Page:The Granite Monthly Volume 10.djvu/13

 'John Rand.

��dred and ten thousand dollars. He hoped to meet with similar success in England. Mr. Rand received him most cordially, invited him to his home, and offered any service he could render. The gentleman wished to be introduced to some leading musicians in the city, and Mr. Rand complied with his request. They ex- amined his instrument, and at once pronounced it a failure, saying, " No doubt it is new to you, but it is an old invention. It has been tried in this country, but, owing to the different effects of the atmosphere upon the string and the pipe, the instrument is constantly getting out of tune, and unless this difficulty has been over- come, the invention must prove a failure." The inventor was discour- aged, but not inclined to admit the correctness of the statement. He re- quested a further examination, which ■was granted, and repeated many times during a period of several weeks. As a result, Mr. Rand said he noticed that while one of the men who at first pronounced the invention a failure adhered most firmly to his opinion, the other gradually yielded, and, after repeated trials, concluded that the atmospheric difficulty had been overcome, and the instrument, therefore, a success. Notwithstand- ing, however, this hearty endorse- ment, the man failed to make a sale of his patent. To the great increase of his embarrassment, letters were re- ceived, as he affirmed, from America, rendering it indispensable for him to return home at once. In his dilemma he begged Mr. Rand to purchase his patent, offering to take a merely nominal sum as compared with the fabulous amount which at first he de-

��manded. Mr. Rand, knowing noth- ing of music, but trusting to the honesty of his friend, and placing implicit confidence in the distinguish- ed musician, who, after repeated trials, had changed his first doubtful opinion to one of certainty, concluded to make the purchase. This was followed by an attempt to manufact- ure the instruments, which, as he could make no sale, resulted in in- volving him in bankruptcy. In set- tling with his creditors, he was com- pelled to part with his patent, and, indeed, with all his property. It was but poor consolation to be informed afterwards that the London musician was hired to change his opinion of the instrument, that the inventor fled to America without paying the in- famous bribe, and that he lived but a short time to enjoy the fruits of his ill-gotten gain.

After Mr. Rand settled his affairs in England, he returned in the spring of 1848 to this country. He came at once to his native town to visit his parents, then lingering amid the in- firmities of more than fourscore years, waiting to depart, and who, within a few weeks, both died within a few days of each other. Mr. Rand then bade what proved to be a final fare- well to the scenes of his childhood and youth, and went to the city of New York, where he entered with all the zeal of his earlier years upon the practice of his chosen profession, continuing in its prosecution until in- creasing years and infirmities com- pelled him to lay aside the pencil and the palette. He lived some years longer, but they were years of de- pendence. He had rented a house in the city, and by sub-renting some of

�� �