JUNE, 1838--JANUARY 21, 1839
Arrival in England.--Application for letters patent.--Cooke and
Wheatstone's telegraph.--Patent refused.--Departure for Paris.--Patent
secured in France.--Earl of Elgin.--Earl of Lincoln.--Baron de
Meyendorff.--Russian contract.--Return to London.--Exhibition at the Earl
of Lincoln's.--Letter from secretary of Lord Campbell, Attorney-General.
--Coronation of Queen Victoria.--Letters to daughter.--Birth of the Count
of Paris.--Exhibition before the Institute of France.--Arago; Baron
Humboldt.--Negotiations with the Government and Saint-Germain Railway.--
Reminiscences of Dr. Kirk.--Letter of the Honorable H.L. Ellsworth.--
Letter to F.O.J. Smith.--Dilatoriness of the French.
It seems almost incredible to us, who have come to look upon marvel after
marvel of science and invention as a matter of course, that it should
have taken so many years to convince the world that the telegraph was a
possibility and not an iridescent dream. 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 intelligence, governments and
capitalists had held shyly aloof, and, even now, weighed carefully the
advantages of different systems before deciding which, if any, was the
best. For there were at this time several different systems in the field,
and Morse soon found that he would have to compete with the trained
scientists of the Old World, backed, at last, by their respective
governments, in his effort to prove that his invention was the simplest
and the best of them all. That he should have persisted in spite of
discouragement after discouragement, struggling to overcome obstacles
which to the faint-hearted would have seemed insuperable, constitutes one
of his greatest claims to undying fame. He left on record an account of
his experiences in Europe on this voyage, memorable in more ways than
one, and extracts from this, and from letters written to his daughter and
brothers, will best tell the story:--
"On May 16, 1838, I left the United States and arrived in London in June,
for the purpose of obtaining letters patent for my Electro-Magnetic
Telegraph System. I learned before I left the United States that
Professor Wheatstone and Mr. Cooke, of London, had obtained letters
patent in England for a '_Magnetic-Needle Telegraph_,' based, as the name
implies, on the _deflection of the magnetic needle_. Their telegraph, at
that time, required _six conductors_ between the two points of
intercommunication _for a single instrument_ at each of the two termini.
Their mode of indicating signs for communicating intelligence was by
deflecting _five magnetic needles_ in various directions, in such a way
as to point to the required letters upon a diamond-shaped dial-plate. It
was necessary that the signal should be _observed at the instant_, or it
was lost and vanished forever.
"I applied for letters patent for my system of communicating intelligence
at a distance by electricity, differing in all respects from Messrs.
Wheatstone and Cooke's system, invented five years before theirs, and
having nothing in common in the whole system but the use of _electricity_
on _metallic conductors_, for which use no one could obtain an exclusive
privilege, since this much had been used for nearly one hundred years. My
system is peculiar in the employment of _electro-magnetism_, or the
_motive_ power of electricity, _to imprint permanent signs at a
distance_.
"I made no use of the deflections of the magnetic needle as _signs_. I
required but _one conductor_ between the two termini, or any number of
intermediate points of intercommunication. I used _paper moved by
clockwork_ upon which I caused a _lever_ moved by _magnetism_ to _imprint
the letters_ and _words_ of any required dispatch, having also invented
and adapted to telegraph writing a _new and peculiar alphabetic
character_ for that purpose, a _conventional alphabet_, easily acquired
and easily made and used by the operator. It is obvious at once, from a
simple statement of these facts, that the system of Messrs. Wheatstone
and Cooke and my system were wholly unlike each other. As I have just
observed, there was _nothing in common in the two systems_ but the use of
electricity upon metallic conductors, for which no one could obtain an
exclusive privilege.
"The various steps required by the English law were taken by me to
procure a patent for my mode, and the fees were paid at the Clerk's
office, June 22, and at the Home Department, June 25, 1838; also, June
26, caveats were entered at the Attorney and Solicitor-General's, and I
had reached that part of the process which required the sanction of the
Attorney-General. At this point I met the opposition of Messrs.
Wheatstone and Cooke, and also of Mr. Davy, and a hearing was ordered
before the Attorney-General, Sir John Campbell, on July 12, 1838. I
attended at the Attorney-General's residence on the morning of that day,
carrying with me my telegraphic apparatus for the purpose of explaining
to him the total dissimilarity between my system and those of my
opponents. But, contrary to my expectation, the similarity or
dissimilarity of my mode from that of my opponents was not considered by
the Attorney-General. He neither examined my instrument, which I had
brought for that purpose, nor did he ask any questions bearing upon its
resemblance to my opponents' system. I was met by the single declaration
that my '_invention had been published_,' and in proof a copy of the
London 'Mechanics' Magazine,' No. 757, for February 10, 1838, was
produced, and I was told that 'in consequence of said publication I could
not proceed.'
"At this summary decision I was certainly surprised, being conscious that
there had been no such publication of my method as the law required to
invalidate a patent; and, even if there had been, I ventured to hint to
the Attorney-General that, if I was rightly informed in regard to the
British law, it was the province of a court and jury, and not of the
Attorney-General, to try, and to decide that point."
The publication to which the Attorney-General referred had merely stated
results, 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 sanction; but he remained obdurate.
Morse then wrote him a long letter, after consultation with Mr. Smith,
setting forth all these points and begging for another interview.
"In consequence of my request in this letter I was allowed a second
hearing. I attended accordingly, but, to my chagrin, the Attorney-General
remarked that he had not had time to examine the letter. He carelessly
took it up and turned over the leaves without reading it, and then asked
me if I had not taken measures for a patent in my own country. And, upon
my reply in the affirmative, he remarked that: 'America was a large
country and I ought to be satisfied with a patent there.' I replied that,
with all due deference, I did not consider that as a point submitted for
the Attorney-General's decision; that the question submitted was whether
there was any legal obstacle in the way of my obtaining letters patent
for my Telegraph in England. He observed that he considered my invention
as having been _published_, and that he must _therefore_ forbid me to
proceed.
"Thus forbidden to proceed by an authority from which there was no
appeal, as I afterward learned, but to Parliament, and this at great cost
of time and money, I immediately left England for France, where I found
no difficulty in securing a patent. My invention there not only attracted
the regards of the distinguished savants of Paris, but, in a marked
degree, the admiration of many of the English nobility and gentry at that
time in the French capital. To several of these, while explaining the
operation of my telegraphic system, I related the history of my treatment
by the English Attorney-General. 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 Telegraph. He repeatedly visited me, bringing with him
many of his distinguished friends, and on one occasion the noble Earl of
Lincoln, since one of Her Majesty's Privy Council. The Honorable Henry
Drummond also interested himself for me, and through his kindness and
Lord Elgin's I received letters of introduction to Lord Brougham and to
the Marquis of Northampton, the President of the Royal Society, and
several other distinguished persons in England. The Earl of Lincoln
showed me special kindness. In taking leave of me in Paris he gave me his
card, and, requesting me to bring my telegraphic instruments with me to
London, pressed me to give him the earliest notice of my arrival in
London.
"I must here say that for weeks in Paris I had been engaged in
negotiation with the Russian Counselor of State, the Baron Alexander de
Meyendorff, arranging measures for putting the telegraph in operation in
Russia. The terms of a contract had been mutually agreed upon, and all
was concluded but the signature of the Emperor to legalize it. In order
to take advantage of the ensuing summer season for my operations in
Russia, I determined to proceed immediately to the United States to make
some necessary preparations for the enterprise, without waiting for the
formal completion of the contract papers, being led to believe that the
signature of the Emperor was sure, a matter of mere form.
"Under these circumstances I left Paris on the 13th of March, 1839, and
arrived in London on the 15th of the same month. The next day I sent my
card to the Earl of Lincoln and my letter and card to the Marquis of
Northampton, and in two or three days received a visit from both. By Earl
Lincoln I was at once invited to send my Telegraph to his house in Park
Lane, and on the 19th of March I exhibited its operation to members of
both Houses of Parliament, of the Royal Society, and the Lords of the
Admiralty, invited to meet me by the Earl of Lincoln. From the
circumstances mentioned my time in London was necessarily short, my
passage having been secured in the Great Western to sail on the 23d of
March. Although solicited to remain a while in London, both by the Earl
of Lincoln and the Honorable Henry Drummond, with a view to obtaining a
special Act of Parliament for a patent, I was compelled by the
circumstances of the case to defer till some more favorable opportunity,
on my expected return to England, any attempt of the kind. The Emperor of
Russia, however, refused to ratify the contract made with me by the
Counselor of State, and my design of returning to Europe was frustrated,
and I have not to this hour [April 2, 1847] had the means to prosecute
this enterprise to a result in England. All my exertions were needed to
establish my telegraphic system in my own country.
"Time has shown conclusively the essential difference of my telegraphic
system from those of my opponents; time has also shown that my system
_was not published_ in England, as alleged by the Attorney-General, for,
to this day, no work in England has published anything that does not show
that, as yet, it is perfectly misunderstood....
"The refusal to grant me a patent was, at that period, very disastrous.
It was especially discouraging to have made a long voyage across the
Atlantic in vain, incurring great expenditure and loss of time, which in
their consequences also produced years of delay in the prosecution of my
enterprise in the United States."
The long statement, from which I have taken the above extracts, was
written, as I have noted, on April 2, 1847, but the following interesting
addition was made to it on December 11, 1848:--
"At the time of preparing this statement I lacked one item of evidence,
which it was desirable to have aside from my own assertion, viz.,
evidence that the refusal of the Attorney-General was on the ground
'_that a publication of the invention had been made_.' I deemed it
advisable rather to suffer from the delay and endure the taunts, which my
unscrupulous opponents have not been slow to lavish upon me in
consequence, if I could but obtain this evidence in proper shape. I
accordingly wrote to my brother, then in London, to procure, if possible,
from Lord Campbell or his secretary an acknowledgment of the ground on
which he refused my application for a patent in 1838, since no public
report or record in such cases is made.
"My brother, in connection with Mr. Carpmael, one of the most
distinguished patent agents in England, addressed a note to Mr. H.
Cooper, the Attorney-General's secretary at the time, and the only
official person besides Lord Campbell connected with the matter. The
following is Mr. Cooper's reply:--
"'WILMINGTON SQUARE, May 23d, 1848.
"'GENTLEMEN,--In answer to yours of the 20th inst., I beg to state that I
have a distinct recollection of Professor Morse's application for a
patent, strengthened by the fact of his not having paid the fees for the
hearing, etc., and these being now owing. I understood at the time that
the patent was stopped on the ground that a publication of the invention
had been made, but I cannot procure Lord Campbell's certificate of that
fact.
"'I am, gentlemen
"'Your obedient servant
"'H. COOPER.'
"I thus have obtained the evidence I desired in the most authentic form,
but accompanied with as gross an insult as could well be conceived. On
the receipt of this letter I immediately wrote to F.O.J. Smith, Esq., at
Portland, who accompanied me to England, and at whose sole expense,
according to agreement, all proceedings in taking out patents in Europe
were to be borne, to know if this charge of the Attorney-General's
secretary could possibly be true; not knowing but through some
inadvertence on his (Mr. Smith's) part, this bill might have been
overlooked.
"Mr. Smith writes me in answer, sending me a copy _verbatim_ of the
following receipt, which he holds and which speaks for itself:--
"'Mr. Morse to the Attorney-General, Dr.
£ s. d.
Hearing on a patent . . . . 3 10 0
Giving notice on the same . 1 1 0
------
4 11 0
Settled the 13th of August, 1838.
"'(Signed) H. COOPER.'
"This receipt is signed, as will be perceived, by the same individual, H.
Cooper, who, nearly ten years after his acknowledgment of the money, has
the impudence to charge me with leaving my fees unpaid. I now leave the
public to make their own comments both on the character of the whole
transaction in England, and on the character and motives of those in this
country who have espoused Lord Campbell's course, making it an occasion
to charge me with having _invented nothing_.
"SAMUEL F.B. MORSE."
I have, in these extracts from an account of his European experiences,
written by Morse at a later date, given but a brief summary of certain
events; it will now be necessary to record more in detail some of the
happenings on that memorable trip.
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 interest.
Still another was now to be added to the list, for, while he was in
London striving unsuccessfully to secure a patent for his invention, he
was privileged to witness the coronation of Queen Victoria; our Minister,
the Honorable Andrew Stevenson, having procured for him a ticket of
admission to Westminster Abbey.
Writing to his daughter Susan on June 19, 1838, before he had met with
his rebuff from the Attorney-General, he comments briefly on the
festivities incident to the occasion:--
"London is filling fast with crowds of all characters, from ambassadors
and princes to pickpockets and beggars, all brought together by the
coronation of the queen, which takes place in a few days (the 28th of
June). Everything in London now is colored by the coming pageant. In the
shop windows are the robes of the nobility, the crimson and ermine
dresses, coronets, etc. Preparations for illuminations are making all
over the city.
"I have scarcely entered upon the business of the Telegraph, but have
examined (tell Dr. Gale) the specification of Wheatstone at the Patent
Office, and except the alarum part, he has nothing which interferes with
mine. His invention is ingenious and beautiful, but very complicated, and
he must use twelve wires where I use but four. I have also seen a
telegraph exhibiting at Exeter Hall invented by Davy, something like
Wheatstone's but still complicated. I find mine is yet the simplest and
hope to accomplish something, but always keep myself prepared for
disappointment."
At a later date he recounted the following pretty incident, showing the
kindly character of the young queen, which may not be generally known:--
"I was in London in 1838, and was present with my excellent friend, the
late Charles R. Leslie, R.A., at the imposing ceremonies of the
coronation of the queen in Westminster Abbey. He then related to me the
following incident which, I think, may truly be said to have been the
first act of Her Majesty's reign.
"When her predecessor, William IV, died, a messenger was immediately
dispatched by his queen (then become by his death queen dowager) to
Victoria, apprising her of the event. She immediately called for paper
and indited a letter of condolence to the widow. Folding it, she directed
it 'To the Queen of England.' Her maid of honor in attendance, noting the
inscription, said: 'Your Majesty, you are Queen of England.' 'Yes,' she
replied, 'but the widowed queen is not to be reminded of that fact first
by me.'"
Writing to his daughter from Havre, on July 26, 1838, while on his way to
Paris, after telling her of the unjust decision of the Attorney-General,
he adds:--
"Professor Wheatstone and Mr. Davy were my opponents. They have each very
ingenious inventions of their own, particularly the former, who is a man
of genius and one with whom I was personally much pleased. He has
invented his, I believe, without knowing that I was engaged in an
invention to produce a similar result; for, although he dates back into
1832, yet, as no publication of our thoughts was made by either, we are
evidently independent of each other. My time has not been lost, however,
for I have ascertained with certainty that the _Telegraph of a single
circuit_ and a _recording apparatus_ is mine....
"I found also that both Mr. Wheatstone and Mr. Davy were endeavoring to
simplify theirs by adding a recording apparatus and reducing theirs to a
single circuit. The latter showed to the Attorney-General a drawing,
which I obtained sight of, of a method by which he proposed a bungling
imitation of my first characters, those that were printed in our
journals, and one, however plausible on paper, and sufficiently so to
deceive the Attorney-General, was perfectly impracticable. Partiality,
from national or other motives, aside from the justice of the case, I am
persuaded, influenced the decision against me.
"We are now on our way to Paris to try what we can do with the French
Government. I confess I am not sanguine as to any favorable pecuniary
result in Europe, but we shall try, and, at any rate, we have seen enough
to know that the matter is viewed with great interest here, and the plan
of such telegraphs will be adopted, and, of course, the United States is
secured to us, and I do hope something from that.
"Be economical, my dear child, and keep your wants within bounds, for I
am preparing myself for an unsuccessful result here, yet every proper
effort will be made. I am in excellent health and spirits and leave
to-morrow morning for Paris."
"_Paris, August 29, 1838._ I have obtained a patent here and it is
exciting some attention. The prospects of future benefit from the
invention are good, but I shall not probably realize much, or even
anything, immediately.
"I saw by the papers, before I got your letter, that Congress had not
passed the appropriation bill for the Telegraph. On some accounts I
regret it, but it is only delayed, and it will probably be passed early
in the winter."
Little did he think, in his cheerful optimism, that nearly five long
years must elapse before Congress should awaken to its great opportunity.
"You will be glad to learn, my dear daughter, that your father's health
was never so good, and probably before this reaches you he will be on the
ocean on his return. I think of leaving Paris in a very few days. I am
only waiting to show the Telegraph to the King, from whom I expect a
message hourly. The birth of a prince occupies the whole attention just
how of the royal family and the court. He was born on the 24th inst., the
son of the Duke and Duchess of Orleans. My rooms are as delightfully
situated, perhaps, as any in Paris; they are close to the palace of the
Tuileries and overlook the gardens, and are within half a stone's throw
of the rooms of the Duke and Duchess of Orleans. From my balcony I look
directly into their rooms. I saw the company that was there assembled on
the birthday of the little prince, and saw him in his nurse's arms at the
window the next day after his birth. He looked very much like any other
baby, and not half so handsome as little Hugh Peters.
"I received from the Minister of War, General Bernard, who has been very
polite to me, a ticket to be present at the _Te Deum_ performed yesterday
in the great cathedral of Paris, Notre Dame, on account of the birth of
the prince. The king and all the royal family and the court, with all the
officers of state, were present. The cathedral was crowded with all the
fashion of Paris. Along the ways and around the church were soldiers
without number, almost; a proof that some danger was apprehended to the
king, and yet he ought to be popular for he is the best ruler they have
had for years. The ceremonies were imposing, appealing to the senses and
the imagination, and not at all to the reason or the heart."
The king was Louis Philippe; the little prince, his grandson, was the
Count of Paris.
"_Paris, September 29, 1838._ Since my last matters have assumed a
totally different aspect. At the request of Monsieur Arago, the most
distinguished astronomer of the day, I submitted the Telegraph to the
Institute at one of their meetings, at which some of the most celebrated
philosophers of France and of Germany and of other countries were
present. Its reception was in the highest degree flattering, and the
interest which they manifested, by the questions they asked and the
exclamations they used, showed to me then that the invention had obtained
their favorable regard. The papers of Paris immediately announced the
Telegraph in the most favorable terms, and it has literally been the
topic of the day ever since. The Baron Humboldt, the celebrated
traveller, a member of the Institute and who saw its operation before
that body, told Mr. Wheaton, our Minister to Prussia, that my Telegraph
was the best of all the plans that had been devised.
"I received a call from the administrator-in-chief of all the telegraphs
of France, Monsieur Alphonse Foy. I explained it to him; he was highly
delighted with it, and told me that the Government was about to try an
experiment with the view of testing the practicability of the Electric
Telegraph, and that he had been requested to see mine and report upon it;
that he should report that '_mine was the best that had been submitted to
him_'; and he added that I had better forthwith get an introduction to
the Minister of the Interior, Mons. the Count Montalivet. I procured a
letter from our Minister, and am now waiting the decision of the
Government.
"Everything looks promising thus far, as much so as I could expect, but
it involves the possibility, not to say the probability, of my remaining
in Paris during the winter.
"If I should be delayed till December it would be prudent to remain until
April. If it be possible, without detriment to my affairs, to make such
arrangements that I may return this autumn, I shall certainly do it; but,
if I should not, you must console yourselves that it is in consequence of
meeting with success that I am detained, and that I shall be more likely
to return with advantage to you all on account of the delay.
"I ought to say that the directors of the Saint-Germain Railroad have
seen my Telegraph, and that there is some talk (as yet vague) of
establishing a line of my Telegraph upon that road. I mention these, my
dear child, to show you that I cannot at this moment leave Paris without
detriment to my principal object."
"_Paris, October 10, 1838._ You are at an age when a parent's care, and
particularly a mother's care, is most needed. You cannot know the depth
of the wound that was inflicted when I was deprived of your dear mother,
nor in how many ways that wound was kept open. Yet I know it is all well;
I look to God to take care of you; it is his will that you should be
almost truly an orphan, for, with all my efforts to have a home for you
and to be near you, I have met hitherto only with disappointment. But
there are now indications of a change, and, while I prepare for
disappointment and wish you to prepare for disappointment, 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 lot.
With the eminence is connected the prospect of pecuniary prosperity, yet
this is not consummated, but only in prospect; it may be a long time
before anything is realized. Study, therefore, prudence and economy in
all things; make your wants as few as possible, for the habit thus
acquired will be of advantage to you whether you have much or little."
Thus did hope alternate with despondency as the days and weeks wore away
and nothing tangible was accomplished. All who saw the working of the
telegraph were loud in their expressions of wonder and admiration, but,
for reasons which shall presently be explained, nothing else was gained
by the inventor at that time.
An old friend of Morse's, the Reverend Dr. Kirk, was then living in
Paris, and the two friends not only roomed together but Dr. Kirk,
speaking French fluently, which Morse did not, acted as interpreter in
the many exhibitions given. Writing of this in later years, Dr. Kirk
says:--
"I remember rallying my friend frequently about the experience of great
inventors, who are generally permitted to starve while living and are
canonized after death.
"When the model telegraph had been set up in our rooms, Mr. Morse desired
to exhibit it to the savants of Paris, but, as he had less of the talking
propensity than myself, I was made the grand exhibitor.
"Our levee-day was Tuesday, and for weeks we received the visits of
distinguished citizens and strangers, to whom I explained the principles
and operation of the Telegraph. The visitors would agree upon a word
among themselves which I was not to hear; then the Professor would
receive it at the writing end of the wires, while it devolved upon me to
interpret the characters which recorded it at the other end. As I
explained the hieroglyphics the announcement of the word, which they saw
could have come to me only through the wire, would often create a deep
sensation of delighted wonder; and much do I now regret that I did not
take notes of these interviews, for it would be an interesting record of
distinguished names and of valuable remarks."
On the 10th of September, 1838, Morse enjoyed the greatest triumph of
all, for it was on that day that, by invitation of M. Arago, the
exhibition of his invention before the Institute of France, casually
mentioned in one of his letters to his daughter, took place. Writing of
the occasion to Alfred Vail, he says:--
"I exhibited the Telegraph to the Institute and the sensation produced
was as striking as at Washington. It was evident that hitherto the
assembled science of Europe had considered the plan of an Electric
Telegraph as ingenious but visionary, and, like aëronautic navigation,
practicable in little more than theory and destined to be useless.
"I cannot describe to you the scene at the Institute when your box with
the registering-machine, just as it left Speedwell, was placed upon the
table and surrounded by the most distinguished men of all Europe,
celebrated in the various arts and sciences--Arago, Baron Humboldt,
Gay-Lussac, and a host of others whose names are stars that shine in both
hemispheres. Arago described it to them, and I showed its action. A buzz
of admiration and approbation filled the whole hall and the exclamations
'_Extraordinaire!' 'Très bien!' 'Très admirable!_' I heard on all sides.
The sentiment was universal."
Another American at that time in Paris, the Honorable H.L. Ellsworth,
also wrote home about the impression which was produced by the exhibition
of this new wonder:--
"I am sure you will be glad to learn that our American friend, Professor
Morse, is producing a very great sensation among the learned men of this
kingdom by his ingenious and wonderful Magnetic Telegraph. He submitted
it to the examination of the Academy of Sciences of the Royal Institute
of France, at their sitting on Monday last, and the deepest interest was
excited among the members of that learned body on the subject. Its
novelty, beauty, simplicity, and power were highly commended....
"Other projects for the establishment of a magnetic telegraph have been
broached here, especially from Professor Wheatstone, of London, and
Professor Steinheil, of Munich. It is said, however, to be very manifest
that our Yankee Professor is ahead of them all in the essential
requisitions of such an invention, and that he is in the way to bear off
the palm. In simplicity of design, cheapness of construction and
efficiency, Professor Morse's Telegraph transcends all yet made known. In
each of these qualities it is admitted, by those who have inspected it
closely, there seems to be little else to desire. It is certain,
moreover, that in priority of discovery he antedates all others."
Encouraged by the universal praise which was showered upon him, the
hopeful inventor redoubled his efforts to secure in some way, either
through the Government or through private parties, the means to make a
practical test of his invention.
Mr. F.O.J. Smith had, in the mean time, returned to America, and Morse
kept him informed by letter of the progress of affairs in Paris.
Avoiding, as far as possible, repetitions and irrelevant details, I shall
let extracts from these letters tell the story:--
"_September 29, 1838._ On Monday I received a very flattering letter from
our excellent Minister, Governor Cass, introducing me to the Count
Montalivet, and I accordingly called the next day. I did not see him, but
had an interview with his secretary, who told me that the Administrator
of the Telegraphs had not yet reported to the Minister, but that he would
see him the next day, and that, if I would call on Friday, he would
inform me of the result. I called on Friday. The secretary informed me
that he had seen M. Foy, and that he had more than confirmed the
flattering accounts in the American Minister's letter respecting the
Telegraph, 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 him_, or words to that effect;
and the secretary assured me that the report would be all I could wish.
This is certainly flattering and I am to call on Monday to learn
further."
"_October 24._ I can only add, in a few words, that everything here is as
encouraging as could be expected. The report of the Administrator of
Telegraphs has been made to the Minister of the Interior, and I have been
told that I should be notified of the intentions of the Government in a
few days. I have also shown the railroad telegraph to the Saint-Germain
directors, who are delighted with it, and from them I expect a
proposition within a few days."
"_November 22._ I intend sending this letter by the packet of the 24th
inst., and am in hopes of sending with it some intelligence from those
from whom I have been so long expecting something. Everything moves at a
snail's pace here. I find delay in all things; at least, so it appears to
me, who have too strong a development of the American organ of
'go-ahead-ativeness' to feel easy under its tantalizing effects. A
Frenchman ought to have as many lives as a cat to bring to pass, on his
dilatory plan of procedure, the same results that a Yankee would
accomplish in his single life."
"_Afternoon, November 22._ Called on the Ministre de l'Intérieur; no one
at home; left card and will call again to-morrow, and hope to be in time
yet for the packet."
"_November 23._ I have again called, but do not find at home the chief
secretary, M. Merlin.... I shall miss the packet of the 24th, but I am
told she is a slow ship and that I shall probably find the letters reach
home quite as soon by the next. I will leave this open to add if anything
occurs between this and next packet day."
"_November 30._ I have been called off from this letter until the last
moment by stirring about and endeavoring to expedite matters with the
Government. I have been to see General Cass since my last date. I talked
over matters with him. He complains much of their dilatoriness, but sees
no way of quickening them.... I called again this morning at the
Minister's and, as usual, the secretary was absent; at the palace they
said. If I could once get them to look at it I should be sure of them,
for I have never shown it to any one who did not seem in raptures. I
showed it a few days ago to M. Fremel, the Director of Light-Houses, who
came with Mr. Vail and Captain Perry. He was cautious at first, but
afterwards became as enthusiastic as any.
"The railroad directors are as dilatory as the Government, but I know
they are discussing the matter seriously at their meetings, and I was
told that the most influential man among them said they 'must have it.'
There is nothing in the least discouraging that has occurred, but, on the
contrary, everything to confirm the practicability of the plan, both on
the score of science and expense."
"_January 21, 1839._ I learn that the Telegraph is much talked of in all
society, and I learn that the _Théâtre des Variétés_, which is a sort of
mirror of the popular topics, has a piece in which persons are made to
converse by means of this Telegraph some hundreds of miles off.
"This is a straw which shows the way of the wind, and although matters
move too slow for my impatient spirit, yet the Telegraph is evidently
gaining on the popular notice, and in time will demand the attention of
Governments.
"I have the promise of a visit from the Count Boudy, Chief of the
Household of the King, and who, I understand, has great influence with
the king and can induce him to adopt the Telegraph between some of his
palaces.
"Hopes, you perceive, continue bright, but they are somewhat
unsubstantial to an empty purse. I look for the first fruits in America.
My confidence increases every day in the certainty of the eventual
adoption of this means of communication throughout the civilized world.
Its practicability, hitherto doubted by savants here, is completely
established, and they do not hesitate to give me the credit of having
established it. I rejoice quite as much for my country's sake as for my
own that both priority and superiority are awarded to my invention."