ii
CONTENTS.
PART II.
Encouragement given by the legislature to the new system of pro-curing light.—Gas-light company, incorporated by charter, toapply the new art of illumination by way of experiment, on alarge scale, to illuminate the streets and houses of the me-tropolis.—Power and authorities granted to this corporate body.—are very restricted, and do not prevent other individuals fromentering into competition with them.—Boundaries of their ex-periments.—limit of capital employed by them.—Power of HisMajesty with regard to the gas-light charter.
THEORY OF THE COMBUSTION OF COAL INELUCIDATION OF THE NATURE OF GAS-LIGHT . ■ 49.
Natural history of pit-coal.—Immediate constituent parts of coal.—Their relative quantities—are different in different kinds ofcoal.—Phenomena, which happen during the combustion ofcoal.—Analysis of coal by distillation.—Great waste of mattercapable of producing light and heat, in the usual mode of burn-ing coal.—Proofs of this statement.—Theory of the productionof gas-light, compared with the production of light obtained bycandles and lamps.—Place which the discovery of lighting withgas occupies in the philosophical order of knowledge.
HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE RISE AND PRO-GRESS OF THE APPLICATION OF COAL-GASAS A SUBSTITUTE FOR PROCURING ARTI-FICIAL LIGHT. ' 55.
The discovery of the inflammable nature and application of coal-gasfor the production of artificial light, cannot be claimed by anybody now living.—Early notices of the inflammable property ofthe gas obtained by distilling coal.—Attempts to substitute it fortallow and oil.—Experiments made with coal-gas by Dr. Clay-ton Dr. Hales, and the Bishop of Liandaff.—First successfulattempt of lighting manufactories with gas —Creditor and debtoraccount concerning- the expence of this mode of illumina-tion, when compared with the light obtained by tallow candles.— Claims of Mr. Murdoch with regard to the economical ap-,plication of coal-gas.—Claims of Mr. WlNSOK.—Experimentsof Mr. Northern, Mr. Clegg, Mr. Cook, Mr. Ackkrhakk.—Economical statements of the gas-light illumination whencompared with the cost of the same quantity of light obtainedby means of candles and lamps.