2 WILLIAM GOSSAGE 



was undoubtedly a thorough genius. How- 

 ever varied or subtle the definitions of genius 

 may be, the demands of all such definitions 

 are met in him. He had a mind of large 

 general powers, he eminently possessed the 

 faculty of in vention, in pursuit of his discoveries 

 no labours were too exacting and no pains 

 too great, as long as his physical powers held 

 out he was ever to be found in the front rank 

 of inventors ; he kept ahead of his time and 

 his mind remained alert and capable of 

 incessant growth. The face, the voice, the 

 manner, even the very gait, were those of no 

 ordinary man, he had the presence of a leader, 

 he was himself an inspiration. 



On the nth February, 1823, William 

 Gossage first entered that door, through 

 which for over forty years he was destined so 

 frequently to pass. The records of the Patent 

 Office afford the material by which his career 

 can be traced step by step, his patents reveal 

 not only the subjects on which his own mind 

 was engaged, but they illustrate the history 

 of the alkali trade and allied industries in their 

 varied and rapid developments during the 

 present century. 



Gossage 's patents are his life. They are 

 continuous, they are connected, they indicate 



