TALBOT6991

N S. Maskelyne Esq

Athenæum Club ¹
June 14/ 54

D^r Sir

I am at present, very much against my inclination, engaged in some legal proceedings ² with a person ³ who is infringing my patent right. But I cannot help it, since in justice to several photographic Artists who are taking portraits with my license, I must take the necessary steps for their protection –

Having presented my invention to the Public, with this sole reservation, ⁴ I might have expected that they it would have been respected, but since it is not, I have no choice but to appeal to the law. The trial will probably come on about July 1^st. I expect that M^r Robert Hunt ⁵ will be one of the chief witnesses against me, as he has made an affidavit ⁶ that he considers my invention to have possessed very little novelty, for that the principal parts of it were discovered long before by Daguerre ⁷ and Niepce ⁸ – Together with other assertions equally veracious –

As the Jury may be expected to know nothing of the subject beyond what they learn from the trial itself, as it proceeds, it is very Necessary for me to request scientific men to give me the aid and support of their testimony in order to show what the real opinion of the Scientific world respecting this invention is. I may even go so far as to say, that the interests of science are involved as well as my own in a true & just verdict being come to. May I therefore request you to be one of my witnesses ⁹ on this occasion? There are no particular facts which I could point out – We only want general testimony such as Your ample Knowledge of the subject would enable you readily to give –

I remain D^r Sir Yours very Truly
H. F. Talbot