466 Note on the divini7ig Rod. 



vol. of the new edition (an. 1814) of Dr. Charles Hutton's trans- 

 lation of Monlucla's Philosophical Recreations, as given by the 

 lady herself, whose name was then Lady M. but is now Lady N. 



The note begins thus: *' Jan. 21st, 1818: it is just 50 years 

 since Lady N.'s attention was first called to this subject; she was 

 then 16 years of age." Which must therefore have been in the 

 year 1768; whereas Lady M.'s first letter to Dr. Hutton stated, 

 that the transaction was in 1772 (if not 1773), when she was 19 

 years old. But these are only trifling discrepancies. 



The remainder of the note differs not materially from the state- 

 ment in Lady M.'s letter in Dr. Hutton's book above mentioned, 

 till we arrive at the paragraph in the middle of the 374th page, 

 viz. "Afew years afterwards she went, at Dr. Hutton's particular 

 request, to see him at Woolwich (Common), and she then showed 

 him the experiment, and discovered a spring in a field which he 

 had lately bought near the New College, then building. This 

 same field he has since sold to the College, and for a larger price 

 in consequence of the spring." 



Now, Sir, this paragraph consists of a mass of inaccuracies. 

 The fact is, that Dr. H. having about 15 or 16 years before pur- 

 chased the field alluded to, bounded close upon the east side of 

 Woolwich Common, and being convenient for erecting dwelling- 

 houses, he immediately commenced a series of operations of that 

 kind, and in the first year (1790) built the first house, which he 

 occupied with his family during several years afterwards This 

 house has now been used for the last 14 years as the hospital of the 

 Military Academy or College, and goes by the name of the Cube 

 House; standing on a square of 40 feet each side, and the same 

 in height. During the building of this house, as it had always 

 been reported and understood that no water was to be found 

 on the neighbouring common, for his satisfaction Dr. H. pro- 

 cured a set of iron boring rods, with which he bored the ground 

 to the depth of 50 feet, where he found a copious spring of water, 

 and then dug his first well, 16 years before Lady M. did him the 

 honour of her visit. 



From that time Dr. H. continued similar operations, till, in 

 the couse of 15 years, he had erected almost 20 new arnd genteel 

 houses, part of them of 4 stories, and the others of 5 stories high, 

 and had sunk wolls to them, of the same depth as the first; 

 having taken down about half-a-score cottages of two storiss 

 high, which had before been on the estate, to make room for 

 his new buildings. 



About this time the Board of Ordnance had in contemplation 

 to erect somewhere a new College, the old one in the Warren 

 (now called the Arsenal) being found too small, and the situation 

 too confined : various situations were examined for that purpose ; 



but 



