HENRY CORT. 183 



Percy. Cort was so unfortunate or so unwise as to become 

 connected as partner with one Samuel Jellicoe, son of the 

 Deputy-Paymaster of Seamen's Wages, To enable the firm to 

 carry on their business, the elder Jellicoe advanced to them 

 large sums out of the public moneys lodged in his hands ; and 

 when his accounts were investigated, it was found that the Cort 

 partnership owed him, or rather the Treasury, upwards of 

 ;^27,ooo. As Cort had assigned his patents to Jellicoe as 

 security for the advances, they were at once taken possession 

 of by the Crown ; but although the processes which formed the 

 subject of the patents were very shortly adopted to a large 

 extent by the Welsh and other iron-masters, the Government 

 never levied any royalty for their use, and the whole benefit of 

 the inventions was thus made over to the public. Had Cort's 

 estate been properly handled, there is every reason to believe 

 that not only would the debts due by him to the Treasury have 

 been paid, but that Cort himself would have realised a handsome 

 fortune. As it was, the Government lost the money owing to 

 the public treasury, while Cort was consigned to total ruin. 



" This story," says Dr. Percy, " is one of the saddest in the 

 annals of invention. Cort died in poverty, though he laid the 

 foundation of the riches of many an iron-master, and largely 

 contributed to the development of the resources and wealth of 

 Great Britain. It is true that the value of the process of 

 puddling has been greatly enhanced by subsequent improve- 

 ments, especially two, viz., the application of iron bottoms to 

 the puddling-fiurnaces, and the boiling process. But this has 

 been the course with many inventions — perfection only being 

 arrived at by slow degrees ; and merit is not the less because 

 others subsequently appear who improve the methods of their 

 predecessors." 



