The Sun.
London, England, 1849-04-24 00:00:00

BELGI UM.

BRUSSELS, APRIL 20.—Great satisfaction has been
expressed here by the fact that the King of Hol-
land has conferred upon his ➢Majesty the King of
Belgium the order of the Grand Cross of the
Netherlands. On the 18th, Baron Bentinck was
received by the King in an official audience, and
presented his letters plenipotentiary, and had, at the
same time, the honour of giving the King the in-
signia from the King of Holland.

INSTITUTION OF CIVIL
ENGINEERS.
TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 1849.

William Cubitt, Esq., Vice-President, in the chair.
The discussion on Mr. Browne's " Account of the
Groynes at the new Harbour at Sunderland," was
continued throughout the meeting.
At the monthly ballot, the following candidates
were duly elected :—Messrs. W. B. Ulegram, J.
Fenton, J. Matthew, and NV. Radford, as Members ;
the flight Hon. the Earl of Lovelace, W. G. Arm-
strong, J. Chubb, J. Francis, Soren Hjorth, and W.
Piper, as Associvtes.
TUESDAY, APRIL 17.
Robert Stephenson, Esq., M.P., V.P., in the chair.
The paper read was " On an Application of certain
Liquid Hydrocarbons to Artificial Illumination," by
Mr. C. B. Mansfield, B.A. The paper first noticed,
that liquid hydrocarbons had been comparatively little
used for the production of artificial light ; and that,
in the instances in which they had been applied, their
liquidity, and not their evaporability, had been turned
to account.
In the use of the common volatile oils, the excess
of carbon in their composition was the great diffi-
culty; but when that was surmounted, that excess
became an actual benefit.
There were two methods of rendering this carbon
efficient as " light fuel," when advantage was taken
of the volatility of the substances; one was, to cause
vapour, as it escaped from a jet, to mix rapidly with
the air. The other, to mix the vapour, before com-
bustion, with other gaseous matters containing less
carbon. The adoption of the first of these was instanced
in Holliday's recently patented naptha lamp. The
second, consisted of the new arrangements described
in the paper.
This principle was carried into practice in two
ways. The first (which was illustrated by a lamp
that was burning on the table) was effected by mixing
the hydrocarbons with some other inflammable spirit
containing very little carbon. The mixture was
described as being made in certain definite propor-
tions, which ensured a perfectly white light, and from
which any deviation would result in a fl tine of
inferior quality—pale, if
.the hydrocarbon were
deficient—smoky, if the mixture were poor in
spirit. The ingredients most accessible in this country
were stated to be wood, spirit, and a volatile oil from
coal naptha, in the proportions of two-thirds of the
former to one-third of the latter. Alcohol and oil of
turpentine had been similarly used on the continent,
though the former was too dear fur use in England.
The other adaptation of the same principle, and
that which it was the chief object of the paper to
describe, was the dilution of the hydrocarbon vapours
with permanent gases of inferior, or even of no
illuminating powers.
That application might be called the napthalization
of gas, or the gasizetion of naptha, according as its
main object was to enhance the service of the gas, or
to utilize the liquid ; the latter was the object of the
new proposal described in the paper. The former
had been already accomplished by preceding in-
ventors.
The first invention was that of Mr. Donovan in
1830, who proposed to confer illuminating power on
gases that were inflammable, but not lutniniferous,
by charging them with the vapour of hydrocarbons ;
but from the want of a sufficiently volatile fluid, he
was compelted to have a reservoir close to every
burner. The next application was that of Mr. Lowe,
who increased the light obtained from coal gas by
passing it over surfaces of naptha. Mr. Beale's air
light was then noticed; its object was to use hydro-
carbons for illumination, by passing a cArent of air
through vessels containing those liquids. There
existed, however, the same obstacles to this plan as to
that of Mr. Donovan, viz., the heat required to evapo-
rate the only liquid hydrocarbons then accessible.
The paper represented that at length the difficulty
had been solved, by the discovery of a liquid hydro-
carbon, as volatile as spirits of wine, but containing
sufficient carbon for the most perfect light, and
obtainable in any quantity. This h3drocarbon was
procured from coal tar, and was called "Benzole."
Its volatility was such as to enable i t to napthalize
atmospheric air as effectually as ordinary naptha did
coal gas.
The system proposed by the author (which was
illustrated in the room by a working apparatus) con-
sisted in conducting a stream of almost any gas, or
even of atmospheric air, through a reservoir charged
with Benzole or some other equally volatile hydro-
carbon ; the gas or air so napthalized being then
conducted like common coal gas through pipes
to the burners. It was stated that the system was
applicable on any scale, from the dimensions of
town gas works to the compass of a table lamp.
In the apparatus exhibited, a small gas-holder, filled
by a pair of bellows, supplied common air through
pipes. The gases formed by passing steam over red
hot coke would answer well for this purpose, and it
would depend on local circumstances whether this
mode of generating the current would be preferable
to the expenditure of the mechanical force necessary
for driving atmospheric air through the pipes. Pure
oxygen charged with the vapour would explode on
ignition ; it was therefore suggested that this might
prove a useful source of motive force. It was, how-
ever, stated to be difficult to form an explosive mix-
ture of the vapour with common air. By decom-
posing water with the voltaic battery, napthalizing
the hydrogen with Benzole, and burning it with the
aid of the equivalently liberated oxygen, a simple
light of intense power might be obtained. The sys-
tem was shown to be a great simplification of the
ordinary system of gas-lighting, as no retorts, refri-
gerators, purifiers, or meters were required, and the
products of combustion were as pure as those from
the finest wax. It was expected that the elegance of
the material and the simplicity of the apparatus
would induce its introduction into buildings and
apartments where coal gas was not now considered
admissible.
The apparatus and conditions necessary for the
success of the method were, a flow of cheap gas, or
of air, driven through pipes by any known motive
power, and a reservoir of the volatile spirit through
which the main pipe must pass in some convenient
part of its course ; these pipes and reservoirs being
protected from the cold. It was stated, that though
the liquid did not require to be heated above the
average temperature of the air, it was liable to be-
come cooled by its own evaporation, so as to require
an artificial supply of warmth. This was readily
HOLLAND. effected by causing a small jet of flame of the gas
THE HAGUE, APRIL 20.—The Sleets Courant
itself to play upon the reservoir, and by a simple con-
publishes the comparative table of receipts and tri ance, called a " Thermostat," by which the flame
expenditure for the first three months of 1848 and was shut off when necessary, the temperature could
be
1849. The receipts, which, in 1848, amounted tofallmade self-regulating, so as'
never to rise above or
below a proper degree. The cooling due to the
12,587,483 ff., have been, in 1849, only 12,482,305f1. evaporation would, of course, be inversely propor-
In the first three months of 1849, as compared with tionate to the quantity of liquid in the reservoir. If
the corresponding period last year, there has been atmospheric air was used as the vehicle for the vapour,
an increase of 271,28511. (4,297,467f1. against
4,026,19011.) on the direct taxes ; of 112,69511. the jet holes in the burner, from which it escaped for
combustion, must be slightly larger than those for coal
(1,005,283f1. against 892,587f1.); on entrance and
gas. Some burners, contrived for the purpose of accu-
rately adjusting the size of the orifice to the quanity of
ox e,iBt dues, navigation dues, &c. ; of 176,308f1.
89ontheexcisL; luminiferous matter escaping, were exhibited and
of 2,17311.,969(112.9,a6g0a7ifin.s t
against4,7l3 27,43311.),660.),
on patents
described; they were made so that by moving a part
gold and silver work ; and 30011. for the lottery ; of the burner, any required quality of flame, from
on the other hand, there has been a diminution of lightless blue to smoky, could be obtained, there be-
-636,7991 on registration, stamps, and succession ing a medium point at which the most perfect bril-
taxes (4,927,91811. against 2,564,7181); an'l of Haney was arrived at. The burners would answer
31,1426. on postage (331,560fi. against 362,70911.). equally well for coal gas, though that material could
The exact diminution for the first three months of not, even by them, be made to evolve so white and
1849 is 105,17711 pure a light as that from Benzole vapour.
The Stoats Courant of the 21st contains an an- In conclusion, some data were given on which a
nouncement by the Minister I'. of Finance that a capital calculation of price was founded.
of 7,995,4008. in treasury bills agallon of Benzole, of the de-
the has been issued to It was stated, that
31st of March, in accordance with the laws of the gree of purity requisite for the purpose, would cost
20th Dec. 1840, and the 30th
Oct 1848• about two shillings and sixpence; to this, the expense
Accounts of the 14th, from *
the Netherlands ambassador Copenhagen,s. state that of the air current and the interest of the original out•
Danish Minister for Foreign Affairs applied to the lay on apparatus was to be added. This the author
for all the Netherlands vessels, whichhia°dr permission presumed would not raise the cost to more than four
Sound since the 21st of March, to proceed
the shillings fur the consumption of a gallon of Benzole.
unrnblock-°-
It was stated, that one ounce of that liquid would
lested to the -various Prussian harbours now
aded, for which they were bound. This re give a light equal to four wax candles, of four to the
has been refused by the ambassador, in consequence quest
pound, for one hour, or one gallon for about one bun-
of which those vessels must run into the harbours dred and twenty hours. It was inferred that a gal-
nearest to the blockaded harbour of their destination ; ion of this material was equivalent to about one
thousand cubic feet of coal gas.

The report was unanimously adopted and resolutions
were agreed to in accordance with the recommendations
it contained; after which a gratuity was voted to the
directors for their service.; from the commencement of
the company.
Thanks were then voted to the Noble Chairman, and
the meeting terminated.

LAW INTELLIGENCE.
COURT OF QUEEZ'S BENCH, April 23.
:SittiaKs in Banc before Mr. Justice PArrnsoN, Mr.
Justice COLERIDGE, and Mr. Justice ERLE.)
MARSEY V. LUNN.

Mr. WILLIS moved fur a rule calling on the plain:

tiff to show cause why further proceedings should
not be stayed until he proved his debt before
the Master i❑ Chancery. The action was brought
against the defendant as one of the eontributaries
of the Universal Salvage Company, the affairs of which
had been wound up under " the Joint-stock Companies
%Vinding-up Act" (11 and 12 Vic.) This Act, wltch
passed pending the proceedings, provides, amongst other
matters, that the plaintiff should prove his debt befora
the Master in Chancery, and that it was allowable to
the defendant to make an application to a
judge in chambers to stay proceedings until
the debt were proved. The application was made to
Mr. Justice Coleridge, who thought the question of suf-
ficient importance tocome before the Court—the question
at issue being, whether a plaintiff having obtained judg-
ment against one of the cunt! ibutaries of a joint stock
company, could be compelled at the winding up to prove
against the company g4-nerally.
The Court granted a rule.