John Quincy Adams Digital Diary

26. V:30. Benjamin Owen Tyler was here this morning— He is a sort of itinerant writing Master, and consanguineous with me. He writes a good hand, with the further talent of imitating very exactly the hand-writing of others. He has published a copy of the Declaration of Independence engraved with fac similes of the signatures. I propose to employ him to take an exact fac simile, of the whole Declaration, including the signatures; to be kept separate from the original, and as an accurate likeness of it, in case of any accident happening to it. I called at the Patent Office to make enquiry of the principle of an invention for which A. W. Foster and a person named Hugus are taking a patent— Foster has written me a Letter in which he speaks of it as a desideratum in mechanics; expects that within five years it will be navigating the Wolga and the Caspian, and applies to me for information how he is to obtain Patents for it, all over Europe. I found Dr Thornton making out a Patent for it, and describing it as a mode of obtaining rotary, by rectilinear motion— It is one of the innumerable progeny of the Steam engine; a machine almost as pregnant of Power, as the element by which it operates— Fulton’s Steam-Boats have turned all the projecting heads in that direction— Fulton himself invented little or nothing; but with the aid of Chancellor Livingston’s fortune, he made the inventions of others practically useful— Fulton’s patent privilege from Nature was enterprize, and Perseverance— He was doubtless ingenious too, but I believe not more so than many ordinary mechanics. This improvement of Mr Fosters, is a simplification of Fulton’s Machinery; but differs nothing in principle, and very little in mode from several other models of Patents to produce the same effect which the doctor shewed me. He also told me the whole Story of his own Steam-boat, which actually ran upon the Schuylkill several years before Fulton’s, but which failed of ultimate success, merely by his want of Perseverance and pecuniary means.— I went over the whole Office with the Doctor, and examined many of the Models— I thought how useful and profitable an occupation it might be for a young man with competent fortune, and having no other necessary pursuit in life, to take up this collection of models; to examine and make himself thoroughly master of the principles and of the peculiar invention, or new idea with its physical application, in each of them—then to classify them; to mark all those if any there be, which contain a new principle—to examine the differences in the modifications of the same principle—then to observe and compare them with reference to their ultimate results—what effect they produced upon the enjoyments or conveniences of human life—distinguishing those of which the ends are comprehensive and important from those which terminate in trifles— A Steam-Engine, or a Corkscrew. Finally to make a History of these Inventions, with reference to the characters of the Inventors, and the character of the Nation—by whose citizens they were invented. It would lead to inferences, developing the moral and intellectual character of the Nation itself, and might with a good natural capacity, and 97industrious, sober and persevering habits lead to inventions and discoveries as useful and important as any of those accumulated in the Office— There might be danger unless he had a well ballasted mind of its making him a mere projector— Would it not be worth while among the public institutions of a Nation to have a school for the education of a certain number of civil Engineers?— Would it not be worth the while of a Secretary of State to reflect and examine, whether it is not among his duties to devise means of rendering this Patent Office more conducive to the Public service, and of more extensive usefulness?— This last question I am afraid I shall never solve— Every day starts new game to me, upon the field of my duties; but the hurry of the hour leaves me no time for the pursuit of it, and at the close of my Career I shall merely have gone helter skelter through the current business of the Office, and leave no permanent trace of my ever having been in it behind— Mr John Graham called upon me at the Office to enquire again when I should be ready with his Instructions— I said to-morrow. He urged again to have some part of the expences for his passage in the Frigate, paid by the Department— It is very difficult to resist these personal applications face to face— But great abuses have been creeping in to the pecuniary affairs of the Department; which have produced disorders in its accounts, and a consequent dissatisfaction in Congress. Mr Monroe and Mr Madison while in the Department, made it a principle to leave all these questions unsettled— In this way there arose irregular allowances for the expences of Ministers having passages in Public Ships; and in the case of the Mission to South-America they were enormous. I have no other principle to recur to than that of allowing no expence for the passage, whatsoever. This brings me into a disagreeable collision with every Minister going abroad, and those who like Graham are here at hand, and come one day to ask if they cannot be allowed to use the Ship-bread, and the next to enquire whether we will not pay for the extra cups and saucers for the breakfast table, bring one into a state of ludicrous distress, for resources of polite modification to the monosyllable NO— The Viscount de Quaback Chargé d’Affaires from the Netherlands came with his Cousin Mr Goupil de Beauvolers, who took leave; going immediately home to Bruxelles, upon important private family concerns. Sasse the Prussian Secretary of Legation is likewise recalled, and going immediately home— Mr and Mrs Smith spent the Evening here—