g machines among the London printers, Bensley, who was
himself a book-printer, was hindering him in every way in his
negotiations. Koenig was of opinion that Bensley wished to retain the
exclusive advantage which the possession of his registering book
machine gave him over the other printers, by enabling him to print more
quickly and correctly than they could, and thus give him an advantage
over them in his printing contracts.

When Koenig, in despair at his position, consulted counsel as to the
infringement of his patent, he was told that he might institute
proceedings with the best prospect of success; but to this end a
perfect agreement by the partners was essential. When, however, Koenig
asked Bensley to concur with him in taking proceedings in defence of
the patent right, the latter positively refused to do so. Indeed,
Koenig was under the impression that his partner had even entered into
an arrangement with the infringers of the patent to share with them the
proceeds of their piracy.

Under these circumstances, it appeared to Koenig that only two
alternatives remained for him to adopt. One was to commence an
expensive, and it might be a protracted, suit in Chancery, in defence
of his patent rights, with possibly his partner, Bensley, against him;
and the other, to abandon his invention in England without further
struggle, and settle abroad. He chose the latter alternative, and left
England finally in August, 1817.

Mr. Richard Taylor, the other partner in the patent, was an honourable
man; but he could not control the proceedings of Bensley. In a memoir
published by him in the 'Philosophical Magazine,' "On the Invention and
First Introduction of Mr. Koenig's Printing Machine," in which he
honestly attributes to him the sole merit of the invention, he says,
"Mr. Koenig left England, suddenly, in disgust at the treacherous
conduct of Bensley, always shabby and overreaching, and whom he found
to be laying a scheme for defrauding his partners in the patents of all
the advantages to arise from them. Bensley, however, while he
destroyed the prospects of his partners, outwitted himself, and
grasping at all, lost all, becoming bankrupt in fortune as well as in
character."[6]

Koenig was badly used throughout. His merits as an inventor were
denied. On the 3rd of January, 1818, after he had left England,
Bensley published a letter in the Literary Gazette, in which he speaks
of the printing machine as his own, w