SENEFELDER, ALOIS, deserves to be remembered as the inventor of lithography. He was born at Prague in 1771; and having written two or three plays while yet a youth, he became desirous of procuring the necessary apparatus for printing his own works. Being too poor to gratify this desire, he endeavoured to discover some other mode of printing, but was defeated in several plans by want of means. The result of a variety of experi ments, persevered in in spite of every diffi culty, was his discovery, through an accident, of the art known as Lithography. [Limo GRAITIY.] In order to raise money to carry out his idea, Senefehler enlisted as a private in the artillery, as a substitute for a friend, who promised him a premium of two hundred florins ; but this plan was frustrated. While at Ingoldstaclt, he was led to conceive the pe culiar fitness of his new process for printing music. He continued struggling until 1709, when he obtained an exclusive privilege for Bavaria for fifteen years, and carried on a considerable business, employing his two brothers and two apprentices. Mr. Andre of Offenbach, now became his partner, and they commenced arrangements for obtaining pa tents and establishing presses in Vienna, London, Paris, and Berlin. While engaged in this project, he visited London, but without succeeding in his object. Unfortunate cir
cumstances led to a hasty dissolution of this promising partnership in 1800 ; and political events also contributed tohis embarrassments. In 1806 however an extensive lithographic establishment was formed at Munich, by Sen efelder, in connection with Baron Aretin and others. This partnership lasted about four years, during which period a great number of works were executed ; some of them for the government. Several other lithographic esta blishments were also in successful operation in 1809, when Senefelder obtained an engage ment which rewarded him for the vicissitudes of the early part of his career. A royal litho graphic office was formed about that time for printing the plans of a new survey of the kingdom, of which a great number were re quired. In 1809, he was appointed to the office of inspector, with a ,salary of fifteen hundred florins per annum, and permission to carry on his private business also. The subsequent improvements effected by Sene felder, such as the printing in colours, and upon linen, were attributed by himself to the ease and independence which this honourable engagement afforded.