ALS signed “Sam'l. F. B. Morse,” one page, 5 x 8, December 8, 1866. Written from Paris, a letter to E. S. Sanford, in full: "Don't forget your promise of writing me, to apprize me of the condition of Western Union Teleg. affairs. I hear reports of divisions etc., which have given me much uneasiness and I also learn that the January dividend is to be passed. Pray what is the matter? I hope you and your family are in health since your arrival. You have my proxy, pray protect my interest. I have no doubt you will do what you can in this respect. Remember 'all my eggs are in this basket.' Perhaps it is not wise, but I know not how to better my condition. With our kind regards to Mrs. Sanford & your children." Matted to an overall size of 8.75 x 10.5. In fine condition.
Sanford served as the president of the American Telegraph company and then later as a military advisor of telegraphs during the Civil War. Cognizant that the government did not possess the funds nor the ample time to build a telegraph system, Sanford authorized his company to extend its wires to certain government locations, thus enabling President Lincoln to more easily send and receive messages to and from the battlefield. Not long after the war an 1866 merger between the United States Telegraph Company and the American Telegraph Company elevated Western Union into a monopoly, the business model Morse believed to be the most viable for his invention. Morse's mention of "all my eggs are in this basket" is in reference to the various investments he had with Western Union. In spite of his anxiety, dividends from Western Union were late only twice—January 1866 and January 1867; Morse never sold a single share. Interestingly, 1866 was also the same year a telegraph cable was successfully first laid across the floor of the Atlantic Ocean.
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