Chapter 20

SAMUEL F.B. MORSE.

Birth--Parentage--Early education--Graduates at Yale College--Becomes an artist--His masters--Visits England--His first attempt--"The Dying Hercules"--Opinion of Benjamin West--Wins the medal of the Adelphi Society of Arts--Ambition as an artist--His cold reception by the Americans--Mr. Tuckerman's comments--Organizes the National Academy of Design--Visits Europe the second time--The homeward voyage in the "Sully"--News of the experiments at Paris with the electro-magnet--How the electric telegraph was invented--Morse is made a professor in the University of New York--Completion of his model--An imperfect telegraph--His first experiments--The duplicate finished--First exhibition of the telegraph--Morse applies for a patent--Visits Europe to introduce his invention--His failure--Seeks aid from Congress--A disheartening effort--A long struggle--Independence of Morse--Despondent at last--A sudden lifting of the cloud--The experimental line--The trial--A curious Cabinet Minister--Success of the telegraph--Establishment of companies in the United States--Professor Morse wins fame and fortune--The telegraph in Europe--Honors at home and abroad--A list of his rewards--Morse originates submarine telegraphy, and predicts the laying of an Atlantic telegraph--Personal characteristics.

IV. PUBLISHERS.