man, I apprehend, can doubt what that influence has been, not only here, but all over the civilized world; for there is no country so remote, no portion of the globe so little open to our commerce, that they do not enjoy some portion of the benefits of Mr. Watt's invention [Hear, hear!] The great benefit conferred by that gentleman consists in the abridgment of labour, the perfection and rapidity with which our manufactures are executed-the almost indefinite production of every article, to suit the wants, and wishes, and convenience of the people. And, be it observed, that by this you also improve the moral condition of mankind; for by creating new wants in the minds even of savage nations, you infuse new ideas, and a spirit of exertion, which will stimulate them to industry, and an improvement of their condition. If I were called upon to illustrate this opinion, I would refer to those remote countries in the Pacific, in one of the islands of which

our

celebrated and intrepid navigator, Capt. Cook, lost his life. We now find, that in those islands a state of civilization exists, and that they have made greater progress than still remains to be made, in order to elevate them to the rank and character of Independent States [applause]. If the former savage of those islands has exchanged his nakedness or his rags for the linens and cloths of England-if the articles of his household furniture and of his industry be changed in the same way, I say that it is mainly owing to the facility which the steam-engine affords of manufacturing these articles at a cheap rate, and with such great celerity [applause]. We all know the great physical and productive power of the steam-engine, but it is not, perhaps, so generally known that it has acted as a great moral lever to raise a degraded, and before uncivilized people, to a sense of civilization and independence. It is a power which has extended its beneficial influence over the moral condition of all [Hear, hear, hear!]. If such be the effects of this inven. tion abroad, how much greater have been the benefits conferred by it here? I shall not detain the Meeting by entering into a detail of the increased wealth, happiness, and general prosperity which it has produced in this country; but if I were to enter into such a detail, I should only prove that amongst the great causes to which these benefits were to be ascribed, the mechanical and chemical improvements which have been made in our time hold the first rank [applause]. I feel it unnecessary to go at present into that question; but I cannot help stating, that on looking back to the contest in which we were for the last quarter of a century engaged, it is not too much to say, that we are mainly indebted to the new resources furnished us by Mr. Watt, for the manner in which we brought that contest to a conclusion [loud applause]. I say, my Lord, that but for those important mechanical and scientific improve. ments, making as they did a gradual, silent, but certain accession to the wealth and industry of the country, we might have been obliged to sue for a humiliating peace before all the energies of Nelson were called forth at the Battle of Trafalgar, or before the military sway of the Continent was broken down by the Duke of Wellington, and the seal set to the peace of Europe by the victory of Waterloo [cheers]. Great, my Lord, as are the benefits which we

have derived from this power, we may an ticipate still greater benefits from its future efforts; and, perhaps it may, by persons yet unborn, be applied to purposes not at present thought of. It is from all these considerations that I beg leave to move,

"That these benefits conferred by Mr. Wait on the whole civilized world have been first and most experienced by his own country, which owes a tribute of national gratitude to a man who has thus honoured her by his genius, and promoted her wellbeing by his discoveries."

Sir J. MACKINTOSH: My lord, ladies and gentlemen;-I am now to perform that part of the duty allotted to me upon this question. I offer myself to your lordship's notice, not because I have any thing new to add, but because I feel that it would be disrespectful to remain silent, and decline the high honour conferred upon me [Hear, hear!]. The late Mr. Watt has a double claim to our gratitude. If he were only a discoverer, still his name would stand in the first rank of philosophers; if the light which led him on was not the result merely of accident, as were the discoveries of many who had gone before him, still his life would form an epoch in the present age [applause]. But such is not the case; in him we find art and science combined-genius and mechanical knowledge, going hand in hand, and both directed to the best prac tical uses for the benefit of society. Mr. Watt directed the whole energy of his great powers to the improvement of a hitherto neglected machine. That ma chine he has, by his exertions, so improved, as to make it the most beneficial instrument ever given to society, and by which the greatest benefit can be conferred on mankind [applause]. The debt of science has been paid by the President of the Royal Society, than whom no man is better qualified to bear testimony of the merits of the late Mr. Watt, or more capa ble of describing the benefits which he has conferred upon society. It has been well described to you that the inventions of Mr. Watt have been mainly conducive to the preservation of the State, as well by the increased resources which he furnished, as by the spirit and genius which he awakened. You have been told, and with great truth, that this novel power, this great discovery, while it has spread riches amongst one class of society, has had the effect of giving to the poor those enjoyments which were heretofore considered the luxuries of the rich. Thus has the country been armed with new means of arming and protecting itself; but the benefits arising from Mr. Watt's discoveries do not stop here: for we find that by extending our traffic to foreign countries, we inspire even savages with new desires, we awaken new faculties, which act as stimulants in the march of civilization. I may here, instead of using my own language, be permitted to refer to that of one of the greatest philosophers ever produced by this country-I mean my Lord Bacon, who in a work, I believe but little read, his New Atlantis, describes a voyage to an imagi nary country, in which he mentions what he calls Solomon's House, and sometimes the College of the Six Days Works. In that House he describes a magnificent gallery for men of science, a part of which is filled with the statues of inventors. The

great and unrivalled wisdom of that philosopher did not disdain to place amongst the first rank of science those inventors who benefitted their country by their inventions. In one place was seen the inventor of glass; in another the inventor of the management and use of the silk-worm; -what place, I ask, would my Lord Bacon have given to Mr. Watt, had he lived in his time?[loud applause] He would undoubtedly have placed him at the head of all inventors of all ages. That great philosopher goes on to state, that whereas lawgivers, extir. pators of tyrants, fathers of their country, and the like, are honoured as demi-gods, inventors are honoured with the title of gods. You have been told that this was the only invention in the useful arts which is purely the result of science. Cases of accidental discovery we find scattered over the world, and no man can pretend to say after one such improvement, that a series of other improvements must necessarily take place. It is, however, otherwise with inventions and discoveries which are the result of scientific study and inquiry. Every step you there take is a prelude to a farther and more certain progress, and from the past you can with cer tainty calculate the future. When I reflect that but sixty years have elapsed since the introduction of this great power, and that it is much shorter period since Mr. Watt has applied it to purposes of practical utility; and when I recollect the delight ful description given of that power by my honourable friend, the President of the Royal Society, I must confess that my astonishment is greatly excited. Let us look over the globe, and we find its powers every where in motion-in the bowels of the earth, upon the highest mountains, upon the face of the waters. From the Mississippi to the Ganges, the name of Mr. Watt is heard, and the benefits of his invention are felt [applause]. I heard only the other day that all the great rivers of South America were now navigated by steam; so that the savage who inhabits the forests of Guiana becomes alarmed at the appearance of a monster, which makes its way upon the waters, without apparent effort or moral agency [applause]. If so much has been done in so short a time, what may not a sanguine hope whisper to itself, as to the future? For myself, I confess, that in contemplating what has been already done, I entertain trembling hopes, which I should not wish to expose to the eye of the scorner. But I feel that still nobler things are reserved in the unopened volumes of destiny. What we have seen is the surest pledge of what we have a right to expect. The combination of the fine and useful Arts has had the advantage of spreading general knowledge over a greater number of minds, and making it easy even to the working classes of society-a set of men for the most part, of shrewd, intelligent minds, and anxious to obtain information. I visited a short time since, in company with an honourable and learned Friend now near me, an Institution in this metropolis, where lectures are delivered to mechanics. There I saw 800 mechanics attending a lecture, and a more orderly or respectable meeting, or one which from the cleanliness of the men indicated greater moral propriety, I never witnessed. The lecture was upon a subject which was, in appearance, but in appearance only, far

beyond their comprehension it was upon the law of attraction, which the almost super-human mind of a former President of the Royal Society revealed to the world. The lecturer was describing the diminution of the power of attraction in proportion to the squares of the distance; and when he concluded, the whole meeting broke into one unanimous burst of applause, as if they felt that a new and sublime truth had at once been revealed to their understandings [loud applause]. A more intelligent plaudit was never, perhaps, uttered by any assembly. The honourable and learned Gentleman, after a few additional observations, concluded by giving his cordial support to the Resolution.

The Resolution was put, and carried unanimously.

Bu

Mr. BROUGHAM: I cannot but feel, my Lord, the distinguished honour that has been shewn me, in being permitted to take a part in proposing the Resolutions that are adopted for the purpose of embodying the sentiments of this Meeting. I am well aware that I am indebted for this honour, not so much to my own merit as to my being an humble, though zealous, supporter, in conjunction with an honourable friend of mine, of that Institution, the object of which is to bring science within the reach of the humble artizan, and the effect of which is to bring forth such talent as may be obscured in poverty, to follow in the footsteps of him who had once, like those mechanics, been obscure, but whose genins now shone with a brilliant and useful lustre. there is another ground on which I wish to address you I had the pleasure of knowing Mr. Watt in his private life, and though in his public capacity his talent and merit were prodigious, yet I may safely call on those who were acquainted with his domestic habits to bear testimony with me to his private worth, and to bear me out, when I declare that nothing could be more pure, more simple, more candid, or more scrupulously loving of justice, than his conduct in every situation. His versatility of accomplishments was so various, his power so great, and his applicationso universal, that it is hard to say which is most to be admired -the extent of his understanding, or the nicety with which he was able to reduce it to the smallest circumstances. It has been observed of some illustrious man, that he might be compared to an elephant, as there was nothing so large or so small but he was able to grasp, and so of James Watt it might with truth be said, that he resembled one of his own engines, in which we are at a loss to tell which we ought most to admire-the extent of its grandeur, or the delicacy of its touch, so tha while, as my honourable friend has just observed it has power to tear up and cleave rocks, can with equal ease fashion the head of a pin or pierce the eye of a needle. Nay, so universal was Mr. Watt's genius, that while it thus ex panded to the greatest designs, it could at times descend to embrace the niceties of classical and verbal criticism. Mr. Watt, too, was most emineutly distinguished by the total want of jealousy in all his proceedings [cheers]: he was conspicuous for a most careful self-denial in his actions, lest he should appear to be desirous of appropriating to himself the honour that was due to others: it was this that always made him decline, what every body was willing to concede to him, the honour of being called the inventor of the steam-engine, contenting himself with the title of its improver, though to doubt of his right to this honour were as absurd as to doubt the original genius of Sir Isaac Newton, because Descartes in one line and Galileo in another had preceded him [applause]. Mr. Walt always took peculiar delight in adjusting

the conflicting claims of others to scientific discoveries, and giving to each individual his due; and though he was a man of the mildest temper, he was always ruffled by adulation towards himself, or the ascribing to the genius of one what was justly the property of another [applause]. It is to do honour to all these rare excellencies of character that we are now assembled to vote a monument to his memory-not that a monument is wanting to immortalise him, for his inemory will be as lasting as the power which he subdued to the use of man, but to consecrate his example before the world, to hold forth to others, that a man of transcendant genius cannot better employ it than in conferring a benefit on all mankind. And where can the monument of this great man be inore appropriately placed than in the Temple of that religion which teaches peace to all, and instruction to the poor? The Temples of the Pagans were adorned by statues of warriors, who dealt desolation on their race; but ours shall be graced with the statues of those who have contributed to the triumph of humanity and science, and amongst others, to him who, without giving sorrow to any man, has achieved what has been an honour and a benefit to the human race [applause]. I beg leave to move, "That a Monument be erected to his Memory in the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, or in the Collegiate Church of St. Peter, Westminster, and that a subscription for that purpose be forthwith opened."

Mr. LITTLETON, M. P.: I trust that my admiration of Mr. Watt may plead my excuse for taking this opportunity of adding my testimony to that of the gentlemen who have already spoken. Certain it is that no monument could be erected within that sanctuary more calculated to make England and the world feel the respect and honour that should be paid to distinguished genius, and more especially towards him who has perhaps done more for his country than any man within the same period. The grand invention of the condensation of steam has been dated at sixty years ago, but I think that it was not till the year 1784 that the invention was brought to perfection, and from this period may be traced the great results that have proceeded from this discovery. I have endeavoured to obtain the data from which calculations on this subject may be formed, and from these I have deduced the following facts: The number of steam. engines in this country have been somewhere stated by M. Dupin to amount to 10,000, which may be near the mark. Taking these on an average to be equal to 20 horse power each, we have 200,000 horses acting together for the total power employed in manufactures, mines, &c., during a period of from 10 to 22 hours per day. There must be at least from two, to two and a half sets of horses kept to perform a work of this description, which would raise the total number equivalent to 10,000 steam-engines, to from 4 to 500,000 horses. The difference of cost between the coals consumed by these engines, and the keep, &c. of the above number of horses, would amount to above twenty millions pounds sterling! If the calculation was carried further, to the saving in actual labour, there would be a rezult so astonishing as to be almost incredible [applause]. It is owing to Mr. Watt that this country first witnessed these wonderful improve. ments: to his exertions it is owing that our mines give forth their mineral treasures in sufficient quantities to supply the whole world: by his exertions, where the solitary tenant had lived far from the human race, towns have now sprung up, and the whole face of the country is glowing with industry and intelligence. While this is the case, can we do less than show the pride we feel in having possessed such a man-one who was

as conspicuous for his unostentation as his mer who was kind and benevolent to all, and who had no ambition for any other monument than that which his genius had erected? Although he might not desire such a mark of public gratitude, we have a duty to perform; and we owe it to his relations, his friends, and even to ourselves, that we should unite to show to the world that it is in such men and such productions that we place our pride. I beg leave most cordially to second the resolution.

Mr. PEEL: I feel that it must be great presumption in me to attempt to add any thing to what has already fallen from the gentlemen that have preceded me, yet, in consideration of the situation that I hold, I may perhaps be allowed to make some observations, more especially, as I differ from those that went before me, in the circumstance of my being one of the numberless persons who have derived a direct personal benefit from the inventions of Mr. Watt [applause]one of those who have derived ail their worldly prosperity from the honest industry of others [loud applause]; base and worthless must the mind of that man be who on such an occasion as this could refuse to acknowledge the debt he owed with any other feeling than that of gratitude [continued cheers]. The branch of industry to which I allude is that of the Cotton Tradethat trade which has derived fresh life and spirit from Mr. Watt's inventions. In the year 1790, the first steam-engine was erected in the town of Manchester-before this time, the manufactories bad existed in the remotest districts, and depended almost entirely on the exertion of animal power; but Mr. Watt effected a complete revolution in this trade; he transported the factories from wild and inaccessible places to towns and cities, and enabled every branch to be united under the same roof, so that, in a wonderfully short time, the raw material is converted into the finished cloth [applause]. When I recollect what took place thirty years ago, and look at the fortunes that have been made, the towns that have sprung into existence, and the thousands who in a manner owe their birth to these manu factories, I cannot but offer my unfeigned admiration of the genius of Mr. Watt and the effects produced by it [applause]. I feel that the class of society from which I have sprung has been ennobled by his genius [great applause]; but it is less on that account than of the honour which he has conferred on the whole nation that I join in the wish to see his statue among those of our illustrious dead. I even hope that this Meeting will improve on the suggestion of Lord Bacon, and that we shall see his monument placed under the same dome which contains the relics of the poet, the warrior, and the statesman, whom I cannot but consider as in concordia animæ, and only calculated therefore to reflect lustre on each other [cheers].

The Noble Chairman then put the Resolution, which was carried unanimously.

The Earl of ABERDEEN: I cannot hope to add any thing to the spirited eulogies that have already been pronounced on him, to whose genius and talents we are indebted for being made acquainted with a power, whose existence we scarcely knew of before, and to whose memory a thousand reasons combine to cause us to erect a monument in that place to which he is fairly entitled, when his utility to mankind and the, spotless integrity of his life are fairly considered. To carry this intention into effect it is necessary to appoint persons to conduct the proceedings, and for this purpose I have to move, "That a Com mittee be appointed for this purpose."

Mr FRANKLAND LEWIS: Ihold it to be

description of a contrivance of mine to enable tailors also to work at their business without sitting. I was prompted to the invention by the desire of obviating the injurious effects which sitting had upon my health. I have used it for three years, and have performed every kind of work with it, standing, with as much facility as I could sitting, and, in fact,

more so.

A B is a bench, about 36 inches high; F is a block of wood, 4 inches deep from D to C, 2 feet in breadth from E to G, and 10 inches over from D to H, and may be placed on any part of the edge of the bench. EG are two cushions, 15 inches in circumference, stuffed with hair, or any thing which can be conveniently had, and nailed firmly on the block of wood. G is the cushion, on which the workman holds his work to sew it, the same as he would do on his knee when sitting: the other cushion is principally to rest the sleeve-board on when pressing, though it can be used the same as the other to sew on. This machine is, in fact, an artificial lap; and can be moved to any part of the bench as convenience may require.

When pressing his work, a small stool, or any thing which will raise the workman three or four inches, will be found to be of great service, as he will have a much greater command of his work.

Any number of men may work in this way, by having several of these machines on a bench, and having a number of benches in rows.

I suppose it is scarcely necessary to observe, that the workman may Dccasionally sit if he choose, though, after two or three days standing, he will find that he will no more need to it than a carpenter or blacksmith. I am, Gentlemen,

Your most obedient servant,
J. C. S.

MESSRS. PARKES & SON'S SMOKE

CONSUMING APPARATUS.

GENTLEMEN;-I have read, in the 8th Number of your Magazine, the description of Mr. Brunton's apparatus for the consumption of smoke

from steam-engines; and as the sub ject, not long since, occasioned much public discussion, and several schemes have been submitted, with a view not only to the saving of fuel, but also towards diminishing the nuisance occasioned by the smoke from steamengines, and other manufactories where large boilers are employed, I have made it my business, from interested motives, to learn which of the modern contrivances has proved the most efficacious, and is the easiest of adaption to boilers already in use. I give Mr. Brunton much credit for the ingenuity of his invention; and I believe, that by means of his apparatus, the avowed object, viz. that of destroying the smoke, is very consi◄ derably effected. Your correspondent does not state the saving of fuel: I am informed it is about 20 per cent.

In introducing to your notice the smoke-consumer, for which a patent has been obtained by Messrs. Parkes & Sons, of Warwick, I conceive two or three advantages may be pointed out which entitle it to a claim for general adoption, not inferior to any of the plans which have been submitted for accomplishing the end in view.

1. With respect to its simplicity, and consequently the small expense of the consumer.

2. The practicability of its application, not only to steam-engine boilers, but to pans and coppers of all descriptions.

3. The saving of fuel.

4. Its efficacy, as to destroying the smoke.

5. The saving, as relates to the wear of furnace-bars, boiler-bottoms, and brick-work.

A. represents the ash-pit of a fire-place, from which an air-passage communicates at the valve or door C, to the throat of the chimney at B, and is regulated by a small iron rod at D. A current of cold air, which naturally rushes in at C, is always coming in contact with the smoke just as it is entering the chimney, and thus preventing it from ascending, it is thrown back over the flame of the fire, and is there entirely consumed.

In building the fire-place, Mr.