The telegraph manual: a complete history and description of the semaphoric, electric and magnetic telegraphs of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, ancient and modern.

EMINENT TELEGRAPHERS. 817
spired Professor Morse with a new hope, and a new life, and the prospect
of such aid was to him, as the undoubted guaranty of a complete
ultimate success.
The time for the appointed exhibition to the full committee arrived.
Professor Morse was there with punctuality, and filled with new animation by the continued manifestations of a purpose on the part of the
chairman, to render him every possible support, from conviction that
the theory of the invention was a reality, and deserving of the liberal
patronage of the government in hastening its development practically.
Suffice it to say, the exhibition was convincing and conclusive to the
committee, and the chairman obtained the necessary instruction to report
in its favor, with an appropriation bill for thirty thousand dollars, to construct an experimental line between Washington and Baltimore cities.
Mr. Smith proceeded at once to draft the report and bill-the same
report which has been given elsewhere it this volume. It was unanimously approved and signed by the committee, and this dawning of a
future so much brighter than all previous encouragements had opened up to
him, so electrified Professor Morse, that. had Congress never acted further
upon the subject, he would still feel that he had not lived in vain.
It was this report that gave vitality, "' habitation, and a name," to the
Morse Telegraph. Its language spoke in the tones of a positive convicsion of the reality of the invention, and of the diversity of its powers,
and the. grateful inventor owned then, that he had been providentially
guided to a friendship in the zeal of Mr. Smith, such as he had most
wished for, but had never before attained among his fellow-men. And,
he insisted on having the author of this report accompany him to Europe
and to stand by his side through all the coming struggles for the inauguration into practical use by the world, of this new and wonderful agent of
intercourse. It was thus, and then, that Professor Morse proffered Mr.
Smith the ownership of one fourth of the entire invention in the United
States, and five sixteenths of all its advantages and the interests that
might be acquired under it abroad, he furnishing the requisite means of
outfit for the visit to Europe together, to prosecute its adoption there by
the public. Mr. Smith, filled with admiration of the invention, crude as
it was then in form, accepted of these proposals; and in May following,
(1838) he having obtained leave of absence from the House for the
remainder of the session. embarked with Professor Morse at New York for
Liverpool. Having arrived in London, they immediately set at work
reviewing the outposts of inventions on foot there in the same linevisited Mr. Davy's Electric Telegraph, then on exhibition, also the Patent
Office, and believing the way clear to the procurement of a patent for the
professor's invention, submitted the application in due form. To their
astonishment, notice shortly was received of its disallowance by the
Attorney-General: upon what precise grounds was not explained, so as
to subject the opposition to a full and open contest. But upon the fullest
insight that could be had, at the request of Professor Morse, Mr. Smith
framed a concise argumentative letter addressed to the Attorney
General, which was copied and signed by Professor Morse, in which a
further hearing was sought, and was finally obtained; but with no more
success than before. This letter, while it succcessfully refuted every
objection, as is still believed, to the just claims of Professor Morse to a
patent from the English government for the mode of operating an Electro
Magnetic Telegraph which he had invented, without claiming all modes,
presents also the exact sum of perfection to which the professor's invention had reached at that period; and for this purpose it is the best histori
cal expose of the subject which exists, for substantiating the claims of the
professor to inventive genius in practical telegraphing.
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