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the possibility of applying the facts and laws of nature discovered by him 

 to practical purposes ; he has freely communicated information to those 

 who have sought it from him, among -whom has been Mr. Morse himself, 

 as appears by his own acknowledgments. But he has never applied his 

 scientific discoveries to practical ends for his own pecuniary benefit. It 

 was natural, therefore, that he should feel a repugnance to taking any 

 part in the litigation between rival inventors, and it was inevitable that, 

 when forced to give his testimony, he should distinctly point out what was 

 so clear in his own mind and is so fundamental a fact in the history of 

 human progress, the distinctive functions of the discoverer, and the inven- 

 tor who applies discoveries to practical purposes in the business of life. 



Mr. Henry has always done full justice to the invention of Mr. Morse. 

 While he could not sanction the claim of Mr, Morse to the exclusive use 

 of the electro-magnet, he has given him full credit for the mechanical 

 contrivances adapted to the application of his invention. In proof of this 

 we refer to his deposition, and present also the following statement of 

 Hon. Charles Mason, Commissioner of Patents, taken from a letter 

 addressed by him to Professor Henry, dated March 31, 1856 : 



U. S. Patent Office, 31arch 31, 1856. 



Sir : Agreeably to your request I now make the following statement : 



Some two years since, when an application was made for an extension of Prof. 

 Morse's patent, I was for some time in doubt as to the propriety of making that 

 extension. Under these circumstances I consulted with several persons, and 

 among others with yourself, with a view particularly to ascertain the amount of 

 invention fairly due to Professor Morse. 



The result of my inquiries was such as to induce me to grant the extension. I 

 will further say that this was in accordance with your express recommendation, 

 and that I was probably more influenced by this recommendation and the infor- 

 mation I obtained from you, than by any other circumstance, in coming to 

 that conclusion. 



I am, sir, yours very respectfully, 



CHAKLES MASON". 



Prof. J. Henry. 



To sura up the result of the preceding investigation in a few words. 



We have shown that Mr. Morse himself has acknowledged the value of 

 the discoveries of Professor Henry to his electric telegraph ; that his 

 associate and scientific assistant. Dr. Gale, has distinctly affirmed that 

 these discoveries were applied to his telegraph, and that previous to such 

 application it was impossible for Mr. Morse to operate his instrument at 

 a distance ; that Professor Henry's experiments were witnessed by Prof. 

 Hall and others in 1832, and that these experiments showed the possibility 

 of transmitting to a distance a force capable of producing mechanical 

 effects adequate to making telegraphic signals : that Mr. Henry's depo- 

 sition of 1849, which evidently furnished the motive for Mr. Morse's 

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