100 Mr. VsLYkea' additional 0/j^ervalium 



down the temperature of that oil day by day, and yet did not 

 know whether his thermometer was graduated to 700° or 900°* — 

 who doubted whether it was open at top or close f — and who 

 had measured thirty-three gallons oi fresh oil into an iron vessel 

 which, according to his own shewing would not hold more than 

 thirty-five gallons, and had contrived to keep the oil tvithinthis 

 vessel for five or six days, though it was generally kept at a tem- 

 perature of 400° ; and every one who has made experiments 

 on the expansion of oil, must know that thirty-three gallons of 

 whale oil measured at the usual temperature of the atmosphere 

 in the month of February (say from 40° to 50°) would, when 

 brought to the temperature of 400°, have measured thirty-nine 

 gallons. Thus it seems that this Mr. Samuel Wilkinson, by 

 some wonderful " dexterity" which I am not acquainted with, 

 contrived to keep thirty-nine gallons of oil in a vessel of the 

 capacity of thirty-five gallons. — This Mr. Samuel Wilkinson 

 was the operator in chief: — the man of whose accuracy they so 

 proudly boast, " who has been long accustomed," they say, " to 

 the preparation of various chemical products, and such as de- 

 mand attention and dexterity J." Who " has been in the habit 

 of managing chemical processes of the most delicate kind;" 

 and whom they affirm " they will challenge against Mr. 

 Parkes himself for manipulation in experiment §." — And well 

 they may ! 



Something also might be said of Mr. Wilkinson's assistant, 

 in conducting these experiments, for he likewise must have his 

 assistant. This man, who acknowledged that he " had never 

 been employed upon a process of this sort before," as he " had 

 been at sea most of his life-time |1," the Associates thought 

 proper to put into the witness-box, to support Wilkinson's 

 testimony, and when questioned by one of their own counsel, 

 it appeared that he did not understand what was meant by the 



* Mr. Gurney's Report of the First Trial, p. 147. 



t In same answer, p. 147. 



J See their book, entitled Remarks, Sec, p. 13. 



§ Ibid. p. 62. 



II See Mr. Gurney's Report of the First Trial, p. 157. 



i 



