and Fulton is allowed only the merit of introducing it among the Americans. In vain do we tell the Europeans, that they had no wight the idea first entered, at de exec arot. be thus propelled., Now, the warmest friend of Fulton has never pretended, that he was the first to conceive the design, but only that he was the first to carry it into Mr. Colden his admirer and biographer, bas taken the pains to enumerate the abortive attemps that had been previously inade; nor did he, or any of us, imagine, that the praise of original invention would be denied to him, who, at length, succeeded in doing what so many had tried to do. The claim of the Italians is founded on an obscure suggestion in some manuscript letters of a Mr. D. Seraphin Seralli du Mont Capi. The French produce the Marquis de Jauffray; who, as they say, made some experiments, at some time, and in some place or other. And it seems, too that one Desblancs, Horologer to Trecourt, was busy upon a similar contrivagop light of etymology, in ascertaining |