patent for the ,american ,electro-,magnetic ,telegraph of ,june #bjth1 #ahdj1 is1 by the late extension of said patent for seven years from the said date1 now vested in me alone2 but ,i have intended that the pecuniary interest which was guaranteed to you in my invention as it existed in #ahch1 and in my patent of #ahdj1 should still inure to your benefit 7yet in a different shape7 under the second patent and the late extension of the first4 ,for the simplification of my business transactions ,i prefer to let the ,articles of ,agreement1 which expired on the #bjth ,june1 #ahed1 remain cancelled and not to renew them1 retaining in my sole possession the legal title2 but ,i hereby guarantee to you two sixteenths of such sums as may be paid over to me in the sale of patent rights1 after the proportionate deductions of such necessary expenses as may be required in the business of the agency for conducting the sales of said patent rights1 subject also to the terms of your agreement with ,mr4 ,kendall4 ,mr4 ,kendall informs me that no assignment of an interest in my second patent 7the patent of #ahdf7 was ever made to you4 ,this was news to me4 ,i presumed it was done and that the assignment was duly recorded at the ,patent ,office4 ,the examination of the records in the progress of obtaining my extension has1 doubtless1 led to the discovery of the omission4 ,after going over much the same ground in the letter to ,george ,vail1 also of ,july #aeth1 he gives as one of the reasons why the new arrangement is better3 ,the annoyances of ,smith are at an end1 so far as the necessity of consulting him is concerned4 ,and then he adds3-- ,i presume it can be no matter of regret with ,alfred that1 by the position he now takes1 strengthening our defensive position against the annoyances of ,smith1 he can receive more pecuniarily than he could before4 ,please consult with ,mr4 ,kendall on the form of any agreement by which you and ,alfred may be properly secured in the pecuniary benefits which you would have were he to stand in the same legal relation to the patent that he did before the expiration of its original term1 so as to give me the position in regard to ,smith that ,i must take in self-defense1 and ,i shall cheerfully accede to it4 ,poor ,alfred1 ,i regret to know1 torments himself needlessly4 ,i had hoped that ,i was sufficiently known to him to have his confidence4 ,i have never had other than kind feelings towards him1 and1 while planning for his benefit and guarding his interests at great and almost ruinous expense to myself1 ,i have had to contend with difficulties which his imprudence1 arising from morbid suspicions1 has often created4 ,my wish has ever been to act towards him not merely justly but generously4 ,in a letter to ,mr4 ,kendall of ,july #ag1 #ahed1 ,morse declares his intention of publishing that ,defense which he had held in reserve for several years1 hoping that the necessity for its publication might be avoided by a personal understanding with ,professor ,henry1 which1 however1 that gentleman refused3-- ,you will perceive what injury ,i have suffered from the machinations of the sordid pirates against whom ,i have had to contend1 and it will also be noticed how history has been falsified in order to detract from me1 and how the conduct of ,henry1 on his deposition1 has tended to strengthen the ready prejudice of the ,english against the ,american claim to priority4 ,an increasing necessity1 on this account1 arises for my ',defense1' and so soon as ,i can get it into proper shape by revision1 ,i intend to publish it4 ,this ,i consider a duty ,i owe the country more than myself1 for1 so far as ,i am personally concerned1 ,i am conscious of a position that ,history will give me when the facts now suppressed by interested pirates and their abettors shall be known1 which the verdict of posterity1 no less than that of the judicial tribunals already given1 is sure to award4 ,while involved in apparently endless litigation which necessitated much correspondence1 and while the compilation and revision of his ,defense must have consumed not only days but weeks and months1 he yet found time to write a prodigious number of letters and newspaper articles on other subjects1 especially on those relating to religion and politics4 ,although more tolerant as he grew older1 he was still bitterly opposed to the methods of the ,roman ,catholic ,church1 and to the ,jesuits in particular4 ,he1 in common with many other prominent men of his day1 was fearful lest the ,church of ,rome1 through her emissaries the ,jesuits1 should gain political ascendancy in this country and overthrow the liberty of the people4 ,he took part in a long and heated newspaper controversy with ,bishop ,spaulding of ,kentucky concerning the authenticity of a saying attributed to ,lafayette--,if ever the liberty of the ,united ,states is destroyed it will be by ,romish priests4 ,it was claimed by the ,roman ,catholics that this statement of ,lafayette's was ingeniously extracted from a sentence in a letter of his to a friend in which he assures this friend that such a fear is groundless4 ,morse followed the matter up with the patience and keenness of a detective1 and proved that no such letter had ever been written by ,lafayette1 that it was a clumsy forgery1 but that he really had made use of the sentiment quoted above1 not only to ,morse himself1 but to others of the greatest credibility who were still living4 ,in the field of politics he came near playing a more active part than that of a mere looker-on and humble voter1 for in the fall of #ahed he was nominated for ,congress on the ,democratic ticket4 ,it would be difficult and1 perhaps1 invidious to attempt to state exactly his political faith in those heated years which preceded the ,civil ,war4 ,in the light of future events he and his brothers and many other prominent men of the day were on the wrong side4 ,he deprecated the war and did his best to prevent it4 ,sectional division was abhorrent to him1 but on the question of slavery his sympathies were rather with the ,south1 for ,i find among his papers the following3-- ,my creed on the subject of slavery is short4 ,slavery per se is not sin4 ,it is a social condition ordained from the beginning of the world for the wisest purposes1 benevolent and disciplinary1 by ,divine ,wisdom4 ,the mere holding of slaves1 therefore1 is a condition having per se nothing of moral character in it1 any more than the being a parent1 or employer1 or ruler1 but is moral or unmoral as the duties of the relation of master1 parent1 employer or ruler are rightly used or abused4 ,the subject in a national view belongs not1 therefore1 to the department of ,morals1 and is transferred to that of ,politics to be politically regulated4 ,the accidents of the relation of master and slave1 like the accidents of other social relations1 are to be praised or condemned as such individually and in accordance with the circumstances of every case1 and1 whether adjudged good or bad1 do not affect the character of the relation itself4 ,on the subject of foreign immigration he was most outspoken1 and replying to an enquiry of one of his political friends concerning his attitude towards the so-called ,know ,nothings1 he says3-- ,so far as ,i can gather from the public papers1 the object of this society would seem to be to resist the aggression of foreign influence and its insidious and dangerous assaults upon all that ,americans hold dear1 politically and religiously4 ,it appears to be to prevent injury to the ,republic from the ill-timed and1 ,i may say1 unbecoming tamperings with the laws1 and habits1 and deeply sacred sentiments of ,americans by those whose position1 alike dictated by modesty and safety1 to them as well as to us1 is that of minors in training for ,american1 not ,european1 liberty4 ,i have not1 at this late day1 to make up an opinion on this subject4 ,my sentiments ',on the dangers to the free institutions of the ,united ,states from foreign immigration' are the same now that ,i have ever entertained1 and these same have been promulgated from ,maine to ,louisiana for more than twenty years4 ,this subject involves questions which1 in my estimation1 make all others insignificant in the comparison1 for they affect all others4 ,to the disturbing influence of foreign action in our midst upon the political and religious questions of the day may be attributed in a great degree the present disorganization in all parts of the land4 ,so far as the ,society you speak of is acting against this great evil it1 of course1 meets with my hearty concurrence4 ,i am content to stand on the platform1 in this regard1 occupied by ,washington in his warnings against foreign influence1 by ,lafayette1 in his personal conversation and instructions to me1 and by ,jefferson in his condemnation of the encouragement given1 even in his day1 to foreign immigration4 ,if this ,society has ulterior objects of which ,i know nothing1 of these ,i can be expected to speak only when ,i know something4 ,as his opinions on important matters1 political and religious1 appear in the course of his correspondence1 ,i shall make note of them4 ,it is more than probable that1 as he differed radically from his father and the other ,federalists on the question of men and measures during the ,war of #ahab1 so ,i should have taken other ground than his had ,i been born and old enough to have opinions in the stirring ante-bellum days of the fifties4 ,and yet1 as hindsight makes our vision clearer than foresight1 it is impossible to say definitely what our opinions would have been under other conditions1 and there can1 at any rate1 be no question of the absolute sincerity of the man who1 from his youth up1 had placed the welfare of his beloved country above every other consideration except his duty to his ,god4 ,it would take a keen student of the political history of this country to determine how far the opinions and activities of those who were in opposition on questions of such prime importance as slavery1 secession1 and unrestricted immigration1 served as a wholesome check on the radical views of those who finally gained the ascendancy4 ,the aftermath of two of these questions is still with us1 for the negro question is by no means a problem solved1 and the subject of proper restrictions on foreign immigration is just now occupying the attention of our ,solons4 ,that ,morse should make enemies on account of the outspoken stand he took on all these questions was to be expected1 but ,i shall not attempt to sit in judgment1 but shall simply give his views as they appear in his correspondence4 ,at any rate he was not called upon to state and maintain his opinions in the halls of ,congress1 for1 in a letter of ,november #aj1 #ahed1 to a friend1 he says at the end3 ,i came near being in ,congress at the late election1 but had not quite votes enough1 which is the usual cause of failure on such occasions4 ,,chapter ,,xxxv ,,january #h1 #ahef--;,,august #ad1 #ahef ,payment of dividends delayed4--,concern for welfare of his country4-- ,indignation at corrupt proposal from ,california4--,kendall hampered by the ,vails4--,proposition by capitalists to purchase patent rights4--,cyrus ,w4 ,field4--,newfoundland ,electric ,telegraph ,company4--,suggestion of ,atlantic ,cable4--,hopes thereby to eliminate war4--,trip to ,newfoundland4--,temporary failure4--,f4,o4,j4 ,smith continues to give trouble4--,financial conditions improve4--,morse and his wife sail for ,europe4--,fted in ,london4-- ,experiments with ,dr4 ,whitehouse4--,mr4 ,brett4--,dr4 ,o',shaughnessy and the telegraph in ,india4--,mr4 ,cooke4--,charles ,h4 ,leslie4--,paris4--,hamburg4-- ,copenhagen4--,presentation to king4--,thorwaldsen ,museum4--,oersted's daughter4--,st4 ,petersburg4--,presentation to ,czar at ,peterhoff4 ,i have said in the preceding chapter that order was gradually emerging from chaos in telegraphic matters1 but the progress towards that goal was indeed gradual1 and a perusal of the voluminous correspondence between ,morse and ,kendall1 and others connected with the different lines1 leaves the reader in a state of confused bewilderment and wonder that all the conflicting interests1 and plots and counterplots1 could ever have been brought into even seeming harmony4 ,too much praise cannot be given to ,mr4 ,kendall for the patience and skill with which he disentangled this apparently hopeless snarl1 while at the same time battling against physical ills which would have caused most men to give up in despair4 ,that ,morse fully appreciated the sterling qualities of this faithful friend is evidenced by the letter to ,dr4 ,gale in the preceding chapter1 and by many others4 ,he always refused to consider for a moment the substitution of a younger man on the plea of ,mr4 ,kendall's failing health1 and his carelessness in the keeping of their personal accounts4 ,it is true that1 because of this laxity on ,mr4 ,kendall's part1 ,morse was for a long time deprived of the full income to which he was entitled1 but he never held this up against his friend1 always making excuses for him4 ,affairs seem to have been going from bad to worse in the matter of dividends1 for1 while in #ahej he had said that only #eji miles out of #aaej were paying him personally anything1 he says in a letter to ,mr4 ,kendall of ,january #h1 #ahee3-- ,i perceive the ,magnetic ,telegraph ,company meet in ,washington on ,thursday the #aath4 ,please inform me by telegraph the amount of dividend they declare and the time payable4 ,this is the only source on which ,i can calculate for the means of subsistence from day to day with any degree of certainty4 ,it is a singular reflection that occurs frequently to my mind that out of #dj1jjj miles of telegraph1 all of which should pay me something1 only #bbe miles is all that ,i can depend upon with certainty2 and the case is a little aggravated when ,i think that throughout all ,europe1 which is now meshed with telegraph wires from the southern point of ,corsica to ,st4 ,petersburg1 on which my telegraph is universally used1 not a mile contributes to my support or has paid me a farthing4 ,well1 it is all well4 ,i am not in absolute want1 for ,i have some credit1 and painful as is the state of debt to me from the apprehension that creditors may suffer from my delay in paying them1 yet ,i hope on4 ,mr4 ,kendall was not so sensitive on the subject of debt as was ,morse1 and he was also much more optimistic and often rebuked his friend for his gloomy anticipations1 assuring him that the clouds were not nearly so dark as they appeared4 ,always imbued with a spirit of lofty patriotism1 ,morse never failed1 even in the midst of overwhelming cares1 to give voice to warnings which he considered necessary4 ,replying to an invitation to be present at a public dinner he writes3-- ,,gentlemen1--,i have received your polite invitation to join with you in the celebration of the birthday of ,washington4 ,although unable to be present in person1 ,i shall still be with you in heart4 ,every year1 indeed every day1 is demonstrating the necessity of our being wide awake to the insidious sapping of our institutions by foreign emissaries in the guise of friends1 who1 taking advantage of the very liberality and unparalleled national generosity which we have extended to them1 are undermining the foundations of our political fabric1 substituting 7as far as they are able to effect their purpose7 on the one hand a dark1 cold and heartless atheism1 or1 on the other1 a disgusting1 puerile1 degrading superstition in place of the ,god of our fathers and the glorious elevating religion of love preached by his ,son4 ,the ,american mind1 ,i trust1 is now in earnest waking up1 and no one more rejoices at the signs of the times than myself4 ,twenty years ago ,i hoped to have seen it awake1 but1 alas6 it proved to be but a spasmodic yawn preparatory to another nap4 ,if it shall now have waked in earnest1 and with renewed strength shall gird itself to the battle which is assuredly before it1 ,i shall feel not a little in the spirit of good old ,simeon-- ,now let thy servant depart in peace1 for mine eyes have seen thy salvation4 ,go forward1 my friends1 in your patriotic work1 and may ,god bless you in your labors with eminent success4 ,it has been shown1 ,i think1 in the course of this work1 that ,morse1 while long-suffering and patient under trials and afflictions1 was by no means poor-spirited1 but could fight and use forceful language when roused by acts of injustice towards himself1 his country1 or his sense of right4 ,nothing made him more righteously angry than dishonesty in whatever form it was manifested1 and the following incident is characteristic4 ,on ,june #bf1 #ahee1 ,mr4 ,kendall forwarded a letter which he had received from a certain ,milton ,s4 ,latham1 member of ,congress from ,california1 making a proposition to purchase the ,morse patent rights for lines in ,california4 ,in this letter occur the following sentences3 ,for the use of ,professor ,morse's patent for the ,state of ,california in perpetuity1 with the reservations named in yours of the #c;d ,march1 #ahee1 addressed to me1 they are willing to give you #cj1jjj in their stock4 ,this is all they will do4 ,it is proper ,i should state that the capital stock of the ,california ,state ,telegraph in cash was #ge1jjj1 which they raised to #aej1jjj1 and subsequently to #cjj1jjj4 ,the surplus stock over the cash stock was used among members of the ,legislature to procure the passage of the act incorporating the company1 and securing for it certain privileges4 ,mr4 ,kendall in his letter enclosing this nave business proposition1 remarks3 ,it is an impressive commentary on the principles which govern business in ,california that this company doubled their stock to bribe members of the ,state ,legislature1 and are now willing to add but ten per cent to be relieved from the position of patent pirates and placed henceforth on an honest footing4 ,morse more impulsively exclaims in his reply3-- ,is it possible that there are men who hold up their heads in civilized society who can unblushingly take the position which the so-called ,california ,state ,telegraph ,company has deliberately taken8 ,accept the proposition8 ,yes1 ,i will accept it when ,i can consent to the housebreaker who has entered my house1 packed up my silver and plated ware1 and then coolly says to me--',allow me to take what ,i have packed up and ,i will select out that which is worthless and give it to you1 after ,i have used it for a few years1 provided any of it remain6' ,a more unprincipled set of swindlers never existed4 ,who is this ,mr4 ,latham that he could recommend our accepting such terms8 ,in addition to the opposition of open enemies and unprincipled pirates1 ,morse and ,kendall were sometimes hampered by the unjust suspicions of some of those whose interests they were striving to safeguard4 ,referring to one such case in a letter of ,june #ae1 #ahee1 ,mr4 ,kendall says3-- ,if there should be opposition ,i count on the ,vails against me4 ,alfred has for some time been hostile because ,i could not if ,i would1 and would not if ,i could1 find him a snug sinecure in some of the companies4 ,i fear ,george has in some degree given way to the same spirit4 ,i have heard of his complaining of me1 and when1 before my departure for the ,west1 ,i tendered my services to negotiate a connection of himself and brother with the lessees of the ,n4,o4 ,o4 line1 he declined my offer1 protesting against the entire arrangements touching that line4 ,having done all ,i could and much more than ,i was bound to do for the benefit of those gentlemen1 ,i shall not permit their jealousy to disturb me1 but ,i am anxious to have them understand the exact position ,i am to occupy in relation to them4 ,i understood your purpose to be that they should share in the benefits of the extension1 whether legally entitled to them or not1 yet nothing has been paid over to them for sales since made4 ,all the receipts1 except a portion of my commissions1 have been paid out on account of expenses1 and to secure an interest for you in the ,n4,o4 ,o4 line4 ,it is easy to understand that the ,vails should have been somewhat suspicious when little or nothing in the way of cash was coming in to them1 but they seem not to have realized that ,morse and ,kendall were in the same boat1 and living more on hope than cash4 ,mr4 ,kendall enlarges somewhat on this point in a letter of ,june #bb1 #ahee3-- ,most heartily will ,i concur in a sale of all my interests in the ,telegraph at any reasonable rate to such a company as you describe4 ,i fully appreciate your reasons for desiring such a consummation1 and1 in addition to them1 have others peculiar to my own position4 ,any one who has a valuable patent can profit by it only by a constant fight with some of the most profligate and1 at the same time1 most shrewd members of society4 ,i have found myself not only the agent of yourself and the ,messrs4 ,vail to sell your patent rights1 but the soldier to fight your battles1 as well in the country as in the courts of justice4 ,almost single-handed1 with the deadly enmity of one of the patentees1 and the annoying jealousies of another1 ,i have encountered surrounding hosts1 and1 ,i trust1 been instrumental in saving something for the ,proprietors of this great invention1 and done something to maintain the rights and vindicate the fame of its true author4 ,nothing but your generous confidence has rendered my position tolerable1 and enabled me to meet the countless difficulties with which my path has been beset with any degree of success4 ,and now1 at the end of a ten years' war1 ,i am prepared to retire from the field and leave the future to other hands1 if ,i can but see your interests1 secured beyond contingency1 and a moderate competency provided for my family and myself4 ,the company referred to in this letter was one proposed by ,cyrus ,w4 ,field and other capitalists of ,new ,york4 ,the plan was to purchase the patent rights of ,morse1 ,kendall1 ,vail1 and ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith1 and1 by means of the large capital which would be at their command1 fight the pirates who had infringed on the patent1 and gradually unite the different warring companies into one harmonious concern4 ,a monopoly1 if you will1 but a monopoly which had for its object better1 cheaper1 and quicker service to the people4 ,this object was achieved in time1 but1 unfortunately for the peace of mind of ,morse and ,kendall1 not just then4 ,the name of ,cyrus ,field naturally suggests the ,atlantic ,cable1 and it was just at this time that steps were being seriously taken to realize the prophecy made by ,morse in #ahdc in his letter to the ,secretary of the ,treasury3 ,the practical inference from this law is that a telegraphic communication on the electro-magnetic plan may with certainty be established across the ,atlantic ,ocean6 ,startling as this may now seem ,i am confident the time will come when this project will be realized4 ,in #aheb a company had been formed and incorporated by the ,legislature of ,newfoundland1 called the ,newfoundland ,electric ,telegraph ,company4 ,the object of this company was to connect the island by means of a cable with the mainland1 but this was not accomplished at that time1 and no suggestion was made of the possibility of crossing the ocean4 ,one of the officers of that company1 however1 ,mr4 ,f4,n4 ,gisborne1 came to ,new ,york in #ahed and tried to revive the interest of capitalists and engineers in the scheme4 ,among others he consulted ,matthew ,d4 ,field1 and through him met his brother ,cyrus ,w4 ,field1 and the question of a through line from ,newfoundland to ,new ,york was seriously discussed4 ,cyrus ,field1 a man of great energy and already interested financially and otherwise in the terrestrial telegraph1 was fascinated by the idea of stretching long lines under the waters also4 ,he examined a globe1 which was in his study at home and1 suddenly realizing that ,newfoundland and ,ireland were comparatively near neighbors1 he said to himself3 ,why not cross the ocean and connect the ,new ,world with the ,old8 ,he had heard that ,morse long ago had prophesied that this link would some day be welded1 and he became possessed with the idea that he was the person to accomplish this marvel1 just as ,morse had received the inspiration of the telegraph in #ahcb4 ,a letter to ,morse1 who was just then in ,washington1 received an enthusiastic and encouraging reply1 coupled with the information that ,lieutenant ,maury of the ,navy had1 by a series of careful soundings1 established the existence of a plateau between ,ireland and ,newfoundland1 at no very great depth1 which seemed expressly designed by nature to receive and carefully guard a telegraphic cable4 ,mr4 ,field lost no time in organizing a company composed originally of himself1 his brother the ,honorable ,david ,dudley ,field1 ,peter ,cooper1 ,moses ,taylor1 ,marshall ,o4 ,roberts1 and ,chandler ,white4 ,after a liberal charter had been secured from the legislature of ,newfoundland the following names were added to the list of incorporators3 ,s4,f4,b4 ,morse1 ,robert ,w4 ,lowber1 ,wilson ,g4 ,hunt1 and ,john ,w4 ,brett4 ,mr4 ,field then went to ,england and with characteristic energy soon enlisted the interest and capital of influential men1 and the ,atlantic ,telegraph ,company was organized to cooperate with the ,american company1 and liberal pledges of assistance from the ,british ,government were secured4 ,similar pledges were obtained from the ,congress of the ,united ,states1 but1 quite in line with former precedents1 by a majority of only one in the ,senate4 ,morse was appointed electrician of the ,american company and ,faraday of the ,english company1 and much technical correspondence followed between these two eminent scientists4 ,in the spring of #ahee1 ,morse1 in a letter to his friend and relative by marriage1 ,thomas ,r4 ,walker1 of ,utica1 writes enthusiastically of the future3 ,our ,atlantic line is in a fair way4 ,we have the governments and capitalists of ,europe zealously and warmly engaged to carry it through4 ,three years will not pass before a submarine telegraph communication will be had with ,europe1 and ,i do not despair of sitting in my office and1 by a touch of the telegraph-key1 asking a question simultaneously to persons in ,london1 ,paris1 ,cairo1 ,calcutta1 and ,canton1 and getting the answer from all of them in five minutes after the question is asked4 ,does this seem strange8 ,i presume if ,i had even suggested the thought some twenty years ago1 ,i might have had a quiet residence in a big building in your vicinity4 ,the first part of this prophecy was actually realized1 for in #aheh1 just three years after the date of this letter1 communication was established between the two continents and was maintained for twenty days4 ,then it suddenly and mysteriously ceased1 and not till #ahff was the indomitable perseverance of ,cyrus ,field crowned with permanent success4 ,more of the details of this stupendous undertaking will be told in the proper chronological order1 but before leaving the letter to ,mr4 ,walker1 just quoted from1 ,i wish to note that when ,morse speaks of sitting in his office and communicating by a touch of the key with the outside world1 he refers to the fact that the telegraph companies with which he was connected had obligingly run a short line from the main line 7which at that time was erected along the highway from ,new ,york to ,albany7 into his office at ,locust ,grove1 ,poughkeepsie1 so that he was literally in touch with every place of any importance in the ,united ,states4 ,always solicitous for the welfare of mankind in general1 he says in a letter to ,norvin ,green1 in ,july1 #ahee1 after discussing the proposed cable3 ,the effects of the ,telegraph on the interests of the world1 political1 social and commercial have1 as yet1 scarcely begun to be apprehended1 even by the most speculative minds4 ,i trust that one of its effects will be to bind man to his fellow-man in such bonds of amity as to put an end to war4 ,i think ,i can predict this effect as in a not distant future4 ,alas6 in this he did not prove himself a true prophet1 although it must be conceded that many wars have been averted or shortened by means of the telegraph1 and there are some who hope that a warless age is even now being conceived in the womb of time4 ,on ,july #ah1 #ahee1 he writes to his good friend ,dr4 ,gale3 ,i have no time to add1 as every moment is needed to prepare for my ,newfoundland expedition1 to be present at laying down the first submarine cable of any considerable length on this side the water1 although the first for telegraph purposes1 you well remember1 we laid between ,castle ,garden and ,governor's ,island in #ahdb4 ,on the #gth of ,august1 ,morse1 with his wife and their eldest son1 a lad of six1 joined a large company of friends on board the steamer ,james ,adger which sailed for ,newfoundland4 ,there they were to meet the ,sarah ,l4 ,bryant1 from ,england1 with the cable which was to be laid across the ,gulf of ,st4 ,lawrence4 ,the main object of the trip was a failure1 like so many of the first attempts in telegraphic communication1 for a terrific storm compelled them to cut the cable and postpone the attempt1 which1 however1 was successfully accomplished the next year4 ,the party seems to have had a delightful time otherwise1 for they were fted wherever they stopped1 notably at ,halifax1 ,nova ,scotia1 and ,st4 ,johns1 ,newfoundland4 ,at the latter place a return banquet was given on board the ,james ,adger1 and the toastmaster1 in calling on ,morse for a speech1 recited the following lines3-- ,the steed called ,lightning 7say the ,fates7 ,was tamed in the ,united ,states4 ',t was ,franklin's hand that caught the horse1 ',t was harnessed by ,professor ,morse4 ,to turn again for a moment to the darker side of the picture of those days1 it must be kept in mind that annoying litigation was almost constant1 and in the latter part of #ahee a decision had been rendered in favor of ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith1 who insisted on sharing in the benefits of the extension of the patent1 although1 instead of doing anything to deserve it1 he had done all in his power to thwart the other patentees4 ,commenting on this in a letter to ,mr4 ,kendall of ,november #bb1 #ahee1 ,morse1 pathetically and yet philosophically1 says3-- ,is there any mode of arrangement with ,smith by which matters in partnership can be conducted with any degree of harmony8 ,i wish him to have his legal rights in full1 however unjustly awarded to him4 ,i must suffer for my ignorance of legal technicalities4 ,mortifying as this is it is better1 perhaps1 to suffer it with a good grace and even with cheerfulness1 if possible1 rather than endure the wear and tear of the spirits which a brooding over the gross fraud occasions4 ,an opportunity of setting ourselves right in regard to him may be not far off in the future4 ,till then let us stifle at least all outward expressions of disgust or indignation at the legal swindle4 ,and1 with the keen sense of justice which always actuated him1 he adds in a postscript3 ,by the by1 if ,judge ,curtis's decision holds good in regard to ,smith's inchoate right1 does it not equally hold good in regard to ,vail1 and is he not entitled to a proportionate right in the extension8 ,during the early months of #ahef the financial affairs of the inventor had so far been straightened out that he felt at liberty to leave the country for a few months' visit to ,europe4 ,the objects of this trip were threefold4 ,he wished1 as electrician of the ,cable ,company1 to try some experiments over long lines with certain ,english scientists1 with a view to determining beyond peradventure the practicability of an ocean telegraph4 ,he also wished to visit the different countries on the continent where his telegraph was being used1 to see whether their governments could not be induced to make him some pecuniary return for the use of his invention4 ,last1 but not least1 he felt that he had earned a short vacation from the hard work and the many trials to which he had been subjected for so many years1 and a trip abroad with his wife1 who had never been out of her own country1 offered the best means of relaxation and enjoyment4 ,on the #gth of ,june1 #ahef1 he sailed from ,new ,york on the ,baltic1 accompanied by his wife and his niece ,louisa1 daughter of his brother ,richard4 ,the trip proved a delightful one in every way2 he was acclaimed as one of the most noted men of his day wherever he went1 and emperors1 kings1 and scientists vied with each other in showering attentions upon him4 ,his letters contain minute descriptions of many of his experiences and ,i shall quote liberally from them4 ,to ,cyrus ,field he writes1 on ,july #f1 of the results of some of his experiments with ,dr4 ,whitehouse3-- ,i intended to have written you long before this and have you receive my letter previous to your departure from home1 but every moment of my time has been occupied1 as you can well conceive1 since my arrival4 ,i have especially been occupied in experiments with ,dr4 ,whitehouse of the utmost importance4 ,their results1 except in a general way1 ,i am not at present at liberty to divulge2 besides they are not1 as yet1 by any means completed so as to assure commercial men that they may enter upon the great project of uniting ,europe to ,america with a certainty of success4 ,and then1 after dwelling upon the importance of ,dr4 ,whitehouse's services1 and expressing the wish that he should be liberally rewarded for his labors1 he continues3-- ,i can say on this subject generally that the experiments ,dr4 ,whitehouse has made favorably affect the project so far as its practicability is concerned1 but to certainly assure its practicality further experiments are essential4 ,to enable ,dr4 ,whitehouse to make these1 and that he may derive the benefit of them1 ,i conceive it to be a wise outlay to furnish him with adequate means for his purpose4 ,i wish ,i had time to give you in detail the kind receptions ,i have everywhere met with4 ,to ,mr4 ,statham and his family in a special manner are we indebted for the most indefatigable and constant attentions4 ,were we relatives they could not have been more assiduous in doing everything to make our stay in ,london agreeable4 ,to ,mr4 ,brett also ,i am under great obligations4 ,he has manifested 7as have1 indeed1 all the gentlemen connected with the ,telegraph here7 the utmost liberality and the most ample concession to the excellence of my telegraphic system4 ,i have been assured now from the highest sources that my system is not only the most practical for general use1 but that it is fast becoming the world's telegraph4 ,his brother ,sidney was at this time also in ,europe with his wife and some other members of his family1 and the brothers occasionally met in their wanderings to and fro4 ,finley writes to ,sidney from ,fenton's ,hotel1 ,london1 on ,july #a3-- ,yours from ,edinburgh of the #bhth ulto4 is just received4 ,i regret we did not see you when you called the evening before you left ,london4 ,we all wished to see you and all yours before we separated so widely apart1 but you know in what a whirl one is kept on a first arrival in ,london and can make allowances for any seeming neglect4 ,from morning till night we have been overwhelmed with calls and the kindest and most flattering attentions4 ,on the day before you called ,i dined at ,greenwich with a party invited by ,mr4 ,brett1 representing the great telegraph interests of ,europe and ,india4 ,i was most flatteringly received1 and ,mr4 ,brett1 in the only toast given1 gave my name as the ,inventor of the ,telegraph and of the system which has spread over the whole world and is superseding all others4 ,dr4 ,o',shaughnessy1 who sat opposite to me1 made some remarks warmly seconding ,mr4 ,brett1 and stating that he had come from ,india where he had constructed more than four thousand miles of telegraph2 that he had tried many systems upon his lines1 and that a few days before ,i arrived he had reported1 in his official capacity as the ,director of the ,east ,india lines1 to the ,east ,india ,company that my system was the best1 and recommended to them its adoption1 which ,i am told will undoubtedly be the case4 ,this was an unexpected triumph to me1 since ,i had heard from one of our passengers in the ,baltic that in the ,east ,indies they were reluctant to give any credit to ,america for the ,telegraph1 claiming it exclusively for ,wheatstone4 ,it was1 therefore1 a surprise to me to hear from the gentleman who controls all the ,eastern lines so warm1 and even enthusiastic1 acknowledgment of the superiority of mine4 ,but ,i have an additional cause for gratitude for an acknowledgment from a quarter whence ,i least expected any favor to my system4 ,mr4 ,cooke1 formerly associated with ,wheatstone1 told one of the gentlemen1 who informed me of it1 that he had just recommended to the ,british ,government the substitution of my system for their present system1 and had no doubt his recommendation would be entertained4 ,he also said that he had heard ,i was about to visit ,europe1 and that he should take the earliest opportunity to pay his respects to me4 ,under these circumstances ,i called and left my card on ,mr4 ,cooke1 and ,i have now a note from him stating he shall call on me on ,thursday4 ,thus the way seems to be made for the adoption of my ,telegraph throughout the whole world4 ,i visited one of the offices with ,dr4 ,whitehouse and ,mr4 ,brett where 7in the city7 ,i found my instruments in full activity1 sending and receiving messages from and to ,paris and ,vienna and other places on the ,continent4 ,i asked if all the lines on the ,continent were now using my system1 that ,i had understood that some of the lines in ,france were still worked by another system4 ,the answer was--',no1 all the lines on the ,continent are now ,morse lines4' ,you will undoubtedly be pleased to learn these facts4 ,while he was thus being wined1 and dined1 and praised by those who were interested in his scientific achievements1 he harked back for a few hours to memories of his student days in ,london1 for his old friend and room-mate1 ,charles ,r4 ,leslie1 now a prosperous and successful painter1 gave him a cordial invitation to visit him at ,petworth1 near ,london4 ,morse joyfully accepted1 and several happy hours were spent by the two old friends as they wandered through the beautiful grounds of the ,earl of ,egremont1 where ,leslie was then making studies for the background of a picture4 ,the next letter to his brother ,sidney is dated ,copenhagen1 ,july #ai3-- ,here we are in ,copenhagen where we arrived yesterday morning1 having travelled from ,hamburg to ,kiel1 and thence by steamboat to ,corsoer all night1 and thence by railroad here1 much fatigued owing to the miserable discommodations on board the boat4 ,i have delivered my letters here and am awaiting their effect1 expecting calls1 and ,i therefore improve a few moments to apprise you of our whereabouts4444 ,in ,paris ,i was most courteously received by the ,count de ,vouchy1 now at the head of the ,telegraphs of ,france1 who1 with many compliments1 told me that my system was the one in universal use1 the simplest and the best1 and desired me to visit the rooms in the great building where ,i should find my instruments at work4 ,sure enough1 ,i went into the ,telegraph rooms where some twenty of my own children 7beautifully made7 were chatting and chattering as in ,american offices4 ,i could not but think of the contrast in that same building1 even as late as #ahde1 when the clumsy semaphore was still in use1 and but a single line of electric wire1 an experimental one to ,rouen1 was in existence in ,france4444 ,when we left ,paris we took a courier1 ,william ,carter1 an ,englishman1 whom thus far we find to be everything we could wish1 active1 vigilant1 intelligent1 honest and obliging4 ,as soon as he learned who ,i was he made diligent use of his information1 and wherever ,i travelled it was along the lines of the ,telegraph4 ,the telegraph posts seemed to be posted to present arms 7shall ,i say87 as ,i passed1 and the lines of conductors were constantly stooping and curtsying to me4 ,at all the stations the officials received me with marked respect2 everywhere the same remark met me--',your system1 ,sir1 is the only one recognized here4 ,it is the best2 we have tried others but have settled down upon yours as the best4' ,but yesterday1 in travelling from ,corsoer to ,copenhagen1 the ,chief ,director of the ,railroads told me1 upon my asking if the ,telegraph was yet in operation in ,denmark1 that it was and was in process of construction along this road4 ',at first1' said he1 'in using the needle system we found it so difficult to have employees skilled in its operation that we were about to abandon the idea1 but now1 having adopted yours1 we find no difficulty and are constructing telegraphs on all our roads4' ,at all the custom-houses and in all the railroad depots ,i found my name a passport4 ,my luggage was passed with only the form of an examination1 and although ,i had taken second-class tickets for my party of four1 yet the inspectors put us into first-class carriages and gave orders to the conductors to put no one in with us without our permission4 ,i cannot enumerate all the attentions we have received4 ,at ,hamburg we were delighted1 not only with its splendor and cleanliness1 but having made known to ,mrs4 ,lind 7widow of ,edward's brother ,henry7 that we were in ,hamburg1 we received the most hearty welcome1 passed the day at her house and rode out in the environs4 ,at dinner a few friends were invited to meet us4 ,mr4 ,overman1 a distant connection of the ,linds1 was very anxious for me to stay a few days1 hinting that1 if ,i would consent1 the authorities and dignitaries of ,hamburg would show me some mark of respect1 for my name was well known to them4 ,i was obliged to decline as ,i am anxious to be in ,st4 ,petersburg before the ,emperor is engaged in his coronation preparations4 ,while in ,denmark ,morse was granted a private interview with the king at his castle of ,frederiksborg1 whither he was accompanied by ,captain ,raasloff3-- ,after a few minutes the captain was called into the presence of the king1 and in a few minutes more ,i was requested to go into the audience-chamber and was introduced by the captain to ,frederick ,,vii1 ,king of ,denmark4 ,the king received me standing and very courteously4 ,he is a man of middle stature1 thick-set1 and resembles more in the features of his face the busts and pictures of ,christian ,,iv than those of any of his predecessors1 judging as ,i did from the numerous busts and portraits of the ,kings of ,denmark which adorn the city palace and the ,castle of ,frederiksborg4 ,the king expressed his pleasure at seeing the inventor of the ,telegraph1 and regretted he could not speak ,english as he wished to ask me many questions4 ,he thanked me1 he said1 for the beautiful instrument ,i had sent him2 told me that a telegraph line was now in progress from the castle to his royal residence in ,copenhagen2 that when it was completed he had decided on using my instrument1 which ,i had given him1 in his own private apartments4 ,he then spoke of the invention as a most wonderful achievement1 and wished me to inform him how ,i came to invent it4 ,i accordingly in a few words gave him the early history of it1 to which he listened most attentively and thanked me1 expressing himself highly gratified4 ,after a few minutes more of conversation of the same character1 the king shook me warmly by the hand and we took our leave4444 ,we arrived in the afternoon at ,copenhagen4 ,mrs4 ,f4 called in her carriage4 ,we drove to the ,thorwaldsen ,museum or ,depository where are all the works of this great man4 ,this collection of the greatest sculptor since the best period of ,greek art is attractive enough in itself to call travellers of taste to ,copenhagen4 ,after spending some hours in ,thorwaldsen's ,museum ,i went to see the study of ,oersted1 where his most important discovery of the deflection of the needle by a galvanic current was made1 which laid the foundation of the science of electro-magnetism1 and without which my invention could not have been made4 ,it is now a drawing school4 ,i sat at the table where he made his discovery4 ,we went to the ,porcelain ,manufactory1 and1 singularly enough1 met there the daughter of ,oersted1 to whom ,i had the pleasure of an introduction4 ,oersted was a most amiable man and universally beloved4 ,the daughter is said to resemble her father in her features1 and ,i traced a resemblance to him in the small porcelain bust which ,i came to the manufactory to purchase4 ,st4 ,petersburg1 ,august #h1 #ahef4 ,up to this date we have been in one constant round of visits to the truly wonderful objects of curiosity in this magnificent city4 ,i have seen1 as you know1 most of the great and marvellous cities of ,europe1 but ,i can truly say none of them can at all compare in splendor and beauty to ,st4 ,petersburg4 ,it is a city of palaces1 and palaces of the most gorgeous character4 ,the display of wealth in the palaces and churches is so great that the simple truth told about them would incur to the narrator the suspicion of romancing4 ,england boasts of her regalia in the ,tower1 her crown jewels1 her ,kohinoor diamond1 etc4 ,i can assure you that they fade into insignificance1 as a rush-light before the sun1 when brought before the wealth in jewels and gold seen here in such profusion4 ,what think you of nosegays1 as large as those our young ladies take to parties1 composed entirely of diamonds1 rubies1 emeralds1 sapphires and other precious stones1 chosen to represent accurately the colors of various flowers8-- ,the imperial crown1 globular in shape1 composed of diamonds1 and containing in the centre of the ,greek cross which surmounts it an unwrought ruby at least two inches in diameter8 ,the sceptre has a diamond very nearly as large as the ,kohinoor4 ,at the ,arsenal at ,tsarskoye ,selo we saw the trappings of a horse1 bridle1 saddle and all the harness1 with an immense saddle-cloth1 set with tens of thousands of diamonds4 ,on those parts of the harness where we have rosettes1 or knobs1 or buckles1 were rosettes of diamonds an inch and a half to two inches in diameter1 with a diamond in the centre as large as the first joint of your thumb1 or say three quarters of an inch in diameter4 ,other trappings were as rich4 ,indeed there seemed to be no end to the diamonds4 ,all the churches are decorated in the most costly manner with diamonds and pearls and precious stones4 ,the following account of his reception by the czar is written in pencil3 ,on the paper found in my room in ,peterhoff4 ,it differs somewhat from the letter written to his children and introduced by ,mr4 ,prime in his book1 but is1 to my mind1 rather more interesting4 ,august #ad1 #ahef4 ,this day is one to be remembered by me4 ,yesterday ,i received notice from the ,russian ,minister of ,foreign ,affairs1 through our ,minister ,mr4 ,seymour1 that his ,imperial ,majesty1 the ,emperor ,alexander ,,ii1 had appointed the hour of #a4cj this day to see me at his palace at ,peterhoff4 ,i accordingly waited upon our minister to know the etiquette to be observed on such an occasion4 ,it was necessary1 he said1 to be at the boat by eight o'clock in the morning1 which would arrive at ,peterhoff about #i4cj4 ,i must dress in black coat1 vest and pantaloons and white cravat1 and appear with my ,turkish nishan or decoration4 ,so this morning ,i was up early and1 upon taking the boat1 found our ,minister ,mr4 ,seymour1 ,colonel ,colt and ,mr4 ,jarvis1 attachs to the ,legation1 with ,mrs4 ,colt and ,miss ,jarvis coming on board4 ,i learned also that there were to be many presentations of various nations' attachs to the various special deputations sent to represent their different courts at the approaching coronation at ,moscow4 ,the day is most beautiful1 rendered doubly so by its contrast with so many previous disagreeable ones4 ,on our arrival at the quay at ,peterhoff we found1 somewhat to my surprise1 the imperial carriages in waiting for us1 with coachmen and footmen in the imperial livery1 which1 as in ,england and ,france1 is scarlet1 and splendid black horses1 ready to take us to our quarters in the portion of the palace buildings assigned to the ,americans4 ,we were attended by four or five servants in livery loaded with gold lace1 and shown to our apartments upon the doors of which we found our names already written4 ,after throwing off our coats the servants inquired if we would have breakfast1 to which1 of course1 we had no objection1 and an excellent breakfast of coffee and sandwiches was set upon the table1 served up in silver with the imperial arms upon the silver waiter and tea set4 ,everything about our rooms1 which consisted of parlor and bedroom1 was plain but exceedingly clean and neat4 ,after seeing us well housed our attendant chamberlain left us to prepare ourselves for the presentation1 saying he would call for us at the proper time4 ,as there were two or three hours to spare ,i took occasion to improve the time by commencing this brief notice of the events of the day4 ,about two o'clock our attendant1 an officer named ,thrner1 under the principal chamberlain who is1 ,i believe1 ,count ,borsch1 called to say our carriages were ready4 ,we found three carriages in waiting with three servants each1 the coachman and two footmen1 in splendid liveries2 some in the imperial red and gold lace1 and others in blue and broad gold lace emblazoned throughout with the double headed eagle4 ,we seated ourselves in the carriages which were then driven at a rapid rate to the great palace1 the entrance to which directly overlooked the numerous and celebrated grand fountains4 ,hundreds of well-dressed people thronged on each side of the carriageway as we drove up to the door4 ,after alighting we were ushered through a long hall and through a double row of servants of various grades1 loaded with gold lace and with chapeaux bras4 ,ascending the broad staircase1 on each side of which we found more liveried servants1 we entered an anteroom between two ,africans dressed in the costume of ,turkey1 and servants of a higher grade1 and then onward into a large and magnificent room where were assembled those who were to be presented4 ,here we found ourselves among princes and nobles and distinguished persons of all nations4 ,among the ,english ladies were ,lady ,granville and ,lady ,emily ,peel1 the wife of ,sir ,robert ,peel1 the latter a beautiful woman and dressed with great taste1 having on her head a ,diana coronet of diamonds4444 ,among the gentlemen were officers attached to the various deputations from ,england1 ,austria1 ,france and ,sardinia4 ,several princes were among them1 and conspicuous for splendor of dress was ,prince ,esterhazy2 parts of his dress and the handle and scabbard of his sword blazed with diamonds4 ,here we remained for some time4 ,from the windows of the hall we looked out upon the magnificent fountains and the terrace crowned with gorgeous vases of blue and gold and gilded statues4 ,at length the master of ceremonies appeared and led the way to the southern veranda that overlooked the garden1 ranging us in line and reading our names from a list1 to see if we were truly mustered1 after which a side door opened and the ,emperor ,alexander entered4 ,his majesty was dressed in military costume1 a blue sash was across his breast passing over the right shoulder2 on his left breast were stars and orders4 ,he commenced at the head of the column1 which consisted of some fourteen or fifteen persons1 and1 on the mention of the name by the master of ceremonies1 he addressed a few words to each4 ,to ,mr4 ,colt he said3 ',ah6 ,i have seen you before4 ,when did you arrive8 ,i am glad to see you4' ,when he came to me the master of ceremonies miscalled my name as ,mr4 ,more4 ,i instantly corrected him and said1 ',no1 ,mr4 ,morse4' ,the emperor at once said3 ',ah6 that name is well known here2 your system of ,telegraph is in use in ,russia4 ,how long have you been in ,st4 ,petersburg8 ,i hope you have enjoyed yourself4' ,to which ,i appropriately replied4 ,after a few more unimportant questions and answers the emperor addressed himself to the other gentlemen and retired4 ,after remaining a few moments1 the master of ceremonies1 who1 by the by1 apologized to me for miscalling my name1 opened the door from the veranda into the empress' drawing-room1 where we were again put in line to await the appearance of the empress4 ,the doors of an adjoining room were suddenly thrown open and the empress1 gorgeously but appropriately attired1 advanced towards us4 ,she was dressed in a beautiful blue silk terminating in a long flowing train of many flounces of the richest lace2 upon her head a crown of diamonds1 upon her neck a superb necklace of diamonds1 some twenty of which were as large as the first joint of the finger4 ,the upper part of her dress was embroidered with diamonds in a broad band1 and the dress in front buttoned to the floor with rosettes of diamonds1 the central diamond of each button being at least a half inch in diameter4 ,a splendid bouquet of diamonds and precious stones of every variety of color1 arranged to imitate flowers1 was upon her bosom4 ,she addressed a few words gracefully to each1 necessarily commonplace1 for what could she say to strangers but the common words of enquiry--when we came and whether we had been pleased with ,st4 ,petersburg4 ,gratifying as it was to us to see her1 ,i could not but think it was hardly possible for her to have any other gratification in seeing us than that which ,i have no doubt she felt1 that she was giving pleasure to others4 ,to me she appeared to be amiable and truly feminine4 ,her manner was timid yet dignified without the least particle of hauteur4 ,the impression left on my mind by both the emperor and empress is that they are most truly amiable and kind4 ,after speaking to each of us she gracefully bowed to us1 we1 of course1 returning the salutation1 and she retired followed by her maids of honor1 her long train sweeping the floor for a distance of several yards behind her4 ,we were then accompanied by the master of ceremonies back to the large reception-room1 and soon after we left the palace1 descending the staircase through the same lines of liveried servants to the royal carriages drawn up at the door1 and returned to our rooms4 ,on descending to our parlor we found a beautiful collation with tropical fruits and confectionery provided for us4 ,our polite attendant1 who partook with us1 said that the carriages were at our service and waiting for us to take a drive in the gardens previous to dinner1 which was to be served at five o'clock in the ,english ,palace and to which we were invited4 ,two carriages called charabancs1 somewhat like the ,irish vehicle of the same name1 with four servants in the imperial livery to each1 we found at the door1 and we drove for several miles through the splendid gardens and grounds laid out with all the taste of the most beautiful ,english grounds1 with lakes1 and islands1 and villas1 and statues1 and fountains1 and the most perfect neatness marked every step of our way4 ,the most attractive object in our ride was the ,italian villa1 a favorite resort of the emperor1 a perfect gem of its kind4 ,we alighted here and visited all the apartments and the grounds around it4 ,no description could do it justice2 a series of pictures alone could give an idea of its beauties4 ,while here several other royal carriages with the various deputations to the coronation ceremonies1 soon to occur at ,moscow1 arrived1 and the cortge of carriages with the gorgeous costumes of the visitors alone furnished an exciting scene1 heightened by the proud bearing of the richly caparisoned horses1 chiefly black1 and the showy trappings of the liveried attendants4 ,on our return to our rooms we dressed for dinner and proceeded in the same manner to the palace in the gardens called the ,english ,palace4 ,here we found assembled in the great reception hall the distinguished company1 in number forty-seven1 of many nations1 who were to sit down to the table together4 ,when dinner was announced we entered the grand dining-hall and found a table most gorgeously prepared with gold and silver service and flowers4 ,at table ,i found myself opposite three princes1 an ,austrian1 a ,hungarian1 and one from some other ,german state1 and near me on my left ,lord ,ward1 one of the most wealthy nobles of ,england1 with whom ,i had a good deal of conversation4 ,opposite and farther to my right was ,prince ,esterhazy1 seated between ,lady ,granville and the beautiful ,lady ,emily ,peel4 ,on the other side of ,lady ,peel was ,lord ,granville and near him ,sir ,robert ,peel4 ,among the guests1 a list of whom ,i regret ,i did not obtain1 was the young ,earl of ,lincoln and several other noblemen in the suite of ,lord ,granville4444 ,some twenty servants in the imperial livery served the table which was furnished with truly royal profusion and costliness4 ,the rarest dishes and the costliest wines in every variety were put before us4 ,i need not say that in such a party everything was conducted with the highest decorum4 ,no noise1 no boisterous mirth1 no loud talking1 but a quiet cheerfulness and perfect ease characterized the whole entertainment4 ,after dinner all arose1 both ladies and gentlemen1 and left the room together1 not after the ,english fashion of the gentlemen allowing the ladies to retire and then seating themselves again by themselves to drink1 etc4 ,we retired for a moment to the great reception-hall for coffee1 but1 being fearful that we should be too late for the last steamer from ,peterhoff to ,st4 ,petersburg1 we were hurrying to get through and to leave1 but the moment our fears had come to the knowledge of ,lord ,granville1 he most kindly came to us and told us to feel at ease as his steam-yacht was lying off the quay to take them up to the city1 and he was but too proud to have the opportunity of offering us a place on board2 an offer which we1 of course1 accepted with thanks4 ,having thus been entertained with truly imperial hospitality for the entire day1 ending with this sumptuous entertainment1 we descended once more to the carriages and drove to the quay1 where a large barge belonging to the ,jean d',acre1 ,english man-of-war 7which is the ship put in commission for the service of ,lord ,granville71 manned by stalwart man-of-war's-men1 was waiting to take the ,english party of nobles1 etc41 on board the steam-yacht4 ,when all were collected we left ,peterhoff and were soon on board4 ,the weather was fine and the moon soon rose over the palace of ,peterhoff1 looking for a moment like one of the splendid gilded domes of the palace4 ,on board the yacht ,i had much conversation with ,lord ,granville1 who brought the various members of his suite and introduced them to me1--,sir ,robert ,peel2 the young ,earl of ,lincoln1 the son of the ,duke of ,newcastle1 who1 when himself the ,earl of ,lincoln in #ahci1 showed me such courtesy and kindness in ,london2 ,mr4 ,acton1 a nephew of ,lord ,granville1 with whom ,i had some conversation in which1 while ,i was speaking of the ,greek religion as compared with the ,romish1 he informed me he was a ,roman ,catholic4 ,i wished much to have had more conversation with him1 but the time was not suitable1 and the steamer was now near the end of the voyage4 ,we landed at the quay in ,st4 ,petersburg about eleven o'clock1 and ,i reached my lodgings in the ,hotel de ,russie about twelve1 thus ending a day of incidents which ,i shall long remember with great gratification1 having only one unpleasant reflection connected with it1 to wit that my dear wife1 my niece and our friend ,miss ,l4 were not with me to participate in the pleasure and novelty of the scenes4 ,,chapter ,,xxxvi ,,august #bh1 #ahef--,,september #af1 #aheh ,berlin4--,baron von ,humboldt4--,london1 successful cable experiments with ,whitehouse and ,bright4--,banquet at ,albion ,tavern4--,flattering speech of ,w4,f4 ,cooke4--,returns to ,america4--,troubles multiply4--,letter to the ,honorable ,john ,y4 ,mason on political matters4--,kendall urges severing of connection with cable company4--,morse1 nevertheless1 decides to continue4--,appointed electrician of company4--,sails on ,u4,s4,s4 ,niagara4-- ,letter from ,paris on the crinoline4--,expedition sails from ,liverpool4-- ,queenstown harbor4--,accident to his leg4--,valencia4--,laying of cable begun4--,anxieties4--,three successful days4--,cable breaks4--,failure4-- ,returns to ,america4--,retires from cable enterprise4--,predicts in #aheh failure of apparently successful laying of cable4--,sidney ,e4 ,morse4--,the ,hare and the ,tortoise4--,european testimonial3 considered niggardly by ,kendall4--,decorations1 medals1 etc41 from ,european nations4--,letter of thanks to ,count ,walewski4 ,his good democratic eyes a trifle dazzled by all this imperial magnificence1 ,morse left ,st4 ,petersburg and1 with his party1 journeyed to ,berlin4 ,what was to him the most interesting incident of his visit to that city is thus described3-- ,august #bc4 ,to-day ,i went to ,potsdam to see ,baron ,humboldt1 and had a delightful interview with this wonderful man4 ,although ,i had met with him at the soires of ,baron ,gerard1 the distinguished painter1 in ,paris in #ahbb1 and afterward at the ,academy of ,sciences1 when my ,telegraph was exhibited to the assembled academicians in #ahch1 ,i took letters of introduction to him from ,baron ,gerolt1 the ,prussian ,minister4 ,but they were unnecessary1 for the moment ,i entered his room1 which is in the ,royal ,palace1 he called me by name and greeted me most kindly1 saying1 as ,i presented my letters3 ',oh6 sir1 you need no letters1 your name is a sufficient introduction'2 and so1 seating myself1 he rapidly touched upon various topics relating to ,america4 ,on the margin of a photograph of himself1 presented to ,morse by the baron1 is an inscription in ,french of which the following is a translation3-- ,to ,mr4 ,s4,f4,b4 ,morse1 whose philosophic and useful labors have rendered his name illustrious in two worlds1 the homage of the high and affectionate esteem of ,alexander ,humboldt4 ,,potsdam1 ,august #ahef4 ,the next thirty days were spent in showing the beauties of ,cologne1 ,aix-la-,chapelle1 ,brussels and ,paris to his wife and niece1 and in the latter part of ,september the little party returned to ,london4 ,here ,morse resumed his experiments with ,dr4 ,whitehouse and ,mr4 ,bright1 and on ,october #c1 he reports to ,mr4 ,field3-- ,as the electrician of the ,new ,york1 ,newfoundland and ,london ,telegraph ,company1 it is with the highest gratification that ,i have to apprise you of the result of our experiments of this morning upon a single continuous conductor of more than two thousand miles in extent1 a distance1 you will perceive1 sufficient to cross the ,atlantic ,ocean from ,newfoundland to ,ireland4 ,the admirable arrangements made at the ,magnetic ,telegraph office in ,old ,broad ,street for connecting ten subterranean gutta-percha insulated conductors of over two hundred miles each1 so as to give one continuous length of more than two thousand miles1 during the hours of the night when the ,telegraph is not commercially employed1 furnished us the means of conclusively settling by actual experiment the question of the practicability as well as the practicality of telegraphing through our proposed ,atlantic cable4444 ,i am most happy to inform you that1 as a crowning result of a long series of experimental investigation and inductive reasoning upon this subject1 the experiments under the direction of ,dr4 ,whitehouse and ,mr4 ,bright which ,i witnessed this morning--in which the induction-coils and receiving-magnets1 as modified by these gentlemen1 were made to actuate one of my recording instruments --have most satisfactorily resolved all doubts of the practicability as well as practicality of operating the ,telegraph from ,newfoundland to ,ireland4 ,in #ahch1 ,morse had been curtly and almost insultingly refused a patent for his invention in ,england1 a humiliation for which he never quite forgave the ,english4 ,now1 eighteen years after this mortifying experience1 the most eminent scientists of this same ,england vied with each other in doing him honor4 ,thus was his scientific fame vindicated1 but1 let it be remarked parenthetically1 this kind of honor was all that he ever received from the land of his ancestors4 ,while other nations of ,europe united1 two years later1 in granting him a pecuniary gratuity1 and while some of their sovereigns bestowed upon him decorations or medals1 ,england did neither4 ,however1 it was always a source of the keenest gratification that two of those who had invented rival telegraphs proved themselves broad-minded and liberal enough to acknowledge the superiority of his system1 and to urge its adoption by their respective ,governments4 ,the first of these was ,dr4 ,steinheil1 of ,munich1 to whom ,i have already referred1 and to whom is due the valuable discovery that the earth can be used as a return circuit4 ,the second was the ,englishman1 ,w4,f4 ,cooke1 who1 with ,wheatstone1 devised the needle telegraph4 ,on ,october #i1 a banquet was tendered to ,morse by the telegraph companies of ,england4 ,it was given at the ,albion ,tavern4 ,mr4 ,cooke presided and introduced the guest of the evening in the following charming speech3-- ,i was consulted only a few months ago on the subject of a telegraph for a country in which no telegraph at present exists4 ,i recommended the system of ,professor ,morse4 ,i believe that system to be one of the simplest in the world1 and in that lies its permanency and certainty4 ,cheers4 ,there are others which may be as good in other circumstances1 but for a wide country ,i hesitate not to say ,professor ,morse's is the best adapted4 ,it is a great thing to say1 and ,i do so after twenty years' experience1 that ,professor ,morse's system is one of the simplest that ever has been and1 ,i think1 ever will be conceived4 ,cheers4 ,it was a great thing for me1 after having been so long connected with the electric telegraph1 to be invited to preside at this interesting meeting1 and ,i have travelled upward of one hundred miles in order to be present to-day1 having1 when asked to preside1 replied by electric telegraph ',i will4' ,cheers4 ,but ,i may lower your idea of the sacrifice ,i made in so doing when ,i tell you that ,i knew the talents of ,professor ,morse1 and was only too glad to accept an invitation to do honor to a man ,i really honored in my heart4 ,cheers4 ,i have been thinking during the last few days on what ,professor ,morse has done4 ,he stands alone in ,america as the originator and carrier out of a grand conception4 ,we know that ,america is an enormous country1 and we know the value of the telegraph1 but ,i think we have a right to quarrel with ,professor ,morse for not being content with giving the benefit of it to his own country1 but that he extended it to ,canada and ,newfoundland1 and1 even beyond that1 his system has been adopted all over ,europe cheers--and the nuisance is that we in ,england are obliged to communicate by means of his system4 ,cheers and laughter4 ,i as a director of an electric telegraph company1 however1 should be ashamed of myself if ,i did not acknowledge what we owe him4 ,but he threatens to go further still1 and promises that1 if we do not1 he will carry out a communication between ,england and ,newfoundland across the ,atlantic4 ,i am nearly pledged to pay him a visit on the other side of the ,atlantic to see what he is about1 and1 if he perseveres in his obstinate attempt to reach ,england1 ,i believe ,i must join him in his endeavors4 ,cheers4 ,to think that he has united all the stripes and stars of ,america1 which are increasing day by day--and ,i hope they will increase until they are too numerous to mention--that he has extended his system to ,canada and is about to unite those portions of the world to ,europe1 is a glorious thing for any man2 and1 although ,i have done something in the same cause myself1 ,i confess ,i almost envy ,professor ,morse for having forced from an unwilling rival a willing acknowledgment of his services4 ,cheers4 ,i am proud to see ,professor ,morse this side of the water4 ,i beg to give you ',the health of ,professor ,morse1' and may he long live to enjoy the high reputation he has attained throughout the world6 ,soon after this1 with these flattering words still ringing in his ears1 he and his party sailed for ,new ,york and1 once arrived at home1 the truth of the trite saying that ,a prophet is not without honor save in his own country was soon to be brought to his attention4 ,while he had been fted and honored abroad1 while he had every reason to believe that his petition to the ,european governments for some pecuniary compensation would1 in time1 be granted1 he returned to be plunged anew into vexatious litigation1 intrigues and attacks upon his purse1 his fame1 and his good name4 ,on ,november #bg1 #ahef1 he refers to his greatest cross in a letter to ,mr4 ,kendall3-- ,i have just returned from ,boston1 having accomplished the important duty for which ,i alone went there1 to wit1 to say 'yes' before a gentleman having ,u4,s4 ,commissioner after his name1 instead of 'yes' before one who had only ,s4 ,commissioner after his name2 and this at a cost of exactly twenty dollars1 or1 if the one dollar thrown away in ,new ,york upon the ,s4 ,commissioner be added1 twenty-one dollars and three days of time1 to say nothing of sundry risks of accidents by land and water travel4 ,well1 if it will lead to a thorough separation of all interests and all intercourse with ,f4,o4,j41 ,i shall not consider the time and money lost1 yet1 in conversation with ,mr4 ,curtis1 ,i have little hope of a change in ,judge ,curtis's views of the point in which he decides that ,smith has an inchoate right1 and our only chance of success is in the reversal of that decision by the ,supreme ,bench1 and that after another year's suspense4444 ,i wish there was some way of stopping this harassing1 paralyzing litigation4 ,i find my mind wholly unfit for the studies which the present state of the ,telegraph requires from me1 being distracted and irritated by the constant necessity for standing on the defensive4 ,smith will be ,smith ,i know1 and1 therefore1 as he is the appointed thorn to keep a proper ballast of humility in ,s4,f4,b4,m4 with his load of honors1 why1 be it so1 if ,i can only have the proper strength and disposition to use the trial aright4444 ,write me some encouraging news if you can4 ,how will the present calm in political affairs affect our ,california matters8 ,the calm to which he referred was the apparent one which had settled down on the country after the election of ,buchanan1 and which1 as everybody knows1 was but the calm before the storm of our ,civil ,war4 ,he has this to say about the election in a letter to the ,honorable ,john ,y4 ,mason1 our ,minister to ,france3-- ,i may congratulate you1 my dear ,sir1 on the issue of the late election4 ,my predictions have been verified4 ,the country is quiet1 and1 as usual after the excitement of an election1 has settled down into orderly acquiescence to the will of the majority1 and into general good feeling4 ,europeans can hardly understand this truly anomalous phase of our ,american institutions2 they do not understand that it is characteristic that 'we speak daggers but use none'2 that we fight with ballots and not with bullets2 that we have abundance of inkshed and little bloodshed1 and that all that is explosive is blown off through newspaper safety-valves4 ,the events of the next few years were destined to shatter the peaceful visions of this lover of his country1 for many daggers were drawn1 the bullets flew thick and fast1 and the bloodshed was appalling4 ,it is difficult to follow the history of the telegraph1 in its relation to its inventor1 through all the intricacies involved in the conflicting interests of various companies and men in this its formative period4 ,morse himself was often at a loss to determine on the course which he should pursue1 a course which would at the same time inure to his financial benefit and be in accordance with his high sense of right4 ,absolutely straightforward and honest himself1 it was difficult for him to believe that others who spoke him fair were not equally sincere1 and he was often imposed upon1 and was frequently forced1 in the exigencies of ,business1 to be intimately associated with those whose ideas of right and wrong were far different from his own4 ,the one person in whose absolute integrity he had faith was ,amos ,kendall1 and yet he must sometimes have thought that his friend was too severe in his judgment of others1 for ,i find in a letter of ,mr4 ,kendall's of ,january #d1 #aheg1 the following warning3-- ,i earnestly beseech you to give up all idea of going out again on the cable-laying expedition4 ,your true friends do not comprehend how it is that you give your time1 your labor1 and your fame to build up an interest deliberately and unscrupulously hostile to all their interests and your own4444 ,i believe that ,peter ,cooper is the only man among them who is sincerely your friend4 ,as to ,field1 ,i have as little faith in him as ,i have in ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith4 ,if you could get ,cooper to take a stand in favor of the faithful observance of the contract for connection with the ,n4,e4 ,union ,line at ,boston1 he can put an end to all trouble1 if1 at the same time1 he will refuse to concur in a further extension of their lines ,south4 ,in spite of this warning1 or1 perhaps1 because ,peter ,cooper succeeded in overcoming ,mr4 ,kendall's objections1 ,morse did go out on the next cable-laying expedition1 and yet he found in the end that ,mr4 ,kendall's suspicions were by no means unjustified4 ,but of this in its proper place4 ,the ,united ,states ,government had placed the steam frigate ,niagara at the disposal of the cable company1 and on her ,morse1 as the electrician of the ,american ,company1 sailed from ,new ,york on ,april #ba1 #aheg4 ,arriving in ,london1 he was again honored by many attentions and entertainments1 including a dinner at the ,lord ,mayor's4 ,the loading of the cable on board the ships designated for that purpose consumed1 necessarily1 some time1 and ,morse took advantage of this delay to visit ,paris1 at the suggestion of our ,minister1 ,mr4 ,mason1 in order to confer with the ,premier1 ,count ,walewski1 with regard to the pecuniary indemnity which all agreed was due to him from the nations using his invention4 ,this conference bore fruit1 as we shall see later on4 ,in a letter to his wife from ,paris he makes this amusing comment on the fashions of the day1 after remarking on the dearth of female beauty in ,france3-- ,you must consider me now as speaking of features only1 for as to form1 alas1 that is under such a total crinoline eclipse that this season of total darkness in fashion's firmament forbids any speculation on that subject4 ,the reign of crinoline amplitude is not only not removed1 but is more dominant than ever4 ,who could have predicted that1 because an heir to the ,french throne was in expectancy1 all womankind1 old and young1 would so far sympathize with the amiable consort of ,napoleon ,,iii as to be1 in appearance at least1 likely to flood the earth with heirs2 that grave parliaments would be in solemn debate upon the pressing necessity of enlarging the entrances of royal palaces in order to meet the exigencies of enlarged crinolines2 that the new carriages were all of increased dimensions to accommodate the crinoline8 ,but so it is2 it is the age of crinoline4444 ,talk no longer of chairs1 they are no longer visible4 ,talk no longer of tte--ttes2 two crinolines might get in sight of each other1 at least by the use of the lorgnette1 but as for conversation1 that is out of the question except by speaking trumpets1 by signs1 and who knows but in this age of telegraphs crinoline may not follow the world's fashion and be a patroness of the ,morse system4 ,all the preparations for the great enterprise of the laying of the cable proceeded slowly1 and it was not until the latter part of ,july that the little fleet sailed from ,liverpool on its way to the ,cove of ,cork and then to ,valencia1 on the west coast of ,ireland1 which was chosen as the ,european terminus of the cable4 ,morse wrote many pages of minute details to his wife1 and from them ,i shall select the most important and interesting3-- ,july #bh4 ,here we are steaming our way towards ,cork harbor1 with most beautiful weather1 along the ,irish coast1 which is in full view1 and expecting to be in the ,cove of ,cork in the morning of to-morrow4444 ,we left ,liverpool yesterday morning1 as ,i wrote you we should1 and as we passed the ships of war in the harbor ,we were cheered from the rigging by the tars of the various vessels1 and the flags of others were dipped as a salute1 all of which were returned by us in kind4 ,the landing stage and quays of ,liverpool were densely crowded with people who waved their handkerchiefs as we slowly sailed by them4 ,two steamers accompanied us down to the bar filled with people1 and then1 after mutual cheering and firing of cannon from one of the steamers1 they returned to port4444 ,we shall be in ,cork the remainder of the week1 possibly sailing on ,saturday1 go round to ,valencia and be ready to commence on ,monday4 ,then1 if all things are prosperous1 we hope to reach ,newfoundland in twenty days1 and dear home again the first week in ,september4 ,and yet there may be delays in this great work1 for it is a vast and new one1 so don't be impatient if ,i do not return quite so soon4 ,the work must be thoroughly and well done before we leave it4444 ,evening1 ten o'clock4 ,we have had a beautiful day and have been going slowly along and expect to be in the ,cove of ,cork by daylight in the morning4 ,the deck of our ship presents a curious appearance just now2 ,between the main and mizzen masts is an immense coil of one hundred and thirty miles of the cable1 the rest is in larger coils below decks4 ,abaft the mizzen mast is a ponderous mass of machinery for regulating the paying out of the cable1 a steam-engine and boiler complete1 and they have just been testing it to see if all is right1 and it is found right4 ,we have the prospect of a fine moon for our expedition4 ,i send you the copy of a prayer that has been read in the churches4 ,i am rejoiced at the manner in which the ,christian community views our enterprise4 ,it is calculated to inspire my confidence of success4 ,what the first message will be ,i cannot say1 but if ,i send it it shall be1 ',glory to ,god in the highest1 on earth peace and good will to men4' ',not unto us1 not unto us1 but to ,thy name be all the glory4' ,july #bi1 four o'clock afternoon4 ,on awaking this morning at five o'clock with the noise of coming to anchor1 ,i found myself safely ensconced in one of the most beautiful harbors in the world1 with ,queenstown picturesquely rising upon the green hills from the foot of the bay4444 ,august #a4 ,when ,i wrote the finishing sentence of my last letter ,i was suffering a little from a slight accident to my leg4 ,we were laying out the cable from the two ships1 the ,agamemnon and ,niagara1 to connect the two halves of the cable together to experiment through the whole length of twenty-five hundred miles for the first time4 ,in going down the side of the ,agamemnon ,i had to cross over several small boats to reach the outer one1 which was to take me on board the tug which had the connecting cable on board4 ,in stepping from one to the other of the small boats1 the water being very rough and the boats having a good deal of motion1 ,i made a misstep1 my right leg being on board the outer boat1 and my left leg went down between the two boats scraping the skin from the upper part of the leg near the knee for some two or three inches4 ,it pained me a little1 but not much1 still ,i knew from experience that1 however slight and comparatively painless at the time1 ,i should be laid up the next day and possibly for several days4 ,my warm-hearted1 generous friend1 ,sir ,william ,o',shaughnessy1 was on board1 and1 being a surgeon1 he at once took it in hand and dressed it1 tell ,susan1 in good hydropathic style with cold water4 ,i felt so little inconvenience from it at the time that ,i assisted throughout the day in laying the cable1 and operating through it after it was joined1 and had the satisfaction of witnessing the successful result of passing the electricity through twenty-five hundred miles at the rate of one signal in one and a quarter second4 ,since then ,dr4 ,whitehouse has succeeded in telegraphing a message through it at the rate of a single signal in three quarters of a second4 ,if the cable1 therefore1 is successfully laid so as to preserve continuity throughout1 there is no doubt of our being able to telegraph through1 and at a good commercial speed4 ,i have been on my back for two days and am still confined to the ship4 ,to-morrow ,i hope to be well enough to hobble on board the ,agamemnon and assist in some experiments4 ,the accident to his leg was more serious than he at first imagined1 and conditions were not improved by his using his leg more than was prudent4 ,august #c1 eleven o'clock ,a4,m4 ,i am still confined1 most of the time on my back in my berth1 quite to my annoyance in one respect1 to wit1 that ,i am unable to be on board the ,agamemnon with ,dr4 ,whitehouse to assist at the experiments4 ,yet ,i have so much to be thankful for that gratitude is the prevailing feeling4 ,seven o'clock4 ,all the ships are under way from the ,cove of ,cork4 ,the ,leopard left first1 then the ,agamemnon1 then the ,susquehanna and the ,niagara last2 and at this moment we are off the ,head of ,kinsale in the following order3 ,niagara1 ,leopard1 ,agamemnon1 ,susquehanna4 ,the ,cyclops and another vessel1 the ,advice1 left for ,valencia on ,saturday evening1 and1 with a beautiful night before us1 we hope to be there also by noon to-morrow4 ,this day three hundred and sixty-five years ago ,columbus sailed on his first voyage of discovery and discovered ,america4 ,august #d4 ,off the ,skelligs light1 of which ,i send you a sketch4 ,a beautiful morning with head wind and heavy sea1 making many seasick4 ,we are about fifteen miles from our point of destination4 ,our companion ships are out of sight astern1 except the ,susquehanna1 which is behind us only about a mile4 ,in a few hours we hope to reach our expectant friends in ,valencia and to commence the great work in earnest4 ,our ship is crowded with engineers1 and operators1 and delegates from the ,governments of ,russia and ,france1 and the deck is a bewildering mass of machinery1 steam-engines1 cog-wheels1 breaks1 boilers1 ropes of hemp and ropes of wire1 buoys and boys1 pulleys and sheaves of wood and iron1 cylinders of wood and cylinders of iron1 meters of all kinds1-- anemometers1 thermometers1 barometers1 electrometers1--steam-gauges1 ships' logs--from the common log to ,massey's log and ,friend's log1 to our friend ,whitehouse's electro-magnetic log1 which ,i think will prove to be the best of all1 with a modification ,i have suggested4 ,thus freighted we expect to disgorge most of our solid cargo before reaching mid-ocean4 ,i am keeping ready to close this at a moment's warning1 so give all manner of love to all friends1 kisses to whom kisses are due4 ,i am getting almost impatient at the delays we necessarily encounter1 but our great work must not be neglected4 ,i have seen enough to know now that the ,atlantic ,telegraph is sure to be established1 for it is practicable4 ,was it a foreboding of what was to happen that caused him to add3-- ,we may not succeed in our first attempt2 some little neglect or accident may foil our present efforts1 but the present enterprise will result in gathering stores of experience which will make the next effort certain4 ,not that ,i do not expect success now1 but accidental failure now will not be the evidence of its impracticability4 ,our principal electrical difficulty is the slowness with which we must manipulate in order to be intelligible2 twenty words in sixteen minutes is now the rate4 ,i am confident we can get more after awhile1 but the ,atlantic ,telegraph has its own rate of talking and cannot be urged to speak faster1 any more than any other orator1 without danger of becoming unintelligible4 ,three o'clock ,p4,m4 ,we are in ,valencia ,harbor4 ,we shall soon come to anchor4 ,a pilot who has just come to show us our anchorage ground says3 ',there are a power of people ashore4' ,august #h4 ,yesterday1 at half past six ,p4,m41 all being right1 we commenced again paying out the heavy shore-end1 of which we had about eight miles to be left on the rocky bottom of the coast1 to bear the attrition of the waves and to prevent injury to the delicate nerve which it incloses in its iron mail1 and which is the living principle of the whole work4 ,a critical time was approaching1 it was when the end of the massive cable should pass overboard at the point where it joins the main and smaller cable4 ,i was in my berth1 by order of the surgeon1 lest my injured limb1 which was somewhat inflamed by the excitement of the day and too much walking about1 should become worse4 ,above my head the heavy rumbling of the great wheels1 over which the cable was passing and was being regulated1 every now and then giving a tremendous thump like the discharge of artillery1 kept me from sleep1 and ,i knew they were approaching the critical point4 ,presently it came4 ,the machinery stopped1 and soon amid the voices ,i heard the unwelcome intelligence--',the cable is broke4' ,sure enough the smaller cable at this point had parted1 but1 owing to the prudent precautions of those superintending1 the end of the great cable had been buoyed and the hawsers which had been attached secured it4 ,the sea was moderate1 the moonlight gave a clear sight of all1 and in half an hour the joyous sound of ',all right' was heard1 the machinery commenced a low and regular rumbling1 like the purring of a great cat1 which has continued from that moment 7midnight7 till the present moment uninterrupted4 ,the coil on deck is most beautifully uncoiling at the rate of three nautical miles an hour4 ,the day is magnificent1 the land has almost disappeared and our companion ships are leisurely sailing with us at equal pace1 and we are all1 of course1 in fine spirits4 ,i sent you a telegraph dispatch this morning1 thirty miles out1 which you will duly receive with others that ,i shall send if all continues to go on without interruption4 ,if you do receive any1 preserve them with the greatest care1 for they will be great curiosities4 ,august #aj4 ,thus far we have had most delightful weather1 and everything goes on regularly and satisfactorily4 ,you are aware we cannot stop night nor day in paying out4 ,on ,saturday we made our calculations that the first great coil1 which is upon the main deck1 would be completely paid out1 and one of our critical movements1 to wit1 the change from this coil to the next1 which is far forward1 would be made by seven or eight o'clock yesterday morning 7,sunday74 ,so we were up and watching the last flake of the first coil gradually diminishing4 ,everything had been well prepared2 the men were at their posts2 it was an anxious moment lest a kink might occur4 ,but1 as the last round came up1 the motion of the ship was slightly slackened1 the men handled the slack cable handsomely1 and in two minutes the change was made with perfect order1 and the paying out from the second coil was as regularly commenced and at this moment continues1 and at an increased rate to-day of five miles per hour4 ,last night1 however1 was another critical moment4 ,on examining our chart of soundings we found the depth of the ocean gradually increasing up to about four hundred fathoms1 and then the chart showed a sudden and great increase to seventeen hundred fathoms1 and then a further increase to two thousand and fifty1 nearly the greatest depth with which we should meet in the whole distance4 ,we had1 therefore1 to watch the effect of this additional depth upon the straining of the cable4 ,at two in the morning the effect showed itself in a greater strain and a more rapid tendency to run fast4 ,we could check its speed1 but it is a dangerous process4 ,too sudden a check would inevitably snap the cable4 ,too slack a rein would allow of its egress at such a wasting rate and at such a violent speed that we should lose too great a portion of the cable1 and its future stopping within controllable limits be almost impossible4 ,hence our anxiety4 ,all were on the alert2 our expert engineers applied the brakes most judiciously1 and at the moment ,i write--latitude #eb #bh'--the cable is being laid at the depth of two miles in its ocean bed as regularly and with as much facility as it was in the depth of a few fathoms4444 ,six ,p4,m4 ,we have just had a fearful alarm4 ',stop her6 ,stop her6' was reiterated from many voices on deck4 ,on going up ,i perceived the cable had got out of its sheaves and was running out at great speed4 ,all was confusion for a few moments4 ,mr4 ,canning1 our friend1 who was the engineer of the ,newfoundland cable1 showed great presence of mind1 and to his coolness and skill1 ,i think1 is due the remedying of the evil4 ,by rope stoppers the cable was at length brought to a standstill1 and it strained most ominously1 perspiring at every part great tar drops4 ,but it held together long enough to put the cable on the sheaves again4 ,tuesday1 ,august #aa4 ,abruptly indeed am ,i stopped in my letter4 ,this morning at #c4de the cable parted1 and we shall soon be on our way back to ,england4 ,thus ended the first attempt to unite the ,old ,world with the ,new by means of an electric nerve4 ,authorities differ as to who was responsible for the disaster1 but the cause was proved to be what ,morse had foreseen when he wrote3 ,too sudden a check would inevitably snap the cable4 ,while1 of course1 disappointed1 he was not discouraged1 for under date of ,august #ac1 he writes3-- ,our accident will delay the enterprise but will not defeat it4 ,i consider it a settled fact1 from all ,i have seen1 that it is perfectly practicable4 ,it will surely be accomplished4 ,there is no insurmountable difficulty that has for a moment appeared1 none that has shaken my faith in it in the slightest degree4 ,my report to the company as co-electrician will show everything right in that department4 ,we got an electric current through till the moment of parting1 so that electric connection was perfect1 and yet the farther we paid out the feebler were the currents1 indicating a difficulty which1 however1 ,i do not consider serious1 while it is of a nature to require attentive investigation4 ,plymouth1 ,august #ag4 ,here ,i am still held by the leg and lying in my berth from which ,i have not moved for six days4 ,i suffer but little pain unless ,i attempt to sit up1 and the healing process is going on most favorably but slowly4444 ,i have been here three days and have not yet had a glimpse of the beautiful country that surrounds us1 and if we should be ordered to another port before ,i can be out ,i shall have as good an idea of ,plymouth as ,i should have at home looking at a map4 ,while the wounded leg healed slowly1 the plans of the company moved more deliberately still4 ,a movement was on foot for the ,east ,india ,company to purchase what remained of the cable for use in the ,red ,sea or the ,persian ,gulf1 so that the ,atlantic ,company could start afresh with an entirely new cable1 and ,morse hoped that this plan might be consummated at an early date so that he could return to ,america in the ,niagara2 but the negotiations halted from day to day and week to week4 ,the burden of his letters to his wife is always that a decision is promised by to-morrow1 and finally he says in desperation3 ,to-day was to-morrow yesterday1 but to-day has to-day another to-morrow1 on which day1 as usual1 we are to know something4 ,but as to-day has not yet gone1 ,i wait with some anxiety to learn what it is to bring forth4 ,his letters are filled with affectionate longing to be at home again and with loving messages to all his dear ones1 and at last he is able to say that his wound has completely healed1 and that he has decided to leave the ,niagara and sail from ,liverpool on the ,arabia1 on ,september #ai1 and in due time he arrived at his beloved home on the ,hudson4 ,while still intensely interested in the great cable enterprise1 he begins to question the advisability of continuing his connection with the men against whom ,mr4 ,kendall had warned him1 for in a letter to his brother ,richard1 of ,october #ae1 #aheg1 he says3 ,i intend to withdraw altogether from the ,atlantic ,telegraph enterprise1 as they who are prominent on this side of the water in its interests are using it with all then3 efforts and influence against my invention1 and my interests1 and those of my assignees1 to whom ,i feel bound in honor to attach myself1 even if some of them have been deceived into coalition with the hostile party4 ,it was1 however1 a great disappointment to him that he was not connected with future attempts to lay the cable4 ,his withdrawal was not altogether voluntary in spite of what he said in the letter from which ,i have just quoted4 ,while he had been made an ,honorary ,director of the company in #aheg1 although not a stockholder1 a law was subsequently passed declaring that only stockholders could be directors1 even honorary directors4 ,he had not felt financially able to purchase stock1 but it was a source of astonishment to him and to others that a few shares1 at least1 had not been allotted to him for his valuable services in connection with the enterprise4 ,he had1 nevertheless1 cheerfully given of his time and talents in the first attempt1 although cautioned by ,mr4 ,kendall4 ,he goes fully into the whole matter in a very long letter to ,mr4 ,john ,w4 ,brett1 of ,december #bg1 #aheh1 in which he details his connection with the cable company1 his regret and surprise at being excluded on the ground of his not being a stockholder1 especially as1 on a subsequent visit to ,europe1 he found that two other men had been made honorary directors1 although they were not stockholders4 ,he says that he learned also that ,mr4 ,field had represented to the ,directors that ,i was hostile to the company1 and was using my exertions to defeat the measures for aid from the ,united ,states ,government to the enterprise1 and that it was in consequence of these misrepresentations that ,i was not elected4 ,he says farther on3 ,i sincerely rejoiced in the consummation of the great enterprise1 although prevented in the way ,i have shown from being present4 ,i ought to have been with the cable squadron last summer4 ,it was no fault of mine1 that ,i was not there4 ,i hope ,mr4 ,field can exculpate himself in the eyes of the ,board1 before the world1 and before his own conscience1 in the course he has taken4 ,on the margin of the letter-press copy of a letter ,written to ,mr4 ,kendall on ,december #bb1 #ahei1 is a note in pencil written1 evidently1 at a later date3 ,mr4 ,field has since manifested by his conduct a different temper4 ,i have long since forgiven what1 after all1 may have been error of ignorance on his part4 ,the fact remains1 however1 that his connection with the cable company was severed1 and that his relations with ,messrs4 ,field1 ,cooper1 etc41 were decidedly strained4 ,it is more than possible that1 had he continued as electrician of the company1 the second attempt might have been successful1 for he foresaw the difficulty which resulted in failure1 and1 had he been the guiding mind1 it would1 naturally1 have been avoided4 ,the proof of this is in the following incident1 which was related by a friend of his1 ,mr4 ,jacob ,s4 ,jewett1 to ,mr4 ,prime3-- ,i thought it might interest you to know when and how ,professor ,morse received the first tidings of the success of the ,atlantic ,cable4 ,i accompanied him to ,europe on the steamer ,fulton1 which sailed from ,new ,york ,july #bd1 #aheh4 ,we were nearing ,southampton when a sail boat was noticed approaching1 and soon our vessel was boarded by a young man who sought an interview with ,professor ,morse1 and announced to him that a message from ,america had just been received1 the first that had passed along the wire lying upon the bed of the ocean4 ,professor ,morse was1 of course1 greatly delighted1 but1 turning to me1 said3 ',this is very gratifying1 but it is doubtful whether many more messages will be received'2 and gave as his reason that--'the cable had been so long stored in an improper place that much of the coating had been destroyed1 and the cable was in other respects injured4' ,his prediction proved to be true4 ,and ,mr4 ,prime adds3 ,had he been in the board of direction1 had his judgment and experience as electrician been employed1 that great calamity1 which cost millions of money and eight years of delay in the use of the ocean telegraph1 would1 in all human probability1 have been averted4 ,but it is idle to speculate on what might have been4 ,his letters show that the action of the directors amazed and hurt him1 and that it was with deep regret that he ceased to take an active part in the great enterprise the success of which he had been the first to prophesy4 ,many other matters claimed his attention at this time1 for1 as usual upon returning from a prolonged absence1 he found his affairs in more or less confusion1 and his time for some months after his return was spent mainly in straightening them out4 ,the winter was spent in ,new ,york with his family1 but business calling him to ,washington1 he gives utterance1 in a letter to his wife of ,december #af1 to sentiments which will appeal to all who have had to do with the powers that be in the ,government service3-- ,as yet ,i have not had the least success in getting a proper position for ,charles4 ,a more thankless1 repulsive business than asking for a situation under ,government ,i cannot conceive4 ,i would myself starve rather than ask such a favor if ,i were alone concerned4 ,the modes of obtaining even a hearing are such as to drive a man of any sensitiveness to wish himself in the depths of the forest away from the vicinity of men1 rather than encounter the airs of those on their temporary thrones of power4 ,i cannot say what ,i feel4 ,i shall do all ,i can1 but anticipate no success4444 ,i called to see ,secretary ,toucey for the purpose of asking him to put me in the way of finding some place for ,charles1 but1 after sending in my card and waiting in the anteroom for half to three fourths of an hour1 he took no notice of my card1 just left his room1 passed by deliberately the open door of the anteroom without speaking to me1 and left the building4 ,this may be all explained and ,i will charitably hope there was no intention of rudeness to me1 but1 unexplained1 a ruder slight could not well be conceived4 ,the affection of the three ,morse brothers for each other was unusually strong1 and it is from the unreserved correspondence between ,finley and ,sidney that some of the most interesting material for this work has been gathered4 ,both of these brothers possessed a keen sense of humor and delighted in playful banter4 ,the following is written in pencil on an odd scrap of paper and has no date3-- ,when my brother and ,i were children my father one day took us each on his knee and said3 ',now ,i am going to tell you the character of each of you4' ,he then told us the fable of the ,hare and the ,tortoise4 ',now1' said he1 ',finley' 7that is me71 'you are the ,hare and ,sidney1 your brother1 is the ,tortoise4 ,see if ,i am not correct in prophesying your future careers4' ,so ever since it has been a topic of banter between ,sidney and me4 ,sometimes ,sidney seemed to be more prosperous than ,i2 then he would say1 ',the old tortoise is ahead4' ,then ,i would take a vigorous run and cry out to him1' ,the hare is ahead4' ,for ,i am naturally quick and impulsive1 and he sluggish and phlegmatic4 ,so ,i am now going to give him the ,hare riding the ,tortoise as a piece of fun4 ,sidney will say3 ',ah6 you see the ,hare is obliged to ride on the ,tortoise in order to get to the goal6' ,but ,i shall say3 ',yes1 but the ,tortoise could not get there unless the ,hare spurred him up and guided him4' ,both of these brothers achieved success1 but1 unfortunately for the moral of the old fable1 the hare quite outdistanced the tortoise1 without1 however1 kindling any spark of jealousy in that faithful heart4 ,while ,sidney was still in ,europe his brother writes to him on ,december #bi1 #aheg3-- ,i don't know what you must think of me for not having written to you since my return4 ,it has not been for want of will but truly from the impossibility of withdrawing myself from an unprecedented pressure of more important duties1 on which to write so that you could form any clear idea of them would be impossible4 ,these duties arise from the state of my affairs thrown into confusion by the conduct of parties intent on controlling all my property4 ,but1 ,i am happy to state1 my affairs are in a way of adjustment through the active exertions of my faithful agent and friend1 ,mr4 ,kendall1 so far as his declining strength permits4444 ,i wish you were near me so that we could exchange views on many subjects1 particularly on the one which so largely occupies public attention everywhere4 ,i have been collecting works pro and con on the ,slavery question with a view of writing upon it4 ,we are in perfect accord1 ,i think1 on that subject4 ,i believe that you and ,i would be considered in ,new ,england as rank heretics1 for1 ,i confess1 the more ,i study the subject the more ,i feel compelled to declare myself on the ,southern side of the question4 ,i care not for the judgment of men1 however2 ,i feel on sure ground while standing on ,bible doctrine1 and ,i have arrived at the conclusion that a fearful hallucination1 not less absurd than that which beclouded some of the most pious and otherwise intelligent minds of the days of ,salem witchcraft1 has for a time darkened the moral atmosphere of the ,north4 ,the event has seemed to prove that it was the ,southern sympathizers at the ,north1 those most pious and otherwise intelligent minds1 whose moral atmosphere was darkened by a fearful hallucination1 for no one now claims that slavery is a divine institution because the ,bible says1 ,slaves1 obey your masters4 ,i have stated that one of the purposes of ,morse's visit to ,europe in #ahef was to seek to persuade the various ,governments which were using his telegraph to grant him some pecuniary remuneration4 ,the idea was received favorably at the different courts1 and resulted in a concerted movement initiated by the ,count ,walewski1 representing ,france1 and participated in by ten of the ,european nations4 ,the sittings of this convention1 or congress1 were held in ,paris from ,april1 #ahfh1 to the latter part of ,august1 and the result is announced in a letter of ,count ,walewski to ,morse of ,september #a3-- ,,sir1--,it is with lively satisfaction that ,i have the honor to announce to you that a sum of four hundred thousand francs will be remitted to you1 in four annuities1 in the name of ,france1 of ,austria1 of ,belgium1 of the ,netherlands1 of ,piedmont1 of ,russia1 of the ,holy ,see1 of ,sweden1 of ,tuscany and of ,turkey1 as an honorary gratuity1 and as a reward1 altogether personal1 of your useful labors4 ,nothing can better mark than this collective act of reward the sentiment of public gratitude which your invention has so justly excited4 ,the ,emperor has already given you a testimonial of his high esteem when he conferred upon you1 more than a year ago1 the decoration of a ,chevalier of his order of the ,legion of ,honor4 ,you will find a new mark of it in the initiative which his ,majesty wished that his government should take in this conjuncture2 and the decision that ,i charge myself to bring to your knowledge is a brilliant proof of the eager and sympathetic adhesion that his proposition has met with from the ,states ,i have just enumerated4 ,i pray you to accept on this occasion1 sir1 my personal congratulations1 as well as the assurance of my sentiments of the most distinguished consideration4 ,while this letter is dated ,september #a1 the amount of the gratuity agreed upon seems to have been made known soon after the first meeting of the convention1 for on ,april #bi1 the following letter was written to ,morse by ,m4 van den ,broek1 his agent in all the preliminaries leading up to the convention1 and who1 by the way1 was to receive as his commission one third of the amount of the award1 whatever it might be3 ,i have this morning seen the secretary of the ,minister1 and from him learned that the sum definitely fixed is #djj1jjj francs1 payable in four years4 ,this does not by any means answer our expectations1 and ,i am afraid you will be much disappointed1 yet ,i used every exertion in my power1 but without avail1 to procure a grant of a larger sum4 ,it certainly was a pitiful return for the millions of dollars which ,morse's invention had saved or earned for those nations which used it as a government monopoly1 and while ,i find no note of complaint in his own letters1 his friends were more outspoken4 ,mr4 ,kendall1 in a letter of ,may #ah1 exclaims3 ,i know not how to express my contempt of the meanness of the ,european ,governments in the award they propose to make you as the inventor of the ,telegraph4 ,i had set the sum at half a million dollars as the least that they could feel to be at all compatible with their dignity4 ,i hope you will acknowledge it more as a tribute to the merits of your invention than as an adequate reward for it4 ,and in a letter of ,june #e1 answering one of ,morse's which must have contained some expressions of gratitude1 ,mr4 ,kendall says further3 ,in reference to the second subject of your letter1 ,i have to say that it is only as a tribute to the superiority of your invention that the ,european grant can1 in my opinion1 be considered either 'generous' or 'magnanimous4' ,as an indemnity it is niggardly and mean4 ,it will be in place to record here the testimonials of the different nations of ,europe to the ,inventor of the ,telegraph1 manifested in various forms3-- ,france4 ,a contributor to the honorary gratuity1 and the decoration of the ,legion of ,honor4 ,prussia4 ,the ,scientific ,gold ,medal of ,prussia set in the lid of a gold snuff-box4 ,austria4 ,a contributor to the honorary gratuity1 and the ,scientific ,gold ,medal of ,austria4 ,russia4 ,a contributor to the honorary gratuity4 ,spain4 ,the cross of ,knight ,commander de ,numero of the order of ,isabella the ,catholic4 ,portugal4 ,the cross of a ,knight of the ,tower and ,sword4 ,italy4 ,a contributor to the honorary gratuity1 and the cross of a ,knight of ,saints ,lazaro and ,mauritio4 ,wrttemberg4 ,the ,scientific ,gold ,medal of ,wrttemberg4 ,turkey4 ,a contributor to the honorary gratuity1 and the decoration in diamonds of the ,nishan ,iftichar1 or ,order of ,glory4 ,denmark4 ,the cross of ,knight ,commander of the ,dannebrog4 ,holy ,see4 ,a contributor to the honorary gratuity4 ,belgium4 ,a contributor to the honorary gratuity4 ,holland4 ,a contributor to the honorary gratuity4 ,sweden4 ,a contributor to the honorary gratuity4 ,great ,britain4 ,nationally nothing4 ,switzerland4 ,nationally nothing4 ,saxony4 ,nationally nothing4 ,the decorations and medals enumerated above1 with the exception of the ,danish cross1 which had to be returned at the death of the recipient1 and one of the medals1 which mysteriously disappeared many years ago1 are now in the ,morse case at the ,national ,museum in ,washington1 having been presented to that institution by the children and grandchildren of the inventor4 ,it should be added that1 in addition to the honors bestowed on him by foreign governments1 he was made a member of the ,royal ,academy of ,sciences of ,sweden1 a member of the ,institute of ,france and of the principal scientific societies of the ,united ,states4 ,it has been already noted in these pages that his alma mater1 ,yale1 conferred on him the degree of ,,ll4,d4 ,i have said that ,i find no note of complaint in ,morse's letters4 ,whatever his feelings of disappointment may have been1 he felt it his duty to send the following letter to ,count ,walewski on ,september #ae1 #aheh4 ,perhaps a slight note of irony may be read into the sentence accepting the gratuity1 but1 if intended1 ,i fear it was too feeble to have reached its mark1 and the letter is1 as a whole and under the circumstances1 almost too fulsome1 conforming1 however1 to the stilted style of the time3-- ,on my return to ,paris from ,switzerland ,i have this day received1 from the ,minister of the ,united ,states1 the most gratifying information which ,your ,excellency did me the honor to send to me through him1 respecting the decision of the congress of the distinguished diplomatic representatives of ten of the ,august governments of ,europe1 held in special reference to myself4 ,you have had the considerate kindness to communicate to me a proceeding which reflects the highest honor upon the ,imperial ,government and its noble associates1 and ,i am at a loss for language adequately to express to them my feelings of profound gratitude4 ,but especially1 ,your ,excellency1 do ,i want words to express towards the august head of the ,imperial ,government1 and to ,your ,excellency1 the thankful sentiments of my heart for the part so prominently taken by ,his ,imperial ,majesty1 and by ,your ,excellency1 in so generously initiating this measure for my honor in inviting the governments of ,europe to a conference on the subject1 and for so zealously and warmly advocating and perseveringly conducting to a successful termination1 the measure in which the ,imperial ,government so magnanimously took the initiative4 ,i accept the gratuity thus tendered1 on the basis of an honorary testimonial and a personal reward1 with tenfold more gratification than could have been produced by a sum of money1 however large1 offered on the basis of a commercial negotiation4 ,i beg ,your ,excellency to receive my thanks1 however inadequately expressed1 and to believe that ,i appreciate ,your ,excellency's kind and generous services performed in the midst of your high official duties1 consummating a proceeding so unique1 and in a manner so graceful1 that personal kindness has been beautifully blended with official dignity4 ,i will address respectively to the honorable ministers who were ,your ,excellency's colleagues a letter of thanks for their participation in this act of high honor to me4 ,i beg ,your ,excellency to accept the assurances of my lasting gratitude and highest consideration in subscribing myself ,your ,excellency's most obedient humble servant1 ,,samuel ,f4,b4 ,,morse4 ,,chapter ,,xxxvii ,,september #c1 #aheh--,,september #ba1 #ahfc ,visits ,europe again with a large family party4--,regrets this4--,sails for ,porto ,rico with wife and two children4--,first impressions of the tropics4--,hospitalities4--,his son-in-law's plantation4--,death of ,alfred ,vail4--,smithsonian exonerates ,henry4--,european honors to ,morse4--,first line of telegraph in ,porto ,rico4--,banquet4--,returns home4--,reception at ,poughkeepsie4--,refuses to become candidate for the ,presidency4--,purchases ,new ,york house4--,f4,o4,j4 ,smith claims part of ,european gratuity4--,succeeds through legal technicality4--,visit of ,prince of ,wales4--,duke of ,newcastle4--,war clouds4--,letters on slavery1 etc4--,matthew ,vassar4-- ,efforts as peacemaker4--,foresees ,northern victory4--,gloomy forebodings4-- ,monument to his father4--,divides part of ,european gratuity with widow of ,vail4--,continued efforts in behalf of peace4--,bible arguments in favor of slavery4 ,many letters of this period1 including a whole letterpress copy-book1 are missing1 many of the letters in other copy-books are quite illegible through the fading of the ink1 and others have been torn out 7by whom ,i do not know7 and have entirely disappeared4 ,it will1 therefore1 be necessary to summarize the events of the remainder of the year #aheh1 and of some of the following years4 ,we find that1 on ,july #bd1 #aheh1 ,morse sailed with his family1 including his three young boys1 his mother-in-law and other relatives1 a party of fifteen all told1 for ,havre on the steamer ,fulton2 that he was tendered a banquet by his fellow-countrymen in ,paris1 and that he was received with honor wherever he went4 ,travelling with a large family was a different proposition from the independence which he had enjoyed on his previous visits to ,europe1 when he was either alone or accompanied only by his wife and niece1 and he pathetically remarks to his brother ,sidney1 in a letter of ,september #c1 written from ,interlaken3 ,it was a great mistake ,i committed in bringing my family4 ,i have scarcely had one moment's pleasure1 and am almost worn out with anxieties and cares4 ,if ,i get back safe with them to ,paris ,i hope1 after arranging my affairs there1 to go as direct as possible to ,southampton1 and settle them there till ,i sail in ,november4 ,i am tired of travelling and long for the repose of ,locust ,grove1 if it shall please our ,heavenly ,father to permit us to meet there again4 ,illustration3 ,,morse ,,and ,,his ,,youngest ,,son ,before returning to the quiet of his home on the ,hudson1 however1 he paid a visit which he had long had in contemplation4 ,on ,november #ag1 #aheh1 he and his wife and their two younger sons sailed from ,southampton for ,porto ,rico1 where his elder daughter1 ,mrs4 ,edward land1 had for many years lived1 and where his younger daughter had been visiting while he was in ,europe4 ,he describes his first impressions of a tropical country in a letter to his mother-in-law1 ,mrs4 ,griswold1 who had decided to spend the winter in ,geneva to superintend the education of his son ,arthur1 a lad of nine3-- ,in ,st4 ,thomas we received every possible attention4 ,the ,governor called on us and invited ,edward and myself to breakfast 7at #aj4cj o'clock7 the day we left4 ,he lives in a fine mansion on one of the lesser hills that enclose the harbor1 having directly beneath him on the slope1 and only separated by a wall1 the residence of ,santa ,anna4 ,he was invited to be present1 but he was ill 7so he said7 and excused himself4 ,i presume his illness was occasioned by the thought of meeting an ,american from the ,states1 for he holds the citizens of the ,states in perfect hatred1 so much so as to refuse to receive ,united ,states money in change from his servants on their return from market4 ,a few days in change of latitude make wonderful changes in feelings and clothing4 ,when we left ,england the air was wintry1 and thick woolen clothing and fires were necessary4 ,the first night at sea blankets were in great demand4 ,with two extra and my great-coat over all ,i was comfortably warm4 ,in twenty-four hours the great-coat was dispensed with1 then one blanket1 then another1 until a sheet alone began to be enough1 and the last two or three nights on board this slight covering was too much4 ,when we got into the harbor of ,st4 ,thomas the temperature was oppressive2 our slightest summer clothing was in demand4 ,surrounded by pomegranate trees1 magnificent oleanders1 cocoa-nut trees with their large fruit some thirty feet from the ground1 the aloe and innumerable1 and to me strange1 tropical plants1 ,i could scarcely believe it was ,december4444 ,we arrived on ,thursday morning and remained until ,monday morning1 ,edward having engaged a ,long ,island schooner1 which happened to be in port1 to take us to ,arroyo4 ,at four o'clock the ,governor sent his official barge1 under the charge of the captain of the port1 a most excellent1 intelligent1 scientific gentleman1 who had breakfasted with us at the ,governor's in the morning1 and in a few minutes we were rowed alongside of the schooner ,estelle1 and before dark were under way and out of the harbor4 ,our quarters were very small and close1 but not so uncomfortable4 ,at daylight in the morning of ,tuesday we were sailing along the shores of ,porto ,rico1 and at sunrise we found we were in sight of ,guyama and ,arroyo1 and with our glasses we saw at a distance the buildings on ,edward's estate4 ,susan had been advised of our coming and a flag was flying on the house in answer to the signal we made from the vessel4 ,in two or three hours we got to the shore1 as near as was safe for the vessel1 and then in the doctor's boat1 which had paid us an official visit to see that we did not bring yellow fever or other infectious disease1 the kind doctor1 an ,irishman educated in ,america1 took us ashore at a little temporary landing-place to avoid the surf4 ,on the shore there were some handkerchiefs shaking1 and in a crowd we saw ,susan and ,leila1 and ,charlie his grandson who were waiting for us in carriages1 and in a few moments we embraced them all4 ,the sun was hot upon us1 but1 after a ride of two or three miles1 we came to the ,henrietta1 my dear ,edward and ,susan's residence1 and were soon under the roof of a spacious1 elegant and most commodious mansion4 ,and here we are with midsummer temperature and vegetation1 but a tropical vegetation1 all around us4 ,well1 we always knew that ,edward was a prince of a man1 but we did not know1 or rather appreciate1 that he has a princely estate and in as fine order as any in the island4 ,when ,i say 'fine order1' ,i do not mean that it is laid out like the ,bois de ,boulogne1 nor is there quite as much picturesqueness in a level plain of sugar canes as in the trees and shrubbery of the gardens of ,versailles2 but it is a rich and well-cultivated estate of some fourteen hundred acres1 gradually rising for two or three miles from the sea-shore to the mountains1 including some of them1 and stretching into the valleys between them4 ,his visit to ,porto ,rico was a most delightful one to him in many ways1 and ,i shall have more to say of it further on1 but ,i digress for a moment to speak of two events which occurred just at this time1 and which showed him that1 even in this land of dolce far niente1 he could not escape the griefs and cares which are common to all mankind4 ,mr4 ,kendall1 in a letter of ,february #bj1 announces the death of one of his early associates3 ,i presume you will have heard before this reaches you of the death of ,alfred ,vail4 ,he had sold most of his telegraph stocks and told me when ,i last saw him that it was with difficulty he could procure the means of comfort for his family4 ,morse had heard of this melancholy event1 for1 in a letter to ,mr4 ,shaffner of ,february #bb1 he says3 ,poor ,vail6 alas1 he is gone4 ,i only heard of the event on ,saturday last4 ,this death1 and the death of many friends besides1 has made me feel sad4 ,vail ought to have a proper notice4 ,he was an upright man1 and1 although some ways of his made him unpopular with those with whom he came in contact1 yet ,i believe his intentions were good1 and his faults were the result more of ill-health1 a dyspeptic habit1 than of his heart4 ,he refers to this also in a letter to his brother ,sidney of ,february #bc3 ,poor ,vail is gone4 ,he was the innocent cause of the original difficulty with the sensitive ,henry1 he all the time earnestly desirous of doing him honor4 ,and on ,march #cj1 he answers ,mr4 ,kendall's letter3 ,i regret to learn that poor ,vail was so straitened in his circumstances at his death4 ,i intend paying a visit to his father and family on my return4 ,i may be able to relieve them in some degree4 ,this intention he fulfilled1 as we shall see later on1 and ,i wish to call special attention to the tone of these letters because1 as ,i have said before1 ,morse has been accused of gross ingratitude and injustice towards ,alfred ,vail1 whereas a careful and impartial study of all the circumstances of their connection proves quite the contrary4 ,vail's advocates1 in loudly claiming for him much more than the evidence shows he was entitled to1 have not hesitated to employ gross personal abuse of ,morse in their newspaper articles1 letters1 etc41 even down to the present day4 ,this has made my task rather difficult1 for1 while earnestly desirous of giving every possible credit to ,vail1 ,i have been compelled to introduce much evidence1 which ,i should have preferred to omit1 to show the essential weakness of his character2 he seems to have been foredoomed to failure4 ,he undoubtedly was of great assistance in the early stages of the invention1 and for this ,morse always cheerfully gave him full credit1 but ,i have proved that he did not invent the dot-and-dash alphabet1 which has been so insistently claimed for him1 and that his services as a mechanician were soon dispensed with in favor of more skilful men4 ,i have also shown that he practically left ,morse to his fate in the darkest years of the struggle to bring the telegraph into public use1 and that1 by his morbid suspicions1 he hampered the efforts of ,mr4 ,kendall to harmonize conflicting interests4 ,for all this ,morse never bore him any ill-will1 but endeavored in every way to foster and safeguard his interests4 ,that he did not succeed was no fault of his4 ,another reminder that he was but human1 and that he could not expect to sail serenely along on the calm1 seas of popular favor without an occasional squall1 was given to him just at this time4 ,professor ,joseph ,henry had requested the ,regents of the ,smithsonian ,institute to enquire into the rights and wrongs of the controversy between himself and ,morse1 which had its origin in ,henry's testimony in the telegraph suits1 tinged as this testimony was with bitterness on account of the omissions in ,vail's book1 and which was fanned into a flame by ,morse's ,defense4 ,the latter resented the fact that all these proceedings had taken place while he was out of the country1 and without giving him an opportunity to present his side of the case4 ,however1 he shows his willingness to do what is right in the letter to ,colonel ,shaffner of ,february #bb1 from which ,i have already quoted3-- ,well1 it has taken him four years to fire off his gun1 and perhaps ,i am killed4 ,when ,i return ,i shall examine my wounds and see if they are mortal1 and1 if so1 shall endeavor to die becomingly4 ,seriously1 however1 if there are any new facts which go to exculpate ,henry for his attack upon me before the courts at a moment when ,i was struggling against those who1 from whatever motive1 wished to deprive me of my rights1 and even of my character1 ,i shall be most happy to learn them1 and1 if ,i have unwittingly done him injustice1 shall also be most happy to make proper amends4 ,but as all this is for the future1 as ,i know of no facts which alter the case1 and as ,i am wholly unconscious of having done any injustice1 ,i must wait to see what he has put forth4 ,in a letter to his brother ,sidney1 of ,february #bc1 he philosophizes as follows3-- ,i cannot avoid noticing a singular coincidence of events in my experience of life1 especially in that part of it devoted to the invention of the ,telegraph1 to wit1 that1 when any special and marked honor has been conferred upon me1 there has immediately succeeded some event of the envious or sordid character seemingly as a set-off1 the tendency of which has been invariably to prevent any excess of exultation on my part4 ,can this be accident8 ,is it not rather the wise ordering of events by infinite wisdom and goodness to draw me away from repose in earthly honor to the more substantial and enduring honor that comes only from ,god8 444 ,i pray for wisdom to direct in such trials1 and in any answer ,i may find it necessary to give to ,henry or others1 ,i desire most of all to be mindful of that charity which 'suffereth long1 which vaunteth not itself1 is not puffed up1 hopeth all things1 thinketh no evil4' ,this check to self-laudation came at an appropriate moment1 as he said1 for just at this time honors were being plentifully showered upon him4 ,it was then that he was first notified of the bestowal of the ,spanish decoration1 and of the probability of ,portugal's following suit4 ,perhaps even more gratifying still was his election as a member of the ,royal ,academy of ,sciences of ,sweden1 for this was a recognition of his merits as a scientist1 and not as a mere promoter1 as he had been contemptuously called4 ,on the ,island of ,porto ,rico too he was being honored and fted4 ,on ,march #b1 he writes3-- ,i have just completed with success the construction and organization of the short telegraph line1 the first on this island1 initiating the great enterprise of the ,southern ,telegraph route to ,europe from our shores1 so far as to interest the ,porto ,ricans in the value of the invention4 ,yesterday was a day of great excitement here for this small place4 ,the principal inhabitants of this place and ,guayama determined to celebrate the completion of this little line1 in which they take a great pride as being the first in the island1 and so they complimented me with a public breakfast which was presided over by the lieutenant-colonel commandant of ,guayama4 ,the commandant and alcalde1 the collector and captain of the port1 with all the officials of the place1 and the clergy of ,guayama and ,arroyo1 and gentlemen planters and merchants of the two towns1 numbering in all about forty1 were present4 ,we sat down at one o'clock to a very handsome breakfast1 and the greatest enthusiasm and kind and generous feeling were manifested4 ,my portrait was behind me upon the wall draped with the ,spanish and ,american flags4 ,i gave them a short address of thanks1 and took the opportunity to interest them in the great ,telegraph line which will give them communication with the whole world4 ,i presume accounts will be published in the ,united ,states from the ,porto ,rico papers4 ,thus step by step 7shall ,i not rather say stride by stride87 the ,telegraph is compassing the world4 ,my accounts from ,madrid assure me that the government will soon have all the papers prepared for granting the concession to ,mr4 ,perry1 our former secretary of legation at ,madrid1 in connection with ,sir ,james ,carmichael1 ,mr4 ,john ,w4 ,brett1 the ,new ,york1 ,newfoundland and ,london ,telegraph ,company1 and others4 ,the recent consolidation plan in the ,united ,states has removed the only hesitation ,i had in sustaining this new enterprise1 for ,i feared that ,i might unwittingly injure1 by a counter plan1 those it was my duty to support4 ,being now in harmony with the ,american ,company and the ,newfoundland ,company1 ,i presume all my other companies will derive benefit rather than injury from the success of this new and grand enterprise4 ,at any rate ,i feel impelled to support all plans that manifestly tend to the complete circumvention of the globe1 and the bringing into telegraphic connection all the nations of the earth1 and this when ,i am not fully assured that present personal interests may not temporarily suffer4 ,i am glad to know that harmonious arrangements are made between the various companies in the ,united ,states1 although ,i have been so ill-used4 ,i will have no litigation if ,i can avoid it4 ,even ,henry may have the field in quiet1 unless he has presented a case too flagrantly unjust to leave unanswered4 ,the short line of telegraph was from his son-in-law's house to his place of business on the bay1 about two miles1 and the building of it gave rise to the legend on the island that ,morse conducted some of his first electrical experiments in ,porto ,rico1 which1 of course1 is not true4 ,there is much correspondence concerning the proposed cable from ,spain or ,portugal by various routes to the ,west ,indies and thence to the ,united ,states1 but nothing came of it4 ,the rest of their stay in ,porto ,rico was greatly enjoyed by all in spite of certain drawbacks incidental to the tropics1 to one of which he alludes in a letter to his sister-in-law1 ,mrs4 ,goodrich1 who was then in ,europe4 ,speaking of his wife he says3 ,she is dreadfully troubled with a plague which1 if you have been in ,italy1 ,i am sure you are no stranger to4 ',pulci1 pulci4' ,if you have not had a colony of them settled upon you1 and quartered1 and giving you no quarter1 you have been an exception to travellers in ,italy4 ,well1 ,i will pit any two pulci of ,porto ,rico against any ten you can bring from ,italy1 and ,i should be sure to see them bite the dust before the bites of our ,porto ,rico breed4 ,his letters are filled with apothegms and reflections on life in general and his own in particular1 and they alone would almost fill a book4 ,in a letter to ,mr4 ,kendall1 of ,march #cj1 we find the following3-- ,i had hoped to return from honors abroad to enjoy a little rest from litigation at home1 but1 if ,i must take up arms1 ,i hope to be able to use them efficiently in self-defense1 and in a chivalrous manner as becometh a ',knight4' ,i have no reason to complain of my position abroad1 but ,i suppose1 as ,i am not yet under the ground1 honors to a living inventor must have their offset in the attacks of envy and avarice4 ',wrath is cruel1 but who can stand before envy8' says the wise man4 ,the contest with the envious is indeed an annoyance1 but1 if one's spirit is under the right guidance and revenge does not actuate the strife1 victory is very certain4 ,my position is now such before the world that ,i shall use it rather to correct my own temper than to make it a means of arrogant exultation4 ,he and his family left the island in the middle of ,april1 #ahei1 and in due time reached their ,poughkeepsie home4 ,the ,daily ,press of that city gave the following account of the homecoming3-- ,for some time previous to the hour at which the train was to arrive hundreds of people were seen flocking from all directions to the railroad depot1 both in carriages and on foot1 and when the train did arrive1 and the familiar and loved form of ,professor ,morse was recognized on the platform of the car1 the air was rent with the cheers of the assembled multitude4 ,as soon as the cheers subsided ,professor ,morse was approached by the committee of reception and welcomed to the country of his birth and to the home of his adoption4 ,a great procession was then formed composed of the carriages of citizens4 ,the sidewalks were crowded with people on foot1 the children of the public schools1 which had been dismissed for the occasion1 being quite conspicuous among them4 ,amid the ringing of bells1 the waving of flags1 and the gratulations of the people1 the procession proceeded through a few of the principal streets1 and then drove to the beautiful residence of ,professor ,morse1 the band playing1 as they entered the grounds1 ',sweet ,home' and then ',auld ,lang ,syne4' ,the gateways at the entrance had been arched with evergreens and wreathed with flowers4 ,as the carriage containing their loved proprietor drove along the gravelled roads we noticed that several of the domestics1 unable to restrain their welcomes1 ran to his carriage and gave and received salutations4 ,after a free interchange of salutations and a general 'shake-hands1' the people withdrew and left their honored guest to the retirement of his own beautiful home4 ,so the world reverences its great men1 and so it ought4 ,in ,professor ,morse we find those simple elements of greatness which elevate him infinitely above the hero of any of the world's sanguinary conflicts1 or any of the most successful aspirants after political power4 ,he has benefited not only ,america and the world1 but has dignified and benefited the whole race4 ,his friends and neighbors desired to honor him still further by a public reception1 but this he felt obliged to decline1 and in his letter of regret he expresses the following sentiments3 ,if1 during my late absence abroad1 ,i have received unprecedented honors from ,european nations1 convened in special congress for the purpose1 and have also received marks of honor from individual ,sovereigns and from ,scientific bodies1 all which have gratified me quite as much for the honor reflected by them upon my country as upon myself1 there are none of these testimonials1 be assured1 which have so strongly touched my heart as this your beautiful tribute of kindly feeling from esteemed neighbors and fellow-citizens4 ,among the letters which had accumulated during his absence1 ,morse found one1 written some time previously1 from a ,mr4 ,reibart1 who had published his name as a candidate for the ,presidency of the ,united ,states4 ,in courteously declining this honor ,morse drily adds3 ,there are hundreds1 nay thousands1 more able 7not to say millions more willing7 to take any office they can obtain1 and perform its functions more faithfully and with more benefit to the country4 ,while this is the case ,i do not feel that the country will suffer should one like myself1 wearied with the struggles and litigations of half a century1 desire to be excused from encountering the annoyances and misapprehensions inseparable from political life4 ,thanks to the successful efforts of his good friend1 ,mr4 ,kendall1 he was now financially independent1 so much so that he felt justified in purchasing1 in the fall of the year #ahei1 the property at #e ,west ,twenty-second ,street1 ,new ,york1 where the winters of the remaining years of his life were passed1 except when he was abroad4 ,this house has now been replaced by a commercial structure1 but a bronze tablet marks the spot where once stood the old-fashioned brown stone mansion4 ,while his mind was comparatively at rest regarding money matters1 he was not yet free from vexatious litigation1 and his opinion of lawyers is tersely expressed in a letter to ,mr4 ,kendall of ,december #bg1 #ahei3 ,i have not lost my respect for law but ,i have for its administrators2 not so much for any premeditated dishonesty as for their stupidity and want of just insight into a case4 ,it was not long before he had a practical proof of the truth of this aphorism1 for his thorn in the flesh never ceased from rankling1 and now gave a new instance of the depths to which an unscrupulous man could descend4 ,on ,june #i1 #ahfj1 ,morse writes to his legal adviser1 ,mr4 ,george ,ticknor ,curtis1 of ,boston3 ,you may remember that ,smith1 just before ,i sailed for ,europe in #aheh1 intimated that he should demand of me a portion of the ,honorary ,gratuity voted to me by the congress of ten powers at ,paris4 ,i procured your opinion1 as you know1 and ,i had hoped that he would not insist on so preposterous a claim4 ,i am1 however1 disappointed2 he has recently renewed it4 ,i have had some correspondence with him on the subject utterly denying any claim on his part4 ,he proposes a reference1 but ,i have not yet encouraged him to think ,i would assent4 ,i wish your advice before ,i answer him4 ,it is difficult to conceive of a meaner case of extortion than this4 ,as ,morse says in a letter to ,mr4 ,kendall1 of ,august #c1 #ahfj1 after he had consented to a reference of the matter to three persons3 ,i have no apprehensions of the result except that ,i may be entrapped by some legal technicalities4 ,look at the case in an equitable point of view and1 it appears to me1 no intelligent1 just men could give a judgment against me or in his favor4 ,smith's purchase into the telegraph1 the consideration he gave1 was his efforts to obtain a property in the invention abroad by letters patent or otherwise4 ,in such property he was to share4 ,no such property was created there4 ,what can he then claim8 ,the monies that he hazarded 7taking his own estimate7 were to the amount of some seven thousand dollars2 and this was an advance1 virtually a loan1 to be paid back to him if he had created the property abroad4 ,but his efforts being fruitless for that purpose1 and of no value whatever to me1 yet procured him one fourth patent interest in the ,united ,states1 for which we know he has obtained at least #cjj1jjj4 ,is he not paid amply without claiming a portion of honorary gifts to me8 ,well1 we shall see how legal men look at the matter4 ,illustration3 ,,house ,,and ,,library ,,at #e ,,west #bb';,d ,,st41 ,,new ,,york ,one legal man of great brilliance gave his opinion without hesitation1 as we learn from a letter of ,morse's to ,mr4 ,curtis1 of ,july #ad3 ,i had1 a day or two since1 my cousin ,judge ,breese1 late ,senator of the ,united ,states from ,illinois1 on a visit to me4 ,i made him acquainted with the points1 after which he scouted the idea that any court of legal character could for a moment sustain ,smith's claim4 ,he thought my argument unanswerable1 and playfully said3 ',i will insure you against any claim from ,smith for a bottle of champagne4' ,it is a pity that ,morse did not close with the offer of the learned judge1 for1 in spite of his opinion1 in spite of the opinion of most men of intelligence1 in defiance of the perfectly obvious and proven fact that ,smith had utterly failed in fulfilling his part of the contract1 and that the award had been made to ,morse as a reward altogether personal 7toute personelle71 the referees decided in ,smith's favor4 ,and on what did they base this remarkable decision8 ,on the ground that in the contract of #ahch with ,smith the word otherwise occurs4 ,property in ,europe was to be obtained by letters patent or otherwise4 ,of course no actual property had been obtained1 and ,smith had had no hand in securing the honorary gratuity1 and it is difficult to follow the reasoning of these sapient referees4 ,they were1 on ,smith's part1 ,judge ,upham of ,new ,hampshire2 on ,morse's1 ,mr4 ,hilliard1 of ,boston2 and ,judge ,sprague1 of the ,circuit ,court1 ,boston1 chairman4 ,however1 the decision was made1 and ,morse1 with characteristic large-heartedness1 submitted gracefully4 ,on ,october #ae1 he writes to ,mr4 ,curtis3 ,i ought1 perhaps1 with my experience to learn for the first time that ,law and ,justice are not synonyms1 but1 with all deference to the opinion of the excellent referees1 for each of whom ,i have the highest personal respect1 ,i still think that they have not given a decision in strict conformity with ,law4444 ,i submit1 however1 to law with kindly feelings to all1 and now bend my attention to repair my losses as best ,i may4 ,as remarked before1 earlier in this volume1 ,morse1 in his correspondence with ,smith1 always wrote in that courteous manner which becomes a gentleman1 and he expresses his dissent from the verdict in this manner in a letter of ,november #bj1 in answer to one of ,smith's1 quibbling over the allowance to ,morse by the referees of certain expenses3 ,throwing aside as of no avail any discussion in regard to the equity of the decision of the referees1 especially in the view of a conscientious and high-minded man1 ,i now deal with the decision as it has been made1 since1 according to the technicalities of the law1 it has been pronounced by honorable and honest men in accordance with their construction of the language of the deed in your favor4 ,but ',he that's convinced against his will is of the same opinion still1' and in regard to the intrinsic injustice of being compelled1 by the strict construction of a general word1 to pay over to you any portion of that which was expressly given to me as a personal and honorary gratuity by the ,european governments1 my opinion is always as it has been1 an opinion sustained by the sympathy of every intelligent and honorable man who has studied the merits of the case4 ,he was hard hit for a time by this unjust decision1 and his correspondence shows that he regretted it most because it prevented him from bestowing as much in good works as he desired4 ,he was obliged to refuse many requests which strongly appealed to him4 ,his daily mail contained numerous requests for assistance in sums from twenty thousand dollars to fifty cents1 and it was always with great reluctance that he refused anybody anything4 ,however1 as is usual in this life1 the gay was mingled with the grave1 and we find that he was one of the committee of prominent men to arrange for the entertainment of the ,prince of ,wales1 afterward ,edward ,,vii1 on his visit to this country4 ,i have already referred to one incident of this visit when ,morse1 in an address to the ,prince at the ,university of the ,city of ,new ,york1 referred to the kindness shown him in ,london by the ,earl of ,lincoln1 who was now the ,duke of ,newcastle and was in the suite of the ,prince4 ,morse had hoped that he might have the privilege of entertaining ,h4,r4,h4 at his country place on the ,hudson1 but the ,duke of ,newcastle1 in a letter of ,october #h1 #ahfj1 regrets that this cannot be managed3-- ,i assure you ,i have not forgotten the circumstances which gave me the pleasure of your acquaintance in #ahci1 and ,i am very desirous of seeing you again during my short visit to this continent4 ,i fear however that a visit by the ,prince of ,wales to your home1 however ,i might wish it1 is quite impracticable1 although on our journey up the ,hudson we shall pass so near you4 ,every hour of our time is fully engaged4 ,is there any chance of seeing you in ,new ,york1 or1 if not1 is there any better hope in ,boston8 ,if you should be in either during our stay1 ,i hope you will be kind enough to call upon me4 ,pray let me have a line on ,thursday at ,new ,york4 ,i have lately been much interested in some electro-telegraphic inventions of yours which are new to me4 ,i am ,yours very truly1 ,,newcastle4 ,referring to another function in honor of the ,prince1 ,morse says1 in a letter to ,mr4 ,kendall3 ,i did not see you after the so-styled ,ball in ,new ,york1 which was not a ball but a levee and a great jam4 ,i hope you and yours suffered no inconvenience from it4 ,the war clouds in his beloved country were now lowering most ominously1 and1 true to his convictions1 he exclaims in a letter to a friend of ,january #ab1 #ahfa3-- ,our politicians are playing with edged tools4 ,it is easy to raise a storm by those who cannot control it4 ,if ,i trusted at all in them ,i should despair of the country1 but an ,almighty arm makes the wrath of man to praise him1 and he will restrain the rest4 ,there is something so unnatural and abhorrent in this outcry of arms in one great family that ,i cannot believe it will come to a decision by the sword4 ,such counsels of force are in the court of passion1 not of reason4 ,imagine such a conflict1 imagine a victory1 no matter by which side4 ,can the victors rejoice in the blood of brethren shed in a family brawl8 ,whose heart will thrill with pride at such success8 ,no1 no4 ,i should as soon think of rejoicing that one of my sons had killed the other in a brawl4 ,but ,i have not time to add4 ,i hope for the best1 and even can see beyond the clouds of the hour a brighter day4 ,god bless the whole family1 ,north1 ,south1 ,east and ,west4 ,i will never divide them in my heart however they may be politically or geographically divided4 ,his hopes of a peaceful solution of the questions at issue between the ,north and the ,south were1 of course1 destined to be cruelly dashed1 and he suffered much during the next few years1 both in his feelings and in his purse1 on account of the war4 ,i have already shown that he1 with many other pious men1 believed that slavery was a divine institution and that1 therefore1 the abolitionists were entirely in the wrong2 but that1 at the same time1 he was unalterably opposed to secession4 ,holding these views1 he was misjudged in both sections of the country4 ,those at the ,north accused him of being a secessionist because he was not an abolitionist1 and many at the ,south held that he must be an abolitionist because he lived at the ,north and did not believe in the doctrine of secession4 ,many pages of his letter-books are filled with vehement arguments upholding his point of view1 and he1 together with many other eminent men at the ,north1 strove without success to avert the war4 ,his former pastor at ,poughkeepsie1 the ,reverend ,h4,g4 ,ludlow1 in long letters1 with many ,bible quotations1 called upon him to repent him of his sins and join the cause of righteousness4 ,he1 in still longer letters1 indignantly repelled the accusation of error1 and quoted chapter and verse in support of his views4 ,he was made the president of ,the ,american ,society for promoting ,national ,unity1 and in one of his letters to ,mr4 ,ludlow he uses forceful language3-- ,the tone of your letter calls for extraordinary drafts on ,christian charity4 ,your criticism upon and denunciation of a society planned in the interests of peace and good will to all1 inaugurated by such men as ,bishops ,mc,ilvaine and ,hopkins1 ,drs4 ,krebs and ,hutton1 and ,winslow1 and ,bliss1 and ,van ,dyke1 and ,hawks1 and ,seabury1 and ,lord and ,adams of ,boston1 and ,wilson the missionary1 and ,styles and ,boorman1 and ,professor ,owen1 and ,president ,woods1 and ,dr4 ,parker1 and my brothers1 and many others as warm-hearted1 praying1 conscientious ,christians as ever assembled to devise means for promoting peace--denunciations of these and such as these cannot but be painful in the highest degree4444 ,i lay no stress upon these names other than to show that conscience in this matter has moved some ,christians quite as strongly to view ,abolitionism as a sin of the deepest dye1 as it has other ,christian minds to view ,slavery as a sin1 and so to condemn slaveholders to excommunication1 and simply for being slaveholders4 ,who is to decide in a conflict of consciences8 ,if the ,bible be the umpire1 as ,i hold it to be1 then it is the ,abolitionist that is denounced as worthy of excommunication2 it is the ,abolitionist from whom we are commanded to withdraw ourselves1 while not a syllable of reproof do ,i find in the sacred volume administered to those who maintain1 in the spirit of the gospel1 the relation of ,masters and ,slaves4 ,if you have been more successful1 please point out chapter and verse4444 ,i have no justification to offer for ,southern secession2 ,i have always considered it a remedy for nothing4 ,it is1 indeed1 an expression of a sense of wrong1 but1 in turn1 is itself a wrong1 and two wrongs do not make a right4 ,i have quoted thus at some length from one of his many polemics to show the absolute and fearless sincerity of the man1 mistaken though he may have been in his major premise4 ,i shall quote from other letters on this subject as they appear in chronological order1 but as no person of any mental caliber thinks and acts continuously along one line of endeavor1 so will it be necessary in a truthful biography to change from one subject of activity to another1 and then back again1 in order to portray in their proper sequence the thoughts and actions of a man which go to make up his personality4 ,for instance1 while the outspoken views which ,morse held on the subjects of slavery and secession made him many enemies1 he was still held in high esteem1 for it was in the year #ahfa that the members of the ,national ,academy of ,design urged him so strongly to become their president again that he yielded1 but on condition that it should be for one year only4 ,and the following letter to ,matthew ,vassar1 of ,poughkeepsie1 dated ,february #a1 #ahfa1 shows that he was actively interested in the foundation of the first college for women in this country3 ,your favor of the #bdth ulto4 is received1 and so far as ,i can further your magnificent and most generous enterprise1 ,i will do so4 ,i will endeavor to attend the meeting at the ,gregory ,house on the #bfth of the present month4 ,may you long live to see your noble design in successful operation4 ,in spite of his deep anxiety for the welfare of his country1 and in spite of the other cares which weighed him down1 he could not resist the temptation to indulge in humor when the occasion offered4 ,this humor is tinged with sarcasm in a letter of ,july #ac1 #ahfa1 to ,mr4 ,a4,b4 ,griswold1 his wife's brother1 a prominent citizen of ,new ,orleans4 ,after assuring him of his undiminished affection1 he adds3-- ,and now see what a risk ,i have run by saying thus much1 for1 according to modern application of the definition of treason1 it would not be difficult to prove me a traitor1 and therefore amenable to the halter4 ,for instance--treason is giving aid and comfort to the enemy2 everybody south of a certain geographical line is an enemy2 you live south of that line1 ergo you are an enemy2 ,i send you my love1 you being an enemy2 this gives you comfort2 ergo1 ,i have given comfort to the enemy2 ergo1 ,i am a traitor2 ergo1 ,i must be hanged4 ,as the war progressed he continued to express himself in forcible language against what he called the twin heresies--abolitionism and secession4 ,he had done his best to avert the war4 ,he describes his efforts in a letter of ,april #b1 #ahfb1 to ,mr4 ,george ,l4 ,douglas1 of ,louisville1 ,kentucky1 who at that time was prominently connected with the ,southern lines of the telegraph1 and who had loyally done all in his power to safeguard ,morse's interests in those lines3-- ,you are correct in saying1 in your answer as garnishee1 that ,i have been an active and decided friend of ,peace4 ,in the early stages of the troubles1 when the ,southern ,commissioners were in ,washington1 ,i devoted my time and influence and property1 subscribing and paying in the outset five hundred dollars1 to set on foot measures for preserving peace honorable to all parties4 ,the attack on ,fort ,sumter struck down all these efforts 7so far as my associates were concerned71 but ,i was not personally discouraged1 and ,i again addressed myself to the work of the ,peacemaker1 determining to visit personally both sections of the country1 the ,government at ,washington1 and the ,government of the ,confederates at ,richmond1 to ascertain if there were1 by possibility1 any means of averting war4 ,and when1 from physical inability and age1 ,i was unable to undertake the duty personally1 ,i defrayed from my own pocket the expenses of a friend in his performance of the same duties for me1 who actually visited both ,washington and ,richmond and conferred with the ,presidents and chiefs of each section on the subject4 ,true his efforts were unsuccessful1 and so nothing remained for me but to retire to the quiet of my own study and watch the vicissitudes of the awful storm which ,i was powerless to avert1 and descry the first signs of any clearing up1 ready to take advantage of the earliest glimmerings of light through the clouds4 ,he had no doubts as to the ultimate issue of the conflict1 for1 in a letter to his wife's sister1 ,mrs4 ,goodrich1 of ,may #b1 #ahfb1 he reduces it to mathematics3-- ,sober men could calculate1 and did calculate1 the military issue1 for it was a problem of mathematics and not at all of individual or comparative courage4 ,a force of equal quality is to be divided and the two parts to be set in opposition to each other4 ,if equally divided1 they will be at rest2 if one part equals #c and the other #i1 it does not require much knowledge of mathematics to decide which part will overcome the force of the other4 ,now this is the case here just now4 ,two thirds of the physical and material force of the country are at the ,north1 and on this account military success1 other things being equal1 must be on the side of the ,north4 ,courage1 justness of the cause1 right1 have nothing to do with it4 ,war in our days is a game of chess4 ,two players being equal1 if one begins the game with dispensing with a third of his best pieces1 the other wins as a matter of course4 ,he was firmly of the opinion that ,england and other ,european nations had fomented1 if they had not originated1 the bad feeling between the ,north and the ,south1 and at times he gave way to the most gloomy forebodings1 as in a letter of ,july #bc1 #ahfb1 to ,mr4 ,kendall1 who shared his views on the main questions at issue3-- ,i am much depressed4 ,there is no light in the political skies4 ,rabid abolitionism1 with its intense1 infernal hate1 intensified by the same hate from secession quarters1 is fast gaining the ascendancy4 ,our country is dead4 ,god only can resuscitate it from its tomb4 ,i see no hope of union4 ,we are two countries1 and1 what is most deplorable1 two hostile countries4 ,oh6 how the nations1 with ,england at their head1 crow over us4 ,it is the hour of her triumph2 she has conquered by her arts that which she failed to do by her arms4 ,if there was a corner of the world where ,i could hide myself1 and ,i could consult the welfare of my family1 ,i would sacrifice all my interests here and go at once4 ,may ,god save us with his salvation4 ,i have no heart to write or to do anything4 ,without a country6 ,without a country6 ,he went even further1 in one respect1 in a letter to ,mr4 ,walker1 of ,utica1 of ,october #bg1 but his ordinarily keen prophetic vision was at fault3 ,have you made up your mind to be under a future monarch1 ,english or ,french1 or some scion of a ,european stock of kings8 ,i shall not live to see it1 ,i hope1 but you may and your children will4 ,i leave you this prophecy in black and white4 ,in spite of his occasional fits of pessimism he still strove with all his might1 by letters and published pamphlets1 to rescue his beloved country from what he believed were the machinations of foreign enemies4 ,at the same time he did not neglect his more immediate concerns1 and his letter-books are filled with loving admonitions to his children1 instructions to his farmer1 answers to inventors seeking his advice1 or to those asking for money for various causes1 etc4 ,he and his two brothers had united in causing a monument to be erected to the memory of their father and mother in the cemetery at ,new ,haven1 and he insisted on bearing the lion's share of the expense1 as we learn from a letter written to his nephew1 ,sidney ,e4 ,morse1 ,jr41 on ,october #aj1 #ahfb3-- ,above you have my check on ,broadway ,bank1 ,new ,york1 for five hundred dollars towards ,mr4 ,ritter's bill4 ,tell your dear father and ,uncle ,sidney that this is the portion of the bill for the monument which ,i choose to assume4 ,tell them ,i have still a good memory of past years1 when ,i was poor and received from them the kind attentions of affectionate brothers4 ,i am now1 through the loving kindness and bounty of our ,heavenly ,father1 in such circumstances that ,i can afford this small testimonial to their former fraternal kindness1 and ,i know no better occasion to manifest the long pent-up feelings of my heart towards them than by lightening1 under the embarrassments of the times1 the pecuniary burden of our united testimonial to the best of fathers and mothers4 ,this monument1 a tall column surmounted by a terrestrial globe1 symbolical of the fact that the elder ,morse was the first ,american geographer1 is still to be seen in the ,new ,haven cemetery4 ,another instance of the inventor's desire to show his gratitude towards those who had befriended him in his days of poverty and struggle is shown in a letter of ,november #ag1 #ahfb1 to the widow of ,alfred ,vail3-- ,you are aware that a sum of money was voted me by a special ,congress1 convened at ,paris for the purpose1 as a personal1 honorary gratuity as the ,inventor of the ,telegraph4444 ,notwithstanding1 however1 that the ,congress had put the sum voted me on the ground of a personal1 honorary gratuity1 ,i made up my mind in the very outset that ,i would divide to your good husband just that proportion of what ,i might receive 7after due allowance and deduction of my heavy expenses in carrying through the transaction7 as would have been his if the money so voted by the ,congress had been the purchase money of patent rights4 ,this design ,i early intimated to ,mr4 ,vail1 and ,i am happy in having already fulfilled in part my promise to him1 when ,i had received the gratuity only in part4 ,it was only the last spring that the whole sum1 promised in four annual instalments 7after the various deductions in ,europe7 has been remitted to me4444 ,i wrote to ,mr4 ,cobb one of ,alfred ,vail's executors some months ago1 while he was in ,washington1 requesting an early interview to pay over the balance for you1 but have never received an answer4444 ,could you not come to town this week1 either with or without ,mr4 ,cobb1 as is most agreeable to you1 prepared to settle this matter in full8 ,if so1 please drop me a line stating the day and hour you will come1 and ,i will make it a point to be at home at the time4 ,in this connection ,i shall quote from a letter to ,mr4 ,george ,vail1 written much earlier in the year1 on ,may #ai3-- ,it will give me much pleasure to aid you in your project of disposing of the 'original wire' of the ,telegraph1 and if my certificate to its genuineness will be of service1 you shall cheerfully have it4 ,i am not at this moment aware that there is any quantity of this wire anywhere else1 except it may be in the helices of the big magnets which ,i have at ,poughkeepsie4 ,these shall not interfere with your design4 ,i make only one modification of your proposal1 and that is1 if any profits are realized1 please substitute for my name the name of your brother ,alfred's amiable widow4 ,although the malign animosity of ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith followed him to his grave1 and even afterwards1 he was1 in this year of #ahfb1 relieved from one source of annoyance from him1 as we learn from a letter of ,may #ai to ,mr4 ,kendall3 ,i have had a settlement with ,smith in full on the award of the ,referees in regard to the ',honorary ,gratuity1' and with less difficulty than ,i expected4 ,morse had now passed the ,scriptural age allotted to man2 he was seventy-one years old1 and1 in a letter of ,august #bb1 he remarks rather sorrowfully3 ,i feel that ,i am no longer young1 that my career1 whether for good or evil1 is near its end1 but ,i wish to give the energy and influence that remain to me to my country1 to save it1 if possible1 to those who come after me4 ,all through the year #ahfc he labored to this end1 with alternations of hope and despair4 ,on ,february #i1 #ahfc1 he writes to his cousin1 ,judge ,sidney ,breese3 ,a movement is commenced in the formation of a society here which promises good4 ,it is for the purpose of ,diffusing ,useful ,political ,knowledge4 ,it is backed up by millionaires1 so far as funds go1 who have assured us that funds shall not be wanting for this object4 ,they have made me its president4 ,through the agency of this society he worked to bring about ,peace with ,honor1 but1 as one of their cardinal principles was the abandonment of abolitionism1 he worked in vain4 ,he bitterly denounced the ,emancipation ,proclamation1 and ,president ,lincoln came in for many hard words from his pen1 being considered by him weak and vacillating4 ,mistaken though ,i think his attitude was in this1 his opinions were shared by many prominent men of the day1 and we must admit that for those who believed in a literal interpretation of the ,bible there was much excuse4 ,for instance1 in a letter of ,september #ba1 #ahfc1 to ,martin ,hauser1 ,esq41 of ,newbern1 ,indiana1 he goes rather deeply into the subject3-- ,your letter of the #bc;d of last month ,i have just received1 and ,i was gratified to see the evidences of an upright1 honest dependence upon the only standard of right to which man can appeal pervading your whole letter4 ,there is no other standard than the ,bible1 but our translation1 though so excellent1 is defective sometimes in giving the true meaning of the original languages in which the two ,testaments are written2 the ,old ,testament in ,hebrew1 the ,new ,testament in ,greek4 ,therefore it is that in words in the ,english translation about which there is a variety of opinion1 it is necessary to examine the original ,hebrew or ,greek to know what was the meaning attached to these words by the writers of the original ,bible4444 ,i make these observations to introduce a remark of yours that the ,bible does not contain anything like slavery in it because the words 'slave' and 'slavery' are not used in it 7except the former twice7 but that the word 'servant' is used4 ,now the words translated 'servant' in hundreds of instances are1 in the original1 'slave1' and the very passage you quote1 ,noah's words--',cursed be ,canaan1 a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren'--in the original ,hebrew means exactly this--',cursed be ,canaan1 a slave of slaves shall he be4' ,the ,hebrew1 word is 'ebed' which means a bond slave1 and the words 'ebed ebadim' translated 'slave of slaves1' means strictly the most abject of slaves4 ,in the ,new ,testament too the word translated 'servant' from the ,greek is 'doulas1' which is the same as 'ebed' in the ,hebrew1 and always means a bond slave4 ,our word 'servant' formerly meant the same1 but time and custom have changed its meaning with us1 but the ,bible word 'doulos' remains the same1 'a slave4' ,it seems strange that a man of such a gentle1 kindly disposition should have upheld the outworn institution of slavery1 but he honestly believed1 not only that it was ordained of ,god1 but that it was calculated to benefit the enslaved race4 ,to ,professor ,christy1 of ,cincinnati1 he gives1 on ,september #ab1 his reasons for this belief3-- ,you have exposed in a masterly manner the fallacies of ,abolitionism4 ,there is a complete coincidence of views between us4 ,my ',argument1' which is nearly ready for the press1 supports the same view of the necessity of slavery to the christianization and civilization of a barbarous race4 ,my argument for the benevolence of the relation of master and slave1 drawn from the four relations ordained of ,god for the organization of the social system 7the fourth being the servile relation1 or the relation of master and slave7 leads conclusively to the recognition of some great benevolent design in its establishment4 ,but you have demonstrated in an unanswerable manner by your statistics this benevolent design1 bringing out clearly1 from the workings of his ,providence1 the absolute necessity of this relation in accomplishing his gracious designs towards even the lowest type of humanity4 ,,chapter ,,xxxviii ,,february #bf1 #ahfd--,,november #h1 #ahfg ,sanitary ,commission4--,letter to ,dr4 ,bellows4--,letter on loyalty4--,his brother ,richard upholds ,lincoln4--,letters of brotherly reproof4-- ,introduces ,mc,clellan at prelection parade4--,lincoln relected4--,anxiety as to future of country4--,unsuccessful effort to take up art again4-- ,letter to his sons4--,gratification at rapid progress of telegraph4-- ,letter to ,george ,wood on two great mysteries of life4--,presents portrait of ,allston to the ,national ,academy of ,design4--,endows lectureship in ,union ,theological ,seminary4--,refuses to attend fifty-fifth reunion of his class4--,statue to him proposed4--,ezra ,cornell's benefaction4--,american ,asiatic ,society4--,amalgamation of telegraph companies4--,protest against stock manipulations4--,approves of ,president ,andrew ,johnson4--,sails with family for ,europe4--,paris ,exposition of #ahfg4--;,descriptions of festivities4--,cyrus ,w4 ,field4--,incident in early life of ,napoleon ,,iii-- ,made ,honorary ,commissioner to ,exposition4--,attempt on life of ,czar4--,ball at ,htel de ,ville4--,isle of ,wight4--,england and ,scotland4--,the ,sounder4--,returns to ,paris4 ,all the differences of those terrible years of fratricidal strife1 all the heart-burnings1 the bitter animosities1 the family divisions1 have been smoothed over by the soothing hand of time4 ,i have neither the wish nor the ability to enter into a discussion of the rights and the wrongs of the causes underlying that now historic conflict1 nor is it germane to such a work as this4 ,while ,morse took a prominent part in the political movements of the time1 while he was fearless and outspoken in his views1 his name is not now associated historically with those epoch-making events4 ,it has seemed necessary1 however1 to make some mention of his convictions in order to make the portrait a true one4 ,he continued to oppose the measures of the ,administration2 he did all in his power to hasten the coming of peace2 he worked and voted for the election of ,mc,clellan to the ,presidency1 and when he and the other eminent men who believed as he did were outvoted1 he bowed to the will of the majority with many misgivings as to the future4 ,although he was opposed to the war his heart bled for the wounded on both sides1 and he took a prominent part in the ,national ,sanitary ,commission4 ,he expresses himself warmly in a letter of ,february #bf1 #ahfd1 to its president1 ,rev4 ,dr4 ,bellows3-- ,there are some who are sufferers1 great sufferers1 whom we can reach and relieve without endangering political or military plans1 and in the spirit of ,him who ignored the petty political distinctions of ,jew and ,samaritan1 and regarded both as entitled to ,his sympathy and relief1 ,i cannot but think it is within the scope and interest of the great ,sanitary ,commission to extend a portion of their ,christian regard to the unfortunate sufferers from this dreadful war1 the prisoners in our fortresses1 and to those who dwell upon the borders of the contending sections4 ,in a letter of ,march #bc1 to ,william ,l4 ,ransom1 ,esq41 of ,litchfield1 ,connecticut1 he1 perhaps unconsciously1 enunciates one of the fundamental beliefs of that great president whom he so bitterly opposed3-- ,i hardly know how to comply with your request to have a 'short1 pithy1 ,democratic sentiment4' ,in glancing at the thousand mystifications which have befogged so many in our presumed intelligent community1 ,i note one in relation to the new-fangled application of a common foreign word imported from the monarchies of ,europe4 ,i mean the word 'loyalty1' upon which the changes are daily and hourly sung ad nauseam4 ,i have no objection1 however1 to the word if it be rightly applied4 ,it signifies 'fidelity to a prince or sovereign4' ,now if loyalty is required of us1 it should be to the ,sovereign4 ,where is this ,sovereign8 ,he is not the ,president1 nor his ,cabinet1 nor ,congress1 nor the ,judiciary1 nor any nor all of the ,administration together4 ,our ,sovereign is on a throne above all these4 ,he is the ,people1 or ,peoples of the ,states4 ,he has issued his decree1 not to private individuals only1 but to ,president and to all his subordinate servants1 and this sovereign decree his servant the is the ,constitution4 ,he who adheres faithfully to this written will of the ,sovereign is loyal4 ,he who violates the embodiment of the will of the ,sovereign1 is disloyal1 whether he be a ,constitution1 this ,president1 a ,secretary1 a member of ,congress or of the ,judiciary1 or a simple citizen4 ,as a firm believer in the ,democratic doctrine of ,states' ,rights ,morse1 with many others1 held that ,lincoln had overridden the ,constitution in his ,emancipation ,proclamation4 ,it was a source of grief to him just at this time that his brother ,richard had changed his political faith1 and had announced his intention of voting for the reelection of ,president ,lincoln4 ,in a long letter of ,september #bd1 #ahfd1 gently chiding him for thus going over to the ,abolitionists1 the elder brother again states his reasons for remaining firm in his faith3-- ,i supposed1 dear brother1 that on that subject you were on the same platform with ,sidney and myself4 ,have there been any new lights1 any new aspects of it1 which have rendered it less odious1 less the 'child of ,satan' than when you and ,sidney edited the ,new ,york ,observer before ,lincoln was ,president8 ,i have seen no reason to change my views respecting abolition4 ,you well know ,i have ever considered it the logical progeny of ,unitarianism and ,infidelity4 ,it is characterized by subtlety1 hypocrisy and pharisaism1 and one of the most melancholy marks of its speciousness is its influence in benumbing the gracious sensibilities of many ,christian hearts1 and blinding their eyes to their sad defection from the truths of the ,bible4 ,i know1 indeed1 the influences by which you are surrounded1 but they are neither stronger nor more artful than those which our brave father manfully withstood in combating the monster in the cradle4 ,i hope there is enough of father's firmness and courage in battling with error1 however specious1 to keep you1 through ,god's grace1 from falling into the embrace of the body-and-soul-destroying heresy of ,abolitionism4 ,in another long letter to his brother ,richard1 of ,november #e1 he firmly but gently upholds his view that the ,constitution has been violated by ,lincoln's action1 and that the manner of amending the ,constitution was provided for in that instrument itself1 and that3 ,if that change is made in accordance with its provisions1 no one will complain2 and then he adds3-- ,but it is too late to give you the reasons of the political faith that ,i hold4 ,when the excitement of the election is over1 let it result as it may1 ,i may be able to show you that my opinions are formed from deep study and observation4 ,now ,i can only announce them comparatively unsustained by the reasons for forming them4 ,i am interrupted by a call from the committee requesting me to conduct ,general ,mc,clellan to the balcony of the ,fifth ,avenue ,hotel this evening1 to review the ,mc,clellan ,legion and the procession4 ,after my return ,i will continue my letter4 #ab o'clock1 midnight4 ,i have just returned1 and never have ,i witnessed in any gathering of the people1 either in ,europe or in this country1 such a magnificent and enthusiastic display4 ,i conducted the ,general to the front of the balcony and presented him to the assemblage 7a dense mass of heads as far as the eye could reach in every direction71 and such a shout1 which continued for many minutes1 ,i never heard before1 except it may have been at the reception in ,london of ,blcher and ,platoff after the battle of ,waterloo4 ,i leave the papers to give you the details4 ,the procession was passing from nine o'clock to a quarter to twelve midnight1 and such was the denseness of the crowd within the hotel1 every entry and passageway jammed with people1 that we were near being crushed4 ,three policemen before me could scarcely open a way for the ,general1 who held my arm1 to pass only a few yards to our room4 ,after taking my leave ,i succeeded with difficulty in pressing my way through the crowd within and without the hotel1 and have just got into my quiet library and must now retire1 for ,i am too fatigued to do anything but sleep4 ,good-night4 ,a short time after this the election was held1 and this enthusiastic advocate of what he considered the right learned the bitter lesson that crowds1 and shouting1 and surface enthusiasm do not carry an election4 ,the voice of that ,sovereign to whom he had sworn loyalty spoke in no uncertain tones1 and ,lincoln was overwhelmingly chosen by the votes of the ,people4 ,morse was outvoted but not convinced1 and ,i shall make but one quotation from a letter of ,november #i1 to his brother ,richard1 who had also remained firm in spite of his brother's pleading3 ,my consolation is in looking up1 and ,i pray you may be so enlightened that you may be delivered from the delusions which have ensnared you1 and from the judgments which ,i cannot but feel are in store for this section of the country4 ,when ,i can believe that my ,bible reads 'cursed' instead of 'blessed' are the 'peacemakers1' ,i also shall cease to be a peace man4 ,but while they remain1 as they do1 in the category of those that are blessed1 ,i cannot be frightened at the names of 'copperhead' and 'traitor' so lavishly bestowed1 with threats of hanging etc41 by those whom you have assisted into power4 ,in a letter of ,mr4 ,george ,wood's1 of ,june #bf1 #ahfe1 ,i find the following sentences3 ,i have to acknowledge your very carefully written letter on the divine origin of ,slavery4444 ,i hope you have kept a copy of this letter1 for the time will come when you will have a biography written1 and the defense you have made of your position1 taken in your pamphlet1 is unquestionably far better than he 7your biographer7 will make for you4 ,the letter to which ,mr4 ,wood refers was begun on ,march #e1 #ahfe1 but finished some time afterwards4 ,it is very long1 too long to be included here1 but in justice to myself1 that future biographer1 ,i wish to state that ,i have already given the main arguments brought forward in that letter1 in quotations from previous letters1 and that ,i have attempted no defense further than to emphasize the fact that1 right or wrong1 ,morse was intensely sincere1 and that he had the courage of his opinions4 ,returning to an earlier date1 and turning from matters political to the gentler arts of peace1 we find that the one-time artist had always hoped that some day he could resume his brush1 which the labors incident to the invention of the telegraph had compelled him to drop4 ,but it seems that his hand1 through long disuse1 had lost its cunning4 ,he bewails the fact in a letter of ,january #bj1 #ahfd1 to ,n4 ,jocelyn1 ,esq43-- ,i have many yearnings towards painting and sculpture1 but that rigid faculty called reason1 so opposed often to imagination1 reads me a lecture to which ,i am compelled to bow4 ,to explain3 ,i made the attempt to draw a short time ago2 everything in the drawing seemed properly proportioned1 but1 upon putting it in another light1 ,i perceived that every perpendicular line was awry4 ,in other words ,i found that ,i could place no confidence in my eyes4 ,no1 ,i have made the sacrifice of my profession to establish an invention which is doing mankind a great service4 ,i pursued it long enough to found an institution which1 ,i trust1 is to flourish long after ,i am gone1 and be the means of educating a noble class of men in ,art1 to be an honor and praise to our beloved country when peace shall once more bless us throughout all our borders in one grand brotherhood of ,states4 ,the many letters to his children are models of patient exhortation and cheerful optimism1 when sometimes the temptation to indulge in pessimism was strong4 ,i shall give1 as an example1 one written on ,may #i1 #ahfd1 to two of his sons who had returned to school at ,newport3-- ,now we hope to have good reports of your progress in your studies4 ,in spring1 you know1 the farmers sow their seed which is to give them their harvest at the close of the summer4 ,if they were not careful to put the seed in the ground1 thinking it would do just as well about ,august or ,september1 or if they put in very little seed1 you can see that they cannot expect to reap a good or abundant crop4 ,now it is just so in regard to your life4 ,you are in the springtime of life4 ,it is seed time4 ,you must sow now or you will reap nothing by-and-by1 or1 if anything1 only weeds4 ,your teachers are giving you the seed in your various studies4 ,you cannot at present understand the use of them1 but you must take them on trust2 you must believe that your parents and teachers have had experience1 and they know what will be for your good hereafter1 what studies will be most useful to you in after life4 ,therefore buckle down to your studies diligently and very soon you will get to love your studies1 and then it will be a pleasure and not a task to learn your lessons4 ,we miss your noise1 but1 although agreeable quiet has come in place of it1 we should be willing to have the noise if we could have our dear boys near us4 ,you are1 indeed1 troublesome pleasures1 but1 after all1 pleasant troubles4 ,when you are settled in life and have a family around you1 you will better understand what ,i mean4 ,in spite of the disorganization of business caused by the war1 the value of telegraphic property was rapidly increasing1 and new lines were being constantly built or proposed4 ,morse refers to this in a letter of ,june #be1 #ahfd1 to his old friend ,george ,wood3-- ,to you1 as well as to myself1 the rapid progress of the ,telegraph throughout the world must seem wonderful1 and with me you will1 doubtless1 often recur to our friend ,annie's inspired message--',what hath ,god wrought4' ,it is1 indeed1 his marvellous work1 and to ,him be the glory4 ,early in the history of the invention1 in forecasting its future1 ,i was accustomed to predict with confidence1 ',it is destined to go round the world1' but ,i confess ,i did not expect to live to see the prediction fulfilled4 ,it is quite as wonderful to me also that1 with the thousand attempts to improve my system1 with the mechanical skill of the world concentrated upon improving the mechanism1 the result has been beautiful complications and great ingenuity1 but no improvement4 ,i have the gratification of knowing that my system1 everywhere known as the ',morse system1' is universally adopted throughout the world1 because of its simplicity and its adaptedness to universality4 ,this remains true to the present day1 and is one of the remarkable features of this great invention4 ,the germ of the ,morse system1 as jotted down in the #ahcb sketch-book1 is the basic principle of the universal telegraph of to-day4 ,in another letter to ,mr4 ,wood1 of ,september #aa1 #ahfd1 referring to the sad death of the son of a mutual friend1 he touches on two of the great enigmas of life which have puzzled many other minds3-- ,it is one of those mysteries of ,providence1 one of those deep things of ,god to be unfolded in eternity1 with the perfect vindication of ,god's wisdom and justice1 that children of pious parents1 children of daily anxiety and prayer1 dedicated to ,god from their birth and trained to all human appearance 'in the way they should go1' should yet seem to falsify the promise that 'they should not depart from it4' ,it is a subject too deep to fathom4 444 ,it is my daily1 ,i may say hourly1 thought1 certainly my constant wakeful thought at night1 how to resolve the question3 ',why has ,god seen fit so abundantly to shower his earthly blessings upon me in my latter days1 to bless me with every desirable comfort1 while so many so much more deserving 7in human eyes at least7 are deprived of all comfort and have heaped upon them sufferings and troubles in every shape8' ,the memory of his student days in ,london was always dear to him1 and on ,january #d1 #ahfe1 he writes to ,william ,cullen ,bryant3-- ,i have this moment received a printed circular respecting the proposed purchase of the portrait of ,allston by ,leslie to be presented to the ,national ,academy of ,design4 ,there are associations in my mind with those two eminent and beloved names which appeal too strongly to me to be resisted4 ,now ,i have a favor to ask which ,i hope will not be denied4 ,it is that ,i may be allowed to present to the ,academy that portrait in my own name4 ,you can appreciate the arguments which have influenced my wishes in this respect4 ,allston was more than any other person my master in art4 ,leslie was my life-long cherished friend and fellow pupil1 whom ,i loved as a brother4 ,we all lived together for years in the closest intimacy and in the same house4 ,is there not then a fitness that the portrait of the master by one distinguished pupil should be presented by the surviving pupil to the ,academy over which he presided in its infancy1 as well as assisted in its birth1 and1 although divorced from ,art1 cannot so easily be divorced from the memories of an intercourse with these distinguished friends1 an intercourse which never for one moment suffered interruption1 even from a shadow of estrangement8 ,it is needless to say that this generous offer was accepted1 and ,morse at the same time presented to the ,academy the brush which ,allston was using when stricken with his fatal illness4 ,as his means permitted he made generous donations to charities and to educational institutions1 and on ,may #bj1 #ahfe1 he endowed by the gift of #aj1jjj a lectureship in the ,union ,theological ,seminary1 making the following request in the letter which accompanied it3-- ,if it be thought advisable that the name of the lectureship1 as was suggested1 should be the ,morse ,lectureship1 ,i wish it to be distinctly understood that it is so named in honor of my venerated and distinguished father1 whose zealous labors in the cause of theological education1 and in various benevolent enterprises1 as well as of geographical science1 entitle his memory to preservation in connection with the efforts to diffuse the knowledge of our ,lord and ,saviour1 ,jesus ,christ1 and his gospel throughout the world4 ,curiously enough ,i find no reference in the letters of the year #ahfe to the assassination of ,president ,lincoln1 but ,i well remember being taken1 a boy of eight1 to our stable on the corner of ,fifth ,avenue and ,twenty-first ,street1 from the second-floor windows of which we watched the imposing funeral cortge pass up the avenue4 ,the fifty-fifth reunion of his class of #ahaj took place in this year1 and ,morse reluctantly decided to absent himself4 ,the reasons why he felt that he could not go are given in a long letter of ,august #aa to his cousin1 ,professor ,e4,s4 ,salisbury1 and it is such a clear statement of his convictions that ,i am tempted to give it almost in its entirety3-- ,i should have been most happy on many personal accounts to have been at the periodical meeting of my surviving classmates of #ahaj1 and also to have renewed my social intercourse with many esteemed friends and relations in ,new ,haven4 ,but as ,i could not conscientiously take part in the proposed martial sectional glorification of those of the family who fell in the late lamentable family strife1 and could not in any brief way or time explain the discriminations that were necessary between that which ,i approve and that which ,i most unqualifiedly condemn1 without the risk of misapprehension1 ,i preferred the only alternative left me1 to absent myself altogether4 ,you well know ,i never approved of the late war4 ,i have ever believed1 and still believe1 if the warnings of far-seeing statesmen 7,washington1 ,clay1 and ,webster among them7 had been heeded1 if1 during the last thirty years of persistent stirring up of strife by angry words1 the calm and ,christian counsels of intelligent patriots had been followed at the ,north1 and a strict observance of the letter and spirit of the ,constitution had been sustained as the supreme law1 instead of the insidious violations of its provisions1 especially by ,new ,england1 we should have had no war4 ,as ,i contributed nothing to the war1 so now ,i see no reason specially to exult in the display of brave qualities in an isolated portion of the family1 qualities which no true ,american ever doubted were possessed by both sections of our country in an equal degree4 ,why then discriminate between alumni from the ,north and alumni from the ,south at a gathering in which alumni from both sections are expected to meet8444 ,no1 my dear cousin1 the whole era of the war is one ,i wish not to remember4 ,i would have no other memorial than a black cross1 like those over the graves of murdered travellers1 to cause a shudder whenever it is seen4 ,it would be well if ,history could blot from its pages all record of the past four years4 ,there is no glory in them for victors or vanquished4 ,the only event in which ,i rejoice is the restoration of ,peace1 which never should have been interrupted4444 ,i have no doubt that they who originated the recent demonstration honestly believed it to be patriotic1 for every movement nowadays must take that shape to satisfy the morbid appetite of the popular mind4 ,i cannot think it either in good taste or in conformity with sound policy for our collegiate institutions to foster this depraved appetite4 ,surely there is enough of this in the political harangues of the day for those who require such aids to patriotism without its being administered to by our colleges4 ,that patriotism is of rather a suspicious character which needs such props4 ,i love to see my children well clad and taking a proper pride in their attire1 but ,i should not think them well instructed if ,i found them everywhere boasting of their fine clothes4 ,a true nobleman is not forever boasting of his nobility for fear that his rank may not be recognized4 ,the loudest boasts of patriotism do not come from the true possessors of the genuine spirit4 ,patriotism is not sectional nor local1 it comprehends in its grasp the whole country4444 ,i have said the demonstration at ,commencement was in bad taste4 ,why8 you will say4 ,because ,commencement day brings together the alumni of the college from all parts of the ,union1 from the ,south as well as the ,north4 ,they are to meet on some common ground1 and that common ground is the love that all are supposed to bear to the old ,alma ,mater1 cherished by memories of past friendships in their college associations4 ,the late ,commencement was one of peculiar note4 ,it was the first after the return of peace4 ,the country had been sundered2 the ties of friendship and of kindred had been broken2 the bonds of college affection were weakened if not destroyed4 ,what an opportunity for inaugurating the healing process6 ,what an occasion for the display of magnanimity1 of mollifying the pain of humiliation1 of throwing a veil of oblivion over the past1 of watering the perishing roots of fraternal affection and fostering the spirit of genuine union6 ,but no4 ,the ,southern alumnus may come1 but he comes to be humiliated still further4 ,can he join in the plaudits of those by whom he has been humbled8 ,you may applaud1 but do not ask him to join in your acclamations4 ,he may be mourning the death of father1 brother1 yes1 of mother and sister1 by the very hands of those you are glorifying4 ,do not aggravate his sorrow by requiring him to join you in such a demonstration4 ,no1 my dear cousin1 it was in bad taste to say the least of it1 and it was equally impolitic to intercalate such a demonstration into the usual and appropriate exercises of the week4 ,you expect1 ,i presume1 to have pupils from the ,south as heretofore2 will such a sectional display be likely to attract them or to repel them8 ,if they can go elsewhere they will not come to you4 ,they will not be attracted by a perpetual memento before their eyes of your triumph over them4 ,it was not politic4 ,it is no improvement for ,christian ,america to show less humanity than heathen ,rome4 ,the ,romans never made demonstrations of triumph over the defeat of their countrymen in a civil war4 ,it is no proof of superior civilization that we refuse to follow ,roman example in such cases4 ,my dear cousin1 ,i have written you very frankly1 but ,i trust you will not misunderstand me as having any personal reproaches to make for the part you have taken in the matter4 ,we undoubtedly view the field from different standpoints4 ,i concede to you conscientious motives in what you do4 ,you are sustained by those around you1 men of intellect1 men of character4 ,i respect them while ,i differ from them4 ,i appeal1 however1 to a higher law1 and that1 ,i think1 sustains me4 ,his strong and outspoken stand for what he believed to be the right made him many enemies1 and he was called hard names by the majority of those by whom he was surrounded at the ,north2 and yet the very fearlessness with which he advocated an unpopular point of view undoubtedly compelled increased respect for him4 ,a proof of this is given in a letter to his daughter1 ,mrs4 ,lind1 of ,december #bh1 #ahfe3-- ,i also send you some clippings from the papers giving you an account of some of the doings respecting a statue proposed to me by the ,common ,council4 ,the ,mayor1 who is a personal friend of mine1 you see has vetoed the resolutions1 not from a disapproval of their character1 but because he did not like the locality proposed4 ,he proposes the ,central ,park1 and in this opinion all my friends concur4 ,i doubt if they will carry the project through while ,i am alive1 and it would really seem most proper to wait until ,i was gone before they put up my monument4 ,i have nothing1 however1 to say on the subject4 ,i am gratified1 of course1 to see the manifestation of kindly feeling1 but1 as the tinder of vainglory is in every human heart1 ,i rather shrink from such a proposed demonstration lest a spark of flattery should kindle that tinder to an unseemly and destructive flame4 ,i am not blind to the popularity1 world-wide1 of the ,telegraph1 and a sober forecast of the future foreshadows such a statue in some place4 ,if ever erected ,i hope the prominent mottoes upon the pedestal will be3 ',not unto us1 not unto us1 but to ,god be the glory1' and the first message or telegram3 ',what hath ,,god wrought4' ,he says very much the same thing in a letter to his friend ,george ,wood1 of ,january #ae1 #ahff1 and he also says in this letter1 referring to some instance of benevolent generosity by ,mr4 ,kendall3-- ,is it not a noticeable fact that the wealth acquired by the ,telegraph has in so many conspicuous instances been devoted to benevolent purposes8 ,mr4 ,kendall is prominent in his expenditures for great ,christian enterprises1 and think of ,cornell1 always esteemed by me as an ingenious and shrewd man1 when employed by me to set the posts and put up the wire for the first line of ,telegraphs between ,washington and ,baltimore1 yet thought to be rather close and narrow-minded by those around him4 ,but see1 when his wealth had increased by his acquisition of ,telegraph stock to millions 7it is said71 what enlarged and noble plans of public benefit were conceived and brought forth by him4 ,i have viewed his course with great gratification as the evidence of ,god's blessing on what ,he hath wrought4 ,it has been made plain1 ,i think1 that ,morse was essentially a leader in every movement in which he took an interest1 whether it was artistic1 scientific1 religious1 or political4 ,this is emphasized by the number of requests made to him to assume the presidency of all sorts of organizations1 and these requests multiplied as he advanced in years4 ,most of them he felt compelled to decline1 for1 as he says in a letter of ,march #ac1 #ahff1 declining the presidency of the ,geographical and ,statistical ,society3 ,i am at an age when ,i find it necessary rather to be relieved from the cares and responsibilities already resting upon me1 than to take upon me additional ones4 ,in many other cases he allowed his name to be used as vice-president or member1 when he considered the object of the organization a worthy one1 and his benefactions were only limited by his means4 ,he did1 however1 accept the presidency of one association just at this time1 the ,american ,asiatic ,society1 in which were interested such men as ,gorham ,abbott1 ,dr4 ,forsyth1 ,e4,h4 ,champlin1 ,thomas ,harrison1 and ,morse's brother-in-law1 ,william ,m4 ,goodrich4 ,the aims of this society were rather vast1 including an ,international ,congress to be called by the ,emperor ,napoleon ,,iii1 for the purpose of opening up and controlling the great highways from the ,east to the ,west through the ,isthmus of ,suez and that of ,panama2 also the colonization of ,palestine by the ,jews1 and other commercial and philanthropic schemes4 ,i cannot find that anything of lasting importance was accomplished by this society1 so ,i shall make no further mention of it1 although there is much correspondence about it4 ,the following1 from a letter to ,mr4 ,kendall of ,march #ai1 #ahff1 explains itself3 ,if ,i understand the position of our ,telegraph interests1 they are now very much as you and ,i wished them to be in the outset1 not cut up in ,o',reilly fashion into irresponsible parts1 but making one grand whole like the ,post-,office system4 ,it is becoming1 doubtless1 a monopoly1 but no more so than the ,post-,office system1 and its unity is in reality a public advantage if properly and uprightly managed1 and this1 of course1 will depend on the character of the managers4 ,confidence must be reposed somewhere1 and why not in upright and responsible men who are impelled as well by their own interest to have their matters conducted with fairness and with liberality4 ,as a curious commentary on his misplaced faith in the integrity of others1 ,i shall quote from a letter of ,january #d1 #ahfg1 to ,e4,s4 ,sanford1 ,esq41 which also shows his abhorrence of anything like crooked dealing in financial matters3-- ,i wish when you again write me you would give me1 in confidence1 the names of those in the ,board of the ,western ,union who are acting in so dishonorable and tricky a manner4 ,i think ,i ought to know them in order to avoid them1 and resist them in the public interest4 ,it is a shame that an enterprise which1 honestly conducted1 is more than usually profitable1 should be conducted on the principles of sharpers and tricksters4 ,illustration3 ,,telegram ,,showing ,,morse',s ,,characteristic ,,deadhead1 ,,which ,,he ,,always ,,used ,,to ,,frank ,,his ,,messages ,so far as the ,russian ,extension is concerned1 ,i should judge from your representation that1 as a stockholder in that enterprise to the amount of #cj1jjj1 the plan would conduce to my immediate pecuniary benefit4 ,but so would the robbery of the safe of a bank4 ,if wealth can be obtained only by such swindles1 ,i prefer poverty4 ,you have my proxy and ,i have the utmost confidence in your management4 ,do by me as you would do for yourself1 and ,i shall be satisfied4444 ,in regard to any honorable propositions made in the ,board be conciliatory and compromising1 but any scheme to oppress the smaller stockholders for the benefit of the larger resist to the death4 ,i prefer to sacrifice all my stock rather than have such a stigma on my character as such mean1 and ,i will add villainous1 conduct would be sure to bring upon all who engaged in it4 ,in this connection ,i shall also quote from another letter to ,mr4 ,sanford1 of ,february #ae1 #ahfg3 ,if ,government thinks seriously of purchasing the ,telegraph1 and at this late day adopting my early suggestion that it ought to belong to the ,post-,office ,department1 be it so if they will now pay for it4 ,they must now pay millions for that which ,i offered to them for one hundred thousand dollars1 and gave them a year for consideration ere they adopted it4 ,there are but few references to politics in the letters of this period1 but ,i find the following in a letter of ,march #bj1 #ahff1 to a cousin3 ,you ask my opinion of our ,president4 ,i did not vote for him1 but ,i am agreeably surprised at his masterly statesmanship1 and hope1 by his firmness in resisting the extreme radicals1 he will preserve the ,union against now the greatest enemies we have to contend against4 ,i mean those who call themselves ,abolitionists4444 ,president ,johnson deserves the support of all true patriots1 and he will have it against all the 'traitors' in the country1 by whatever soft names of loyalty they endeavor to shield themselves4 ,appeals of all kinds kept pouring in on him1 and1 in courteously refusing one1 on ,april #ag1 he uses the following language3 ,i am unable to aid you4 ,i cannot1 indeed1 answer a fiftieth part of the hundreds of applications made to me from every section of the country daily--,i might say hourly--for yours is the third this morning and it is not yet #ab o'clock4 ,after settling his affairs at home in his usual methodical manner1 ,morse sailed with his wife and his four young children1 and ,colonel ,john ,r4 ,leslie their tutor1 for ,europe on the #bc;d of ,june1 #ahff1 prepared for an extended stay4 ,he wished to give his children the advantages of travel and study in ,europe1 and he was very desirous of being in ,paris during the ,universal ,exposition of #ahfg4 ,there is a gap in the letter-books until ,october1 #ahff1 but from the few letters to members of the family which have been preserved1 and from my own recollections1 we know that the summer of #ahff was most delightfully spent in journeying through ,france1 ,germany1 and ,switzerland4 ,the children were now old enough not to be the nuisances they seem to have been in #aheh1 for we find no note of complaint on that account4 ,in ,september he returned with his wife1 his daughter1 and his youngest son to ,paris1 leaving his two older sons with their tutor in ,geneva4 ,as he wished to make ,paris his headquarters for nearly a year1 he sought and found a furnished apartment at ,no4 #aj ,avenue du ,roi de ,rome 7now the ,avenue du ,trocadero71 and he writes to his mother-in-law on ,september #bb3 ,we are fortunate in having apartments in a new building1 or rather one newly and completely repaired throughout4 ,all the apartments are newly furnished with elegant furniture1 we having the first use of it4 ,we have ample rooms1 not large1 but promising more comfort for winter residence than if they were larger4 ,the situation is on a wide avenue and central for many purposes2 close to the ,champs ,elyses1 near also to the ,bois de ,boulogne1 and within a few minutes walk of the ,champ de ,mars1 so that we shall be most eligibly situated to visit the great ,exposition when it opens in ,april4 ,his wife's sister1 ,mrs4 ,goodrich1 with her husband and daughters1 occupied an apartment in the same building2 his grandson ,charles ,lind was also in ,paris studying painting1 and before the summer of the next year other members of his family came to ,paris1 so that at one time eighteen of those related to him by blood or marriage were around him4 ,to a man of ,morse's affectionate nature and loyalty to family this was a source of peculiar joy1 and those ,parisian days were some of the happiest of his life4 ,the rest of the autumn and early winter were spent in sight-seeing and in settling his children in their various studies4 ,the brilliance of the court of ,napoleon ,,iii just before the dbcle of #ahgj is a matter of history1 and it reached its high-water mark during the ,exposition year of #ahfg1 when emperors1 kings1 and princes journeyed to ,paris to do homage to the man of the hour4 ,court balls1 receptions1 gala performances at opera and theatre1 and military reviews followed each other in bewildering but well-ordered confusion1 and ,morse1 as a man of worldwide celebrity1 took part in all of them4 ,he and his wife and his young daughter1 a girl of sixteen1 were presented at court1 and were fted everywhere4 ,in a letter to his mother-in-law he gives a description of his court costume on the occasion of his first presentation1 when he was accompanied only by his brother-in-law1 ,mr4 ,goodrich3-- ,we received our cards inviting us to the soire and to pass the evening with their majesties on the #afth of ,january 7,wednesday evening74 ',en uniforme' was stamped upon the card1 so we had to procure court dresses4 ,mr4 ,goodrich1 as is the custom in most cases1 hired his2 ,i had a full suit made for me4 ,a chapeau bras1 with gold lace loop1 a blue coat1 with standing collar1 single breasted1 richly embroidered with gold lace1 the ,american eagle button1 white silk lining1 vest light cashmere with gilt buttons1 pantaloons with a broad stripe of gold lace on the outside seams1 a small sword1 and patent-leather shoes or boots completed the dress of ordinary mortals like ,brother ,goodrich1 but for extraordinary mortals1 like my humble republican self1 ,i was bedizened with all my orders1 seven decorations1 covering my left breast4 ,if thus accoutred ,i should be seen on ,broadway1 ,i should undoubtedly have a numerous escort of a character not the most agreeable1 but1 as it was1 ,i found myself in very good and numerous company1 none of whom could consistently laugh at his neighbors4 ,after describing the ceremony of presentation he continues3-- ,occasionally both the emperor and empress said a few words to particular individuals4 ,when my name was mentioned the emperor said to me1 ',your name1 sir1 is well known here1' for which ,i thanked him2 and the empress afterwards said to me1 when my name was mentioned1 ',we are greatly indebted to you1 sir1 for the ,telegraph1' or to that effect4 ,afterwards ,mr4 ,bennett1 the winner of the yacht race1 engaged for a moment their particular regards4444 ,i wonder if the modest inventor appreciated the irony of this juxtaposition4 ,after the dancers were fully engaged1 the refreshment-room1 the ,salon of ,diana1 was opened1 and1 as in our less aristocratic country1 the tables attracted a great crowd1 so that the doors were guarded so as to admit the company by instalments4 ,i had in vain for some time endeavored to gain admittance1 and was waiting patiently quite at a distance from the door1 which was thronged with ladies and high dignitaries1 when a gentleman who guarded the door1 and who had his breast covered with orders1 addressed me by name1 asking me if ,i was not ,professor ,morse4 ,upon replying in the affirmative1 quite to my surprise1 he made way for me to the door and1 opening it1 admitted me before all the rest4 ,i cannot yet divine why this special favor was shown to me4 ,the tables were richly furnished4 ,i looked for bonbons to carry home to the children1 but when ,i saw some tempting looking almonds and candies and mottoes1 to my surprise ,i found they were all composed of fish put up in this form1 and the mottoes were of salad4 ,it is good to know that ,morse1 ever willing to forgive and forget1 was again on terms of friendly intercourse with ,cyrus ,w4 ,field1 who was then in ,london1 as the following letter to him1 dated ,march #a1 #ahfg1 will show3-- ,singular as it may seem1 ,i was in the midst of your speech before the ,chamber of ,commerce reception to you in ,new ,york1 perusing it with deep interest1 when my valet handed me your letter of the #bgth ulto4 ,i regret exceedingly that ,i shall not have the great pleasure ,i had anticipated1 with other friends here1 who were prepared to receive you in ,paris with the welcome you so richly deserve4 ,you invite me to ,london4 ,i have the matter under consideration4 ,march winds and that boisterous channel have some weight in my decision1 but ,i so long to take you by the hand and to get posted upon ,telegraph matters at home1 that ,i feel disposed to make the attempt4 ,but without positively saying 'yes1' ,i will see if in a few days ,i can so arrange my affairs as to have a few hours with you before you sail on the #bjth4 ,illustration3 ,,morse ,,in ,,old ,,age ,i send you by book post the proceedings of the banquet given to our late ,minister1 ,bigelow1 in which you will see my remarks on the great enterprise with which your name will forever be so honorably associated and justly immortalized4 ,it will be remembered1 that the ,atlantic cable was finally successfully laid on ,july #bg1 #ahff1 and that to ,cyrus ,field1 more than to any other man1 was this wonderful achievement due4 ,in a letter of ,march #d1 #ahfg1 to ,john ,s4,c4 ,abbott1 ,esq41 ,morse gives the following interesting incident in the life of ,napoleon ,,iii3-- ,in #ahcg1 ,i was one of a club of gentlemen in ,new ,york who were associated for social and informal intellectual converse1 which held weekly meetings at each other's houses in rotation4 ,most of these distinguished men are now deceased4 ,the club consisted of such men as ,chancellor ,kent1 ,albert ,gallatin1 ,peter ,augustus ,jay1 ,reporter ,johnson1 ,dr4 7afterwards ,bishop7 ,wainwright1 the ,president and ,professors of ,columbia ,college1 the ,chancellor and ,professors of the ,new ,york ,city ,university1 ,dr4 ,augustus ,smith1 ,messrs4 ,goodhue and ,de ,rham of the mercantile class1 and ,john ,c4 ,hamilton1 ,esq4 and ex-,governor ,w4,b4 ,lawrence from the literary ranks4 ,among the rules of the club was one permitting any member to introduce to the meetings distinguished strangers visiting the city4 ,at one of the reunions of the club the place of meeting was at ,chancellor ,kent's4 ,on assembling the chancellor introduced to us ,louis ,napoleon1 a son of the ex-,king of ,holland1 a young man pale and contemplative1 somewhat reserved4 ,this reserve we generally attributed to a supposed imperfect acquaintance with our language4 ,at supper he sat on the right of the ,chancellor at the head of the table4 ,mr4 ,gallatin was opposite the ,chancellor at the foot of the table1 and ,i was on his right4 ,in the course of the evening1 while the conversation was general1 ,i drew the attention of ,mr4 ,gallatin to the stranger1 observing that ,i did not trace any resemblance in his features to his world-renowned uncle1 yet that his forehead indicated great intellect4 ',yes1' replied ,mr4 ,gallatin1 'there is a great deal in that head of his1 but he has a strange fancy4 ,can you believe it1 he has the impression that he will one day be the ,emperor of the ,french2 can you conceive of anything more ridiculous8' ,certainly at that period1 even to the sagacious eye of ,mr4 ,gallatin1 such an idea would naturally seem too improbable to be entertained for a moment1 but1 in the light of later events1 and the actual state of things at present1 does not the fact show that1 even in his darkest hours1 there was in this extraordinary man that unabated faith in his future which was a harbinger of success2 a faith which pierced the dark clouds which surrounded him1 and realized to him in marvellous prophetic vision that which we see at this day and hour fully accomplished8 ,morse must have penned these words with peculiar satisfaction1 for they epitomized his own sublime faith in his future4 ,in #ahcg he also was passing through some of his darkest hours1 but he too had had faith1 and now1 thirty years afterwards1 his dreams of glory had been triumphantly realized1 he was an honored guest of that other man of destiny1 and his name was forever immortalized4 ,the spring and early summer of #ahfg were enjoyed to the full by the now venerable inventor and his family4 ,the ,exposition was a source of never-ending joy to him1 and he says of it in a letter to his son-in-law1 ,edward ,lind3-- ,you will hear all sorts of stories about the ,exposition4 ,the ,english papers 7some of them71 in ,john ,bull style1 call it a humbug4 ,let me tell you that1 imperfect as it is in its present condition1 going on rapidly to completion1 it may without exaggeration be pronounced the eighth wonder of the world4 ,it is the world in epitome4 ,i came over with my children to give them the advantage of thus studying the world in anticipation of what ,i now see1 and ,i can say that the two days only in which ,i have been able to glance through parts of its vast extent1 have amply repaid me for my voyage here4 ,i believe my children will learn more of the condition of the arts1 agriculture1 customs1 manufactures and mineral and vegetable products of the world in five weeks than they could by books at home in five years1 and as many years' travel4 ,he was made an ,honorary ,commissioner of the ,united ,states to the ,exposition1 and he prepared an elaborate and careful report on the electrical department1 for which he received a bronze medal from the ,french ,government4 ,writing of this report to his brother ,sidney1 he says3 ,this keeps me so busy that ,i have no time to write1 and ,i have so many irons in the fire that ,i fear some must burn4 ,but father's motto was--',better wear out than rust out1'--so ,i keep at work4 ,in a letter to his friend1 the ,honorable ,john ,thompson1 of ,poughkeepsie1 he describes one of his dissipations3-- ,paris now is the great centre of the ,world4 ,such an assemblage of sovereigns was never before gathered1 and ,i and mine are in the midst of the great scenes and ftes4 ,we were honored1 a few evenings ago1 with cards to a very select fte given by the emperor and empress at the ,tuilleries to the ,king and ,queen of the ,belgians1 the ,prince of ,wales and ,prince ,alfred1 to the ,queen of ,portugal1 the ,grand ,duchess ,marie of ,russia1 sister of the late ,emperor ,nicholas1 a noble looking woman1 the ,princess ,metternich of ,austria1 and many others4 ,the display was gorgeous1 and as the number of guests was limited 7only one thousand67 there was more space for locomotion than at the former gatherings at the ,palace1 where we were wedged in with some four thousand4 ,there was dancing and my daughter was solicited by one of the gentlemen for a set in which ,prince ,alfred and the ,turkish ,ambassador danced1 the latter with an ,american belle1 one of the ,miss ,beckwiths4 ,i allowed her to dance in this set once4 ,the ,empress is truly a beautiful woman and of unaffected manners4 ,in a long letter to his brother ,sidney1 of ,june #h1 he describes some of their doings4 ,at the ,grand ,review of sixty thousand troops he and his wife and eldest son were given seats in the ,imperial ,tribune1 a little way behind the emperor and the ,king of ,prussia1 who were so soon to wage a deadly war with each other4 ,on the way back from the review the following incident occurred3-- ,after the review was over we took our carriage to return home4 ,the carriages and cortge of the imperial personages took the right of the ,cascade 7which you know is in full view from the hippodrome of ,longchamps74 ,we took the left side and were attracted by the report of firearms on our left1 which proceeded from persons shooting at pigeons from a trap4 ,soon after we heard a loud report on our right from a pistol1 which attracted no further attention from us than the remark which ,i made that ,i did not know that persons were allowed to use firearms in the ,bois4 ,we passed on to our home1 and in the evening were informed of the atrocious attempt upon the ,emperor of ,russia's life4 ,the pistol report which ,i heard was that of the pistol of the assassin4 ,farther on in this letter he describes the grand fte given by the ,city of ,paris to the visiting sovereigns at the ,hotel de ,ville4 ,there were thirty-five thousand applications for tickets1 but only eight thousand could be granted4 ,of these ,morse was gratified to receive three3-- ,well1 the great fte of ,saturday the #hth is over4 ,i despair of any attempt properly to describe its magnificence4 ,i send you the papers4444 ,such a blaze of splendor cannot be conceived or described but in the descriptions of the ,arabian ,nights4 ,we did not see half the display1 for the immense series of gorgeous halls1 lighted by seventy thousand candles1 with fountains and flowers at every turn1 made one giddy to see even for a moment4 ,we had a good opportunity to scan the features of the emperors1 the ,king of ,prussia and the renowned ,bismarck1 with those of the beautiful empress and the princesses and princes and other distinguished persons of their suite4 ,i must tell you 7for family use only7 that the ,emperor ,napoleon made to me a marked recognition as he passed along4 ,sarah and ,i were standing upon two chairs overlooking the front rank of those ranged on each side4 ,the emperor gave his usual bow on each side1 but1 as he came near us1 he gave an unusual and special bow to me1 which ,i returned1 and he then1 with a smile1 gave me a second bow so marked as to draw the attention of those around1 who at once turned to see to whom this courtesy was shown4 ,i should not mention this but that ,sarah and others observed it as an unusual mark of courtesy4 ,feeling the need of rest after all the gayety and excitement of ,paris1 ,morse and part of his family retired to ,shanklin1 on the ,isle of ,wight1 where in a neat little furnished cottage--,florence ,villa--they spent part of two happy months4 ,then with his wife and daughter and youngest son he journeyed in leisurely fashion through ,england and ,scotland1 returning to ,paris in ,october4 ,here he spent some time in working on his report to the4 ,united ,states ,government as ,commissioner to the ,exposition4 ,among his notes ,i find the following1 which seems to me worthy of record3-- ,the ,sounder4 ,mr4 ,prescott1 ,i perceive1 is quoted as an authority4 ,he is not reliable on many points and his work should be used with caution4 ,his work was originally written in the interest of those opposing my patents1 and his statements are1 many of them1 grossly unjust and strongly colored with prejudice4 ,were he now to reprint his work ,i am convinced he would find it necessary1 for the sake of his reputation1 to expunge a great deal1 and to correct much that he has misstated and misapprehended4 ,he manifests the most unpardonable ignorance or wilful prejudice in regard to the ,sounder1 now so-called4 ,the possibility of reading by sound was among the earliest modes noticed in the first instrument of #ahce1 and it was in consequence of observing this fact that1 in my first patent specifications drawn up in #ahcg-ahch1 ,i distinctly specify these sounds of the signs1 and they were secured in my letters patent4 ,yet ,mr4 ,prescott makes it an accidental discovery1 and in #ahfj 7the date of his publication7 he wholly ignores my agency in this mode4 ,the sounder is but the pen-lever deprived of the pen4 ,in everything else it is the same4 ,the sound of the letter is given with and without the pen4 ,on ,november #h1 #ahfg1 he writes from ,paris to his friend1 the ,honorable ,john ,thompson3-- ,i am still held in ,paris for the completion of my labors1 but hope in a few days to be relieved so that we may leave for ,dresden1 where my boys are pursuing their studies in the ,german language4444 ,i am yet doubtful how long a sojourn we may make in ,dresden1 and whether ,i shall winter there or in ,paris1 but ,i am inclined to the latter4 ,we wish to visit ,italy1 but ,i am not satisfied that it will be pleasant or even safe to be there just now4 ,the ,garibaldian inroad upon the ,pontifical ,states is1 indeed1 for the moment suppressed1 but the end is not yet4 ,alas for poor ,italy6 ,how hard to rid herself of evils that have become chronic4 ,why cannot statesmen of the ,old ,world learn the great truth that most of their perplexities in settling the questions of international peace arise from the unnatural union of ,church and ,state8 ,he who said ',my kingdom is not of this world' uttered a truth pregnant with consequences4 ,the attempt to rule the ,state by the ,church or the ,church by the ,state is equally at war with his teachings1 and until these are made the rule of conduct1 whether for political bodies or religious bodies1 there will be the sword and not peace4 ,i see by the papers that the reaction ,i have long expected and hoped for has commenced in our country4 ,it is hailed here by intelligent and cool-headed citizens as a good omen for the future4 ,the ,radicals have had their way1 and the people1 disgusted1 have at length given their command --',thus far and no farther4' ,,chapter ,,xxxix ,,november #bh1 #ahfg--;,,june #aj1 #ahga ,goes to ,dresden4--,trials financial and personal4--,humorous letter to ,e4,s4 ,sanford4--,berlin4--,the telegraph in the war of #ahff4--,paris4--,returns to ,america4--,death of his brother ,richard4--,banquet in ,new ,york4--,addresses of ,chief ,justice ,chase1 ,morse1 and ,daniel ,huntington1--,report as ,commissioner finished4--,professor ,w4,p4 ,blake's letter urging recognition of ,professor ,henry4--,morse complies4--,henry refuses to be reconciled4-- ,reading by sound4--,morse breaks his leg4--,deaths of ,amos ,kendall and ,george ,wood4--,statue in ,central ,park4--,addresses ,of ,governor ,hoffman and ,william ,cullen ,bryant4--,ceremonies at ,academy of ,music4--,morse bids farewell to his children of the telegraph4 ,it will not be necessary to record in detail the happenings of the remainder of this last visit to ,europe4 ,three months were spent in ,dresden1 with his children and his sister-in-law's family around him4 ,the same honors were paid to him here as elsewhere on the continent4 ,he was received in special audience by the ,king and ,queen of ,saxony1 and men of note in the scientific world eagerly sought his counsel and advice4 ,but1 apart from so much that was gratifying to him1 he was just then called upon to bear many trials and afflictions of various kinds and degrees1 and it is marvellous1 in reading his letters1 to note with what great serenity and ,christian fortitude1 yet withal1 with what solicitude1 he endeavored to bear his cross and solve his problems4 ,as he advanced in years an increasing number of those near and dear to him were taken from him by death1 and his letters of ,christian sympathy fill many pages of the letter books4 ,there were trials of a domestic nature1 too intimate to be revealed1 which caused him deep sorrow1 but which he bravely and optimistically strove to meet4 ,clouds1 too1 obscured his financial horizon2 investments in certain mining ventures1 entered into with high hopes1 turned out a dead loss2 the repayment of loans1 cheerfully made to friends and relatives1 was either delayed or entirely defaulted2 and1 to cap the climax1 the ,western ,union ,telegraph ,company1 in which most of his fortune was invested1 passed one dividend and threatened to pass another4 ,he had provided for this contingency by a deposit of surplus funds before his departure for ,europe1 but he was fearful of the future4 ,in spite of all this he could not refrain from treating the matter lightly and humorously in a letter to ,mr4 ,e4,s4 ,sanford of ,november #bh1 #ahfg1 written from ,dresden3 ,your letter gave me both pleasure and pain4 ,i was glad to hear some particulars of the condition of my 'basket1' but was pained to learn that the hens' eggs instead of swelling to goose eggs1 and even to ostrich eggs 7as some that laid them so enthusiastically anticipated when they were so closely packed71 have shrunk to pigeons' eggs1 if not to the diminutive sparrows'4 ,to keep up the figure1 ,i am thankful there are any left not addled4 ,he was all the time absorbed in the preparation of his report as ,commissioner to the ,paris ,exposition1 and it was1 of course1 a source of great gratification to him to learn from the answers to his questions sent to the telegraph officers of the whole world1 that the ,morse system was practically the only one in general use4 ,as one of his correspondents put it--,the cry is1 ',give us the ,morse4' ,the necessity for the completion of this work1 and his desire to give his children every advantage of study1 kept him longer in ,europe than he had expected1 and he writes to his brother ,sidney on ,december #a1 #ahfg3 ,i long to return1 for age creeps on apace1 and ,i wish to put my house in order for a longer and better journey to a better home4 ,in the early part of ,february1 #ahfh1 he and his wife and daughter and youngest son left ,dresden for ,paris1 stopping1 however1 a few days in ,berlin4 ,mr4 ,george ,bancroft was our minister at the ,prussian court1 and he did all that courtesy could suggest to make the stay of his distinguished countryman a pleasant one4 ,he urged him to stay longer1 so that he might have the pleasure of presenting him at court1 but this honor ,morse felt obliged to decline4 ,the inventor did1 however1 find time to visit the government telegraph office1 of which ,colonel 7afterwards ,general7 von ,chauvin was the head1 and here he received an ovation from all the operators1 several hundred in number1 who were seated at their instruments in what was then the largest operating-room in the world4 ,another incident of his visit to ,berlin ,i shall give in the words of ,mr4 ,prime3-- ,not to recount the many tributes of esteem and respect paid him by ,dr4 ,siemens1 and other gentlemen eminent in the specialty of telegraphy1 one other unexpected compliment may be mentioned4 ,the ,professor was presented to the accomplished ,general ,director of the ,posts of the ,north ,german ,bund1 ,privy ,councillor von ,phillipsborn1 in whose department the telegraph had been comprised before ,prussia became so great and the centre of a powerful confederation4 ,at the time of their visit the ,director was so engaged1 and that1 too1 in another part of the ,post-,amt1 that the porter said it was useless to trouble him with the cards4 ,the names had not been long sent up1 however1 before the ,director himself came hurriedly down the corridor into the antechamber1 and1 scarcely waiting for the hastiest of introductions1 enthusiastically grasped both the ,professor's hands in his own1 asking whether he had 'the honor of speaking to ,dr4 ,morse1' or1 as he pronounced it ',morzey4' ,when1 after a brief conversation1 ,mr4 ,morse rose to go1 the ,director said that he had just left a conference over a new post and telegraph treaty in negotiation between ,belgium and the ,bund1 and that it would afford him great pleasure to be permitted to present his guest to the assembled gentlemen1 including the ,belgian ,envoy and the ,belgian ,postmaster-,general4 ,there followed1 accordingly1 a formal presentation with an introductory address by the ,director1 who1 in excellent ,english1 thanked ,mr4 ,morse in the name of ,prussia and of all ,germany for his great services1 and speeches by the principal persons present--the ,belgian envoy1 ,baron de ,nothomb1 very felicitously complimenting the ,professor in ,french4 ,succeeding the hand-shaking the ,director spoke again1 and1 in reply1 ,mr4 ,morse gratefully acknowledged the courtesy shown to him1 adding3 ',it is very gratifying to me to hear you say that the ,telegraph has been and is a means of promoting peace among men4 ,believe me1 gentlemen1 my remaining days shall be devoted to this great object4'444 ,the ,director then led his visitors into a small1 cosily furnished room1 saying as they entered3 ',here ,i have so often thought of you1 ,mr4 ,morse1 but ,i never thought ,i should have the honor of receiving you in my own private room4' ,after they were seated the host1 tapping upon a small table1 continued3 ',over this passed the important telegrams of the war of #ahff4' ,then1 approaching a large telegraph map on the wall1 he added3 ',upon this you can see how invaluable was the telegraph in the war4 ,here1'--pointing with the forefinger of his right hand1--'here the ,crown ,prince came down through ,silesia4 ,this1' indicating with the other forefinger a passage through ,bohemia1 'was the line of march of ,prince ,friedrich ,carl4 ,from this station the ,crown ,prince telegraphed ,prince ,friedrich ,carl1 always over ,berlin1 ,where are you8 ,the answer from this station reached him1 also over ,berlin4 ,the ,austrians were here1' placing the thumb on the map below and between the two fingers4 ',the next day ,prince ,friedrich ,carl comes here1'--the left forefinger joined the thumb1--' and telegraphs the fact1 always over ,berlin1 to the ,crown ,prince1 who hurries forward here4' ,the forefinger of the right hand slipped quickly under the thumb as if to pinch something1 and the narrator looked up significantly4 ,perhaps the patriotic ,director thought of the ,july afternoon when1 eagerly listening at the little mahogany-topped table1 over which passed so many momentous messages1 he learned that the royal cousins had effected a junction at ,kniggrtz1 a junction that decided the fate of ,germany and secured ,prussia its present proud position1 a junction which but for his modest visitor's invention1 the telegraph1 'always over ,berlin1' would have been impossible4 ,returning to ,paris with his family1 he spent some months at the ,htel de la ,place du ,palais ,royal1 principally in collecting all the data necessary to the completion of his report1 which had been much delayed owing to the dilatoriness of those to whom he had applied for facts and statistics4 ,on ,april #ad1 #ahfh1 he says in a letter to the ,honorable ,john ,thompson3 ,pleasant as has been our ,european visit1 with its advantages in certain branches of education1 our hearts yearn for our ,american home4 ,we can appreciate1 ,i hope1 the good in ,european countries1 be grateful for ,european hospitality1 and yet be thorough ,americans1 as we all profess to be notwithstanding the display of so many defects which tend to disgrace us in the eyes of the world4 ,on ,may #ah he writes to ,senator ,michel ,chevalier3 ,and now1 my dear sir1 farewell4 ,i leave beautiful ,paris the day after to-morrow for my home on the other side of the ,atlantic1 more deeply impressed than ever with the grandeur of ,france1 and the liberality and hospitality of her courteous people1 so kindly manifested to me and mine4 ,i leave ,paris with many regrets1 for my age admonishes me that1 in all probability1 ,i shall never again visit ,europe4 ,sailing from ,havre on the ,st4 ,laurent1 on ,may #bb1 he and his family reached1 without untoward incident1 the home on the ,hudson1 and on ,june #ba he writes to his son ,arthur1 who had remained abroad with his tutor3-- ,you see by the date where we all are4 ,once more ,i am seated at my table in the half octagon study under the south verandah4 ,never did the ,grove look more charming4 ,its general features the same1 but the growth of the trees and shrubbery greatly increased4 ,faithful ,thomas ,devoy has proved himself to be a truly honest and efficient overseer4 ,the whole farm is in fine condition4444 ,on ,thursday last ,i was much gratified with ,mr4 ,leslie's letter from ,copenhagen1 with his account of your reception by the ,king of ,denmark4 ,how gratifying to me that the portrait of ,thorwaldsen has given such pleasure to the king1 and that he regards it as the best likeness of the great sculptor4 ,the story of ,morse's presentation to the ,king of ,denmark of the portrait1 painted in ,rome in #ahca1 has already been told in the first volume of this work4 ,the ,king1 as we learn from the above quotation1 was greatly pleased with it1 and in token of his gratification raised ,morse to the rank of ,knight ,commander of the ,dannebrog1 the rank of ,knight having been already conferred on the inventor by the ,king's predecessor on the throne4 ,in another letter to ,colonel ,leslie1 of ,november #b1 #ahfh1 brief reference is made to matters political3-- ,to-morrow is the important day for deciding our next four years' rulers4 ,i am glad our ,continental brethren cannot read our newspapers of the present day1 otherwise they must infer that our choice of rulers is made from a class more fitted for the state's prison than the state thrones1 and elevation to a scaffold were more suited to the characters of the individual candidates than elevation to office4 ,but in a few days matters will calm down1 and the business of the nation will assume its wonted aspect4 ,i have not engaged in this warfare4 ,as a citizen ,i have my own views1 and give my vote on general principles1 but am prepared to learn that my vote is on the defeated side4 ,i presume that ,grant will be the president1 and ,i shall defer to the decision like a peaceable citizen4 ,the day after to-morrow you will know as well as we shall the probable result4 ,the ,telegraph is telling upon the world1 and its effect upon human affairs is yet but faintly appreciated4 ,in this letter he also speaks of the death of his youngest brother1 ,richard ,c4 ,morse1 who died at ,kissingen on ,september #bb1 #ahfh1 and in a letter to his son ,arthur1 of ,october #aa1 he again refers to it1 and adds3 ,it is a sad blow to all of us but particularly to the large circle of his children4 ,your two uncles and your father were a three-fold cord1 strongly united in affection4 ,it is now sundered4 ,the youngest is taken first1 and we that remain must soon follow him in the natural course of things4 ,farther on in this letter he says3 ,i attended the funeral of ,mr4 ,l---- a few weeks ago4 ,i am told that he died of a broken heart from the conduct of his graceless son ,frank1 and ,i can easily understand that the course he has pursued1 and his drunken habits1 may have killed his father with as much certainty as if he had shot him4 ,children have little conception of the effect of their conduct upon their parents4 ,they never know fully these anxieties until they are parents themselves4 ,but his skies were not all grey1 for in addition to his satisfaction in being once more at home in his own beloved country1 and in his quiet retreat on the ,hudson1 he was soon to be the recipient of a signal mark of respect and esteem by his own countrymen1 which proved that this prophet was not without honor even in his own country4 ,,new ,,york1 ,november #cjth1 #ahfh4 ,,professor ,s4,f4,b4 ,,morse1 ,,ll4,d4 ,sir1--,many of your countrymen and numerous personal friends desire to give definite expression to the fact that this country is in full accord with ,european nations in acknowledging your title to the position of father of ,modern ,telegraphy1 and at the same time in a fitting manner to welcome you to your home4 ,they1 therefore1 request that you will name a day on which you will favor them with your company at a public banquet4 ,with great respect we remain1 ,very truly your friends4 ,here follow the names of practically every man of prominence in ,new ,york at that time4 ,morse replied on ,december #d3-- ,to the ,hon4 ,hamilton ,fish1 ,hon4 ,john ,t4 ,hoffman1 ,hon4 ,wm4 ,dennison1 ,hon4 ,a4,g4 ,curtin1 ,hon4 ,wm4 ,e4 ,dodge1 ,peter ,cooper1 ,esq41 ,daniel ,huntington1 ,esq41 ,wm4 ,orton1 ,esq41 ,a4,a4 ,low1 ,esq41 ,james ,brown1 ,esq41 ,cyrus ,w4 ,field1 ,esq41 ,john ,j4 ,cisco1 ,esq41 and others4 ,gentlemen1--,i have received your flattering request of the #cjth ,november1 proposing the compliment of a public banquet to me1 and asking me to appoint a day on which it would be convenient for me to meet you4 ,did your proposal intend simply a personal compliment ,i should feel no hesitation in thanking you cordially for this evidence of your personal regard1 while ,i declined your proffered honor2 but ,i cannot fail to perceive that there is a paramount patriotic duty connected with your proposal which forbids me to decline your invitation4 ,in accepting it1 therefore1 ,i would name 7in view of some personal arrangements7 ,wednesday the #cjth inst4 as the day which would be most agreeable to me4 ,accept1 ,gentlemen1 the assurance of the respect of ,your obedient servant1 ,samuel ,f4,b4 ,morse4 ,the banquet was given at ,delmonico's1 which was then on the corner of ,fifth ,avenue and ,fourteenth ,street1 and was presided over by ,chief ,justice ,salmon ,p4 ,chase1 who had been the leading counsel against ,morse in his first great lawsuit1 but who now cheerfully acknowledged that to ,morse and ,america the great invention of the telegraph was due4 ,about two hundred men sat down at the tables1 among them some of the most eminent in the country4 ,morse sat at the right of ,chief ,justice ,chase1 and ,sir ,edward ,thornton1 ,british ,ambassador1 on his left4 ,when the time for speechmaking came1 ,cyrus ,field read letters from ,president ,andrew ,johnson2 from ,general ,grant1 ,president-elect2 from ,speaker ,colfax1 ,admiral ,farragut1 and many others4 ,he also read a telegram from ,governor ,alexander ,h4 ,bullock of ,massachusetts3 ,massachusetts honors her two sons--,franklin and ,morse4 ,the one conducted the lightning safely from the sky2 the other conducts it beneath the ocean from continent to continent4 ,the one tamed the lightning2 the other makes it minister to human wants and human progress4 ,from ,london came another message3-- ,,cyrus ,w4 ,,field1 ,new ,york4 ,the members of the joint committee of the ,anglo-,american and ,atlantic ,telegraph ,companies hear with pleasure of the banquet to be given this evening to ,professor ,morse1 and desire to greet that distinguished telegraphist1 and wish him all the compliments of the season4 ,mr4 ,field added3 ,this telegram was sent from ,london at four o'clock this afternoon1 and was delivered into the hands of your committee at #ab4ej4 ,this1 naturally1 elicited much applause and laughter4 ,speeches then followed by other men prominent in various walks of life4 ,sir ,edward ,thornton said that he had great satisfaction in being able to contribute his mite of that admiration and esteem for ,professor ,morse which must be felt by all for so great a benefactor of his fellow creatures and of posterity4 ,chief ,justice ,chase introduced the guest of the evening in the following graceful words3-- ,many shining names will at once occur to any one at all familiar with the history of the ,telegraph4 ,among them ,i can pause to mention only those of ,volta1 the ,italian1 to whose discoveries the battery is due2 ,oersted1 the ,dane1 who first discovered the magnetic properties of the electric current2 ,ampere and ,arago1 the ,frenchmen1 who prosecuted still further and most successfully similar researches2 then ,sturgeon1 the ,englishman1 who may be said to have made the first electro-magnet2 next1 and not least illustrious among these illustrious men1 our countryman ,henry1 who first showed the practicability of producing electro-magnetic effects by means of the galvanic current at distances infinitely great2 and finally ,steinheil1 the ,german1 who1 after the invention of the ,telegraph in all its material parts was complete1 taught1 in #ahcg1 the use of the ground as part of the circuit4 ,these are some of those searchers for truth whose names will be long held in grateful memory1 and not among the least of their titles to gratitude and remembrance will be the discoveries which contributed to the possibility of the modern ,telegraph4 ,but these discoveries only made the ,telegraph possible4 ,they offered the brilliant opportunity4 ,there was needed a man to bring into being the new art and the new interest to which they pointed1 and it is the providential distinction and splendid honor of the eminent ,american1 who is our guest to-night1 that1 happily prepared by previous acquirements and pursuits1 he was quick to seize the opportunity and give to the world the first recording ,telegraph4 ,fortunate man6 thus to link his name forever with the greatest wonder and the greatest benefit of the age6 great applause444 ,i give you ',our guest1 ,professor ,s4,f4,b4 ,morse1 the man of science who explored the laws of nature1 wrested electricity from her embrace1 and made it a missionary in the cause of human progress4' ,as the venerable inventor rose from his chair1 overcome with profound emotion which was almost too great to be controlled1 the whole assembly rose with him1 and cheer after cheer resounded through the hall for many minutes4 ,when at last quiet was restored1 he addressed the company at length1 giving a resum of his struggles and paying tribute to those who had befriended and assisted him in his time of need--to ,amos ,kendall1 who sat at the board with him and whose name called forth more cheers1 to ,alfred ,vail1 to ,leonard ,gale1 and1 in the largeness of his heart1 to ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith4 ,it will not be necessary to give his remarks in full1 as the history of the invention has already been given in detail in the course of this work1 but his concluding remarks are worthy of record3-- ,in casting my eyes around ,i am most agreeably greeted by faces that carry me back in memory to the days of my art struggles in this city1 the early days of the ,national ,academy of ,design4 ,brothers 7for you are yet brothers71 if ,i left your ranks you well know it cost me a pang4 ,i did not leave you until ,i saw you well established and entering on that career of prosperity due to your own just appreciation of the important duties belonging to your profession4 ,you have an institution which now holds and1 if true to yourselves1 will continue to hold a high position in the estimation of this appreciative community4 ,if ,i have stepped aside from ,art to tread what seems another path1 there is a good precedent for it in the lives of artists4 ,science and ,art are not opposed4 ,leonardo da ,vinci could find congenial relaxation in scientific researches and invention1 and our own ,fulton was a painter whose scientific studies resulted in steam navigation4 ,it may not be generally known that the important invention of the percussion cap is due to the scientific recreations of the ,english painter ,shaw4 ,but ,i must not detain you from more instructive speech4 ,one word only in closing4 ,i have claimed for ,america the origination of the modern ,telegraph ,system of the world4 ,impartial history1 ,i think1 will support that claim4 ,do not misunderstand me as disparaging or disregarding the labors and ingenious modifications of others in various countries employed in the same field of invention4 ,gladly1 did time permit1 would ,i descant upon their great and varied merits4 ,yet in tracing the birth and pedigree of the modern ,telegraph1 ',american' is not the highest term of the series that connects the past with the present2 there is at least one higher term1 the highest of all1 which cannot and must not be ignored4 ,if not a sparrow falls to the ground without a definite purpose in the plans of infinite wisdom1 can the creation of an instrumentality so vitally affecting the interests of the whole human race have an origin less humble than the ,father of every good and perfect gift8 ,i am sure ,i have the sympathy of such an assembly as is here gathered if1 in all humility and in the sincerity of a grateful heart1 ,i use the words of inspiration in ascribing honor and praise to ,him to whom first of all and most of all it is preminently due4 ',not unto us1 not unto us1 but to ,god be all the glory4' ,not what hath man1 but ',what hath ,god wrought8' ,more applause followed as ,morse took his seat1 and other speeches were made by such men as ,professor ,goldwin ,smith1 the ,honorable ,william ,m4 ,evarts1 ,a4,a4 ,low1 ,william ,cullen ,bryant1 ,william ,orton1 ,david ,dudley ,field1 the ,honorable ,william ,e4 ,dodge1 ,sir ,hugh ,allan1 ,daniel ,huntington1 and ,governor ,curtin of ,pennsylvania4 ,while many of these speeches were most eloquent and appropriate1 ,i shall quote from only one1 giving as an excuse the words of ,james ,d4 ,reid in his excellent work ,the ,telegraph in ,america3 ,as ,mr4 ,huntington's address contains some special thoughts showing the relationship of the painter to invention1 and is1 besides1 a most affectionate and interesting tribute to his beloved master1 ,mr4 ,morse1 it is deemed no discourtesy to the other distinguished speakers to give it nearly entire4 ,i shall1 however1 omit some portions which ,mr4 ,reid included4 ,in fact1 however1 every studio is more or less a laboratory4 ,the painter is a chemist delving into the secrets of pigments1 varnishes1 mixtures of tints and mysterious preparations of grounds and overlaying of colors2 occult arts by which the inward light is made to gleam from the canvas1 and the warm flesh to glow and palpitate4 ,the studio of my beloved master1 in whose honor we have met to-night1 was indeed a laboratory4 ,vigorous1 life-like portraits1 poetic and historic groups1 occasionally grew upon his easel2 but there were many hours--yes1 days--when absorbed in study among galvanic batteries and mysterious lines of wires1 he seemed to us like an alchemist of the middle ages in search of the philosopher's stone4 ,i can never forget the occasion when he called his pupils together to witness one of the first1 if not the first1 successful experiment with the electric telegraph4 ,it was in the winter of #ahce-cf4 ,i can see now that rude instrument1 constructed with an old stretching-frame1 a wooden clock1 a home-made battery and the wire stretched many times around the walls of the studio4 ,with eager interest we gathered about it as our master explained its operation while1 with a click1 click1 the pencil1 by a succession of dots and lines1 recorded the message in cypher4 ,the idea was born4 ,the words circled that upper chamber as they do now the globe4 ,but we had little faith4 ,to us it seemed the dream of enthusiasm4 ,we grieved to see the sketch upon the canvas untouched4 ,we longed to see him again calling into life events in our country's history4 ,but it was not to be2 ,god's purposes were being accomplished1 and now the world is witness to his triumph4 ,yet the love of art still lives in some inner corner of his heart1 and ,i know he can never enter the studio of a painter and see the artist silently bringing from the canvas forms of life and beauty1 but he feels a tender twinge1 as one who catches a glimpse of the beautiful girl he loved in his youth whom another has snatched away4 ,finally1 my dear master and father in art1 allow me in this moment of your triumph in the field of discovery1 to greet you in the name of your brother artists with ',all hail4' ,as an artist you might have spent life worthily in turning ,god's blessed daylight into sweet hues of rainbow colors1 and into breathing forms for the delight and consolation of men1 but it has been ,his will that you should train the lightnings1 the sharp arrows of his anger1 into the swift yet gentle messengers of ,peace and ,love4 ,morse's wife and his daughter and other ladies had been present during the speeches1 but they began to take their leave after ,mr4 ,huntington's address1 although the toastmaster arose to announce the last toast1 which was ,the ,ladies4 ,so he said3 ,this is the most inspiring theme of all1 but the theme itself seems to be vanishing from us4 ,indeed after a pause1 has already vanished4 ,after another pause and a glance around the room4 ,and the gentleman who was to have responded seems also to have vanished with his theme4 ,i may assume1 therefore1 that the duties of the evening are performed1 and its enjoyments are at an end4 ,the unsought honor of this public banquet1 in his own country1 organized by the most eminent men of the day1 calling forth eulogies of him in the public press of the whole world1 was justly esteemed by ,morse as one of the crowning events of his long career2 but an even greater honor was still in store for him1 which will be described in due season4 ,the early months of #ahfi were almost entirely devoted to his report as ,commissioner1 which was finally completed and sent to the ,department of ,state in the latter part of ,march4 ,in this work he received great assistance from ,professor ,w4,p4 ,blake1 who was ,in charge of publication1 and who writes to him on ,march #bi3 ,i have had only a short time to glance at it as it was delivered towards the close of the day1 but ,i am most impressed by the amount of labor and care you have so evidently bestowed upon it4 ,professor ,blake wrote another letter on ,august #ba1 which ,i am tempted to give almost in its entirety3-- ,i feel it to be my duty to write to you upon another point regarding your report1 upon which ,i know that you are sensitive1 but1 as ,i think you will see that my motives are good1 and that ,i sincerely express them1 ,i believe you will not be offended with me although my views and opinions may not coincide exactly with yours4 ,i allude to the mention which you make of some of the eminent physicists who have contributed by their discoveries and experiments to our knowledge of the phenomena of electro-magnetism4 ,on page #i of the manuscript you observe3 ',the application of the electro-magnet1 the invention of ,arago and ,sturgeon 7first combined and employed by ,morse in the construction of the generic telegraph7 to the purposes also of the semaphore1 etc4' ,frankly1 ,i am pained not to see the name of ,henry there associated with those of ,arago and ,sturgeon1 for it is known and generally conceded among men of science that his researches and experiments and the results which he reached were of radical importance and value1 and that they deservedly rank with those of ,ampere1 ,arago and ,sturgeon4 ,i am aware that1 by some unfortunate combination of circumstances1 the personal relations of yourself and ,professor ,henry are not pleasant4 ,i deplore this1 and it would be an intense satisfaction to me if ,i could be the humble means of bringing about a harmonious and honorable adjustment of the differences which separate you4 ,i write this without conference with ,professor ,henry or his friends4 ,i do it impartially1 first1 in the line of my duty as editor 7but not now officially72 second1 as a lover of science2 third1 with a patriotic desire to secure as much as justly can be for the scientific reputation of the country2 and fourth1 with a desire to promote harmony between all who are concerned in increasing and disseminating knowledge1 and particularly between such sincere lovers of truth and justice as ,i believe both yourself and ,professor ,henry to be4 ,i do not find that ,professor ,henry anywhere makes a claim which trenches upon your claim of first using the electro-magnet for writing or printing at a distance--the telegraph as distinguished from the semaphore4 ,this he cannot claim1 for he acknowledges it to be yours4 ,you1 on the other hand1 do not claim the semaphoric use of electricity4 ,i therefore do not see any obstacle to an honorable adjustment of the differences which separate you1 and which1 perhaps1 make you disinclined to freely associate ,professor ,henry's name with those of other promoters of electrical science4 ,your report presents a fitting opportunity to effect this result4 ,a magnanimous recognition by you of ,professor ,henry's important contributions to the science of electro-magnetism appears to me to be all that is necessary4 ,they can be most appropriately and gracefully acknowledged in your report1 and you will gain rather than lose by so doing4 ,such action on your part would do more than anything else could to secure for you the good will of all men of science1 and to hasten a universal and generous accord of all the credit for your great gift to civilization that you can properly desire4 ,now1 my dear sir1 with this frank statement of my views on this point1 ,i accept your invitation1 and will go to see you at your house to talk with you upon this point and others1 perhaps more agreeable1 but if1 after this expression of my inclinations1 you will not deem me a welcome guest1 telegraph me not to come--,i will not take it unkindly4 ,to this ,morse replied on ,august #bc3 ,your most acceptable letter1 with the tone and spirit of which ,i am most gratified1 is just received1 for which accept my thanks4 ,i shall be most happy to see you and freely to communicate with you on the subject mentioned1 and with the sincere desire of a satisfactory result4 ,the visit was paid1 but the details of the conversation have not been preserved4 ,however1 we find in ,morse's report1 on page #aj1 the following3 ,in #ahbe1 ,mr4 ,sturgeon1 of ,england1 made the first electro-magnet in the horseshoe form by loosely winding a piece of iron wire with a spiral of copper wire4 ,in the ,united ,states1 as early as #ahca1 the experimental researches of ,professor ,joseph ,henry were of great importance in advancing the science of electro-magnetism4 ,he may be said to have carried the electro-magnet1 in its lifting powers1 to its greatest perfection4 ,reflecting upon the principle of ,professor ,schweigger's galvanometer1 he constructed magnets in which great power could be developed by a very small galvanic element4 ,his published paper in #ahca shows that he experimented with wires of different lengths1 and he noted the amount of magnetism which could be induced through them at various lengths by means of batteries composed of a single element1 and also of many elements4 ,he states that the magnetic action of 'a current from a trough composed of many pairs is at least not sensibly diminished by passing through a long wire1' and he incidentally noted the bearing of this fact upon the project of an electro-magnetic telegraph semaphore84 ,in more recent papers1 first published in #aheg1 it appears that ,professor ,henry demonstrated before his pupils the practicability of ringing a bell1 by means of electro-magnetism1 at a distance4 ,whether ,professor ,blake was satisfied with this change from the original manuscript is not recorded4 ,morse evidently thought that he had made the amende honorable1 but ,henry1 coldly proud man that he was1 still held aloof from a reconciliation1 for ,i have been informed that he even refused to be present at the memorial services held in ,washington after the death of ,morse4 ,in a letter of ,may #aj1 #ahfi1 to ,dr4 ,leonard ,gale1 some interesting facts concerning the reading by sound are given3-- ,the fact that the lever action of the earliest instrument of #ahce by its click gave the sound of the numerals1 as embodied in the original type1 is well known1 nor is there anything so remarkable in that result4444 ,when you first saw the instrument in #ahcf this was so obvious that it scarcely excited more than a passing remark1 but1 after the adaptation of the dot and space1 with the addition of the line or dash1 in forming the alphabetic signs 7which1 as well as ,i can remember1 was about the same date1 late in #ahce or early in #ahcf7 then ,i noticed that the different letters had each their own individual sounds1 and could also be distinguished from each other by the sound4 ,the fact did not then appear to me to be of any great importance1 seeming to be more curious than useful1 yet1 in reflecting upon it1 it seemed desirable to secure this result by specifying it in my letters patent1 lest it might be used as an evasion in indicating my novel alphabet without recording it4 ,hence the sounds as well as the imprinted signs were specified in my letters patent4 ,as to the time when these sounds were practically used1 ,i am unable to give a precise date4 ,i have a distinct recollection of one case1 and proximately the date of it4 ,the time of the incident was soon after the line was extended from ,philadelphia to ,washington1 having a way station at ,wilmington1 ,delaware4 ,the ,washington office was in the old post-office1 in the room above it4 ,i was in the operating room4 ,the instruments were for a moment silent4 ,i was standing at some distance near the fireplace conversing with ,mr4 ,washington1 the operator1 who was by my side4 ,presently one of the instruments commenced writing and ,mr4 ,washington listened and smiled4 ,i asked him why he smiled4 ',oh6' said he1 'that is ,zantzinger of the ,philadelphia office1 but he is operating from ,wilmington4' ',how do you know that8' ',oh6 ,i know his touch1 but ,i must ask him why he is in ,wilmington4' ,he then went to the instrument and telegraphed to ,zantzinger at ,wilmington1 and the reply was that he had been sent from ,philadelphia to regulate the relay magnet for the ,wilmington operator1 who was inexperienced in operating4444 ,i give this instance1 not because it was the first1 but because it is one which ,i had specially treasured in my memory and frequently related as illustrative of the practicality of reading by sound as well as by the written record4 ,this must have occurred about the year #ahdf4 ,a serious accident befell the aged inventor1 now seventy-nine years old1 in ,july1 #ahfi4 ,he slipped on the stairs of his country house and fell with all his weight on his left leg1 which was broken in two places4 ,this mishap confined him to his bed for three months1 and many feared that1 owing to his advanced age1 it would be fatal4 ,but1 thanks to his vigorous constitution and his temperate life1 he recovered completely4 ,he bore this affliction with ,christian fortitude4 ,in a letter to his brother ,sidney1 of ,august #ad1 he says3 ,the healing process in my leg is very slow4 ,the doctor1 who has just left me1 condemns me to a fortnight more of close confinement4 ,i have other troubles1 for they come not singly1 but all is for the best4 ,troubles1 indeed1 came not singly1 for1 in addition to sorrows of a domestic nature1 his friends one by one were taken from him by death1 and on ,november #ab1 #ahfi1 he writes to ,william ,stickney1 ,esq41 son-in-law of ,amos ,kendall3-- ,although prepared by recent notices in the papers to expect the sad news1 which a telegram this moment received announces to me1 of the death of my excellent1 long-tried friend ,mr4 ,kendall1 ,i confess that the intelligence has come with a shock which has quite unnerved me4 ,i feel the loss as of a father rather than of a brother in age1 for he was one in whom ,i confided as a father1 so sure was ,i of affectionate and sound advice4444 ,i need not tell you how deeply ,i feel this sad bereavement4 ,i am truly and severely bereaved in the loss of such a friend1 a friend1 indeed1 upon whose faithfulness and unswerving integrity ,i have ever reposed with perfect confidence1 a confidence which has never been betrayed1 and a friend to whose energy and skill1 in the conduct of the agency which ,i had confided to him1 ,i owe 7under ,god7 the comparative comfort which a kind ,providence has permitted me to enjoy in my advanced age4 ,in the following year he was called upon to mourn the death of still another of his good friends1 for1 on ,august #bd1 #ahgj1 ,george ,wood died very suddenly at ,saratoga4 ,while much of sadness and sorrow clouded the evening of the life of this truly great man1 the sun1 ere it sank to rest1 tinged the clouds with a glory seldom vouchsafed to a mortal1 for he was to see a statue erected to him while he was yet living4 ,of many men it has been said that-- ,wanting bread they receive only a stone1 and not even that until long after they have been starved to death4 ,it was ,morse's good fortune not only to see the child of his brain grow to a sturdy manhood1 but to be honored during his lifetime to a truly remarkable degree4 ,the project of a memorial of some sort to the ,inventor of the ,telegraph was first broached by ,robert ,b4 ,hoover1 manager of the ,western ,union ,telegraph office1 ,allegheny ,city1 ,pennsylvania4 ,the idea once started spread with the rapidity of the electric fluid itself1 and1 under the able management of ,james ,d4 ,reid1 a fund was raised1 partly by dollar subscriptions largely made by telegraph operators all over the country1 including ,canada1 and it was decided that the testimonial should take the form of a bronze statue to be erected in ,central ,park1 ,new ,york4 ,byron ,m4 ,pickett was chosen as the sculptor1 and the ,park ,commission readily granted permission to place the statue in the park4 ,it was at first hoped that the unveiling might take place on the #bgth of ,april1 #ahga1 ,morse's eightieth birthday2 but unavoidable delays arose1 and it was not until the #ajth of ,june that everything was in readiness4 ,it was a perfect ,june day and the hundreds of telegraphers from all parts of the country1 with their families1 spent the forenoon in a steamboat excursion around the city4 ,in the afternoon crowds flocked to the park where1 near what is now called the ,inventor's ,gate1 the statue stood in the angle between two platforms for the invited guests4 ,morse himself refused to attend the ceremonies of the unveiling of his counterfeit presentment1 as being too great a strain on his innate modesty4 ,some persons and some papers said that he was present1 but1 as ,mr4 ,james ,d4 ,reid says in his ,telegraph in ,america1 ,mr4 ,morse was incapable of such an indelicacy4444 ,men of refinement and modesty would justly have marvelled had they seen him in such a place4 ,at about four o'clock the ,governor of ,new ,york1 ,john ,t4 ,hoffman1 delivered the opening address1 saying1 in the course of his speech3 ,in our day a new era has dawned4 ,again1 for the second time in the history of the world1 the power of language is increased by human agency4 ,thanks to ,samuel ,f4,b4 ,morse men speak to one another now1 though separated by the width of the earth1 with the lightning's speed and as if standing face to face4 ,if the inventor of the alphabet be deserving of the highest honors1 so is he whose great achievement marks this epoch in the history of language--the inventor of the ,electric ,telegraph4 ,we intend1 so far as in us lies1 that the men who come after us shall be at no loss to discover his name for want of recorded testimony4 ,governor ,claflin1 of ,massachusetts1 and ,william ,orton1 president of the ,western ,union ,telegraph ,company1 then drew aside the drapery amidst the cheers and applause of the multitude1 while the ,governor's ,island band played the ,star-,spangled ,banner4 ,william ,cullen ,bryant1 who was an early friend of the inventor1 then presented the statue to the city in an eloquent address1 from which ,i shall quote the following words3-- ,it may be said1 ,i know1 that the civilized world is already full of memorials which speak the merit of our friend and the grandeur and utility of his invention4 ,every telegraphic station is such a memorial4 ,every message sent from one of these stations to another may be counted among the honors paid to his name4 ,every telegraphic wire strung from post to post1 as it hums in the wind1 murmurs his eulogy4 ,every sheaf of wires laid down in the deep sea1 occupying the bottom of soundless abysses to which human sight has never penetrated1 and carrying the electric pulse1 charged with the burden of human thought1 from continent to continent1 from the ,old ,world to the ,new1 is a testimonial to his greatness4444 ,the ,latin inscription in the church of ,st4 ,paul's in ,london1 referring to ,sir ,christopher ,wren1 its architect1--',if you would behold his monument1 look around you1'--may be applied in a far more comprehensive sense to our friend1 since the great globe itself has become his monument4 ,the ,mayor of ,new ,york1 ,a4 ,oakey ,hall1 accepted the statue in a short speech1 and1 after a prayer by the ,reverend ,stephen ,h4 ,tyng1 ,d4,d41 the assembled multitude joined in singing the doxology1 and the ceremonies at the park were ended4 ,but other honors still awaited the venerable inventor1 for1 on the evening of that day1 the old ,academy of ,music on ,fourteenth ,street was packed with a dense throng gathered together to listen to eulogies on this benefactor of his race1 and to hear him bid farewell to his children of the ,telegraph4 ,a table was placed in the centre of the stage on which was the original instrument used on the first line from ,washington to ,baltimore4 ,this was connected with all the lines of telegraph extending to all parts of the world4 ,the ,honorable ,william ,orton presided1 and1 after the ,reverend ,howard ,crosby had opened the ceremonies with prayer1 speeches were delivered by ,mr4 ,orton1 ,dr4 ,george ,b4 ,loring1 of ,salem1 and the ,reverend ,dr4 ,george ,w4 ,samson4 ,at nine o'clock ,mr4 ,orton announced that all lines were clear for the farewell message of the inventor to his children2 that this message would be flashed to thousands of waiting operators all over the world1 and that answers would be received during the course of the evening4 ,the pleasant task of sending the message had been delegated to ,miss ,sadie ,e4 ,cornwell1 a skilful young operator of attractive personality1 and ,morse himself was to manipulate the key which sent his name1 in the dots and dashes of his own alphabet1 over the wires4 ,the vast audience was hushed into absolute silence as ,miss ,cornwell clicked off the message which ,morse had composed for the occasion3 ,greeting and thanks to the ,telegraph fraternity throughout the world4 ,glory to ,god in the highest1 on earth peace1 good will to men4 ,as ,mr4 ,orton escorted ,morse to the table a tremendous burst of applause broke out1 but was silenced by a gesture from the presiding officer1 and again the great audience was still4 ,slowly the inventor spelled out the letters of his name1 the click of the instrument being clearly heard in every part of the house1 and as clearly understood by the hundreds of telegraphers present1 so that without waiting for the final dot1 which typified the letter e1 the whole vast assembly rose amid deafening cheers and the waving of handkerchiefs4 ,it was an inspiring moment1 and the venerable man was almost overcome by his emotions1 and sat for some time with his head buried in his hands1 striving to regain his self-control4 ,when the excitement had somewhat subsided1 ,mr4 ,orton said3 ,thus the ,father of the ,telegraph bids farewell to his children4 ,the current was then switched to an instrument behind the scenes1 and answers came pouring in1 first from near-by towns and cities1 and then from ,new ,orleans1 ,quebec1 ,san ,francisco1 ,halifax1 ,havana1 and finally from ,hongkong1 ,bombay1 and ,singapore4 ,mr4 ,reid has given a detailed account of these messages in his ,telegraph in ,america1 but ,i shall not pause to reproduce them here2 neither shall ,i quote from the eloquent speeches which followed1 delivered by ,general ,n4,p4 ,banks1 the ,reverend ,h4,m4 ,gallagher1 ,g4,k4 ,walcott1 and ,james ,d4 ,reid4 ,after ,miss ,antoinette ,sterling had sung ,auld ,lang ,syne1 to the great delight of the audience1 who recalled her several times1 ,chief ,justice ,charles ,p4 ,daly introduced ,professor ,morse in an appropriate address4 ,as the white-haired inventor1 in whose honor this great demonstration had been organized1 stepped forward to deliver his1 valedictory1 he was greeted with another round of cheering and applause4 ,at first almost overcome by emotion1 he soon recovered his self-control1 and he read his address in a clear1 resonant voice which carried to every part of the house4 ,the address was a long one1 and as most of it is but a recapitulation of what has been already given1 ,i shall only quote from it in part3-- ,friends and children of the telegraph1--,when ,i was solicited to be present this evening1 in compliance with the wishes of those who1 with such zeal and success1 responded to the suggestion of one of your number that a commemorative statue should be erected in our unrivaled ,park1 and which has this day been placed in position and unveiled1 ,i hesitated to comply4 ,not that ,i did not feel a wish in person to return to you my heartfelt thanks for this unique proof of your personal regard1 but truly from a fear that ,i could use no terms which would adequately express my appreciation of your kindness4 ,whatever ,i say must fall short of expressing the grateful feelings or conflicting emotions which agitate me on an occasion so unexampled in the history of invention4 ,gladly would ,i have shrunk from this public demonstration were it not that my absence to-night1 under the circumstances1 might be construed into an apathy which ,i do not feel1 and which your overpowering kindness would justly rebuke4444 ,you have chosen to impersonate in my humble effigy an invention which1 cradled upon the ocean1 had its birth in an ,american ship4 ,it was nursed and cherished not so much from personal as from patriotic motives4 ,forecasting its future1 even at its birth1 my most powerful stimulus to perseverance through all the perils and trials of its early days--and they were neither few nor insignificant--was the thought that it must inevitably be world-wide in its application1 and1 moreover1 that it would everywhere be hailed as a grateful ,american gift to the nations4 ,it is in this aspect of the present occasion that ,i look upon your proceedings as intended1 not so much as homage to an individual1 as to the invention1 'whose lines from ,america have gone out through all the earth1 and their words to the end of the world4' ,in the carrying-out of any plan of improvement1 however grand or feasible1 no single individual could possibly accomplish it without the aid of others4 ,we are none of us so powerful that we can dispense with the assistance1 in various departments of the work1 of those whose experience and knowledge must supply the needed aid of their expertness4 ,it is not sufficient that a brilliant project be proposed1 that its modes of accomplishment are foreseen and properly devised2 there are1 in every part of the enterprise1 other minds and other agencies to be consulted for information and counsel to perfect the whole plan4 ,the ,chief ,justice1 in delivering the decision of the ,supreme ,court1 says3 ',it can make no difference whether he the inventor derives his information from books or from conversation with men skilled in the science4' ,and3 ',the fact that ,morse sought and obtained the necessary information and counsel from the best sources1 and acted upon it1 neither impairs his rights as an inventor nor detracts from his merits4' ,the inventor must seek and employ the skilled mechanician in his workshop to put the invention into practical form1 and for this purpose some pecuniary means are required as well as mechanical skill4 ,both these were at hand4 ,alfred ,vail1 of ,morristown1 ,new ,jersey1 with his father and brother1 came to the help of the unclothed infant1 and with their funds and mechanical skill put it into a condition to appear before the ,congress of the nation4 ,to these ,new ,jersey friends is due the first important aid in the progress of the invention4 ,aided also by the talent and scientific skill of ,professor ,gale1 my esteemed colleague in the ,university1 the ,telegraph appeared in ,washington in #ahch1 a suppliant for the means to demonstrate its power4 ,to the ,honorable ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith1 then chairman of the ,house ,committee of ,commerce1 belongs the credit of a just appreciation of the new invention1 and of a zealous advocacy of an experimental essay1 and the inditing of an admirably written report in its favor1 signed by every member of the committee4444 ,to ,ezra ,cornell1 whose noble benefactions to his state and the country have placed his name by the side of ,cooper and ,peabody high on the roll of public benefactors1 is due the credit of early and effective aid in the superintendence and erection of the first public line of telegraph ever established4 ,after paying tribute to the names of ,amos ,kendall1 ,cyrus ,field1 ,volta1 ,oersted1 ,arago1 ,schweigger1 ,gauss and ,weber1 ,steinheil1 ,daniell1 ,grove1 ,cooke1 ,dana1 ,henry1 and others1 he continued3-- ,there is not a name ,i have mentioned1 and many whom ,i have not mentioned1 whose career in science or experience in mechanical and engineering and nautical tactics1 or in financial practice1 might not be the theme of volumes rather than of brief mention in an ephemeral address4 ,to-night you have before you a sublime proof of the grand progress of the ,telegraph in its march round the globe4 ,it is but a few days since that our veritable antipodes became telegraphically united to us4 ,we can speak to and receive an answer in a few seconds of time from ,hongkong in ,china1 where ten o'clock to-night here is ten o'clock in the day there1 and it is1 perhaps1 a debatable question whether their ten o'clock is ten to-day or ten to-morrow4 ,china and ,new ,york are in interlocutory communication4 ,we know the fact1 but can imagination realize the fact8 ,but ,i must not further trespass on your patience at this late hour4 ,i cannot close without the expression of my cordial thanks to my long-known1 long-tried and honored friend ,reid1 whose unwearied labors early contributed so effectively to the establishment of telegraph lines1 and who1 in a special manner as chairman of your ,memorial ,fund1 has so faithfully1 and successfully1 and admirably carried to completion your flattering design4 ,to the eminent ,governors of this state and the state of ,massachusetts1 who have given to this demonstration their honored presence2 to my excellent friend the distinguished orator of the day2 to the ,mayor and city authorities of ,new ,york2 to the ,park ,commissioners2 to the officers and managers of the various1 and even rival1 telegraph companies1 who have so cordially united on this occasion2 to the numerous citizens1 ladies and gentlemen2 and1 though last not least1 to every one of my large and increasing family of telegraph children who have honored me with the proud title of ,father1 ,i tender my cordial thanks4 ,,chapter ,,xl ,,june #ad1 #ahga--;,,april #af1 #ahgb ,nearing the end4--,estimate of the ,reverend ,f4,b4 ,wheeler4--,early poem4-- ,leaves ,locust ,grove for last time4--,death of his brother ,sidney4-- ,letter to ,cyrus ,field on neutrality of telegraph4--,letter of ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith to ,h4,j4 ,rogers4--,reply by ,professor ,gale4--,vicious attack by ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith4--,death prevents reply by ,morse4--,unveils statue of ,franklin in last public appearance4--,last hours4--,death4--,tributes of ,james ,d4 ,reid1 ,new ,york ,evening ,post1 ,new ,york ,herald1 and ,louisville ,courier-,journal4--,funeral4--,monument in ,greenwood ,cemetery4--,memorial services in ,house of ,representatives1 ,washington4--,address of ,james ,g4 ,blaine4--,other memorial services4--,mr4 ,prime's review of ,morse's character4--,epilogue4 ,the excitement caused by all these enthusiastic demonstrations in his honor told upon the inventor both physically and mentally1 as we learn from a letter of ,june #ad1 #ahga1 to his daughter ,mrs4 ,lind and her husband3-- ,so fatigued that ,i can scarcely keep my eyes open1 ,i nevertheless1 before retiring to my bed1 must drop you a line of enquiry to know what is your condition4 ,we have only heard of your arrival and of your first unfavorable impressions4 ,i hope these latter are removed1 and that you are both benefiting by change of air and the waters of the ,clifton ,springs4 ,you know how1 in the last few days1 we have all been overwhelmed with unusual cares4 ,the grand ceremonies of the ,park and the ,academy of ,music are over1 but have left me in a good-for-nothing condition4 ,everything went off splendidly1 indeed1 as you will learn from the papers4444 ,i find it more difficult to bear up with the overwhelming praise that is poured out without measure1 than with the trials of my former life4 ,there is something so remarkable in this universal laudation that the effect on me1 strange as it may seem1 is rather depressing than exhilarating4 ,when ,i review my past life and see the way in which ,i have been led1 ,i am so convinced of the faithfulness of ,god in answer to the prayers of faith1 which ,i have been enabled in times of trial to offer to ,him1 that ,i find the temper of my mind is to constant praise3 ',bless the ,lord1 ,oh my soul1 and forget not all his benefits6' is ever recurring to me4 ,it is doubtless this continued referring all to ,him that prevents this universal demonstration of kindly feeling from puffing me up with the false notion that ,i am anything but the feeblest of instruments4 ,i cannot give you any idea of the peculiar feelings which gratify and yet oppress me4 ,he had planned to cross the ocean once more1 partly as a delegate to ,russia from the ,evangelical ,alliance1 and partly to see whether it would not be possible to induce ,prussia and ,switzerland and other ,european nations1 from whom he had as yet received no pecuniary remuneration1 to do him simple justice4 ,but1 for various reasons1 this trip was abandoned1 and from those nations he never received anything but medals and praise4 ,so the last summer of the aged inventor's life was spent at his beloved ,locust ,grove1 not free from care and anxiety1 as he so well deserved1 but nevertheless1 thanks to his ,christian philosophy1 in comparative serenity and happiness4 ,his pastor in ,poughkeepsie1 the ,reverend ,f4,b4 ,wheeler1 says of him in a letter to ,mr4 ,prune3 ,in his whole character and in all his relations he was one of the most remarkable men of his age4 ,he was one who drew all who came in contact with him to his heart1 disarming all prejudices1 silencing all cavil4 ,in his family he was light1 life1 and love2 with those in his employ he was ever considerate and kind1 never exacting and harsh1 but honorable and just1 seeking the good of every dependent2 in the community he was a pillar of strength and beauty1 commanding the homage of universal respect2 in the ,church he walked with ,god and men4 ,that he was a man of great versatility has been shown1 in the recital of his activities as artist1 inventor1 and writer2 that he had no mean ability as a poet is also on record4 ,on ,january #f1 #ahgb1 he says in a letter to his cousin1 ,mrs4 ,thomas ,r4 ,walker3 ,some years ago1 when both of us were younger1 ,i remember addressing to you a trifle entitled ',the ,serenade1' which1 on being shown to ,mr4 ,verplanck1 was requested for publication in the ',talisman1' edited and conducted by him and ,mr4 ,sands4 ,i have not seen a copy of that work for many years1 and have preserved no copy of ',the ,serenade4' ,if you have a copy ,i should be pleased to have it4 ,he was delicately discreet in saying some years ago1 for this poem was written in #ahbg as the result of a wager between ,morse and his young cousin1 he having asserted that he could write poetry as well as paint pictures1 and requesting her to give him a theme4 ,it seems that the young lady had been paid the compliment of a serenade a few nights previously1 but she had1 most unromantically1 slept through it all1 so she gave as her theme ,the ,serenade1 and the next day ,morse produced the following poem3-- ,,the ,,serenade ,haste6 't is the stillest hour of night1 ,the ,moon sheds down her palest light1 ,and sleep has chained the lake and hill1 ,the wood1 the plain1 the babbling rill2 ,and where yon ivied lattice shows ,my fair one slumbers in repose4 ,come1 ye that know the lovely maid1 ,and help prepare the serenade4 ,hither1 before the night is flown1 ,bring instruments of every tone4 ,but lest with noise ye wake1 not lull1 ,her dreaming fancy1 ye must cull ,such only as shall soothe the mind ,and leave the harshest all behind4 ,bring not the thundering drum1 nor yet ,the harshly-shrieking clarionet1 ,nor screaming hautboy1 trumpet shrill1 ,nor clanging cymbals2 but1 with skill1 ,exclude each one that would disturb ,the fairy architects1 or curb ,the wild creations of their mirth1 ,all that would wake the soul to earth4 ,choose ye the softly-breathing-flute1 ,the mellow horn1 the loving lute2 ,the viol you must not forget1 ,and take the sprightly flageolet ,and grave bassoon2 choose too the fife1 ,whose warblings in the tuneful strife1 ,mingling in mystery with the words1 ,may seem like notes of blithest birds4 ,are ye prepared8 ,now lightly tread ,as if by elfin minstrels led1 ,and fling no sound upon the air ,shall rudely wake my slumbering fair4 ,softly6 ,now breathe the symphony1 ,so gently breathe the tones may vie ,in softness with the magic notes ,in visions heard2 music that floats ,so buoyant that it well may seem1 ,with strains ethereal in her dream1 ,one song of such mysterious birth ,she doubts it comes from heaven or earth4 ,play on6 ,my loved one slumbers still4 ,play on6 ,she wakes not with the thrill ,of joy produced by strains so mild1 ,but fancy moulds them gay and wild4 ,now1 as the music low declines1 ',t is sighing of the forest pines2 ,or 't is the fitful1 varied war ,of distant falls or troubled shore4 ,now1 as the tone grows full or sharp1 ',t is whispering of the olian harp4 ,the viol swells1 now low1 now loud1 ',t is spirits chanting on a cloud ,that passes by4 ,it dies away2 ,so gently dies she scarce can say ',t is gone2 listens2 't is lost she fears2 ,listens1 and thinks again she hears4 ,as dew drops mingling in a stream ,to her 't is all one blissful dream1 ,a song of angels throned in light4 ,softly6 ,away6 ,fair one1 good-night4 ,in the autumn of #ahga ,morse returned with his family to ,new ,york1 and it is recorded that1 with an apparent premonition that he should never see his beloved ,locust ,grove again1 he ordered the carriage to stop as he drove out of the gate1 and1 standing up1 looked long and lovingly at the familiar scene before telling the coachman to drive on4 ,and as he passed the rural cemetery on the way to the station he exclaimed3 ,beautiful6 beautiful6 but ,i shall not lie there4 ,i have prepared a place elsewhere4 ,not long after his return to the city death once more laid its heavy hand upon him in the loss of his sole surviving brother1 ,sidney4 ,while this was a crushing blow1 for these two brothers had been peculiarly attached to each other1 he bore it with ,christian resignation1 confident that the separation would be for a short time only--,we must soon follow1 ,i also am over eighty years1 and am waiting till my change comes4 ,but his mind was active to the very end1 and he never ceased to do all in his power for the welfare of mankind4 ,one of the last letters written by him on a subject of public importance was sent on ,december #d1 #ahga1 to ,cyrus ,field1 who was then attending an important telegraphic convention in ,rome3-- ,excuse my delay in writing you4 ,the excitement occasioned by the visit of the ,grand ,duke ,alexis has but just ceased1 and ,i have been wholly engrossed by the various duties connected with his presence4 ,i have wished for a few calm moments to put on paper some thoughts respecting the doings of the great ,telegraphic ,convention to which you are a delegate4 ,the ,telegraph has now assumed such a marvellous position in human affairs throughout the world1 its influences are so great and important in all the varied concerns of nations1 that its efficient protection from injury has become a necessity4 ,it is a powerful advocate for universal peace4 ,not that of itself it can command a ',peace1 be still6' to the angry waves of human passions1 but that1 by its rapid interchange of thought and opinion1 it gives the opportunity of explanations to acts and to laws which1 in their ordinary wording1 often create doubt and suspicion4 ,were there no means of quick explanation it is readily seen that doubt and suspicion1 working on the susceptibilities of the public mind1 would engender misconception1 hatred and strife4 ,how important then that1 in the intercourse of nations1 there should be the ready means at hand for prompt correction and explanation4 ,could there not be passed in the great ,international ,convention some resolution to the effect that1 in whatever condition1 whether of ,peace or ,war between the nations1 the ,telegraph should be deemed a sacred thing1 to be by common consent effectually protected both on the land and beneath the waters8 ,in the interest of human happiness1 of that ',peace on ,earth' which1 in announcing the advent of the ,saviour1 the angels proclaimed with 'good will to men1' ,i hope that the convention will not adjourn without adopting a resolution asking of the nations their united1 effective protection to this great agent of civilization4 ,richly as he deserved that his sun should set in an unclouded sky1 this was not to be4 ,sorrows of a most intimate nature crowded upon him4 ,he was also made the victim of a conscienceless swindler who fleeced him of many thousand dollars1 and1 to crown all1 his old and indefatigable enemy1 ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith1 administered a cowardly thrust in the back when his weakening powers prevented him from defending himself with his oldtime vigor4 ,from a very long letter written by ,smith on ,december #aa1 #ahga1 to ,henry ,j4 ,rogers in ,washington1 ,i shall quote only the first sentences3-- ,dear ,sir1--,in my absence your letter of the #aath ult4 was received here1 with the printed circular of the ,national ,monumental ,society1 in reply to which ,i feel constrained to say if that highly laudable association resolves to erect at the national capital of the ,united ,states a memorial monument to symbolize in statuary of colossal proportions the history of the electromagnetic telegraph1 before that history has been authentically written1 it is my conviction3 that the statue most worthy to stand upon the pedestal of such monument would be that of the man of true science1 who explored the laws of nature ahead of all other men1 and was the first to wrest electron-magnetism from ,nature's embrace and make it a missionary to1 the cause of human progress1 and that man is ,professor ,joseph ,henry1 of the ,smithsonian ,institution4 ,professor ,morse and his early coadjutors would more appropriately occupy1 in groups of high relief1 the sides of that pedestal1 symbolizing1 by their established merits and cooperative works1 the grandeur of the researches and resulting discoveries of their leader and chief1 who was the first to announce and to demonstrate to a despairing world1 by actual mechanical agencies1 the practicability of2 an electro-magnetic telegraph through any distances4 ,much more of the same flatulent bombast follows which it will not be necessary to introduce here4 ,while ,morse himself naturally felt some delicacy in noticing such an attack as this1 he found a willing1 and efficient champion in his old friend 7and the friend of ,henry as well7 ,professor ,leonard ,d4 ,gale1 who writes to him on ,january #bb1 #ahgb3-- ,i have lately seen a mean1 unfair1 and villainous letter of ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith1 addressed to ,h4,j4 ,rogers 7officer of the ,morse ,monumental ,association71 alleging that the place on the monument designed to be occupied by the statue of ,morse1 should be awarded to ,henry2 that ,morse was not a scientific man1 etc41 etc4 ,it was written in his own peculiar style4 ,the allegations were so outrageous that ,i felt it my duty to reply to it without delay4 ,as ,smith's letter was to ,rogers1 as an officer of the ,association1 ,i sent my reply to the same person4 ,i enclose a copy herewith4 ,mrs4 ,gale suggests an additional figure to the group on the monument--a serpent with the face of ,f4,o4,j4,s41 biting the heel of ,morse1 but with the fangs extracted4 ,professor ,gale's letter to ,henry ,j4 ,rogers is worthy of being quoted in full3-- ,i have just read a letter from ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith1 dated ,december #aa1 #ahga1 addressed to you1 and designed to throw discredit on ,morse's invention of the ,telegraph1 the burden of which seems to be rebuke to the designer of the monument1 for elevating ,morse to the apex of the monument and claiming for ,professor ,j4 ,henry1 of the ,smithsonian ,institution1 that high distinction4 ,the first question of an impartial inquirer is3 ',to which of these gentlemen is the honor due8' ,to ascertain this we will ask a second question3 ',was the subject of the invention a machine1 or was it a new fact in science8' ,the answer is3 ',it was a machine4' ,the first was ,morse's1 the latter was ,henry's4 ,henry stated that electric currents might be sent through long distances applicable to telegraphic purposes4 ,morse took the facts as they then existed1 invented a machine1 harnessed the steed therein1 and set the creature to work4 ,there is honor due to ,henry for his great discovery of the scientific principle2 there is honor also due to ,morse for his invention of the ingenious machine which accomplishes the work4 ,men of science regard the discovery of a new fact in science as a higher attainment than the application of it to useful purposes1 while the world at large regards the application of the principle or fact in science to the useful arts as of paramount importance4 ,all honor to the discoverer of a new fact in science2 equal honor to him who utilizes that fact for the benefit of mankind4 ,has the world forgotten what ,robert ,fulton did for the navigation of the waters by steamboats8 ,it was he who first applied steam to propel a vessel and navigated the ,hudson for the first time with steam and paddle-wheels and vessel in #ahjg4 ,do not we honor him as the ,father of steamboats8 ,yet ,fulton did not invent steam1 nor the steam-engine1 nor paddle-wheels1 nor the vessel4 ,he merely adapted a steam-engine to a vessel armed with paddle-wheels4 ,the combination was his invention4 ,there is another example on record4 ,cyrus ,h4 ,mc,cormick1 the ,father of the ,reaping and ,mowing ,machine1 took out the first successful patent in #ahcg1 and is justly acknowledged the world over as the inventor of this great machine4 ,although one hundred and forty-six patents were granted in ,england previous to ,mc,cormick's time1 they are but so many unsuccessful efforts to perfect a practical machine4 ,the cutting apparatus1 the device to raise and lower the cutters1 the levers1 the platform1 the wheels1 the framework1 had all been used before ,mc,cormick's time4 ,but ,mc,cormick was the first genius able to put these separate devices together in a practical1 harmonious operation4 ,the combination was his invention4 ,morse did more4 ,he invented the form of the various parts of his machine as well as their combination2 he was the first to put such a machine into practical operation2 and for such a purpose who can question his title as the ,inventor of the ,electric ,telegraph8 ,to the letter of ,professor ,gale1 ,morse replied on ,january #be3-- ,thank you sincerely for your effective interference in my favor in the recent1 but not unexpected1 attack of ,f4,o4,j4,s4 ,i will1 so soon as ,i can free myself from some very pressing matters1 write you more fully on the subject4 ,yet ,i can add nothing to your perfectly clear exposition of the difference between a discovery of a principle in science and its application to a useful purpose4 ,as for ,smith's suggestion of putting ,henry on the top of the proposed monument1 ,i can hardly suppose ,professor ,h4 would feel much gratification on learning the character of his zealous advocate4 ,it is simply a matter of spite2 carrying out his intense and smothered antipathy to me1 and not for any particular regard for ,professor ,h4 ,as ,i have had nothing to do with the proposed monument1 ,i have no feeling on the subject4 ,if they who have the direction of that monument think the putting of ,professor ,h4 on the apex will meet the applause of the public1 including the expressed opinion of the entire world1 by all means put him there4 ,i certainly shall make no complaint4 ,the monument was never erected1 and this effort of ,smith's to humiliate ,morse proved abortive4 ,but his spite did not end there1 as we learn from the following letter written by ,morse on ,february #bf1 #ahgb1 to the ,reverend ,aspinwall ,hodge1 of ,hartford1 ,connecticut1 the husband of one of his nieces3-- ,some unknown person has sent me the advance sheets of a work 7the pages between #abcc and #abdi7 publishing in ,hartford1 the title of which is not given1 but ,i think is something like ',the ,great ,industries of the ,united ,states4' ,the pages sent me are entitled ',the ,american ,magnetic ,telegraph4' ,they contain the most atrocious and vile attack upon me which has ever appeared in print4 ,i shall be glad to learn who are the publishers of this work1 what are the characters of the publishers1 and whether they will give me the name or names of the author or authors of this diatribe1 and whether they vouch for the character of those who furnished the article for their work4 ,i know well enough1 indeed1 who the libellers are and their motives1 which arise from pure spite and revenge for having been legally defeated parties in cases relating to the ,telegraph before the courts4 ,to you ,i can say the concocters of this tirade are ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith1 of bad notoriety1 and ,henry ,o',reilly4 ,are the publishers responsible men1 and are they aware of the character of those who have given them that article1 particularly the moral character of ,smith1 notorious for his debaucheries and condemned in court for subornation of perjury1 and one of the most revengeful men1 who has artfully got up this tirade because my agent1 the late ,honorable ,amos ,kendall1 was compelled to resist his unrighteous claim upon me for some #be1jjj which1 after repeated trials lasting some twelve years1 was at length1 by a decision of the ,supreme ,court of the ,united ,states1 decided against him1 and he was adjudged to owe me some #ad1jjj8 ,mr4 ,kendall1 previous to his decease1 managed the case which has thus resulted4 ,the necessity of seizing some property of his in the city of ,williamsburg1 through the course of the legal proceedings1 has aroused his revengeful feelings1 and he has openly threatened that he would be revenged upon me for it1 and he has for two or three years past with ,o',reilly been concocting this mode of revenge4 ,if the publishers are respectable men1 ,i think they will regret that they have been the dupes of these arch conspirators4 ,if not too late to suppress that article ,i should be glad of an interview with them1 in which ,i will satisfy them that they have been most egregiously imposed upon4 ,this was the last flash of that old fire which1 when he was sufficiently aroused by righteous indignation at unjust attacks1 had enabled him to strike out vigorously in self-defense1 and had won him many a victory4 ,he was now nearing the end of his physical resources4 ,he had fought the good fight and he had no misgivings as to the verdict of posterity on his achievements4 ,he could fight no more1 willing and mentally able though he was to confound his enemies again4 ,he must leave it to others to defend his fame and good name in the future4 ,the last letter which was copied into his letter-press book was written on ,march #ad1 not three weeks before the last summons came to him1 and it refers to his old enemy who thus pursued him even to the brink of the grave4 ,it is addressed to ,f4,j4 ,mead1 ,esq43-- ,although forbidden to read or write by my physician1 who finds me prostrate with a severe attack of neuralgia in the head1 ,i yet must thank you for your kind letter of the #abth inst4 ,i should be much gratified to know what part ,professor ,henry has taken1 if any1 in this atrocious and absurd attack of ,f4,o4,j4,s4 ,i have no fears of the result1 but no desire either to suspect any agency on the part of ,professor ,henry4 ,it is difficult for me to conceive that a man in his position should not see the true position of the matter4 ,this vicious attack had no effect upon his fame4 ,dying as soon as it was born1 choked by its own venom1 it was overwhelmed by the wave of sorrow and sympathy which swept over the earth at the announcement of the death of the great inventor4 ,his last public appearance was on ,january #ag1 #ahgb1 when he1 in company with ,horace ,greeley1 unveiled the statue of ,benjamin ,franklin in ,printing ,house ,square1 ,new ,york4 ,it was a very cold day1 but1 against the advice of his physician and his family1 he insisted on being present4 ,as he drove up in his carriage and1 escorted by the committee1 ascended to the platform1 he was loudly cheered by the multitude which had assembled4 ,standing uncovered in the biting air1 he delivered the following short address3-- ,,mr4 ,,de ,,groot ,,and ,,fellow-,,citizens1--,i esteem it one of my highest honors that ,i should have been designated to perform the office of unveiling this day the fine statue of our illustrious and immortal ,franklin4 ,when requested to accept this duty ,i was confined to my bed1 but ,i could not refuse1 and ,i said3 ',yes1 if ,i have to be lifted to the spot6' ,franklin needs no eulogy from me4 ,no one has more reason to venerate his name than myself4 ,may his illustrious example of devotion to the interest of universal humanity be the seed of further fruit for the good of the world4 ,morse was to have been an honored guest at the banquet in the evening1 where in the speeches his name was coupled with that of ,franklin as one of the great benefactors of mankind2 but1 yielding to the wishes of his family1 he remained at home4 ,he had all his life been a sufferer from severe headaches1 and now these neuralgic pains increased in severity1 no doubt aggravated by his exposure at the unveiling4 ,when the paroxysms were upon him he walked the floor in agony1 pressing his hands to his temples2 but these seizures were1 mercifully1 not continuous1 and he still wrote voluminous letters1 and tried to solve the problems which were thrust upon him1 even to the end4 ,one of the last acts of his life was to go down town with his youngest son1 whose birthday was the #bith of ,march1 to purchase for him his first gold watch1 and that watch the son still carries1 a precious memento of his father4 ,gradually the pains in the head grew less severe1 but great weakness followed1 and he was compelled to keep to his bed1 sinking into a peaceful1 painless unconsciousness relieved by an occasional flash of his old vigor4 ,to his pastor1 ,reverend ,dr4 ,william ,adams1 he expressed his gratitude for the goodness of ,god to him1 but added3 ,the best is yet to come4 ,he roused himself on the #bith of ,march1 the birthday of his son1 kissing him and gazing with pleasure on a drawing sent to the boy by his cousin1 ,mary ,goodrich1 pronouncing it excellent4 ,shortly before the end pneumonia set in1 and one of the attending physicians1 tapping on his chest1 said ,this is the way we doctors telegraph2 and the dying man1 with a momentary gleam of the old humor lighting up his fading eyes1 whispered1 ,very good4 ,these were the last words spoken by him4 ,from a letter written by one who was present at his bedside to another member of the family ,i shall quote a few words3 ,he is fast passing away4 ,it is touching to see him so still1 so unconscious of all that is passing1 waiting for death4 ,he has suffered much with neuralgia of the head1 increased of late by a miserable pamphlet by ,f4,o4,j4,s4 ,poor dear man6 ,strange that they could not leave him in peace in his old age4 ,but now all sorrow is forgotten4 ,he lies quiet infant4 ,heaven is opening to him with its peace and perfect rest4 ,the doctor calls his sickness 'exhaustion of the brain4' ,he looks very handsome2 the light of ,heaven seems shining on his beautiful eyes4 ,on ,april #a1 consciousness returned for a few moments and he recognized his wife and those around him with a smile1 but without being able to speak4 ,then he gradually sank to sleep and on the next day he gently breathed his last4 ,his faithful and loving friend1 ,james ,d4 ,reid1 in the ,journal of the ,telegraph1 of which he was editor1 paid tribute to his memory in the following touching words3-- ,in the ripeness and mellow sunshine of the end of an honored and protracted life ,professor ,morse1 the father of the ,american ,telegraph system1 our own beloved friend and father1 has gone to his rest4 ,the telegraph1 the child of his own brain1 has long since whispered to every home in all the civilized world that the great inventor has passed away4 ,men1 as they pass each other on the street1 say1 with the subdued voice of personal sorrow1 ',morse is dead4' ,yet to us he lives4 ,if he is dead it is only to those who did not know him4 ,it is not the habit of ardent affection to be garrulous in the excitement of such an occasion as this4 ,it would fain gaze on the dead face in silence4 ,the pen1 conscious of its weakness1 hesitates in its work of endeavoring to reveal that which the heart can alone interpret in a language sacred to itself1 and by tears no eye may ever see4 ,for such reason we1 who have so much enjoyed the sweetness of the presence of this venerable man1 now so calm in his last sacred sleep1 to whom he often came1 with his cheerful and gentle ways1 as to a son1 so confiding of his heart's tenderest thoughts1 so free in the expression of his hopes of the life beyond1 find difficulty in making the necessary record of his decease4 ,we can only tell what the world has already known by the everywhere present wires1 that1 on the evening of ,tuesday1 ,april #b1 ,professor ,morse1 in the beautiful serenity of ,christian hope1 after a life extended beyond fourscore years1 folded his hands upon his breast and bade the earth1 and generation1 and nation he had honored1 farewell4 ,in the ,evening ,post1 probably from the pen of his old friend ,william ,cullen ,bryant1 was the following3-- ,the name of ,morse will always stand in the foremost rank of the great inventors1 each of whom has changed the face of society and given a new direction to the growth of civilization by the application to the arts of one great thought4 ,it will always be read side by side with those of ,gutenberg and ,schoeffer1 or ,watt and ,fulton4 ,this eminence he fairly earned by one splendid invention4 ,but none who knew the man will be satisfied to let this world-wide and forever growing monument be the sole record of his greatness4 ,had he never thought of the telegraph he would still receive1 in death1 the highest honors friendship and admiration can offer to distinguished and varied abilities1 associated with a noble character4 ,in early life he showed the genius of a truly great artist4 ,in after years he exercised all the powers of a masterly scientific investigator4 ,throughout his career he was eminent for the loftiness of his aims1 for his resolute faith in the strength of truth1 for his capacity to endure and to wait2 and for his fidelity alike to his convictions and to his friends4 ,his intellectual eminence was limited to no one branch of human effort1 but1 in the judgment of men who knew him best1 he had endowments which might have made him1 had he not been the chief of inventors1 the most powerful of advocates1 the boldest and most effective of artists1 the most discerning of scientific physicians1 or an administrative officer worthy of the highest place and of the best days in ,american history4 ,the ,new ,york ,herald said3-- ,morse was1 perhaps1 the most illustrious ,american of his age4 ,looking over the expanse of the ages1 we think more earnestly and lovingly of ,cadmus1 who gave us the alphabet2 of ,archimedes1 who invented the lever2 of ,euclid1 with his demonstrations in geometry2 of ,faust1 who taught us how to print2 of ,watt1 with his development of steam1 than of the resonant orators who inflamed the passions of mankind1 and the gallant chieftains who led mankind to war4 ,we decorate history with our ,napoleons and ,wellingtons1 but it was better for the world that steam was demonstrated to be an active1 manageable force1 than that a ,french ,emperor and his army should win the battle of ,austerlitz4 ,and when a ,napoleon of peace1 like the dead ,morse1 has passed away1 and we come to sum up his life1 we gladly see that the world is better1 society more generous and enlarged1 and mankind nearer the ultimate fulfillment of its earthly mission because he lived2 and did the work that was in him4 ,the ,louisville ,courier-,journal went even higher in its praise3-- ,if it is legitimate to measure a man by the magnitude of his achievements1 the greatest man of the nineteenth century is dead4 ,some days ago the electric current brought us the intelligence that ,s4,f4,b4 ,morse was smitten with1 paralysis4 ,since then it has brought us the bulletins of his condition as promptly as if we had been living in the same square1 entertaining us with hopes which the mournful sequel has proven to be delusive1 for the magic wires have just thrilled with the tidings to all nations that the father of telegraphy has passed to the eternal world4 ,almost as quietly as the all-seeing eye saw the soul depart from that venerable form1 mortal men1 thousands of miles distant1 are apprised of the same fact by the swift messenger which he won from the unknown--speaking1 as it goes around its world-wide circuit1 in all the languages of earth4 ,professor ,morse took no royal road to this discovery4 ,indeed it is never a characteristic of genius to seek such roads4 ,he was dependent1 necessarily1 upon facts and principles brought to light by similar diligent1 patient minds which had gone before him4 ,volta1 ,galvani1 ,morcel1 ,grove1 ,faraday1 ,franklin1 and a host of others had laid a basis of laws and theories upon which he humbly and reverently mounted and arranged his great problem for the hoped-for solution4 ,but to him was reserved the sole1 undivided glory of discovering the priceless gem1 'richer than all its tribe1' which lay just beneath the surface1 and around which so many savans had blindly groped4 ,he is dead1 but his mission was fully completed4 ,it has been no man's fortune to leave behind him a more magnificent legacy to earth1 or a more absolute title to a glorious immortality4 ,to the honor of being one of the most distinguished benefactors of the human race1 he added the personal and social graces and virtues of a true gentleman and a ,christian philosopher2 ,the memory of his private worth will be kept green amid the immortals of sorrowing friendship for a lifetime only1 but his life monument will endure among men as long as the human race exists upon earth4 ,the funeral services were held on ,friday1 ,april #e1 at the ,madison ,square ,presbyterian ,church4 ,at eleven o'clock the long procession entered the church in the following order3-- ,rev4 ,wm4 ,adams1 ,d4,d41 ,rev4 ,f4,b4 ,wheeler1 ,d4,d4 ,,coffin4 ,,pall-,,bearers4 ,william ,orton1 ,cyrus ,w4 ,field1 ,daniel ,huntington1 ,charles ,butler1 ,peter ,cooper1 ,john ,a4 ,dix1 ,cambridge ,livingston1 ,ezra ,cornell4 ,the ,family4 ,governor ,hoffman and ,staff4 ,members of the ,legislature4 ,directors of the ,new ,york1 ,newfoundland and ,london ,telegraph ,company4 ,directors of the ,western ,union ,telegraph ,company and officers and operators4 ,members of the ,national ,academy of ,design4 ,members of the ,evangelical ,alliance4 ,members of the ,chamber of ,commerce4 ,members of the ,association for the ,advancement of ,science and ,art4 ,members of the ,new ,york ,stock ,exchange4 ,delegations from the ,common ,councils of ,new ,york1 ,brooklyn and ,poughkeepsie and many of the ,yale ,alumni4 ,the ,legislative ,committee3 ,messrs4 ,james ,w4 ,husted1 ,l4 ,bradford ,prince1 ,samuel ,j4 ,tilden1 ,severn ,d4 ,moulton and ,john ,simpson4 ,the funeral address1 delivered by ,dr4 ,adams1 was long and eloquent1 and near the conclusion he said3-- ,to-day we part forever with all that is mortal of that man who has done so much in the cause of ,christian civilization4 ,less than one year ago his fellow-citizens1 chiefly telegraphic operators1 who loved him as children love a father1 raised his statue in ,central ,park4 ,to-day all we can give him is a grave4 ,that venerable form1 that face so saintly in its purity and refinement1 we shall see no more4 ,how much we shall miss him in our homes1 our churches1 in public gatherings1 in the streets and in society which he adorned and blessed4 ,but his life has been so useful1 so happy and so complete that1 for him1 nothing remains to be wished4 ,congratulate the man who1 leaving to his family1 friends and country a name spotless1 untarnished1 beloved of nations1 to be repeated in foreign tongues and by sparkling seas1 has died in the bright and blessed hope of everlasting life4 ,farewell1 beloved friend1 honored citizen1 public benefactor1 good and faithful servant6 ,the three ,morse brothers were united in death as they had been in life4 ,in ,greenwood ,cemetery a little hill had been purchased by the brothers and divided into three equal portions4 ,on the summit of the hill there now stands a beautiful three-sided monument1 and at its base reposes all that is mortal of these three upright men1 each surrounded by those whom they had loved on earth1 and who have now joined them in their last resting place4 ,resolutions of sympathy came to the family from all over the world1 and from bodies political1 scientific1 artistic1 and mercantile1 and letters of condolence from friends and from strangers4 ,in the ,house of ,representatives1 in ,washington1 the ,honorable ,s4,s4 ,cox offered a concurrent resolution1 declaring that ,congress has heard--with profound regret of the death of ,professor ,morse1 whose distinguished and varied abilities have contributed more than those of any other person to the development and progress of the practical arts1 and that his purity of private life1 his loftiness of scientific aims1 and his resolute faith in truth1 render it highly proper that the ,representatives and ,senators should solemnly testify to his worth and greatness4 ,this was unanimously agreed to4 ,the ,honorable ,fernando ,wood1 after a brief history of the legislation which resulted in the grant of #cj1jjj to enable ,morse to test his invention1 added that he was proud to say that his name had been recorded in the affirmative on that historic occasion1 and that he was then the only living member of either house who had so voted4 ,similar resolutions were passed in the ,senate1 and a committee was appointed by both houses to arrange for a suitable memorial service1 and1 on ,april #i1 the following letter was sent to ,mrs4 ,morse by ,a4,s4 ,solomons1 ,chairman of the ,committee of ,arrangements3-- ,,dear ,,madam1--,congress and the citizens of ,washington purpose holding memorial services in honor of your late respected husband in the ,hall of the ,house of ,representatives1 on ,tuesday evening next1 the #afth of ,april1 and have directed me to request that yourself and family become the guests of the nation on that truly solemn occasion4 ,if agreeable1 be good enough to inform me when you will likely be here4 ,the widow was not able to accept this graceful invitation1 but members of the family were present4 ,the ,hall was crowded with a representative audience4 ,james ,g4 ,blaine1 ,speaker of the ,house1 presided1 assisted by ,vice-,president ,colfax4 ,president ,grant and his ,cabinet1 ,judges of the ,supreme ,court1 ,governors of ,states1 and other dignitaries were present in person or by proxy4 ,in front of the main gallery an oil portrait of ,morse had been placed1 and around the frame was inscribed the historic first message3 ,what hath ,god wrought4 ,after the opening prayer by ,dr4 ,william ,adams1 ,speaker ,blaine said3-- ,less than thirty years ago a man of genius and learning was an earnest petitioner before ,congress for a small pecuniary aid that enabled him to test certain occult theories of science which he had laboriously evolved4 ,to-night the representatives of forty million people assemble in their legislative hall to do homage and honor to the name of ',morse4' ,great discoverers and inventors rarely live to witness the full development and perfection of their mighty conceptions1 but to him whose death we now mourn1 and whose fame we celebrate1 it was1 in ,god's good providence1 vouchsafed otherwise4 ,the little thread of wire1 placed as a timid experiment between the national capital and a neighboring city1 grew and lengthened and multiplied with almost the rapidity of the electric current that darted along its iron nerves1 until1 within his own lifetime1 continent was bound unto continent1 hemisphere answered through ocean's depths unto hemisphere1 and an encircled globe flashed forth his eulogy in the unmatched elements of a grand achievement4 ,charged by the ,house of ,representatives with the agreeable and honorable duty of presiding here1 and of announcing the various participants in the exercises of the evening1 ,i welcome to this hall those who join with us in this expressive tribute to the memory and to the merit of a great man4 ,after ,mr4 ,blaine had concluded his remarks the exercises were conducted as follows3-- ,resolutions by the ,honorable ,c4,c4 ,cox1 ,m4,d41 of ,washington1 ,d4,c4 ,address by the ,honorable ,j4,w4 ,patterson1 of ,new ,hampshire4 ,address by the ,honorable ,fernando ,wood1 of ,new ,york4 ,vocal music by the ,choral ,society of ,washington4 ,address by the ,honorable ,j4,a4 ,garfield1 of ,ohio4 ,address by the ,honorable ,s4,s4 ,cox1 of ,new ,york4 ,address by the ,honorable ,n4,p4 ,banks1 of ,massachusetts4 ,vocal music by the ,choral ,society of ,washington4 ,benediction by the ,reverend ,dr4 ,wheeler of ,poughkeepsie4 ,once again the invention which made him famous paid marvellous tribute to the man of science4 ,while less than a year before1 joyous messages of congratulation had flashed over the wires from the four quarters of the globe1 to greet the living inventor1 now came words of sorrow and condolence from ,europe1 ,asia1 ,africa1 and ,america mourning that inventor dead1 and again were they read to a wondering audience by that other man of indomitable perseverance1 ,cyrus ,w4 ,field4 ,on the same evening memorial services were held in ,faneuil ,hall1 ,boston1 at which the mayor of the city presided1 and addresses were made by ,josiah ,quincy1 ,professor ,e4,n4 ,horsford1 the ,honorable ,richard ,h4 ,dana1 and others4 ,other cities all over the country1 and in foreign lands1 held commemorative services1 and every telegraph office in the country was draped in mourning1 in sad remembrance of him whom all delighted to call ,father4 ,mr4 ,prime1 in his closing review of ,morse's character1 uses the following words3-- ,it is not given to mortals to leave a perfect example for the admiration and imitation of posterity1 but it is safe to say that the life and character of few men1 whose history is left on record1 afford less opportunity for criticism than is found in the conspicuous career of the ,inventor of the ,telegraph4 ,having followed him step by step from the birth to the grave1 in public1 social and private relations2 in struggles with poverty1 enemies and wrongs2 in courts of law1 the press and halls of science2 having seen him tempted1 assailed1 defeated1 and again in victory1 honor and renown2 having read thousands of his private letters1 his essays and pamphlets1 and volumes in which his claims are canvassed1 his merits discussed and his character reviewed2 having had access to his most private papers and confidential correspondence1 in which all that is most secret and sacred in the life of man is hid--it is right to say that1 in this mass of testimony by friends and foes1 there is not a line that requires to be erased or changed to preserve the lustre of his name4444 ,it was the device and purpose of those who sought to rob him of his honors and his rights to depreciate his intellectual ability and his scientific attainments4 ,but among all the men of science and of learning in the law1 there was not one who was a match for him when he gave his mind to a subject which required his perfect mastery4444 ,he drew up the brief with his own hand for one of the distinguished counsel in a great lawsuit involving his patent rights1 and his lawyer said it was the argument that carried conviction to every unprejudiced mind4 ,such was the versatility and variety of his mental endowments that he would have been great in any department of human pursuits4 ,his wonderful rapidity of thought was associated with patient1 plodding perseverance1 a combination rare but mightily effective4 ,he leaped to a possible conclusion1 and then slowly developed the successive steps by which the end was gained and the result made secure4 ,he covered thousands of pages with his pencil notes1 annotated large and numerous volumes1 filled huge folios with valuable excerpts from newspapers1 illustrated processes of thought with diagrams1 and was thus fortified and enriched with stores of knowledge and masses of facts1 so digested1 combined and arranged1 that he had them at his easy command to defend the past or to help him onward to fresh conquests in the fields of truth4 ,yet such was his modesty and reticence in regard to himself that none outside of his household were aware of his resources1 and his attainments were only known when displayed in self-defense4 ,then they never failed to be ample for the occasion1 as every opponent had reason to remember4 ,yet he was gentle as he was great4 ,many thought him weak because he was simple1 childlike and unworldly4 ,often he suffered wrong rather than resist1 and this disposition to yield was frequently his loss4 ,the firmness1 tenacity and perseverance with which he fought his foes were the fruits of his integrity1 principle and profound convictions of right and duty4444 ,his nature was a rare combination of solid intellect and delicate sensibility4 ,thoughtful1 sober and quiet1 he readily entered into the enjoyments of domestic and social life1 indulging in sallies of humor1 and readily appreciating and greatly enjoying the wit of others4 ,dignified in his intercourse with men1 courteous and affable with the gentler sex1 he was a good husband1 a judicious father1 a generous and faithful friend4 ,he had the misfortune to incur the hostility of men who would deprive him of his merit and the reward of his labors4 ,but this is the common fate of great inventors4 ,he lived until his rights were vindicated by every tribunal to which they could be referred1 and acknowledged by all civilized nations1 and he died leaving to his children a spotless and illustrious name1 and to his country the honor of having given birth to the only ,electro-,magnetic ,recording ,telegraph whose line is gone out through all the earth1 and its words to the end of the world4 ,and now my pleasant task is ended4 ,after the lapse of so many years it has been possible for me to introduce much more evidence of a personal nature1 to reveal the character of those with whom ,morse had to contend1 than would have been discreet or judicious during the lifetime of some of the actors in the drama4 ,many attempts have been made since the death of the inventor to minimize his fame1 and to exalt others at his expense1 but1 while these attempts have seemed to triumph for a time1 while they may have influenced a few minds and caused erroneous attributions to be made in some publications1 their effect is ephemeral1 for ,truth is mighty and will prevail1 and the more carefully and exhaustively this complicated subject is studied1 the more apparent will it be that ,morse never claimed more than was his due2 that his upright1 truthloving character1 as revealed in his intimate correspondence and in the testimony of his contemporaries1 forbade his ever stooping to deceit or wilful appropriation of the ideas of others4 ,a summary1 in as few words as possible1 of what ,morse actually invented or discovered may be1 at this point1 appropriate4 ,in #ahcb1 he conceived the idea of a true electric telegraph--a writing at a distance by means of the electromagnet4 ,the use of the electro-magnet for this purpose was original with him2 it was entirely different from any form of telegraph devised by others1 and he was not aware1 at the time1 that any other person had even combined the words electric and telegraph4 ,the mechanism to produce the desired result1 roughly drawn in the #ahcb sketch-book1 was elaborated and made by ,morse alone1 and produced actual results in #ahce1 #ahcf1 and #ahcg4 ,still further perfected by him1 with the legitimate assistance of others1 it became the universal telegraph of to-day1 holding its own and successfully contending with all other plans of telegraphs devised by others4 ,he devised and perfected the dot-and-dash alphabet4 ,in #ahcf1 he discovered the principle of the relay4 ,in #ahch1 he received a ,french patent for a system of railway telegraph1 which also embodies the principle of the police and fire-alarm telegraph4 ,at the same time he suggested a practical form of military telegraph4 ,in #ahdb1 he laid the first subaqueous cable4 ,in #ahdb1 he discovered1 with ,dr4 ,fisher1 the principle of duplex telegraphy1 and he was also the first to experiment with wireless telegraphy4 ,in addition to his electrical inventions and discoveries he was the first to experiment with the ,daguerreotype in ,america1 and1 with ,professor ,draper1 was the first in the world to take portraits by this means1 ,daguerre himself not thinking it possible4 ,the verdict of the world1 as pronounced at the time of his death1 has been strengthened with the lapse of years4 ,he was one of the first to be immortalized in the ,hall of ,fame4 ,his name1 like those of ,volta1 ,galvani1 ,ampere1 and others1 has been incorporated into everyday speech1 and is now used to symbolize the language of that simple but marvellous invention which brings the whole world into intimate touch4 ,,the ,,end ,,index ,abbott1 ,gorham1 ,american ,asiatic ,society1 #b1 #ddc ,abbott1 ,j4,s4,c41 from ,m4 7#ahfg7 on ,louis ,napoleon in ,new ,york4 #b1 #dea ,abdul ,mejid1 decorates ,m41 #b1 #big ,abernethy1 ,john1 personality1 #a1 #ih1 #ii ,abolitionism1 ,m4's antagonism1 #b1 #cij1 #dae1 #daf1 #dah1 #dbj1 #dcj1 #ddf ,accidents to ,m41 runaway 7#ahbh71 #a1 #bic-bie in #ahdd1 #b1 #bcb fall 7#ahdf71 #bfh during laying of ,atlantic cable 7#aheg71 #cgf1 #cgg1 #chc breaks leg 7#ahfi71 #dhj ,acton1 ----4 and ,m4 at ,peterhoff 7#ahef71 #b1 #cfc ,adams1 ,j4,q41 and election to ,presidency1 ,jackson's congratulations1 #a1 #bfc and ,m4's failure to get commission for painting for ,capitol1 #b1 #bh-cj ,adams1 ,john1 portrait by ,m41 #a1 #aif ,adams1 ,nehemiah1 and ,civil ,war1 #b1 #daf ,adams1 ,william1 and ,m4's last illness1 #b1 #ejf at ,m4's funeral1 address1 #eaa1 #eab at memorial services1 #ead ,agamemnon1 and laying of first ,atlantic cable1 #b1 #cgh ,agate4 ,f4,s41 pupil of ,m41 #a1 #beg1 #bge and origin of ,academy of ,design1 #bhj ,albany1 ,m4 as portrait painter at 7#ahbc71 #a1 #bde-bdi ,alexander ,i of ,russia1 in ,london 7#ahad71 appearance1 anecdotes1 #a1 #adb-adf ,alexander ,,ii of ,russia4 ,m4 on presentation to 7#ahef71 #b1 #cef-cfd attempt on life at ,paris 7#ahfg71 #dee ,allan1 ,sir ,hugh1 at banquet to ,m41 #b1 #dgc ,allegorical painting1 ,m4 on1 #a1 #cah ,allegri1 ,gregorio1 ,m4 on ,miserere1 #b1 #cde ,allston1 ,washington1 ,m4 desires to study under1 #a1 #ba ,m4 accompanies to ,england 7#ahaa71 #ca1 #hc journey to ,london1 #hf1 #ch on ,m4 as artist1 #df1 #ee1 #ef1 #aca and ,leslie1 #ei1 #aef and death of wife1 ,coleridge's prescription1 #ei1 #afh and ,m41 ,interest1 influence and criticism1 #gd1 #gf1 #hc1 #hf1 #ajd1 #afb1 #aig-aii1 #dcf and ,war of #ahab1 #hi at premier of ,coleridge's ,remorse1 #if illness1 #if and ,dr4 ,abernethy1 #ih1 #ii ,m4 on1 as artist1 #ajb1 #aje ,m4 on character4 #aje1 #ajh ,dead ,man restored to ,life1 #aje1 #abb1 #abd1 #adh1 #aig1 #aii poems1 #aaj on ,french school of art1 #aad at ,bristol 7#ahad71 #adb1 #aec1 #aef1 #aga painting for steamer1 #bhi ,uriel in the ,sun1 #cjg compliment to1 #cjh ,m4 and death1 #b1 #bjg1 #bjh brush of1 #bjg ,m4 presents portrait and brush to ,academy of ,design1 #dcf1 #dcg ,letters3 to ,m4 7#ahad7 on ,dead ,man1 ,blcher1 #a1 #adg with ,m4 7#ahaf7 on sale of ,dead ,man1 personal relations1 #aig1 #aih from ,m4 7#ahai7 on work at ,charleston1 ,albton as ,r4,a41 #bba to ,m4 7#ahcg7 on rejection for government painting1 #b1 #cb from ,m4 7#ahci7 on daguerreotype and art1 #adc with ,m4 7#ahdc7 on telegraph act1 illness1 painting1 #bjb ,allston1 ,mrs4 ,washington1 ,journey to ,england1 #a1 #cc1 #ce in ,england1 health1 #ch death1 #afh ,alphabet4 ,see ,dot-and-dash4 ,alston1 ,j4,a41 and ,m41 #a1 #bjh1 #bad1 #bae1 #bcc to ,m4 7#ahah-ai7 on portraits1 #bad1 #bbd1 #bbe ,amalfi1 ,m4 at 7#ahcj71 #a1 #cfd-cfg ,american ,academy of ,art1 condition 7#ahbe71 #a1 #bgf1 #bgg and union with ,academy of ,design1 #b1 #bc ,american ,asiatic ,society1 #b1 #ddc ,american ,society for promoting ,national ,unity1 #b1 #dae ,americans1 ,m4 on ,cooper's patriotism 7#ahcb71 #a1 #dbf-dbh on ,european criticism1 #dbh1 #dbi ,amyot1 ----1 and ,m4's telegraph1 #b1 #abb1 #adg ,anderson1 ,alexander1 and origin of ,academy of ,design1 #a1 #bhj ,andrews1 ,solomon1 from ,m4 7#ahdi7 on aviation1 #b1 #bii ,angoulme1 ,duchesse d'1 in ,london 7#ahad71 #a1 #ach ,annunciation1 ,m4 on feast at ,rome 7#ahcj71 #a1 #cda ,arabia1 transatlantic steamer 7#aheg71 #b1 #chd ,arago1 ,d4,f41 and ,m4's telegraph1 #b1 #ajd1 #ajg1 #ajh1 #bee ,art1 conditions in ,america 7#ahac71 #a1 #ajj1 #aja ,boston and 7#ahaf71 #aig ,see also ,painting4 ,atlantic cable1 ,m4 prophesies 7#ahdc71 #b1 #bjh1 #bji organisation of company1 #cda-hdc ,m4 as electrician1 #cdc1 #cdg ,m4's enthusiasm1 #cdd attempt to lay cable across ,gulf of ,st4 ,lawrence 7#ahee71 #cde experiments of ,m4 and ,whitehouse1 #cdh1 #cff ,kendall's caution to ,m4 on company1 #cgb ,m4's account of laying of first1 #cgd-chb parting of first1 #chb delay1 offer to purchase remainder of first1 #chc ,m4's forced resignation from company1 #chd ,m4 on first message over completed 7#aheh71 his prediction of cessation1 #chf1 #chg proposed1 between ,spain and ,west ,indies1 #djd-djf ,m4 on final success1 #dea greeting of company to ,m4 7#ahfh71 #dfi ,attention the ,universe message1 #b1 #ge ,australia1 ,m4's telegraph in1 #b1 #cba ,austria1 testimonials to ,m41 #b1 #cib ,austro-,prussian ,war1 influence of telegraph1 #b1 #dfc ,aviation1 ,m4 on 7#ahdi71 #b1 #cjj1 #cja ,avignon1 ,m4 at 7#ahcj71 #a1 #cbd1 #cbe ,aycrigg1 ,j4,b41 and telegraph1 #b1 #ahg1 #ahi from ,m4 7#ahdd7 on ground circuit1 #bba ,aylmer1 ,lord1 and ,m4's telegraph1 #b1 #abd ,bain1 ,alexander1 and telegraph1 #b1 #bdb1 #c,o#d and ground circuit1 #bdc ,ball1 ,mrs4----1 ,m4's portrait and trouble with1 letters from ,m4 7#ahbj71 #a1 #bca-bcd ,balloon ascension at ,london 7#ahaa71 #a1 #di ,baltic1 transatlantic steamer 7#ahef71 #b1 #cdg ,baltimore1 construction of first telegraph line1 #b1 #bjd-bbh ,bancroft1 ----1 transatlantic voyage 7#ahae71 #a1 #ahh ,bancroft1 ,george1 and ,m4 at ,berlin1 #b1 #dfa ,banks1 ,n4,p41 at ,m4's farewell message to telegraph1 #b1 #dhf at memorial services1 #cae ,banquets to ,m41 at ,london 7#ahef71 #b1 #cfh1 #cfi at ,paris 7#aheh71 #cif at ,new ,york 7#ahfi71 #dfg-dge ,barberini1 ,cardinal1 #a1 #cdb ,barrell1 ,samuel1 at ,yale1 #a1 #i4 #aj ,battery1 ,gale's improvement of telegraph1 #b1 #ee ,m4's improvement1 #ahb ,see also ,relay4 ,beecher1 ,lyman1 and ,m41 #a1 #bch ,beechy1 ,sir ,william1 ,m4 on1 #a1 #fc ,beggars1 ,m4 on ,italian1 #a1 #ccj1 #ccb1 #cda1 #cee1 #cfc1 #cfi ,belgium1 interest in ,m4's telegraph1 #b1 #bdd and gratuity to ,m41 #cic ,belknap1 ,jeremy1 on birth of ,m41 #a1 #b ,bellingham1 ,john1 assassinates ,perceval1 #a1 #ga execution1 #gb ,bellows1 ,h4,w4 from ,m4 7#ahfd7 on ,sanitary ,commission1 #b1 #dbh ,benedict1 ,aaron1 and wire for experimental line1 #b1 #bjh ,benevolence1 as female virtue1 #a1 #cbc ,bennett1 ,j4,g41 at ,french court 7#ahfg71 #b1 #ddi ,berkshire1 ,mass41 ,m4's trip 7#ahba71 #a1 #bch1 #bci ,berlin1 ,m4 at 7#ahff71 #b1 #cfe 7#ahfh71 #dfa ,bernard1 ,simon1 and ,m41 #b1 #ajd and telegraph1 #acb ,bern1 ,duchesse de1 appearance 7#ahcj71 #a1 #caf ,bertassoli1 ,cardinal1 death1 #a1 #cdg ,bettner1 ,dr4 ----1 and ,henry-,morse controversy1 #b1 #cah ,biddle1 ,james1 return to ,america 7#ahcb71 #a1 #dcj ,biddulph1 ,t4,t41 as minister1 #a1 #aba ,bigelow1 ,john1 farewell banquet to 7#ahfg71 #b1 #dea ,blaine4 ,j4,g41 address at memorial services to ,m41 #b1 #ead1 #eae ,blake1 ,w4,p41 to ,m4 7#ahfi7 on ,m4's report1 #b1 #dge on ,henry controversy1 #dge from ,m4 on same1 #dgh ,blanchard1 ,thomas1 machine for carving marble1 #a1 #bde ,blenheim estates1 reduced condition 7#ahbi71 #a1 #cjg ,bliss1 ,seth1 and ,civil ,war1 #b1 #daf ,blcher1 ,g4,l4 von1 at ,london 7#ahad71 appearance1 #a1 #adf1 #adg ,boardman1 ,w4,w41 and telegraph1 letters with ,m4 7#ahdb71 #b1 #agc-agg1 #ahg1 #ahi4 ,bodisco1 ,alexander de1 from ,m4 7#ahdd7 on telegraph1 #b1 #bdj state dinner1 #bde ,bologna1 ,m4 on1 #a1 #cia ,boorman1 ,james1 and ,civil ,war1 #b1 #daf ,borland1 ,catherine1 #a1 #aaa ,boston1 and art 7#ahaf71 #a1 #aig ,boston ,recorder1 founding1 #a1 #bjh ,boudy1 ,comte1 and ,m4's telegraph1 #b1 #aab1 #abc ,breese1 ,arthur1 and marriage of daughter1 #a1 #bbh ,breese1 ,catherine1 marriage1 #a1 #bbi ,see also ,griswold4 ,breese1 ,elisabeth ,a4 7,mrs4 ,jedediah ,morse71 #a1 #b ,breese1 ,samuel1 in navy1 #a1 #hh under ,perry1 #adj ,breese1 ,sidney1 and ,m41 #b1 #daa ,breguet1 ,louis1 from ,m4 7#ahea7 on rewards for invention1 #b1 #cac ,brett1 ,j4,w41 and ,atlantic cable1 #b #cdc and ,m4 in ,england 7#ahef71 #cdh1 #cdi1 #cea from ,m4 7#aheh7 on withdrawal from cable company1 #che and proposed ,spanish cable1 #djf ,bristol1 ,england1 ,m4 at 7#ahac1 #ahad71 #a1 #aai4 #aba1 #aec1 #afc1 #afi-aga ,broek1 ,m4 van der1 and gratuity to ,m41 #b1 #cia ,broek1 ,holland1 ,m4 on unnatural neatness1 #b1 #bfa-bhc ,bromfield1 ,henry1 and ,m4 in ,england1 #a1 #ci1 #aeb from ,m4 7#ahbj7 on family at ,new ,haven1 #bcd ,brooklyn1 ,n4,y41 defences 7#ahad71 #a1 #aej ,brooks1 ,david1 and telegraph1 #b1 #bij ,brougham1 ,lord1 and ,m4's telegraph1 #b1 #ie1 #abe ,brown1 ,james1 banquet to ,m41 #b1 #dfg ,bryant1 ,w4 ,c41 and ,the ,club1 #a1 #bhb from ,m4 7#ahfe7 on ,allston's portrait1 #b1 #dcf at banquet to ,m41 #dgb address at unveiling of statue to ,m41 #dhd tribute to ,m41 #ejh ,buchanan1 ,james1 official letter introducing ,m4 7#ahde71 #b1 #bdh ,m4 on election 7#ahef71 #cga ,budd1 ,t4,a41 and ,perry's ,japanese expedition1 #b1 #cag ,bulfinch1 ,charles1 and ,m41 #b1 #ahh ,bullock1 ,a4,h41 sentiment for banquet to ,m41 #b1 #dfi ,bunker ,hill ,monument1 ,greenough on plans1 #a1 #dac ,burbank1 ,david1 from ,m4 7#ahdd7 on price for invention1 #b1 #bce ,burder1 ,george1 minister at ,london 7#ahaa71 #a1 #abj ,burritt1 ,benjamin1 prisoner of war1 ,m4's efforts for release1 #a1 #abd-abg ,butler1 ,charles1 at ,m4's funeral1 #b1 #faa ,cadwalader1 ,thomas1 return to ,america 7#ahcb71 #a1 #dcj ,caledonia1 transatlantic steamer 7#ahdf71 #b1 #bff ,calhoun1 ,j4,c41 and ,m4's effort for commission for painting for ,capitol1 #b1 #bh ,california1 graft in telegraph organisation1 #b1 #cch1 #cci ,campagna1 ,roman1 dangers at night1 #a1 #cei ,campbell1 ,sir ,john1 and ,m4's application for patent1 #b1 #ic1 #ih ,campo ,santo at ,naples1 #a1 #cfg-cfi ,camucoini1 ,vincenso1 ,m4 on1 as artist1 #a1 #cej ,canterbury1 ,m4 on cathedral and service1 #a1 #caj-cab ,cardinals1 lying in state1 #a1 #cdd ,carmichael1 ,james1 and proposed ,spanish cable1 #b1 #dje ,caroline1 ,queen1 palace1 #a1 #cji ,carrara1 ,m4 on quarries 7#ahcj71 #a1 #ccc-ccf ,carter1 ,william1 courier1 #b1 #cfb ,cass1 ,lewis1 and ,m4 at ,paris 7#ahch71 #b1 #aji1 #aaa ,cass1 ,mrs4 ,lewis1 from ,m4 7#ahcf7 on lotteries1 #b #aca ,castlereagh1 ,lord1 and ,orders in ,council 7#ahab71 #a1 #gf ,catalogue ,raisonn1 #a1 #aif1 #bjj ,causici1 ,enrico1 at ,washington 7#ahbe71 #a1 #bfc ,ceres1 transatlantic voyage 7#ahae71 #a1 #ahf-aie ,chamberlain1 ,capt4 ----1 transatlantic voyage 7#ahae71 #a1 #ahh ,chamberlain1 ----1 exhibition of telegraph in ,european centers1 #b1 #adh1 #adi drowned1 #adi ,champlin1 ,e4,h41 ,american ,asiatic ,society1 #b1 #ddd ,chapin1 ,c4,l41 and ,m4's telegraph in ,europe1 #b1 #bee ,charivari1 ,m4 on1 #a1 #gh ,charles ,x of ,france1 ,new ,year 7#ahcj71 #a1 #cae ,charleston1 ,m4 as portrait painter at 7#ahah-ba71 #a1 #bad-bag1 #baf-bbe1 #bbf-bcg portrait of ,president ,monroe1 #bbb ,m4 and art academy1 #bce1 #bcf ,charlestown1 ,mass41 dual celebration of ,fourth 7#ahje71 #a1 #g ,jedediah ,morse's church troubles1 #bbc-bbe1 #bbi ,charlotte ,augusta1 ,princess1 appearance 7#ahad71 #a1 #acg ,charlotte ,sophia1 ,queen1 appearance 7#ahad71 #b1 #acg ,chase1 ----1 and experimental line1 #b1 #bji ,chase1 ,s4,p41 presides at banquet to ,m41 speeches1 #b1 #dfh-agj1 #dge ,chauncey1 ,isaac1 ,cooper on1 #a1 #bfc ,chauvin1 ---- von1 and ,m4 at ,berlin1 #b1 #dfa ,chesapeake1 ,u4,s4,s41 defeat1 #a1 #aji1 #aaj ,chevalier1 ,michael1 from ,m4 7#ahfh7 on leaving ,paris1 #b1 #dfd ,cholera1 in ,paris 7#ahcb71 #a1 #dag1 #dbb political effect1 #dca ,christ before ,pilate1 ,west's painting1 #a1 #dd1 #dg ,christ healing the ,side1 ,west's painting1 #a1 #dd ,christian ,,ix of ,denmark1 and ,m41 #b1 #dfe ,christy1 ,david1 from ,m4 7#ahfc7 on slavery1 #b1 #dbf ,church and ,state1 ,m4 on union1 #b1 #deh ,church of ,england1 disestablishment in ,virginia1 #a1 #ac ,m4 on service1 #caa ,circuit1 single1 of ,m4's telegraph1 #b1 #ah1 #ajb ground1 #bba1 #cfg1 #dgj ,cisco1 ,j4,j41 banquet to ,m41 #b1 #dfg ,civil ,war1 ,m4's hope of prevention1 #b1 #dad1 #dah his attitude during1 #dae1 #dbd1 #dcb his belief in foreign machinations1 #dbj ,m4 and ,mc,clellan's candidacy1 #dbg1 #dbi-dca ,m4 and ,sanitary ,commission1 #dbh ,m4's denunciation of rejoicing over success1 #dch-dda ,claflin1 ,william1 and statue to ,m41 #b1 #dhc ,clarke1 ,george1 buys ,m4's painting of ,louvre1 ,m4's letter on this 7#ahcd71 #b1 #bg1 #bh ,clay1 ,henry1 and ,m4's effort for commission for painting for ,capitol1 #b1 #bh ,clinton1 ----1 of ,albany1 and ,m4 7#ahbc71 #a1 #bdg ,club1 ,the1 of ,new ,york1 #a1 #bhb1 #dea ,coat of arms1 ,morse1 #a1 #aaj1 #b1 #bfh ,coffin1 ,i4,n41 and lobbying for telegraph grant1 #b1 #afd1 #agc ,cogdell1 ,j4,s41 artist at ,charleston 7#ahai71 #a1 #bba and art academy there1 #bcf ,colt1 ,daniel1 gift to ,academy of ,design1 #a1 #chd ,cole1 ,thomas1 and origin of ,academy of ,design1 #a1 #bhj at ,royal ,academy 7#ahbi71 #cjh to ,m4 7#ahcg7 on presidency of ,academy of ,design1 #b1 #cb ,coleridge1 ,s4,t41 mental prescription for ,allston1 #a1 #fj and hat-wearing1 #fj and ,m41 traits1 #ie1 #if premier of ,remorse1 #if and ,knickerbocker's ,history of ,new ,york1 #ig ,colfax1 ,schuyler1 and banquet to ,m41 #b1 #dfh at memorial services1 #ead ,color1 ,m4's theory and experiments1 #a1 #dcf ,colt1 ----1 with ,m4 at ,peterhoff 7#ahef71 #b1 #ceg ,como1 ,lake of1 ,m4 at 7#ahca71 #a1 #djj ,concentration of effort1 ,jedediah ,morse on1 #a1 #d ,concord1 ,n4,h41 ,m4 at and on 7#ahaf71 #a1 #bja1 #bji ,congregational ,church1 ,jedediah ,morse and orthodoxy1 #a1 #d ,congress1 ,m4's painting of ,house 7#ahbb71 #a1 #bdj-bdb1 #beb conduct of presidential election 7#ahbe71 #bfc resolution to investigate telegraph 7#ahcg71 #b1 #ga skeptical of ,m4's invention1 #gb exhibition of telegraph before 7#ahch7 but no grant1 #ha1 #hh1 #ajc1 #ace1 #acg1 #aej ,smith's report on telegraph1 #hg renewal of effort for telegraph grant without result 7#ahda-db71 #afd1 #aff1 #agc-agg second exhibition of telegraph 7#ahdb71 #ahe workers for telegraph grant1 #ahf1 #ahi bill for experimental line in ,house 7#ahdc71 #aij-aie passage of bill in ,house1 #aie no action expected in ,senate1 #aig-aii passage of act1 #aii-bja refuses to purchase telegraph1 #bbh1 #bbi1 #bcb1 #bdd1 #bde memorial services to ,m41 #eac-eaf ,consolidation of telegraph lines1 #b1 #cbj1 #cbf1 #cda1 #dje ,m4 on beneficent monopoly1 #ddd ,see also ,public ownership4 ,constant1 ,benjamin1 appearance 7#ahcj71 #a1 #caf ,constitution1 ,m4 on loyalty1 #b1 #dbi ,cooke1 ,o4,f41 rival of ,kemble1 #a1 #gg ,cooke1 ,sir ,w4,f41 telegraph1 #b1 #ej ,m4 on telegraph and his own1 #ib1 #ic1 #bdb opposes patent to ,m41 #ic proposition to ,m4 rejected1 #aeh telegraph displaced by ,m4's1 #cac personal relations with ,m41 #cej advocates use of ,m4's telegraph1 #cfh presides at banquet to ,m41 speech1 #cfh1 #cfi ,cooper1 ,h41 and ,m4's application for ,british patent1 #a1 #ih1 #ii ,cooper1 ,j4,f41 characteristic remark1 #a1 #bfc at ,rome 7#ahcj71 #cch read in ,poland1 #chh to ,m4 7#ahcb7 on ,verboeckhoven and portrait of ,c41 #dad on criticisms1 bitterness against ,america1 #daf statement of ,m4's hints on telegraph 7#ahca71 #dah1 #dai from ,m4 7#ahdi7 on this1 #dbj at ,fourth dinner at ,paris 7#ahcb71 #dbd ,m4 on principles and patriotism1 #dbf-dbh from ,m4 7#ahcb7 on departure for ,america1 ,leslie's politics1 #b1 #c-e from ,m4 7#ahcc7 on illness1 cares1 conditions in ,new ,york1 ,cooper's friends1 art future1 nullification1 #ba-bd and rejection of ,m4 for painting for ,capitol1 #cj from ,m4 7#ahdi7 on failure as painter1 #ca from ,m4 7#ahdi7 on newspaper libels1 ,home as ,found1 #cjd ,m4 on death and character1 #cad ,cooper1 ,peter1 and ,atlantic cable1 #a1 #cdc1 #cgb banquet to ,m41 #dfg at ,m4's funeral1 #eaa ,copenhagen4 ,m4 at 7#ahef71 #a1 #cea1 #ced ,copley1 ,j4,s41 ,m4 on1 in old age4 #a1 #dg1 #ajb ,corcoran1 ,w4,w41 telegraph company1 #b1 #bdg ,corcoran ,gallery1 ,m4's ,house of ,representatives1 #a1 #bdb ,cornell1 ,ezra1 and construction of experimental line1 #b1 #bad-baf1 #dhi ,m4 on benevolences1 #ddb1 #dhi at ,m4's funeral1 #eaa ,cornell ,university1 ,m4 on founding1 #b1 #ddb ,cornwell1 ,sadie ,e41 and ,m4's farewell message to telegraph1 #b1 #dhf ,corpus ,domini1 procession at ,rome 7#ahcj71 #a1 #ceb ,cox1 ,s4,s41 resolutions on death of ,m41 #a1 #eac at memorial services1 #eae ,coyle1 ,james1 and origin of ,academy of ,design1 #a1 #bhj ,crawford1 ,w4,h41 ,edwards' charges against 7#ahbd71 #a1 #bef ,cries of ,london1 #a1 #dh ,crinoline1 ,m4 on1 #b1 #cgc ,crosby1 ,howard1 and ,m4's farewell message to telegraph1 #b1 #dhe ,cummings1 ,t4,s41 and origin of ,academy of ,design1 #a1 #bhj and ,m4 as president of ,academy1 #bhj on ,m4's connection with ,academy1 #bha and commission to ,m4 for historical painting1 #b1 #cc and telegraph1 #gd1 #ge ,curtin1 ,a4,g41 banquet to ,m41 #b1 #dfg1 #dgc ,curtis1 ,b4,r41 telegraph decision1 #b1 #cdg1 #cgj ,curtis1 ,g4,t41 ,m4's attorney1 #b1 #cgj from ,m4 7#ahfj7 on ,smith's claim to gratuity1 #dji-daa and on law1 #daa ,daggett1 ----1 of ,new ,haven1 ,m4's portrait 7#ahaa71 #b1 #be ,daguerre1 ,l4,j4,m41 and ,m4 at ,paris 7#ahci71 #b1 #abh-acj from ,m4 on ,sabbath1 #abh burning of ,diorama1 #acj ,french subsidy1 #acj from ,m4 7#ahci7 on honorary membership in ,academy of ,design1 exhibition of daguerreotype in ,new ,york1 #ada reply1 #adb and portraits1 #ade ,daguerreotype1 inventor imparts secret to ,m41 #b1 #abi discovery made public1 #adc ,m4 on effect on art1 #adc1 #add experiments of ,m4 and ,draper1 portraits first taken1 #add-adf ,m4's gallery1 #adf1 #aeb first group picture1 #adf ,daly1 ,c4,p41 and ,m4's farewell message to telegraph1 #b1 #dhf ,dana1 ,j4,f41 ,m4 and lectures on electricity 7#ahbg71 #a1 #bij friendship and discussions with ,m41 #bij ,dana1 ,r4,h41 at memorial services to ,m41 #b1 #eaf ,danforth1 ,m4,l4 and origin of ,academy of ,design1 #a1 #bhj ,m4 on1 #b1 #e ,dartmouth ,college1 quarrel 7#ahaf71 #a1 #bjh ,date of invention of telegraph1 #b1 #ab1 #ac ,daubeny1 ,c4,g4,b41 inspects early telegraph1 #b1 #ed ,davenport1 ,ann1 #a1 #bh ,davis1 ----1 of ,new ,haven1 ,m4 rooms at house 7#ahje71 #a1 #aj ,davy1 ,edward1 and relay1 #b1 #db ,m4 on telegraph1 #aja1 #ajb ,day1 ,jeremiah1 and ,m4's pump1 #a1 #baa to ,m4 7#ahbb7 on gift to ,yale1 #bdc ,dead ,man restored to ,life1 ,allston's painting1 #a1 #aje1 #abb1 #abd1 #adh1 #aig1 #aii ,deadhead1 ,m4's characteristic telegraphic1 #b1 #dde ,declaration of ,independence1 anecdote of ,george ,,iii and1 #a1 #db1 #dc ,decorations1 foreign1 for ,m41 #b1 #big1 #bih1 #cib1 #cic1 #dfe ,de,forest1 ,d4,c41 to ,m4 7#ahbc7 on portrait1 #a1 #bdc ,delaplaine1 ,joseph1 and ,m41 #a1 #aif ,democratic ,convention1 reports by telegraph 7#ahdd71 #b1 #bbd-bbf ,denmark1 and ,m4's telegraph1 #b1 #ceb decoration for ,m41 #cic1 #dfe ,dennison1 ,william1 banquet to ,m41 #b1 #dfg ,de ,rham1 ,h4,c41 informal club1 #b1 #dea ,desoulavy1 ----1 artist at ,rome1 escapes poisoning 7#ahca71 #a1 #cig ,de ,witt1 ,jan1 concentration of effort1 #a1 #d ,dexter1 ,miss ,c41 and sketch of ,southey1 #a1 #gc1 #aac ,dijon1 ,m4 at 7#ahcj71 #a1 #cbj ,diligence1 described1 #a1 #cai ,dining hour1 ,english 7#ahaa71 #a1 #dj ,discovery and invention1 #b1 #ac ,dividends1 ,m4 on lack1 #b1 #caa1 #ccf4 ,dix1 ,j4,a41 to ,m4 7#ahbi7 on letters of introduction1 #a1 #bii at ,m4's funeral1 #b1 #eaa ,dodge1 ,w4,e41 banquet to ,m41 #b1 #dfg1 #dgc ,donaldson1 ,r41 ,m4's painting for1 #a1 #cch ,dot-and-dash code1 conception for numbers with hint of alphabet1 #b1 #g1 #aa1 #ab1 #ag1 #ah as recorded by first receiver1 #ci numbers principle1 dictionary1 #fa1 #gd paternity of alphabet1 #fb-fh substitution of alphabet for numbers1 #gd-gf peculiar to ,m4's telegraph1 #ic ,m4 on reading by sound1 #deg1 #dgi1 #dhj ,douglas1 ,g4,l41 from ,m4 7#ahfb7 on effort to prevent ,civil ,war1 #b1 #dah ,dover ,castle1 ,m4 on1 #a1 #cac ,drake1 ,mrs4 ----1 transatlantic voyage 7#ahae71 #a1 #ahh ,draper1 ,j4,w41 and daguerreotypes1 #b1 #ade1 #adf ,drawing-room1 ,m4 on ,queen ,charlotte's 7#ahab71 #a1 #gg2 on ,mrs4 ,monroe's 7#ahai71 #bbg ,dresden1 ,m4 at 7#ahfg71 #b1 #dei ,drummond1 ,henry1 and ,m4's telegraph1 #b1 #ie1 #abf ,dubois1 ,john1 at ,rome 7#ahcj71 #a1 #cdj ,dunlap1 ,william1 on ,m4's ,dying ,hercules1 #a1 #aje1 #ajf on ,m4's ,judgment of ,jupiter1 #agh1 #agi and origin of ,academy of ,design1 #bhj ,duplex telegraphy1 ,fisher's discovery 7#ahdb71 #b1 #ahe1 #ahg ,durand1 ,a4 ,b41 engraving of ,m4's ,lafayette1 #a1 #bfj and origin of ,academy of ,design1 #bhj ,dwight1 ,s4,e41 and ,m41 #a1 #aj from ,m4 7#ahaa7 on ,daggett portrait1 #be ,dwight1 ,timothy1 and ,m41 #a1 #aj on ,jedediah ,morse1 #bhg ,dwight's ,tavern1 ,western1 ,mass41 #a1 #i ,dying ,hercules1 ,m4's sculpture and painting1 #a1 #he1 #hf1 #ajb-ajg1 #aai1 #acd1 #ahe1 #dcg1 #b1 #ahh ,edwards1 ,ninian1 proposed ,mexican mission 7#ahbd71 and charges against ,crawford1 #a1 #bec1 #bef from ,m4 on mission1 #bed ,electricity1 ,m4's interest at college1 #a1 #ah and in ,dana's lectures 7#ahbg71 #bij ,henry on electric power1 #b1 #aga ,see also ,morse 7,s4,f4,b471 ,telegraph4 ,elgin1 ,earl of1 and ,m4's telegraph1 #b1 #ie1 #abd1 #abh to ,m4 7#ahci7 on patent1 #abf ,elgin ,marbles1 ,m4 on1 #a1 #dg1 #b1 #abd ,elisabeth1 ,princess1 appearance 7#ahad71 #a1 #acg ,ellsworth1 ,annie1 and telegraph1 #b1 #aii1 #bjj1 #bag1 #bba ,ellsworth1 ,henry1 and ,m4 abroad1 #b1 #bej ,ellsworth1 ,h4,l41 marriage1 #a1 #aab and ,m4's telegraph1 #b1 #fi1 #ahi on telegraph in ,france1 #ajh1 #aji from ,m4 7#ahdc7 on construction of experimental line1 #bag ,ellsworth1 ,nancy 7,goodrich71 #a1 #aab ,ellsworth1 ,william1 engagement1 #a1 #aab ,emancipation ,proclamation1 ,m4 on1 #b1 #dbd1 #dbi ,embargo1 effect in ,england1 #a1 #ci ,emotion of taste1 ,m4 on1 #a1 #dja ,england1 appearance of women1 #a1 #cf2 wartime travel regulations 7#ahaa71 #cf condition of laboring classes1 #cf treatment of travellers1 #cg-ci critical condition 7#ahaa71 effect of ,american embargo1 #ci1 #ef1 #eg1 #fc dining hour1 #dj attitude toward art1 #df unpopularity of ,regent1 crisis 7#ahab71 #fg1 #gj1 #ga assassination of ,perceval1 #ga ,spanish victories 7#ahac71 #aaj severe winter 7#ahac71 #abc economic depression 7#ahae71 #age ,liverpool 7#ahbi71 #cjb1 #cjc stage-coach journey to ,london1 #cjf-cjh peasantry1 villages1 #cjf ,canterbury cathedral1 church service1 #caj-cab ,dover1 #cac ,m4 on social manners1 #cdh refusal of patent to ,m41 #b1 #ic-ii1 #abd1 #abf coronation of ,victoria1 #ajj1 #aja use of ,m4's telegraph1 #cfg no share in gratuity to ,m41 #cic ,m4 on1 and ,civil ,war1 #dbj ,see also ,london1 ,napoleonic ,wars1 ,neutral trade1 ,war of #ahab4 ,english ,channel1 steamers 7#ahbi71 #a1 #cad 7#ahde71 #b1 #bej ,erie1 ,lake1 battle1 #a1 #aea ,esterhasy1 ,prince1 ,m4 on1 at ,peterhoff 7#ahef71 #b1 #ceh ,evarts1 ,jeremiah1 to ,m4 7#ahab7 on avoiding politics1 #a1 #hf ,evarts1 ,w4,m41 at banquet to ,m41 #b1 #dgb ,evers1 ,john1 and origin of ,academy of ,design1 #a1 #bhj ,experimental line1 bill for1 in ,congress1 #b1 #ahi-bja route1 #bjd ,m4's assistants1 #bjd-bjf1 #baj1 #bad wires1 failure of underground1 substitution of overhead1 #bje1 #bjh-baj1 #bad-baf trouble with ,smith1 #bjf1 #bjg1 #bab1 #bac1 #bah progress1 #bai operation during construction1 #bai-bba completion1 ,what hath ,god wrought message1 #bba-bbd reports of ,democratic ,convention1 #bbd-bbf cost of construction1 #bbg incidents of utility1 #bbg1 #bbh ,fairman1 ,gideon1 and study of live figure1 #a1 #aja ,faraday1 ,michael1 and ,atlantic cable1 #b1 #cdc ,farewell message to telegraph1 ceremony of sending ,m4's1 #b1 #dhe-dia ,farmer1 ,m4,g41 and duplex telegraph1 #b1 #ahi ,farragut1 ,d4,g41 and banquet to ,m41 #b1 #dfh ,faxton1 ,t4,s41 from ,m4 7#ahdg7 on salaries1 #b1 #bgd ,federalists1 celebration of ,fourth at ,charlestown 7#ahje71 #a1 #g ,british opinion 7#ahab71 #ha ,see also ,war of #ahab4 ,ferguson1 ----1 travel with ,m4 7#ahca71 #a1 #cie1 #djb ,ferris1 ,c4,g41 and telegraph1 #b1 #agg1 #ahf1 #ahi ,field1 ----1 pupil of ,m41 #a1 #beh ,field1 ,c4,w41 and consolidation of telegraph companies1 #b1 #cda organisation of ,atlantic cable company1 #cda-cdc from ,m4 7#ahef7 on experiments for cable1 #cdh1 #cff ,kendall's distrust1 #cgb and ,m4's retirement from cable company1 #che1 #chf from ,m4 7#ahfg7 on a visit1 success of cable1 #dej1 #dea banquet to ,m41 #dfg1 #dfi from ,m4 7#ahga7 on neutralizing telegraph1 #dig at ,m4's funeral1 #eaa at memorial service1 #eaf ,field1 ,d4,d41 and ,atlantic cable1 #b1 #cdc at banquet to ,m41 #dgc ,field1 ,m4,d41 and telegraph1 #b1 #cdb ,finley1 ,j4,e4,b41 and ,war of #ahab1 #a1 #ahc and ,m4 at ,charleston1 #bad1 #bbj to ,m4 7#ahah7 on portraits1 #baf death1 #bbe ,finley1 ,samuel1 #a1 #b ,fire-alarm1 ,m4's invention embodying principle1 #b1 #acb ,fish1 ,hamilton1 at early exhibition of telegraph1 #b1 #dh banquet to ,m41 #dfg ,fisher1 ----1 artist at ,charleston 7#ahai71 #a1 #bba ,fisher1 ,j4,c41 and duplex telegraphy1 #b1 #ahe1 #ahg ,m4's assistant at ,washington1 #ahf1 #aif and construction of experimental line1 dismissed1 #bjd1 #bje1 #baj-bac1 #baf ,fisher1 ,j4,f41 return to ,america 7#ahcb71 #b1 #c on conception of telegraph1 #aa ,fleas1 ,m4 on ,porto ,rican1 #b1 #djf ,fleischmann1 ,c4,t41 on ,europe and ,m4's telegraph 7#ahde71 #b1 #bed ,florence1 ,m4's journey to1 during revolt 7#ahca71 #a1 #che ,m4 at1 #chf1 #cij ,flower feast at ,genzano1 #a1 #ced-cei ,forsyth1 ,dr4 ----1 ,american ,asiatic ,company1 #b1 #ddd ,foss1 ----1 and ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith1 #b1 #cai ,fourth of ,july1 dual celebration at ,charlestown 7#ahje71 #a1 #g dinner at ,paris 7#ahcb71 #dbc-dbe ,foy1 ,alphonse1 and ,m4's telegraph1 #b1 #aje1 #aji1 #bee ,france1 ,m4 on attitude of ,americans 7#ahab71 #a1 #ij1 #ia ,m4 on first landing in 7#ahbi71 #cad on ,sunday in1 #cah1 #cbb cold 7#ahcj71 #cag1 #cbj winter ,journey across1 by diligence1 #cah-cbf funeral1 #cba1 #cbb ,m4 on social manners1 #cdh quarantine 7#ahca71 ,m4 avoids it1 #djb-dje ,lafayette on results of ,revolution of #ahcj1 #dcj patent to ,m41 #b1 #ajc ,m4's exhibitions and projects 7#ahch71 #ajd-acd renewed interest in ,m4's telegraph1 #bdj1 #bdc1 #bdd1 #bee1 #bef1 #cac1 #cea ,m4 on people1 #bef testimonials to ,m41 #cib ,see also ,napoleonic ,wars1 ,paris4 ,francesco ,caracoiolo1 ,st41 ,m4 on feast1 #a1 #ceb ,franklin1 ,benjamin1 name coupled with ,m4's1 #b1 #bcf1 #bcg1 #cdf1 #dfi ,m4 unveils statue1 #eje ,franklin ,institute1 exhibition of telegraph1 #b1 #hj ,fraser1 ,charles1 artist at ,charleston 7#ahai71 #a1 #bba ,frasee1 ,john1 and origin of ,academy of ,design1 #a1 #bhj ,frederick ,,vii of ,denmark1 and ,m41 #a1 #cgc1 #b1 #cec ,frederick ,,iii of ,germany1 battle of ,kniggrtz1 #b1 #dfc ,frederick ,william ,,iii of ,prussia1 at ,london 7#ahad71 #a1 #adf ,fredrick ,carl1 ,prince1 battle of ,kniggrtz1 #b1 #dfc ,frelinghuysen1 ,theodore1 nomination for ,vice-,presidency announced over telegraph1 #b1 #bai ,fremel1 ----1 and ,m4's telegraph1 #b1 #aaa ,french1 ,b4,b41 telegraph company1 #b1 #bdg ,french ,academy of ,science4 ,see ,institute of ,france4 ,frischen 1----1 and duplex telegraphy1 #b1 #ahg ,fry1 ----1 and telegraph company 7#ahdd71 #b1 #bcf ,fulton1 ,robert1 and art1 #b1 #dga ,fulton1 transatlantic steamer 7#ahef71 #b1 #chf ,funeral1 ,m4 on ,french1 #a1 #cba1 #cbb on lying in state of cardinal1 #cdd on ,roman1 #cej on ,italian1 #cff1 #cfg of ,m41 #b1 #caa1 #cab ,fuseli1 ,j4,h41 and ,m41 #a1 #agi ,gale1 ,l4,d41 first view of telegraph1 #b1 #da aid to ,m4 in telegraph1 #ec-ei1 #fa1 #gj1 #dhi partnership in telegraph1 #hc loses interest1 #acf1 #aci1 #aea and subaqueous experiment1 #ahc and construction of experimental line1 #bjd1 #baa1 #baj ,kendall as agent1 #bdf1 #cbf and estrangement with ,henry1 #bfd and extension of ,m4's patent1 #cbe from ,m4 7#ahed7 on ,kendall1 #cbf 7#ahee7 on trip to ,newfoundland1 #cde ,m4's tribute1 #dga from ,m4 7#ahfi7 on receiving by sound1 #dgi to ,m4 7#ahgb7 on ,smith's last attack1 #dii to ,rogers on invention of telegraph1 #ejj from ,m4 on ,smith1 #ejb ,galen1 transatlantic ship 7#ahaa71 #a1 #ee ,gallagher1 ,h4,m41 and ,m4's farewell message to telegraph1 #b1 #dhf ,gallatin1 ,albert1 informal club1 #b1 #dea and ,louis ,napoleon at ,new ,york1 #deb ,galley slaves1 at ,toulon 7#ahcj71 #a1 #cbf1 #cbg ,garfield1 ,j4,a41 at memorial services to ,m41 #b1 #eae ,gay-,lussac1 ,j4,l41 and ,m4's telegraph1 #b1 #ajh ,genoa1 ,serra ,palace1 #a1 #cbi ,genzano1 festa infiorala 7#ahcj71 #a1 #ced-cei ,george ,,iii1 anecdote of ,declaration of ,independence1 #a1 #db1 #dc expected death 7#ahaa71 #ed ,george ,,iv1 unpopularity as ,regent 7#ahab71 #a1 #fg1 #ga appearance1 #gg ,george1 ,sir ,rupert1 and ,american prisoner of war1 #a1 #abf ,georgia1 and nullification1 #b1 #bc ,ghost1 scare at ,london 7#ahaa71 #a1 #da ,gibbs4 ,mrs4 ,a4,j4,c41 child1 #a1 #aab ,gibson1 ----1 artist at ,rome1 escape from poisoning 7#ahca71 #a1 #cig ,gintl1 ,j4,w41 and duplex telegraph1 #b1 #ahg ,gisborne1 ,f4,n41 and telegraph1 #b1 #cdb ,glenelg1 ,lord1 and ,war of #ahab1 #a1 #ij ,gleson1 ----1 oration at ,charlestown 7#ahje71 #a1 #g ,goddard1 ,elisha1 return to ,america 7#ahac71 #a1 #ajg ,gonon1 ----1 visual telegraph1 #b1 #ec1 #aff ,goodhue1 ,jonathan1 informal club1 #b1 #dea ,goodrich1 ,mary1 drawing1 #b1 #ejf ,goodrich1 ,nancy1 marriage1 #a1 #aab ,goodrich1 ,w4,h41 ,american ,asiatic ,society1 #b1 #ddd presented at ,french court1 #ddh-dej ,goodrich1 ,mrs4 ,w4,h4 7,griswold71 from ,m4 7#ahfb7 on prospect of ,northern success1 #b1 #dai at ,paris 7#ahff71 #ddh ,gould1 ,james1 and ,m41 #a1 #bch ,grant1 ,charles4 ,see ,glenelg4 ,grant1 ,u4,s41 ,m4 on candidacy 7#ahfh71 #b1 #dfe1 #dff and banquet to ,m41 #dfh at memorial services1 #ead ,granville1 ,countess1 ,m4 on1 at ,peterhoff 7#ahef71 #b1 #ceh ,granville1 ,earl1 ,m4 on1 at ,peterhoff 7#ahef71 #b1 #cfb1 #cfc ,gratuity1 proposed foreign1 to ,m41 #b1 #cgc award1 nations participating1 #cij1 #cia commission to ,broek1 #cia niggardly1 #cib ,m4's acknowledgment1 #cid1 #cie ,smith's claim to share1 #dji-daa1 #dbc share for ,vail's widow1 #dbb ,greeley1 ,horace1 unveils statue of ,franklin1 #b1 #eje ,green1 ,norvin1 from ,m4 7#ahee7 on effect of telegraph1 #b1 #cde ,greenough1 ,horatio1 and ,m4 at ,paris 7#ahca71 #a1 #djf to ,m4 7#ahcb7 on art future of ,america1 poverty1 religion1 ,bunker ,hill ,monument1 ,m4's4 domestic affairs1 #dab ,gregory ,,xvi1 election1 #a1 #cgh coronation1 #chj1 #cha policy1 #chc ,grier1 ,r4,c41 telegraph decision1 #b1 #bic ,griswold1 ,a4,b41 from ,m4 7#ahfa7 on being a traitor1 #b1 #dah ,griswold1 ,catherine 7,breese71 marriage1 #a1 #bbh in ,europe with ,m4 7#aheh71 #b1 #cif from ,m4 7#aheh7 on experiences in ,west ,indies1 #cig1 #djf 7#ahff7 on ,paris quarters1 #ddg 7#ahfg7 on presentation at court1 #ddh ,griswold1 ,h4,w41 marriage1 #a1 #bbh ,griswold1 ,r4,w41 from ,m4 7#aheb7 on ,cooper1 #b1 #cad ,griswold1 ,sarah ,e41 marries ,m41 #b1 #bhi1 #bij ,gros1 ,a4,j41 ,m4 on allegorical painting1 #a1 #cah ,gypsies1 ,m4 on1 #a1 #caj ,habersham1 ,r4,w41 and ,m4 at ,paris 7#ahcb71 on hints of telegraph1 #a1 #dag1 #dah on ,m4's experiments with photography1 #dba ,halske1 ,j4,g41 and duplex telegraph1 #b1 #ahg ,hamburg1 ,m4 at and on 7#ahde71 #b1 #bec1 #bed 7#ahef71 #ceb ,hamilton1 ,j4,c41 informal club1 #b1 #deb ,hamlin1 ,cyrus1 and telegraph in ,turkey1 #b1 #bih ,hanover1 ,n4,h41 ,m4 at 7#ahaf71 #a1 #bji ,hare and tortoise fable applied to ,m4 and brother1 #b1 #chh1 #chi ,harris1 ,levitt1 ,m4 on1 #a1 #adf ,harrison1 ,thomas1 ,american ,asiatic ,society1 #b1 #ddd ,hart1 ,ann1 marries ,isaac ,hull1 #a1 #aab ,hart1 ,eliza1 #a1 #bh ,hart1 ,jannette1 and ,m41 #a1 #bh-cj1 #aab ,hartford1 inn 7#ahje71 #a1 #i ,harvard ,college1 lottery 7#ahaa71 #a1 #df ,hauser1 ,martin1 from ,m4 7#ahfc7 on slavery1 #b1 #dbd ,haven1 ,g4,w41 at ,fourth dinner at ,paris 7#ahcb71 #a1 #dbd ,hawks1 ,f4,l41 and ,civil ,war1 #b1 #daf ,hawley1 ,dr4 -----1 of ,new ,haven1 sermon 7#ahaj71 #a1 #bj ,hayne1 ,r4,y41 and ,m41 #a1 #beb1 #bec ,henry1 ,joseph1 and relay1 #b1 #db1 #adj1 #ada share in ,m4's telegraph controversy1 #ee-eg1 #bfa-bff1 #cah1 #cbi1 #djb1 #dje1 #dgf-dgi1 #ejj1 #ejd letters with ,m4 7#ahci7 on consultation1 #ach-ada to ,m4 7#ahdb7 in praise of telegraph1 #agj-agd on electric power1 #aga and construction of experimental line1 #bae ,smith on1 as inventor of telegraph1 #dih1 #dii ,hepburn1 ,h4,c41 and telegraph1 #b1 #bif ,hillhouse1 ,joseph1 to ,m4 7#ahac7 on ,m4's family1 social gossip1 #a1 #aaa ,hillhouse1 ,mary1 #a1 #aaa ,hilliard1 ,francis1 referee on ,smith's claim1 #b1 #daa ,hilton1 ,william1 meets ,m41 #a1 #cjh ,hinkley1 ,ann1 death1 #a1 #h ,hodge1 ,aspinwall1 from ,m4 7#ahgb7 on ,smith's last attack1 #b1 #fjb ,hodgson1 ----1 proposed ,mexican mission 7#ahbd71 #a1 #bfc ,hoffman1 ,j4,t41 banquet to ,m41 #b1 #dfg2 at unveiling of statue to ,m41 #dhc2 at ,m4's funeral1 #eaa ,holland1 ,m4 on ,broek 7#ahde71 #b1 #bfa-bec and gratuity to ,m41 #cic ,holmes1 ,i4,e41 and telegraph1 #b1 #ahj ,holy ,thursday at ,st4 ,peter's 7#ahcj71 #a1 #cdf1 #cdg ,holy ,see1 and gratuity to ,m41 #b1 #cic ,see also ,rome4 ,holy ,week in ,rome 7#ahcj71 #a1 #cdd-cdg ,hone1 ,philip1 owns ,m4's ,thorwaldsen1 #a1 #cgb ,hoover1 ,r4,b41 and statue to ,m41 #b1 #dhb ,hopkins1 ,j4,h41 and ,civil ,war1 #b1 #daf ,horsford1 ,e4,n41 on invention of telegraph1 #b1 #ad-ag on discovery of relay1 #da1 #db at memorial services to ,m41 #eaf ,house1 ,r4,e41 and telegraph1 #b1 #bga4 #bgf ,house of ,representatives1 ,m4's painting1 #a1 #bdj-bdb1 #beb ,houston1 ,g4,s41 and telegraph1 #b1 #aid ,howard1 ,henry1 meets ,m41 #a1 #cjh ,howe1 ,s4,g41 imprisonment at ,berlin1 #a1 #dcj ,hubbard1 ,r41 pupil of ,m41 #b1 #aef ,hull1 ,ann 7,hart71 #a1 #aab ,hull1 ,isaac1 marriage1 #a1 #aab ,humboldt1 ,alexander von1 and ,m41 #a1 #dbc1 #b1 #ajd1 #ajh1 #cfe inscription on photograph1 #cff ,hunt1 ,w4,g41 and ,atlantic cable1 #b1 #cdc ,huntington1 ,daniel1 and ,m4's ,house of ,representatives1 #a1 #bdb2 estimate of ,m4 as artist1 #dce-dcg early view of telegraph1 #b1 #dh banquet to ,m41 speech1 #dfg1 #dgc at ,m4's funeral1 #eaa ,huntington1 ,j4,w41 and telegraph1 #b1 #ahg1 #aii ,husted1 ,j4,w41 at ,m4's funeral1 #b1 #eab ,hutton1 ,m4,s41 and ,civil ,war1 #b1 #daf ,immigration1 ,m4's attitude1 #b1 #cca-ccc ,india1 and ,m4's telegraph1 #b1 #cej ,indians1 ,jedediah ,morse as special commissioner1 #a1 #bbh ,ingham1 ,c4,c41 and portrait of ,lafayette1 #a1 #bfa and origin of ,academy of ,design1 #bhj to ,m4 7#ahdi7 on ,academy1 #b1 #cjf ,inman1 ,henry1 and portrait of ,lafayette1 #a1 #bfa and origin of ,academy of ,design1 #bhj to ,m4 7#ahdi7 on ,academy1 #b1 #cje ,institute of ,france1 ,m4's exhibition of telegraph1 #b1 #ajd1 #ajg1 #ajh1 #bef ,m4's membership1 #cic ,invention1 ,horsford on necessary elements1 #b1 #af ,see also ,morse1 ,s4,f4,b4 7,scientific career47 ,ireland1 ,mrs4 ----1 at ,recoaro 7#ahca71 #a1 #hig ,irving1 ,washington1 and ,coleridge1 #a1 #ig and ,m4 at ,london 7#ahbi71 #cji ,isham1 ,samuel1 estimate of ,m4 as artist1 #a1 #dcg1 #dch ,isle of ,wight1 ,m4 on 7#ahfg71 #b1 #dff ,italy1 travel from ,nice to ,rome 7#ahcj71 #a1 #cbh-ccg beggars1 #ccj1 #ccb1 #cda1 #cee1 #cfc1 #cfi perils of travel1 #ccb1 #djj flower festival at ,genzano1 #ced-cei ,m4 at ,naples and ,amalfi1 #cfd-cgj condition of travel 7#ahca71 #cia to ,venice by boat on ,po1 #cia-cic ,m4 at ,venice1 #cic-cif testimonials to ,m41 #b1 #cic ,m4 on conditions 7#ahfg71 #dfh ,see also ,rome4 ,jackson1 ,andrew1 congratulates ,adams on election 7#ahbe71 #a1 #bfc ,jackson4 ,c4,t41 voyage with ,m4 7#ahcb71 #b1 #c talks on electrical progress1 later claim of giving ,m4 idea of telegraph1 #f1 #aa1 #eh1 #fi1 #gh1 #gi1 #aba1 #acg1 #bgd1 #cje ,jacobins1 ,federalist name for ,republicans 7#ahje71 #a1 #g ,jarvis1 ----1 with ,m4 at ,peterhoff 7#ahef71 #b1 #ceg ,jarvis1 ,s4,f41 to ,m4 7#ahad7 on war from ,federalist point of view1 #a1 #aeg ,jarvis1 ,mrs4 ,s4,f4 7,hart71 #a1 #bh2 from ,m4 7#ahaa7 on attitude toward art1 ,copley1 ,west1 ,elgin ,marbles1 ,london cries1 knocking1 ,american crisis1 #a1 #df to ,m4 7#ahac7 on art in ,america1 #ajj ,jay1 ,p4,a41 and ,cooper1 #b1 #bb informal club1 #dea ,jewett1 ,j4,s41 on ,m4 and ,atlantic cable1 #b1 #chf ,jewett1 ,william1 and origin of ,academy of ,design1 #a1 #bhj ,jocelyn1 ,n41 travel with ,m4 on continent 7#ahcj-ca71 #a1 #cji1 #cag from ,m4 7#ahfd7 on attempt to paint1 #b1 #dcc ,johnson1 ,andrew1 ,m4 on1 #b1 #ddf and banquet to ,m41 #dfh ,johnson1 ,cave1 and telegraph1 #b1 #aib1 #aid1 #bbe1 #bcb from ,m4 7#ahde7 on ,vail1 #bge ,johnson1 ,william1 informal club1 #b1 #dea ,johnston1 ,j4,t41 and ,m4's ,thorwaldsen1 from ,m4 7#ahfh7 on it1 #a1 #cgb-cgd ,judgment of ,jupiter1 ,m4's painting1 #a1 #agh1 #agi1 #aif1 #aii1 #bae ,kane1 ,j4,k41 telegraph decision1 #b1 #bgc1 #bic ,kane1 ,james1 and ,m41 #a1 #bdg ,kemble1 ,j4,p41 ,m4 on1 as actor1 #a1 #gg ,kendall1 ,amos1 character as ,m4's business agent1 ,m4's confidence1 #b1 #bdf1 #cbf1 #ccf1 #cgb1 #chi1 #dji1 #dga1 #dha first telegraph company1 #bdg progress1 #bdg and rival companies1 #bgf on ,jackson's claim1 #cje and ,smith1 #cjh1 #cji1 #ejc and consolidation of lines1 #cbj and extension of patent1 #cbe benevolences1 #ddb ,m4 on death1 #dha ,letters to ,m3 7#ahdi7 on despondency1 litigation1 #b1 #cja 7#ahfb7 on destruction of evidence1 #caf 7#ahee7 on ,california telegraph graft1 #cch on suspicion of the ,vails1 #cci on sale of interests1 trials of management1 #cdj 7#aheg7 on distrust of cable company1 #cgb 7#aheh7 on foreign gratuity1 #cib 7#ahei7 on death of ,vail1 #djj ,from ,m3 7#ahdg7 on mercy to infringers1 #bgb 7#ahfa7 on preparation against loss of suits1 ,smith1 #caa 7#aheb7 on ,smith's triumph1 law expenses1 #cai1 #cbj 7#ahed7 on lack of dividends1 #ccf on ,smith and extension of patent1 #cdf 7#ahff7 on same1 #cgj 7#ahfi7 on honors and enmity1 #djf on lawyers1 #dji 7#ahfj7 on ,smith and gratuity1 #daj on ball to ,prince of ,wales1 #dad 7#ahfb7 on foreign machinations in ,civil ,war1 #dbj 7#ahff7 on telegraph monopoly1 #ddd ,kendall1 ,john1 and ,m41 #b1 #cbc ,kennedy1 ,j4,p41 and telegraph1 #b1 #ahi1 #aib1 #aic ,kent1 ,james1 ,m4's portrait1 #a1 #bdg1 #bdh1 #bej and ,cooper1 #b1 #bb informal club1 #dea and ,louis ,napoleon at ,new ,york1 #deb ,kent1 ,moss1 ,m4's portrait1 #a1 #bdf ,key4 ,see ,sender4 ,king1 ,c4,b41 ,leslie on1 #a1 #ei to ,m4 7#ahac7 on personal relations1 #fj at premier of ,coleridge's ,remorse1 #if2 return to ,america1 #ajj1 #aja ,king's 7,liverpool7 ,arms ,hotel1 #a1 #cd1 #cjb ,kingsley1 ,j4,l41 ,m4's profile1 #a1 #ai ,kirk1 ,e4,n41 and ,m4's exhibition of telegraph at ,paris1 #b1 #ajf1 #acc ,knocking1 ,m4 on custom at ,london1 #a1 #dh ,know-,nothing ,party1 ,m4's attitude1 #b1 #ccb1 #ccg ,kniggrtz1 battle of1 influence of telegraph1 #b1 #dfc ,krebs1 ,j4,m41 and ,civil ,war1 #b1 #daf ,laboring classes1 condition of ,english 7#ahaa71 #a1 #cf ,lafayette1 ,marquis de1 ,m4's portrait1 #a1 #bfj-bfb1 #bfd1 #bgj1 #bgb1 #bhf ,m4's friendship1 #bfb to ,m4 7#ahbe7 on bereavement1 #bff from ,m4 7#ahbe7 with sonnet1 #bgc and ,m4 at ,paris 7#ahcj71 #caf and ,revolution of #ahcj1 #djf and ,polish revolt1 #djh1 #dcj in #ahca1 #djh on ,american finances 7#ahcb71 #dbc ,m4's toast to1 at ,fourth dinner at ,paris 7#ahcb71 #dbd1 #dbe to ,m4 7#ahcb7 on state of ,europe1 nullification1 ,poles1 political effect of cholera1 #dcj ,m4 and death1 #b1 #cd on ,catholic ,church and ,american liberties1 #ccj ,lafayette1 ,g4,w41 meets ,m41 #a1 #bfd ,m4's letter of sympathy 7#ahcd71 #b1 #cd ,lamb1 ,charles1 and ,m41 #a1 #ie at premier of ,coleridge's ,remorse1 #if ,lancaster1 ----1 transatlantic voyage 7#ahae71 #a1 #ahh4 ,landi1 ,gasparo1 ,m4 on paintings1 #a1 #cdi1 #cej ,langdon1 ,john1 ,m4's portrait1 #a1 #baa ,languages1 ,m4 and foreign1 #a1 #cgb ,lasalle1 ----1 and ,m4's telegraph1 #b1 #abc ,latham1 ,m4,s41 and telegraph in ,california1 ,m4's scorn of methods1 #b1 #cch1 #cci ,law and lawyers1 ,m4's opinion1 #b1 #bgb1 #cbj1 #cga1 #dji1 #dab ,lawrence1 ,james1 ,m4 on defeat and death1 #a1 #aji ,lawrence1 ,w4,b41 informal club1 #b1 #deb ,lectures1 ,m4's1 on fine arts1 #a1 #bha1 #bhd1 #bhe ,lee1 ,g4 ,w41 gift to ,academy of ,design1 #a1 #chd ,leffingwell1 ,miss ----1 miniature by ,m41 #a1 #ai ,legion of ,honor1 bestowed on ,m41 #b1 #cia ,le ,grice1 ,comte1 and ,m41 #a1 #cgg1 #che ,leopard1 and laying of first ,atlantic cable1 #b1 #cgh ,leslie1 ,c4,r41 and ,m4 at ,london 7#ahaa-ae71 #a1 #ei1 #fb1 #fe1 #gd on ,allston1 ,king1 ,coleridge1 #ei1 #fj as art student1 #fe and ,coleridge1 #ie1 #if ,saul1 #abc to ,m4 7#ahad7 on being hard up1 ,allston1 war1 #aee and ,allston1 #aef1 #afh life and economies as student1 #aei1 #afa1 #afb to ,m4 7#ahaf7 on ,catalogue ,raisonn1 #aii reunions with ,m4 7#ahbi71 #cjh 7#ahcb71 #dcc 7#ahef71 #b1 #cea ,m4 sits for ,sterne1 #a1 #dcc ,m4 on politics1 #b1 #d anecdote of ,victoria1 #aja portrait of ,allston1 #dcf ,leslie1 ,eliza1 travel with ,m4 7#ahbi71 #a1 #cjc ,leslie1 ,j4,r41 tutor to ,m4's children1 #b1 #ddg from ,m4 7#ahfh7 on presidential election1 #dfe ,letter-writing1 ,jedediah ,morse on1 #a1 #d ,lettsom1 ,j4,c41 character1 ,sheridan's ridicule1 #a1 #dj ,lincoln1 ,earl of4 ,see ,newcastle4 ,lincoln1 ,abraham1 ,m4's attitude1 #b1 #dbd1 #dbi ,m4 leaves no reference to assassination1 #dcg ,lind1 ,charles1 ,m4's grandson1 #b1 #bai art study at ,paris1 #ddh ,lind1 ,edward1 ,porto ,rican estate1 #b1 #cii from ,m4 7#ahfg7 on ,paris ,exposition1 #dec ,lind1 ,mrs4 ,henry1 and ,m4 at ,hamburg1 #b1 #cec ,lind1 ,susan ,w4 7,morse71 ,m4's portrait1 #a1 #dce at ,new ,york 7#ahdd71 #b1 #bai from ,m4 7#ahde7 on ,congress and purchase of telegraph1 domestic happiness1 #bdd on dinner at ,russian minister's1 #bde 7#ahde7 on experiences on ,continent1 #bej-bed1 #bef ,m4's visit to 7#aheh71 #cig-djj1 #djf from ,m4 7#ahfe7 on proposed statue1 #ddb 7#ahga7 on unveiling of statue1 #dib ,see also ,morse1 ,susan ,w4 ,liverpool1 ,m4 at 7#ahaa71 #a1 #cd-cf 7#ahbi71 docks1 #cjc ,liverpool 7,king's7 ,arms ,inn1 #a1 #cd1 #cjb ,livingston1 ,cambridge1 letters with ,m4 7#ahdf7 on coat of arms and motto1 #b1 #beh at ,m4's funeral1 #eaa ,locust ,grove1 ,m4's home at ,poughkeepsie1 #b1 #bfi1 #bhj1 #bhd1 #bhf1 #bif1 #dfd ,m4's farewell1 #dif ,london1 ,m4 on cries 7#ahaa71 #a1 #dh on custom of knocking1 #dh on crowds1 #di on ,vauxhall1 #ej-eb on ,st4 ,bartholomew's ,fair1 #eb entre of ,louis ,,xviii 7#ahad71 #acf-adj fte of ,allies1 #adb-adg approach 7#ahbi71 #cjg ,m4 at 7#ahbi71 #cjh1 #cji 7#ahde71 #b1 #bdi 7#ahef71 #cdi-cea1 #cff1 #cfh1 #cfi 7#aheg71 #cgc ,m4 on growth 7#ahcb71 #a1 #dcb ,london ,globe1 on ,m4's ,dying ,hercules1 #a1 #ajf ,lord1 ,daniel1 to ,m4 7#ahdg7 on infringements1 #b1 #bgb ,lord1 ,nathan1 and ,civil ,war1 #b1 #daf ,loring1 ,g4,b41 and ,m4's farewell message to telegraph1 #b1 #dhe ,lottery1 ,m4's attitude1 #a1 #df1 #acj1 #aca ,roman1 #ced ,louis ,,xviii of ,france1 entre into ,london 7#ahad71 #a1 #acf-adj appearance1 #aci ,louis ,philippe1 and ,m4's telegraph1 #b1 #ajc1 #aab1 #abc ,louisville ,courier-,journal1 tribute to ,m41 #b1 #eaj ,louvre1 ,m4 on1 #a1 #cae ,m4's painting of interior1 #dba1 #dbb1 #dbf1 #b1 #bg ,lovering1 ----1 from ,m4 7#ahdj7 on daguerreotype material1 anecdote1 #b1 #aee ,low1 ,a4,a41 banquet to ,m41 #b1 #dfg1 #dgb ,lowber1 ,r4,w41 and ,atlantic cable1 #b1 #cdc ,lowell1 ----1 minister at ,bristol1 ,eng4 7#ahad71 #a1 #aba ,loyalty1 ,m4 on meaning in ,america1 #b1 #dbh ,ludlow1 ,h4,g41 from ,m4 7c4 #ahfb7 on ,civil ,war1 #b1 #dae ,lydia1 transatlantic ship 7#ahaa71 #a1 #cc ,lyons1 ,m4 at 7#ahcj71 #a1 #cbc ,macaulay1 ,zachary1 invitation to ,m4 7#ahab71 #a1 #gi and ,m41 #ace ,mc,clellan1 ,g4,b41 ,m4 and presidential candidacy1 #b1 #dbg1 #dbi-dca ,mc,clelland1 ,robert1 and ,coffin1 #b1 #afd ,mc,cormick1 ,c4,h41 and reaper1 #b1 #eja ,mc,farland1 ,asa1 and ,m41 #a1 #bja1 #bjb1 #bag ,mc,gowan1 ,samuel1 on telegraph in ,australia1 #b1 #cba ,mc,ilvaine1 ,c4,p41 and ,civil ,war1 #b1 #daf ,madison1 ,james1 and ,war of #ahab1 #a1 #ff ,maggiore1 ,lago1 ,m4 at 7#ahca71 #a1 #djj ,magnet1 ,henry and1 of ,m4's telegraph1 #b1 #ff-eg ,see also ,henry4 ,magnetic ,telegraph ,company1 #b1 #bdg ,main1 ,william1 and origin of ,academy of ,design1 #a1 #bhj ,mallory1 ----1 bookseller at ,boston1 ,m4 apprenticed to1 #a1 #bd ,manrow1 ,j4,p41 and company to operate telegraph1 #b1 #agc ,marius in ,prison1 ,m4's painting1 #a1 #hb ,marlborough1 ,duke of1 gambler 7#ahbi71 #a1 #cjg ,marseilles1 ,m4 at 7#ahcj71 #a1 #cbe ,marsh1 ----1 of ,wethersfield 7#ahjf71 #a1 #i ,marsiglia1 ,gerlando1 and origin of ,academy of ,design1 #a1 #bhj ,mary1 ,princess1 appearance 7#ahad71 #a1 #acg ,mason1 ----1 proposed ,mexican mission 7#ahbd71 #a1 #bec ,mason1 ,j4,y41 from ,m4 7#ahff7 on presidential election1 #b1 #cga and gratuity to ,m41 #cgc ,mason1 ,samson1 and telegraph1 #b1 #ahi1 #aid ,mathews1 ,charles1 from ,m4 7#ahad7 offering a faroe1 #a1 #abi ,maury1 ,m4,f41 soundings of ,atlantic plateau1 #b1 #cdc ,maverick1 ,peter1 and origin of ,academy of ,design1 #a1 #bhj ,mead1 ,f4,j41 from ,m4 7#ahgb7 on ,smith's last attack1 #b1 #ejd ,melville1 ,lord1 and ,american prisoner of war1 #a1 #abf ,mexican ,war1 ,m4 on1 #b1 #bgj ,mexico1 ,m4 and proposed mission 7#ahbd71 #a1 #beb-bef ,meyendorf1 ,baron de1 and ,m4's telegraph1 #b1 #abj1 #adg from ,m4 7#ahdj7 on improvement1 #aec ,milan1 ,m4's impressions 7#ahca71 #a1 #cih ,military telegraph1 ,m4's plan1 #b1 #acb-acd ,miserere1 ,m4 on ,allegri's1 #a1 #cde ,money1 ,w4,t41 ,british consul at ,venice1 and ,m4 at ,recoaro 7#ahca71 #a1 #cif1 #cig ,monks1 ,m4 on1 #a1 #ceb ,monopoly1 ,m4 on beneficent telegraph1 #b1 #ddd ,see also ,consolidation4 ,monroe1 ,james1 ,m4's portrait1 #a1 #bbb1 #bbf and ,m41 #bbg last levee1 #bfb ,monroe1 ,mrs4 ,james1 drawing-room1 #a1 #bbg ,montaigne1 ,m4,e4 de1 ,m4 on ,essays1 #a1 #af ,montalivet1 ,comte ,m4,c4,b4 de1 and ,m4's telegraph1 #b1 #aje1 #aji ,morgan1 ,j4,j41 to ,m4 7#ahae7 on death of ,mrs4 ,allston1 #a1 #afh ,morris1 ,tasker1 ,morris1 and experimental telegraph line1 #b1 #bjf ,morse1 ,arthur1 from ,m4 7#ahfh7 on return home1 ,thorwaldsen portrait1 #b1 #dfd on death of brother1 #dff ,morse1 ,c4,w41 birth1 #a1 #bdd childhood home1 #bih at ,new ,york 7#ahdd71 #b1 #bai and farm1 #bfi marriage1 #bhi ,m4 seeks official position for1 #chg ,morse1 ,elisabeth ,a41 ,m4's daughter1 birth and death1 #a1 #bcg ,morse1 ,elisabeth ,a4 7,breese71 character1 #a1 #b1 #bic from ,r4,w4 ,snow 7#ahab7 on ,m4 as artist1 #fd and ,war of #ahab1 #aad1 #aae illness 7#ahah71 #bae travel 7#ahbf71 #bhh decline and death1 #bib ,letters to ,m3 7#ahje7 on religious duty1 celebration of ,fourth1 #a1 #f on uncertainty of life1 #h on college extravagances1 #aa 7#ahab7 on sketch of ,southey1 #gc on war1 #gi 7#ahac7 on war1 #ii on dangers of success1 #aac on infidelity of ,americans in ,england1 avoidance of actors and theatres1 #aag 7#ahad7 good advice1 patron1 his parents' early economies and success1 #aed reproof on debts1 #aeh 7#ahae7 on peace1 purchase for clothes1 #agc on right of parental reproofs1 #ahb on ,dying ,hercules1 #ahe 7#ahaf7 on ,m4's love affair1 #bjc1 #bjf ,from ,m3 7,see also his letters to ,jedediah ,morse7 7#ahbj7 on work in ,charleston1 provisions and plans for family1 #bbi 7#ahbf7 on travel1 brother1 own work1 proposed trip abroad1 #bhi 7#ahbh7 on exhibition1 servants1 her health1 #bia1 #bib ,morse1 ,finley1 birth1 #a1 #bfg attends brother's wedding1 #b1 #bhi ,morse1 ,jedediah #a1 death1 career1 #a1 #bbg ,morse1 ,jedediah #b1 orthodoxy1 #a1 #a prominence1 #a children1 #b to ,bishop of ,london 7#ahjf7 on church property in ,virginia1 #ac to ,lindley ,murray 7#ahjf7 on works1 #ad and ,m4's desire for art career1 #bf1 #ca1 #cb1 #aaf to ,talleyrand 7#ahaa7 introducing ,m41 #ca and ,war of #ahab1 #eh1 #aji1 #aaf1 #aha reputation in ,england1 #gf home scene 7#ahac71 #aaa domestic relations1 #adb1 #bhg1 #bic from ,romeyn and ,van ,schaick 7#ahad7 on ,m4's character1 war views1 and progress1 #aff church trouble at ,charlestown1 #bbc-bbe1 #bbh1 #bbi ,indian commissioner1 #bbh moves to ,new ,haven1 #bcd from ,s4,e4 ,morse 7#ahbc7 on ,m4 at ,new ,york1 #bea death1 #bhg character and attainments1 #bhg1 #bic monument1 #b1 #dba1 #dbb ,letters to ,m3 7#ahja7 on letter-writing1 concentration of effort1 #a1 #c 7#ahaj7 on profession1 #bb 7#ahab7 on financial straits1 brothers1 war1 #fe1 #hj 7#ahac7 on economy1 war1 #ajh1 #aji 7#ahad7 on ,m4's plans1 #aef 7#ahae7 on ,m4's war views1 #afh1 #aha on ,m4's plans1 #ahb 7#ahaf7 on love affair1 #bjc1 #bje 7#ahbe7 on death of ,m4's wife1 #bfe ,from ,m3 7#agii7 earliest letter1 #c 7#ahje7 on ,journey to ,new ,haven1 start at ,yale1 #i 7#ahjg7 on desire for relaxation1 #ad on routine1 #af on ,montaigne's ,essays1 #af 7#ahaj7 on ,new ,york and ,philadelphia1 #bj2 on debts1 #bj2 on brother at college1 profession1 #ba1 #bb 7#ahaa7 on voyage to ,england1 #cc1 #cd 7#ahab7 on ,west as artist1 war1 #fb on ,england and ,american crisis1 ,west as artist1 assassination of ,perceval1 #fg-gb on ,leslie1 ,allston1 own work1 #gd on tea-making1 #ge on diploma for father1 ,orders in ,council1 #gf on drawing room1 theatres1 charivari1 #gh on war1 gratitude to parents1 ,allston1 #hj on war friends1 #hg-ic 7#ahac7 on expenses1 work1 ,allston1 #ajc on ,dying ,hercules1 #ajg on war1 ,spanish victories1 poet and painter1 ,allston's poems1 coat of arms1 #aaj on progress1 study at ,paris1 war views1 #aad 7#ahad7 on ,british treatment of ,americans1 religious sentiments1 success at ,bristol1 politics1 ,allston1 art in ,america1 health1 severe winter1 #abj on overthrow of ,napoleon1 further study1 #abg on further study1 ambition1 parents' complaint of neglect1 ,wilberforce and slave-trade1 entre of ,louis ,,xviii1 war views1 #acb on ,london fte of ,allies1 #adb on study at ,paris1 #adh on war views1 study at ,paris1 failure at ,bristol1 #aeb on failure at ,bristol1 ,english hatred of ,americans1 #afc 7#ahae7 on mother's reproof for extravagance and other failings1 study at ,paris1 ,russell portrait1 #aei1 #agc1 #ahj on death of ,mrs4 ,allston1 #afh on failure at ,bristol1 economy and expenses1 ,napoleon's return1 #afi on preparation for temporary return home1 ambition1 toil of painting1 #agf on ,napoleon's abdication1 #ahc 7#ahaf7 on painting tour in ,new ,hampshire1 love affair and engagement1 #bja-baa 7#ahag7 on success at ,portsmouth1 #bab 7#ahah7 on voyage to ,charleston1 #bai on lodgings there1 brother1 #bbj on success there1 #bbj 7#ahai7 on church trouble at ,charlestown1 #bbc 7#ahbe7 on death of ,m4's wife1 #bfg1 #bfi on ,academy of ,design1 ,literary ,society1 #bha 7#ahbf7 on trials and blessings1 lectures1 #bhc on ,academy1 question of second marriage1 #bhd lectures1 ,lafayette portrait1 health1 #bhe on anxiety about father's health1 #bhf ,morse1 ,louisa1 goes abroad with ,m4 7#ahef71 #b1 #cdg ,morse1 ,lucretia ,p4 7,walker71 engagement to ,m41 #a1 #bjb-baj1 #bab marriage1 #bag honeymoon1 #bag1 #bah goes to ,charleston with ,m4 7#ahah71 #bai1 #bbj children1 #bbe1 #bcf1 #bdd1 #bfg and ,m4's plans 7#ahbj71 #bbi1 #bcj at ,concord 7#ahba71 #bci and ,m4's absence1 #bdd with ,m4 at ,new ,york1 #beg death1 effect on ,m41 #bfe-bgj epitaph1 #bgj1 #bga ,letters to ,m3 7#ahba7 on ,academy at ,charleston1 #a1 #bcf on perseverance1 #bdj 7#ahbc7 on sleeping on the floor1 #bej on ,mexican mission1 #bec ,from ,m3 7#ahbj7 on ,alston as patron1 #bcc on work at ,charleston1 #bcd on subsidence of work there1 ,academy1 #bce on return1 #bcg on a bonnet1 #bci on painting of ,house of ,representatives1 #bdj1 #bda 7#ahbc7 on experiences at ,albany1 #bde on failure at ,new ,york1 ,mexican mission1 #bea 7#ahbd7 on ,journey to ,washington1 #bee on failure of mission1 #bef success at ,new ,york1 #beg 7#ahbe7 on same1 ,lafayette portrait1 ,washington experiences1 #bei-bfe ,morse1 ,r4,c41 birth1 #a1 #b at ,phillips ,andover1 #e at ,yale1 #ba1 #bb1 #bf to ,m4 7#ahac7 on war views1 #aah studies theology1 #adb different career1 #adb and brothers1 #adb1 #b1 #bfi1 #chh at ,savannah 7#ahah71 #a1 #bbj1 #bbc goes to frontier with father 7#ahbj71 #bbh ,new ,york ,observer1 #bdd from ,s4,e4 ,morse 7#ahbf7 on ,m4 at ,new ,york1 #bge marriage1 #bhh1 #bih on ,m4's talk on telegraph 7#ahcb71 #b1 #ag assists ,m4 financially1 #be and ,poughkeepsie place1 #bha from ,m4 7#aheg7 on withdrawal from cable company1 #chd and ,civil ,war1 #daf monument to father1 #dba1 #dbb from ,m4 7#ahfd7 on supporting ,lincoln1 #dbi-dcb ,m4 on death1 #dff ,for other letters from ,m4 ,see ,morse1 ,s4,e4 ,morse1 ,s4,e41 birth1 #a1 #b at ,phillips ,andover1 #e at ,yale1 #af1 #ba1 #bb plans for career1 #ff as misogynist1 #ii studies law1 #adb1 #bbc different career1 #adb and brothers1 #adb1 #b1 #bfi1 #chh ,boston ,recorder1 #a1 #bjh invention of pump1 #baa ,new ,york ,observer1 #bdd to father 7#ahbc7 on ,m4 at ,new ,york1 #bea to ,r4,c4 ,morse 7#ahbe7 on same1 #bge on ,m4's talk on telegraph 7#ahcb71 #b1 #ag1 #ah assists ,m4 financially1 #be1 #ahe in ,europe 7#ahde71 #bdi1 #bfi 7#ahef71 #cdi as tortoise to ,m4's hare1 #chh1 #chi and ,civil ,war1 #daf monument to father1 #dba1 #dbb ,m4 and death1 #dif ,letters to ,m3 7#ahac7 on family interest1 #a1 #fa 7#ahac7 on poet and painter1 #ii1 #aag ,from ,m3 7#ahje7 on religion1 #e 7#ahab7 on an execution1 progress1 ,west1 ,van ,rensselaer1 #gb 7#ahbh7 on near accident1 #bic 7#ahcj7 on ,paris1 letters for newspaper1 #cag 7#ahca7 on meeting with ,prince ,radziwill1 #chf on ,greenough1 ,lafayette1 ,polish revolt1 ,paris mob1 #djg on painting of ,louvre1 cholera in ,paris1 ,lafayette on ,american finances1 #dbb on ,louvre painting1 ,cooper's character1 ,american principles and ,european criticism1 #dbf 7#ahcg7 on illness1 ,vail portraits1 telegraph1 #b1 #gb on exhibition of telegraph1 #gc 7#ahci7 on projects in ,france1 discouragement1 #aac on daguerreotype1 #abi 7#ahdc7 on telegraph bill in ,congress1 #aij-aic1 #aie 7#ahdc-dd7 on construction of experimental line1 trials1 ,fisher1 ,smith1 #baj-bac1 #baf1 #bah 7#ahdd7 on success1 reports of ,democratic ,convention1 ,smith1 #bbh1 #bbi1 #bcc on foreign inquiries1 ,congress and purchase1 #bdc1 #bdd 7#ahde7 on ,france and telegraph1 #bee 7#ahdf7 on painting for ,capitol1 #bfh on accident1 #bfh on progress of telegraph1 ,mexican ,war1 ,infringements1 printing telegraph1 #bfi 7#ahdg7 on rivals1 litigation1 #bge1 #bgf1 #bhb on ,smith1 #bhj on ,poughkeepsie home1 #bhj-bhb 7#ahdh7 on litigation1 home1 #bhc1 #bif on engagement1 #bhi 7#ahdi7 on ,jackson's claim1 newspaper hostility1 #cje 7#ahef7 on social and telegraph affairs in ,england1 #cdi on experiences and honors on ,continent1 #cea 7#aheg7 on telegraphic affairs1 slavery1 #chi 7#aheh7 on family party in ,europe1 #cig 7#ahei7 on death of ,vail1 #djj on workings of ,providence in his case1 #djc on telegraph in ,porto ,rico1 proposed ,spanish cable1 #djd 7#ahfg7 on report of electrical exhibition at ,paris1 #ded1 #deg1 #dfj1 #dfd on ftes1 #dee on plans for winter1 ,italy1 ,church and ,state1 ,american politics1 #deg on old age1 #dfa 7#ahfi7 on breaking leg1 #dha ,morse1 ,s4,e41 ,jr41 from ,m4 7#ahfb7 on monument to father1 #b1 #dba ,morse1 ,s4,f4,b41 early years1 domestic life1 and characteristics3 birth1 #a1 #a parents1 #a schooling1 #c-h religious and moral attitude1 #e1 #ah1 #abj1 #bab1 #bac1 #bif-bih1 #dja1 #dch1 #b1 #abh1 #afj parental solicitude as to character1 #a1 #f-h1 #aa1 #aac1 #aba1 #adi1 #aed1 #aeh-afc1 #aff1 #ahb attitude toward parents1 #i1 #abi1 #acc1 #ace1 #adb1 #aeb travel to ,new ,haven 7#ahje71 #i1 #aj start at ,yale1 room1 #aj expenses and debts at college1 #aj1 #af1 #ag1 #bj drops a class1 #aa parental admonitions against college extravagances1 #aa1 #ab tenacity1 #aa desire for relaxation at college1 #ad routine there1 #ae on ,montaigne's ,essays1 #af desire to travel1 #ah interest in electrical experiments at college1 #ah portraits painted at college1 #ai1 #bj question of career1 desires to become artist1 apprenticed to bookseller1 #ba-bd1 #bf continued interest in art1 #bd-bf1 #cj art career decided upon1 attitude and sacrifices of parents1 #bf1 #bi1 #ca1 #cb1 #hb1 #he1 #aaf1 #aee college love affair1 #bh-cj1 #aab on smuggling cigars1 #de1 #df on lotteries1 #df1 #b1 #ahj1 #aha and theatres1 #a1 #gb1 #gg1 #gh1 #cgd-cgf1 #cii sincerity1 #hd interest in public affairs1 #ic frankness1 enjoyment of controversy1 #ic reading1 #ajb and coat of arms1 #aaj1 #b1 #beh appearance 7#ahad71 #a1 #abc writes a farce 7#ahad71 #abi1 #acj and brothers1 #adb1 #b1 #bfi1 #chh industry1 #a1 #afa1 #afb and ,lucy ,russell1 #ahj buoyancy1 #bjj1 #bce1 #bef1 #bhd love affair and engagement1 #bjb-baj and fiance1 #bab1 #bad on ,universalists1 #bac marriage1 #bag honeymoon1 #bag1 #bah and father's church troubles1 #bbc1 #bbi children by first wife1 #bbe1 #bcf1 #bdd1 #bfg marriage of future mother-in-law1 #bbh domesticity1 #bcj1 #bch1 #bhe1 #cge1 #cid1 #b1 #ajf1 #aaf1 #bde family at ,new ,haven 7#ahbj71 #a1 #bcd perseverance1 #bdj on saying farewell1 #bed and death of wife1 on her character1 #bfe-bgj1 #bhh1 #b1 #aae sonnet on ,lafayette1 #a1 #bgc homes for children1 #bgd1 #bih leadership1 altruism1 #bge1 #cje1 #b1 #ddc thoughts on second marriage1 #a1 #bhe1 #dah1 #b1 #aae and decline and death of father1 #a1 #bhf1 #bhg on servants1 #bia1 #cjb and decline of mother1 #bib narrow escape 7#ahbh71 #bic-bie constitution1 #cjd temperance1 #cjd moulding of character1 #cjd and foreign languages1 #cgb patriotism1 #cie1 #dbc1 #dbg-dbi1 #dch1 #b1 #chc1 #dbh1 #dbi on devotion and emotion of taste1 #a1 #dja capacity for friendship1 #dci1 #b1 #did maintenance of his rights1 #a1 #dci1 #b1 #b1 #eah necessary qualities of an inventor1 #af1 #bj1 #eg1 #ia1 #aeb1 #aga belief in divine ordination of his invention1 and divine plan in trials and successes1 #ai1 #df-dh1 #abg1 #afj1 #agj1 #ahj1 #aha1 #aij-aic1 #bac1 #baf1 #bbb-bbd1 #bbi1 #bcj1 #bcc1 #bcd1 #bff1 #bfg1 #bga1 #bhd1 #djc1 #ddb1 #ddc1 #dec1 #dgb1 #dic controversies over ,catholic ,church1 #ce-cg1 #ccj1 #ccf self-control1 #aaf1 #aee sense of humor1 #aaf1 #aee horror of debt1 #agd1 #agh1 #cab liberality1 donations1 #bfi1 #bih-cja1 #caa1 #cae1 #cba1 #dac1 #dcg and ,poughkeepsie home1 #bfi1 #bhj1 #bhd1 #bhf1 #bif1 #dfd1 #dif on being fifty-six1 #bgg second marriage and family1 #bhi1 #bij1 #did and printing when a boy1 #bii despondency under strain of litigation1 #cja attitude toward rewards for invention1 #cad refuses to endorse notes1 #cai2 defence of slavery1 #cca1 #ccc1 #chi1 #cij1 #dae1 #daf1 #dah1 #dbj1 #dbd-dbf1 #dbi1 #dcj1 #dcb on crinoline1 #cgc as hare to brother's tortoise1 #chh1 #chi buys house in ,new ,york1 #dji monument to father1 #dba1 #dbb on ,unitarianism1 #dcj exhortation of his children1 #dcc1 #dcd on wayward sons1 #dce1 #dff on enigma of wealth1 #dcf trials and afflictions of old age1 #dei1 #dha1 #dhb1 #dih on old age1 #dfa1 #dfd and death of brothers1 #dff1 #dif pastor on character1 #dic poem 7#ahbg71 #die1 #dif versatility1 #eji1 #eag ,prime's review of character1 #eaf-eai sensibility1 #eah ,art student in ,england1 #ahaa-ae3 voyage to ,england with ,allston1 #a1 #cb-ce on ,english ladies1 #cf journey to ,london1 #cf on treatment of travelers1 tips1 impositions1 #cf-ci on ,english laboring class1 #cf on ,england and embargo1 #ci on ,dr4 ,lettsom1 #dj on ,english dining hour1 #dj on a ghost1 #da ,west's interest in1 #db1 #dd1 #dg1 #fb1 #gc1 #he1 #ajb1 #ajc1 #aad1 #agi1 #aii anecdote of ,west and ,george ,,iii41 #db1 #dc preparation to enter ,royal ,academy1 #dc1 #df1 #ee on ,west as artist and man1 #dd1 #fc1 #fh1 #fi1 #ajb on female artists1 #de on attitude toward art in ,england and ,america1 #df1 #abb1 #abc on ,copley in old age1 #dg on ,elgin ,marbles1 #dg1 #b1 #abd on cries of ,london1 #a1 #dh on custom of knocking1 #dh on balloon ascension and ,london crowd1 #di on ,vauxhall ,gardens1 #ej-eb on ,st4 ,bartholomew's ,fair1 #eb-fd economy1 expenses1 debts1 #ed1 #gj1 #ajc1 #ajh1 #adi1 #aeh-afc1 #aga ,allston's interest and criticism1 #ee1 #ef1 #gd1 #ge1 #hc1 #he1 #ajd1 #aad1 #acj1 #afb1 #aig-aii work1 #ef1 #fb1 #ge on conditions in ,england 7#ahaa-ab71 #ef1 #eg1 #fc1 #gj1 #ga unfederalistic views on ,war of #ahab1 #eh1 #fd1 #fg1 #gj1 #gf1 #ha1 #hb1 #hd1 #hg-ic1 #aji1 #aaj1 #aad-aaf1 #abb1 #adj1 #ada1 #aeb1 #aec1 #afe1 #aff1 #aha not molested during the war1 #eh1 #hf and ,leslie1 #ei1 #fb1 #fe1 #gd family interest in progress1 #fa1 #fb commendations and criticisms1 #fd1 #aja1 #abj1 #afg on assassination of ,perceval1 #ga1 #gb on difficulties and toil of painting1 #gc1 #agh and ,van ,rensselaer1 #gc1 #bde on life as student1 #ge on charivari1 #gh ,marius in ,prison1 #hb devotion to art1 ambition1 #he1 #acc1 #afa1 #afd4 #agg ,dying ,hercules1 sculpture and painting1 exhibition and awards1 #he1 #hf1 #ajb-ajg1 #aai1 #acd1 #ahe1 #dcg1 #b1 #ahh rooms at ,london1 #a1 #hf and ,wilberforce1 #hi1 #id on ,american attitude toward ,french 7#ahab71 #ij1 #ia on ,orders in ,council1 #ia1 #ib on retreat from ,moscow1 #ic on ,gilbert ,stuart1 #ic letters of introduction1 #ic ,london friends1 #ie and ,coleridge1 #ie1 #if on contemporary ,american artists 7#ahac71 #ajb1 #ajc on ,allston as artist and man1 #ajb1 #aje1 #ajh and study at ,paris1 #aad1 #acd1 #adi1 #aeb-aed1 #afg1 #agd funds for longer stay abroad1 #aaf1 #adb at ,bristol as portrait painter1 lack of success1 #aai1 #aba1 #adi1 #aec1 #afc1 #afd4 #afi-aga question of self-support and further study1 #abb1 #abc1 #abh1 #abi1 #aca-acd1 #aee1 #aeg efforts for release of ,burritt 7#ahac71 #abd-abg and overthrow of ,napoleon1 #abg1 #abh seeks a patron1 #acd1 #adb1 #aee and ,london's celebration of overthrow of ,napoleon1 #acf-adj1 #adb-adg and death of ,mrs4 ,allston1 #afh on ,napoleon's return and ,waterloo1 #agb1 #ahc prepares for temporary return home1 #agf1 #agf1 #ahf hope for employment in ,america1 #agf ,judgment of ,jupiter1 not allowed to compete by ,royal ,academy1 #agh1 #agi1 #aif1 #aii1 #bae ,russell portrait1 #ahj journal of dreadful voyage home1 #ahf-aie experience at ,dover 7#ahad71 #cac see ship carrying ,napoleon to ,st4 ,helena1 #cgi ,art career in ,america3 lack of demand1 #a1 #aif ,adams portrait1 #aif portrait painting in ,new ,hampshire 7#ahaf-ag71 #aig1 #bja-bji1 #bac settles down to portrait painting1 #bjj1 #bag as portrait painter1 #bjj1 #baf1 #beh1 #dch on painting quacks1 #bjf portrait painting at ,portsmouth1 #baj-bab ,langdon portrait1 #baa at ,charleston 7#ahah-ba71 #bad-bag1 #bai-bbf1 #bbi-bcg and ,j4,a4 ,alston1 #bae1 #bbd1 #bbf1 #bcc voyage to ,charleston 7#ahah71 #bai on ,r4,a4 for ,allston1 #bbb ,monroe portrait1 #bbb1 #bbf1 #bcd thinks of settling at ,charleston1 #bbc at ,washington 7#ahai71 #bbf1 #bbg 7#ahba71 #bdj2 7#ahbd71 #bfe 7#ahbe71 #bfa trouble over ,mrs4 ,ball's portrait1 #bca-bcd and ,academy at ,charleston1 #bcf1 #bcf trip through ,berkshires 7#ahba71 #bch1 #bci painting of ,house of ,representatives1 #bdj-bdb1 #bfb gift to ,yale 7#ahbb71 #bdb ,de,forest portrait1 #bdc search for work1 absence from home 7#ahbc71 #bdd 7#ahbd71 #beg at ,albany1 lack of success there1 #bde-bdi ,moss ,kent portrait1 #bdf plans for settling at ,new ,york1 #bdf-bdi ,james ,kent portrait1 #bdh1 #bej and advancement of arts1 #bdi studios at ,new ,york1 #bdi1 #beg1 #bgd1 #bia initial failure there 7#ahbc71 #bdi-beb and ,mexican mission1 #beb-bef journey from ,new ,york to ,washington 7#ahbd71 #bee successful establishment at ,new ,york 7#ahbd-be71 #beg-bfa1 #bfi1 #bgj pupils1 #beg1 #b1 #aej1 #aef1 #afb ,lafayette portrait1 #a1 #bfj-bfb1 #bfd1 #bgj1 #bgb1 #bhf ,dr4 ,smith portrait1 #bfa on election of ,adams 7#ahbe71 #bfc ,stanford portrait1 #bgj and founding of ,national ,academy of ,design1 #bgf-bhb1 #bhd as president of ,academy1 #bhj1 #b1 #cc lectures and addresses on fine arts1 #a1 #bha1 #bhd1 #bhe pecuniary effect of connection with ,academy1 #bha as historical painter1 #bha informal literary club1 #bhb1 #b1 #dea electioneering 7#ahbf71 #a1 #bhh painting for steamer1 #bhh annual address before ,academy 7#ahbg71 review and rejoinder1 #bhi and annual exhibition 7#ahbh71 #bia casts for the ,academy1 #chd divisions of life1 #dcd art ambition and trials1 #dcd ,huntington's estimate of1 as artist1 #dce-dcg color theory and experiments1 #dcf influence of ,allston1 #dcf results of distractions1 #dcf ,isham's estimate1 #dcg1 #dch hopes on return from abroad 7#ahcb71 #b1 #c1 #bj on ,new ,york 7#ahcc71 #bb1 #bd on art instruction as his future1 #bc1 #bd on nullification1 #bc1 #bd efforts to resume profession1 #be1 #ca on need of refining arts in ,america1 #bf enthusiasm wanes1 #bh1 #ca1 #afh fails to get commission for painting for ,capitol1 #bh-cb commission from fellow artists1 never painted1 fund returned1 #cc1 #cd1 #afa professor in ,university of ,city of ,new ,york1 #cg1 #aad1 #acg on effect of daguerreotype on art1 #adc1 #add1 #afj and question of resuming painting in later years1 #afj1 #bjb1 #bfh and death of ,allston1 #bjg1 #bjh renewed effort for ,capitol painting 7#ahdf71 #bff-bfh continued interest in ,academy1 #cjf1 #dga again president of ,academy 7#ahfa71 #dag attempts to paint 7#ahfd71 #dcc presents ,allston's portrait to ,academy1 #dcf1 #dcg ,in ,europe1 #ahbi-cb3 plans and preparation1 commissions1 #a #bhi1 #bih-cjj1 #cch1 #ced1 #cij outbound voyage1 diary of it1 #cjj-cjb at ,liverpool1 docks1 #cjb1 #cjc materials on tour1 #cje journey to ,london1 #cjf-cjh on ,english villages1 #cjf at ,london1 ,royal ,academy1 ,leslie1 visits1 #cjh1 #cji traveling companions1 #cji1 #cie on gypsies1 #caj on ,canterbury cathedral and service1 #caj-cab at ,dover1 #cab on ,dover ,castle1 #cac on ,channel passage1 #cad on landing in ,france1 #cad1 #cae at ,paris1 ,louvre1 ,lafayette1 weather1 #cae-cag on letters for newspaper1 #cag on ,continental ,sabbath1 #cah1 #cbb on allegorical painting1 #cah winter journey across ,france1 #cah-cbf on diligence1 #cai on ,continental funerals1 #cba1 #cbb1 #cej1 #cff1 #cfg on ,sisters of ,charity and benevolence1 #cbc at ,avignon1 #cbd on ,catholic ritual and music1 #cbd1 #cbe1 #cdj1 #cdb1 #cdf1 #ceb1 #cgf1 #cih-djj1 #b1 #ajd on ,toulon navy yard and galley slaves1 #a1 #cbf1 #cbg travel by private carriage from ,toulon to ,rome1 #cbg-ccg imposition at inns1 #cbg1 #ccj on ,serra ,palace1 ,genoa1 #cbi on ,italian beggars1 #ccj1 #ccb1 #cda1 #cee1 #cfc1 #cfi on ,ligurian ,apennines1 #cca1 #ccb on ,carrara marble quarries1 #ccc-cce on ,pisa and ,leaning ,tower1 #cce-ccg on ,carnival fooleries1 #ccf arrival at ,rome1 lodgings there 7#ahcj71 #ccg on induction of cardinals1 #cci1 #cdj on ,pius ,,viii1 #cci on ,st4 ,luke's ,academy1 #cdj on kissing ,st4 ,peter's toe1 #cdj on sacred opera1 #cda on feast of ,annunciation1 #cda on ,roman society1 #cdb-cdd on ,passion ,sunday1 #cdc on ,horace ,vernet1 #cdc1 #cdd on ,palm ,sunday1 #cdd on lying in state of cardinal1 #cdd on ,roman market1 #cde on ,allegri's ,miserere1 #cde on ,holy ,thursday1 papal blessing1 #cdf1 #cdg on ,thorwaldsen1 paints his portrait1 #cdh1 #cgj-cgb1 #b1 #ced and later history1 of portrait1 #a1 #cgb-cgd1 #b1 #dfe on ,english1 ,french1 and ,american manners1 #a1 #cdh1 #cdi on ,landi's pictures1 #cdi1 #cej on ,camuccini1 #cej sketching tour1 happy life1 #cej rhapsody on ,subiaco1 #cfa on monks1 #ceb on rudeness of ,roman soldiers1 #cec on ,roman lotteries1 #ced on festa inflorata at ,genzano1 #ced-cei on ,campagna at night1 #cei on summer day at ,rome1 #cfj on illumination of ,st4 ,peter's1 #cfj on ,st4 ,peter's day1 #cfa-cfc at ,naples 7#ahcj71 #cfc at ,amalfi1 on accident there1 #cfd-cfg on ,campo ,santo at ,naples1 #cfg-cfi on ,convent of ,st4 ,martino1 rhapsody on view1 #cfi1 #cgj on ,spagnoletto's ,dead ,christ1 #cgj on ,roman revolt and danger to foreigners1 #cgf1 #chj-che1 #cig on ,roman ,new ,year1 #cgg discussion with ,catholic convert1 #cgg on election and coronation of pope1 #cgh1 #chj1 #cha spectator at historic events1 #cgi journey to ,florence during revolt 7#ahca71 #chd-chf getting permission to remain there1 #chf on encounter with ,radziwill at ,rome1 #chf-chi work at ,florence1 #cij on travel in ,italy1 #cia on ,bologna1 #cia on journey to ,venice by ,po1 #cia-cic on ,venetian sights and smells1 #cic moralising on ,venetian society1 #cic homesick1 #cie travel to ,milan1 #cie at ,recoaro1 #cif-cih on gambling priests1 #cif on ,milan1 #cih on sacred pictures1 #cii at ,italian ,lakes1 #djj in ,switzerland1 on ,rigi1 #djj1 #dja avoids ,french quarantine1 #djb-dje on ,paris after the revolution1 #dje and ,greenough at ,paris1 #djg1 #dab on ,lafayette and ,polish revolt1 #djh on ,lafayette's health 7#ahca71 #djh on ,paris mob1 #dji-daa and ,r4,w4 ,habersham1 #dag and cholera1 #dag1 #dbb painting of interior of ,louvre1 #dba1 #dbb1 #b1 #bg1 #bh meets ,humboldt1 #a1 #dbc presides at ,fourth dinner 7#ahcb71 toast to ,lafayette1 #dbc-dbe letters published in brothers' paper1 #dbe on ,cooper's patriotism1 #dbf-dbh on ,european criticism of ,america1 #dbh1 #dbi active interest in ,poles1 #dcj at ,london 7#ahcb71 #dcb on growth of ,london1 #dcb sits to ,leslie1 #dcc recovers health1 #dcc1 #b1 #d voyage home1 #c1 #e1 #ag on ,england1 #d ,scientific career to #ahdd3 early interest in electricity1 #a1 #ah invention of pump1 #ba early longing for telegraph1 #da studies with ,silliman1 #bcf machine for carving marble1 #bde1 #bdg and ,dana's lectures on electricity 7#ahbg71 discussions with ,dana1 #bij familiarity with electrical science1 #bi thoughts 7#ahba-ca7 connected with future invention of telegraph1 #bcf1 #cbd1 #cce1 #cid1 #cie1 #djb first conception of idea of telegraph 7#ahca71 #dag-dba1 #b1 #h experiments with photography1 #a1 #dba1 #b1 #abi divisions of life1 trials of scientific life1 #a1 #dcd1 #b1 #a1 #b1 #gg1 #gh ,jackson's conversations on electrical progress on board ship 7#ahcb71 his later claim to invention1 #e1 #aa1 #eh1 #ei1 #gh1 #gi1 #aba1 #abb1 #acg1 #bgd1 #cje basis of telegraph worked out on voyage1 dot-and-dash code1 sketches1 #f-i1 #aa1 #ah simplicity of invention1 #i1 #af1 #ah1 #aji1 #dce thoughts on priority1 #i1 #aj testimony of fellow passengers1 #aa1 #ab1 #ad date of invention1 #ab1 #ac scientific knowledge necessary for invention1 #ad-af necessary combination of personal qualities and conditions1 #af1 #eg1 #ia1 #aeb1 #aga testimony of brothers on talk upon landing1 #ag1 #ah insistence on single circuit1 #ah1 #ajb bars to progress1 lack of funds and essentials1 #ah1 #ai first steps toward apparatus1 saw-tooth type1 #ba cares 7#ahcc71 forced to put invention aside1 #be and death of ,lafayette1 #cd workshop in ,university building1 resumes experiments 7#ahcf71 #ch1 #dh first instruments1 #ch-da electro-chemical experiments1 #da discovery of relay1 #da1 #db1 #ada shuns publicity of invention1 poverty1 #db in ,hall of ,fame1 #dd first exhibitions of telegraph 7#ahce-ch71 #de-dh1 #ed1 #gc-gf1 #hj1 #dgc confidence of universal use1 belief in aid to humanity1 #dh1 #gh1 #abe1 #aec1 #agi1 #cad1 #cde1 #dce1 #dfj1 #dhh1 #dij fears forestalling and rival claims1 #di1 #ej1 #ec1 #abf1 #abg1 #aej1 #aff difference in principle of foreign inventions1 #ej1 #ij1 #ib1 #ic1 #ajj-ajb1 #bdj1 #bej writes it ,telegraph1 #ej originality of invention1 share of others in it1 #ej-ec1 #fa1 #dgj1 #dgb1 #dhh1 #ejj1 #eja1 #eaj1 #eai ,gale's and ,henry's connections1 batteries1 intensifying magnet1 #ed-ei1 #ada1 #dgg-dgi public and congressional suspicion1 #eg1 #fj1 #gb1 #gg1 #ha1 #hh1 #ia1 #afd1 #ahi1 #aic acknowledgment of indebtedness1 #eh1 #ga1 #bfc1 #dga1 #dhi ,vail's association1 contract1 #ei1 #fj1 #gj reversion to first plan for receiver1 #fa number code1 dictionary1 #fb paternity of alphabet code1 #fb-fh patent in ,america1 #fi1 #hi1 #aeg continuation of experiments1 improvements1 #gj1 #gd1 #gf1 #aed1 #ahb cumbersome instruments1 #gc alphabet supersedes number code1 #gd-gf portrule1 #gd1 #hh1 #ij ,attention1 the ,universe message1 #ge friction with ,vail1 #gi1 #hj exhibition at ,washington 7#ahch71 no grant results1 #ha1 #ajc1 #ace1 #acg connection of ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith1 cause of his later antagonism1 #hb1 #hc arrangement of partnership with ,gale1 ,vail1 and ,smith1 #hc desire and plan for government control1 #hd-hf1 #aai1 #age1 #agf1 #bbh1 #bbi1 #bcb1 #ddf no share in later stock-watering1 #hf ,smith's report to ,congress1 #hg expects disappointments1 #hh1 #ajb1 #ajf ,european trip 7#ahch71 #hi rivals in ,europe1 #ia1 #aji application for ,british patent1 refused1 #ib-ii interest of ,english gentlemen1 effort for special act of ,parliament1 #ie1 #abd exhibitions in ,england1 #if ,russian contract1 refusal of czar to sign it1 #ig1 #abj1 #abb1 #acf-ach1 #adg witnesses coronation of ,victoria1 #ajj1 #aja ,french patents1 #ajc1 #aai1 #acb on birth and baptism of ,comte de ,paris1 #ajc1 #ajd exhibition at ,institute of ,france1 #ajd1 #ajg1 #ajh public and private projects in ,france1 obstacles and failure1 #aje1 #aji-abj ,french enthusiasm over telegraph1 #ajf1 #ajg1 #aji1 #aaa1 #aab1 #aad1 #abb1 #abd discouraged1 dark years and poverty 7#ahci-dc71 #aac-aaf1 #ace1 #adg1 #adi-aee1 #aeg1 #aei-afd1 #afi1 #agh-aha correspondent for sender1 #aag better part of failures1 #abj1 #aha protection of wires from malevolent attack1 #abj1 #abc1 #adg and underground wires1 #aba and ,daguerre1 #abh-acj invention for reporting railroad trains1 #acb and principle of fire-alarm1 #acb and military telegraph1 #acb-acd return to ,america 7#ahci71 #ace and lack of effort by partners1 #acf-ach1 #adg1 #aea1 #afe1 #afg-afi1 #agh1 #aha1 #ahf1 #aif1 #dja experiments with daguerreotype1 takes portraits1 #add-adf makes a business of it1 #adf1 #aeb1 #aee takes first group picture 7#ahdj71 #adf ,chamberlain's exhibition of telegraph in ,european centers1 #adh-adi rejects proposition from ,wheatstone1 #aeh renewed effort for congressional grant without result 7#ahda-db71 #afd1 #aff1 #agc-agh proposals for private companies1 #afg1 #agc threatens to abandon invention1 #afg1 #agh ,henry's praise of telegraph 7#ahdb71 #agj-agd obliged to make instruments himself1 #agd1 #agi experiment with submarine wires1 #ahc1 #ahd search for funds 7#ahdb71 #ahd second exhibition before ,congress 7#ahdb71 consideration and passage of act to build experimental line1 #ahe-bjc and ,fisher1 #ahe1 #ahg1 #aif1 #bjd1 #baj-bac wireless experiment1 #ahf1 #ahg1 #bdb1 #bdc friends in ,congress1 #ahf1 #ahi omen in finding statuette of ,dying ,hercules1 #ahg congratulations1 #bja construction of experimental line1 route1 assistants1 #bjd-bjf1 #bad wires1 insulation1 change from underground to overhead1 #bje1 #bjh-baj1 #bad-baf trouble with ,smith1 #bjf1 #bjg1 #bab1 #bac1 #baf1 #bah1 #bai1 #bbe prophesies ,atlantic cable 7#ahdc71 #bjh1 #bji on strain of construction1 #bag progress of line1 messages during construction1 #bai-bba ground circuit1 #bba completion of line1 ,what hath ,god wrought message1 #bba-bbd reports of ,democratic ,convention1 #bbd-bbf report on experimental line1 #bbg1 #bbh and on sounder and reading by sound1 #deg1 #dgi1 #dhj ,career from #ahdd3 price of offer of telegraph to ,congress1 #b1 #hf1 #bcb1 #bce1 #ddf defence of rights and priority1 #bbc1 #bda-bdc1 #bhc trials of success1 #bcj1 #bca ,congress refuses to purchase invention1 #bcb1 #bdd1 #bde accidents 7#ahdd71 #bcb 7#ahdf71 #bfh 7#aheg71 #cgf1 #cgg1 #chc 7#ahfi71 #dhj abortive plans for private company1 #bce1 #bcf ,smith's fulsome dedication1 #bcf ,smith's antagonism and opposition1 #bch1 #bci1 #bdg1 #bgc1 #bhj1 #cjc1 #cjd1 #cjg-cji1 #cab1 #cai1 #cbj1 #cbd1 #cdf1 #cgj1 #cga1 #dji-dab1 #dbc1 #dih-ejj1 #ejb-eje1 #ejg foreign inquiries1 #bdj1 #bdc1 #bdd ,woodbury's address 7#ahde71 #bdd ,kendall as agent1 #bdf1 #cbf1 #cce1 #cgb1 #chi1 #dji first company1 #bdg letter of introduction from ,department of ,state1 #bdh fourth voyage to ,europe 7#ahde71 #bdi on crossing ,channel1 #bej on ,broek1 #bea-bec on ,hamburg1 #bec1 #bed attitude of ,european countries toward telegraph 7#ahde71 #bed-bef on the ,french1 #bef litigation with infringers and rival companies1 #beg1 #bga-bgc1 #bgf1 #bgg1 #bhb-bid1 #cja-cjd1 #caf1 #cbb extensions of patent1 share of partners1 #beh1 #cbb-cbi1 #cdf1 #cdg1 #cgj1 #cga honors and decorations1 #beh1 #big1 #cib-cid1 #djc1 #djf1 #dfe and faithless associates1 #beg1 #beh1 #bfj1 #bgg-bgi1 #cgb and ,o',reilly1 #bei1 #bfj1 #bgc1 #bgi1 #bhc1 #bhg-bia1 #bid1 #cjc1 #cjg1 #ejc ,henry controversy1 #bfa-bff1 #cah1 #cbi1 #djb1 #dje1 #dgf-dgi1 #ejj1 #ejd progress of telegraph1 displacement of other systems1 #bfi1 #bgj1 #cac1 #cba1 #cdi1 #cej1 #ceb1 #cfg on ,mexican ,war1 #bgj printing telegraph1 #bga and lawsuits1 #bgb1 #cbj1 #cga and salaries of operators1 #bgd and ,vail1 #bge1 #cjg1 #cbg1 #dja1 #dbb1 #dbc financial stress1 #bgf1 #caj1 #caa1 #ccf1 #dfj and ,rogers1 #bgg1 #bgh on aviation1 #cjj1 #cja hostility of newspapers1 #cjd-cjg and death of ,cooper1 #cad on origin of telegram1 #caf destruction of papers and evidence1 #caf and instruments for ,perry's ,japanese expedition1 #cag and consolidation of lines and monopoly1 #cbj1 #cbf1 #cda1 #dje1 #ddd defeated for ,congress 7#ahed71 #cca1 #ccd and ,know-,nothingism1 #cca-ccc and dishonesty in telegraph organisation1 #cch1 #cci1 #ddd-ddf and sale of interests1 #cdj1 #cda and organisation of ,atlantic cable company1 #cdd private connection with telegraph line1 #cdd trip to ,newfoundland 7#ahee71 #cde1 #cdf verse on invention1 #cdf trip to ,europe 7#ahef71 #cdg and pecuniary reward from foreign nations1 their honorary gratuity1 #cdg1 #cgc1 #cij-cie1 #dji-dab1 #dbb1 #dbc1 #dic experiments for ,atlantic cable1 #cdh1 #cff attentions in ,england1 banquet1 ,cooke's toast1 #cdi1 #cfg-cgj1 #cgc and ,cooke1 #cej visit to ,leslie1 #cea attentions on ,continent1 #cec private interview with ,king of ,denmark1 #cec at ,copenhagen1 #ced1 #cee on ,oersted1 #ced on ,st4 ,petersburg1 #cee on presentation to czar at ,peterhoff1 #cef-cfd and ,humboldt1 #cfe on ,buchanan's election1 #cga ,kendall's caution against cable company1 #cgb on laying of first ,atlantic cable 7#aheg71 #cgd-chc and ,whitehouse's log1 #cgh doubts success of first and second cables1 #cgi1 #chf1 #chg forced withdrawal from cable company1 #chd-chg on office-seeking1 #chg family party to ,europe 7#aheh71 #cif visit to daughter in ,porto ,rico1 #cig-djj1 #djf on ,st4 ,thomas1 #cig1 #cih on change of climate and clothes1 #cih on son-in-law's estate1 #cii on death of ,vail1 #djj constructs first line ,in ,porto ,rico1 public breakfast1 #djd and proposed ,spanish cable1 #djd-djf on ,porto ,rican fleas1 #djf greeting at ,poughkeepsie 7#ahei71 #djg1 #djh on proposed candidacy for ,presidency1 #djh financially independent1 #dji1 #dcd and visit of ,prince of ,wales1 #dac1 #dad and secession and compromise1 #dad1 #daf1 #dah attitude during ,civil ,war1 #dae-dba1 #dbd1 #dcb president of ,society for ,national ,unity1 #dae and founding of ,vassar1 #dag expects success of ,north1 #dai belief in foreign machinations1 #dbj and sale of original wire of telegraph1 #dbc president of a peace society1 #dbd attitude toward ,lincoln1 #dbd1 #dbi supports ,mc,clellan's candidacy1 #dbg1 #dbi-dca and help for ,southern prisoners of war1 #dbh on loyalty to ,constitution1 #dbh1 #dbi and brother's support of ,lincoln1 #dbi1 #dcj endows lectureship in ,union ,theological ,seminary1 #dcg refused to attend class reunion 7#ahfe71 rebukes sectional rejoicing1 #dch-dda statue proposed1 #ddb on benevolent use of telegraph wealth1 #ddb demands on1 for leadership and aid1 #ddc1 #ddf and ,american ,asiatic ,society1 #ddc characteristic deadhead1 #dde on ,president ,johnson1 #ddf final trip to ,europe 7#ahff71 #ddg ,paris headquarters1 family gathering there1 #ddg1 #ddh presentation at court1 court costume1 #ddh-dej on ,field and success of cable1 #dej1 #dea on incident of ,louis ,napoleon's stay at ,now ,york1 #dea-dec on ,paris ,exposition1 ftes1 #dec-def report on electrical display1 #ded1 #deg1 #dfj1 #dfd1 #dge on ,isle ,of ,wight1 #def winter plans 7#ahfg71 #deg on ,italy and union of ,church and ,state1 #deh on reaction of ,reconstruction 7#ahfg71 #deh at ,dresden1 #dei at ,berlin1 ,von ,phillipsborn's courtesy1 #dfa-dfd return to ,america1 #dfd and presidential election 7#ahfh71 #dfe1 #dff ,new ,york banquet 7#ahfh71 speeches1 #dfg-dge on science and art1 #dga on death of ,kendall1 #dha unveiling of statue1 #dhb-dhd farewell message over the world by telegraph1 #dhe1 #dhf replies1 #dhf address1 #dhg-dia abandons plan for trip abroad 7#ahga71 #dic last summer1 #dic on neutralisation of telegraph1 #dig1 #dih last public appearance1 unveils statue of ,franklin1 address1 #eje last illness1 #ejf death1 #ejg tributes to1 #ejg-eaa funeral1 #eaa1 #eab grave1 #eac memorial services in ,congress1 #eac-eaf and at ,boston1 #eaf summary of inventions1 #ebj fame1 #eba ,letters3 ,see ,j4,s4,c4 ,abbott1 ,allston1 ,alston1 ,andrews1 ,aycrigg1 ,ball1 ,bellows1 ,blake1 ,boardman1 ,bodisco1 ,breguet1 ,brett1 ,bromfield1 ,bryant1 ,burbank1 ,mrs4 ,cass1 ,chevalier1 ,christy1 ,clarke1 ,cole1 ,cooper1 ,g4,t4 ,curtis1 ,daguerre1 ,day1 ,de ,forest1 ,dix1 ,douglas1 ,edwards1 ,elgin1 ,b4,l4 ,ellsworth1 ,j4 ,evarts1 ,faxton1 ,c4,w4 ,field1 ,j4,e4,b4 ,finley1 ,gale1 ,mrs4 ,w4,h4 ,goodrich1 ,green1 ,greenough1 ,a4,b4 ,griswold1 ,c4,b4 ,griswold1 ,r4,w4 ,griswold1 ,bauser1 ,henry1 ,jos4 ,hillhouse1 ,hodge1 ,ingham1 ,s4,f4 ,jarvis1 ,mrs4 ,s4,f4 ,jarvis1 ,c4 ,johnson1 ,johnston1 ,a4 ,kendall1 ,king1 ,lafayette1 ,q4,w4 ,lafayette1 ,c4,r4 ,leslie1 ,j4,r4 ,leslie1 ,e4 ,lind4 ,s4,w4,m4 ,lind1 ,livingston1 ,d4 ,lord1 ,lovering1 ,ludlow1 ,macaulay1 ,j4,y4 ,mason1 ,mathews1 ,mead1 ,morgan1 ,a4 ,morse1 ,e4,a4,b4 ,morse1 ,j4 ,morse1 ,l4,p4,w4 ,morse1 ,r4,c4 ,morse1 ,s4,e4 ,morse1 ,s4,e4 ,morse1 ,jr41 ,s4,e4,g4 ,morse1 ,s4,w4 ,morse1 ,morton1 ,newcastle1 ,o',reilly1 ,m4,c4 ,perry1 ,ransom1 ,raymond1 ,reibart1 ,roby1 ,rossiter1 ,salisbury1 ,e4,s4 ,sanford1 ,shaffner1 ,e4,f4 ,smith1 ,e4,g4 ,smith1 ,f4,o4,j4 ,smith1 ,stevens1 ,stickney1 ,j4 ,thompson1 ,h4 ,thornton1 ,thorwaldsen1 ,a4 ,vail1 ,mrs4 ,a4 ,vail1 ,g4 ,vail1 ,van ,schaick1 ,vassar1 ,viager1 ,walewaki1 ,t4,r4 ,walker1 ,mrs4 ,t4,r4 ,walker1 ,warren1 ,watson1 ,wells1 ,williams1 ,wood1 ,t4,d4 ,woolsey4 ,morse1 ,sarah ,e4 7,griswold7 marries ,m41 #b1 #bhi1 #bij domestic life1 #bij from ,m4 7#ahed7 on diversions at ,washington1 extension of patent1 #cbb ,newfoundland trip 7#ahee71 #cde goes abroad with ,m4 7#aheh71 #cdg 7#aheh71 #cif 7#ahff71 #ddg from ,m4 7#aheg7 on crinoline1 #cgc on laying of first ,atlantic cable1 #cgd in ,porto ,rico 7#aheh71 #cig and memorial services to ,m41 #ead ,morse1 ,susan ,w41 birth1 #a1 #bbe with ,m4 in ,new ,york 7#ahbe71 #bgd childhood home1 #bih from ,m4 7#ahch7 on coronation of ,victoria1 rival telegraphs1 refusal of ,british patent1 #b1 #ajj1 #ajb on ,french patent1 birth of ,comte de ,paris1 #ajc on exhibitions and projects of telegraph in ,france1 #ajd on need of economy1 #ajf 7#ahci7 on home1 #aaf ,see also ,lind1 ,susan ,w4 7,morse74 ,morse code4 ,see ,dot-and-dash4 ,morton1 ,j4,l41 letters with ,m4 7#ahca7 on ,academy of ,design1 #a1 #chd ,motto of ,morse coat of arms1 #b1 #beh ,moulton1 ,s4,d41 at ,m4's funeral1 #b1 #eab ,murray1 ,lindley1 complimentary letter from ,jedediah ,morse 7#ahjf71 #a1 #ad ,music1 ,m4 on ,continental1 #a1 #cbe1 #cdc sacred opera at ,rome1 #cda ,allegri's ,miserere1 #cde ,naples1 ,m4 at 7#ahcj71 #a1 #cfc1 #cfg ,campo ,santo1 #cfg-cfi ,convent of ,san ,martino1 #cfi1 #cgj ,napoleon ,,iii1 and ,m41 #b1 #ddi1 #def ,m4 on1 in ,new ,york1 belief in his star1 #deb ,napoleon1 transatlantic ship 7#ahbi71 #a1 #cjj ,napoleonic ,wars1 retreat from ,moscow1 #a1 #ic ,english success in ,spain1 #aaj overthrow of ,napoleon1 #abg1 #abh ,louis ,,xviii's entre into ,london 7#ahad71 #acf-adj ,london fete of ,allies1 #adb-adg ,napoleon's return from ,elba1 #agb news in ,london of his abdication1 #ahc-ahe ,m4 sees ship bearing ,napoleon to ,st4 ,helena1 #cgi ,national ,academy of ,design1 inception1 ,m4's plan of membership and control1 #a1 #bgf-bhb1 #bhd organisers1 #bhj ,m4 as president1 #bhj ,m4's annual address1 review1 and rejoinder 7#ahbg71 #bhi exhibition 7#ahbh71 #bia ,m4 secures casts for1 #chd needs ,m4's guiding hand 7#ahca71 #chd ,trumbull's opposition to union of ,art ,academy1 #b1 #bb fear lest ,m4 should resign presidency 7#ahcg71 #cc ,m4 expects to resign presidency 7#ahci71 #aad ,daguerre elected an honorary member1 #ada continuation of ,m4's interest1 #cjf ,m4 again president 7#ahfa71 #dag ,m4 presents portrait and brush of ,allston1 #dcf1 #dcg ,m4 on progress 7#ahfh71 #dga ,national ,gallery1 ,m4 on 7#ahbi71 #a1 #cji ,neptune1 transatlantic ship 7#ahac71 #a1 #aah ,nettleton1 ----1 butler at ,yale 7#ahaj71 #a1 #bj ,neutral trade1 search 7#ahaa71 #a1 #cc ,england and embargo1 #ci ,orders in ,council and nonintercourse1 #fg1 #gj1 #gf objects of ,orders1 #ia1 #ib repeal of ,orders1 #aae ,see also ,war of #ahab4 ,neutralization of telegraph1 ,m4 on 7#ahga71 #b1 #dig1 #dih ,newcastle1 ,fifth ,duke of 7,earl of ,lincoln71 and ,m4's telegraph1 #b1 #ie1 #if1 #abd1 #abg to ,m4 7#ahfj7 on visit of ,prince of ,wales1 #dac ,newcastle1 ,sixth ,duke of 7,earl of ,lincoln71 at ,peterhoff 7#ahef71 #b1 #cfc ,new ,haven1 ,morse family at1 #a1 #bcd ,newspapers1 hostility to ,m4's claims as monopolistic1 #b1 #cjd-cjf ,newton1 ,g4,s41 and ,m41 #a1 #cjh1 #cji marriage1 #b1 #d ,new ,year at ,rome1 #a1 #cgg ,new ,york ,city1 called insipid 7#ahaj71 #a1 #bj defences in ,war of #ahab1 #aej ,m4's plans for settling at 7#ahbc71 future1 #bdf-bdi ,m4's studios1 rentals1 #bdi1 #beg1 #bgd1 #bia ,m4's initial failure at1 #bdi-beb his establishment at 7#ahbd-be71 #beg-bei ,m4's portrait of ,lafayette for1 #bfj-bfd1 #bgj1 #bgb literary club1 #bhb1 #b1 #dea ,m4 on improvement and conditions 7#ahcc71 #bb1 #bd ,m4's home1 #dji banquet to ,m4 7#ahfi71 #dfg-dge statue to ,m41 unveiling 7#ahga71 #dhb-dhd ,m4's farewell message to the telegraph1 #dhe-dia ,m4's funeral1 #eaa1 #eab ,see also ,national ,academy of ,design4 ,new ,york ,herald1 on ,m4's submarine experiment 7#ahdb71 #b1 #ahc1 #ahd tribute to ,m41 #eji ,new ,york ,journal of ,commerce1 ,m4 and travel letters for 7#ahcj71 #a1 #cag on exhibition of telegraph 7#ahch71 #b1 #gd on ,m4's rivals1 #bhd ,new ,york ,observer1 founded1 success1 #a1 #bdc ,new ,york1 ,university of ,city of1 ,m4 as professor1 and his telegraph1 #b1 #cg1 #dc1 #dd1 #aad ,niagara1 ,u4,s4,s41 and laying of first ,atlantic cable1 #b1 #cgh-chc ,nicholas ,i of ,russia1 and ,m4's telegraph1 #b1 #abj ,nonintercourse1 effect in ,england 7#ahab71 #a1 #fg1 #gj ,northampton1 ,marquis of1 and ,m4's telegraph1 #b1 #ie1 #abh ,notes1 ,m4 refuses to endorse1 #b1 #cai ,nothomb1 ,baron de1 and ,m4 at ,berlin1 #b1 #dfb ,nullification1 ,lafayette on1 #a1 #dca ,m4 on compromise1 #b1 #bc1 #bd ,oberman1 ----1 and ,m4 at ,hamburg 7#ahef71 #b1 #cec ,oersted1 ,h4,c41 ,m4 on1 #b1 #ced ,office1 ,m4 on seeking at ,washington 7#aheh71 #b1 #chg ,oldenburg1 ,duchess of1 appearance 7#ahad71 #a1 #acg ,ombroai1 ----1 consul at ,florence 7#ahca71 #b1 #chf ,orders in ,council1 ,british attitude 7#ahab71 #a1 #fg1 #gf repeal and war1 #hi1 #aae objects1 #ia1 #ib ,o',reilly1 ,henry1 character1 #b1 #bei to ,m4 7#ahde7 congratulations1 #bei infringements on ,m4's patent1 rival company1 #bfj1 #bgc1 #bgi1 #bhg-bia1 #bid1 #cjc1 #cjg last attack on ,m41 #ejc ,orton1 ,william1 banquet to ,m41 #b1 #dfg1 #dgb and statue to ,m41 #dhd and ,m4's farewell message to the telegraph1 #dhe1 #dhf at ,m4's funeral1 #eaa ,o',shaughnessy1 ,sir ,william1 and ,m41 #b1 #cdi1 #cgg ,otho of ,greece1 and ,m4's telegraph1 #b1 #adh ,owen1 ,j4,j41 and ,civil ,war1 #b1 #daf ,owen1 ,robert1 and ,wilberforce1 #a1 #ahe at ,washington 7#ahbe71 #bfc and ,m41 #bfd ,painting1 ,leslie on ,allston and ,king1 #a1 #ei comparison with poetry1 #aaj1 #aag ,allston on ,french school1 #aad ,see also ,allston1 ,morse1 ,s4 ,f4 ,b41 ,national ,academy of ,design4 ,palm ,sunday at ,rome 7#ahcj71 #a1 #cdd ,palmer1 ----1 return to ,america 7#ahcb71 #b1 #d ,paradise1 ,j4,w41 and origin of ,academy of ,design1 #a1 #bhj ,paris1 ,comte de1 birth1 #b1 #ajc christening1 #ajd ,paris1 ,m4 at 7#ahcj71 #a1 #caf-cah after ,revolution of #ahcj1 #dje mob and ,polish revolt 7#ahca71 #dji-daa cholera 7#ahcb71 #dag1 #dbc ,m4's exhibition of telegraph at 7#ahch71 projects1 #b1 #ajb-acd ,m4 at 7#ahef71 #hea 7#aheh71 #cif 7#ahff71 #ddg 7#ahfh71 #dfd his presentation at court1 #ddh-dej ,paris ,exposition 7#ahfg71 ,m4's enthusiasm1 #b1 #dec his report on electrical exhibit1 #ded1 #deg1 #dfj1 #dfd1 #dgh ftes1 #ded-def attempt on czar's life1 #dee ,parisen1 ,j41 and origin of ,academy of ,design1 #a1 #bhj ,parker1 ,joel1 and ,civil ,war1 #b1 #daf ,parkman1 ,dr4 ,george1 ,m4 on meanness1 #a1 #afj ,passion ,sunday at ,rome 7#ahcj71 #a1 #cdc ,patent of telegraph1 caveat1 #b1 #fi specification1 #hi application in ,england1 refusal1 #ib-ih proposal of special act of ,parliament1 #ie1 #abd1 #abf ,french1 #ajc1 #acb issued in ,united ,states1 #aeg for printing telegraph1 #bga infringements1 #beg1 #bga-bgc1 #bgf1 #bgg1 #bhb-bid1 #caf1 #cbb extension of ,m4's1 #beh1 #cbb-cbf1 #cdf1 #cdg1 #cgj ,patron1 ,m4 seeks 7#ahad71 #a1 #acd1 #adb1 #aee ,patterson1 ,j4,w41 at memorial services to ,m41 #b1 #eae ,patterson1 ,r4,m41 and exhibition of telegraph1 #b1 #gi1 #hj ,payne1 ,j4,h41 ,mrs4 ,morse on character1 #a1 #aah ,peace1 ,m4 on telegraph and promotion1 #b1 #cde1 #dfb1 #dig ,peale1 ,rembrandt1 and study of live figure1 #b1 #aja and portrait of ,lafayette1 #bfa and origin of ,academy of ,design1 #bhj ,peel1 ,lady ,emily1 at ,peterhoff 7#ahef71 #b1 #ceh ,peel1 ,sir ,robert1 at ,peterhoff 7#ahef71 #b1 #cfb ,pell1 ,capt4 ----1 of the ,sully 7#ahcb71 #b1 #c on conception of telegraph1 #ab ,perceval1 ,spencer1 and ,american crisis 7#ahab71 #a1 #fg1 #gj assassination1 #ga ,perry1 ,h4,j41 and proposed ,spanish cable1 #b1 #dje ,perry1 ,m4,c41 to ,m4 7#aheb7 on telegraph instruments for ,japanese expedition1 #b1 #cag ,persiani1 ----1 soire1 #a1 #cdg ,peter1 ,saint1 image in ,st4 ,peter's at ,rome1 #a1 #cdj feast day at ,rome1 #cfa ,peterhoff1 ,m4 on presentation to czar at1 #b1 #cef-cfc ,philadelphia1 ,west on1 as future art centre1 #a1 #gc exhibition of telegraph 7#ahch71 #b1 #hj ,phillips1 ,mrs4 ----1 transatlantic voyage 7#ahae71 #a1 #ahh ,phillips ,andover ,academy1 ,m4 at1 #a1 #c ,phillipsborn1 ---- von1 and ,m4 at ,berlin1 #b1 #dfa1 #dhb on telegraph and battle of ,kniggrtz1 #dfc ,photography1 ,m4's early experiments1 #a1 #dba1 #b1 #abi ,see also ,daguerreotype4 ,pickett1 ,b4,m41 ,morse statue1 #b1 #dhb ,pisa1 ,m4 at 7#ahcj71 #b1 #cce ,leaning ,tower1 #ccf ,pius ,,viii1 at ceremonies in old age1 #a1 #cci1 #cdf1 #cfc death1 #cgf ,platoff1 ----1 at ,london 7#ahad71 #a1 #adf1 #adg ,plattsburg1 battle1 #a1 #aej1 #aea ,poems by ,m4 #a1 #bgc1 #b1 #did-dif ,poet1 and painter1 #a1 #aaj1 #aag ,poinsett1 ,j4,r41 and ,art ,academy at ,charleston1 #a1 #bce1 #bcf and proposed ,mexican minion 7#ahbc71 #beb1 #bec ,poland1 revolt 7#ahcj71 #a1 #chf-chi ,lafayette on revolt1 #djh1 #dca ,paris and revolt1 mob 7#ahca71 #dji-daa ,m4's active interest1 #dcj ,polk1 ,j4,k41 presidential nomination reported by telegraph1 #b1 #bbd1 #bbe ,pope1 ,f4,l41 on ,morse alphabet1 #b1 #gf ,popes4 ,see ,gregory1 ,pius4 ,porteus1 ,beilby1 from ,jedediah ,morse 7#ahjf7 on disestablishment in ,virginia1 #a1 #ac ,porto ,rico1 ,m4's visit 7#aheh71 #b1 #cii-djj1 #djd1 #djf first telegraph line1 #djd ,portraits by ,m41 ,john ,adams1 #a1 #aif ,mrs4 ,ball1 #bca-bcc ,de ,forest1 #bdc ,james ,kent1 #bej ,moss ,kent1 #bdf ,lafayette1 #bfj-bfb1 #bfd1 #bgj1 #bgb1 #bhf ,john ,langdon1 #baa ,mrs4 ,lind1 #dce ,james ,monroe1 #bbb1 #bbf1 #bcd ,james ,russell1 #ahj ,dr4 ,smith1 #bfa ,stanford1 #bgj ,thorwaldsen1 #cgj-cgd1 #b1 #dfe ,portrule1 #b1 #gd1 #hh1 #ij superseded1 #aag ,portsmouth1 ,n4,h41 ,m4 at 7#ahaf-ag71 #a1 #baj1 #bab1 #bac ,portugal1 testimonials to ,m41 #b1 #cic1 #djc ,potter1 ,edward1 and origin of ,academy of ,design1 #a1 #bhj ,poughkeepsie1 ,m4's home at1 #b1 #bfi1 #bhj1 #bhd1 #bhf1 #bif1 #dfd1 #dih greeting to ,m4 7#ahei71 #djg1 #djh ,powell1 ,w4,h41 commission for ,capitol painting1 #b1 #bfg ,prescott1 ,g4,b41 ,m4 on work1 #b1 #deg ,president1 ,u4,s4,s41 reported capture 7#ahaa71 #a1 #ed ,presidential election1 conduct in ,congress 7#ahbe71 #a1 #bfc report over telegraph of conventions 7#ahdd71 #b1 #bai1 #bbd-bbh ,m4 on ,buchanan's election1 #cga ,m4 supports ,mc,clellan's candidacy1 #dbg1 #dbi-dca ,m4 on 7#ahfh71 #dfe1 #dff ,prime1 ,s4,i41 on ,m4's anecdote of ,west1 #a1 #db on ,m4's grandfather1 #bbg on ,jedediah ,morse and wife1 #bhg1 #bic on incident in construction of experimental line1 #b1 #bad on success of line1 #bbb on sustainment of ,m4's patent1 #bia on ,m4 and ,phillipsborn at ,berlin1 #dfa-dhd review of ,m4's character1 #eaf ,prince1 ,l4,b41 at ,m4's funeral1 #b1 #eab ,printing1 ,m4 on1 #b1 #bii ,printing telegraph1 #b1 #bga ,see also ,house4 ,prosch1 ----1 and instruments for telegraph1 #b1 #aec1 #aed ,prussia1 testimonials to ,m41 #b1 #cib telegraph in ,austrian ,war1 #dfc ,public ownership1 ,m4's plan for telegraph1 #b1 #hd-hf1 #aai1 #age1 #agf price of offer1 #hf ,congress declines to purchase1 #bbh1 #bbi1 #bcb1 #bdd1 #bde ,pump1 ,m4's invention1 #a1 #baa ,putnam1 ,aaron1 oration at ,charlestown 7#ahje71 #a1 #g4 ,putnam1 ,i4,w41 as minister1 #a1 #bac ,quarantine1 ,m4 evades ,french 7#ahca71 #a1 #djb-dje ,quincy1 ,josiah1 at memorial services to ,m41 #b1 #eaf ,raasloff1 ,capt4 ----1 and ,m41 #b1 #cec ,radziwill1 ,prince ,m4,j41 ,m4's encounter with1 at ,rome 7#ahcj71 #a1 #chf-chi and ,polish revolt1 #chi ,railroads1 first mention by ,m41 #a1 #cce ,m4's invention for reporting trains1 #b1 #acb ,ralston1 ,eliza1 and ,m41 #a1 #hh1 #hi ,rankin1 ,r4,g41 on first view of telegraph and ,m4's attitude1 #b1 #de-dg ,ransom1 ,w4,l41 from ,m4 7#ahfd7 on loyalty1 #b1 #dbh ,raymond1 ,h4,j41 and ,henry-,morse controversy1 letters with ,m4 7#aheb71 #b1 #cah ,reading1 ,m4 and old poets1 #a1 #ajb ,receiver1 ,m4's original conception1 #b1 #g1 #h1 #ah1 #ba first form1 #ch-dj reversion to first plan of up-and-down motion1 #fa multiple record1 #gf ,m4 on receiving by sound1 #deg1 #dgi1 #dhj ,recoaro1 ,m4 at 7#ahca71 #a1 #cif-cih ,reconstruction1 ,m4 on reaction 7#ahfg71 #b1 #deh ,reeves1 ,tapping1 and ,m41 #a1 #bch ,reibart1 ----1 from ,m4 7#ahei7 on candidacy for ,president1 #b1 #djh ,reid1 ,j4,d41 on ,kendall as ,m4's agent1 #b1 #bdf on ,o',reilly1 #bei on ,vail's incapacity1 #bie1 #bif on ,huntington's address at banquet to ,m41 #dgc and statue to ,m41 #dhb and ,m4's farewell message to telegraph1 #dhf ,m4's thanks to1 #dij tribute to ,m41 #ejg ,reinagle1 ,hugh1 and origin of ,academy of ,design1 #a1 #bhj ,relay1 ,m4's discovery1 #b1 #da other discoverers1 #db ,henry and1 #adj1 #ada ,religion1 ,m4's early bent1 #a1 #e1 #f1 #ah parental admonitions1 #f-h ,m4's attitude1 #f1 #ah1 #abj1 #bab1 #bac1 #bif-bih ,m4 on ,canterbury ,cathedral and service1 #caj-cab on ,continental ,sunday1 #hah1 #cbb on devotion and emotion of taste1 #dja ,m4's observance of ,sabbath1 #b1 #abh ,m4 on union of ,church and ,state1 #dfh ,see also ,morse1 ,s4,f4,b4 7,early years71 ,roman ,catholic ,church4 ,remberteau1 ,comte1 and ,m4's telegraph1 #b1 #abc ,rents at ,new ,york1 #a1 #bdi1 #bgd1 #bia ,renwick1 ,james1 on ,m4's conception of telegraph1 #a1 #dbj ,republicans1 called ,jacobins 7#ahje71 #a1 #g celebration of ,fourth at ,charlestown1 #g ,see also ,war of #ahab4 ,revolution of #ahcj1 ,paris after1 #a1 #dje ,lafayette on ,european results1 #dcj ,ribera1 ,jusepe4 ,see ,spagnoletto4 ,rigi1 ,m4 on1 #a1 #dja ,ripley's ,inn1 ,hartford1 #a1 #i ,rives1 ,w4,c41 ,m4's letter of introduction4 #a1 #bii at ,fourth dinner at ,paris 7#ahcb71 #dbd return to ,america1 #b1 #c ,m4 on1 #d and invention of telegraph1 #ad ,roberts1 ,m4,o41 and ,atlantic cable1 #b1 #cdc ,robinson1 ,charles1 and ,m4's telegraph in ,europe1 #b1 #bee ,roby1 ,mrs4 ,margaret1 from ,m4 7#ahbi7 on ocean voyage1 ,liverpool1 #a1 #cjf 7#ahcj7 on journey to ,london1 experiences there1 ,canterbury1 ,dover1 ,channel passage1 ,paris1 #cjf on journey to ,dijon1 diligence1 funeral1 ,continental ,sunday1 #cah ,rocafuerto1 ,vicente1 ,m4 on1 #a1 #bdg ,rogers1 ,h4,j41 and telegraph1 #b1 #bci break with ,m41 #bgg1 #bgh from ,smith 7#ahga7 on ,henry's invention of telegraph1 #dih ,rogers1 ,lewis1 return to ,america 7#ahcb71 #b1 #d ,rogers1 ,nathaniel1 and origin of ,academy of ,design1 #a1 #bhj ,rogers1 ,samuel1 and ,m41 #a1 #ie1 #cjh ,roman ,catholic ,church1 emancipation question in ,england 7#ahab71 #a1 #fg2 ,m4 on ,french funeral1 #cba1 #cbb on ,sisters of ,charity1 #cbc on ritual1 #cbd1 #cdj1 #cih festa infionta at ,genzano1 #ced-cei ,m4's discussion with converts1 #cgg1 #b1 #cfd gambling priests1 #a1 #cif ,m4 on sacred pictures1 #cii ,m4's antagonism and controversies1 #b1 #cf-cg1 #ccj-ccc1 #ccg ,see also ,rome4 ,rome1 ,m4's arrival and lodgings 7#ahcj71 #a1 #ccg his work1 #cch1 #ced induction of cardinals1 #cci1 #cdj ,plus ,,viii in old age1 #cci kissing of ,st4 ,peter's toe1 #cdj ,st4 ,luke's ,academy1 #cdj beggars1 #cda feast of ,annunciation1 #cda society1 #cdb-cdd1 #cdg ,passion ,sunday1 #cdc ,palm ,sunday1 #cdd lying in state of cardinal1 #cdd market1 #cde ,allegri's ,miserere1 #cde ,holy ,thursday1 papal benediction1 #cdf1 #cdg funeral1 #cfj feast of ,st4 ,francesco ,caracoiolo1 #ceb procession of ,corpus ,domini1 ,m4 on monks1 #ceb rudeness of soldiers1 #cec lotteries1 #ced ,campagna at night1 #ceh a summer day1 #cfj illuminations of ,st4 ,peter's1 #cfj ,st4 ,peter's day1 #cfa-cfc vaults of ,st4 ,peter's1 #cfb social evil1 #cgd death of ,pius ,,vii1 #cgf revolt in provinces 7#ahca71 danger to foreigners1 #cgf1 #chj-che1 #cig ,new ,year1 #cgg election and coronation of ,gregory ,,xvi1 #cgh1 #chj1 #cha ,trasteverini1 #chb ,romeyn1 ,dr4 ,nicholas1 and ,m41 #a1 #aeb to ,jedediah ,morse 7#ahad7 on ,m41 #aff ,rossiter1 ,j4,p41 to ,m4 7#ahaa7 on social gossip1 #a1 #bg-cj ,royal ,academy1 ,m4's preparation for entrance1 #a1 #dc1 #df1 #fe ,allston elected1 #bbb ,m4 at lecture 7#ahbi71 #cjh ,royal ,society1 ,m4's exhibition of telegraph1 #b1 #if ,russell1 ,james1 ,m4's portrait1 #a1 #ahj ,russell1 ,lucy1 and ,m41 #a1 #ahj ,russia1 and ,m4's telegraph 7#ahci71 #b1 #ig1 #abj1 #abb1 #acf-ach1 #adg renewed interest in telegraph 7#ahdd71 #bdj1 #bdd ,m4 at ,st4 ,petersburg and ,peterhoff 7#ahef71 #cee-cfd and gratuity to ,m41 #cic ,russian ,extension1 ,m4 and manipulation1 #b1 #dde ,st4 ,bartholomew's ,fair1 ,london1 ,m4 on 7#ahaa71 #a1 #eb-ed ,saint-,germain ,railroad1 and ,m4's telegraph1 #b1 #aje1 #aaj1 #aai ,st4 ,laurent1 transatlantic steamer 7#ahfh71 #b1 #dfd ,st4 ,luke's ,academy1 ,rome1 ,m4 on1 #a1 #cdj ,st4 ,martino ,convent at ,naples1 ,m4 on1 #a1 #cji1 #cgj ,st4 ,peter's ,church4 ,see ,rome4 ,st4 ,petersburg1 ,m4 on display of wealth 7#ahef71 #b1 #cee ,st4 ,thomas ,island1 ,m4 at 7#aheh71 #b1 #cig1 #cih ,salisbury1 ,e4,s41 from ,m4 7#ahda7 on order for portrait1 discouraging conditions1 #b1 #aeh 7#ahfe7 on ,yale's celebration of sectional victory1 #dch ,samson1 ,g4,w41 and ,m4's farewell message to telegraph1 #b1 #dhe ,sanford1 ,ahas1 appointment at ,yale1 #a1 #bf ,sanford1 ,e4,s41 from ,m4 7#ahfg7 on crooked telegraph manipulations1 #a1 #ddd on government purchase1 #ddf on financial stress1 #dfj ,sanitary ,commission1 ,m4 on aid for ,confederate prisoners of war1 #a1 #dbh ,santa ,anna1 ,a4,l4 de1 at ,st4 ,thomas 7#aheh71 #b1 #cig ,saul1 ,leslie's painting1 #a1 #abc ,sculpture1 ,m4's carving machine1 #a1 #bdh1 #bdg ,seabury1 ,samuel1 and ,civil ,war1 #b1 #daf ,search1 ,british1 of ,american ships1 #a1 #cc ,sebastiani1 ,comte ,f4,h4,b41 mob attack 7#ahca71 #a1 #daj1 #daa ,secession1 ,m4's attitude1 #b1 #dad1 #daf1 #dah ,sender1 saw-tooth type1 #b1 #ah1 #ba2 first form1 #hi ,improvement in portrait1 #gd1 #hh1 #ij correspondent or key substituted1 #aag ,serenade1 ,m4's poem1 #b1 #die1 #dif ,serra ,palace1 ,m4 on1 #a1 #cbi4 ,serrell1 ----1 and experimental telegraph line1 #b1 #bjf1 #baa1 #bab ,servants1 ,m4 on problem1 #a1 #bha1 #bib on ,english1 #cjb ,servell1 ----1 visual telegraph1 #b1 #ec ,seymour1 ,t4,h41 with ,m4 at ,peterhoff 7#ahef71 #b1 #cef1 #ceg ,shaffner1 ,t4,p4 letters with ,m4 7#ahdh7 on clash with rival company1 #b1 #bhg-bhi and ,m4 at ,washington1 #cbc from ,m4 7#ahei7 on death of ,vail1 #djj on ,henry controversy1 #djb ,shaw1 ----1 invention of percussion cap1 #b1 #dgb ,shee1 ,sir ,m4,a41 meets ,m41 #a1 #cjh ,shepard1 ,nancy1 ,m4's nurse1 #a1 #c1 #b1 #gb ,sheridan1 ,r4,b41 lines on ,lettsom1 #a1 #dj ,shubrick1 ,w4,b41 at early exhibition of telegraph1 #b1 #dh ,siddons1 ,mrs41 ,m4 on1 #a1 #gg ,siemens1 ,werner1 and duplex telegraph1 #b1 #ahg and ,m4 at ,berlin1 #dfa ,silliman1 ,benjamin1 ,m4 on ,journal1 #a1 #ah ,m4's scientific studies under1 #bcf in ,berkshires with ,m41 #bch1 #bci epitaph for ,mrs4 ,morse1 #bgj1 #bga experiments in photography1 #dba ,m4's indebtedness1 #b1 #eh ,simbaldi1 ,palazzo1 musical soire at 7#ahcj71 #a1 #cdb ,simpson1 ,john1 at ,m4's funeral1 #b1 #eab ,sisters of ,charity1 ,m4 on1 #a1 #cbc ,slave-trade1 ,wilberforce and abolition1 #a1 #ace ,slavery1 ,m4's defence1 #b1 #cca1 #ccc1 #chi1 #cij1 #dae1 #daf1 #dbd-dbf1 #dcb ,smith1 ,capt4 ----1 of ,napoleon 7#ahbi71 #a1 #cjj ,smith1 ,e4,f41 from ,m4 7#ahec7 on endorsing notes1 #b1 #cai ,smith1 ,e4,g41 and ,m4 #b1 #ahh to ,m4 7#ahdg7 on painting for ,capitol1 #bfg ,smith1 ,f4,o4,j41 offer to help ,m41 #b1 #hb character1 cause of later antagonism1 #hb1 #hc conditions of partnership1 #hc report to ,congress on telegraph1 #hg and patent specification1 #hi goes to ,europe with ,m41 #hi returns1 #aji on ,chamberlain1 #adh abandons efforts for telegraph1 #aea1 #afe1 #afh1 #agh1 #aha1 #ahf and construction of experimental line1 and beginning of hostility to ,m41 #bjf1 #bab1 #bac1 #baf1 #bah1 #bai1 #bbe and formation of companies1 #bce1 #bcf telegraph dictionary1 dedication to ,m41 #bcf-bch life-long continuation of antagonism1 #bch1 #bdg1 #bgc1 #bhj1 #cjc1 #cjd1 #cjg1 #cab1 #cbj and management of partnership1 #bdg separation of interests1 #cjh1 #cji1 #cab denial of injunction against1 #cai and extension of patent1 demand of share1 #cbd1 #cbh1 #cdf1 #cgj claim to share foreign gratuity1 #dji-dab1 #dbc ,m4's acknowledgment to1 #dga1 #dhi on ,henry as inventor of telegraph1 #dih-ejb last attack on ,m41 #ejb-eje1 #ejg ,letters to ,m43 7#ahda7 on ,m4's service to humanity1 #b1 #afe4 ,from ,m3 7#ahch7 on public control of telegraph1 #hd 7#ahch-ci7 on ,french and ,russian projects1 key1 #aji-aab1 #aag1 #abb on ,jackson's claim1 #aba on ,english affairs1 #abd 7#ahci7 on discouraging conditions1 abandonment by partners1 #ace1 #aej 7#ahdj7 on ,wheatstone's proposition1 #aeh 7#ahda7 on lobbyist1 #afd on making further effort1 progress of rivals1 aid from ,congress1 #afe 7#ahdb7 on ,henry's praise1 private company1 #agb1 #agc on abandoning invention1 ,congress1 #agh on discouraging conditions1 #ahj 7#ahdc7 on bill in ,congress1 #aie on passage of act1 #bja on trenching contract1 #bjf 7#ahdd7 on company1 #bcf on ,smith's dedication to ,m41 disputed division of partnership1 #bch 7#ahdi7 on separation of interests1 #cjh 7#ahej7 on claim to share of gratuity1 #dab ,smith1 ,goldwin1 at banquet to ,m41 #b1 #dgb ,smith1 ,j4,a41 informal club 7#ahcg71 #b1 #dea ,smith1 ,j4,l41 and telegraph in ,turkey1 #b1 #bih ,smith1 ,nathan1 ,m4's portrait1 #a1 #bfa ,smithsonian ,institution1 and ,henry-,morse controversy1 #b1 #djb ,smuggling1 ,m4's experience1 #a1 #de1 #df ,snow1 ,r4,w41 to ,mrs4 ,morse 7#ahab7 on ,m4 as artist1 #a1 #fd ,social evil1 ,m4 on1 at ,rome1 #a1 #cgd ,society1 ,m4 on ,roman 7#ahcj71 #a1 #cdb-cdd on ,english1 ,french1 and ,american manners1 #cdh1 #cdi on ,venetian4 #cid ,society for diffusing ,useful ,political ,knowledge1 #b1 #dbd ,solomons1 ,a4,s41 and memorial services to ,m41 #b1 #ead ,somaglia1 ,cardinal1 lying in state1 #a1 #cdd ,sorrento1 ,m4 at 7#ahcj71 #a1 #cfd ,soult1 ,marshal1 ministry1 #b1 #aag ,sounder4 ,see ,receiver4 ,south ,carolina1 nullification1 #a1 #dca1 #b1 #bc1 #bd ,see also ,charleston4 ,southey1 ,robert1 sketch for admirer1 #a1 #gc1 #aac ,spagnoletto1 ,m4 on ,dead ,christ1 #cgj ,spain1 ,m4 on ,wellington's victories1 #a1 #aaj interest in ,m4's telegraph1 #bdd testimonials to ,m41 #cfh proposed cable to ,west ,indies 7#ahei71 #djd-djf ,spaulding1 ,m4,j41 ,m4's religious controversy1 #b1 #ce1 #ccj ,spencer1 ,george1 discussion with ,m4 on ,catholicism1 #a1 #cgg ,spencer1 ,j4,c41 and telegraph1 #b1 #bjd ,sprague1 ,peleg1 referee on ,smith's claim1 #b1 #daa ,stafford1 ,marquis of1 seat and gallery1 #a1 #cjg ,stanford1 ----1 of ,new ,york1 ,m4's portrait1 #a1 #bgj ,stanly1 ,edward1 and telegraph1 #b1 #aid ,statham1 ,samuel1 and ,m4 in 7#ahef71 #b1 #cdh ,statue to ,m41 proposed 7#ahfe71 #c1 #ddb unveiling1 #dhb-ahd ,steinheil1 ,k4,a41 telegraph1 #b1 #aji1 #aej1 #aga1 #agc and ground circuit1 #bdc1 #cfg1 #dgj recommends ,m4's telegraph1 #cac1 #cfg ,stephen1 ----1 son of ,james1 and ,war of #ahab1 #a1 #hi ,sterling1 ,antoinette1 and ,m4's farewell message to telegraph1 #b1 #dhf ,stevens1 ,w4,b41 from ,m4 on telegraph in ,congress1 #b1 #aih ,stickney1 ,william1 from ,m4 7#ahfi7 on death of ,kendall1 #b1 #dha ,stiles1 ,j4,c41 and ,civil ,war1 #b1 #daf ,stock-watering1 ,m4 not responsible1 #b1 #hf ,stothard1 ,thomas1 meets ,m41 #a1 #cjh ,strong1 ,caleb1 expected election 7#ahab71 #a1 #ff ,strother1 ,d4,h41 on ,m4's poverty 7#ahda71 #b1 #afb1 #afc ,stuart1 ,gilbert1 ,m4 on1 #a1 #ic1 #ajb ,sturgeon1 ,william1 and electro-magnet1 #b1 #dgh ,subiaco1 ,m4's rhapsody1 #a1 #cea ,sullivan1 ,sarah ,w41 marriage1 #b1 #d ,sully1 ,thomas1 and study of life figure1 #a1 #aja and portrait of ,lafayette1 #bfa painting for steamer1 #bhi ,sully1 transatlantic ship 7#ahcb71 #b1 #c ,sunday1 ,m4 on ,continental1 #a1 #cah1 #cbb ,supreme ,court1 on ,m4's patent1 #b1 #bia-bic1 #cbb ,susquehanna1 and laying of first ,atlantic cable1 #b1 #cgh ,swedish ,royal ,academy of ,science1 ,m4's membership1 #b1 #cic1 #djc ,switzerland1 ,m4 in 7#ahca71 #a1 #djj-djb ,talleyrand1 ,c4,m4 de1 from ,jedediah ,morse 7#ahaa7 introducing ,m4 #b1 #ca ,taney1 ,r4,b41 telegraph decision1 #b1 #bib ,tappan1 ,h4,b41 on first view of telegraph1 #b1 #dg ,tardi1 ,luigia1 singer1 #a1 #cdb ,tatham ,brothers1 and experimental telegraph line1 #b1 #bab ,taylor1 ,moses1 and ,atlantic cable1 #b1 #cdc ,telegram1 origin1 #b1 #caf ,telegraph4 ,see ,atlantic cable1 ,battery1 ,circuit1 ,consolidation1 ,dot-and-dash1 ,duplex1 ,experimental line1 ,morse 7,s4,f4,b471 ,patent1 ,public ownership1 ,relay1 ,receiver1 ,sender1 ,wire1 ,wireless4 ,theatre1 at ,st4 ,bartholomew's ,fair 7#ahaa71 #a1 #ec ,m4's attitude1 #gb1 #gh1 #cgd-cgf ,m4 on ,kemble1 ,cooke1 ,mrs4 ,siddons1 #gg premier of ,coleridge's ,remorse1 #if maternal warnings against1 #aah ,m4's farce1 #abi1 #ahj ,thompson1 ,john1 from ,m4 7#ahfg7 on ftes of ,paris ,exposition1 #b1 #dfd 7#ahfh7 on desire to return home1 #dfd ,thompson1 ,m4,e41 and origin of ,academy of ,design1 #a1 #bhj ,thornton1 ,sir ,edward1 at banquet to ,m41 #b1 #dfh1 #dfi ,thornton1 ,henry1 and ,m41 #a1 #hi1 #ij and ,war of #ahab1 #hi on ,orders in ,council1 #ia1 #ib letters with ,m4 7#ahac-ad7 on prisoner of war1 #abd-abg ,thorwaldsen1 ,a4,b41 ,m4 on1 at ,rome and as artist1 #a1 #cdh1 #b1 #ced ,m4's portrait1 #a1 #cdh1 #cgj from ,m4 7#ahcj7 on portrait1 #cga later history of portrait1 #cgb-cgd1 #b1 #dff gift to ,academy of ,design1 #a1 #chd ,thunder storms in ,venice1 #a1 #cic1 #cid ,tilden1 ,s4,j41 at ,m4's funeral1 #b1 #eab ,tips1 ,m4 on1 in ,england1 #a1 #cg ,tisdale1 ----1 on ,dying ,hercules1 #a1 #ahe ,todd1 ,john1 on ,jedediah ,morse1 #a1 #bhg on ,mrs4 ,morse1 #bic ,torrey1 ,john1 at exhibition of telegraph1 #b1 #ed ,toucey1 ,isaac1 and ,m4 as office-seeker for son1 #b1 #chh ,toulon1 ,m4 on navy yard and galley slaves 7#ahcj71 #a1 #cbf1 #cbg ,town1 ,ithiel1 and origin of ,academy of ,design1 #a1 #bhj travel with ,m4 7#ahbi-cj71 #cji1 #cag ,trasteverini1 character1 #a1 #chb ,travel1 ,english war-time regulations 7#ahaa71 #a1 #cf treatment of travellers1 tips1 impositions1 #cg-ci delay in sailing of ships1 #ee ,m4's ,journal of dreadful voyage 7#ahae71 #ahf-aie from ,new ,york to ,washington 7#ahbd71 #bef transatlantic 7#ahbi71 #cjj-cjb stage coach to ,london 7#ahbi71 #cjf-cjh ,channel steamers 7#ahbi71 #cad 7#ahde71 #b1 #bej winter journey across ,france by diligence 7#ahcj71 #a1 #cah-cbf diligence described1 #cai from ,toulon to ,geneva1 #cbg1 #cbh imposition of innkeepers1 #cbg1 #ccj from ,genoa to ,rome1 #ccj-ccg conditions and perils of ,italian1 #ccb1 #cia1 #djj to ,venice by boat on ,po1 #cia-cic ,trentanove1 ,raymond1 gift to ,academy of ,design1 #a1 #chd ,trentham ,hall1 #b1 #cjg ,trollope1 ,mrs4 ,francos1 ,m4 on ,domestic ,manners1 #a1 #dbh ,trumbull1 ,john1 ,m4 on1 as artist1 #a1 #ajb and ,m4's portrait of ,mrs4 ,ball1 #bcb and ,academy of ,arts1 #bdi1 #bgf1 #b1 #bb ,turkey1 testimonials to ,m41 #b1 #big1 #cic ,turner1 ,j4,m4,w41 ,m4 meets1 #a1 #cji ,twining1 ,stephen1 and ,m4 at ,yale1 #a1 #ad1 #ba ,tyng1 ,s4,h41 and statue to ,m41 #b1 #dhd ,union ,theological ,seminary1 ,m4 endows lectureship1 #b1 #dcg ,unitarianism1 ,jedediah ,morse's opposition1 #a1 #a ,m4 on1 #b1 #dcj ,universalists1 ,m4 on1 #a1 #bac ,upham1 ,n4,g41 referee on ,smith's claim1 #b1 #daa ,uriel in the ,sun1 ,allston's painting1 #a1 #cjg ,vail1 ,alfred1 first view of telegraph1 #b1 #ed association with it1 contract1 #ei1 #fj and dot-and-dash alphabet1 #fb-fe work with ,m41 #gj1 #gf1 #ha ,m4's acknowledgment of indebtedness to1 #ga1 #dga1 #dhi friction1 #gi1 #hj new arrangement of partnership1 #hc ceases effort for telegraph1 #acf1 #aea1 #afh1 #agh1 #aha1 #ahf1 #dja and construction and operation of experimental line1 agreement1 #bjd1 #bje1 #bae1 #baf1 #bbj and operation of telegraph1 #bci ,kendall1 as agent1 #bdf1 #cci1 #cdj and ,henry controversy1 #bfa relations with ,m4 after #ahdd1 #bge1 #cjg1 #cbg-cbi1 #cci1 #dja incapacity for telegraph work1 #bif ,m4 and death1 #djj1 #dja ,letters to ,m3 7#ahdj7 proposing exhibition at ,philadelphia1 #b1 #aec 7#ahda7 on private line1 #afi 7#ahdf7 on accident1 #bfh 7#ahdg7 on avoiding active interest in companies1 #bge 7#ahdh7 on suits1 severing connection with telegraph1 #bid 7#ahdi7 on newspaper hostility1 #cjg ,from ,m3 7#ahch7 on prospects1 portrule1 #hh1 #ij on exhibition before ,institute of ,france1 #ajg 7#ahci7 on discouraging conditions1 #adi 7#ahdj7 on same1 #aea 7#ahda7 on scattered partners1 hope1 #afi 7#ahdb7 on duplex and wireless experiments1 action in ,congress1 #ahe 7#ahdc7 on bill1 #aif on passage of act1 #bja on preparation for experimental line1 #bjd 7#ahdd7 on operating1 #bbj1 #bba 7#ahdf7 on faithless associates1 #bfj on accident1 #bfh 7#ahdg7 on personal relations1 #bge 7#ahdg7 on faithlessness of ,rogers1 #bgg1 #bgh 7#ahed7 on share under extension of patent1 #cbg ,vail1 ,mrs4 ,alfred1 from ,m4 7#ahfb7 on share in gratuity1 #b1 #dbb ,vail1 ,george1 and brother's connection with telegraph1 #b1 #gi to ,m4 7#ahdb7 refusing assistance1 #ahd from ,m4 7#ahed7 on brother's share in extension of patent1 #cbh suspicion of ,m41 #cci from ,m4 7#ahfb7 on original wire of telegraph1 #dbc ,vail1 ,stephen1 and telegraph1 #b1 #gj1 #ahd ,van ,buren1 ,martin1 and letters of introduction for ,m4 7#ahbi71 #a1 #bii and exhibition of telegraph 7#ahch71 #b1 #ha ,vanderlyn1 ,john1 and ,m4's portrait of ,mrs4 ,ball1 #a1 #bcb and portrait of ,lafayette1 #bfa and origin of ,academy of ,design1 #bhj painting for steamer1 #bhi ,van ,dyke1 ,h4,j41 and ,civil ,war1 #b1 #daf ,van ,rensselaer1 ,stephen1 and ,m4 at ,london 7#ahab71 #a1 #gc presented at court1 #gg and ,m4 as artist1 #bde1 #beb ,van ,shalek1 ----1 to ,m4 7#ahad7 on ,new ,york's defenses1 #a1 #aej on victories1 ,new ,england ,federalism1 #aej to ,jedediah ,morse on ,m4's character1 war views1 and progress1 #aff orders painting from ,m41 #bea from ,m4 7#ahca7 on copies of paintings1 #cij ,vassar1 ,matthew1 from ,m4 7#ahfa7 on ,vassar ,college1 #b1 #dag ,vassar ,college4 ,m4 and founding1 #b1 #dag ,vauxhall ,gardens1 ,m4 on 7#ahaa71 #a1 #ej-eb ,venice1 ,m4's ,journey to1 by ,po 7#ahca71 #a1 #cia-cic sights and smells1 #cic thunder storms1 #cic1 #cid society1 #cid ,venice ,preserved1 ,m4 on1 #a1 #gb ,vernet1 ,horace1 ,m4 on1 at ,rome1 #a1 #cdc1 #cdd ,victoria of ,england1 coronation1 #b1 #ajj anecdote of kindness1 #aja ,villages1 aspect of ,english 7#ahbi71 #a1 #cjf ,vinci1 ,leonardo da1 and science1 #b1 #dga ,virginia1 disestablishment1 church property1 #a1 #ac ,visger1 ,harman1 and ,m41 #a1 #aba to ,m4 7#ahad7 on self-support1 ,allston1 #abc ,visscher1 ----1 in ,england 7#ahab71 and ,m41 #a1 #hc1 #afi-aga ,vouchy1 ,comte de1 and ,m41 #b1 #cea ,wainwright1 ,j4,m41 informal club 7#ahcg71 #b1 #dea ,walcott1 ----1 and daguerreotypes1 #b1 #ade ,walcott1 ,g4,k41 and ,m4's farewell message to telegraph1 #b1 #dhf ,waldo1 ,s4,l41 and portrait of ,lafayette1 #a1 #bfa and origin of ,academy of ,design1 #bhj ,wales1 ,prince of1 ,m4 and visit to ,america1 #b1 #dac ,new ,york ball1 #dad ,walewski1 ,comte1 and gratuity to ,m41 #b1 #cgc to ,m4 7#aheh7 announcing award1 #cij ,m4's reply1 #cid ,walker1 ,charles #a1 ,m4 on family1 #a1 #bjb ,walker1 ,charles #b1 with ,m4 at ,new ,york 7#ahbe71 #a1 #bge ,walker1 ,lucretia ,p41 love and engagement to ,m41 #a1 #bjb-baj visits his parents1 #bab and fianc1 #bad converted1 #bad marriage1 #bag ,see also ,morse1 ,lucretia ,p4 ,walker1 ,s4,c41 and ,henry-,morse controversy1 #b1 #bfb ,walker1 ,t4,r41 to ,m4 7#ahdi7 on animosity of newspapers1 #b1 #cjd from ,m4 7#ahee7 on ,atlantic cable1 #cdc 7#ahfb7 on monarchy in ,america1 #dbj ,walker1 ,mrs4 ,t4,r41 from ,m4 7#ahgb7 on poem1 #b1 #did ,wall1 ,william1 and origin of ,academy of ,design1 #a1 #bhj ,walpole1 ,n4,h41 ,m4 at 7#ahaf71 #a1 #bjf ,walsh1 ,robert1 and ,m4's telegraph1 prophecy1 #b1 #abe ,war of #ahab1 ,m4 on ,british attitude 7#ahaa71 #a1 #dh2 ,m4's ,republican attitude1 #eh1 #fd1 #gj1 #gf1 #ha1 #hb1 #hd1 #hg1 #aji1 #aaj1 #aae1 #aaf1 #adj1 #ada1 #aeb1 #aec1 #aff1 #afh1 #aha ,federalistic attitude of ,m4's family1 #eh1 #ff1 #gi1 #hj1 #ii1 #aji1 #aad1 #aah1 #abb1 #aha ,americans in ,england not disturbed1 #eh1 #hf question of ,orders in ,council1 #fg1 #gf1 #hi ,english opinion of ,federalists1 #ha ,allston's attitude1 #hi and ,french influence in ,america1 #ij1 #ia repeal of ,orders in ,council1 #aae hatred of ,americans in ,england1 #aaf1 #aag1 #abj1 #afc ,m4's efforts for release of a prisoner of war1 #abd-abg ,new ,york defences1 #aej ,lake ,erie and ,plattsburg1 #aej1 #aea ,new ,england's opposition1 #aea ,american effort 7#ahad71 #aef ,federalistic view 7#ahad71 #aeg1 #aeh ,england and peace overtures1 #afe ,mrs4 ,morse on peace1 #agc ,warren1 ,edward1 and ,jackson's claim1 letter from ,m4 7#ahdg71 #b1 #bgd ,warren1 ,mass4 ,see ,western4 ,warren ,phalanx of ,charlestown 7#ahje71 #a1 #g ,washington1 ----1 telegraph operator1 #b1 #dhj ,washington1 ,george1 as letter-writer1 #a1 #d ,washington1 ,d4,c41 ,m4 at 7#ahai71 #a1 #bbf 7#ahbd71 #bee 7#ahbe71 #bfa ,mrs4 ,monroe's drawing-room1 #bbg ,monroe's last levee1 ,adams and ,jackson at it1 #bfb ,m4's effort for commission for painting for ,capitol1 #b1 #bh-cb1 #bff-bfh first exhibition of telegraph1 #ha second exhibition1 #ahe construction of telegraph line to ,baltimore1 #bjd-bbh ,washington1 transatlantic steamer 7#ahdf71 #b1 #bhc ,watson1 ,p4,h41 and extension of ,m4's patent1 #b1 #cbe ,wealth1 ,m4 on divine enigma1 #b1 #dcf ,webster1 ,daniel1 on ,jedediah ,morse1 #a1 #bhg and ,m4's effort for commission for painting for ,capitol1 #b1 #bh ,webster1 ,emily1 engagement1 #a1 #aab ,weld1 ,thomas1 induction as cardinal1 #a1 #cci meets ,m41 #che ,wellington1 ,duke of1 ,spanish victories1 #a1 #aaj ,wells1 ,william1 to ,m4 7#agic7 on money1 #a1 #b ,west1 ,benjamin1 interest in ,m41 #a1 #db1 #dd1 #df1 #dg1 #fb1 #gc1 #he1 #ajb1 #ajc1 #aad1 #agi anecdote of ,george ,,iii and ,declaration of ,independence1 #db1 #dc ,christ healing the ,sick1 #dd ,christ before ,pilate1 #dd1 #dg activity and powers in old age1 #dd ,m4 on1 as artist1 #fc1 #fh1 #fi on ,philadelphia as art centre1 #gc gout1 #he ,west4 ,w4,e41 and ,m41 #a1 #cji ,western1 ,mass41 tavern 7#ahje71 #a1 #i ,western ,union ,telegraph ,company1 passes a dividend 7#ahfg71 #b1 #dfj ,what hath ,god wrought message1 #b1 #bbb ,wheatstone1 ,sir ,charles1 and relay1 #b1 #db telegraph1 #ej ,m4 on telegraph and his own1 #ij1 #ib1 #ic1 #ajj-ajb1 #bdb opposes patent to ,m41 #ic progress of telegraph1 #aej proposition to ,m4 rejected4 #aeh gets ,american patent1 #aff ,henry on telegraph1 #aga1 #agc and ground circuit1 #bdc1 #bej telegraph displaced by ,m4's1 #cac1 #cej ,wheeler1 ----1 return to ,america 7#ahab71 #a1 #hj ,wheeler1 ,f4,b41 on ,m4's character1 #b1 #dic at ,m4's funeral1 #eaa at memorial services1 #eaf ,whig ,convention 7#ahdd71 report by telegraph1 #b1 #bbj ,white1 ,chandler1 and ,atlantic cable1 #b1 #cdc ,whitehouse1 ,e4,o4,w41 experiments for ,atlantic cable1 #b1 #cdh1 #cff and laying of first cable1 #cgg log1 #cgh ,whitney4 ,eli1 and ,m4's pump1 #a1 #baa ,wilberforce1 ,william1 and ,m41 #a1 #hi1 #id and ,war of #ahab1 #ij and slave-trade1 #ace character1 #adj and final overthrow of ,napoleon1 #ahe ,willard1 ,j4,s41 death1 #a1 #h ,william ,joliffe1 ,channel steamer 7#ahde71 #b1 #bej ,williams1 ,h4,i41 from ,m4 7#ahdg7 on law suits1 #b1 #bgb ,willington1 ,r4,s41 from ,m4 7#ahce7 on ,catholic plot1 #b1 #ce ,wilson1 ,d4,w41 and origin of ,academy of ,design1 #a1 #bhj ,wilson1 ,j4,l41 and ,civil ,war1 #b1 #daf ,windsor1 ,vt41 ,m4 at and on 7#ahaf71 #a1 #bjg1 #bjh ,winslow1 ,hubbard1 and ,civil ,war1 #b1 #daf ,wire1 ,m4 and underground1 #b1 #aba experiment with submarine1 #ahc duplex telegraphy1 #ahe1 #ahg failure of underground1 for experimental line1 #bje1 #bji-baa1 #bad1 #baf insulation for experimental line1 #bjh1 #bji1 #bae use of naked1 #bjh overhead1 for experimental line1 #baj1 #bae use of ground circuit1 #bba1 #cfg1 #dgj ,wireless telegraphy1 ,m4's experiment1 #b1 #ahf1 #ahg1 #bdb1 #bdc ,wiseman1 ,n4,p4,s41 meets ,m41 #a1 #cgg ,women1 ,m4 on appearance of ,english1 #a1 #ce ,wood1 ,fernando1 and memorial services for ,m41 #b1 #eac1 #eae ,wood1 ,george1 to ,m4 7#ahdi7 on harassments1 #b1 #cjc2 and extension of patent1 letter to ,m4 7#ahed71 #cbd1 #cbe to ,m4 7#ahfe7 on slavery argument1 #dcb from ,m4 7#ahfd7 on divine hand in progress of telegraph1 #dce on wayward sons1 enigma of wealth1 #dcf 7#ahff7 on benevolent uses of wealth from telegraph1 #ddb death1 #dhb ,woodbury1 ,levi1 and telegraph1 #b1 #ga1 #ahg1 #bdd ,woods1 ,leonard1 and ,civil ,war1 #b1 #daf ,woolsey1 ,mary ,a41 engagement1 #a1 #aab ,woolsey4 ,t4,d41 and ,m4 in ,italy 7#ahcj71 #a1 #cch from ,m4 7#ahed7 on contribution to ,yale1 #b1 #cba ,wright1 ,c4,c41 and origin of ,academy of ,design1 #a1 #bhj ,wright1 ,silas1 and telegraph1 #b1 #ahg1 #aii refuses vice-presidential nomination over telegraph1 #bbf ,wrttemberg1 medal for ,m41 #b1 #cic ,wyatt1 ,richard1 gift to ,academy of ,design1 #a1 #chd ,wynne1 ,james1 anecdotes of ,coleridge and ,abernethy1 #a1 #if-ii ,yale ,college1 ,m4 at1 #a1 #aj-bc student's routine 7#ahjg71 #ae ,m4's incidental expenses1 #ag appointments1 #bf ,m4's gift 7#ahbb71 #bdb 7#ahed71 #b1 #cba daguerreotype of #cjth anniversary of ,class of #ahaj1 #adf ,,ll4,d4 for ,m41 #beh ,m4 refuses to attend class reunion 7#ahfe71 #dch-dda ,yates1 ,j4,c41 and ,m41 #a1 #bdg ,young1 ,mc,clintock1 and telegraph1 #b1 #bbg ,zantzinger1 ,l4,f41 telegraph operator1 #b1 #dhj