FULTON, ROBERT, a celebrated American engineer, was b. at Little Britain, Penn sylvania. His parents belonged to Ireland, whence they emigrated to AMerica; and being in poor circumstances, all the education young F. acquired was the ability to read and write. He made good use, however, of what he had acquired, and passed in study the time allowed him for recreation. When lie was old enough, his mother apprenticed him to a jeweler in Philadelphia. In addition to his labors at this trade, he devoted himself to painting; and the sale of his portraits and landscapes enabled him, in the space of four years, to purchase a small farm, on which he placed his mother, his father being dead. At the age of 22, he proceeded to Loudon, where he studied painting under 'West; but after several years spent thus, he felt that this was not his true- vocation. Accordingly, abandoning painting, he applied himself wholly to mechanics. Some ;works he performed in Devonshire obtained him the patronage of the duke of Bridge water, and likewise that of the earl of Stanhope. In 1794, he obtained from the British government a patent for an inclined plane, the object of which was to set aside the use of locks; and in the same year, he invented a mill for sawing and polishing marble. His next invention was a machine for spinning flax, followed by one for making ropes. He was received as a civil engineer in 1795; and wrote a work on canals, in which he developed his system. Accepting an invitation from the United States minister at Paris, he proceeded to that city in 1796, and remained there forseven years, devoting him self-to new projects and Inventions. Amongst his inventions here was the nautilus or submarine boat, intended to be used in naval warfare, which he in vain sought the French government to accept; nor was he more successful with the British government, which he next tried, though commissions were appointed in both cases to test the value of his invention. Having failed in this matter, lie next turned his attention to a subject
that had frequently occupied his mind before, and about Which he had written a treatise in 1793—viz., the application of steam to navigation. In 1803, lie constructed a small steam-boat, and his experiments with it on the Seiue were attended with great success. Disgusted with the reception he met, lie returned in 1806 to New York, and pursued his experiments there. He perfected his torpedo (q.v.j system, which was afterwards employed effectively in the war between Britain and America. In 1807, he launched a steam-vessel upon the Hudson, which made a successful. start, in the presence of thousands of astonished spectators. From this period, steamers (for the construction of which F. received a patent from the legislature) came into pretty general use upon the rivers of the United States. Although F. was not the first to apply steam to naviga tion, as a steam-vessel had been tried upon the Forth and Clyde canal as early as 1789, yet lie was the first to apply it with any degree of success (see STEAM-NAVIGATION). His reputation was now firmly established, and lie was employed by the United States gov ernment in the execution of various projects with reference to canals and other works. In 1814, he. obtained the assent of the legislature to construct a steam-frigate, which was launched in the following year. Though the labors of F. were attended with such great success, various lawsuits in which he was engaged in reference to the use of some of his patents,, prevented, him from ever becoming wealthy; and anxiety, as well as excessive application, tended to his days. His death, in 1815, produced extra ordinary demonstrations of mourning throughout the United States. F. had married, in 1806, a niece of Robert Livingston, United States minister in France.