A letter from the Secretary of State in regard to the act supplemental to the act for the more efficient government of the rebel States.

MARCH 26, 1867.-Ordered to be printed.

CLERK'S OFFICE, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES U. S.,

Washington, D. C., March 26, 1867.

SIR: I have the honor to enclose, for the information of the House, a letter from the Hon. William H. Seward, Secretary of State, acknowledging the receipt of the act supplemental to the act to provide for the more efficient government of the rebel States, and announcing his purpose to promulgate it.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

Hon. SCHUYLER COLFAX,

EWD. MCPHERSON,

Clerk of the House of Representatives.

Speaker of the House of Representatives.

DEPARTMENT OF STATE,

Washington, March 25, 1867.

SIR: I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of this date transmitting an act of Congress entitled "An act supplementary to an act entitled An act to provide for the more efficient government of the rebel States,' passed March second, eighteen hundred and sixty-seven, and to facilitate restoration," which supplementary act is certified to have been passed on the 23d of March, 1867, by two-thirds of both houses of Congress, after it had been returned to the House of Representatives, in which it originated, by the President, with his objctions. The act shall be duly promulgated as one of the laws of the United States.

I am your obedient servant,

EDWARD MCPHERSON, Esq.,

Clerk of the House of Representatives.

WILLIAM H. SEWARD.

1st Session.

No. 30.

CHARLES GRAFTON PAGE.

[To accompany H. R. No. 102.]

REPORT

PREPARED BY

THE COMMITTEE ON PATENTS

OF THE

Thirty-ninth Congress, but not submitted to the House.

MARCH 26, 1867.-Ordered to be printed.

Hon. LEONARD MYERS, upon leave, presented a report directed to be made by the Committee on Patents to the thirty-ninth Congress, which (the committee. not having been called after the report was prepared) was not presented to that Congress, and which, with the bill to authorize Charles Grafton Page to apply for and receive a patent for his induction apparatus and circuit breakers, known as the "induction coil," was ordered to be printed and referred to the Committee on Patents.

The Committee on Patents of the thirty-ninth Congress, to whom was referred the memorial of Dr. Charles Page, of Washington, asking for the protection of his rights as the inventor of the "induction coil," respectfully reports: That on the twenty-third day of February, 1852, the Emperor of the French offered a prize of 50,000 francs to be bestowed, after five years, upon the author of the most important discovery concerning the applications of electricity, and a commission, composed of thirteen of the most eminent men of science in France, was appointed to award the prize. In 1857 the commission reported that they had not judged any discovery sufficiently eminent to receive the large reward, and prayed that the time might be extended for five years more. A long report Pas made by the commission in 1864, signed by Mr. Dumas, the president, Warding the prize to Mr. Ruhmkorff, the inventor of Ruhmkorff's coil. (See Scientific American, vol. 12, No. 1 new series, p. 6.) The leading scientific Professors and authors of this country concur in expressing the opinion that the

Ruhmkorff induction coil is substantially the invention of Dr. Charles Page, of Washington, D. C., and that, had his claim been before the French commission, the prize would not have been awarded to Ruhmkorff.

It is due, not only to Dr. Page, but to the scientific world, that this invention shall be assigned its proper place in the annals of science; and the country which gave it birth, we believe, will take pride in declaring that its originator shall not be deprived of the merit and honor of his discovery.

A subject so interesting deserves full examination, and your committee, therefore, deem it proper to give, as briefly as the nature of the case will admit, the history and description of this important discovery, that the claims of Dr. Page may be clearly conceded.

In 1831, Faraday discovered that whenever a galvanic current is made to traverse a wire it excites a current in an opposite direction in a second wire held parallel to it. This current is called an induced or secondary current, and is but of momentary duration, and appears at the instant the primary or inducing current effects its passage, and then ceases.

So again, when the primary current is interrupted, a momentary induced current will again appear in the parallel wire, but in an opposite direction to the first induced current.

If the wire for the primary current is wound in the form of a helix, and a finer wire, properly insulated, is wound in a second helix around the first, the force of the induced current is greatly increased.

If a bar of soft iron be introduced into the centre of the inner coil, the force of the induced current is also increased.

During the years 1836, 1837, and 1838, when the discovery of Faraday was but little known in this country, Dr. Page experimented, with a view to apply this principle practically in a machine or apparatus, and was the first to invent an automatic magneto-electric apparatus suitable for administering electricity as a remedy, and also adapted to the purposes of scientific illustration, to the explosion of mines, charging Leyden jars, &c. The apparatus consisted of a coil of coarse wires, constituting an electro-magnet, the poles of which connect with a small electro-magnet, which is the automatic or vibrating break-piece. Outside of, and entirely disconnected from, the interior or primary coil just described, is a coil composed of very fine and well-insulated copper wire, and known as the induction coil, from which the shock is taken, and the spark and light exhibited. This invention was completed in 1838. During 1839 and 1840 Dr. Page caused this apparatus to be exhibited in public lectures and at colleges.

This apparatus of Dr. Page was also used in 1842, and constantly since, for the purpose of demonstrating the connection existing between galvanism, magnetism, and electricity. Some lecturers who used the apparatus for this purpose, employed several miles of fine wire in their coils, and obtained electric sparks of considerable length-lighted up vacuum tubes, charged Leyden jars. exploded gases, fired alcohol, ether, &c., and ignited gunpowder.

One form of apparatus, as invented by Dr. Page, and sold by instrument makers, is shown in the annexed sketch, Fig. 1, which represents the "separable helices," as they are called.

There are two helices entirely separate from each other. The inner one, composed of several strands of insulated coarse copper wire, is fixed in a vertical position on the base-board. One of its ends is connected with the screw cup A, and the other with a steel rasp B. The exterior helix is of fine insulated wire,

Fig. 1.

D

and can be lifted off from the other, which it surrounds. Its ends are enclosed in two brass caps, to which the extremities of the wire are soldered. To these caps are attached the screw cups C and D. A bundle of annealed iron wires, of which the ends are seen in the cut, can be removed from the inner helix when desired.

In Fig. 2 the different parts of the instrument are shown separately The exterior helix a is removed from the inner coil b, which is fixed to the baseboard. At c is seen a brass tube, within which is the bundle of iron wires d, intended to be introduced into the interior helix. For giving the strongest shocks the bundle should fill the hollow of the helix. The other parts are lettered in correspondence with the last figure.

The bundle of iron wires being withdrawn, let a wire connected with one pole of a galvanic battery be fixed in the cup A, and the other battery wire be drawn over the steel rasp, bright sparks will be seen, and if metallic handles connected with C and D are grasped in the hands, as represented in Fig. 1, slight shocks completing the circuit at the rasp, and stronger ones when it is

will be felt on