FROM ART TO INVENTION
If you had been working very hard, and suddenly received an order from an
influential man to do a responsible piece of work for him, you would be
very happy over it. Such a pleasure came to Robert Fulton in 1791, when
Lord Courtenay, the Earl of Devon, invited the young artist to visit his
famous country estate, Powderham Castle, during the vacation month of
June, to paint his lordship’s portrait.
The castle in Devonshire, which is one of England’s most beautiful
counties, was about two hundred miles from London. There the Earl lived
in princely grandeur, and admitted to his court only persons of equal
rank; all others were entertained by his steward, a gentleman of birth
and education.
This visit proved a turning-point in Fulton’s life. With high hope he
made the journey by stage-coach, reveling in the springtime glory of
the wooded country-side. The study of the art treasures in the castle,
and his appreciation of them, led to a later tour of other famous
country-estates in England, and he became familiar with the great
masterpieces of painting which hung in the spacious private galleries of
the nobility, for Lord Courtenay, pleased with Fulton’s fulfilment of the
intrusted commission, introduced him to all his friends.
It was a novel and valuable experience for the young man. Devonshire is
noted for its scenic beauty and healthful climate: so the trip not only
gave the hard-worked student a beneficial change of air and scene, but
also put money in his purse, and quieted the fears of possible failure
which had occasionally disturbed his peace of mind.
Once again Fulton himself shall tell us, through this quaint and
delightful letter to his mother, of the pleasant change which had
befallen him:
DEVONSHIRE, Jan’ry 20th, 1792.
MY DEAR MOTHER,
This morning I rec’d a package of letters from Philadelphia
among which were one from you, one from Abraham and two from
Mr. Morris, one of which was for Mr. West. In Consequence of my
leaving London on June last for to do some business for Lord
Courtney In Devonshire which is about 200 miles from London
The letters by some accident have not reached me till now.
As you rely on it I should have answered them by the first
Conveyance—But I Rec’d them with Infinite pleasure as they come
from you and Informed me of your good health. And now I will
attend to the particulars As I am well convinced every Incident
Relative to my life will Communicate pleasure to you. You
express much desire to know how my pictures were Rec’d at the
Royal Academy—this I believe I answered before but possibly the
letter has miscarryed You will be pleased to hear that I sent
eight pictures which Rec’d every possible mark of Approbation
that the Society could give, but these exertions are all for
honor—there is no prophet (profit) arising from it. It only
tends to Create a name that may hereafter produce business.
My little tour through France proved very agreeable and was
of some service to me as a painter in as much as I saw the
works of some of the most able masters in the art, which much
improved my eye and taste.
Mr. West and me are on a very familiar footing and when he is
in town pays me much attention which is extremely agreeable as
we live near each other.
… And I must now Give Some little history of my life since I
came to London. I brought not more than 40 Guineas to England
and was set down in a strange Country without a friend and
only one letter of Introduction to Mr. West—here I had an
art to learn by which I was to earn my bread but little to
support whilst I was doing it. And numbers of Eminent Men of
the same profession which I must Excell before I Could hope to
live. Many, many a Silent solitary hour have I spent in the
most unnerved Studdy Anxiously pondering how to make funds to
support me till the fruits of my labours should be sufficient
to pay them. Thus I went on for near four years—happily beloved
by all who knew me or I had long ere now been Crushed by
Proverties Cold wind—and Freezing Rain—till last summer I was
Invited by Lord Courtney down to his Country seat to paint a
picture of him which gave his Lordship so much pleasure that he
has introduced me to all his Friends. And it is but just now
that I am beginning to get a little money and pay some debt
which I was obliged to Contract so I hope in about 6 months to
be clear with the world or in other words, out of debt, and
then start fair to Make all I Can.
You see dear Mother this is very different from being Rich(?)
not that I can say I ever was in absolute want. Heaven has been
kind to me and I am thankfull—hoping now to go on Smooth and
happy as the absence from my friends will admit of—I am happy
to hear that all my relations are well. I shall write to them
separately. I enjoy excellent health which I hope will Continue
till I may have the happiness of seeing you. Please to remember
me kindly to Mr. Smith and all friends And may Heaven Continue
its blessings towards you is the most unfeigned wish of your
Obedient Son,
ROBERT FULTON.
You will notice that Fulton says that Lord Courtenay had introduced
him to all his friends. Among them were two men of rank and high
intelligence, the Duke of Bridgewater and Earl Stanhope, whose influence
at this time seems partly responsible for a sudden change in Fulton’s
line of thought.
The Duke of Bridgewater owned vast coal mines. He sold their product in
the growing town of Manchester where coal was in demand for the many
factories; but every load had to be carried upon the backs of pack horses
and the transportation was slow and difficult. The duke had been trying
to find an easier way and, by the advice of a clever workman, he had
opened a canal through his land, and shipped the coal on barges. This
plan worked well and wealth began to pour into the duke’s coffers. This
led to his desire to dig canals throughout England so that produce from
farms might easily be sold. The idea was not new, for such waterways had
already been used in Europe and in Asia; but the duke’s way of building
them was somewhat novel, and one of the great difficulties he encountered
was that of overcoming the many different water levels.
When we recall the old-time methods,—stage-coaches lumbering their slow
way along post-roads; sailing vessels tacking their roundabout paths
across the oceans; and harvests wilting on the ground because farmers
had no way to send them to the cities where the hungry would gladly have
bought them;—when we remember all this we can quickly realize why the
thoughtful men of the world were beginning to try to plan new and better
ways of transportation.
Robert Fulton could look back in thought to his boyhood days in
Lancaster, and recall the story of the enrichment of certain farmlands
by a clever Swiss settler, who had watered a whole range of hitherto
barren land, by simply cutting trenches along the side of a hill, wherein
water was conducted, from upper springs, to the thirsty lands below. The
digging of channels to form watercourses was not new; it had proved its
value.
Inspired by the need of the Duke of Bridgewater, and impressed by the
money earned by his simple device, Robert Fulton set himself to study out
a better way to build canals.
In fact, about this time he appears to have been pondering on many
practical methods to simplify work. He visited the stone and marble
quarries in Devonshire and found that the digging and raising of the
heavy products was extremely hard work. His first invention was a mill
for sawing marble and stone, which proved so successful that when Fulton
returned to London in the autumn he sent his model to the Society of
Arts, Commerce and Manufactures and received a silver medal and the
thanks of the society.
Two talents were now striving for expression in Fulton’s active mind, art
and science. One or the other had to have his full devotion; and about
this time he seems to have laid aside his brushes, with all their charm
and the rewards which he was just beginning to realize, and to have
deliberately taken up the practical problems of invention.
This change was not because he did not love art, for throughout the
remainder of his life he continued, from time to time, to paint
portraits; he was ever a devoted patron and friend of art, but there was
not time for both professions, and that of the inventor now made the
stronger appeal.
The everyday needs were those which won Fulton’s earliest attention.
He made a machine for spinning flax, perhaps in thought of his patient
mother at home, working at her old-time spinning-wheel; and he next
produced a machine for making rope. It stood in a room forty feet square
and could be worked by one man, twisting cordage of any size and winding
rope yarn on spools.
In these inventions Fulton saw an opportunity to help mankind to better
and easier methods of work, and also a way of securing a competence. His
vision was wide; humanity was one family, and the round world provided a
vast field for labor. It is not probable that he could have gained this
view of life if he had tarried in quiet Lancaster.
[Illustration: THE WASHWOMAN.
The earliest known drawing by Robert Fulton. Owned by the Estate of
Joseph Bringhurst.]
He stayed in Devonshire nearly two years, although he returned to
London for occasional visits. From Devonshire he went to Birmingham,
a town of industrial importance, where he studied the method of the
Duke of Bridgewater for building canals from that point to the seaports
of England. From that time on his mind was concerned with plans for
better means of transport. The years 1792 to 1796 were filled with new
activities, new plans, new friends, new places of residence. He visited
France, he toured Devonshire, he went to Birmingham and Manchester, the
most important manufacturing centers in England where machinery of the
highest type then known was in use.
By 1794 Fulton had invented an inclined plane for use in canals, by means
of which boats could be lifted by upright hoists or rails to different
levels of water; his hope was to avoid the complicated system of locks.
He patented it in London, and described himself “Robert Fulton, late of
the City of Exeter, but now of the City of London, Gentleman,” which
indicates that he had laid aside his former titles, “miniature painter,”
and “painter.”
During his stay in Manchester Fulton met young Robert Owen, the manager
of Drinkwater’s Mill, the first mill to use steam power. Owen was a
fellow of fine intelligence and the two young men found many interests in
common.
With other well-chosen comrades they formed a club which met on winter
evenings to debate all sorts of subjects,—chemistry, science and
religion. They called themselves “philosophers”; and so interesting were
their meetings that they were very popular and well attended.
One of the members was John Dalton, who later became a noted chemist, and
another was the fine poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, then a student at
Cambridge, so he could only come during vacation times.
In 1794 Fulton and Owen formed a partnership for Inclined Planes and
Canal Excavations. Owen promised to advance the money and Fulton “to
apply his whole time and exertions to the said business.” But the
following spring, after a disappointment through the postponement of
digging a canal at Gloucester, the two men dissolved the partnership by
mutual consent. An unbroken friendship continued between them, and in
old age Owen referred with pleasure to the fact that he had been able to
advance Fulton in a career which later was of such benefit to the world.
In 1796 Fulton wrote to Owen that he had made an improvement in the
“tanning business” and that it promised to pay well. This goes to show
how many plans he carried in his fertile brain, but at this time he was
chiefly concerned in canal work.
During this year he produced his first publication, “A Treatise on
the Improvement of Canal Navigation,” and signed it “R. Fulton, Civil
Engineer.” Much time was spent over this production for he illustrated it
with seventeen plates and sent it broadcast to the distinguished men of
the world. In several instances he wrote personal letters to accompany
the book, by which he hoped to awaken wide interest.
He sent one letter to Governor Mifflin of Pennsylvania, another to
Napoleon Bonaparte, and a third to George Washington, then President of
the United States. This letter is interesting as showing how great a
system of canal extension Fulton had in mind:
LONDON, Sept. 12th, 1796.
To His Excellency, George Washington, President of the United
States:
SIR;
By my Friend, Dr. Edwards, I beg leave to present you with this
publication; which I hope will be honored with your Perusal
at a leisure hour: the object of which is to Exhibit the
Certain mode of Giving Agriculture to every Acre of the immense
Continent of America By Means of a Creative System of Canals:
When this Subject first entered my thoughts, I had no Idea
of its Consequences: But the Scene gradually opened and at
length exhibited the most extensive and pleasing prospect
of Improvements; hence I now Consider it of much national
Importance; and View it like the application of those
particular principles which produce certain effects:
Thus the discovery of the Mariner’s Compass Gave Commerce to
the World.
The Invention of printing is dissipating darkness and giving a
Polish to the Mass of Men.
And the Introduction of the Creative System of Canals as
certain in their effects will give an Agricultural Polish to
Every Acre of America. I therefore Beg Leave to Submit to your
Contemplation the Last Chapter with the Supplement; which
Exhibits the specific System for America: And hoping that your
Excellencies Sanction will awaken the Public attention to the
Subject; I Remain with all possible respect, Your Excellencies
Most Obedient and Very Humble Servant,
ROBERT FULTON.
The letter, hopefully sent by a friendly hand, was duly received and
politely acknowledged by our first president, who, on the 14th of
December, expressed his thanks and confessed “the subject is interesting
and I dare presume is well treated but as the Book came to me in the
midst of busy preparatory scenes for Congress I have not had leisure yet
to give it the perusal which the importance of such work would merit. I
shall do it with pleasure, I am persuaded, when I have.”
President Washington’s letter must have seemed somewhat disappointing,
after waiting five months, but optimism was Fulton’s strong point and he
thrived on even a crumb of encouragement. Accordingly, the day after its
receipt, we find that Fulton followed up the matter by another letter;
it shows that the young American had, as a base for calculation, only
the carriage rates from Lancaster to Philadelphia, yet with how sublime
a faith he prophesies the extension of a canal from Philadelphia to Lake
Erie,—the first prediction of the great Erie Canal! It was a brave flight
of fancy but was actually realized during the early part of the next
century,—Fulton having been the earliest to foresee its possibility.
He trusts that “His Excellency will soon have time to peruse his pamphlet
on small canals ‘in tranquil retirement from the busy operations of a
Public life.’” He confessed that the greatest difficulty in the plan was
to devise a method to raise the vast sum of money for the canals. At
first thought, he considered them “national works,” to be built at the
expense of the government, but finally concludes that an incorporated
company of subscribers should be formed who would pledge themselves to
apply one half, or any agreed part, of their profits to extension as it
would then be to their interest to promote the work and to guard the
earnings.
Then Fulton includes other states in the calculation and predicts “a
creative system which would fill the whole country and in less than a
century bring water-carriage within the easy cartage of every acre of the
American States, conveying the surplus labours of one hundred millions of
men, and bind the whole in bonds of social intercourse.”
Fulton wrote also to the great Napoleon and presented his plan with
considerable originality. He said that “fear of envy or the criticism of
ignorance is frequently the cause of preventing ingenious men from making
important discoveries;” and adds, “the mechanic should sit down among
levers, screws, wedges, wheels, etc. like a poet among the letters of the
alphabet, considering them as the exhibition of his thoughts, in which a
new arrangement transmits a new Idea to the world.” He reminded Napoleon
that “men of the least genius are the first to condemn and the last to
praise a new idea, because they have not the sense to grasp the produce
of genius when they see it.”
It was rather a daring deed for a young engineer to venture to offer to
Washington and Napoleon, world-famous men of their day, a new idea to
benefit their respective countries. He also tried to influence public
opinion in England by the publication in the _London Morning Star_ of
some essays on Canal Navigation.
It is to be hoped that these literary productions brought some money to
Fulton’s pocket, for he was so interested in his canal project that he
had not touched his painting for two years. He was on a fearless quest
for new methods to solve world-wide problems. He dared to be original.
Many a man who dared less has failed to bring valuable aid to humanity.
And so Fulton changed his career from art to invention, a turn in the
tide of his thought which brought much good to the world. But he retained
his love for beauty and his hand never lost its cunning; and later, in
hours of leisure, he painted portraits as strong and expressive as in his
younger days.