"By one of those coincidences which would be thought appropriate for
romance, but which are more common, in fact, than the unobservant are
disposed to confess, these two most brilliant events in the painter's
life--his first successful work of art and the triumph of his scientific
discovery--were brought together, as it were, in a manner singularly
fitted to impress the imagination. Six copies of his "Dying Hercules"
had been made in London, and the mold was then destroyed. Four of these
were distributed by the artist to academies, one he retained, and the
last was given to Mr. Bulfinch, the architect of the Capitol--who was
engaged at the time upon that building. After the lapse of many years,
an accident ruined Morse's own copy, and a similar fate had overtaken
the others, at least in America. After vain endeavors to regain one of
these trophies of his youthful career, he at length despaired of seeing
again what could not fail to be endeared to his memory by the most
interesting associations. One day he was superintending the preparations
for the first establishment of his telegraph in the room assigned at the
Capitol.
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