Morning herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1837-1840, 1840-05-09

| The members ofthe Naval Committee in Congress,
have now under consideration, plan TO reward tn,
founder or inventor of the Naval School system
now in successful operation in several Of our navy
yards. The merit of this has always been awarded
to Mr. Thomas Coin, of this city; but latterly tn,
'Army and Navy Chronicle" put forth a claim il
behalf OF Captain Perry; which is thus answered by
Mr.. Goin:-
NEW YORK, April l5 1910
To the editor Ofthe AYmy and Macy Chronicle.
SIR: My attention has 10 day duly been directed
to the comments in your valuable paper of the I'd in
slant, small pamphlet, lately published, enti
tied Remarks on the Home Squadron and Naval
School, find cause to complain OF lack OF
courtesy in any of our remarks; on the contrary
some of them, far as they so, are, and have ne
doubt were intended to be, complimentary; nor dc
feel any disposition 10 carp at the credit bestsw
ed on the gallant Captain NJ. c. Perry, of our navy,
whom estimate intelligent man. and an active
and able officer. Without detracting
from Captain Perry, may be respectfully allow ed
TO say that his conception was one which died at the
BIRTH and had not strength to live the nee
sary struggle for existence.
BY way OF illustrating my argument, Fulton is a
case in point Can any detraction justly apply to
his great merit as the successful applicant of steam
to the purposes of navigation, because others had
years before thought OF such thingl is Captain
Perry alone in his claim of having thought of it.
high and noble name in naval records, that of the
late Commodore Chauncey, is given as also having
thought of IL; and would to God that thought with
them had been the germ of action. Was Commo-
dore Chauncey prevented by sense of subordina-
tion from urging his plans on the Navy Department.
hope Will have the hardihood to answer in
the affirmative And Captain Perry say that his
thought was precedent to Commodore Chauncey' S
thought, and that he did not possess as great ad-
vantages as did in urging his plans On the Execu-
tive or on the Department, and on Congress?
believe it is an established principle in the law
OF patents that he who perfects any piece of mach-
merry, and puts il in successful operation must be
q N v nt0r If her had
OF before; fort same train OF reasoning may lead
Others 10 the same result, and the who has had
the energy and perseverance, to carry his discove-
rIes through is not to be defrauded of his reward,
because others had thought of it, ifthe thought died
abortion. Captain Perry's thought originated and
died in 1924. Can he say whether Commodore
Chaunceys was not precedent for unless he fix
a date subsequent, the merit will remain undecided,
and the motto of ''palmam qui meruit ferat' must
be suspended between these thoughtful fathers of
the Naval School. have thought of il, however,
Britain, and far thought goes, | can out date
beth the Captain and the highly esteemed and re-
spected Commodore.
l claim, however, the motto of "palman qui meruit
ferat, from having, without any knowledge what
ever Of Captain Perry's or Commodore Chauncey's
conceptions, given birth to the heathful and active
conception which has established our Naval School,
and placed 1t on firm foundation; of having, as a
private citizen, dgested my plans, and expended
from eight to ten years urging them the
ton OF the Executive, on the Navy DEPARTING MT and
ON Congress, and of having originated and carried
bill through both Houses triumphantly, at small
loss of time, and great expenditure OF money! pla-
cling the Naval School in active and successful ope-
raton and let any private citizen or naval officer
detract from that if they Go TO our naval de-
pots, or our school ships, and learn that thought
with me was the germ of action. See my healthy
and living progeny, the children Of Tom Coins
thought training for future usefulness and disinc
ton IN their country's service; preparing TO carry
the national banner in trium oh through he des
he Ia st a blood
before it shall be lowered in shame in dishonor;
and then let any unpre JUDGED Individual say wheth-
er am 10 be deprived of the honor of being the ORR
-nator, the father, and founder of the Naval School,
because Captain Perry, or Commodore Chauncey,
OF some other officers the navy had thought some
thing about it, but had the energy requisite to
carry il through.
The utmost Of Captain Perry claim 10, that let
ter was written to the Department containing as he
expresses il, - some hints for the profound judy
menf of those 'rho cere placed at the head of the nG-
uy.' After which it took profound sleep Of six
teen years. (sometbng like Rip Van Vinkles at the
highlands,) until il walked up by Edmund l..
Dubarry, Surgeon United States Navy, to take the
wreath from my brows to encircle those Of Captain
Perry. IL is no 60. ! not to be alarmed by
chase OF the hcadless horseman Of Sleepy Hollow, or
any thing that may be thrown at me; and trust to
your sense Of right to accord to me the same pri-
viiege in your columns, which you have vouchsafed
ts Captain Perry.
! am, sir, yoars, &e. THos. COIN.
We have not space to-day TO go into the merits of
this matter, further than simply to say that mem
bers Of Congress find time To fight, drink, and
render themselves ridiculous and disgraccful, but
cannot find time to reward humble merit We have
always been in favor of Tom Coins claim, and
slider him entitled to at least 900. His letter is
well written one; shows him to be classic scho.
lar, and ccnversant with Latin, and at the same time
thoroughly versed in the nerve and simplicity Of the
Saxon tongue. He is besides capital shot and
capital fellow. Give him the S5OO at once.
HARRIsos SKyTcHHs.-We are preparing and
shall publish as fast possible, Sketches Of the
battles and segcs Of General Harrison" to be ac-
companied with original engravings of the principal
scenes, and full and amusing descriptions Of all the
fights. Indeed we are not sure but we SHALL this
sumner, visit in person the battle fields of Tippeca-
noe Fort Meigs and the Thames, and put off our vi
sit 20 Europe for another year. II may be as well
for me TO settle the "vexed question Of the presi-
dency before again cross the Atlantic. Wen see
NV YoRE, May s, 1870.
Mr.. JAS. G.. BEsSErr-
DEAR SiE-In the Herald Of this morning I no.
ticed an article, purportng to be from Croome n
Co, engravers, Philadelphia, stating that the cut
made by me, representing the sortie at Fort Meigs
was taken from design Of their own, Of which
they had secured copy right. The thing to which
they allude, believe have seen hawked about the
grace the columns Of your paper, than the cut Of
"whoe hog would be to decorate the title page of
the Holy Bible. As To the originality Of theirs, the
principal part is copied from some old United
States historical engravings drawn by Doctor An
derson tenyears before Harrison was ever thought