tage; if Bandy seem simple, it is because cruit, we mean a green-horn of an officer. willows, the wood of which is very excellent simplicity is most advantageous and pays He was troubled with a cutaneous distemper, for building houses; here are also many best upon the occasion. of what nature matters not; and (as he had stones. The climate, is very mild. Along the coasts, in latitude 37 to 42° S. Sandy's love for his country often keeps heard of the thing in India) he complained him dumb, for fear of bringing discredit on of the prickly heat. The English and Irish lie several islands and sand banks, of about his native toon and his native tongue; but officers laughed; and the surgeon looked from seven to eight leagues in length; so that he makes up for his silence and reserve by quizzing-like. Sandy McGregor, an officer the opportunity offers of forming several exkeen observation and by diligent listening, of rank present, had a feeling for the young cellent sea-ports. During the months of both of which he turns to his own account man (who afterwards turned out a most September, October, November, and Dein future, and to the honour and benefit of valuable officer); and he was apprehensive cember, the sand-banks are covered. with his natale solum. In praising, he is no lest he should be too much played upon by sea-lions; twenty ships, each of 200 tons niggard, for there he runs no risk; but in the young ones. He therefore took the joke burthen, might easily be loaded with traincondemning, in innovating, in rallying, he upon himself, and took his countryman in oil, if the fishing was managed in such a is very prudent. In advice, he is cautious his own hands, in order to turn off all way, that only the males under two years, also, for there great discretion is necessary; national reflections. "I strongly suspeck," and the females which suckle the young, and a discreet body never gives gratuitous said the veteran, "that you brought that should be caught. The whole coast swarms advice-never ventures on this most slippery heat a' the way from Spey-side; but you with seals, which would furnish an excellent ground, without being sure of receiving young lads are aye sleeping in strange beds, article for the market of China. either the meed of praise, or the remunera- and lying wi' strangers instead of keeping tion of service. discreetly at hame." This was completely averting the shaft of ridicule; and every one was disappointed except the recruit, who received a favour and a useful lesson at the same time.

The Caledonian is seldom satirical, because he is too steady and discreet to be mercurial; he has more d'aplomb than levity, and he has the good sense to know that "a wit's a feather." He has judgment enough to be aware that a wag has few friends, and perhaps deserves but few, for he spares neither friend nor foe in his rage for playing upon his companions-in his ambition of eclipsing his fellow men.

THE HERMIT IN LONDON.

ON THE SOUTHERN PART OF SOUTH

AMERICA.

THE DRAMA.

Our dramatic article this week must necessarily be brief. Not any novelty-either performer or performance has appeared; and we do not choose to trespass on the patience of our readers by again going over ground which they and we have often beaten.

DRURY LANE will open on Monday se3n

night. Mr. Elliston, the leader of the dra

At COVENT GARDEN a new afterpiece, to (Extract of a Letter from Buenos Ayres.) be called A Short Reign, and a Merry One, The country of the Patagonians is in-was announced for Wednesday last; but it habited by two different races of men. One has been postponed, in consequence, we are The discretion of Sandy aye leads him to of them, the original Patagonians, are a sorry to say, of the indisposition of Mr. Lisfeel his way, ere he broach a new opinion people of gigantic stature, who inhabit it from ton. Every lover of mirth will pray for the ere he venture on a subject which may be the banks of the Plata to the Straits of Ma-speedy re-establishment of his health. hazardous in a general, mixed company. So gellan. The women are of the same size as cautious, so cool, so quiet and gentle is the the men. This nation has regular features Caledonian in leading, so modest in remark, and are of a fine figure. They live solely by the that if he saw your house were on fire, he shore; and it is certain, that if a trade were would "strongly suspeck" something com- established there, we might be supplied bustible about the dwelling! If a man in with abundance of fur, particularly those company commit himself, so as to talk like skins of the Guanuco, and Chinchilla, whose a maniac, and to deliver sentiments offen- wool might become very useful to the Eurosive to all around, Sandy would “strongly pean manufactories. It is now worth from suspeck" that the gentleman was in a mis-about 18 to 20 francs per pound, and might take. be exchanged with the inhabitants, for brandy, tobacco, ready made clothes, and all kinds of short wares.

fourth reflection.

This discreet-ness (as he sometimes calls it) does not proceed from timidity, but from circumspection; for, to be taken by surprise The Indians who compose the other race, is what a good general always avoids, and are called Pampos; they are of a short staalthough his heart and hand are as firm and ture, have very peculiar customs, and live as kind as any man's, you must give het for the most part to the west of Rio-Negro; countersign before you open either, and, they follow agriculture. There are several when applied to," he will take a thought" small factories, and these people sell clothes, before he answer you; and as the Scot is cattle, coarse wearing apparel, salted meat, gifted with second sight, another man's &c. for which they receive brandy and tosecond thought becomes twice two-his bacco. These people are of a mild disposition, possess numberless berds, whose wool Seldom or never is Sandy severe at the is said to be only of the middle sort, but expense of a countryman, more for fear of from which some benefit might be derived. libelling old Scotland than of affronting the The Spaniards have possession of the man. To turn a Scot into ridicule is coming whole coast, from the River Plata to Cape too near home, it might by a ricochet, and Horn, except Rio-Negro, but from which by a recoiling action, light upon himself. the inhabitants are going away every day. Nay more, he honestly dislikes the measure, The government of Buenos-Ayres has taken and feels for his country brother as for him- possession of this place, and placed over self. However, when he sees the vein of them a military governor, but without solhumour run that way-when the tide is so diers. strong that he cannot stem it so as to keep The soil of Rio-Negro is extremely fertile, a brother above water (which, by the bye, is and its corn most excellent. Here is abunvery amiable), he will very cunningly take dance of Patagonian cattle; these might be the Caledonian in his own hands, for fear he exported to the islands, or the west coast. should be more roughly used by a stranger. There is also here a great quantity of wild A Scottish recruit once joined the army at horses, Bombay; and when we say a Scottish re

On the coasts of Rio-Negro grow many

matic army at that establishment, has issued
a manifesto, stating, among other things,
the amount and nature of the troops with
which he hopes to commence his theatrical
campaign. The principal performers at pre-
the following:
sent under engagement to him are it seems

TRAGEDY. Mr. Kean, Mr. Vandenhoff, Mr. Holland, Mr. Powell, Mr. Foote, Mr. (from the Theatre Royal, Liverpool,) Mr. Pope, Thompson, (from the Theatre Royal, Dublin,) Mrs. W. West, Mrs. Egerton, (her first appear ance at this Theatre, Mrs. Robinson, Mrs. Knight.

COMEDY.-Mr. Elliston, Mr. Dowton, Mr. Munden, Mr. Harley, Mr. Oxberry, Mr. Knight, Mr. Russell, Mr. Butler, (from the Theatre Royal, Birmingham,) Mr. Gattie, Mr. Hamblin, Mr. Barnard, Mr. Mordaunt, Mr. Miss Kelly, Mrs. Edwin, Mrs. Mardyn, Mrs. Hughes, Mr. Meredith, Mr. Keeley, Mr. Elliott, Harlowe, Mrs. Orger.

OPERA-Mr. Braham, Mr. T. Cooke, Mr. Thorne, (his first appearance on any stage,) Mr. G. Smith, Mr. M'Keon, Miss Carew, (her first appearance on this stage,) Miss Cubitt, Mrs. Bland, Miss Povey, (from the Theatre Royal, Newcastle) Mrs. Austen, (her first ap pearance on any stage.)

According to the above lists, even as they stand, it is evident that the sock will enjoy a decided superiority over the buskin. If report however " can be in aught believed," Mr. KEAN will make his appearance in no other way than on paper; it being generally understood that, having received lucrative offers from America, he is prepared to forfeit the penalty of 1000l. attached to the nonfulfilment of his engagement to Drury Lane,

en if he should be unable to free himself - legal means, which it is said he confi ntly expects, from the trammels of that gagement. Should this turn out to be the t, it is manifest that all attempts at the rformance of Tragedy must be abandoned. Four or five years ago, we had the pleasure seeing Mr. VANDENHOFF at the theatre of mall town in Devonshire, on a day no ibt well remembered by him-that of his rriage-when he performed Dr. Pangloss, th considerable force and humour; and are therefore surprised to see him placed der the banners of Melpomene. We have doubt that he will prove a valuable acsition to the London boards; whatever y be the cast of characters which he will ptually assume. It gives us great satistion to observe that, in the interval been the approaching and the next season intended to reduce the size of the theatre. that be done, and let a judicious choice, h reference to the peculiar strength of the pany, be made from the sterling protions with which the dramatic literature he country abounds, and we will be anrable for the success of the concern; naged as it will be by one who from his Il and experience must of course be much re competent to conduct it than any unfessional person; and more especially п such persons as those from whose hands as at length escaped.

doubt that the traveller is her husband. She
orders her servants to attend him, and he
experiences the kindest reception. Gertrude
the old gouvernante of Elise declares that she
recognises the stranger to be her young
master, and she frankly tells him so. The
old lady however is completely mistaken,
for the supposed Senanges is no other than
a commissary named Rigaud. This M. Ri-
gaud is a volatile husband, continually ex-
citing the jealousy of his better half, and
who seizes every opportunity of absenting
himself from his home. Gertrude positively
asserts that he is Senanges; and though she
cannot persuade him to think so too, yet he
resolves to avail himself of a mistake which
puts him in possession of a charming wife
and a valuable estate.

been performed on the French stage, previous to the year 1800; and also any musical novelties, not exceeding one act, that may be the property of the Opera Comique.

This is an excellent idea. A school for theatrical instruction, thus combining practice with theory, must be eminently useful in promoting the interests of the Drama.French Paper.

VARIETIES.

Mr. Young is now performing at Norwich. The Mayor of that city has, it seems, invited him to sojourn at his own house during the engagement. This, as the Norwich Mercury properly observes, is " an honourable testimony of respect for talents."

A lady and gentleman are overturned in The Exhibition Room of the British Ina diligence, near the Chateau. Rigaud's stitution in Pall Mall, will, previous to its first act of authority is to order that they being re-opened, undergo a variety of judicishall be received into his house. It will ous alterations and improvements, under the readily be guessed that the two travellers tasteful inspection of its noble directors. are Senanges himself, and Madame Rigaud A petition has been presented to the Lord the latter has been urged by jealousy to pro- Lieutenant of Ireland, for a patent to erect a ceed in quest of her faithless husband. Se-second Theatre in Dublin, somewhere in the nanges does not know his wife, and is quite vicinity of Sackville-street. Should his Exenchanted with her; Elise, on the other cellency accede to the petition, Mr. Talbot, hand, admires the elegant manners of the of the Belfast and Drogheda Theatres, is to stranger, and reproaches herself for enter- be the manager. taining a very opposite sentiment towards G. Templer, Esq. of Stover House, in Dorthe commissary, whom she supposes to be setshire, is now laying down a granite railway, the only one in the kingdom, from the Rigaud having usurped the place of Se-Hayter Rock to the Canal at Stover, which, it is said, will answer every purpose of those formed of cast iron.

her husband.

The reader will perceive that there is very little invention in this piece. It was, notwithstanding, loudly applauded throughout, and the authors of the Solliciteur were an

nounced.

The following verse was applauded and encored

There are fifteen different languages spoken among the inhabitants of the Russian empire, namely:-Russian, Swedish, Finnish, Esthonian, German, Dutch, English, French, Italian, Polish, Armenian, Persian, Turkish, Greek, and the Tartar language. Divine service is performed in twelve of these languages; the Turks and Persians have their mosques.

The number of schools established on the

Lancasterian system, throughout the whole kingdom of Denmark, amounts to one hundred and sixty three.

The Pashaw of Egypt has appointed agents to purchase between 5 and 6000 volumes from the booksellers of Paris. The collection principally consists of works on politics, ancient history, the history of Egypt, Buonaparte's campaigns, and publications on the Lancasterian system of education, which the Pashaw intends to introduce into his states.

THEATRE DES VARIETES.- First represen-nanges in the castle, Senanges thinks himon of Les Deux Maris, a Vaudeville in one self entitled to play the part of husband to -A gentleman and his wife, who, after Madame Rigaud. The latter readily enters ong separation, meet without knowing into the joke for the sake of revenge, and h other and fall in love a second time, is Rigaud is disowned in his turn. The audircumstance which naturally gives rise to ence, however, did not think fit to allow the norous situations, and consequently it intrigue to be carried further, an eclaircissefrequently been adopted as a subject for ment took place, and the wives were restored edy: in support of this assertion we to their respective husbands. d only mention L'Amant de sa Femme, La ale d'Elle même, Les Epour réunis, &c. &c. it would be too severe to accuse the hors of Les Deux Maris of having servilely ied any of the above-mentioned pieces. enanges and Elise have been married at ery early age, and almost without any vious acquaintance. They were separated 300n as the marriage ceremony was perned, and Senanges set off to make the r of Europe under the guidance of his Dr. Elise resides at a Chateau in a rete part of Touraine. After a few years begins to feel that the situation of a e without a husband is somewhat irkhe, and she anxiously looks for the return NEW THEATRICAL PLAN.-It is reported Dr. Rust, a physician in the Austrian Senanges. At length she receives a letter that a new theatre will shortly be established military service, has recently introduced in louncing that he is on his way home; but in Paris, which is intended to serve as a prac- Weimar a remedy against hydrophobia, is likewise informed that to make trial tical school for the Comedie Française, the which has for a considerable period been her fidelity, he intends to visit her under Opera Comique, and even the Grand Opera. universally adopted in Austria and Silesia. assumed name. To make this experi- It is to be called the Dramatic Gymnasium, It consists chiefly of pounded nuts and rue nt on a woman whose affections he so en- and it will furnish performers for the princi-mixed with honey. The patient takes a ly possessed, certainly deserved punish-pal theatres of the French capital, merely spoonful every morning fasting, and another nt, and Elise determines to change her at the expence of their being engaged a at night; when the disease becomes violent ne also, and to appear in the character of year before-hand. Its regular performers a double dose is administered. This remedy of her friends, he has no sooner arranged her plan than avelling gentleman arrives, and requests mission to rest for a few hours at her Elise of course entertains no

iteau.

Grâce à cette mode anglaise,
Au lieu de huit on tient seize,
Et sur ce hant phaëton
On se croit presqu'en ballon.
Ces voitures, qu'on redoute,
Ont acquis le droit, dit-on,
De verser sur chaque route
Par brevet d'invention.

will be the pupils of the Conservatoire de
Musique, besides any young persons who
may evince talent to qualify them for pub-
lic singers. The managers will have the
privilege of representing any piece that has

is composed nearly of the same ingredient's as the powder for hydrophobia, known in Austria by the name of Schwartzenberg powder, because it was discovered by a Count of Schwartzenberg.

Correction. We are indebted to an evident-1 a

ly able and erudite friend for the following THE SUFFERINGS AND FATE OF THE correction of errors which crept into our last No.! We print it liter tim.

AND

Journal of Belles Lettres, Arts, Sciences, etc.

This Journal is supplied Weekly, or Monthly, by the principal Booksellers and Newsmen throughout the Kingdom; but to those who may desire
its immedinte transmission, by post, we beg to recommend the LITERARY GAZETTE, printed on staniped paper, price One Shilling.

REVIEW OF NEW BOOKS.

GAS LIGHTING.

Description of the Process of Manufacturing Coal-Gas, for the Lighting of Streets, Houses, and Public Build ings; with Plans, &c. of the most approved sorts of apparatus now employed, &c. &c. &c. By Frederick Accum. London, 1819. Svo. pp. 320. Seven plates.

PRICE 8d.

and important data on a most valuable and | smoke: when laid on the fire, they burn growing branch of national economy. with a feeble lambent flame, or, in some inThe volume is divided into no fewer stances, without flame at all, but only a red than 16 parts, devoted to a description glow like charcoal; at length consume, and of the general nature and advantages of leave a small portion of heavy ashes. Kilthis new art, its constituent materials, kenny, Welsh, and stone, or hard coal belong to this class, and require a strong and their secondary products, the vari-draught when burnt in an open fire-grate, ous apparatus employed in every part of the gaseous oxide of carbon, which they the manufactory, the modes of lighting, give out in combustion, being at the same and the precautions necessary for domes- time extremely offensive. They are nevertic comfort and security. Without ad-theless well calculated for drying malt and MR. ACCUM is already so favourably hering very methodically to Mr. Accum's hops, burning lime or bricks, and other known to the public, by his treatise on plan or diction, we shall proceed without processes where blazing fuel is not required; and for these purposes are sent all over the the subject expressed in the above title further exordium, to throw as clear a kingdom. Our present enquiry, however, page, that any new production from his light as we can upon the subject, by a is more with the capacities of these three pen must be sought with avidity, by all sort of critical distillation of his matter. classes for furnishing Gas, and our author those who are anxious for accurate and We begin with the raw material. gives us tables showing their several procomprehensive practical information on Pitcoal like all other bituminous sub-ducts in this way; from which it appears one of the most striking and useful in-stances is composed of a fixed carbonaceous that in the first class, the maximum quanventions of our extraordinary era. base in the state of bitumen, united to a tity of cubic feet from one chaldron of We small portion of earthy and saline matter, Scotch Cannel coal amounts to are, therefore, relieved from the duty of which constitute the ashes left behind when Lancashire Wigan coal encomium, which we should otherwise the coal is burnt. The proportions of these feel bound to bestow with no sparing parts differ considerably in different kinds voice, and have only to epitomise the of coal; and according to the prevalence of principal and novel features of his per-less combustible, passing by various shades one or other of them, so the coal is more or formance, so as to bring before our from the most inflammable coal into blind readers a "brief chronicle and abstract" coal, Kilkenny coal, or stone coal, and lastly of the present state of the rapidly ex-into a variety of earthy, or stony substances, tending process of lighting with Coal- which although they are inflammable do not Gas, or, to speak with greater chemical merit the appellation of coal. exactitude, carburetted hydrogen. The author has confined his aim to utility: we have no prolix histories of the discovery of this art; no theories; no disputes about the honour of inventing, improving, or perfecting. Since his preceding Treatise was written, (a Treatise which has gone through several large editions, and been translated into German, French, and Italian), he tells us that,

Wakefield (Yorkshire) Cannel
Staffordshire varieties, from 9.748 to
Gloucestershire ditto, 12.096 to
Newcastle (Tanfield Moor)
Ditto

Ditto

Ditto

19.800

19.608

18.860

10.866

16.594

16 920

16.120

(Hartley)

SECOND CLASS.

Newcastle (Walls' End)
Through a diminishing series of 15, 14,

13, 12, and 9000 odds to a twelfth
variety, (Primrose Main)

8.348

2.116

1.656

1.292

All the varieties, however, used for fuel in this country, may be divided into three classes: the first comprehends those varieonly, such as Cannel coal, Scotch Splent Upon the whole, Mr. Accum prefers, as ties which are chiefly composed of bitumen coal, some of the Staffordshire, Gloucestershire (Delph), and Newcastle coals, which an economical fuel, the second class, comtake fire easily, burn briskly with a strong prehending those varieties which contain a and yellowish-white blaze, produce no slag, larger quantity of carbon than bitumen, as and by a single combustion are reduced to they act less on the grate bars and fire bricks light white ashes. The second class consists of the furnaces, than the blazing coals beof all those varieties which contain a less longing to the first class. Originally the quantity of bitumen, and a larger quantity quantity of fuel necessary to decompose a The art of manufacturing and applying of carbon than the first; and these are the given quantity of coal, amounted to from 30 Coal-Gas has undergone many material "strong burning Newcastle coal" of the Lon to 36 per cent, of the coat decomposed; i. e. improvements, all combining to bring it to don market, which burn with a flame less required from 30 to 36 parts of fuel, to dea degree of simplicity, precision, and econo-bright, and of a yellower colour (the last compose 100 parts of coal, but now, in conmy, far surpassing every thing which the portion they are capable of yielding being sequence of many improvements, the quanoriginal mode of practice exhibited: always of a lambent blue), become soft after tity is reduced to from 25 to 20 per cent., And therefore, he has again come forward lying on the fire for some time, swell in and even, in some cases, with a careful with a view of the superior process by the im- bubbles, and pass into a state of semi-fusion, stoker, to 15 per cent. proved machinery employed in the metropolis puff up and throw out tubercular scoria and the chief provincial towns of Great Bri- with a hissing noise, and small jets of flame. tain, which has stood the test of practice, The third class includes all those varieties and is now in action at the most celebrated which are destitute of bitumen, being chiefly Gas-Light Establishments. In executing composed of carbon in a peculiar state of this design, he has unquestionably produced aggregation, evidently combined chemically a compendium of all the best information with much earthy matter. They require a which the experience of the art down to this higher temperature to ignite them than date affords, and embodied many interesting either of the foregoing, and emit little or no VOL. III.

We come now, naturally, to the distillatory process, by which the Gas and other products are obtained from the raw material; and here Mr. Accum's statement is peculiarly clear and accu

rate.

In order to apply this mode of procuring light on a large scale as now practised

with unparalleled success in this country, Such is the general outline of the method the metropolis; and the total pu pumber of rethe coal is put into vessels called retorts, and of procuring light from coal; and by a simi- torts at all the London ngon gas establishments furnished with pipes connected with reser-lar process carburetted hydrogen might be amounts to 960, ng haninos erg gat gand of voirs to receive the distillatory products. economically extracted from other substan- "The number of retort ovens at the WestThe retorts are fixed into a furnace, and ces such as animal or vegetable oil, tar,minster Chartered Gas Works Stations, heated to redness. The heat developes from either coal or vegetable, pitch, resin, and amount to 490flif smilthe coal the gaseous and liquid products, the the essential oils obtainable from tar, and "The average cost at which coal gas can latter are deposited into receivers, and the the compact species of turf. Of these, he manufactured on a large scale in London, former are conducted through water in animal oil seems to be the most applicable, is seven shillings the thousand cubic feet, which quick lime is diffused, by which the and experiments have proved that it may deducting not only the interest of the capicarburetted hydrogen gas is purified. The frequently be adequately substituted for tal sunk in erecting the establishment, rent sulphuretted hydrogen and carbonic acid coal, though the latter must ever be the and taxes, the cost of the coal, labour, wear which were mixed with it, become absorbed great staple of gas-light manufactory. and tear of the machinery, and superintenby the quick-lime, and the pure carburetted From a series of experiments it is found, dence, but all other necessary and incidental hydrogen is stored up in a vessel called the that cylindrical retorts are superior to coni- expences that may occur. 19716limię & 936 gas-holder, and is then ready for use i cal parallelopipedel, for decomposing coal in "A mile of pipe of an average diameter, From the reservoir in which the gas has masses, from 5 to 8 or 10 inches in thick- laid under ground ready for conveying gas, been collected, proceed pipes, which branch ness. Thirty-four cylinders performed the together with taking up and making, good out into smaller ramifications, until they same process with forty cones during six the pavement, costs in London, about 10001. terminate at the place where the lights are months, with the same quantity of coal and And in small towns, where the lights are wanted, and the extremities of the branch fuel. It is probable, however, that ellipsoi- usually less clustered together than is the pipes are furnished with stop-cocks to regu- dal retorts may be still more advantageous case in London, and where pipes of late the flow of the gas into the burners or than the cylindrical now in use; or that a three inches in the bore, are usually suffilamps. GAS late invention by Mr. Clegg, of what are cient, a mile of pipe complete costs, about The production of gas-lights, is there- called horizontal rotatory retorts may super- 7001.. 191am to iden fore analogous to that of fame produced sede all other kinds. These we are sorry 0 "Half a cubic foot of coal gas, obtained from tallow, wax or oil. All these sub- that we cannot describe without the aid of in the ordinary way of manufacturing coal stances possess, in common with coal, the plates: suffice it to say, that by bringing gas from Newcastle coal, is equal in illumielements of certain peculiar matters, which the buckets successively with the coals on nating power and duration of time, to the are capable of being converted into infam- three trays, in thin layers of from two to four light produced by a tallow candle six in mable elastic fluids by the application of inches in thickness, into contact with the the pound, burning for one hour, and heat. hent by which decomposition is effected, as such a tallow candle lasts, five hours, they save a great deal of that expence of therefore 15 cubic feet of coal gas are fuel which is necessary to decompose the equal in value, with regard to illuminatcentral parts of the masses in the ordinary ing power, to one pound of candles. And and settled way.

The advantages of the mode of manufacturing coal-gas by nieans of horizontal rotary retorts, consist in a saving of fuel, time, labour, and machinery, a gain in the quantity of gas, and increase in the quantity of coke.

heated in one oven, and the cast iron of

"

The capillary tubes, formed by the wick of a candle, or lamp, serve the office of the retorts, placed in the heated furnace in the gas-light process, and in which the inflamas 112 pounds of Newcastle coal produce, by mable gaseous fluid is developed. The wax, the new method of manufacturing coal gas, tallow, or oil, is drawn up into these ignited at least 550 cubic feet of gas, therefore the tubes, and is decomposed into carburetted quantity of gas produced from a chaldron of hydrogen gas, and from the combustion of Newcastle or Sunderland coal, (the minithis substance the illumination proceeds. mum weight of which is 27 cwt.) is equal in In the lamp as well as in the candle, the oil, illuminating power to 1000 pounds of tallow or tallow, must therefore be decomposed, The next great improvement in the pro- candles." bersejada es puol before they can produce a light, but for this cess which we have to notice, is the substi Thus far we are acquainted with the purpose the decomposition of a minute tution of ovens or air furnaces for flues to mode of production, and most of the imquantity of the materials successively, is heat the retorts; for this the public are in-portant peculiarities of gas-light illumisufficient to give a good light. Thus origi-debted to Mr. Rackhouse. Five retorts are nation, but there are stil! some curious nates the flame of a candle or lamp. Nothing more, therefore, is aimed at in which they are made suffers far less than circumstances connected with the subthe gas-light process, than to separate the when exposed to flame forcibly directed ject, to which we shall devote th immediate products which coal affords, against them as in the original method. mainder of this paper. After the gas is when submitted to a temperature of ignition Having thus described the material obtained, and before it is supplied to the in a close vessel; to collect these products employed; the process, and the appara- public, several processes are requisite, in separate reservoirs, and to convey one of the products, the inflammable gas, by means tus, it may be expedient briefly to notice it must be (1) purified, (2) stored in reof pipes and branching tubes, to any requir- a few of the prominent and curious facts servoirs, (3) measured, and (4) conveyed ed distance, in order to exhibit it there at connected with the manufactory. the orifice of the conducting tube, so that it It has been ascertained that the decom- The purification (1) is performed by a may be used as a candle or lamp. position of coal is most economically con-lime machine. ducted when each retort is charged with 100 pounds of coal, and the distillatory process be continued for eight hours. Two men, one by day and one by night, can attend nine or ten retorts menos is the

The whole difference between the gigantic process of the gas light operation, and the miniature operation of a candle or lamp, consists in having the distillatory apparatus at the gas-light manufactory, instead of being in the wick of a candle or lamp; in having the crude inflammable matter decomposed, previous to the elastic fluid being wanted, and stored up for use, instead of being proceeds from the consumed as fast as it the decomposed oil, wax, or tallow; and lastly, in transmitting the gas to any required distance, and igniting it at the burner or lamp of the conducting tube, instead of burning it at the apex of the wick,

9

The number of gas-lights already in use
in the metropolis alone, amounts to upwards
of 51,000. The total lengths of mains in
the streets through which the gas is con-
veyed from the gas-light manufactories into
the houses, now measures 288 miles. I
"The gas-light illumination has also
spread far and wide through the country.

"There are now in action 620 cylindrical
retorts, at the two chartered Gas Works in

in pipes.

a

the re

1/11 12 "The gas in its crude state always contains portion of sulphuretted hydrogen and carbonic acid; and when burnt, although its illuminating power is greater in an impure than in a pure state, it produces an oppressive and suffocating odour, which is speedily perceptible in confined places. The gaseous product evolved during its combustion, blackens paint and tarnishes metallic bodies; an impure gas, besides strongly acts upon the copper branch pipes through which it is conveyed.

10

To obviate these defects the sulphuret ted hydrogen and carbonic acid, which are the cause of them must be removed, and to