The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-12-27 00:00:00

DEATH OF CHIEF BARON PIGOT.

Lord Chief Baron Pigot died on Monday morning at
his residence in Merrion square, Dublin, after a pro-
tracted illness. He had been in very delicate health
for some months, and had been unable to preside in
his court since the commencement of Term; but no
serious fears were felt until within the few days pre-
vious to his death; and up to Saturday evening
he himself expected that he would recover. His
' illness tnen assumed an alarming aspect; he made
a slight rally, however, and survived the attack
of the disease until four o'clock on Monday morning.
The Irish Bench has list in him one of its ableet
Judges, and society one of its most highly.estetmed
and popular members. As a lawyer he held a
foremost rank, and his judgments were always
marked by profound knowledge, keen eagacity, and
logical pow. r. His judicial conduct was distin-
guished by qualitiee which commanded universal re.
spect and confidence. While he administered justice
with inflexible firmness and even severity where public
interests required it, his courtesy and patience were
gratefully appreciated. He presided with a dignity
worthy of his high position and with unimpeachable
Impartiality, and he was very conscientious and pains.
taking. He was born at Kilworth, County Cork,
in 1805, and was the son of a physician. In 1826
he was called to the Bar, after graduating in
Trinity College ; in 1835 he received a silk
sown; in 1839 he was made a liencher of the
King's Inns, and was appointed to the office of
Solicitor-General under the Melbourne Adminis-
tration. Next year he succeeded to the office of
Attorney• General and was made a Privy Councillor;
no 1 in 1846, the late Sir Maziere Brady, who then
presided in the Court of Exchequer, having been
elevated to the rank of Lord Chancellor of Ireland.
Mr. Pigot was appointed first ROM= Catholic Chief
Baro.‘, with a general recognition of his fitness.
From 1839 to 1846 he represented the borough of
Cl nmeL The Lord Chief Baron was a visitor of the
College of bleynooth, and a member of the Senate of
the Queen's University, a Commissioner of National
Education, and also connected with other public
oleo.

TH/1 NEW SUBSTITUTE FOR COAL.
We (Goligrioni) statedashort e ago that a*
peasaat haorlitade the air discord t
earth, coal, Ind soda, mixed tilth.r, would NM as
well and better than any other combustible, and the fact
has since been proved beyond a doubt. The way in
which ha found this out is carious, :—He had been
scraping the floor oi his cellar with a shovel in order to
bring all the piewasa of coal lying about into a heap,
which, mixed as it was with earth and other impurinee,
he put into his stove. To his astonishment, he foind
that this accidental compound burnt better instead of
worse than he expected, and dratted mach greater liltatt
! Being an intelligent moo, he endeavoured to discover
the cause' and discovared that a good sisal of bode,
! probably the remnant of the last wait, laf about the
floor of the cellar, and that 0.01110 of it must have got
Into his heap, He then made a few experiments, a.cl
' at length improved his compound sufficiently to render
It practical. The publicity given In Belgium to
this discovery caused trials to be mado everywhere.
and it has now been ascertained that three parts of
earns amid one of coal-dust, watered with a con-
centrated iolution of soda, will burn well and
emit great heat. Many Parisian papers talked of
it, but only one, the Montleu4 went 60 far as to make
the experiment at its printing-cflise. A certain quan-
tity of friable and slightly sandy earth was mixed with
the I tautura of coal duet prescribed ; the two ingre-
dients were well incorporated with each other, and then
made into a paste with the solution above mentionel.
The fireplace of one of the hollers had previously been
lighted with coal, and the fire was kept up with
shoveleful of the mixture. Thai latter, in a few seconds,
was transformed iato a dry brown crust, which soon
after became red-hut, awl then burns brightly, but
without being very rapidly consumed. The fact of the
combustion is, thereaore, well ascertained; but be ore
the system can be universally adopted. there are 601116
Important points to be considered, such as the calorific
power of the mixture compared to that of pure coal, its
price, and, above all, a remedy for the great drawback
attaching to it—ils fouling the firegrate considerably.