180 MATTHEW FONTAINE MAURY 



and discoveries, which have been fully made known to 

 you verbally. The communication was confidential and 

 for the purpose of making you a party interested in bring- 

 ing the subject into proper notice. It was also verbally 

 agreed that you should undertake to negotiate with 

 certain powers for the adoption of this new system of 

 defense as improved by me and grants made therefor 

 should be shared between us, I receiving one half of the 

 full amount so granted without charge or deduction of 

 any sort. 



''The only restrictions placed upon you in this matter 

 are: 1. The enemies of my country are not for any con- 

 sideration whatever to have the benefits of these im- 

 provements. On the contrary, on making them known 

 to others, you are to make them known in confidence 

 and with a clause in the agreement especially providing 

 against publicity and stipulating that the plan shall not 

 be made known to any Yankee or his government. 

 2. I had already offered to H. I. H. Grand Duke Con- 

 stantine, as a token of acknowledgment for his great 

 kindness and friendly consideration shown me and mine, 

 when this war broke out, to place all these my discoveries 

 and improvements at his feet and for the use of his 

 government. I have referred him to you as my confidant 

 and friend who is fully prepared to carry out my plans 

 in all their details, or who will explain them in confidence 

 to any person he may appoint. You are to make no 

 charge, therefore, for imparting this information, at 

 his request, and should he or his government think 

 proper to offer me an honorarium, it is not to be shared 

 by you. 3. My friend. Captain M. Jansen of the Dutch 

 Navy who resides at Delft, has assisted me in a part of 

 these experiments. We are as brothers. All that I 



