FREDERICK KOENIG: INVENTOR OF THE STEAM-PRINTING MACHINE.
"The honest projector is he who, having by fair and plain

principles of sense, honesty, and ingenuity, brought any
contrivance to a suitableperfection, makes out what he pretends

to, picks nobody's pocket, puts his project in execution, and
contents himself with the real produce as the profit of his

invention."--De Foe.
I published an article in 'Macmillan's Magazine' for December,

1869, under the above title. The materials were principally
obtained from William and Frederick Koenig, sons of the inventor.

Since then an elaborate life has been published at Stuttgart,
under the title of "Friederich Koenig und die Erfindung Der

Schnellpresse, Ein Biographisches Denkmal. Von Theodor Goebel."
The author, in sending me a copy of the volume, refers to the

article published in 'Macmillan,' and says, "I hope you will
please to accept it as a small acknowledgment of the thanks,

which every German, and especially the sons of Koenig, in whose
name I send the book as well as in mine, owe to you for having

bravely taken up the cause of the much wronged inventor, their
father-- an action all the more praiseworthy, as you had to write

against the prejudices and the interests of your own countrymen."
I believe it is now generally admitted that Koenig was entitled

to the merit of being the first person practically to apply the
power of steam to indefinitely multiplying the productions of the

printing-press; and that no one now attempts to deny him this
honour. It is true others, who followed him, greatly improved

upon his first idea; but this was the case with Watt, Symington,
Crompton, Maudslay, and many more. The true inventor is not

merely the man who registers an idea and takes a patent for it,
or who compiles an invention by borrowing the idea of another,

improving upon or adding to his arrangements, but the man who
constructs a machine such as has never before been made, which

executes satisfactorily all the functions it was intended to
perform. And this is what Koenig's invention did, as will be

observed from the following brief summary of his life and
labours.

Frederick Koenig was born on the 17th of April, 1774, at
Eisleben, in Saxony, the birthplace also of a still more famous

person, Martin Luther. His father was a respectable peasant
proprietor, described by Herr Goebel as Anspanner. But this word

has now gone out of use. In feudal times it described the farmer
who was obliged to keep draught cattle to perform service due to

the landlord. The boy received a solid education at the
Gymnasium, or public school of the town. At a proper age he was

bound apprentice for five years to Breitkopf and Hartel, of
Leipzig, as compositor and printer; but after serving for four

and a quarter years, he was released from his engagement because
of his exceptional skill, which was an unusual occurrence.

During the later years of his apprenticeship, Koenig was
permitted to attend the classes in the University, more

especially those of Ernst Platner, a physician, philosopher, and
anthropologist. After that he proceeded to the printing-office

of his uncle, Anton F. Rose, at Greifswald, an old seaport town
on the Baltic, where he remained a few years. He next went to

Halle as a journeyman printer,-- German workmen going about from
place to place, during their wanderschaft, for the purpose of

learning their business. After that, he returned to Breitkopf
and Hartel, at Leipzig, where he had first learnt his trade.

During this time, having saved a little money, he enrolled
himself for a year as a regular student at the University of

Leipzig.
According to Koenig's own account, he first began to devise ways

and means for improving the art of printing in the year 1802,
when he was twenty-eight years old. Printing large sheets of

paper by hand was a very slow as well as a very laborious
process. One of the things that most occupied the young

printer's mind was how to get rid of this "horse-work," for such
it was, in the business of printing. He was not, however,

over-burdened with means, though he devised a machine with this
object. But to make a little money, he made translations for the

publishers. In 1803 Koenig returned to his native town of
Eisleben, where he entered into an arrangement with Frederick

Riedel, who furnished the necessary capital for carrying on the
business of a printer and bookseller. Koenig alleges that his

reason for adopting this step was to raise sufficient money to
enable him to carry out his plans for the improvement of

printing.
The business, however, did not succeed, as we find him in the

following year carrying on a printing trade at Mayence. Having
sold this business, he removed to Suhl in Thuringia. Here he was

occupied with a stereotyping process, suggested by what he had
read about the art as perfected in England by Earl Stanhope. He

also contrived an improved press, provided with a moveable
carriage, on which the types were placed, with inking rollers,

and a new mechanical method of taking off the impression by flat
pressure.

Koenig brought his new machine under the notice of the leading
printers in Germany, but they would not undertake to use it. The

plan seemed to them too complicated and costly. He tried to
enlist men of capital in his scheme, but they all turned a deaf

ear to him. He went from town to town, but could obtain no
encouragementwhatever. Besides, industrialenterprise in

Germany was then in a measure paralysed by the impending war with
France, and men of capital were naturally averse to risk their

money on what seemed a merely speculative undertaking.
Finding no sympathisers or helpers at home, Koenig next turned

his attention abroad. England was then, as now, the refuge of
inventors who could not find the means of bringing out their

schemes elsewhere; and to England he wistfully turned his eyes.
In the meantime, however, his inventive ability having become

known, an offer was made to him by the Russian Government to
proceed to St. Petersburg and organise the State printing-office

there. The invitation was accepted, and Koenig proceeded to St.
Petersburg in the spring of 1806. But the official difficulties

thrown in his way were very great, and so disgusted him, that he
decided to throw up his appointment, and try his fortune in

England. He accordingly took ship for London, and arrived there
in the following November, poor in means, but rich in his great

idea, then his only property.
As Koenig himself said, when giving an account of his

invention:-- "There is on the Continent no sort of encouragement
for an enterprise of this description.

The system of patents, as it exists in England, being either
unknown, or not adopted in the Continental States, there is no

inducement for industrialenterprise; and projectors are commonly
obliged to offer their discoveries to some Government, and to so

licit their encouragement. I need hardly add that scarcely ever
is an invention brought to maturity under such circumstances.

The well-known fact, that almost every invention seeks, as it
were, refuge in England, and is there brought to perfection,

though the Government does not afford any other protection to
inventors beyond what is derived from the wisdom of the laws,

seems to indicate that the Continent has yet to learn from her
the best manner of encouraging the mechanical arts. I had my

full share in the ordinary disappointments of Continental
projectors; and after having lost in Germany and Russia upwards

of two years in fruitless applications, I at last resorted to
England."[1]

After arriving in London, Koenig maintained himself with
difficulty by working at his trade, for his comparative ignorance

of the English language stood in his way. But to work manually
at the printer's "case," was not Koenig's object in coming to

England. His idea of a printing machine was always uppermost in
his mind, and he lost no opportunity of bringing the subject