until confirmed by the arrival of the mail.

The convention then nominated Van Buren's friend, Senator Silas Wright,
of New York, for the Vice-Presidency. This news, too, was immediately
sent by wire to Washington. Morse at once informed Mr. Wright, who was in
the Capitol at the time, of his nomination, but he refused to accept it,
and Morse wired his refusal to Vail in Baltimore, and it was read to the
convention only a few moments after the nomination had been made. This
was too much for the credulity of the assembly, and they adjourned till
the following day and sent a committee to Washington to verify the
dispatch. Upon the return of the committee, with the report that the
telegraph had indeed performed this wonder, this new instrumentality
received such an advertisement as could not fail to please the most
exacting.

Then a scene was enacted new in the annals of civilization. In Baltimore
the committee of conference surrounded Vail at his instrument, and in
Washington Senator Wright sat beside Morse, all others being excluded.
The committee urged Wright to accept the nomination, giving him good
reasons for doing so. He replied, giving as good reasons for refusing.
This first long-distance conversation was carried on until the committee
was finally convinced that Wright was determined to refuse, and they so
reported to the convention. Mr. Dallas was then nominated, and in
November of that year Polk and Dallas were elected.

On June 3, Morse made his report to the Honorable McClintock Young, who
was then Secretary of the Treasury _ad interim_. It was with great
satisfaction that he was able to say: "Of the appropriation made there
will remain in the Treasury, after the settlement of outstanding
accounts, about $3500, which may be needed for contingent liabilities and
for sustaining the line already constructed, until provision by law shall
be made for such an organization of a telegraphic department or bureau as
shall enable the Telegraph at least to support itself, if not to become a
profitable source of revenue to the Government."

In the course of this report mention is also made of the following
interesting incidents:--

"In regard to the _utility_ of the Telegraph, time alone can determine
and develop the whole capacity for good of so perfect a system. In the
few days of its infancy it has already casually shown its usefulness in
the relief, in various ways, of the anxieties of thousands; and, when
such a