between the great lakes and the Hudson, and in 1811, he was appointed a commissioner to explore the route of an inland navigation, from Hudson river to Lake Erie. His calculations of the advantages of the project are very interesting, and may be found appended to Colden's Life of Fulton.

At the commencement of the year 1814, a number of the citizens of New York, alarmed at the exposed situation of their harbor, had assembled with a view to consider whether some measures might not be taken to aid the government in its protec. tion. This assembly had, in fact, been invited by some knowledge of Mr. Fulton's plans for submarine attack, and of his contempla. ting other means of defence. They deputed a number of gentlemen to act for them, and these were called the coast and harbor committee. Mr. Fulton exhibited to this committee the model and plans for a vessel of war, to be propelled by steam, capable of carrying a strong battery, with furnaces for red-hot shot, and which, he represented, would move at the rate of four miles an hour. The confidence of the committee in this design was confirmed by the opinions of many of our most distinguished naval command. ers, which he had obtained in writing, and exhibited to the com. mittee. They pointed out many advantages which a steam-vessel of war would possess over those with sails only.

The national legislature passed a law in March, 1814, authorizing the president of the United States to cause to be built, equipped, and employed, one or more floating batteries for the defence of the waters of the United States. A sub-committee of five gen. tlemen was appointed to superintend the building of the proposed vessel, and Mr. Fulton, whose soul indeed animated the whole enterprise, was appointed the engineer. In June, 1814, the keel of this novel and mighty engine was laid, and in October, she was launched from the yard of Adam and Noah Brown, her able and active architects. The scene exhibited on this occasion was magnificent. It happened on one of our bright autumnal days. Mul. titudes of spectators crowded the surrounding shores, and were seen upon the hills which limited the beautiful prospect. The river and bay were filled with vessels of war, dressed in all their variety of colors, in compliment to the occasion. By May, 1815, her engine was put on board, and she was so far completed as to afford an opportunity of trying her machinery. But, unhappily, before this period, the mind that had conceived and combined it was gone. On the fourth of July, in the same year, the steam-frigate made a passage to the ocean and back, a distance of fifty-three miles, in eight hours and twenty minutes, by the mere force of steam. In September, she made another passage to the sea,

and

having at this time the weight of her whole armament on board, she went at the rate of five and a half miles an hour, upon an average, with and against the tide. The superintending committee gave, in their report, a full description of the Fulton the First, the honored name this vessel bore.

We now come to mention the last work in which the active and ingenious mind of Mr. Fulton was engaged. This was a project for the modification of his submarine boat. He presented a model of this vessel to the government, by which it was approved; and under the authority of the executive, he commenced building one; but before the hull was entirely finished, his country had to lament his death, and the mechanics he had employed were incapable of proceeding without him.

During the whole time that Mr. Fulton had thus been devoting his talents to the service of his country, he had been harassed by lawsuits, and controversies with those who were violating his patent rights, or intruding upon his exclusive grants. The state of New Jersey had passed a law which operated against Mr. Fulton, without being of much advantage to those interested in its passage; inasmuch as the laws of New York prevented any but Fulton's boats to approach the city of New York. Its only operation was to stop a boat owned in New York, which had been several years running to New Brunswick, under a license from Messrs. Livingston and Fulton. A bold attempt was therefore made to induce the legislature of the state of New York, to repeal the laws which they had passed for the protection of their exclusive grant to Liv. ingston and Fulton. The committee reported a law which they said might be passed consistently with good faith, honor, and justice! This report being made to the house, it was prevailed upon to be less precipitate than the committee had been. It gave time, which the committee would not do, for Mr. Fulton to be sent for from New York. The senate and assembly in joint session examined witnesses, and heard him and the petitioner, by counsel. The result was, that the legislature refused to repeal the prior law, or to pass any act on the subject. The legislature of the state of New Jersey, also, repealed their law, which left Mr. Fulton in the full enjoyment of his rights. But alas! this enjoyment was of very short duration; for on returning from Trenton, after this last trial, he was exposed on the Hudson, which was very full of ice, for several hours. He had not a constitution to encounter such exposure, and upon his return, found himself much indisposed from the effects of it. He had at that time great anxiety about the steamfrigate, and, after confining himself for a few days, he went to give his superintendence to the artificers employed about her. Forget

ting his debilitated state of health in the interest he took in what was doing on the frigate, he remained too long exposed, in a bad day, to the weather on her decks. He soon felt the effects of this imprudence. His indisposition returned upon him with such violence as to confine him to his bed. His disorder increased, and on the 24th day of February, 1815, terminated his valuable life.

It was not known that Mr. Fulton's illness was dangerous, till a very short time before his death, which was unexpected by his friends, and still more so by the community. As soon as it was known, all means were taken to testify, publicly, the universal regret at his loss, and respect for his memory. The newspapers that announced the event, had those marks of mourning, which are usual in our country when they notice the death of public characters. The corporation of the city of New York, the different literary institutions and other societies, assembled and passed resolutions expressing their estimation of his worth, and regret at his loss. They also determined to attend his funeral, and that the members should wear badges of mourning for a certain time. As soon as the legislature, which was then in session at Albany, heard of the death of Mr. Fulton, they expressed their participation in the general sentiment, by resolving that the members of both houses should wear mourning for some weeks.

This is the only instance, we believe, of such public testimonials of regret, esteem, and respect being offered on the death of a pri. vate citizen, who never held any office, and was only distinguished by his virtues, his genius, and the employment of his talents.

In the year 1806, Mr. Fulton married Miss Harriet Livingston, a daughter of Walter Livingston, Esq., a relative of his enterprising associate, Chancellor Livingston. He left four children; one son, Robert Barlow Fulton, and three daughters.

In conclusion, it may be proper to make a few remarks in relation to the labors of Mr. Fulton. He was not the original inventor of steamboats, because many had made them before him; neither was he the perfector, because the thing is not yet perfect. What was he then? Why, he was the first to gain the prize; he it was who satisfied the law; and since his boat went from New York to Albany, there has always been a regular succession of steamboats; so that he was the first to bring them into public use, and by his genius and perseverance, he so improved them as to lay a solid foundation for those who came after him to build upon. Professor Renwick has given a concise history of the invention of the steamboat, in his Treatise on Steam Engines; and has taken the right view of the subject, in our opinion, in relation to Mr. Fulton. Al

though there may be those in our own country, as well as in England and France, who are unwilling to give Mr. Fulton his full share of praise, on account of themselves or their relations having been interested in this invention, yet there are others in all these coun. tries who are willing to do him justice. The following is an extract from a memoir published in Paris some years ago; it is from the pen of Mr. Frederick Royou. "I willingly applaud the patriotic sentiment by which M. de Jouffroy desired that the honor of so great an invention should be attributed to a Frenchman. Unhap pily, however, it is here a question, much less of an invention, than of the application of a power already known. Besides, Fulton has never claimed the merit of being the inventor in this sense. The application which he made, may be considered as ordinary and common in its nature, because it was pointed out by so many scientific men; but the means of application were necessary, and Fulton has procured them." We extract the following from the English Penny Magazine, which, it is said, has a million of readers. "Fulton, the inventor of the steamboat in North America, which, in a few years, has produced such an astonishing change in that vast country, by connecting together its most distant states, sustained the mortification of not being comprehended by his countrymen. He was, therefore, treated as an idle projector, whose schemes would be useless to the world and ruinous to himself." And again, we find in the same work the following: "We cannot enter into a controversy whether Fulton, or Mr. William Symington, was the inventor of the steamboat. What has been said of Arkwright may apply to Fulton :-The several inventions which his patent embraced, whether they were his or not, would, probably, but for him, have perished with their authors; none of whom, except himself, had the determination and courage to face the multiplied fatigues and dangers that lay in the way of achieving a practical exemplification of what they had conceived in their minds.""

แ

Fulton may be compared with Watt. Both were persevering, and had great inventive powers; and both were fortunate alike in obtaining the confidence and support of patrons, who were generous, and who possessed ample fortunes. In this relation stood Mr. Bolton, and Chancellor Livingston.

14

JACOB PERKINS.

Birth.-Is apprenticed to a goldsmith.-Death of his employer.-Invents a superior method of plating shoe-buckles.-Prosecutes the manufacture of gold beads and shoe-buckles.-Early reputation.-Makes dies for the Massachusetts mint.-Invents the nail-machine.-Through the mismanagement of others, is reduced to poverty.-Harsh treatment by his creditors.-Inventions for the prevention of counterfeiting.-Opinion of public prosecutors concerning them. Removes to Philadelphia.-Goes out to England.-Proves the compressibility of fluids.-Pleometer.-Bathometer.-Improvements in hardening and softening steel.-Its application to the printing of calicoes and transferring of engravings.-Indenting cylinders.-Watt's steam artillery.-Jonathan Hornblower's steam rocket.-M. Gerard's plan for the defence of Paris.—Perkins' experiments with his steam-gun.-Conclusion.

THIS individual,* who has acquired, probably, more transatlantic fame than any American mechanician now living, is a lineal descendant of the Puritans, and was born in Newburyport, Mass., July, 1766. Early showing a fondness for mechanics, his parents placed him, when thirteen years of age, as an apprentice to a goldsmith.

Three years after, he lost his master: this, however, did not prevent him from continuing in the business. Gold beads and shoe-buckles were then in fashion; and having invented a new and superior method of plating the latter, he prosecuted the manufacture of these articles with considerable profit.

Perkins early acquired a reputation for ingenuity; for, before the adoption of the federal constitution, Massachusetts had a mint for copper coin, and, when he was only about twenty-one, the agent of this establishment hearing of his skill, sent for him to make dies. His success, happily, proved that the confidence was not misplaced. Not long after was invented his famous nailmachine, which cut and headed nails at one operation. This invention was considered very useful, and promised great profits: unfortunately, he was associated with those who had no property, and, by their mismanagement, he not only lost the fruits of several years' hard labor, but all he was worth; and, in addition to these troubles, he was treated by his creditors with unwarrantable harshness.

* American Magazine, Lardner's Cyclopædia, &c. &c.