Principle of Lighlivg bi/ Gas illustrated. 



4SS 



'ilie ilistillntion from pit-coal had an 

 ril)s(-rval)lc lapiil iiicicaso, and recourse 

 was had to it to repair the deticiencies 

 of oil in all the various parts of London. 



In the !)op,inniii;j; of 1805, l!ie prefect 

 of tliu Seine nominated a commission 

 to inlroiinco the ligliting; of gas from 

 )»it-coai into tiio hospital St. Ijonis. 

 l''rom the intervention of political 

 events, tliisohject was not accamjilished 

 till t!ie 1st of January, 1818, when 300 

 bees, or gas-lainp«, were lighted h|), 

 completely illuniinaii;);^ the cstuhlish- 

 mciit and its dependencies. The ap- 

 paratns was ample enough to supply 

 16,000 lamps, it heing then intemied to 

 light np St. Lazarus and t!ie Incurahlcs ; 

 but this part of the project has not been 

 put in execution. 



In 1816 Mr. Windsor caine over to 

 Paris, and was autiiorised to furnish 

 gas for the palace of the Chamber of 

 Peers, for the Second Froneli 'i'hcatre, 

 and several adjoi'iing streets; but the 

 •dlcets did not reply, suitably, to the 

 lutignc he gave himself, and the success 

 of M. Pohvhcle, wlien ajiplied to, was 

 more cflectuai. 



WIk n the minister of tiic king's 

 household wished to have gas in the the- 

 atres under his direction, ho procured a 

 variety of documents from England, as 

 to the fabrication, and these were em- 

 ployed in the structure rai^^ed for light- 

 ing with it, near the ' Abattoire' of 

 Montmartre. 



Two new establishments, to provide 

 for the consnmptiou of individuals, rose 

 up nearly at the same tin;e, one in the 

 suliurl) Poissonnierc, and the other 

 nepr the barrier of Courcclles. The 

 first was set up by M. Polwhele, the 

 son, and the hydrogen extracted there is 

 from pilcoal; in the other, conducted by 

 Messrs. Manby, Henry, and Wilson, 

 the new process of converting oils into 

 flaming gas, is employed. Illuminatiun 

 is the only object of these two great 

 nndcrlakings; but some on a smaller 

 scale, for supplying both light and heat, 

 are at work, among which that of M. 

 Gengemhre, in a house of public baths, 

 makes use of the fire necessary for the 

 healing of the baths. 



But enemies, more dangerous than 

 the pamphleteers, were aiming a blow 

 dt the institution generally ; the support 

 of government was withdrawn, and a 

 decision of ihe Council of State proved 

 fatal to the establishment of the Faux- 

 liourg Poissonniisre. Public confidence 

 was tlicn shakcTi, and little has been 

 done to restore it. 



[Julv f, 



Unnatural and pungent feelings and 

 prejudices have pressed upon this mode 

 of ushering in a new order of things ; 

 but, notwithstanding the swarm of pam- 

 phleteers in opposition, endeavours have 

 not been wanting to recommend and 

 adopt its principles, sanctioned by the 

 examinations and authority of reason, 

 'i'he I'eport of the Council of Health, 

 contending on itu; ^i(le of truth and jus- 

 tice, inibrn)a1ion coiiveyctl which might 

 be read, studied, and acted on, as a v<!- 

 hicle and model of good logic and rra- 

 so'iing, adorned with all the attractions 

 of perspicuity ; but this did not produce 

 the expected cllccts. Lighting by 

 gas remains stationary, at I'aris, while 

 it occupies a length of more than ninety 

 leagues, in London, and lights up nearly 

 40,000 lamps. Plans are also in pro- 

 gress for rendering gas-lami)s movable 

 and portative, for Icsserung the dimen- 

 sions of the gazonii'lers, and for con- 

 densing the lluid, so that every house 

 may have a reservoir for the supply of 

 the lamps in use. 



The history of an art, t!ie knowledge 

 and publication of which are of so re- 

 cent a communication, can only convey 

 the intelligence and description of cer- 

 tain facts jnoportionably confined. The 

 circulation of these, by com[);;ring dif- 

 ferent .slatenicids, will no dou!)i, in 

 time, remedy any unfortunate existing 

 circumstances, occasioned in a great 

 measure by the opposition of contending 

 journalists. 'J'o develo|)e the system, 

 and various phenomena that occur in it 

 as a science, so as to deprive ignorance 

 of its power to hinder the benefits « hirh 

 this invention, by an extended inter- 

 course, is likely to afford, will be a task 

 more arduous. 



Prior to the polilical commotions of 

 France, Meunier, Argant, and Quin- 

 qnet, had effected a revolution in the 

 lighting by lamps. Their researches 

 had relation to chemistry, physics, and 

 matiiemalical questions. The intelli- 

 gent mind of Count Kumford sui)plied 

 an abundance of information, justly 

 valuable, on the subject. His notices, as 

 to the means of extracting the greatest 

 quantity of light from luminous sub- 

 stances, are no less applicable to gas 

 than to oils and greasy articles. Similar 

 experiments of Coulomb entitle him to 

 the grateful remembrance of his 

 country. 



Rumford has shown the difficulty of 

 submitting the usiud combustible sub- 

 stances to a stale of complete combus- 

 tiun. The luminous matter should ex- 

 pand 





