Mr. Peale an introduction to the man whom he 

 esteemed as a model man for application, energy and 

 sterling honesty. My uncle, in offering me a letter 

 to Sir Walter, suggested that through him I might 

 get a favorable introduction to Mr. Donkin. Al- 

 though there was no man in England out of my own 

 line of business that it would have afforded me more 

 pleasure to meet than Sir Walter, I declined, feelinc 

 a delicacy of intruding as a mere curiosity hunter. I 

 refer to this to relate a little incident that occurred on 

 the outward voyage. 



About mid-ocean we met a west-bound vessel. 

 Our captain slightly altered his course to come wiihin 

 hailing distance, the answer to which came: 

 "Bark - — , lumberman, of St. John's, New Bruns- 

 wick; from London; homeward bound." This was 

 at a time of great political excitement in England — in 

 English phraseology, a crisis. Wellington had been 

 invited to re-form a cabinet; in answer to the hail of 

 "What political news?" came "Sir Walter Scott is 

 dead;" to the question of "Any other news?" as the 

 distance increased between the vessels, all we could 

 catch of the reply was the reiterated. ""Sir Walter 

 Scott is dead." No possible calamity short of total 

 shipwreck could be greater to the skipper of the 

 lumbering lumber bark than the loss of the author 

 whose writing had cheered the hours of his long and 

 tedious voyages. It was a heartfelt tribute to Sir 

 Walter Scott. 



I spent considerable time previous to going to 

 London in visiting mines, iron and general mechanical 

 works in the vicinity of Manchester, Birmingham, 

 Sheffield and Halifax. At one establishment I 

 found them casting of iron, washing and beating 

 engines [for paper making] the entire cistern in a 

 single piece. There were no recesses or any provision 

 for sand traps. This inclines me to believe that this 

 important attendant to all good beating or washing 

 engines is of American origin where they were in 

 common use from my earliest recollection, and these 

 unalterable cast-iron engines were the first I had ever 

 seen where they were omitted. 



During these excursions, which were made under 

 the most favorable circumstances as to introductions, 

 I had the opportunity of seeing several of Donkin's 

 Fourdrinier machines in operation, and from the 

 owners of two of the mills using them received letters 

 of introduction to Mr. Donkin, in both cases without 

 solicitation on my part. 



On my way from Birmingham to London I stopped 

 at Oxford, mainly to see the great printing establish- 



ments, said at that time to be the finest in the world. 

 To Oxford I was accompanied by a friend from Bir- 

 mingham, who introduced me to Mr. fames Swann, 

 of Ensham. a very courteous gentleman who had two 

 expensive paper mills both equipped with Donkin's 

 newest and most improved machines. He took us 

 to his place where we remained a couple of days 

 visiting with him both of his mills, giving opportunity 

 of learning all then known as to paper making ma- 

 chinery. The beauty of these machines, and great 

 perfection in performing their work, made me more 

 desirous than ever to become favorably acquainted 

 with Mr. Donkin. 



It was at these mills that I first saw the Ibotson 

 pulp dresser, 143 built by Donkin, in use. It only dif- 

 fered from the slit plate pulp dresser in use in the 

 United States in being made of separate bars, the 

 spaces between which were regulated by slips of sheet 

 brass of a thickness to give the space required between 

 the bars. My father had invented and patented in 

 the United States a pulp dresser that we had suc- 

 cessfully applied between the stuff chest and vat of 

 the hand-making paper mills. 144 I took one of these 

 to England with me, thinking it might be worth 

 securing there by patent: at all events it would be 

 useful as a favorable introduction in obtaining the 

 information I was in search of. I sketched for and 

 explained this device to Mr. Swann. who advised 

 my sending the machine to Mr. Donkin, and advising 

 with him. 



He asked me if I was aware that simply exhibiting 

 the machine would, in case of litigation, be fatal to a 

 patent either issued to the inventor or introducer. 



On replying that I was fully informed on that sub- 

 ject, he said I would be perfectly safe in consulting 

 Mr. Donkin in confidence. He then asked if I had any 

 friends in London who could favorably introduce me. 



I replied no, unless it were John I. Hawkins 145 or 

 Mr. Jacob Perkins, or Charles Leslie the artist. 



He said Mr. Perkins would not do, for he knew Mr. 

 Donkin was jealous of, and prejudiced against, 



143 See note 156 below. 



ui Patented June 6, 1832. No restored drawing exists, but 

 an illustration was published in the Journal of the Franklin 

 Institute. Sec figure 53. 



145 Not to be confused with "Old Blind Hawkins." John 

 Isaac Hawkins (1 772-1865) was born in England but s| ent 

 a considerable part of his life in the United States. He was in 

 London a patent agent. He is perhaps best known for his 

 design of an upright piano. See Minutes of the Proceedings 

 oj the Institution oj Civil Engineers (1865), vol. 25, pp. 512-514. 



110 



