JANUARY 8, 1856--AUGUST 14, 1856
Payment of dividends delayed.--Concern for welfare of his country.--
Indignation at corrupt proposal from California.--Kendall hampered by the
Vails.--Proposition by capitalists to purchase patent rights.--Cyrus W.
Field.--Newfoundland Electric Telegraph Company.--Suggestion of Atlantic
Cable.--Hopes thereby to eliminate war.--Trip to Newfoundland.--Temporary
failure.--F.O.J. Smith continues to give trouble.--Financial conditions
improve.--Morse and his wife sail for Europe.--Fêted in London.--
Experiments with Dr. Whitehouse.--Mr. Brett.--Dr. O'Shaughnessy and the
telegraph in India.--Mr. Cooke.--Charles H. Leslie.--Paris.--Hamburg.--
Copenhagen.--Presentation to king.--Thorwaldsen Museum.--Oersted's
daughter.--St. Petersburg.--Presentation to Czar at Peterhoff.
I have said in the preceding chapter that order was gradually emerging
from chaos in telegraphic matters, but the progress towards that goal was
indeed gradual, and a perusal of the voluminous correspondence between
Morse and Kendall, and others connected with the different lines, leaves
the reader in a state of confused bewilderment and wonder that all the
conflicting interests, and plots and counterplots, could ever have been
brought into even seeming harmony. Too much praise cannot be given to Mr.
Kendall for the patience and skill with which he disentangled this
apparently hopeless snarl, while at the same time battling against
physical ills which would have caused most men to give up in despair.
That Morse fully appreciated the sterling qualities of this faithful
friend is evidenced by the letter to Dr. Gale in the preceding chapter,
and by many others. He always refused to consider for a moment the
substitution of a younger man on the plea of Mr. Kendall's failing
health, and his carelessness in the keeping of their personal accounts.
It is true that, because of this laxity on Mr. Kendall's part, Morse was
for a long time deprived of the full income to which he was entitled, but
he never held this up against his friend, always making excuses for him.
Affairs seem to have been going from bad to worse in the matter of
dividends, for, while in 1850 he had said that only 509 miles out of 1150
were paying him personally anything, he says in a letter to Mr. Kendall
of January 8, 1855:--
"I perceive the Magnetic Telegraph Company meet in Washington on Thursday
the 11th. Please inform me by telegraph the amount of dividend they
declare and the time payable. This is the only source on which I can
calculate for the means of subsistence from day to day with any degree of
certainty.
"It is a singular reflection that occurs frequently to my mind that out
of 40,000 miles of telegraph, all of which should pay me something, only
225 miles is all that I can depend upon with certainty; and the case is a
little aggravated when I think that throughout all Europe, which is now
meshed with telegraph wires from the southern point of Corsica to St.
Petersburg, on which my telegraph is universally used, not a mile
contributes to my support or has paid me a farthing.
"Well, it is all well. I am not in absolute want, for I have some credit,
and painful as is the state of debt to me from the apprehension that
creditors may suffer from my delay in paying them, yet I hope on."
Mr. Kendall was not so sensitive on the subject of debt as was Morse, and
he was also much more optimistic and often rebuked his friend for his
gloomy anticipations, assuring him that the clouds were not nearly so
dark as they appeared.
Always imbued with a spirit of lofty patriotism, Morse never failed, even
in the midst of overwhelming cares, to give voice to warnings which he
considered necessary. Replying to an invitation to be present at a public
dinner he writes:--
GENTLEMEN,--I have received your polite invitation to join with you in
the celebration of the birthday of Washington. Although unable to be
present in person, I shall still be with you in heart.
Every year, indeed every day, is demonstrating the necessity of our being
wide awake to the insidious sapping of our institutions by foreign
emissaries in the guise of friends, who, taking advantage of the very
liberality and unparalleled national generosity which we have extended to
them, are undermining the foundations of our political fabric,
substituting (as far as they are able to effect their purpose) on the one
hand a dark, cold and heartless atheism, or, on the other, a disgusting,
puerile, degrading superstition in place of the God of our fathers and
the glorious elevating religion of love preached by his Son.
The American mind, I trust, is now in earnest waking up, and no one more
rejoices at the signs of the times than myself. Twenty years ago I hoped
to have seen it awake, but, alas! it proved to be but a spasmodic yawn
preparatory to another nap. If it shall now have waked in earnest, and
with renewed strength shall gird itself to the battle which is assuredly
before it, I shall feel not a little in the spirit of good old Simeon--
"Now let thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy
salvation."
Go forward, my friends, in your patriotic work, and may God bless you in
your labors with eminent success.
It has been shown, I think, in the course of this work, that Morse, while
long-suffering and patient under trials and afflictions, was by no means
poor-spirited, but could fight and use forceful language when roused by
acts of injustice towards himself, his country, or his sense of right.
Nothing made him more righteously angry than dishonesty in whatever form
it was manifested, and the following incident is characteristic.
On June 26, 1855, Mr. Kendall forwarded a letter which he had received
from a certain Milton S. Latham, member of Congress from California,
making a proposition to purchase the Morse patent rights for lines in
California. In this letter occur the following sentences: "For the use of
Professor Morse's patent for the State of California in perpetuity, with
the reservations named in yours of the 3d March, 1855, addressed to me,
they are willing to give you $30,000 in their stock. This is all they
will do. It is proper I should state that the capital stock of the
California State Telegraph in cash was $75,000, which they raised to
$150,000, and subsequently to $300,000. The surplus stock over the cash
stock was used among members of the Legislature to procure the passage of
the act incorporating the company, and securing for it certain
privileges."
Mr. Kendall in his letter enclosing this naïve business proposition,
remarks: "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 Legislature, 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 footing."
Morse more impulsively exclaims in his reply:--
"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 taken?
"Accept the proposition? Yes, I will accept it when I can consent to the
housebreaker who has entered my house, packed up my silver and plated
ware, 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 you, after I
have used it for a few years, provided any of it remain!'
"A more unprincipled set of swindlers never existed. Who is this Mr.
Latham that he could recommend our accepting such terms?"
In addition to the opposition of open enemies and unprincipled pirates,
Morse and Kendall were sometimes hampered by the unjust suspicions of
some of those whose interests they were striving to safeguard. Referring
to one such case in a letter of June 15, 1855, Mr. Kendall says:--
"If there should be opposition I count on the Vails against me. Alfred
has for some time been hostile because I could not if I would, and would
not if I could, find him a snug sinecure in some of the companies. I fear
George has in some degree given way to the same spirit. I have heard of
his complaining of me, and when, before my departure for the West, I
tendered my services to negotiate a connection of himself and brother
with the lessees of the N.O. & O. line, he declined my offer, protesting
against the entire arrangements touching that line.
"Having done all I could and much more than I was bound to do for the
benefit of those gentlemen, I shall not permit their jealousy to disturb
me, but I am anxious to have them understand the exact position I am to
occupy in relation to them. I understood your purpose to be that they
should share in the benefits of the extension, whether legally entitled
to them or not, yet nothing has been paid over to them for sales since
made. All the receipts, except a portion of my commissions, have been
paid out on account of expenses, and to secure an interest for you in the
N.O. & O. line."
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
them, but they seem not to have realized that Morse and Kendall were in
the same boat, and living more on hope than cash. Mr. Kendall enlarges
somewhat on this point in a letter of June 22, 1855:--
"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 describe. I
fully appreciate your reasons for desiring such a consummation, and, in
addition to them, have others peculiar to my own position. Any one who
has a valuable patent can profit by it only by a constant fight with some
of the most profligate and, at the same time, most shrewd members of
society. I have found myself not only the agent of yourself and the
Messrs. Vail to sell your patent rights, but the soldier to fight your
battles, as well in the country as in the courts of justice. Almost
single-handed, with the deadly enmity of one of the patentees, and the
annoying jealousies of another, I have encountered surrounding hosts,
and, I trust, been instrumental in saving something for the Proprietors
of this great invention, and done something to maintain the rights and
vindicate the fame of its true author. Nothing but your generous
confidence has rendered my position tolerable, and enabled me to meet the
countless difficulties with which my path has been beset with any degree
of success. And now, at the end of a ten years' war, I am prepared to
retire from the field and leave the future to other hands, if I can but
see your interests, secured beyond contingency, and a moderate competency
provided for my family and myself."
The company referred to in this letter was one proposed by Cyrus W. Field
and other capitalists of New York. The plan was to purchase the patent
rights of Morse, Kendall, Vail, and F.O.J. Smith, and, by means of the
large capital which would be at their command, fight the pirates who had
infringed on the patent, and gradually unite the different warring
companies into one harmonious concern. A monopoly, if you will, but a
monopoly which had for its object better, cheaper, and quicker service to
the people. This object was achieved in time, but, unfortunately for the
peace of mind of Morse and Kendall, not just then.
The name of Cyrus Field naturally suggests the Atlantic Cable, and it was
just at this time that steps were being seriously taken to realize the
prophecy made by Morse in 1843 in his letter to the Secretary of the
Treasury: "The practical inference from this law is that a telegraphic
communication on the electro-magnetic plan may with certainty be
established across the Atlantic Ocean! Startling as this may now seem I
am confident the time will come when this project will be realized."
In 1852 a company had been formed and incorporated by the Legislature of
Newfoundland, called the "Newfoundland Electric Telegraph Company." The
object of this company was to connect the island by means of a cable with
the mainland, but this was not accomplished at that time, and no
suggestion was made of the possibility of crossing the ocean. One of the
officers of that company, however, Mr. F.N. Gisborne, came to New York in
1854 and tried to revive the interest of capitalists and engineers in the
scheme. Among others he consulted Matthew D. Field, and through him met
his brother Cyrus W. Field, and the question of a through line from
Newfoundland to New York was seriously discussed. Cyrus Field, a man of
great energy and already interested financially and otherwise in the
terrestrial telegraph, was fascinated by the idea of stretching long
lines under the waters also. He examined a globe, which was in his study
at home and, suddenly realizing that Newfoundland and Ireland were
comparatively near neighbors, he said to himself: "Why not cross the
ocean and connect the New World with the Old?" He had heard that Morse
long ago had prophesied that this link would some day be welded, and he
became possessed with the idea that he was the person to accomplish this
marvel, just as Morse had received the inspiration of the telegraph in
1832.
A letter to Morse, who was just then in Washington, received an
enthusiastic and encouraging reply, coupled with the information that
Lieutenant Maury of the Navy had, by a series of careful soundings,
established the existence of a plateau between Ireland and Newfoundland,
at no very great depth, which seemed expressly designed by nature to
receive and carefully guard a telegraphic cable. Mr. Field lost no time
in organizing a company composed originally of himself, his brother the
Honorable David Dudley Field, Peter Cooper, Moses Taylor, Marshall O.
Roberts, and Chandler White. After a liberal charter had been secured
from the legislature of Newfoundland the following names were added to
the list of incorporators: S.F.B. Morse, Robert W. Lowber, Wilson G.
Hunt, and John W. Brett. Mr. Field then went to England and with
characteristic energy soon enlisted the interest and capital of
influential men, and the Atlantic Telegraph Company was organized to
cooperate with the American company, and liberal pledges of assistance
from the British Government were secured. Similar pledges were obtained
from the Congress of the United States, but, quite in line with former
precedents, by a majority of only _one_ in the Senate. Morse was
appointed electrician of the American company and Faraday of the English
company, and much technical correspondence followed between these two
eminent scientists.
In the spring of 1855, Morse, in a letter to his friend and relative by
marriage, Thomas R. Walker, of Utica, writes enthusiastically of the
future: "Our _Atlantic line_ is in a fair way. We have the governments
and capitalists of Europe zealously and warmly engaged to carry it
through. _Three years_ will not pass before a _submarine telegraph
communication will be had with Europe_, and I do not despair of sitting
in my office and, by a touch of the telegraph-key, asking a question
simultaneously to persons in London, Paris, Cairo, Calcutta, and Canton,
and getting the answer from all of them in _five minutes_ after the
question is asked. Does this seem strange? I presume if I had even
suggested the thought some twenty years ago, I might have had a quiet
residence in a big building in your vicinity."
The first part of this prophecy was actually realized, for in 1858, just
three years after the date of this letter, communication was established
between the two continents and was maintained for twenty days. Then it
suddenly and mysteriously ceased, and not till 1866 was the indomitable
perseverance of Cyrus Field crowned with permanent success.
More of the details of this stupendous undertaking will be told in the
proper chronological order, but before leaving the letter to Mr. Walker,
just quoted from, I wish to note that when Morse speaks of sitting in his
office and communicating by a touch of the key with the outside world, he
refers to the fact that the telegraph companies with which he was
connected had obligingly run a short line from the main line (which at
that time was erected along the highway from New York to Albany) into his
office at Locust Grove, Poughkeepsie, so that he was literally in touch
with every place of any importance in the United States.
Always solicitous for the welfare of mankind in general, he says in a
letter to Norvin Green, in July, 1855, after discussing the proposed
cable: "The effects of the Telegraph on the interests of the world,
political, social and commercial have, as yet, scarcely begun to be
apprehended, even by the most speculative minds. 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 war. I think I can predict this effect as in a not
distant future."
Alas! in this he did not prove himself a true prophet, although it must
be conceded that many wars have been averted or shortened by means of the
telegraph, and there are some who hope that a warless age is even now
being conceived in the womb of time.
On July 18, 1855, he writes to his good friend Dr. Gale: "I have no time
to add, as every moment is needed to prepare for my Newfoundland
expedition, to be present at laying down the first submarine cable _of
any considerable length_ on this side the water, although the first for
telegraph purposes, you well remember, we laid between Castle Garden and
Governor's Island in 1842."
On the 7th of August, Morse, with his wife and their eldest son, a lad of
six, joined a large company of friends on board the steamer James Adger
which sailed for Newfoundland. There they were to meet the Sarah L.
Bryant, from England, with the cable which was to be laid across the Gulf
of St. Lawrence. The main object of the trip was a failure, like so many
of the first attempts in telegraphic communication, for a terrific storm
compelled them to cut the cable and postpone the attempt, which, however,
was successfully accomplished the next year.
The party seems to have had a delightful time otherwise, for they were
fêted wherever they stopped, notably at Halifax, Nova Scotia, and St.
Johns, Newfoundland. At the latter place a return banquet was given on
board the James Adger, and the toastmaster, in calling on Morse for a
speech, recited the following lines:--
"The steed called Lightning (say the Fates)
Was tamed in the United States.
'T was Franklin's hand that caught the horse,
'T was harnessed by Professor Morse."
To turn again for a moment to the darker side of the picture of those
days, it must be kept in mind that annoying litigation was almost
constant, and in the latter part of 1855 a decision had been rendered in
favor of F.O.J. Smith, who insisted on sharing in the benefits of the
extension of the patent, although, instead of doing anything to deserve
it, he had done all in his power to thwart the other patentees.
Commenting on this in a letter to Mr. Kendall of November 22, 1855,
Morse, pathetically and yet philosophically, says:--
"Is there any mode of arrangement with Smith by which matters in
partnership can be conducted with any degree of harmony? I wish him to
have his legal rights in full, however unjustly awarded to him. I must
suffer for my ignorance of legal technicalities. Mortifying as this is it
is better, perhaps, to suffer it with a good grace and even with
cheerfulness, if possible, rather than endure the wear and tear of the
spirits which a brooding over the gross fraud occasions. An opportunity
of setting ourselves right in regard to him may be not far off in the
future. Till then let us stifle at least all outward expressions of
disgust or indignation at the legal swindle."
And, with the keen sense of justice which always actuated him, he adds in
a postscript: "By the by, if Judge Curtis's decision holds good in regard
to Smith's _inchoate_ right, does it not equally hold good in regard to
Vail, and is he not entitled to a proportionate right in the extension?"
During the early months of 1856 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 Europe. The objects of this trip were
threefold. He wished, as electrician of the Cable Company, to try some
experiments over long lines with certain English scientists, with a view
to determining beyond peradventure the practicability of an ocean
telegraph. He also wished to visit the different countries on the
continent where his telegraph was being used, to see whether their
governments could not be induced to make him some pecuniary return for
the use of his invention. Last, but not least, 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 years, and a trip abroad with his wife, who
had never been out of her own country, offered the best means of
relaxation and enjoyment. On the 7th of June, 1856, he sailed from New
York on the Baltic, accompanied by his wife and his niece Louisa,
daughter of his brother Richard.
The trip proved a delightful one in every way; he was acclaimed as one of
the most noted men of his day wherever he went, and emperors, kings, and
scientists vied with each other in showering attentions upon him. His
letters contain minute descriptions of many of his experiences and I
shall quote liberally from them.
To Cyrus Field he writes, on July 6, of the results of some of his
experiments with Dr. Whitehouse:--
"I intended to have written you long before this and have you receive my
letter previous to your departure from home, but every moment of my time
has been occupied, as you can well conceive, since my arrival. I have
especially been occupied in experiments with Dr. Whitehouse of the utmost
importance. Their results, except in a general way, I am not at present
at liberty to divulge; besides they are not, as yet, 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 success."
And then, after dwelling upon the importance of Dr. Whitehouse's
services, and expressing the wish that he should be liberally rewarded
for his labors, he continues:--
"I can say on this subject generally that the experiments Dr. Whitehouse
has made favorably affect the project so far as its _practicability_ is
concerned, but to certainly assure its _practicality_ further experiments
are essential. To enable Dr. Whitehouse to make these, and that he may
derive the benefit of them, I conceive it to be a wise outlay to furnish
him with adequate means for his purpose.
"I wish I had time to give you in detail the kind receptions I have
everywhere met with. To Mr. Statham and his family in a special manner
are we indebted for the most indefatigable and constant attentions. Were
we relatives they could not have been more assiduous in doing everything
to make our stay in London agreeable. To Mr. Brett also I am under great
obligations. He has manifested (as have, indeed, all the gentlemen
connected with the Telegraph here) the utmost liberality and the most
ample concession to the excellence of my telegraphic system. I have been
assured now from the _highest sources_ that my system is not only the
most practical for general use, but that it is fast becoming the _world's
telegraph_."
His brother Sidney was at this time also in Europe with his wife and some
other members of his family, and the brothers occasionally met in their
wanderings to and fro. Finley writes to Sidney from Fenton's Hotel,
London, on July 1:--
"Yours from Edinburgh of the 28th ulto. is just received. I regret we did
not see you when you called the evening before you left London. We all
wished to see you and all yours before we separated so widely apart, but
you know in what a whirl one is kept on a first arrival in London and can
make allowances for any seeming neglect. From morning till night we have
been overwhelmed with calls and the kindest and most flattering
attentions.
"On the day before you called I dined at Greenwich with a party invited
by Mr. Brett, representing the great telegraph interests of Europe and
India. I was most flatteringly received, and Mr. Brett, in the only toast
given, gave my name as the Inventor of the Telegraph and of the system
which has spread over the whole world and is superseding all others. Dr.
O'Shaughnessy, who sat opposite to me, made some remarks warmly seconding
Mr. Brett, and stating that he had come from India where he had
constructed more than four thousand miles of telegraph; that he had tried
many systems upon his lines, and that a few days before I arrived he had
reported, in his official capacity as the Director of the East India
lines, to the East India Company that my system was the best, and
recommended to them its adoption, which I am told will undoubtedly be the
case.
"This was an unexpected triumph to me, 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 Telegraph, claiming it exclusively for
Wheatstone. It was, therefore, a surprise to me to hear from the
gentleman who controls all the Eastern lines so warm, and even
enthusiastic, acknowledgment of the superiority of mine.
"But I have an additional cause for gratitude for an acknowledgment from
a quarter whence I least expected any favor to my system. Mr. Cooke,
formerly associated with Wheatstone, told one of the gentlemen, who
informed me of it, that he had just recommended to the British Government
the substitution of my system for their present system, and had no doubt
his recommendation would be entertained. He also said that he had heard I
was about to visit Europe, and that he should take the earliest
opportunity to pay his respects to me. Under these circumstances I called
and left my card on Mr. Cooke, and I have now a note from him stating he
shall call on me on Thursday. Thus the way seems to be made for the
adoption of my Telegraph throughout _the whole world_.
"I visited one of the offices with Dr. Whitehouse and Mr. Brett where (in
the city) I found my instruments in full activity, sending and receiving
messages from and to Paris and Vienna and other places on the Continent.
I asked if all the lines on the Continent were now using my system, that
I had understood that some of the lines in France were still worked by
another system. The answer was--'No, _all the lines on the Continent_ are
now _Morse lines_.' You will undoubtedly be pleased to learn these
facts."
While he was thus being wined, and dined, and praised by those who were
interested in his scientific achievements, he harked back for a few hours
to memories of his student days in London, for his old friend and
room-mate, Charles R. Leslie, now a prosperous and successful painter,
gave him a cordial invitation to visit him at Petworth, near London.
Morse joyfully accepted, and several happy hours were spent by the two
old friends as they wandered through the beautiful grounds of the Earl of
Egremont, where Leslie was then making studies for the background of a
picture.
The next letter to his brother Sidney is dated Copenhagen, July 19:--
"Here we are in Copenhagen where we arrived yesterday morning, having
travelled from Hamburg to Kiel, and thence by steamboat to Corsoer all
night, and thence by railroad here, much fatigued owing to the miserable
_dis_commodations on board the boat. I have delivered my letters here and
am awaiting their effect, expecting calls, and I therefore improve a few
moments to apprise you of our whereabouts.... In Paris I was most
courteously received by the Count de Vouchy, now at the head of the
Telegraphs of France, who, with many compliments, told me that my system
was the one in universal use, the simplest and the best, and desired me
to visit the rooms in the great building where I should find my
instruments at work. Sure enough, I went into the Telegraph rooms where
some twenty of my own children (beautifully made) were chatting and
chattering as in American offices. I could not but think of the contrast
in that same building, even as late as 1845, when the clumsy semaphore
was still in use, and but a single line of electric wire, an experimental
one to Rouen, was in existence in France.... When we left Paris we took a
courier, William Carter, an Englishman, whom thus far we find to be
everything we could wish, active, vigilant, intelligent, honest and
obliging. As soon as he learned who I was he made diligent use of his
information, and wherever I travelled it was along the lines of the
Telegraph. The telegraph posts seemed to be posted to present arms (shall
I say?) as I passed, and the lines of conductors were constantly stooping
and curtsying to me. At all the stations the officials received me with
marked respect; everywhere the same remark met me--'Your system, Sir, is
the only one recognized here. It is the best; we have tried others but
have settled down upon yours as the best.' But yesterday, in travelling
from Corsoer to Copenhagen, the Chief Director of the Railroads told me,
upon my asking if the Telegraph was yet in operation in Denmark, that it
was and was in process of construction along this road. 'At first,' said
he, 'in using the needle system we found it so difficult to have
employees skilled in its operation that we were about to abandon the
idea, but now, having adopted yours, we find no difficulty and are
constructing telegraphs on all our roads.'
"At all the custom-houses and in all the railroad depots I found my name
a passport. My luggage was passed with only the form of an examination,
and although I had taken second-class tickets for my party of four, yet
the inspectors put us into first-class carriages and gave orders to the
conductors to put no one in with us without our permission. I cannot
enumerate all the attentions we have received.
"At Hamburg we were delighted, not only with its splendor and
cleanliness, but having made known to Mrs. Lind (widow of Edward's
brother Henry) that we were in Hamburg, we received the most hearty
welcome, passed the day at her house and rode out in the environs. At
dinner a few friends were invited to meet us. Mr. Overman, a distant
connection of the Linds, was very anxious for me to stay a few days,
hinting that, if I would consent, the authorities and dignitaries of
Hamburg would show me some mark of respect, for my name was well known to
them. I was obliged to decline as I am anxious to be in St. Petersburg
before the Emperor is engaged in his coronation preparations."
While in Denmark Morse was granted a private interview with the king at
his castle of Frederiksborg, whither he was accompanied by Captain
Raasloff:--
"After a few minutes the captain was called into the presence of the
king, and in a few minutes more I was requested to go into the
audience-chamber and was introduced by the captain to Frederick VII, King
of Denmark. The king received me standing and very courteously. He is a
man of middle stature, thick-set, and resembles more in the features of
his face the busts and pictures of Christian IV than those of any of his
predecessors, judging as I did from the numerous busts and portraits of
the Kings of Denmark which adorn the city palace and the Castle of
Frederiksborg. The king expressed his pleasure at seeing the inventor of
the Telegraph, and regretted he could not speak English as he wished to
ask me many questions. He thanked me, he said, for the beautiful
instrument I had sent him; told me that a telegraph line was now in
progress from the castle to his royal residence in Copenhagen; that when
it was completed he had decided on using my instrument, which I had given
him, in his own private apartments. He then spoke of the invention as a
most wonderful achievement, and wished me to inform him how I came to
invent it. I accordingly in a few words gave him the early history of it,
to which he listened most attentively and thanked me, expressing himself
highly gratified. After a few minutes more of conversation of the same
character, the king shook me warmly by the hand and we took our leave....
"We arrived in the afternoon at Copenhagen. Mrs. F. called in her
carriage. We drove to the Thorwaldsen Museum or Depository where are all
the works of this great man. This collection of the greatest sculptor
since the best period of Greek art is attractive enough in itself to call
travellers of taste to Copenhagen. After spending some hours in
Thorwaldsen's Museum I went to see the study of Oersted, where his most
important discovery of the _deflection of the needle_ by a galvanic
current was made, which laid the foundation of the science of
electro-magnetism, and without which my invention could not have been
made. It is now a drawing school. I sat at the table where he made his
discovery.
"We went to the Porcelain Manufactory, and, singularly enough, met there
the daughter of Oersted, to whom I had the pleasure of an introduction.
Oersted was a most amiable man and universally beloved. The daughter is
said to resemble her father in her features, and I traced a resemblance
to him in the small porcelain bust which I came to the manufactory to
purchase."
"_St. Petersburg, August 8, 1856._ Up to this date we have been in one
constant round of visits to the truly wonderful objects of curiosity in
this magnificent city. I have seen, as you know, most of the great and
marvellous cities of Europe, but I can truly say none of them can at all
compare in splendor and beauty to St. Petersburg. It is a city of
palaces, and palaces of the most gorgeous character. 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 romancing.
England boasts of her regalia in the Tower, her crown jewels, her
Kohinoor diamond, etc. I can assure you that they fade into
insignificance, as a rush-light before the sun, when brought before the
wealth in jewels and gold seen here in such profusion. What think you of
nosegays, as large as those our young ladies take to parties, composed
entirely of diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires and other precious
stones, chosen to represent accurately the colors of various flowers?--
The imperial crown, globular in shape, composed of diamonds, and
containing in the centre of the Greek cross which surmounts it an
unwrought ruby at least two inches in diameter? The sceptre has a diamond
very nearly as large as the Kohinoor. At the Arsenal at Tsarskoye Selo we
saw the trappings of a horse, bridle, saddle and all the harness, with an
immense saddle-cloth, set with tens of thousands of diamonds. On those
parts of the harness where we have rosettes, or knobs, or buckles, were
rosettes of diamonds an inch and a half to two inches in diameter, with a
diamond in the centre as large as the first joint of your thumb, or say
three quarters of an inch in diameter. Other trappings were as rich.
Indeed there seemed to be no end to the diamonds. All the churches are
decorated in the most costly manner with diamonds and pearls and precious
stones."
The following account of his reception by the czar is written in pencil:
"On the paper found in my room in Peterhoff." It differs somewhat from
the letter written to his children and introduced by Mr. Prime in his
book, but is, to my mind, rather more interesting.
"_August 14, 1856._ This day is one to be remembered by me. Yesterday I
received notice from the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, through our
Minister Mr. Seymour, that his Imperial Majesty, the Emperor Alexander
II, had appointed the hour of 1.30 this day to see me at his palace at
Peterhoff. I accordingly waited upon our minister to know the etiquette
to be observed on such an occasion. It was necessary, he said, to be at
the boat by eight o'clock in the morning, which would arrive at Peterhoff
about 9.30. I must dress in black coat, vest and pantaloons and white
cravat, and appear with my Turkish nishan [or decoration]. So this
morning I was up early and, upon taking the boat, found our Minister Mr.
Seymour, Colonel Colt and Mr. Jarvis, attachés to the Legation, with Mrs.
Colt and Miss Jarvis coming on board. I learned also that there were to
be many presentations of various nations' attachés to the various special
deputations sent to represent their different courts at the approaching
coronation at Moscow.
"The day is most beautiful, rendered doubly so by its contrast with so
many previous disagreeable ones. On our arrival at the quay at Peterhoff
we found, somewhat to my surprise, the imperial carriages in waiting for
us, with coachmen and footmen in the imperial livery, which, as in
England and France, is scarlet, and splendid black horses, ready to take
us to our quarters in the portion of the palace buildings assigned to the
Americans. We were attended by four or five servants in livery loaded
with gold lace, and shown to our apartments upon the doors of which we
found our names already written.
"After throwing off our coats the servants inquired if we would have
breakfast, to which, of course, we had no objection, and an excellent
breakfast of coffee and sandwiches was set upon the table, served up in
silver with the imperial arms upon the silver waiter and tea set.
Everything about our rooms, which consisted of parlor and bedroom, was
plain but exceedingly clean and neat. After seeing us well housed our
attendant chamberlain left us to prepare ourselves for the presentation,
saying he would call for us at the proper time. 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 day.
"About two o'clock our attendant, an officer named Thörner, under the
principal chamberlain who is, I believe, Count Borsch, called to say our
carriages were ready. We found three carriages in waiting with three
servants each, the coachman and two footmen, in splendid liveries; some
in the imperial red and gold lace, and others in blue and broad gold lace
emblazoned throughout with the double headed eagle. We seated ourselves
in the carriages which were then driven at a rapid rate to the great
palace, the entrance to which directly overlooked the numerous and
celebrated grand fountains. Hundreds of well-dressed people thronged on
each side of the carriageway as we drove up to the door. After alighting
we were ushered through a long hall and through a double row of servants
of various grades, loaded with gold lace and with _chapeaux bras_.
Ascending the broad staircase, on each side of which we found more
liveried servants, we entered an anteroom between two Africans dressed in
the costume of Turkey, and servants of a higher grade, and then onward
into a large and magnificent room where were assembled those who were to
be presented. Here we found ourselves among princes and nobles and
distinguished persons of all nations. Among the English ladies were Lady
Granville and Lady Emily Peel, the wife of Sir Robert Peel, the latter a
beautiful woman and dressed with great taste, having on her head a Diana
coronet of diamonds.... Among the gentlemen were officers attached to the
various deputations from England, Austria, France and Sardinia. Several
princes were among them, and conspicuous for splendor of dress was Prince
Esterhazy; parts of his dress and the handle and scabbard of his sword
blazed with diamonds.
"Here we remained for some time. 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 statues. At length the master of
ceremonies appeared and led the way to the southern veranda that
overlooked the garden, ranging us in line and reading our names from a
list, to see if we were truly mustered, after which a side door opened
and the Emperor Alexander entered. His majesty was dressed in military
costume, a blue sash was across his breast passing over the right
shoulder; on his left breast were stars and orders. He commenced at the
head of the column, which consisted of some fourteen or fifteen persons,
and, on the mention of the name by the master of ceremonies, he addressed
a few words to each. To Mr. Colt he said: 'Ah! I have seen you before.
When did you arrive? I am glad to see you.' When he came to me the master
of ceremonies miscalled my name as Mr. More. I instantly corrected him
and said, 'No, Mr. Morse.' The emperor at once said: 'Ah! that name is
well known here; your system of Telegraph is in use in Russia. How long
have you been in St. Petersburg? I hope you have enjoyed yourself.' To
which I appropriately replied. After a few more unimportant questions and
answers the emperor addressed himself to the other gentlemen and retired.
"After remaining a few moments, the master of ceremonies, who, by the by,
apologized to me for miscalling my name, opened the door from the veranda
into the empress' drawing-room, where we were again put in line to await
the appearance of the empress. The doors of an adjoining room were
suddenly thrown open and the empress, gorgeously but appropriately
attired, advanced towards us. She was dressed in a beautiful blue silk
terminating in a long flowing train of many flounces of the richest lace;
upon her head a crown of diamonds, upon her neck a superb necklace of
diamonds, some twenty of which were as large as the first joint of the
finger. The upper part of her dress was embroidered with diamonds in a
broad band, and the dress in front buttoned to the floor with rosettes of
diamonds, the central diamond of each button being at least a half inch
in diameter. A splendid bouquet of diamonds and precious stones of every
variety of color, arranged to imitate flowers, was upon her bosom. She
addressed a few words gracefully to each, necessarily commonplace, for
what could she say to strangers but the common words of enquiry--when we
came and whether we had been pleased with St. Petersburg.
"Gratifying as it was to us to see her, 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 felt, that she was giving pleasure to
others. To me she appeared to be amiable and truly feminine. Her manner
was timid yet dignified without the least particle of hauteur. The
impression left on my mind by both the emperor and empress is that they
are most truly amiable and kind.
"After speaking to each of us she gracefully bowed to us, we, of course,
returning the salutation, and she retired followed by her maids of honor,
her long train sweeping the floor for a distance of several yards behind
her. We were then accompanied by the master of ceremonies back to the
large reception-room, and soon after we left the palace, descending the
staircase through the same lines of liveried servants to the royal
carriages drawn up at the door, and returned to our rooms. On descending
to our parlor we found a beautiful collation with tropical fruits and
confectionery provided for us. Our polite attendant, who partook with us,
said that the carriages were at our service and waiting for us to take a
drive in the gardens previous to dinner, which was to be served at five
o'clock in the English Palace and to which we were invited.
"Two carriages called charabancs, somewhat like the Irish vehicle of the
same name, with four servants in the imperial livery to each, we found at
the door, and we drove for several miles through the splendid gardens and
grounds laid out with all the taste of the most beautiful English
grounds, with lakes, and islands, and villas, and statues, and fountains,
and the most perfect neatness marked every step of our way.
"The most attractive object in our ride was the Italian villa, a favorite
resort of the emperor, a perfect gem of its kind. We alighted here and
visited all the apartments and the grounds around it. No description
could do it justice; a series of pictures alone could give an idea of its
beauties. While here several other royal carriages with the various
deputations to the coronation ceremonies, soon to occur at Moscow,
arrived, and the cortège of carriages with the gorgeous costumes of the
visitors alone furnished an exciting scene, heightened by the proud
bearing of the richly caparisoned horses, chiefly black, and the showy
trappings of the liveried attendants.
"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 Palace. Here
we found assembled in the great reception hall the distinguished company,
in number forty-seven, of many nations, who were to sit down to the table
together. When dinner was announced we entered the grand dining-hall and
found a table most gorgeously prepared with gold and silver service and
flowers. At table I found myself opposite three princes, an Austrian, a
Hungarian, and one from some other German state, and near me on my left
Lord Ward, one of the most wealthy nobles of England, with whom I had a
good deal of conversation. Opposite and farther to my right was Prince
Esterhazy, seated between Lady Granville and the beautiful Lady Emily
Peel. On the other side of Lady Peel was Lord Granville and near him Sir
Robert Peel. Among the guests, a list of whom I regret I did not obtain,
was the young Earl of Lincoln and several other noblemen in the suite of
Lord Granville.... Some twenty servants in the imperial livery served the
table which was furnished with truly royal profusion and costliness. The
rarest dishes and the costliest wines in every variety were put before
us. I need not say that in such a party everything was conducted with the
highest decorum. No noise, no boisterous mirth, no loud talking, but a
quiet cheerfulness and perfect ease characterized the whole
entertainment.
"After dinner all arose, both ladies and gentlemen, and left the room
together, not after the English fashion of the gentlemen allowing the
ladies to retire and then seating themselves again by themselves to
drink, etc. We retired for a moment to the great reception-hall for
coffee, but, being fearful that we should be too late for the last
steamer from Peterhoff to St. Petersburg, we were hurrying to get through
and to leave, but the moment our fears had come to the knowledge of Lord
Granville, 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 city, and he
was but too proud to have the opportunity of offering us a place on
board; an offer which we, of course, accepted with thanks.
"Having thus been entertained with truly imperial hospitality for the
entire day, ending with this sumptuous entertainment, we descended once
more to the carriages and drove to the quay, where a large barge
belonging to the Jean d'Acre, English man-of-war (which is the ship put
in commission for the service of Lord Granville), manned by stalwart
man-of-war's-men, was waiting to take the English party of nobles, etc.,
on board the steam-yacht. When all were collected we left Peterhoff and
were soon on board. The weather was fine and the moon soon rose over the
palace of Peterhoff, looking for a moment like one of the splendid gilded
domes of the palace.
"On board the yacht I had much conversation with Lord Granville, who
brought the various members of his suite and introduced them to me,--Sir
Robert Peel; the young Earl of Lincoln, the son of the Duke of Newcastle,
who, when himself the Earl of Lincoln in 1839, showed me such courtesy
and kindness in London; Mr. Acton, a nephew of Lord Granville, with whom
I had some conversation in which, while I was speaking of the Greek
religion as compared with the Romish, he informed me he was a Roman
Catholic. I wished much to have had more conversation with him, but the
time was not suitable, and the steamer was now near the end of the
voyage.
"We landed at the quay in St. Petersburg about eleven o'clock, and I
reached my lodgings in the Hotel de Russie about twelve, thus ending a
day of incidents which I shall long remember with great gratification,
having only one unpleasant reflection connected with it, to wit that my
dear wife, my niece and our friend Miss L. were not with me to
participate in the pleasure and novelty of the scenes."