James Watt
Birmingham, England, August 9, 1795
Inventor James Watt On Litigation Over His Steam Engine Patents!
ALS

JAMES WATT, Autograph Letter Signed, to Abraham Weston, August 9, 1795, Birmingham, England. 2 pp., 7.375" x 9.75". Expected folds; light toning at top and bottom; some ink bleedthrough at top; very good.

In this letter, James Watt writes to his attorney about the health of the attorney's child and whether he needs medical attention. He also mentions an upcoming meeting with his firm's agent in Cornwall in southwestern England and ongoing litigation against his former employee, now rival, Edward Bull.

Complete Transcript:
Birmm Augt 9th 1795
Mr A: Weston
Dear Sir
I saw Dr Carmichael yesterday & asked him if he could make a trip to London if you should think his attendance on your little boy necessary, he replied that he could without much inconvenience. If his coming should be determined upon, you can borrow Mr Courts apparatus or borrow one from Chippendales & a silk bag could be sent from hence; but if you have employed Dr Thornton this will be all unnecessary. My son added a postscript in my last letter requesting your brother might be present at his conference with Wilson. Mrs W. would be happy if he would bring Mrs Weston with him and hopes she will excuse her want of formality of a more direct invitation
As we have not heard from Wilson since we expect he will be here on monday night or tuesday morning & shall be glad to see your brother on the latter day, there will be many points on which we wish for legal advice & some talks will be necessary to satisfy Wilson why Bull could not be proceeded against last term
with best wishes to your family & friends I remain
Dr sir your's sincerely
James Watt

Historical Background
Edward Bull (ca. 1759-1798) began constructing engines for Watt and his business partner Matthew Boulton (1728-1809) in 1781, but by 1792, Bull began making engines of his own design. These engines contained a separate condenser, which infringed on Watt's patent. Others also began to build engines that included a condenser, and mine owners became convinced that Watt could not enforce his patent.

In 1793, Watt first sued Bull, and the jury found for Watt but left a decision on the validity of the specifications in the original patent for another trial. The court issued injunctions against the infringers, and most of them began to settle their cases. In 1799, Watt sued a hold-out infringer, and the jury again found in his favor, as another jury did in a follow-up suit against Bull. The trials were extremely costly but Watt successfully defended his patents, which was ultimately a success for Boulton and Watt.

Boulton & Watt engines were frequently sold second-hand, especially in Cornwall, where some engines passed through the ownership of as many as five mines during their lifespan. With every transfer of ownership, Boulton & Watt would draw up new terms with the new owners. Thomas Wilson (1748-1820) was the firm's agent in Cornwall and was responsible for drawing up the agreements, negotiating with mine owners, and setting out payment details. However, due to the influence of engines manufactured by Bull (and others), mine owners began to withhold payments to Boulton and Watt, believing Watt could not enforce his patent. Watt first sued Bull in 1793, but the courts did not unambiguously uphold his patent until January 1799, after Boulton & Watt had filed numerous cases in the interim.

James Watt (1736-1819) was born in Scotland into a wealthy commercial family. In 1764, he married his cousin Margaret Miller (1736-1773), with whom he had five children. While working as an instrument maker at the University of Glasgow, Watt developed an interest in the technology of steam engines. His improvements on Thomas Newcomen's 1712 steam engine with his own steam engine in 1776 were fundamental to the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain and throughout the developed world. In 1777, he married Ann MacGregor (d. 1832), and they had two children. With the assistance of partners, Watt was able to develop a working model but struggled to make a full-scale engine and get a patent on his improvement. His first working engines, manufactured beginning in 1776, were used to pump water out of mines. Watt continued to make additional improvements and modifications to the steam engine and to acquire patents on his improvements. By the 1790s, his engines were up to five times as fuel efficient as the Newcomen engine. He also developed a commercially successful copying machine using special ink and thin paper to transfer a copy of a handwritten document to another sheet. Watt's health was often poor, and he retired in 1800, leaving the business to his sons, who made a total of 41 steam engines that year. In 1816, Watt took a trip on the paddle steamer Comet, a product of his inventions, to revisit his hometown of Greenock. Because Watt developed the concept of horsepower, the international unit of power, the watt, is named after him.

Abraham Weston served as an attorney for the firm of Boulton and Watt in Birmingham.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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7.375" x 9.75"