THE WATT AND THE TREVITHICK ENGINES. 131 



while he sat unobserved in the crowded law court in 

 1796 hearing the remarks of engineers and counsel. 



" The public until now called me a scheming fellow, but 

 their tone is much altered. An engine is ordered for the West 

 India Docks, to travel itself from ship to ship, to unload and to 

 take up the goods to the upper floors of the storehouses. 



" Boulton and Watt have strained every nerve to get a Bill 

 in the House to stop these engines, saying the lives of the public 

 are endangered by them, and I have no doubt they would have 

 carried their point, if Mr. Homfray had not gone to London to 

 prevent it ; in consequence of which an engineer from Wool- 

 wich was ordered down, and one from the Admiralty Office, 

 to inspect and make trial of the strength of the materials." 1 



After a week or two another letter states, 2 



" We are preparing to get the materials ready for the experi- 

 ments by the London engineers, who are to be here on Sunday 

 next. We have fixed up 28 feet of 18-inch pumps for the 

 engine to lift water. 



" These engineers particularly requested that they might 

 have a given weight lifted, so as to be able to calculate the 

 real duty done by a bushel of coal. 



" As they intend to make trial of the duty performed by the 

 coal consumed, they will state it as against the duty performed 

 by Boulton's great engines, which did upward of twenty-five 

 millions, when their 20-inch cylinders, after being put in the 

 best order possible,. did not exceed ten millions. As you were 

 consulted on all those trials of Boulton's engines, your presence 

 would have great weight with those gents, otherwise I shall not 

 have fair play. Let me meet them on fair grounds and I will 

 soon convince them of the superiority of the ' Pressure-of-steam 

 engine.' " 



Watt left no stone unturned to prevent the use of 

 high-pressure steam-engines, and fortune favoured 



1 See Trevi thick's letter, 22nd February, 1804, vol. i., p. 161. 



2 See Trevithick's letter, 4th March, 1804, vol. i., p. Kiii. 



K 2 



