The National Register.
London, England, 1816-09-09 00:00:00

THE

LATIONAL REGISTER.

MANDY'S EXPERIMENTS.

EXTINCTION OF FIRE, AND PRESERVATION OP PRO:

PERTY, BY A NTI-PHLOGISTIC FLUID.

Committee-Ronon..Woolwich Barrack,. Aug. 30. 1816.
C(EVIItITTLIe. _ . .

Appointed by the Honourable the lionrd of Oh dnanee null the
Lord, of the Admiralty, consoling of the following Field
Caloncl.•,

PI-esident—General Lloyd.
ORDNANCE DP.PARTMENT.
General Ramsey, (lemma! ltotbark,
Sir H. Farmingham, Colonel trios,.
sir W. Robe, Colonel Griffiths.
ROYAL NAVY.
Adm. Sir Charles Rowley I Capt. M`Kinlie, U.N.
To witness the &eels of Captain ;Dimity's Machine for ratio-
goi•lting Fire, and to Report their opi ll ion of the same to the
il.tterent Boma..
Captain Maltby stated, that before lie presumed to hving the
ditierent inaehines and implements lit their notice. he had taken
the opit i i 111 l of men of scientific and philosophical knowledge.
He assured the Committee, that he hod no idea of pecuniary
gain: he shoofidtake oat no patent for what he had dime, and
he wished it to be known that he disavon eil all claim to inven-
tion. The Committee then inspected the portable machine ;
the Captain skewed them that it could be instantly applied (as
it might be kept ready loaded) to a tire. which miss so situated
that a common fire engine would he (Woo service; for instance,
he said, in the hack apartments of a house, or under die deck
of a vessel. lie explained the mantle of the fluid which the
machine was charged with, which coo.-nits of lime, potash,
a certain quantity of water, which might be 'limit! ill two mi-
nutes, and on board a 441 a cask of it might always be in
readiness, besides the machine bring charged with it.
To shew to the Committee the extraordiaary effects of the
anti-phlogistic Hind, be immersed in it a quantity of lienip,
canvas, and deal wood, which ase the most combustible mate-
rials used in a duck-yard; he also immersed the tame mate-
rials in common water, and applied it eel-taint heat to each ;
those which had been dipped in the antilthlogiitic fluid would
not burn, and those dipped in common water blared immedi-
ately.

The tapten then exhibited the means be had of rescuing
persons frogs danger, where they %Cie so M1411..411141, being sur-
rounded by fire, that the only means of eon aping fr the cle-
ment was through the windows, or from the tops of homes. He
chewed several plans, embracing every situation iu which a
person might be placed at such* lime. All the apparatus,
with IS of the portable machines ur cylinders, might be, by
his plan, fixed upon a light cart, anal two men, or one horse,
could draw them with ease. One of the inventions was lunch
admired by the Committee, which the Captain tried by shoot•
ing a cord from a pistol, one oral of which would go over a
house, and the person in distress would draw the rope to the
window ;at the other end was fastened a machine similar-10 a
glazier's horse, suet' as they clean the outside of windows with,
which are at a distance from the ground. Pentons may draw
it up and fasten themselves to the rope by a sliding noose roomd
the waist, and the rope being fastened to a pulley, the persons
below may assist those in distress gradually- down. without
danger. The noose in the rope is so (mined, that a child may
he let out of the upper window in the house, add arrive at the
ground without danger.

The Captain produced a plan ofcommunication (comp house
on fire to the next house, by a kind of railing with hooks to
clip each window frame; and also an elastic sheet, ulnah being
held by two men, the person in distress might leap into it with-
out any danger of receiving hurt by it. The fifteen loaded Ma-
chines would be sufficient to extinguish any fire from its imme-
diate application, and the contents of them would he equal to
three tons of water, and he humbly hoped and believed that the
day was not far distant when every parish in the metropolis
would be furnished with one of the carriages complete. He
knew it would be the interest of the different Insurance Offices
to do all they could in their power to promote the general
adoption of a plan which is of 611(.11 infinity iimoortance—that
of saving the lives and property of our fellow-creatures.

He (Capt. M.) suggested soother thing to the Committee:
it is expected that a plan of a Fire Poliee of the Nletrepoli%
will be brought before Parliament .r at s-ssion, avid he humbly
thought that the carriage complete would be of the gicutest
hi ucfit to all established police.

-The Captain then read a letter addressed to hint front the
Woo. Captain Pellew, of the !tops' Navy, highly in favour of
hi inventions.

Captain M. suggested that the fire apparatus should be depo-
sited with watclunon, and observes, Is considers it particularly
calculated for fists Ott beard Sill" either in action or front ac-
cidental cantos. The Committee closed its proceedings at
hall-past four o'clock.

It is reported, that the Bank intends to place it at
the option of the ftual-holder to receive a very large pro-
portion of his January dividends either in specie or pa-
per:

We rue sorry to mention that a great house, which is
connected with the direction of a magnificent oriental
c:::ablishment, stopped payment on Saturday.

The Brighton fe‘lierinen have been conjecturing whether the
ensuing winter will be severe, front severa; shoals of herrings
taking a susith.wesarly direction. During the last week se-
veral boats have caught these tish, and they have prOVCILOr a
delicious flavour. Fur a series of years, these tinny migrations
hate nut been known to early in the se:lgor& ; October is gene-
rally the contnieueement of the herring. fishery.

There is an old Spanish Proverb, which says, " It is but
right to hear before you conde ttttt ; but a Miller and an Attorney
you may hang at a venture,"
SINGULAR SUDDEN DEATII.—On Friday a son OrShirdWiCk,
of Great Kitline, Middlesex, who was at Mr. l ompson's Aca-
demy, at Hanoi.ll, was returning from school home in a post
chaise, on a visit to his friends; when the chaise stopped at kis
father's door, the post-boy dismounted to let the soling gentle •
man out •f the chaise; he opened the door, and to his utter
amazement, found that hia passenger was a corpse. The con-
sternation mud exceeding distress of the relatives of tile de-
' ceased is scarcely possible to be imagined, much more to be
dent ibed.

Maim day morning about seven o'clock, the lion of Mr. Lane,
a respectable silversmith, residing at No. Ur), High llolhorn,
pot a period to Isis existence by shooting liiinselr through the
head with a pistol. Abont a vata or two previous to his com-
mitting this rub act, be be{:11:ell scry lobs awl desponding.

.

POLICE REPORT.

In our last Paper we gave a summary account of the
important Police Report of the Metropolis, which has at-
eructed so much public• attention. Its various matter is
so connected with the vital interests of the metropolis,
that we should ill perform our duty were we to with-
hold the means of inflammation which it so amply con-
tains ; and this great city, and the country at large, can-
not he too thankful to the indefatigable Committee, by
whose unremitting mid judicious attention it has been
produced. The recent and nefarious consueuiracy, now in
a state of progressive development, has given an extra-
ordinary interest to these documents, and it is our duty
to gratify our readers with a continuation of as large a
portion of them in til'r future numbers as we can make
oonsi.,tent ti.e other branches of our oflive ;—an I
we doubt not they will purse time extracts our limits
permit us to nuai:o with the same lively feeling which
was excited in our own bosoms. Our extracts are
given from the volume published by Messrs. Shet•uvood
and Co. in which our readers 1611 find included much
valuable original infitrmation in notes and observations
by an active and intelligent Magistrate.

JuNE 7, ISt 41.—The HON. H. G. BENNET, in the Ch.tir.

JOHN TtAvsswkin e.,;;241 in, and examined.

Y. 03 are one of the police officers at nommert
How lung have you held that situation ?—I think aumcwhere
about foul-and-thirty years; rather better.
Do yon hold that situation at present?—Yea.
Is your time employed at the office alone, or do you attend
at the Court at levees and drawing-rooms, and all public
places?-- Both, day and night.
What, in general, do yon consider is the nature and ea tent
of the duties of yonr suffice ?—The duty of the office, as a tam.
ter of course, is to attend at the office, and at other public
public Mimes for the officers ; hut two of us have been more
immediately placed ahont the Court. • I think in the year 1792,
when Mr. Dundas was Secretary of State, and Mr. Pitt was
Minister, that itai • tumid took place in consequence of the
various dein edations t ommitted .it Court, and in consepienee
of the king and Royal Family being ft-eminently teased trills
lunatics ; that was the original occasion of that tips • molt
taking place.
Is it customary' to have an officer 611111 Ilow.street constantly
in attendance at the Bank ?—No,only ten day!' a quarter: that
Sayers and I do every quarter, and have dune fur many years,
these live-and-twenty ycart I dare say. Dtpredatious used to
be committed there dreadffilly at dividend times; and when
Mr: Giles and Mr. Thoratua were grovernar and deputy gover-
nor, the application was made, and we went.
Is that considered as part of your ottlioary ditty, or do the
Directors of the Bank recompense you for that as a special
service?--\t e hate a guinea u-day for it.
'That is paid by the Hank ?—Yes.,
Independent of the salary which arises from the office!—L-
dependent of ant salary.
When you attend at auy of the other offices--you have named
the Custom Howie, the Stamp Office, and so on. do they pay
you ler that attendance?—Certainly.
At the same tate?— At the same rate provided there is no
reward: In the instance where the officers so vigorously ap-
prehended that banditti that murdered the revenue officer;
there, for the first time in my life, I find that the Government,
or the Solicitors and C ' loners of Excise have given
10001. reward to whoever should give information, or canoe
the parties to he taken, together with the apprelienders, and
so forth, to width I have no doubt they will be all entitled.
The usual way in distributing the 401. on conviction is, that the
Recorder gives the prosecutor from 51. to lal. according to
eiretatustanees, and the apprehenders the remainder, that
comes to, perhaps, only. 31. or 41. apiece, though the world
runs away with the ridiculous idea that the officers base oil.
It is a singular circumstance, but in all eases of felony theme
arc but two cases where there is-any reward at all; those arc.
a highway robbery and a burglaiy ; all the others are mere
bagatelles, for they nre merely certificates, what the vulgar call
Tyburn tickets, to tree 110111 parish offices.
Those are worth 201. apiece, are they not ?- have sold
them as low as Lel. lu such a parish as Saint George's,
Hanover-square, flue people are•of so notch consequence that
they will serve theneselves. The highest is in Covent-garden,
where it is worth 251.

Do you think, considering the demand that is made both
from public bodies and from individuals upon Bow-street, that
the establ:shment 'lithe menhir officers is sufficient ?—I think,
myself, that what there is wanting of the established offieeis is
made up by the patrole, who step in directly; therefore I
think, upon the whole, the establishment is large enough ; for
if once the establishment was made more than the officers conk!
do, they would starve line another; it is like a rank of chairs,
or of hackney coaches; if there are too many thete is not em-
ployment fur them; and when it does not so happen that they
are all employed, what is the consequence Some hoes I have
myself, to the citify part of my life, when I was in the habit of
going to do the business for public offices, been out of town fur
a week or a fortnight. I went to Dookirk, in the year 11814
to thtch oter four that were hanged. I went fur :qr. Taylor,
a Ilamborgla merchant. 'flame are rert•iu cases in which
maybe engdov d longer; there have been CffiCPl I! for eight or
ten days on the poaching cases. Vicary was dawn fora tub t-
night in Gloucestershire, with Berkeley; frequently it takes a
great deal of tine to detect a banditti like that.
Are the police officers moult 'rot out of the metropolis on the
service of indiv Wools tat deal; the great means of their
living, in a measure, is that of their being employed, as I hat e
always termed it, upon foreign service; that is, out of their
local jurisdiction, because the officers salary is only a guinea a
week.

If it was not for the rewards for the industry and services of
Um police officers, which me paid tor uy indi; blinds olio can-
ploy ilium, should yon think the. idary Mo kid' is paid them' siWil
as could procure proper officers for the porposco of the pub-
lic ?-Impossil4c.
• Should you not think that it would be u much better inotle
of rewarding the services of the office's; of the police, if ie...
left in the tacusr of the police magistrates to pay, for every
special service that each Milker did, the reourd %skid' those
magistrates thought tit to Ilpiiurtiwai--11 hose always thnu,L•t
Co ; from the curliest part of my time I have thought it, and
for the best or all reason+ ; I has e, with 1.% ery attention that
man could bestow, wa:clicd the comlnet• of various persons
♦vhn 11311: giVCII evidence against their fillow-ersattilrea for
life or death, not only at the Olt Bailey, but on the circuit-,
and I hate always been perfectly consisted that you'd be the