TO THE CENTURY. 371 



supposes&quot; about it ; and to note that, in respect to it, 

 44 there has always prevailed a great diversity of 

 opinion.&quot; But here is no attempt made to trace and 

 analyse that &quot; diversity of opinion,&quot; or to dissipate the 

 cloud. The Marquis s captivity in the Tower is mis 

 stated ; and the luckless 44 pot-lid&quot; story enlarged and 

 improved upon, for it is concluded that hence 44 so 

 runs the story arose the 4 Century of Inventions/ 

 with its steam-engine all ready made and acting ; 

 at least in the mind of its contriver !&quot; This undignified 

 view of the case of the imprisoned, ruined, neglected 

 inventor of the steam-engine, never deserved to be 

 enrolled in the volume devoted to the life of his 

 glorious but remote successor.* 



* We meet with the following singular passages recorded by his biographer, as 

 introductory to the Inventions of James Watt, in the second edition of his Life, 

 1859. At page 145, it is remarked : 



&quot; When we consider the whole of the contrivances invented by Savcry, as des 

 cribed by himself in The Miner s Friend, we cannot but accord to him the praise 

 of very great ingenuity, independent of the merit of having made THE FIRST WORK 

 ING STEAM ENGINE, (if he was not preceded in that by the Marquis of Worcester) ; 

 but, at all events, of having been the first who introduced it into use.&quot; 



We give this passage as printed, and proceed to the next, at page 156. which is 

 not recorded either in the Contents or Index, only distinguishing certain words : 



&quot; We think it right to add that the language used by Savery in his Miner s 

 Friend, in treating of the advantages, whether ascertained or prospective, of his 

 invention, presents a strong contrast, in point of plainness, simplicity, and modesty, 

 to the more high-flown phrases in which the Marquis of Worcester magnifies the 

 performances of his semi-omnipotent engine. Savery was evidently a practical 

 man, possessed of great [1] common sense as well as of [2] ingenuity ; and 

 although it would probably be wrong to deny to Lord Worcester the possession of a 

 good deal of the second of those qualities, it may well be doubted how far he is 

 entitled to the claim of any very considerable share of the ^r,^&quot; [common sense] ! 



We believe that the author of this strange composition is a Scotch Advocate of 

 some standing ; now it is far from being the character of the legal profession, as a 

 body, to commit to paper such reckless reproach of even the dead ; but assuredly 

 it does not require the caution induced by a knowledge of common law to point out 

 the propriety of treating with respect the memory of a man of high birth and 

 untainted reputation, such as was the Marquis of Worcester. But this is not all, 

 we are introduced to a &quot; FIRST ENGINE,&quot; at the risk of a second &quot; first/ as declared 

 by the same pen ! And without fear of contradiction we say the last should be 

 first, and the first last in this category. 



2 B 2 



