Mr Davidson's Description of a Syphon Lamp. 97 



Description of the Sketch. 

 Fig. 4. Plate III. Represents a front view of the lamp. 

 Fig. 5. A section of the lamp. 



A is a syphon with equal legs, liaving both extremities turned up ; but 



when it is made of glass, and is intended to be used without a wick, 



tlie burner extremity must be considerably more turned up than 



the other. 



The syphon A slides in an oval or oblong float B, which may be 



made of cork, or any other light substance. 

 C is an oval or oblong vessel, in which the float B can move easily up 

 and down. At one side of the vessel C, is a small cup D, intended 

 to receive any oil that may run over, and which then collects in the 

 cavity G. 

 Having adjusted the syphon in the float, so that it passes over its 

 transverse diameter, we fill the syphon with oil, and plunge the float 

 into the vessel C, which should be nearly full of oil ; and then, by 

 means of the wire E *, the float is to be slid up or down on the 

 syphon, until the oil is almost running over at the extremity F, 

 when the lamp may be lighted, and will continue burning until the 

 syphon comes to touch the bottom of the vessel. 



If the above be thought worthy of a place in your Journal, its 

 insertion will oblige your obedient servant, 



Laurence Davidson. 

 To Professor Jamesok, \ 



Edinburgh. j Dundee, Atigust 15. 1828. 



Mr Davidson, in answer to my query, whether the lamp had 

 been used by him, and found to answer well, says, " I beg to 

 state, that my father (Dr Davidson, of Marischal College, Aber- 

 deen) used the syphon lamp without a wick, during the greater 

 part of last winter, as a night lamp. It was found to burn with 

 an uniform steady light for months, without the least trouble, 

 excepting now and then cleaning the glass burner, and filling 

 the lamp with oil. I have also one burning in my surgery here, 

 with a wick ; and from the oil being kept always at the same level, 

 it does not require snuffing during the whole evening. — Edit. 



• The wire E also serves the purpose of receiving small weights to coun- 

 terbalance the weight of the syphon. 



But these may be rendered unnecessary, by altering the form of the float, 

 &c., as by making the float in the shape of a horse-shoe, and the oil vessel to 

 correspond. The addition of a weight at H tends greatly to steady the float 

 and keep it properly balanced. 



OCTOBEft DECEMBER 1^28. G 



