1821.] On Oil and Coal Ga^. M 



Article VI. 

 On Oil and Coal Gas, ' 



(To the Editor of the Annals of Philosophy^ 



DEAR SIR, Sheffield, May 12, 1821. 



I HOPE you will indulge me with the insertion of a short reply 

 to Mr, Ricardo's paper on Oil and Coal Gas, which appeared in 

 your last Number. 1 would not have troubled you with a second 

 paper on this subject, had I not thought it a duty imposed upon 

 me to correct the erroneous statement which Mr. R. made in the 

 postscript to his last paper respecting the price of coal gas ia 

 Sheffield. 



If I had allowed his remarks to have passed unnoticed, he and 

 your readers would be justified in drawing the conclusion, that 

 my first paper was incorrect, and that the consumers of gas in 

 Sheffield were imposed upon by the Gas Light Company, by 

 paying a much higher price for gas than what the Company 

 professed to charge them. ' - i 



Mr. R.'s first paper has been so completely answered, respect- 

 ing the comparative illuminating power of the two gases in 

 question, by Mr. Lowe, of Derby, in the Philosophical Mag-a- 

 zine for the last month, that any further remarks on that heaxi 

 are rendered unnecessary. 



Mr. R. still persists in his assertion that the London Chartered 

 Company possess advantages superior to any other, although 

 they only divide 8 percent, and yet other Companies have divided 

 10 per cent. The Sheffield Gas Works are generally allowed to 

 be as well built, and as completely and conveniently fitted up, a«' 

 those of any other place ; therefore, we may fairly presume that 

 the capital employed in the buildings, &c. will be nearly upon a; 

 par with that of the Chartered Company, in proportion to the 

 size of the works and the quantity of gas required. To what 

 then must the advantages be attributed in those places (for every 

 one, except Mr. R. I think, will allow that they have re«/ advan- 

 tages) where the Companies make greater profits^ and sell their 

 gas cheaper than at the Chartered Company's Works ! It must 

 be either owing to superior management, and the economy used 

 iri that management, or to the cheapness of the destructible 

 articles (retorts, coal, 8cc.) used in the manufacturing of gas. 

 As Mr. R. is not willing to allow that the cheapness of coal, 

 labour, 8cc. is of much benefit to a gas hght manufactory, 

 though I entirely differ with him on that point, it must be in the 

 economical management that some provincial towns have the 

 advantage over the Chartered Company. Perhaps Mr. R. will 



