Bound volume---28 November 1835-18 April 1838

During his work on the telegraph, Morse needed political help to obtain support from Congress as much as he required technical and financial assistance, and this formal agreement allowed him to achieve all three. By sharing ownership of sixteen shares in a future telegraph system with Congressman Francis Ormond Jonathan "Fog" Smith (four shares), technician Alfred Vail (two shares), and professor of science Leonard D. Gale (one share), Morse (nine shares) forged an alliance that would allow him eventually to succeed.

The dots and dashes system of telegraph transmission that became known as Morse Code came into being once Morse began his collaboration with Alfred Vail. One of its earliest versions is seen on page 153 in the bottom line titled "2d For Letters." By 1844, what became known as "American Morse" had emerged, with nearly every letter undergoing some small change. This system was, in turn, itself slightly altered to form what was known as "International Morse."