APPENDIX to the CHRONICLE. 635 



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two complete mints to Petersburgh. 

 Mr. Boulton having presented the 

 late emperor Paul I. with some of 

 the most curious articles of his ma- 

 nufactory, in return received a po- 

 lite letter of tlianks and approbation, 

 together with a splendid collection 

 of medals, minerals from Siberia, 

 and specimens of all the modern 

 money of Russia. With the view 

 of still further improving and faci- 

 litating the manufactory of steam 

 engines, Messrs Boulton and Watt, 

 in conjunction with their sons, es- 

 tablished a foundery at Smethwick, 

 a short distance from Soho. Here 

 that powerful agent is employed, as 

 it were, to multiply itself, and its 

 various parts are fabricated and 

 adapted together with the same re- 

 gularity, neatness, and expedition, 

 which distinguish all the operations 

 of their manufactory. Those en- 

 gines are afterwards distributed to 

 all parts of the kingdom by the 

 Birmingham canal, which communi- 

 cates with a wet dock belonging to 

 the foundery. It could scarcely be 

 expected thatenvy would view with 

 indifference such singular merit and 

 such unexampled success. The 

 inventions and improvements of - 

 Messrs. Boulton and Watt were first 

 imitated, and then either decried or 

 disputed. Reason laboured in vain 

 to silence the clamours of injustice, 

 and to defeat the stratagems of fraud. 

 At length, in the year 1792, a so- 

 lemn decision of parliament, and, 

 about the same time the concurrent 

 opinion ofthe courtof King's-bench, 

 forbade any further encroachment. 

 The last discovery for which Mr. 

 Boulton obtained a patent, was the 

 important " Method of raising Wa- 

 ter and other Fluids;" an ample 

 description of which may be found 

 in the fifth and sixth volumes ofthe 



Monthly Magazine. Whoever con- 

 templates the merit and utility of a 

 long life devoted to such valuable 

 pursuits, as we have here briefly 

 and very imperfectly described ; 

 and recollects, without emotion, 

 that the spot on which so much has 

 been done, and is still doing; where 

 hundreds of women and children 

 easily earn a comfortable subsist- 

 ence ; where population is rapidly 

 increasing, and the means of nation- 

 al prosperity improving in propor- 

 tion, was lately a bleak, swampy, 

 and sterile waste, must want under- 

 standing to comprehend, or sympa- 

 thy to appreciate the happiness of 

 his fellow-creatures. To comment 

 upon the private character of ?. gen- 

 tleman in Mr. Boulton's situation, 

 would be an useless task ; we shall 

 therefore only observe, that as his 

 great and expanded mind formed 

 and brought to perfection the won- 

 derful works we have briefly endea- 

 voured to describe, so he felt no 

 greater felicity than that of diffusing 

 happiness to all around liira. For 

 a long time previous to his decease, 

 he had been confined to his room 

 by illness, and his dissolution was 

 daily expected. His memory will 

 ever remain dear to the British na- 

 tion, whose glory was advanced in 

 proportion to his own fame. While 

 we commemorate those great men 

 whose have sought their country's 

 honour in the fields of war, we ought 

 not to omit paying a just tribute of 

 applause to those who have pro- 

 moted arts, industry ,andcommerce, 

 and diffused plenty and comfort 

 through the realm, by cultivating 

 science, and applying it to the use- 

 ful arts of peace. He was buried 

 on Thursday, 24th Aug. at Hands- 

 worth, near Soho. A hearse and 

 nine mourning coaches attended, 



followed 



