The Sun.
London, England, 1827-10-15 00:00:00

ROBERT FULTON.

Had that great benefactor to the world, and par-
ticularly of his country, been spared to this day, to
witness the numerous and wide-spreading blessings
.to commerce and to manufactures dispensed by the
hroper application of steam, how serenely would he
ave " passed the downward road." But he was
cut off—in the midst of his usefulness was be cut
off—while his country was boldly engaged in war—
while his powerful mind was contriviitg'and concert-
ing schemes to move ponderous batteries among the
.becalmed fleets of the enemy; and before his plans
of submarine warfare had reached any practical re-
sult. His torpedo system, had he brought it to per-
fection, would have carried terror with its progress,
and instead of alleviating the miseries of war, would
have added tenfold to its horrors. It might have
prevented its frequency and abridged its length, and
combined with the engines of destruction, invented
by our countryman, Perkins, would have placed in
the hands of ambitious monarchs the means of de-
struction too horrible to contemplate. Only think
of the awful, appalling powers of the torpedo, which
moved under and attached itself to its victim in the
dead of the night, the hour when 1,000 persons in a
74 would be asleep in their hammocks—its explo-
sion would destroy. the whole in a moment, and send
them into the next world in a breath !
The pecuniary situation of Robert Fulton was so
unexpected at his death, that instead of a compe-
tency, his widow and children were left with a
country's gratitude as their only dowry.

ORIGINAL LETTER FRO3I ROBERT FULTON, TO JOEL BAR-

LOW, PHILADELPHIA.

NEW YORK, Auc. 22, 1827.

has turned out rather
to Albany and back
cc My Dear Friend—My steam-boat voyage
distance from 'New - York to Albany is 130
miles; I ran it
more favourable than I had calculated. The
in thirty-two hours and
down in thirty hours.up
The latter is just five miles
an 'hour. I had a light breeze against me the whole
no use was made of
way, going and coming,
so that
wholly
i
my sails ; and the voyage has been
by the power of the steam engne:
performed
I overtook many
, " The
sloops and schooners beating to windward, and passed
them as if they had been at anchor.
is
boats by steam.nov,
fully Proved. The morning I left New York, there
were not, power of propelling
Perhaps, thirty persons in the city who
believed that the boat would ever move one mile an
hour,.
°I. be of the least utility. And while we were
putting off from the wharf, which was crowded with
PPectators, I heard a number of sarcastic remarks;
This is the way ).0„
know in which ignorant men
compliment what they call philosophers and pro-
jectors.
" Having employed much time and money, and
zeal, in accomplishing this work, it gives me, as it
will you, great pleasure‘ to see it so fully answer my
expectations. It *ill give a cheap and quick con.
Veyance to merchandize on the Mississippi, Missouri,
and other great rivers;-- which are now laying open
their treasures to the enterprize of our countrymen.
And although the prospect of personal emolument
has been some inducement to me, yet I feel infinitely
more pleasure in reflecting with you on the immense
advantage that ray country will derive from the in- ,
vention.

" However, I will not admit that it is half so im-
portant es the torpedo system of defence and attack ;
for out of this will grow the liberty of the seas; an
object of infinite importance to the welfare of Ame-
rica, and every civilized cou*try. But thousands of
witnesses have now seen the steam-boat in rapid
movement, and they believe; they have not seen a
ship of war destroyed by a torpedo; and they do not
believe. We cannot expect people in general will
have a knowledge of physics, or power of mind suffi-
cient to combine ideas, and reason from causes to,
effect.. But in case we have war, and the enemy's
*ships come into our waters, if the Government will
give me reasonable means of action, I will soon con-
vince, the world that, we have surer and cheaper
nodes of defence than they are aware of.
" t'our's; Bie.
"ROBERT FULTON."