CHAP. VII. LETTER TO " THE PAPERS." 123 



the father and son set out the latter dressed in his Sun- 

 day's round jacket to lay the joint production before 

 Mr. Brandling, at Gosforth House. Glancing over the 

 letter, Mr. Brandling said, " George, this will not do." 

 " It is all true, sir," was the reply. " That may be ; 

 but it is badly written." Eobert blushed, for he thought 

 it was the penmanship that was called in question, and 

 he had written his very best. Mr. Brandling then 

 requested his visitors to sit down while he put the letter 

 in a more polished form, which he did, and it was 

 shortly after published in the local journals. 



As the controversy continued for some time longer to 

 be carried on in the Newcastle papers, Mr. Stephenson, 

 in the year 1817, consented to publish the detailed 

 plans, with descriptions, of the several safety-lamps 

 which he had contrived for use in the Killingworth col- 

 liery. The whole forms a pamphlet of only sixteen 

 pages of letterpress. 1 



His friends, being fully satisfied of his claims to priority 

 as the inventor of the safety-lamp used in the Killing- 

 worth and other collieries, proceeded to hold a public 

 meeting for the purpose of presenting him with a 

 reward " for the valuable service he had thus rendered 

 to mankind." Charles J. Brandling, Esq., occupied the 

 chair ; and a series of resolutions were passed, of which 

 the first and most important was as follows : " That it 

 is the opinion of this meeting that Mr. George Stephen- 

 son, having discovered the fact that explosion of hydrogen 

 gas will not pass through tubes and apertures of small 

 dimensions, and having been the first to apply that prin- 

 ciple in the construction of a safety -lamp, is entitled to a 

 public reward." 



A subscription was immediately commenced with this 

 object, and a committee was formed, consisting of the 

 Earl of Strathmore, C. J. Brandling, and others. The 



'A Description of the Safety- , son, and now in use in the Killing- 

 Lamp, invented by George Stephen- : worth Colliery.' London, 1817. 



