122 MR. DAVIES GILBERT ON THE PROGRESSIVE IMPROVEMENTS 
period, that I well remember an individual who used to boast of his having 
assisted in constructing the first Whim, or contrivance for applying the 
strength of horses to the lifting of weights, that was seen in the peninsula west 
of I Iayle and of St. Michael’s Mount. 
The only material improvement ever made to Mr. Newcomen’s engine, had, 
1 apprehend, been effected previously to its introduction into Cornwall, which 
consisted in the automatic opening and shutting of the valves. It consequently 
remained in nearly the same state up to the time when a new sera commenced 
from the appearance of Messrs. Boulton and Watt. 
The use of Mr. Watt’s engine, secured to him by a patent in 1769, and 
extended by Parliament to the year 1800, was offered on terms reasonable in 
themselves, and fairly growing out of the subject. These were, payments of 
one third part of -all the savings in fuel, to be estimated by a comparison of the 
new engines with those on the former construction executing equal quantities 
of work. 
Experiments on a large scale were accordingly instituted in the summer of 
1778 on two atmospheric engines, then supposed to be the most perfect of any 
at work in Cornwall ; conducted by Messrs. Boulton and Watt themselves on 
one part, and by the engineers and managers of mines on the other, assisted 
by some of the most respectable gentlemen of the county, who were interested 
either as proprietors of the land, or as adventurers in the mines. 
The following is a copy of their Report : 
“ Poldice Mines, October 30, 1778. 
“ We the under subscribers having carefully examined the books of the mine 
touching the consumption of coals of the two eastern engines during the 
months of August and September of this present year, and attended to the 
working of the engines during those months, do hereby certify, that the said 
two eastern engines did consume in Cl days of those two months 220 weys of 
coal, each wey being G4 Winchester coal bushels, which amount to 14’080 
bushels in 61 days. 
“ Wc do also certify, that the said two engines together do work pumps in 
four lifts which are 17 inches diameter in the working barrels, and the whole 
depth from whence these pumps drew water to the adit is 58 fathoms. 
“ Wc further certify, that the said engines did during those months of August 
