TO SIR HUMPHRY DAVY, LL.D. &c.Newcastle, March 25, 1816.SIR,As chairman of the general meeting of proprietors of coal-mines upon the rivers Tyne and Wear, held in the Assembly-rooms at Newcastle, on the 18th instant, I was requested to express to you their united thanks and approbation for the great and important discovery of your Safety-lamp for exploring mines charged with inflammable gas, which they consider admirably calculated to obviate those dreadful calamities, and the lamentable sacrifice of human life, which of late years have so frequently occurred in the mines of this country.They are most powerfully impressed with admiration and gratitude towards the splendid talents and brilliant acquirements that have achieved so momentous and important a discovery, unparalleled in the history of mining, and not surpassed by any discovery of the present age; and they hope that, whilst the tribute of applause and glory is showered down upon those who invent the weapons of destruction, this great and unrivalled discovery for preserving the lives of our fellow-creatures, will be rewarded by some mark of national distinction and honour. I am, Sir,Your most obedient humble Servant,George Waldie, Chairman.
TO SIR HUMPHRY DAVY, LL.D. &c.
Newcastle, March 25, 1816.
SIR,
As chairman of the general meeting of proprietors of coal-mines upon the rivers Tyne and Wear, held in the Assembly-rooms at Newcastle, on the 18th instant, I was requested to express to you their united thanks and approbation for the great and important discovery of your Safety-lamp for exploring mines charged with inflammable gas, which they consider admirably calculated to obviate those dreadful calamities, and the lamentable sacrifice of human life, which of late years have so frequently occurred in the mines of this country.
They are most powerfully impressed with admiration and gratitude towards the splendid talents and brilliant acquirements that have achieved so momentous and important a discovery, unparalleled in the history of mining, and not surpassed by any discovery of the present age; and they hope that, whilst the tribute of applause and glory is showered down upon those who invent the weapons of destruction, this great and unrivalled discovery for preserving the lives of our fellow-creatures, will be rewarded by some mark of national distinction and honour. I am, Sir,
Your most obedient humble Servant,George Waldie, Chairman.
A plan, however, was under consideration for recording the admiration and gratitude of the Coal-owners, by a more permanent and solid memorial. The nature of this proposition will be best disclosed by inserting the following letter from Mr. Buddle.
TO THE REV. DR. GRAY.Wall's-End Colliery, August 27, 1816.SIR,As I know that you feel much interest in all matters relating to Sir H. Davy's Safety-lamp, I trust you will excuse the liberty I take in informing you, that the Committee of the Tyne, approving highly of the suggestion, that some mark of acknowledgment and respect should be presented to Sir Humphry by the Coal-trade of this country, for the happy invention of his lamp, have convened a general meeting of Coal-owners, to be holden at my office in Newcastle, on Saturday next the 31st instant, at twelve o'clock, to take the subject into consideration.I should have sooner informed you of this proposed meeting, had I not been detained in Cumberland until yesterday; but I shall have the pleasure of transmitting to you a copy of its resolutions.I am sure that you will be gratified to learn that the lamps continue to go on as well as possible. We now have twelve dozen of them in daily use at this place. I have the pleasure to remain, with the greatest respect, Sir,Your most obedient humble Servant,John Buddle.
TO THE REV. DR. GRAY.
Wall's-End Colliery, August 27, 1816.
SIR,
As I know that you feel much interest in all matters relating to Sir H. Davy's Safety-lamp, I trust you will excuse the liberty I take in informing you, that the Committee of the Tyne, approving highly of the suggestion, that some mark of acknowledgment and respect should be presented to Sir Humphry by the Coal-trade of this country, for the happy invention of his lamp, have convened a general meeting of Coal-owners, to be holden at my office in Newcastle, on Saturday next the 31st instant, at twelve o'clock, to take the subject into consideration.
I should have sooner informed you of this proposed meeting, had I not been detained in Cumberland until yesterday; but I shall have the pleasure of transmitting to you a copy of its resolutions.
I am sure that you will be gratified to learn that the lamps continue to go on as well as possible. We now have twelve dozen of them in daily use at this place. I have the pleasure to remain, with the greatest respect, Sir,
Your most obedient humble Servant,John Buddle.
TO THE SAME.Newcastle, September 7, 1816.SIR,I now have the pleasure of sending you a copy of the Resolutions of the general meeting of Coal-owners on the 31st instant, and shall take the liberty of informing you of the future progress of this affair.Sir Humphry did me the honour yesterday toaccompany me through the workings of a coal-pit at Wall's-End, when I had an opportunity of witnessing several interesting experiments on his Safety-lamp; and I have the satisfaction to add, that I believe he has now advanced it to the highest degree of perfection.I am, respectfully, Sir,Your humble Servant,John Buddle.
TO THE SAME.
Newcastle, September 7, 1816.
SIR,
I now have the pleasure of sending you a copy of the Resolutions of the general meeting of Coal-owners on the 31st instant, and shall take the liberty of informing you of the future progress of this affair.
Sir Humphry did me the honour yesterday toaccompany me through the workings of a coal-pit at Wall's-End, when I had an opportunity of witnessing several interesting experiments on his Safety-lamp; and I have the satisfaction to add, that I believe he has now advanced it to the highest degree of perfection.
I am, respectfully, Sir,Your humble Servant,John Buddle.
The satisfactory result of this visit Sir Humphry communicated to Mr. Lambton, now Lord Durham; and I shall take this opportunity to state, that for this as well as for several other letters I shall hereafter have occasion to introduce, I am indebted to that noble Lord, through the kind application of my friend Sir Cuthbert Sharp.
TO J. G. LAMBTON, ESQ. M.P.Newcastle, September 9, 1816.MY DEAR SIR,Since I last had the pleasure of seeing you, I have examined the workings in the Wall's-End collieries by the lamps, and have tried them in various explosive mixtures.On Sunday, I went with Mr. Buddle to yourblower, with the single lamps furnished with small tin reflectors. This simple modification rendered them perfectly safe, even in the furiousblow-pipe, and at the same time increased their light. Nothing could be more satisfactory than all the trials.I have left a paper in the hands of the Rev. J. Hodgson, which will be printed in a day or two; and I have desired him to send you ten copies, or as many more as you may like to have.I trust I have now left nothing undone as to the perfect security of the lamps, under every possible circumstance.I feel highly gratified that it was at your mines I effected the only object that remained to be accomplished—that of guarding againstblowersmeeting fresh currents of air.I thank you very sincerely for the interest you have taken in the lamps, connected with my efforts to render them applicable in all cases. I remain, &c.H. Davy.
TO J. G. LAMBTON, ESQ. M.P.
Newcastle, September 9, 1816.
MY DEAR SIR,
Since I last had the pleasure of seeing you, I have examined the workings in the Wall's-End collieries by the lamps, and have tried them in various explosive mixtures.
On Sunday, I went with Mr. Buddle to yourblower, with the single lamps furnished with small tin reflectors. This simple modification rendered them perfectly safe, even in the furiousblow-pipe, and at the same time increased their light. Nothing could be more satisfactory than all the trials.
I have left a paper in the hands of the Rev. J. Hodgson, which will be printed in a day or two; and I have desired him to send you ten copies, or as many more as you may like to have.
I trust I have now left nothing undone as to the perfect security of the lamps, under every possible circumstance.
I feel highly gratified that it was at your mines I effected the only object that remained to be accomplished—that of guarding againstblowersmeeting fresh currents of air.
I thank you very sincerely for the interest you have taken in the lamps, connected with my efforts to render them applicable in all cases. I remain, &c.
H. Davy.
On the 19th of October 1816, a letter appeared in the Durham County Advertiser, dated "Gosforth, August 22nd, 1816," in the name of Mr. W. Brandling, in which, alluding to the Resolutions of the Coal-owners of the 31st of August, he expresses a wish that a strict examination should take place previous to the adoption of a measure which might convey a decided opinion to the public, as to the person to whom the invaluable discovery of the Safety-lamp is actually due. "The conviction," says he, "upon my mind is, that Mr. George Stephenson, of Killingworth Colliery, is the person who first discovered and applied the principle upon which safe lamps may be constructed; for, whether the hydrogen gas is admitted through capillary tubes, or through the apertures of wire-gauze, which may be considered as merely the orifices of capillary tubes, does not, as I conceive, in the least affect the principle.
"In the communications I have seen from Sir H. Davy, no dates are mentioned; and it is by a referenceto them only that the question can be fairly decided. For the information of the Meeting, therefore, I shall take the liberty of enclosing some which I received from Mr. Stephenson, to the correctness of which, as far as I am concerned, I can bear testimony; at the same time I beg leave to add, that the principle of admitting hydrogen gas in such small detached portions that it would be consumed by combustion,[41]was, I understand, stated by him to several gentlemen, as the idea he had embraced two months before his lamp was originally constructed."
Mr. Brandling then proceeds to state, that the Killingworth lamp, with a tube to admit the air, and a slide at the bottom of such tube to regulate the quantity to be admitted, was first tried in the Killingworth pits on Saturday October the 21st, 1815; but not being found to burn well, another was ordered the same day with three capillary tubes to admit the air; and on being tried in the mine on the 4th of November following, was found to burn better and to be perfectlysafe.[42]On the 17th of November, it wastried[43]at Killingworth office with inflammable air before Richard Lambert, Esq.; and on the 24th of the same month, before C. J. Brandling, Esq. and Mr. Murray.
"On the 30th of November," he says, "a lamp was tried in the mine, in which the air was admitted by means of a double row of small perforations, and found to be perfectly safe, and to burn extremely well."[44]
At an adjourned Meeting of the Coal-owners, held on the 11th of October 1816, J. G. Lambton, Esq. M.P. in the chair; Mr. William Brandling moved—"That the meeting do adjourn, until, by a comparison of dates, it shall be ascertained whether the merit of the Safety-lamp belongs to Sir Humphry Davy or to Mr. George Stephenson."
On the question being put thereon,THE SAME PASSED IN THE NEGATIVE.
A great number of the Coal-owners, instead of pursuing the idea which had at first been suggested, of a general contribution on the vend, immediately commenced a subscription of individual proprietors of coal-mines; a measure which, it was thought, would express more distinctly and unequivocally the opinion of the trade as to the merit of the invention. The plan is developed in the following letter.
TO THE REVEREND DR. GRAY.Wall's-End Colliery, October 27, 1816.SIR,It is the anxious wish of almost every individual in the trade to compliment Sir Humphry Davy, in that way which may be most grateful to his feelings.It has been suggested that the object will be best attained by substituting an individual (colliery) subscription, instead of the proposed contribution on the vend; and it will at the same time show more distinctly the real opinion of the trade as to the merit of the invention.This idea was not suggested till yesterday afternoon, and of course there has been but little time to communicate it to the several Coal-owners; butallwho have heard of the plan approve of it.To facilitate the business, the committee have formed the annexed scale of contribution.[45]I trust, Sir, you will excuse the trouble which I have given you on this subject; but I am aware that you must feel interested in it; and I hope, Sir, you will allow me to add, that I am fully sensible of the obligation which the Coal trade is under to yourself, for having drawn Sir H. Davy's attention to that particular line of investigation, which has led to the important discovery of the Safety-lamp. I am, Sir, with the greatest respect, your most obedient humble servant,John Buddle.
TO THE REVEREND DR. GRAY.
Wall's-End Colliery, October 27, 1816.
SIR,
It is the anxious wish of almost every individual in the trade to compliment Sir Humphry Davy, in that way which may be most grateful to his feelings.
It has been suggested that the object will be best attained by substituting an individual (colliery) subscription, instead of the proposed contribution on the vend; and it will at the same time show more distinctly the real opinion of the trade as to the merit of the invention.
This idea was not suggested till yesterday afternoon, and of course there has been but little time to communicate it to the several Coal-owners; butallwho have heard of the plan approve of it.
To facilitate the business, the committee have formed the annexed scale of contribution.[45]
I trust, Sir, you will excuse the trouble which I have given you on this subject; but I am aware that you must feel interested in it; and I hope, Sir, you will allow me to add, that I am fully sensible of the obligation which the Coal trade is under to yourself, for having drawn Sir H. Davy's attention to that particular line of investigation, which has led to the important discovery of the Safety-lamp. I am, Sir, with the greatest respect, your most obedient humble servant,
John Buddle.
Some slight alterations were afterwards made in this scheme, in consequence of a wish having been expressed that the Bishop of Durham and the Duke of Northumberland should take the lead in a subscription. The following letter conveys some farther information upon this subject.
TO THE REVEREND DR. GRAY.Newcastle, January 11, 1817.SIR,I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 9th instant, communicating the intention of the Reverend the Dean and Chapter of Durham, to subscribe fifty guineas towards the plate to be presented to Sir H. Davy, which, together with two hundred guineas from the Coal-owners of the Wear, makes the subscription amount to nearly £1500, and I shall expect some farther subscriptions.I am sure it will afford you satisfaction to learn that the lamps still continue to give the most gratifying proofs of the advantages resulting from their invention, and that not a single inch of human skin has been lost by fire, wherever they have been used.Sir Humphry has just made another important improvement in the lamp, by constructing the cylinder oftwistedwire-gauze. Lamps thus constructed, possess the singular property of not becoming red-hot, under any circumstances of exposure to explosive mixtures, whether urged by a blast, or in a state of rest. I am with great respect, Sir, your most obedient humble servant,John Buddle.
TO THE REVEREND DR. GRAY.
Newcastle, January 11, 1817.
SIR,
I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 9th instant, communicating the intention of the Reverend the Dean and Chapter of Durham, to subscribe fifty guineas towards the plate to be presented to Sir H. Davy, which, together with two hundred guineas from the Coal-owners of the Wear, makes the subscription amount to nearly £1500, and I shall expect some farther subscriptions.
I am sure it will afford you satisfaction to learn that the lamps still continue to give the most gratifying proofs of the advantages resulting from their invention, and that not a single inch of human skin has been lost by fire, wherever they have been used.
Sir Humphry has just made another important improvement in the lamp, by constructing the cylinder oftwistedwire-gauze. Lamps thus constructed, possess the singular property of not becoming red-hot, under any circumstances of exposure to explosive mixtures, whether urged by a blast, or in a state of rest. I am with great respect, Sir, your most obedient humble servant,
John Buddle.
It may be collected from the following letter, that the Committee, in announcing to Sir H. Davy the intended present of plate, delicately sounded him as to the form in which it would be most agreeable to him.
TO N. CLAYTON, ESQ.Grosvenor Street, March 23, 1817.SIR,On my return to town, after an absence of some days, I found the letter of March the 13th, with which you honoured me, at the Royal Institution. I shall not lose a moment in replying to it, and in expressing my grateful feelings for the very flattering communication it contains.The gentlemen interested in the coal-mines of the two rivers Tyne and Wear, cannot offer me any testimony of their kindness, which I shall not receive with infinite pleasure.I hardly know how to explain myself on the particular subject of your letter; but as the Committee express themselves satisfied as to the utility of the Safety-lamp, I can only desire that their present, as it is highly honourable to me, should be likewise useful to my friends, and a small social circle, which it would be as a dinner-service for ten or twelve persons.I wish that even the plate from which I eat should awaken my remembrance of their liberality, and put me in mind of an event which marks one of the happiest periods of my life.I cannot find any language sufficiently strong to express my thanks to the gentlemen for the manner in which they have distinguished my exertions in their cause, and in the cause of humanity. I have the honour to remain, &c.H. Davy.
TO N. CLAYTON, ESQ.
Grosvenor Street, March 23, 1817.
SIR,
On my return to town, after an absence of some days, I found the letter of March the 13th, with which you honoured me, at the Royal Institution. I shall not lose a moment in replying to it, and in expressing my grateful feelings for the very flattering communication it contains.
The gentlemen interested in the coal-mines of the two rivers Tyne and Wear, cannot offer me any testimony of their kindness, which I shall not receive with infinite pleasure.
I hardly know how to explain myself on the particular subject of your letter; but as the Committee express themselves satisfied as to the utility of the Safety-lamp, I can only desire that their present, as it is highly honourable to me, should be likewise useful to my friends, and a small social circle, which it would be as a dinner-service for ten or twelve persons.
I wish that even the plate from which I eat should awaken my remembrance of their liberality, and put me in mind of an event which marks one of the happiest periods of my life.
I cannot find any language sufficiently strong to express my thanks to the gentlemen for the manner in which they have distinguished my exertions in their cause, and in the cause of humanity. I have the honour to remain, &c.
H. Davy.
To revert once again to the faction—for such I must denominate it—which, in opposition to the most unequivocal evidence, continued to supportthe unjust claims of Mr. Stephenson; it would appear from various letters in my possession, that the feelings of Davy were greatly exasperated by this ungenerous conduct.
I shall introduce one of these letters, playful in the midst of its wrath, addressed to Mr. Lambton, the friend[46]of his youth, and the manly and kind supporter of his scientific character, in the hour of persecution.
TO J. G. LAMBTON, ESQ. M.P.Queen Square, Bath, Oct. 29, 1816.MY DEAR SIR,The severe indisposition of my wife has altered my plans. Your letter slowly followed me here.Mr. —— is one of the persons who, after I had advanced a principle of security for a lamp, came upon the ground to endeavour to jockey me. I was not looking to a prize, I merely came forward to show an animal, the breed of which might be useful, when Mr. ——, Dr. ——, &c. brought their sorry jades, which had never before been seen or heard of, to kick at my blood mare.I never heard a word of George Stephenson and his lamps till six weeks after my principle of security had been published; and the general impression of the scientific men in London, which is confirmed by what I heard at Newcastle, is, that Stephenson had some loose idea floating in his mind, which he had unsuccessfully attempted to put in practice till after my labours were made known;—then, he madesomething like a safe lamp, except that it is notsafe, for the apertures below are four times, and those above, twenty times too large; but, even if Stephenson's plans had not been posterior to my principles, still there is no analogy between his glass exploding machine, and my metallic tissue, permeable to light and air, and impermeable to flame.I am very glad that you attended the meeting; your conduct at no very distant period will be contrasted with that of some great coal-proprietors, who find reasons for their indifference, as to a benefit conferred upon them, in insinuations respecting the claims of Dr. Clanny, Mr. Stephenson, and others.Where men resolve to be ungrateful, it is natural that they should be illiberal; and illiberality often hardens into malignity.I shall receive any present of plate under your auspices, and those of the Committee over which you preside, with peculiar satisfaction. It will prove to me that my labours have not been disregarded by men of whose good opinion I am proud.I hope you will not blame me for not taking any notice of the attacks of my enemies in the North. I have no desire to go out of my way to crush gnats that buzz at a distance, and do not bite me, or to quarrel with persons who shoot arrows at the moon, and believe, because they have for an instant intercepted a portion of her light, that they have hit their mark. I am sensible to the circumstances under which you attended the meeting.I offer you my sincere congratulations, and ardent wishes that you may enjoy all possible happiness.Believe me, &c.H. Davy.
TO J. G. LAMBTON, ESQ. M.P.
Queen Square, Bath, Oct. 29, 1816.
MY DEAR SIR,
The severe indisposition of my wife has altered my plans. Your letter slowly followed me here.
Mr. —— is one of the persons who, after I had advanced a principle of security for a lamp, came upon the ground to endeavour to jockey me. I was not looking to a prize, I merely came forward to show an animal, the breed of which might be useful, when Mr. ——, Dr. ——, &c. brought their sorry jades, which had never before been seen or heard of, to kick at my blood mare.
I never heard a word of George Stephenson and his lamps till six weeks after my principle of security had been published; and the general impression of the scientific men in London, which is confirmed by what I heard at Newcastle, is, that Stephenson had some loose idea floating in his mind, which he had unsuccessfully attempted to put in practice till after my labours were made known;—then, he madesomething like a safe lamp, except that it is notsafe, for the apertures below are four times, and those above, twenty times too large; but, even if Stephenson's plans had not been posterior to my principles, still there is no analogy between his glass exploding machine, and my metallic tissue, permeable to light and air, and impermeable to flame.
I am very glad that you attended the meeting; your conduct at no very distant period will be contrasted with that of some great coal-proprietors, who find reasons for their indifference, as to a benefit conferred upon them, in insinuations respecting the claims of Dr. Clanny, Mr. Stephenson, and others.
Where men resolve to be ungrateful, it is natural that they should be illiberal; and illiberality often hardens into malignity.
I shall receive any present of plate under your auspices, and those of the Committee over which you preside, with peculiar satisfaction. It will prove to me that my labours have not been disregarded by men of whose good opinion I am proud.
I hope you will not blame me for not taking any notice of the attacks of my enemies in the North. I have no desire to go out of my way to crush gnats that buzz at a distance, and do not bite me, or to quarrel with persons who shoot arrows at the moon, and believe, because they have for an instant intercepted a portion of her light, that they have hit their mark. I am sensible to the circumstances under which you attended the meeting.
I offer you my sincere congratulations, and ardent wishes that you may enjoy all possible happiness.
Believe me, &c.
H. Davy.
On the 13th of September 1817, Sir Humphry Davy being expected to pass through Newcastle on his return from Scotland, preparations were made, and notice given of a dinner which it was proposed should take place on the 25th instant, for the purpose of presenting to the illustrious philosopher the service of plate which had been prepared for his acceptance.
Upon this gratifying occasion, a very large party assembled at the Queen's Head, consisting of a numerous and respectable body of Coal-owners, and such other gentlemen as had interested themselves during the progress of the investigation, or taken an active part in promoting the introduction of the lamp into the mines.
After the dinner had concluded, and certain toasts of form had been drunk, Mr. Lambton, who filled the chair on the occasion, rose, and on presenting the service of plate to the illustrious guest, addressed him, in a tone of great animation and feeling, in nearly the following terms:
"Sir Humphry,—It now becomes my duty to fulfill the object of the meeting, in presenting to you this service of plate, from the Coal-owners of the Tyne and Wear, as a testimony of their gratitude for the services you have rendered to them and to humanity.
"Your brilliant genius, which has been so long employed in an unparalleled manner, in extending the boundaries of chemical knowledge, never accomplished a higher object, nor obtained a nobler triumph.
"You had to contend with an element of destructionwhich seemed uncontrollable by human power; which not only rendered the property of the coal-owner insecure, but kept him in perpetual alarm for the safety of the intrepid miner in his service, and often exhibited to him the most appalling scenes of death, and heart-sickening misery.
"You have increased the value of an important branch of productive industry; and, what is of infinitely greater importance, you have contributed to the lives and persons of multitudes of your fellow-creatures.
"It is now nearly two years that your Safety-lamp has been used by hundreds of miners in the most dangerous recesses of the earth, and under the most trying circumstances. Not a single failure has occurred—its absolute security is demonstrated. I have, indeed, deeply to lament more than one catastrophe, produced by fool-hardiness and ignorance, in neglecting to use the safeguard you have supplied; but these dreadful accidents even, if possible, exalt its importance.
"If your fame had needed any thing to make it immortal, this discovery alone would have carried it down to future ages, and connected it with benefits and blessings.
"Receive, Sir Humphry, this permanent memorial of our profound respect and high admiration—a testimony, we trust, equally honourable to you and to us. We hope you will have as much pleasure in receiving, as we feel in offering it. Long may you live to use it—long may you live to pursue your splendid career of scientific discovery, and to give new claims to the gratitude and praise of the world!"Sir Humphry having received the plate, replied as follows:
"Gentlemen,—I feel it impossible to reply, in an appropriate manner, to the very eloquent and flattering address of your distinguished Chairman. Eloquence, or even accuracy of language, is incompatible with strong feeling; and on an occasion like the present, you will give me credit for no small degree of emotion.
"I have been informed that my labours have been useful to an important branch of human industry connected with our arts, our manufactures, commerce, and national wealth. To learn this from such practical authority is the highest gratification to a person whose ardent desire has always been to apply science to purposes of utility.
"It has been also stated, that the invention which you are this day so highly honouring, has been subservient to the preservation of the lives and persons of a most useful and laborious class of men: this, coming from your own knowledge, founded upon such ample experience, affords me a pleasure still more exalted—for the highest ambition of my life has been to deserve the name of a friend to humanity.
"To crown all, you have, as it were, embodied these sentiments in a permanent and magnificent memorial of your good opinion. I can make only imperfect and inadequate efforts to thank you.
"Under all circumstances of my future life, the recollection of this day will warm my heart; and this noble expression of your kindness will awaken my gratitude to the latest moment of my existence."
Sir Humphry having sat down, and the cheering of the company subsided, the Chairman proposed the health of the illustrious Chemist, in three times three.
"Gentlemen," said Sir Humphry, "I am overpowered by these reiterated proofs of your approbation. You have overrated my merits. My success in your cause must be attributed to my having followed the path of experiment and induction discovered by philosophers who have preceded me: willingly would I divide your plaudits with other men of science, and claim much for the general glory of scientific discovery in a long course of ages.
"Gentlemen, I might dwell at some length upon the great increase of wealth and power to the country, within the last half century, by scientific invention, which never could have existed without coal-mines:—I shall refer only to the improvement in the potteries, to the steam-engine, and to the discovery of the gas lights.
"What an immense impulse has the steam-engine given to the arts and manufactures! How much has it diminished labour, and increased the real strength of the country, far beyond a mere increase of population! By giving facilities to a number of other inventions, it has produced even a moral effect in rendering capital necessary for the perfection of labour, credit essential to capital, and ingenuity and mental energy a secure and dignified species of property.
"Science, Gentlemen, is of infinitely more importance to a state than may at first sight appearpossible; for no source of wealth and power can be entirely independent of it; and no class of men are so well able to appreciate its advantages as that to which I am now addressing myself. You have not only derived from it the means of raising your subterraneous wealth, but those also of rendering it available to the public.
"Science alone has made pit-coal such an instrument in the hands of the chemist and mechanic; it has made the elements of fire and water perform operations which formerly demanded human labour, and it has converted the productions of the earth into a thousand new forms of use and beauty.
"Gentlemen, allow me to observe, in conclusion, that it was in pursuing those methods of analogy and experiment, by which mystery had become science, that I was fortunately led to the invention of the Safety-lamp. The whole progress of my researches has been registered in the Transactions of the Royal Society, in papers which that illustrious body has honoured by their biennial medal;[47]in which I can conscientiously assert, that I have gratefully acknowledged even the slightest hints or offers of assistance which I have received during their composition.
"I state this, Gentlemen, not from vain-glory, but on account of certain calumnious insinuations which have arisen—not in the scientific world, for to that the whole progress of my researches is well known, but in a colliery. I must ever treat these insinuations with contempt; and after the honest indignation which has been expressed against themby the Coal-owners in general, I cannot feel any anxiety on the subject, nor should I have referred to it at all, did I not believe that the very persons amongst whom these insinuations originated, were extensively benefited by, and were constantly using the invention they would seek to disparage. I could never have expected that such persons would have engaged their respectable connexions in mean attempts to impeach the originality of a discovery, given to them in the most disinterested manner, and for which no return was required but an honest acknowledgment of the benefit, founded upon truth and justice.
"I do not envy them their feelings, particularly at the present moment: I do not wish to enquire into their motives: I do hope, however, that their conduct has been prompted by ignorance rather than by malevolence, by misapprehension rather than by ingratitude.
"It was a new circumstance to me, that attempts to preserve human life, and to prevent human misery, should create hostile feelings in persons who professed to have similar objects in view.
"Gentlemen, I have had some opposition, much labour, and more anxiety, during the course of these researches; but had the opposition, the labour, and the anxiety been a thousand times as great, the events of this day would have been more than a compensation."
Sir Humphry, after drinking the health and happiness of the company, proposed as a sentiment—"Prosperity to the Coal-trade."
The healths of the Duke of Northumberland, theBishop of Durham, and the Reverend Dr. Gray, were drunk in succession.
At ten o'clock, Sir Humphry, accompanied by the chairman, retired amidst the enthusiastic plaudits of a meeting, the object of which being one of convivial benevolence, the effect was that of unclouded hilarity.
The party which had supported the claims of Mr. Stephenson had also their meeting; and it was held on the 1st of November. At this meeting it was resolved," That it was the opinion of the persons present, that Mr. G. Stephenson having discovered the fact, that explosions of hydrogen gas will not pass through tubes and apertures of small dimensions, and having been the first to apply the principle to the construction of a Safety-lamp, is entitled to some reward."
A committee was accordingly formed to carry this resolution into effect, at the head of which was placed the name of the Earl of Strathmore.
The respectable body of Coal-owners, under whose auspices the invention of Sir Humphry Davy had been introduced and rewarded, felt that they owed it to their own characters to repel assertions which amounted to a charge against themselves of ingratitude and injustice: a general meeting was accordingly summoned, at the Assembly-rooms in Newcastle, on the 26th of November 1817, J. G. Lambton, Esq. M.P. in the chair—when it was resolved,
"That the Resolutions passed at the Meeting of the friends of Mr. G. Stephenson on the 5th instant, impugn the justice and propriety of the proceedingsof a meeting of the Coal-trade on the 31st of August 1816:
"That the present meeting, therefore, feel themselves called upon, as an act of justice to the character of their great and disinterested benefactor, Sir Humphry Davy, and as a proof that the Coal-trade of the North in no way sanctions the resolutions of Mr. Stephenson's friends, to state their decided conviction, that the merit of having discovered the fact, that explosions of fire-damp will not pass through tubes and apertures of small dimensions, and of having applied that principle to the construction of a Safety-lamp,belongs to Sir Humphry Davy alone.
"That this meeting is also decidedly of opinion, from the evidence produced in various publications by Mr. George Stephenson and his friends, subsequently to the meeting of the Coal-trade which was held on the 18th of March 1816, as well as from the documents which have been read at this meeting, that Mr. Stephensondid notdiscover the fact, that explosions of fire-damp will not pass through tubes and apertures of small dimensions; and that hedid notapply that principle to the construction of a Safety-lamp; and that the latest lamps made by Mr. Stephenson are evident imitations of those of Sir Humphry Davy, and that, even with that advantage, they are so imperfectly constructed as to be actually unsafe.
"That the above resolutions be published thrice in the Newcastle papers, and in the Courier, Morning Chronicle, and Edinburgh Courant; and that printed copies thereof be sent to the Lords Lieutenantsof the two counties, to the Lord Bishop of Durham, and to the principal owners and lessors of collieries upon the Tyne and Wear."
The following letter from Sir Humphry Davy announces the farther measures which he also had thought proper to pursue, in order to counteract the impression which the meeting of Mr. Stephenson's friends might have produced on the less informed part of the public.
TO J. G. LAMBTON, ESQ. M.P.November 21, 1817.MY DEAR SIR,I shall send off by this post a copy of the resolutions, which will appear to-morrow in the Chronicle and Courier.The men of science who have signed these resolutions are the first chemists and natural philosophers of the country, with the President of the Royal Society, the most illustrious body in Europe, at their head.It is disagreeable to be thus obliged to use artillery for the destruction of bats and owls; but it was necessary that something should be done.The Messrs. —— have for a long time been endeavouring to destroy my peace of mind; my offence being that of conferring a benefit.The only persons I knew in Newcastle, before I gave the Safety-lamp to the Coal-owners, were Dr. Headlam and Mr. Bigge, so that friends I had none; and the few persons with whom I had a slight acquaintance, and who were civil to me before I discovered the Safety-lamp, became my enemies. It requires a deep metaphysician to explain this—Canit be that I did not make them the medium of communication to the colliers?—But I quit a subject to which I have no desire to return, and shall only recollect that day when your eloquence touched my feelings more than it flattered my self-love.Believe me, &c. &c.H. Davy.
TO J. G. LAMBTON, ESQ. M.P.
November 21, 1817.
MY DEAR SIR,
I shall send off by this post a copy of the resolutions, which will appear to-morrow in the Chronicle and Courier.
The men of science who have signed these resolutions are the first chemists and natural philosophers of the country, with the President of the Royal Society, the most illustrious body in Europe, at their head.
It is disagreeable to be thus obliged to use artillery for the destruction of bats and owls; but it was necessary that something should be done.
The Messrs. —— have for a long time been endeavouring to destroy my peace of mind; my offence being that of conferring a benefit.
The only persons I knew in Newcastle, before I gave the Safety-lamp to the Coal-owners, were Dr. Headlam and Mr. Bigge, so that friends I had none; and the few persons with whom I had a slight acquaintance, and who were civil to me before I discovered the Safety-lamp, became my enemies. It requires a deep metaphysician to explain this—Canit be that I did not make them the medium of communication to the colliers?—But I quit a subject to which I have no desire to return, and shall only recollect that day when your eloquence touched my feelings more than it flattered my self-love.
Believe me, &c. &c.H. Davy.
The following are the Resolutions of a Meeting adverted to in the preceding letter, and which was held "for considering the Facts relating to the Discovery of the Lamp of Safety."
Soho Square, Nov. 20, 1817."An advertisement having been inserted in the Newcastle Courant, of Saturday, November 7, 1817, purporting to contain the Resolutions of 'A Meeting held for the purpose of remunerating Mr. George Stephenson, for the valuable service he has rendered mankind by the invention of his Safety-lamp, which is calculated for the preservation of human life in situations of the greatest danger,'"We have considered the evidence produced in various publications by Mr. Stephenson and his friends, in support of his claims; and having examined his lamps, and enquired into their effects in explosive mixtures, are clearly of opinion—"First,—That Mr. George Stephensonis notthe author of the discovery of the fact, that an explosion of inflammable gas will not pass through tubes and apertures of small dimensions."Secondly,—That Mr. George Stephensonwas notthe first to apply that principle to the constructionof a Safety-lamp, none of the lamps which he made in the year 1815 having been safe, and there being no evidence even of their having been made upon that principle."Thirdly,—That Sir Humphry Davy not only discovered, independently of all others, and without any knowledge of the unpublished experiments of the late Mr. Tennant on Flame, the principle of the non-communication of explosions through small apertures, but that he has also the sole merit of having first applied it to the very important purpose of a Safety-lamp, which has evidently been imitated in the latest lamps of Mr. George Stephenson.(Signed)"Joseph Banks, P.R.S."William Thomas Brande,"Charles Hatchett,"William Hyde Wollaston."
Soho Square, Nov. 20, 1817.
"An advertisement having been inserted in the Newcastle Courant, of Saturday, November 7, 1817, purporting to contain the Resolutions of 'A Meeting held for the purpose of remunerating Mr. George Stephenson, for the valuable service he has rendered mankind by the invention of his Safety-lamp, which is calculated for the preservation of human life in situations of the greatest danger,'
"We have considered the evidence produced in various publications by Mr. Stephenson and his friends, in support of his claims; and having examined his lamps, and enquired into their effects in explosive mixtures, are clearly of opinion—
"First,—That Mr. George Stephensonis notthe author of the discovery of the fact, that an explosion of inflammable gas will not pass through tubes and apertures of small dimensions.
"Secondly,—That Mr. George Stephensonwas notthe first to apply that principle to the constructionof a Safety-lamp, none of the lamps which he made in the year 1815 having been safe, and there being no evidence even of their having been made upon that principle.
"Thirdly,—That Sir Humphry Davy not only discovered, independently of all others, and without any knowledge of the unpublished experiments of the late Mr. Tennant on Flame, the principle of the non-communication of explosions through small apertures, but that he has also the sole merit of having first applied it to the very important purpose of a Safety-lamp, which has evidently been imitated in the latest lamps of Mr. George Stephenson.
(Signed)"Joseph Banks, P.R.S."William Thomas Brande,"Charles Hatchett,"William Hyde Wollaston."
Thus terminated a controversy, the discussion of which, I am well aware, many of my readers will consider as having been protracted to a tedious, and perhaps to an unnecessary extent; but the biographer had no alternative. In passing it by without a notice, he would have violated his faith to the public, have given a tacit acknowledgment of the claims of Stephenson, and, in his judgment, have committed an act of gross injustice to the illustrious subject of his history; while by giving only an abridged statement, he would have furnished a pretext for doubt, and an opportunity for malevolence.
It is due also to Sir Humphry Davy to observe, that had he practised more reserve in the communicationof his results, the spirit of rivalry would have expired without a struggle,—for it derived its only support and power from the generosity of its victim. Had he secured for himself the advantages of his invention by patent, he might have realized wealth to almost any extent; but to barter the products of his intellectual exertions for pecuniary profit, was a course wholly at variance with every feeling of Davy's mind; and we therefore find him, in the advancement, as at the commencement of his fleeting career, spurning the golden apples from his feet, and hastening to the goal for that prize which could alone reward all his labours—the meed of immortal fame.
From a letter dated Newcastle, August 1830, which I had the pleasure to receive from Mr. Buddle, I extract the following interesting passage:—
"In the autumn of 1815, Sir Humphry Davy accompanied me into some of our fiery mines, toprovethe efficacy of his lamp. Nothing could be more gratifying than the result of those experiments, as they inspired every body with perfect confidence in the security which his invention had afforded.
"Sir Humphry was delighted, and I was overpowered with feelings of gratitude to that great genius which had produced it.
"I felt, however, that he did not contemplate any pecuniary reward; and, in a private conversation, I remonstrated with him on the subject. I said, 'You might as well have secured this invention by a patent, and received your five or ten thousanda-year from it.' The reply of this great and noble-minded man was,—'No, my good friend, I never thought of such a thing; my sole object was to serve the cause of humanity; and, if I have succeeded, I am amply rewarded in the gratifying reflection of having done so.' I expostulated, saying, that his ideas were much too philosophic and refined for the occasion. He replied, 'I have enough for all my views and purposes; more wealth might be troublesome, and distract my attention from those pursuits in which I delight;—more wealth,' he added, 'could not increase either my fame or my happiness. It might, undoubtedly, enable me to put four horses to my carriage; but what would it avail me to have it said that Sir Humphry drives his carriage-and-four?'"
The present Bishop of Bristol, to whom the world is so greatly indebted for having first called the attention of Sir Humphry Davy to the subject of explosions from fire-damp, and who has kindly interested himself in my arduous and anxious undertaking, was desirous to obtain for me the latest accounts with respect to the Safety-lamp, as to the constancy of its use, and the extent of its security; and his Lordship informs me, that having applied to Mr. Buddle and Mr. Fenwick for information upon these points, their answers have been most satisfactory; at the same time, his Lordship transmitted me much valuable information, which was accompanied by the following letter from Mr. Buddle.
TO THE RIGHT REVEREND THE LORD BISHOPOF BRISTOL.Wall's-End, August 11, 1830.MY LORD,I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Lordship's letter of yesterday's date. I am glad your Lordship has interested yourself in Doctor Paris's work, and I hope that he will be enabled, through the assistance of Sir Humphry's friends, to do ample justice to the genius and worth of that excellent man.I should be very happy if any letters of mine could assist Dr. Paris in doing justice to his merits in the invention of the Safety-lamp; and I shall with pleasure submit to your Lordship's better judgment and discretion the selection of such of them as may seem to be conducive to that object.I do not find that any improvement whatever has been made, either in the principle or construction of theoriginal lamp, as presented to us by Sir Humphry. His transcendent genius seems to have anticipated every thing belonging to the subject, and has left nothing more to be done.I have the honour to be,My Lord, with great respect,Your Lordship's most obedient,Humble servant,John Buddle.
TO THE RIGHT REVEREND THE LORD BISHOPOF BRISTOL.
Wall's-End, August 11, 1830.
MY LORD,
I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Lordship's letter of yesterday's date. I am glad your Lordship has interested yourself in Doctor Paris's work, and I hope that he will be enabled, through the assistance of Sir Humphry's friends, to do ample justice to the genius and worth of that excellent man.
I should be very happy if any letters of mine could assist Dr. Paris in doing justice to his merits in the invention of the Safety-lamp; and I shall with pleasure submit to your Lordship's better judgment and discretion the selection of such of them as may seem to be conducive to that object.
I do not find that any improvement whatever has been made, either in the principle or construction of theoriginal lamp, as presented to us by Sir Humphry. His transcendent genius seems to have anticipated every thing belonging to the subject, and has left nothing more to be done.
I have the honour to be,My Lord, with great respect,Your Lordship's most obedient,Humble servant,John Buddle.
In consequence of some late reports of accidents in the mines, I requested my friend Sir Cuthbert Sharp to make certain enquiries in the mining districts; and for this purpose, I sent him a string of queries, to which I begged him to obtain answers. Thesequestions were submitted to Mr. Buddle, and they produced the following letter.
TO SIR CUTHBERT SHARP.Newcastle, August 28, 1830.MY DEAR SIR CUTHBERT,I return Dr. Paris's letter, and shall briefly answer his enquiries.If the Davy lamp was exclusively used, and due care taken in its management, it is certain that few accidents would occur in our coal mines; but the exclusive use of the "Davy" is not compatible with the working of many of our mines, in consequence of their not being workable without the aid of gunpowder.In such mines, where every collier must necessarily fire, on the average, twoshotsa-day, we are exposed to the risk of explosion from the ignition of the gunpowder, even if no naked lights were used in carrying on the ordinary operations of the mine.This was the case in Jarrow Colliery, at the time the late accident happened. As the use of gunpowder was indispensable, naked lights were generally used, and the accident was occasioned by a 'bag' of inflammable air forcing out a large block of coal, in the face of a drift, from a fissure in which it had been pent up, perhaps from the Creation, and firing at the first naked light with which it came in contact, after having been diluted down to the combustible point by a due admixture of atmospheric air.As to the number of old collieries and old workings which have been renovated, and as to the quantity of coal which has been, and will be saved to thepublic by the invention of the "Davy," it is scarcely possible to give an account, or to form an estimate.In this part of the country, 'Walker's Colliery,' after having been completely worked out, according to the former system, with candles and steel-mills, and after having been abandoned in 1811, was reopened in 1818 by the aid of the "Davy" and has been worked on an extensive scale ever since, and may continue to be worked for an almost indefinite period.Great part of the formerly relinquished workings of Wall's-end, Willington, Percy-main, Hebburn, Jarrow, Elswick, Benwell, &c. &c., as well as several collieries on the Wear, have been recovered, and are continued in work by the invention of the "Davy."If I had only what you know perfectly well I have not—Time, I could write a volume on this subject.I shall shortly, through the medium of a friend, get an important paper on the subject of the "Davy," put into Dr. Paris's hands.Believe me, my dear Sir Cuthbert,To remain yours very faithfully,John Buddle.
TO SIR CUTHBERT SHARP.
Newcastle, August 28, 1830.
MY DEAR SIR CUTHBERT,
I return Dr. Paris's letter, and shall briefly answer his enquiries.
If the Davy lamp was exclusively used, and due care taken in its management, it is certain that few accidents would occur in our coal mines; but the exclusive use of the "Davy" is not compatible with the working of many of our mines, in consequence of their not being workable without the aid of gunpowder.
In such mines, where every collier must necessarily fire, on the average, twoshotsa-day, we are exposed to the risk of explosion from the ignition of the gunpowder, even if no naked lights were used in carrying on the ordinary operations of the mine.
This was the case in Jarrow Colliery, at the time the late accident happened. As the use of gunpowder was indispensable, naked lights were generally used, and the accident was occasioned by a 'bag' of inflammable air forcing out a large block of coal, in the face of a drift, from a fissure in which it had been pent up, perhaps from the Creation, and firing at the first naked light with which it came in contact, after having been diluted down to the combustible point by a due admixture of atmospheric air.
As to the number of old collieries and old workings which have been renovated, and as to the quantity of coal which has been, and will be saved to thepublic by the invention of the "Davy," it is scarcely possible to give an account, or to form an estimate.
In this part of the country, 'Walker's Colliery,' after having been completely worked out, according to the former system, with candles and steel-mills, and after having been abandoned in 1811, was reopened in 1818 by the aid of the "Davy" and has been worked on an extensive scale ever since, and may continue to be worked for an almost indefinite period.
Great part of the formerly relinquished workings of Wall's-end, Willington, Percy-main, Hebburn, Jarrow, Elswick, Benwell, &c. &c., as well as several collieries on the Wear, have been recovered, and are continued in work by the invention of the "Davy."
If I had only what you know perfectly well I have not—Time, I could write a volume on this subject.
I shall shortly, through the medium of a friend, get an important paper on the subject of the "Davy," put into Dr. Paris's hands.
Believe me, my dear Sir Cuthbert,To remain yours very faithfully,John Buddle.
The Bishop of Bristol has placed at my disposal a communication from Mr. Fenwick, a gentleman of much practical ability, which affords additional evidence of the utility of the lamp; from which the following is an extract.
"Sir H. Davy's safety-lamp has afforded much security in the general working of mines, particularly by enabling the coal-owner to work, in severalsituations, the pillars of coal formerly left therein, which, under the system of working by candles, or open flame, was deemed hazardous and impracticable; and, in consequence, one-sixth part more of coal may be estimated as obtainable from those mines which are subject to hydrogen gas. Also in the working of the pillars of coal, (commonly called the second working,) great advantages and securities, as well as saving of expenses, have resulted from the use of this lamp, not only to the lessees of collieries, inasmuch as more coal is obtained from a given space than before, (particularly in collieries subject to fire-damp,) but also to the lessor of such mines, by their being more productive, and of course more durable than heretofore.
"Another advantage results from the use of this Safety-lamp, and in the working of the pillars in particular. It is found now, through experience, that the changeable state of the atmosphere, which our barometers daily indicate, has a most powerful effect on the noxious air in mines; as, from a sudden change in the atmosphere, indicated by the rapid fall of the mercury in the barometrical tube, a rapid discharge of noxious gas into the workings and excavations of the mine is the consequence, caused by the want of the atmospheric equilibrium:[48]in which case the mine becomes suddenly surcharged with hydrogen, and if worked by the light ofopen flame, an explosion may take place before the possibility of such a circumstance can even be suspected; but if worked by the Safety-lamp, it isonly shown by the gas in the lamp becoming a pillar of harmless flame. This circumstance frequently takes place when any atmospheric change causes the mercury in the barometer to sink to twenty-eight inches and a half or thereabouts."
In the year 1825, Sir Humphry Davy had the honour to receive from the Emperor Alexander of Russia, a superb silver gilt vase, standing in a circular tray enriched with medallions. On the cover was a figure, of about sixteen or eighteen inches in height, representing the God of Fire, weeping over his extinguished torch.
The circumstances under which this vase was presented have been communicated to me by Mr. Smirnove, Secretary to the Embassy.