IN HOLLAND AND ENGLAND
I have said that Fulton gave up his art, but only as a profession, for
during the years he spent with Mr. and Mrs. Barlow he painted not only
the panorama but several fine portraits. He made two oil portraits of
Barlow, one as a gift to him, the other to keep for himself; as is proved
by the fact that one is now owned, through inheritance, by a member of
the Barlow family, the other by a descendant of Fulton. He mentions in a
letter having painted a portrait of Mrs. Barlow, but this cannot now be
found.
Joel Barlow had been engaged for some years in writing a long epic poem,
“The Columbiad”; a review of Columbus’s discovery and the colonization
of America; the establishment of the republic; the habits of the Indian
inhabitants; the gradual growth of American welfare and peace. It was a
long recital, in lofty sentences. Columbus, the discoverer, was the hero,
pining in a foreign prison when Hesper, the evening star, enters his
cell.
In thought she leads the captive to a mount of vision and unrolls upon
a screen all that has happened and all that shall happen in the land
Columbus discovered. The theme was vast and proved a pleasant and
prolonged study for both Barlow and Fulton. The latter was so inspired
by the flowing stanzas that he made twelve illustrations which were
skilfully engraved for the large volume, published in 1807, at an outlay
of nearly five thousand dollars. This was generously defrayed by Fulton
to show his appreciation of Barlow’s many kindnesses.
The poem did not meet with much success. Public appreciation failed to
crown it with approval; but as an example of loyal and generous affection
between friends it will always command interest.
We now come to an interesting turn in the tide of Fulton’s affairs. He
had proved that the steamboat would run upon the waters of the Seine; he
had entered into a partnership with Chancellor Livingston to go to New
York to build a boat for traffic on the Hudson River between New York
and Albany; but the agreement, you remember, included Fulton’s return to
England to order a suitable engine.
Accordingly, Fulton wrote a letter to Boulton & Watt, at that time the
most famous engine-makers in the world, and inquired the price of the
engine for which he sent a descriptive drawing. He wanted only parts of
the machinery,—the cylinder of twenty-four horse-power, the piston-rod
and piston, the valves and movements for their opening and shutting; the
air-pump and condenser; all the other parts, he explained, could be made
in New York, “as they require a particular arrangement which must be done
while I am present.”
He had to get a permit to export the engine, so Fulton asked the builders
to ship the engine to Mr. Brockholst Livingston, through the American
Consul, in whose hands he placed the money for payment. He said that if
any difficulty arose about getting the permit, he would seek it through
the American Minister, James Monroe.
Boulton & Watt’s reply appears to have been disappointing, for a month
later Fulton wrote to repeat the order and asked haste in its fulfilment,
as “communication between France and England is daily growing more
difficult.” Four weeks later the engine-builders declined the order, as
they could not get permission to export the machinery. This was certainly
discouraging, as France and England were again declaring war against each
other; but Fulton traveled over to Holland, and wrote from there to Mr.
Monroe, asking his assistance, and adding:
… “Your desire to see useful arts introduced or created in our
country is the strongest reason for your urging the permission
and accepting no refusal; the fact is I cannot establish the
Boat without the engine. The question is then—shall we or shall
we not have such boats?”
At the same time Fulton sent a second entreaty to Boulton & Watt, telling
them of his request of Mr. Monroe, and renewing the order. He says,
“It gives me pain to trouble you on a business so insignificant, but I
have no confidence in any other engines, and hope you will give me the
necessary information on the Boiler and other parts so as to produce the
best effect. I wish exceedingly to be obliged by you.”
But no reply came to either of these letters, and Fulton’s plan for
the American steamboat seemed doomed to disappointment. Again he wrote
to Mr. Monroe, but the diplomat probably hesitated to ask for a permit
officially refused to an English firm of established reputation, and
in behalf of an American enthusiast, already under watch by naval
authorities. For the British had kept informed concerning Fulton’s
submarine torpedo-boats, and at the suggestion of the English statesman,
Lord Stanhope, they thought it best to have Fulton on their side of the
channel. Accordingly, Lord Sidmouth, then Prime Minister, contrived
a meeting with Fulton in Paris and persuaded him to take the trip to
Holland, where, on neutral ground, he could confer with a representative
of the British government.
Fulton thus described the meeting: “About this time, May, 1803, there was
a gentleman in London, Dr. Gregory, who had known me in Paris for some
years. I had many conversations with him upon my inventions and their
probable success.” It was this Dr. Gregory whom Lord Sidmouth sent to
talk to the inventor.
Fulton described his invention to Dr. Gregory and offered to put the
English government in full possession of the combinations and movements
of submarine torpedo-boats, so that any good engineer could make and
navigate them; he also promised full directions for making submarine
bombs and to explain the many ways to use them.
Dr. Gregory asked Fulton to go to Holland to await a reply. He promised
to bring it in person, passing, for political reasons, under the assumed
name “Smith.” For three months Fulton waited in Amsterdam, until “Mr.
Smith” arrived in December with unsatisfactory proposals from the
government. Fulton declined these, but drew up another form of proposal
for “Mr. Smith” to take back to England. Then Fulton returned to Paris.
The following March “Mr. Smith” arrived in Paris with a letter from Lord
Hawksbury; it was encouraging; and Fulton decided to go to London to
consider an engagement by the British government.
Busy days followed as Fulton made ready to take his final farewell of
France. Barlow also was about to return to America, to spend his last
days in peaceful retirement. Before leaving, Fulton packed a great number
of his drawings and papers in a large box to ship to America; but the
vessel was wrecked at sea and the box, when finally recovered, was so wet
that much of the writing was impossible to decipher. Cadwallader Colden,
who wrote the first life of Fulton, laments this accident and gives it as
the chief reason that so little is known of Fulton’s life in England and
France. But by the light of many gathered facts, the story of the years
has been pieced together.
Napoleon was ready to declare himself emperor, and this took place on May
18th, 1804. This act was a disappointment to Fulton who had hoped that
the French Revolution would result in the formation of a republic. He
and Barlow were both glad to leave Paris at this time. Indeed, Fulton’s
contract with Livingston necessitated his trip to England to get the
engine, so the overtures of the British statesmen came just at the right
time. Rebuffed and disappointed, after years of waiting for Napoleon’s
recognition of his plans, Fulton, as a neutral, had perfect liberty to
transfer his interests as well as himself to another country. He embarked
for England in May, and in due season reached London.