194 Britain's Heritage of Science 



be moved, or protected against the disturbing effects to 

 be expected in a large workshop. Ayrton recognized the 

 want, and in conjunction with Professor John Perry designed 

 a number of reliable and practical instruments that could be 

 used in a factory. Some of these inventions have proved of 

 permanent value. 



The applications of chemistry to the necessities of the 

 nation are predominant in times of war, and hardly less 

 universal in times of peace. Two great industries stand out 

 on account of their importance, enhanced as it is by the 

 interest attached to, and the instructive contrast presented 

 by, their historical development. While the alkali manu- 

 facture which has been prosecuted so successfully in this 

 country is based to a great extent on chemical processes 

 originated or perfected by foreign chemists, Leblanc, Solvay, 

 and Castner, the coal-tar colour industry, founded on pioneer 

 work done in England, was unable to hold its own against 

 foreign competition. There is this possibly to be said in 

 explanation of the difference. The chemistry of the alkali 

 manufacture is extremely simple, and the difficulties which 

 had to be overcome, though serious enough, were mostly on 

 the engineering side ; the colour industry, on the contrary, 

 depends, not only in its initial stages but throughout, on 

 persistent and organized scientific research, requiring the 

 encouragement and support of the manufacturers. The 

 institution which is associated with its birth the Royal 

 College of Chemistry was an exotic growth disconnected 

 from any university, and without permanent influence on 

 university teaching. Its director, Hofmann, was, at that 

 period, concerned with training scientific men rather than 

 manufacturing chemists, and no efforts were made to bridge 

 the gap between the laboratory and the factory. 



The alkali industry presents a more pleasing history, 

 Joshua Ward, of Twickenham (1685-1761), first commer- 

 cially produced oil of vitriol in glass globes of forty to fifty 

 gallons capacity, and a very important advance was made 

 by Dr. John Roebuck, of Birmingham (1718-1794), who, in 

 1746, erected the first lead chambers. A name more directly 

 connected with the manufacture of alkali is that of Joseph 

 Christopher Gamble (1776-1884), who was trained up for 



