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

APPENDIX.
SAMUEL F. B. MOESE,
Of Ncu pork.
SAMUEL FINLEY BREESE MORSE is the inventor of the American-ElectroMagnetic Telegraph. He was the eldest son of the Rev. Jedediah Morse,
D. D., the author of Morse's Geography. He was born at Charlestown,
Massachusetts, on the 29th of April, 1791. His mother's name was Breese.
She was a descendant of the Rev. Samuel Finley, D. D., a former President
of Princeton College. From this ancestor and his mother, Professor
Morse derives his Christian name.
Ile graduated at Yale College in 1810.
Young Morse had a passion for painting so strong that, in 1811, his
father sent him to Europe, under charge of Mr. Alston, that he might perfect himself in the art to which he desired to devote his life. He had
letters to West and Copley, and soon had the satisfaction to excite the
peculiar regard of the former, who was in the zenith of his fame. In
May, 1813, his picture of the'" Dying Hercules" was exhibited at the
Royal Academy, Somerset House, eliciting much commendation. Auxiliary to the painting of this picture, he had moulded a figure of
" Hercules " in plaster, which he sent to the Society of Arts to take its
chance for a prize in sculpture. Iis adventure was successful, and, on
the 13th May, 1813, he publicly received a gold medal with high commendation from the Duke of Norfolk, then presiding.
Thus encouraged, the young artist prepared a picture representing the
"'Judgment of Jupiter in the case of Apollo. Marpessa, and Idas," to contest the prize of a gold medal and fifty guineas offered by the Royal
Academy in 1814. Being called home before the exhibition, his picture
was denied admittance, because he could not attend in person. West, the
president, to whom he exhibited the picture after it was finished, advised
him to remain,. and after the public exhibition wrote him that he had no
doubt it woill have taken the prize.
In August. 1N15, Morse returned to his own country, flushed with high
hopes, based on his success abroad. He opened his rooms in Boston,
where he exhibited his " Judgment of Jupiter;" but for a whole year he
did not receive a single offer for that picture or a single order for any other
of an historical character. This was a cruel disappointment, for in that direc
tion his ambition lay. Having thus far depended on means derived from
his father, and seeing no prospect of independence in that line, he
botook himself to portrait-painting, and in that pursuit visited various
towns in New-Hampshire. In a few months, he returned with a considerable sum in money acquired by painting small portraits at fifteen dollars
each.