196 0« certain Experiments with Sir H. Davy's Safe-lamp. 



covery of one who (confessedly even by Mr, Holmes himself) 19 

 ignorant of the principles of his own invention ? 



Mr. Holmes's last paragraph is calculated only to excite feel- 

 ings I will not indulge in, and I shall not give it any other no- 

 tice than to observe, that I believe the assertions it contains are 

 as inaccurate as they are illiberal, 



I have the honour to remain, sir, 



Your very obedient servant, 



John George Children. 



p. S. — I should have made this communication earlier, had 

 not absence from home obliged me to defer the experiments till 

 too late for its insertion in your last number. 



XXXIX. On certain Experiments ivith Sir H. Daw's Safe- 

 lamp, reported to have leen made at the Gas Establish - 

 ment in Dnrset-stteet. By William Knight, Esq. the 

 Manager of that Establishment. 



To Mr, Tiiloch. . 



Sir, — L HOPE you will permit me, through your excellent publi- 

 cation, to endeavour to remove any unfavourable impression which 

 may have been made by a paper on Sir H. Davy's Safety-lamp, iit 

 the August Number of the Annals of Philosophy, by a Mr. Holmes, 

 relative to some experiments conducted at the Gas Establishment 

 in Dorset-street, with which I am connected. 



Mr. Holmes speaks of a visit to the works for the purpose of 

 trying experiments on Sir H. Davy's safety-lamp, and mentions 

 persons who were present at the trials. Does Mr. Holmes publish 

 their names, to attach importance to his liberal investigation ? 

 If he does, it is fair to ask what credit his experiments derive 

 from the presence of Mr. Wheatcroft, who is employed here to 

 pay the workmen ; Mr. Morris, who superintends the worlis by 

 night ; and Mr. May, of whom I never heard i>eforc he ob- 

 tained importance in Mr. Holmes's letter. How Mr. Holmes 

 Ixad access to the works, I know not ; nor would I or any other 

 proprietor knowingly lend ourselves, or the establishment, to ex- 

 periments not openly conducted. Whenever gentlemen, who 

 ^re men of science, have wished to visit the works, an applica- 

 tion has been usually made to me as engineer, and I have al- 

 ways been ready to afford free inspection, and give every facility 

 to experiments ; but in this instance I never heard of Mr. 

 Holmes or his visit till I saw his own report in the Annals of 

 Philosophy, and that only yesterday, when the last number was 

 put into my hands. As the active partner and manager of the 



cstablishr 



