what he has put forth."

In a letter to his brother Sidney, of February 23, he philosophizes as
follows:--

"I cannot avoid noticing a singular coincidence of events in my
experience of life, especially in that part of it devoted to the
invention of the Telegraph, to wit, that, when any special and marked
honor has been conferred upon me, there has immediately succeeded some
event of the envious or sordid character seemingly as a set-off, the
tendency of which has been invariably to prevent any excess of exultation
on my part. Can this be accident? Is it not rather the wise ordering of
events by infinite wisdom and goodness to draw me away from repose in
earthly honor to the more substantial and enduring honor that comes only
from God? ... I pray for wisdom to direct in such trials, and in any
answer I may find it necessary to give to Henry or others, I desire most
of all to be mindful of that charity which 'suffereth long, which
vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, hopeth all things, thinketh no
evil.'"

This check to self-laudation came at an appropriate moment, as he said,
for just at this time honors were being plentifully showered upon him. It
was then that he was first notified of the bestowal of the Spanish
decoration, and of the probability of Portugal's following suit. Perhaps
even more gratifying still was his election as a member of the Royal
Academy of Sciences of Sweden, for this was a recognition of his merits
as a scientist, and not as a mere promoter, as he had been contemptuously
called. On the Island of Porto Rico too he was being honored and feted.
On March 2, he writes:--

"I have just completed with success the construction and organization of
the short telegraph line, the first on this island, initiating the great
enterprise of the Southern Telegraph route to Europe from our shores, so
far as to interest the Porto Ricans in the value of the invention.

"Yesterday was a day of great excitement here for this small place. The
principal inhabitants of this place and Guayama determined to celebrate
the completion of this little line, in which they take a great pride as
being the first in the island, and so they complimented me with a public
breakfast which was presided over by the lieutenant-colonel commandant of
Guayama.

"The commandant and alcalde, the collector and captain of the port, with
all the officials of the place, and the clergy of Guayama and Arroyo, and
gentlemen planters and mer