THOSE who have had the good fortune to discover a new machine, or to make any material improvement on such as have been already discovered, must lay their account to encounter innumerable difficulties ; they must arm themselves with patience to abide disappointments ; to correct a thousand imperfections (which the trying hand of experience alone can point out) to endure the smarting shafts of wit, and, what is perhaps more intolerable than all the rest put together, (on the least failure of any experiments) lo bear up against the heavy abuse and bitter scoffs of ill-natured ignorance These never fail to represent the undertaker as an imposler, and his motives most knavish : Happy for him if he escape with so gentle an appellative as that of a madman.

This is the fate of the unlucky projector, even in the cities of Europe, where every material is at his command, and every artificer at his service. A candid public will then consider my situation, thrown by hard fate beyond the mountains, and deprived of every advantage which, that grand mover, money, produces, they will easdy perceive how my difficulties have been multiplied, which is the only reason of my not exhibiting my long promised BOAT before this ; and which I hope will be a sufficient apology. Even ncfw, theee difficulties render my matjhinery Smry incomplete j but

1014 EARLY STEAM

M^ Fitch's endeavoring to procure patents for his boat, by uncandidly representing to the different Assemblies, that my boat had nothing to do with Steam, although he had been informed that I was before him, both in the idea and application of Steam, and he had actually procured an exclusive right from two respectable Assembles, who had granted me the same in the year 1784, before I was aware what he was about, such treatment obliged me, circumstanced as I was, to make an experiment, in order to secure my own discovery, by shewing my principles, as Mr.