292 Answer to Mr. Farley. 



My remarks in reply shall be concise — indeed any notice from 

 me verges on superfluity. 



I simply alluded to the residuum of the oil of wine when the 

 ethereal vapour was expended in the minimum combustion de- 

 tailed ; I did not exalt it to the merit of a discovery, but indi- 

 rectly alluded to it as a thing the knowledge of which was not 

 confined to me. The terms were general, and Sir H. Davy 

 might as well question the allusion made to the new acid gas. 

 I have never once said that it occurred to me, individually, in 

 the prosecution of experiment. 



It cannot be my wish to deprive Mr. J. Farley of all the ad- 

 vantages which may result from his mightv discovery of the 

 '' peculiar fixed oil." For my own part, it is, I think, with the 

 title of discovery, too splendidly adorned. However, we shall 

 no doubt receive a masterly analysis of its ch.eaiical constituents 

 from this gentleman; until which period, I shall certainly hesi- 

 tate to rank as a new body what only " seems" to be " h peculiar 

 fixed oil," from a superficial and cursory examination of it. 



I cannot charge mv memory at j)resent with any conversation 

 with Mr. Farley relative to this substance, except that he told 

 me at one time, it was heavier than water, and at another period, 

 lighter. In the first 'instance, 1 distinctly told him that I had 

 tried platinum in oil of wine. Certainlv, if a person has made 

 a discovery, he has a right to publish it — My paper only detailed 

 " the phaenomena of platinum and otlier wires in inflammal)le 

 media." I shall not envy Mr. Farley his discovery — I only say 

 that he has been rash. 



I read with some interest Dr. Clarke's proposition for an im- 

 provement in the oxihydrogen blowpipe, in the last Number of 

 the Annals of Philosophy; because you yourself proposed to 

 me exactly such an appendage, to increase the intensity of the 

 flame, two or three months ago*. The rough sketch you gave 

 me at the "time, I have somewhere in mv possession. There can 

 be no doubt but that such a fasciculus would exalt the ignition. 



I omitted to mention an experiment hv which any one may 

 satisfy himself of the success of the appendage I have presumed 

 to recommend to Davy's lamp, by which it may relight itself. 

 Compress a spiral wire of the thickness of a knitting needle, heat 

 this red hot, blow out the candle and bring it over the wick like 

 an extinguisher. It will be immediately rekindled. 



* Tlic proposal alluded to wp.'i to interpose a bundle of capillary tubes 

 between tlie iiolrlcr of the coiiiprcsscd mixture of gases, and the sniall tube 

 tjirou^h which it is ejectf d on the L-imp ; but as I had not applied it to use 

 in au^' \va^' whatever, or published it, but the same idea may have oc- 

 curred to others, the merit belongs ii» justice to Dr. Clarke, who first gave 

 it to thf public. — A. T. 



Your 



