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 industrial enterprise; 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.