It is only necessary to remind ourselves of the astounding popularity, in our day, of moving-pictures, to realize how fortunate Fulton was in his plan to amuse the people of Paris. A Scotchman, Robert Barker, had painted a panorama of the city of Edinburgh, to exhibit in London in 1789. Possibly Fulton had seen this exhibit, for it had proved highly successful; at any rate, he applied for a French patent, which was granted in April, 1799, to “Robert Fulton of the United States” for a term of ten years. Fulton’s panorama was almost twice as large as the Scotchman’s. He secured a plot of ground in a central part of the city, and built a loft, in circular shape, upon it. The queer-looking building attracted immediate attention. In it Fulton hung the huge canvas, and his industrious hand painted the startling scene, “The Destruction of Moscow,” a scene of pillage and devastation, such as Benjamin West had taught him to depict. The subject was attractive to the people, who were considering rumors of war, and they flocked in crowds to view the fiery representation. The entrance fee was a franc and a half, so money began to pour into Fulton’s empty purse. So noted did the panorama become that a popular song of the day was sung in the streets extolling its excellence. One cannot but wonder whether Fulton himself, perhaps at Barlow’s suggestion, wrote the words to advertise the new amusement. We can almost fancy that we see and hear the care-free crowd, strolling through the street, where now an arcade called “Passage des Panoramas” marks the place, singing the popular air as they crowded to the door of entrance, just as people flock to-day to an inexpensive and novel entertainment. Fulton was indeed a clever man to have adapted Barker’s London success to the people of the French capital. Here is one verse of the song, with its translation: “Paris pas plus grand que cela Jouit de succès légitime Un savant vous le montrera Pour un franc cinquante centimes Et tout le monde donne ou donnera Dans le pano, pano, panorama.” (Paris more than any place Rejoices in a lawful success. A clever man will show it to you For one franc fifty centimes. And everybody goes or is going To the pano, pano, panorama.) This business venture proved very successful but Fulton was so busy with greater affairs that he could not long give his personal attention to its supervision. In December of that year he sold the patent rights to an American who carried on the business for several years. Other scenes replaced the original “Moscow,” possibly Fulton painted them; at any rate, he kept an interest in the business, and in 1801 took out a second patent for improvements in panoramas.