224 SAMUEL FINLEY BREESE MORSE. 



Morse, but an epoch in American progress. At 

 the dinner-table the conversation turned upon recent 

 discoveries in electro-magnetism, and the experi- 

 ments of Ampere with the electro-magnet. Morse 

 said, " If the presence of electricity can be made 

 visible in any part of the circuit," and he had seen 

 that it could years before in the class-room at Yale 

 College, " I see no reason why intelligence may not 

 be transmitted instantaneously by electricity." 



He thought the subject over as he walked upon 

 the deck, and as he lay in his berth, too deeply 

 interested to sleep. If intelligence could be trans- 

 mitted, it could be recorded. He took from his 

 pocket a note-book, and thought out his alphabet 

 of dots and lines. He showed his sketches to his 

 fellow-passengers, not a wise thing, as it proved, 

 when, later, one of the persons on board laid claim 

 to the invention, causing some years of litigation. 



When the vessel reached New York, Morse said, 

 "Well, captain, should you hear of the telegraph 

 one of these days as the wonder of the world, 

 remember the discovery was made on board the 

 good ship Sully." 



Electricity had been known and studied since 

 early times. It had been ascertained that the 

 electric force could be stored up. as in the Leyden 

 jar, and that it could be conducted through long 

 metallic wires. The discovery of the Voltaic pile, 

 or battery, in 1800, gave a great impetus to the 

 study. Oersted of Copenhagen found that the 

 position of the magnetic needle may be changed 



