HENRY AXD THE TELEGRAPH. 345 



liis later siicoessea had as freely exteuded liis cougratulatious and his testimonials of 

 the practical merits of his invention.* 



To descend to a personal controversy with Mr. Morse, was" utterly repugnant to 

 Henry's feelings ; to permit his serious impeaclmient to stand untraversed, appeared 

 scarcely less ohjectionahle. With a calm and self-respecting dignity, Plenry simply 

 presented the published arraignment to the Board of Regents, for their consideration 

 and action, with a communication dated March 1(5, 1857, in the following terms : 



" Gextle:\iex : In the discharge of the important and responsible duties which de- 

 volve upon me as Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, I have found myself exposed, 

 like other men in public positions, to unprovoked attack and injurious misrepresenta- 

 tion. Many instances of this it may be remembered occurred about two years ago, 

 during the discussions relative to the organic jjolicy of the Institution ; but though 

 very unjust, they were suffered to jiass unnoticed, and generally made I presume no 

 lasting impression on the i)ublic mind. During the same controversy however there 

 was one attack made upon me of such a nature, so elaborately prejjared and widely 

 circulated by my opponents, that though I have not j^et publicly noticed it, I have 

 fi'om the first thought it my duty not to allow it to go unanswered. I allude to an. 

 article from the pen of Prof. S. F. B. Morse, the celebrated inventor of the American 

 electro-magnetic telegraph. In this, not my scientific reputation merely, but my moral 

 character was i)ointedly assaih^l ; indeed, nothing less was attempted than to prove 

 that in the testimony which I had given in a case where I was at most but a reluctant 

 witness, I had consciously and willfully deviated from the truth, and this too from 

 unworthy and dishonorable motives. 



' ' Such a charge, coming from such a quarter, appeared to me then, as it appears 

 now, of too grave a character and too serious a consequence to be withheld from the 

 notice of the Board of Regents. I therefore presented the matter unofficially to the 

 Chancellor of the Institution, Chief Justice Taney, and was advised by him to allow 

 the matter to rest until the then existing excitement with respect to the organization of 

 the Institution should subside ; . . . and I now embrace the first oiqiortunity of bring- 

 ing the subject officially to your notice, and asking from you an investigation into the 

 justic;>- of the charges alleged against me. And this I do most earnestly, with the de- 

 sire that when we shall all have passed from this stage of being, no knputatiou of having 

 attempted to evade in silence so grave a charge shall rest on 7ne, — nor on you, of having 

 continued to devolve upon me duties of the highest responsibility, after that was known 

 to some of you individually, Avhich if true should render me entirely unworthy of 

 your confidence. Duty to the Board of Regents, as well as regard to my own memory, 

 to my family, and to the truth of history, demands that I should lay this matter be- 

 fore you, aud place in your hands the documents necessary to establish the veracity of 

 my testimony so falsely impeached, and the integrity of my motives so wantonly as- 

 sailed." t 



A select committee of the Board of Regents having accordingly been appointed to 

 examine fnlly into the imputations referred to, and thereupon to report the conclusion 

 reached, — after a carefitl consideration of all the evidence and documents accessible, 

 presented through its chairman. President Felton, of Harvard University, a compre- 

 hensive report, from which the following extracts are made : 



"The committee have carefully examined the documents relating to the subject, and 

 especially the article to which the comnumication of Professor Henry refers. This ar- 

 ticle occupies over ninety pages, aud iiurports to be 'a defense against the injurious 



* "It was my wish in every statement to render Mr. Morse full and scrupulous jus- 

 tice. While I was constrained therefore to state that he had made no discoveries in 

 science, I distinctly declared that he was entitled to the merit of combining and ap- 

 plying the discoveries of others in the inveution of the l)est practical form of the 

 magnetic telegrai)h. My testimony tended to establish the fiict that though not enti- 

 tled to the exclusive use of the electro-magnet for telegraphic purposes, lie was enti- 

 tled to his particular machine, register, al})habot, &c. This however did not meet 

 the fall rcfjuirements of Mr. Jlorse's comprehensive claim." 



t Sinitlinoniaii Report for 1857, pp. 85, SQ. 



