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ject which is of the utmost importance, notqnly to the great cause of humanity, and to* the mining interest of this country, but alsoto the commercial and manufacturing inte-rests of the United Kingdom: for I am con-vinced that by the happy invention of thesafe-lamp, large proportions of the coalmines of the empire will be rendered avail-able, which otherwise might have remainedinaccessible—at least without an inventionof similar utility, it could not have beenwrought without much loss of the mineral,and risk of life and capital.

It is not necessary that I should enlargeupon the national advantages which mustnecessarily result from an invention calcu-lated to prolong our supply of mineral coal,because I think them obvious to every re-flecting mind ; but I cannot conclude with-out expressing my highest sentiments of ad-miration for those talents which have deve-loped the properties and controlled thepower of one of the most dangerous ele-ments which human enterprize has hithertohad to encounter.”