2 HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE 



on gas-lighting ; but as these works may not be in the possession of the ma- 

 jority of my readers, I shall here quote the interesting narrative in the quaint 

 language of the author. 



" Description of a Well and Earth in Lancashire, taking fire by a candle approached to it. 



" This was imparted by that ingenious and worthy gentleman, Thomas Shirley, Esq., 

 an eye-witness of the thing now to be related in his own words, viz. : 



" About the latter end of February, 1659, returning from a journey to my house in 

 Wigan, I was entertained with the relation of an odd spring situated in one Mr. Hawk- 

 ley's ground (if I mistake not), about a mile from the town, in that road which leads to 

 Warrington and Chester. 



" The people of this town did confidently affirm that the water of the spring did burn 

 like oyle ; into which error they suffered themselves to fall for want of due examination 

 of the following particulars. 



" For when we came to the said spring (being five or six in company together) and 

 applied a lighted candle to the surface of the water, 't is true there was suddenly a large 

 flame produced, which burnt vigorously ; at the sight of which they all began to laugh 

 at me for denying what they had positively asserted ; but I, who did not think myself 

 confuted by a laughter grounded upon inadvertency, began to examine what I saw ; and 

 observing that this spring had its eruption at the foot of a tree growing on the top of a 

 neighbouring bank, the water of which spring filled a ditch that was there, and covered 

 the burning place lately mentioned ; I then applied the lyghted candle to divers parts of 

 the water contained in the said ditch, and found, as I expected, that upon the touch of 

 the candle and the water the flame was extinct. 



" Again, having taken up a dishful of water at the flaming place and held the lighted 

 candle to it, it went out ; yet I observed the ^vater at the burning place did boyle and 

 heave like water in a pot upon the fire though my hand put into it perceived it not so 

 much as warm. 



" This boyling I conceived to proceed from the eruption of some bituminous or sul- 

 phureous fumes, considering this place was not above thirty or forty yards distant from 

 the mouth of a coal-pit there ; and indeed Wigan, Ashton, and the w hole country for many 

 miles' compass, is underlaid with coal. Then, applying my hand to the surface of the 

 burning place of the water, I found a strong breath, as it were a wind, to bear against 

 my hand. 



" Then I caused a dam to be made, and thereby hindering the recourse of fresh water 

 to the burning place, I caused that which was already there to be drained away ; and 

 then applying the burning candle to the surface of the dry earth at the same point where 

 the water burned before, the fumes took fire and burnt very bright and vigorous ; the 

 cone of the flame ascended a foot and a half from the superficies of the earth : the basis 

 of it was of the compass of a man's hat about the brim. I then caused a bucket full 



