fresh in his possession, he immediately put the piece on paper, and so it was secured.

The cases of precocity of mental power, such as those of Chatterton, Henry Kirke White, and others, prove that refined feeling without cultivated knowledge, when allied to genius, may eloquently put forth this strange power.

When the endowment is manifested by rapid promptings of thought or action its performances seem marvelous. It is asserted that Mr. Inman sometimes with a sudden dash of his brush would invest his pictures with an impress, an expression, and a power not to be successfully imitated.

Poets and writers in possession of this rare gift, especially when possessed of a correct sense of virtue and piety, on the impulse of a moment, will produce a creation surpassingly excellent; though most of their writings are nominally in prose, yet it may be said that in many instances they are all poetical. In melody, beauty, purity, delicacy, and harmony of diction-indeed, in every respect except the form-they in reality are so.

The prose writings of Doctor Goldsmith, and those of Washing ton Irving, and those of Lamartine, manifest much of this power They are given with exquisite melody and feeling, with origin ality and often with rich and fascinating pictures of imagination. But the productions of our own native poet, Doctor J. R. Drake, present poetry in its spirit, its grace, and its power, indeed, extraordinary; and when considered in connection with the time and circumstances under which they were written must be regarded as wonderful. They were each and all of them impromtus, for he never elaborated; all were written before he reached the age of twenty-five, when he died; many of them before he was fourteen.

The Culprit Fay-that wonderful production of a wonderful intellect it is said, was composed and written in a few days. How in so short a period that could have been done, how in such variety and appropriateness the numerous creatures, the products, the elements, the vast stores of nature which he employed could in such minute and harmonious detail have been woven in and made so attractively tributary to the purposes of that remarkable work, cannot be answered otherwise than that it was so wrought out by the power of genius.

There is, however, a class of persons of genius whose labors seem designed, at all events when successful, to operate as

benefactors to humanity. Their efforts are for purposes other than for those of taste or mental enjoyment.

Frequently their destiny is unfortunate, and their lives, except in the happiness of thought or hope when absorbed in their search and study of the subject of their pursuits, are miserable. If successful in their experiments or investigations they seldom, though sometimes they do, reach prosperity and honor; but too often are rewarded with ingratitude and injustice. If they are unsuccessful and are without pecuniary resource, their lives thereafter are those of poverty, neglect, and suffering, and they pass to the grave without just appreciation and often with reputations for insanity or folly.

It is a class distinguished by their invincible and persevering belief in the soundness of their views, and by their sacrifices, labor, patience, hope, and unchangeable expectation of final success; they are most numerous among philosophers and mechanics. The Patent Office at Washington is full of their models, and that establishment curiously and strongly illustrates the eccentricities of the minds of those so gifted.

Yet to that class the civilized world is indebted for its improvements, conveniences, and modern accommodations-indeed, for a large share of the blessings which it now enjoys.

Among those of that description of the children of genius were Bernard de Paissy, the potter of France (whose life, character, sufferings, vicissitudes, and achievements have been graphically and elegantly described by Lamartine in his Memoirs of Celebrated Characters), and Robert Fulton above named.

Mr. Fulton was of Irish parentage. He was born, in 1765, upon a farm which within that year had been purchased by his father, in the town of Little Britain, in Pennsylvania, in the same neighborhood in which Benjamin West was born. He was one of five children, three daughters and two boys. He was the eldest son. His father was a member of the Presbyterian Church, and when his son Robert was about one year old he removed to the city of Lancaster, in Pennsylvania, and there, in the year 1768, died and was buried.

At the age of eight years, Robert Fulton indicated obviously the tendency of mind which was afterward disclosed, and during his boyhood and his minority he, by a succession of developments,

made manifest the faculty for which, in mature life, be became distinguished.

At about the age of fourteen his first inventive act in navigation was successfully accomplished by his affixing paddle-wheels to a fishing-boat on the Costenoga, and fastening two arms together on pieces of timber at right angles, with a crank attached, and a paddle at each end.

At the age of seventeen he left Lancaster and went to Philadelphia, where he remained until he was twenty-one; he there pursued the occupation of a portrait and landscape painter, and in making drawings of machinery.

While there he enjoyed the acquaintance of Doctor Franklin, and he acquired money and means by his business. With what he had thus acquired he, at about the time of his majority, purchased for his mother, and settled her and her younger children on, a small farm in Washington county, in the same State of Pennsylvania. His mother died in 1799, and one of his sisters, Mrs. Scott, finally inherited the property by his generosity. The practical demonstration of affection, industry, and prudence thus displayed proved how good was his heart and how excellent his principles at that early period of his life.

After he had settled his mother and her younger children on the farm which he had purchased he set out on his return to Philadelphia, but on the way was overtaken by a pulmonary malady to which he was subject, and, by the advice of his friends, relinquished his intent to return and determined on a voyage to Europe.

He embarked for England, and reached London, where, among others, he met with his fellow-countryman, Mr. West, with whom be became intimate and resided for several years Their mutual respect and esteem increased as their intimacy continued; indeed, their friendship endured without impairment during the residue of their lives. Mr. West, presented to Mr. Fulton the portrait of himself (Mr. West) and his wife, and, besides, took the portrait of Mr. Fulton; all which paintings, on his return, Mr. Fulton brought with him to the United States.

He remained in England many years, ostensibly following the occupation of a limner, but really in constant thought and action on the subject of mechanics and the improvements that he contemplated in useful science, and in frequent communication with

men of intellect and learning. He was for two years in Devonshire, near Exeter. Men of genius, taste, and accomplishments naturally associated with him and sought his society. He was justly respected for his talents, his virtues, and his amiable nature.

In 1797 he was in Paris, and for seven years afterward resided with and was the intimate friend there of the late Joel Barlow. Mr. Barlow was the author of the poem "The Columbiad," and Mr. Fulton, having become warmly attached to him, took a deep interest in the work. He designed the illustrations, and at a very large expense had the plates contained in it made and the work prepared, printed, and published. The plates intrinsically prove the talent of their designer; and the printing, binding, and getting up of the work demonstrate that in those respects it is not surpassed, and cannot be, in excellence.

While he was in Paris Mr. Fulton made mathematics, chemistry, and perspective his special objects of study; and the knowledge he thus acquired, united with his genius, placed him as one of a superior power among men of talent and learning.

In Paris he projected the first panoroma which was there exhibited. It was a novelty and produced a handsome emolument. The detail of his proceedings while he was in Europe, until the latter part of 1806, would be too lengthy to be here inserted. During all that period his mind appears to have been incessantly in action in some form of connection or other with his neversleeping desire of effecting useful discoveries and improvements in science.

The chief subjects of his meditations and study seem to have been steam navigation upon and under the water, marine explosions above or within it, inland navigation, and torpedo war. Many other subjects engaged his attention. He obtained a large number of patents. In truth, his inventions became numerous. A list of them is given in his life by Mr. Reigart, published in 1856. They serve to display a mental and varied power really extraordinary.

In 1793 he was engaged in an interesting correspondence with Lord Stanhope on the subject of steam vessels, and in efforts to improve in England internal navigation, and in plans for submarine navigation and explosion.

While he was in Europe endeavoring to render successful his

principles of marine navigation, Chancellor Livingston in the United States was engaged in experiments toward the same end, and so far successfully convinced others of the practicability of his plans that in 1798 he obtained from the Legislature of the State of New York a law vesting him with the exclusive right to navigate with steamboats in this State for twenty years, on condition that within twelve months he should build a boat of the mean speed of not less than four miles an hour.

Mr. Livingston, like Mr. Fulton, was a devoted believer in the ultimate success of marine steam navigation, and expended large sums of money and great labor in bis experiments, but he was unsuccessful.

Mr. Fulton, while he was in France, succeeded in attracting the attention of the French government on several occasions to, and in interesting that government, and that of the British nation also, in, his plans of submarine navigation and explosions.

In the harbor of Brest his experiments with his plunging boat, the Nautilus, and with his torpedoes were quite successful. After those experiments and after professed examinations both the French and English governments rejected his plans as not, in their judgments, practically useful; the latter government, however, in reality considering them as dangerous to British supremacy on the ocean.

In the after war, that of 1812, between the United States and Great Britain, the sense of that danger was manifest; for the British observed, when approaching near to our ports, and with good reason, the utmost care in seeking for hidden war machines, and uniformly evinced great anxiety as to where Mr. Fulton was and what he was doing.

His presence at that time in the United States and the aid which he extended to them during the war was a material protection to their ports and harbors from British naval attack.

In 1801, when Mr. Livingston went to France as Minister of the United States, he there met and became intimate with Mr. Fulton. Their views and sentiments were too congenial to allow them to be otherwise. They soon agreed that a series of experiments, the principal direction of which should be left to Mr. Fulton, should be made by them to determine how far the principles of steam navigation were attainable. The agreement was carried into effect.