AFTERTHEveryminuteandelaboratepaperbyArago，tosaynothingofthesummaryin’Silliman’sJournal，’withthedetailedstatementjustpublishedbyLieutenantMaury，itwillnotbesupposed，ofcourse，thatinofferingafewhurriedremarksinreferencetoVonKempelen’sdiscovery，Ihaveanydesigntolookatthesubjectinascientificpointofview。Myobjectissimply，inthefirstplace，tosayafewwordsofVonKempelenhimselfwithwhom，someyearsago，Ihadthehonorofaslightpersonalacquaintance，sinceeverythingwhichconcernshimmustnecessarily，atthismoment，beofinterest；and，inthesecondplace，tolookinageneralway，andspeculatively，attheresultsofthediscovery。
Itmaybeaswell，however，topremisethecursoryobservationswhichIhavetooffer，bydenying，verydecidedly，whatseemstobeageneralimpressiongleaned，asusualinacaseofthiskind，fromthenewspapers，viz。：thatthisdiscovery，astoundingasitunquestionablyis，isunanticipated。
Byreferencetothe’DiaryofSirHumphreyDavy’CottleandMunroe，London，pp。150，itwillbeseenatpp。53and82，thatthisillustriouschemisthadnotonlyconceivedtheideanowinquestion，buthadactuallymadenoinconsiderableprogress，experimentally，intheveryidenticalanalysisnowsotriumphantlybroughttoanissuebyVonKempelen，whoalthoughhemakesnottheslightestallusiontoit，is，withoutdoubtIsayitunhesitatingly，andcanproveit，ifrequired，indebtedtothe’Diary’foratleastthefirsthintofhisownundertaking。
Theparagraphfromthe’CourierandEnquirer，’whichisnowgoingtheroundsofthepress，andwhichpurportstoclaimtheinventionforaMr。Kissam，ofBrunswick，Maine，appearstome，Iconfess，alittleapocryphal，forseveralreasons；althoughthereisnothingeitherimpossibleorveryimprobableinthestatementmade。Ineednotgointodetails。Myopinionoftheparagraphisfoundedprincipallyuponitsmanner。Itdoesnotlooktrue。Personswhoarenarratingfacts，areseldomsoparticularasMr。Kissamseemstobe，aboutdayanddateandpreciselocation。Besides，ifMr。Kissamactuallydidcomeuponthediscoveryhesayshedid，attheperioddesignatednearlyeightyearsagohowhappensitthathetooknosteps，ontheinstant，toreaptheimmensebenefitswhichthemerestbumpkinmusthaveknownwouldhaveresultedtohimindividually，ifnottotheworldatlarge，fromthediscovery？ItseemstomequiteincrediblethatanymanofcommonunderstandingcouldhavediscoveredwhatMr。
Kissamsayshedid，andyethavesubsequentlyactedsolikeababy