1815.j On Coal-Mines. lil 
for the discovery of some chemical agent which shall condense or 
neutralize, or in some way or other render harmless, the destructive 
substance as fast as it is disengaged. 
- But, Sir, in order to give the investigation of the subject by men 
of science any chance of being prosecuted. with success, it is indis- 
pensably necessary that some inducement should be held out. It 
would be to draw on philosophy or philanthropy to a much greater. 
amount than either will be found to bear, to suppose that scientific 
men, from the mere impulse of benevolence, or love of the subject, 
are to engage in a course of laborious and costly experiments, for 
the purpose of finding out that which, though it would unquestion- 
ably gratify the feelings of every true friend of science, as well as of 
humanity, would be attended with no decided advantage to the 
discoverer himself. Iam aware it has been said, by a writer whose 
authority stands deservedly high, that ‘ in the present state of our 
knowledge, an infallible method of obviating by chemical means the 
deplorable catastrophes which occur in coal-mines, is a hopeless ac- 
guisition ; and that to hold forth any such proposal, with confident 
pretensions, would be the boast of empiricism, and not of science.” *: 
It has also been urged, that the limited power which art has, or: 
even can be supposed to exercise over the mightier operations of. 
Nature, leaves little room to expect that any thing can be done by: 
chemical means to controul the powers of the latter in any consi- 
derable degree. Between these discouraging opinions, and the one 
promulgated by Mr. Buddle, which forbids us to look for any fur=, 
ther mechanical means, we should be left, were we implicitly to. 
abide by them, in such a state of utter abandonment, as would go 
to preclude, all endeavours to ameliorate the present system. ‘To 
adduce, therefore, such dogmas as these, is to throw a damp upom 
exertion of every kind, by a species of cold-blooded doctrine, hos 
tile both to feeling and to the interests of science, and which is the 
more likely to obtain credence from the respectable sources whence 
it derives its authority. In prosecuting this interesting subject, then, 
such gloomy and disheartening views ‘must positively be discarded,, 
and sentiments indulged in, which shall be. more consonant to our 
hopes and wishes, and which shall afford to the mind a brighter and 
more satisfactory prospect. Chemistry has in our age made rapid 
and astonishing advances in the pursuit of truth; and calculating 
from past experience, it does not appear why such a discovery as 
that of preventing or counteracting the excessive generation of car- 
bureted hydrogen, or of neutralizing it when formed, should be: 
placed out of the reach of chemical research. Although, art. can 
certainly do little to regulate or subdue any of the more stupendous 
operations of Nature, yet in some extraordinary instances she has 
undouhted]y succeeded. Besides,. the ventilation of a coal-mine is 
nothing more than the artificial adaptation of scientific principles to- 
the successful accomplishment of a great practical result, and bears: 
pf 
f Vide Reply te Dr, Trotter’s Proposal for destroying Fire aud Choak Damps. 
