242 PIONEERS OF SCIENCE IN AMERICA. 



cess to the taking of portraits for which its inventor had 

 doubted its being applicable. After actively pursuing the art 

 for about six months, Prof. Morse laid it aside to devote his 

 attention to the telegraph more closely, but during several 

 years made occasional experiments and improvements upon 

 the process. 



The year 1839 was crowded with discouragements. A pro- 

 visional arrangement to introduce the telegraph into Russia, 

 which Morse had made with an agent of the Russian Govern- 

 ment while he was in Paris, failed to receive the approval of 

 the Czar. A Mr. Chamberlain who had undertaken to exhibit 

 the telegraph to the governments of eastern Europe, lost his 

 life in an excursion on the Danube before he had effected any 

 results of pecuniary value. Meanwhile the rival schemes of 

 Wheatstone in England and Steinheil in Bavaria were making 

 progress. 



The years 1840 and 1841 dragged through without any 

 improvement in Morse's prospects. In the spring of 1840 he 

 completed the formalities required, which he had interrupted 

 on departing for Europe in 1838, and received his patent. 

 Wheatstone had actually secured an American patent for some 

 of his devices at an earlier date, and was urging his scheme 

 upon Congress. Morse's partners had suffered financial re- 

 verses and were no longer able to help him. Almost despair- 

 ing, he worked on constructing improved instruments with his 

 own hands, and obtaining a precarious livelihood by giving 

 lessons in painting. The long session of Congress in i84i-'42 

 wore away without any attention being secured for the tele- 

 graph. He had not had the money since 1838 to make an- 

 other prolonged stay in Washington, but the next winter, de- 

 termined to stake all upon a last personal appeal to Congress, 

 he proceeded to the capital. Again he carefully strung his 

 wires and set up his instruments ; day after day he patiently 

 explained the operation of his invention to members of Con- 

 gress, officers of the Government departments, and other vis- 

 itors. He had a few active friends at Washington ; one of 

 these was Hon. H. L. Ellsworth, a college classmate, who was 

 now Commissioner of Patents. Hon. Charles G. Ferris, of New 

 York city, undertook to push the bill relating to the telegraph 

 through the House. He secured a favourable report from the 

 Committee on Commerce December 3oth. When the short 



