1872.05.06 English

Patent  Agency     514 Ninth Street

Royal Swedish and Norwegian Vice Consulat Washington, May 6 1872.[1]

Mr. Tho. Schmidt. Legation – Secretary. New York.

Dear friend.

            Thank you ever so much for your kindness to arrange such inexpensive steamship tickets for my wife and myself. If you would now be so good as to reserve a good state room for Mr Lauritzen, his wife and baby (3 months old) and another one for my wife and me, I will be truly grateful. If they have larger and smaller state rooms, Lauritzen wishes for the child’s sake the larger one. The money for the tickets will be transferred to you within a few days.I note that you have received Thrine Rasmussen’s pension ($ 48) as well as Reverend Hansen’s patent – you can have as many copies of it that you may wish. The Reverend hasn’t sent me any power of attorney to sell his patent, but via Editor Watt[2], who was here last winter (1872), he has informed me that he demanded $ 20.000 for the patent – in case Watt or I could sell it at such a price, the Reverend would pay us 10% of the purchase price. In case, however, we could get $ 25.000 or above our commission would be 15%. Later on the Reverend wrote to me that he was not willing to sell the patent below $25.000 cash.The best offer I have had was $ 10.000 for the patent, of which $5.000 in cash and an instalment of $ 20 per machine sold until the balance ($ 5.000) had been paid. -    I have a complete machine here that works very well - - and in case you intend to take over the sale of the typewriter, I will be happy to send you the machine, and when I get to New York I can provide you with all the information you may wish. There is no written contract between the Reverend and myself – I wish you will take over this task. – Yours faithfully, C.F. Clausen