The Sun.
London, England, 1856-12-25 00:00:00

STEAM PLOUGH.

The following letter has been.achlressed to the Editor of
the Times :--

—Sir,—Sinee-the Royal Aricultural Society's meeting at
Chelmsford I have quietly waited the issue of events, cul-
tivating my own farm with the application of steam power.
But now,.the award of the society, other circpmstanceq,
and the publication of a letter in yours of yesterday signed
" J. A. C ," call upon me, I think, to speak once.
I deny entirely. Mr. John Fowler's claim to the first effi-
cient application of steam to the tillage of the soil, and, in
confirmation of this &pill, I append the following notes
from my journal of daily occurrences, which can bo sup-
ported by the letters at length :
"March 19,1855.-Date of my first patent for the trench-
log and subsoiling plough applied to steam,
" June 26.—Tried the trenching plough, with horses, on
the clover ley.
"July 23.—Went to Carlisle, where I met Mr. Allen
Ransome and Mr. Joh❑ Fowler, who, treating my project
with some incredulity, nevertheless nudes took—the former
to build me a 7-horse power engine for 2151., the latter to
make me the windlass and tackle which I described as ne-
cessary, for 801. each, allowing 24 per cant, discount for
cash, and promising to deliver in October.
"Oct. B.—Tackle not ready, Mr. Fowler thinking so
little of the project that he had only just been to Ipswich
to give the order to Messrs. Ransoroe ; he promises it in a
fortnight.
" Oct. 13.—Engine started from Ipswich.
"Oct. '43. Messrs.\ Rausome's receipt for the money ;
who, in answer to my inquiry about the tackle, say that
they aro making some for Mr. Fowler, but do not acknow-
ledge me as giving any order.
" Nov. 7.—Mr Fowler hopes to start the tackle soon.
" Nov. 24.—Mr. Fowler states that the windlass had
been tried, but found incomplete.'
"Dec. 7.—Tackle not ready; Mr. Fowler pleads that it
is not his fault ; promises to send a man to assist me with
the tackle. •

" Dec. 12.—Tackle sent from Messrs. Ransome's.
" Doc. 13.—Received the tackle, but no man came from
Mr. Fowler.

"Dec. 17.- First trial of steam cultivation at Woolston.
Sent Mr. Fowlor a check for 781. Success as a first trial
complete, though the anchors I had received from Mr.
Fowler were bad, and required to be substituted with
others differently constructed.

" Dec. Fowler acknowledges the receipt of the
781., and proposes to send a man with a steam gauge to
try a few experiments, and put me up to a few little
matters.'

" Jan. 8, 1856.—Mr. Fowler patents his windlass for
steam ploughing.
"Jan. 8.--11 r. Fowler's foreman comes down here. Ho
is of no service to me. My anchors had all been altered,
an.l the implement was in fall working order, being only
obstructed by the frost. 1 allow him to make such trials
as ho pleases._ _ _

"Jan. 9.—This day the mode of shifting and elevating
the plough by a pedestal moved by a screw, racket and
pinion, or other mechanism, was discussed Ify me and a
friend in the presence of Mr. Fowler's foreman.
"Jan. 11.—Patented the pedestal principle and turning
bow.

" Jan. 16.-3lr. Allen Ransom° came here to see me,
and rode across the land where the steam-engine and plough
had been at work, and where the engine and plough were
now standing frost bound.
"Jan. 16.—Date of Mr. Fowler's patent for ploughs.
"Jan. 18.—Mr. Fowler's foreman leaves.

"Jan. 21.—Mr. Fowler proposes to come down, but my
experiments bad ceased for a time.

"Jan. 30. Visited the Society of Arts on the invita-
tion of Mr. Ransoms and Mr. Fowler.
" Feb. 4.—Discovered that Mr. Fowler was taking out
patents for steam ploughs.
Feb. 19. Messrs. Itansotne send me in a bill for the
tackle they had made to Mr. Fowler's order. See Oct. 23,
1355. They charged 1311. is.
" Feb. 23.—Messis. Ransorne, on receiving my refuasl to
pay, will refer to Mr. Fowler.

'11'0).29.-111r. Fowler sends an account amounting to
1691. ; acknowledges that he has received 781.; states that
he is the rest out of pocket, and asks me to pay half this
deficiency.

"March s.—Second visit to the Society of Arts, where
I heard Mr. Ransome assert, in the presence of Prince
Albert, that the honour of effecting the first stage in the
desirable object of steam tillage was due to the inventor of
the steam tile-draining machine."
I might abridge this, but I prefer sending it complete.
Now, I ask, on this evidence, what claim has Mr. Jelin
Fowler to the Royal Agricultural Society's prize ? It is
true he may be supported in the council by the presence of
Mr. Allen Ransom° ; bat what delicacy of feeling does Mr.
Allen Ransoms show in being present at all at a meetinz cof
the society to decide a matter in which ho is known to be
a person so completely interested? Just about the same as
when he stated (at the Society of Arts on the sth March,
1856) what he know to be fal,e, that the honour of eff,.cting
the first stage in the desirable object of steam tillage was
due to the inventor of the steam tile-draining machine
(Mr. John Fowler). At thls very time he knew that Fow•
ler's plough was untried, for it was not made, and he had
seen mine frost bound, and he hal seen it work..

But enough of this. I ,ssert distinctly that I do "turn
over" the soil iu such a way as to produce 40 btishels of
wheat to the acre, on an average, on tha poorest cold clay
land ; and this at a much less cost than I can an average
crop with the common plough. lam not confined oven to
tolerably level lands. I can cultivate hilly, uneven, irregu•
laxly shaped fields; in fact, all sorts and kinds of fields
whatever.

I further assert that Mr. John Fowler (in conjunction
with Mr. Allen Ransoms) has supplanted me in the matter.
I know that he in July, 1855, at Carlisle, treated my no-
tion with incredulity ; but how, in Jan. 1836, could Mr.
John Fowler, in common honesty, with the evident inten-
tion of patenting an invention to supplant me, under the
pretext of putting me up to a few little mattere, abuse my
hospitality and confidence by sending down his foreman to
be on my premises for ten days, to watch my operations,
and report results to him, and then come iu as my main
opponent at the Royal Azricultural Society's meeting for
the prize at Chelmsford ? I do not boast of my hospitality,
but I do claim that, such as it is, it ought not to be abused
in such a style as this. For, without the invention discussed
at my tahle on the 9th Jan., and patented on the 11th, his
plough cannot go at all ; the Royal Agricultural Society
have received notice of this infringement. I may say here
that as to previous inventions I had seen none, and I had
heard of none but what had been decided failures.
Ido rot wish to enter upon the general question as to
whether my implement does or does not comply with the
conditions as to turning over the soil ; but I do maintain,
from the most indisputable evidence, that my poor cold
clay land does at a less cost on my system of mixing and
pulverising the soil, without any extraordinary applica-
tion of artificial manure, produce at least eight bushels of
corn per acre more than it would under the old system
every year. Ido not say one word as to the how, and
when, or the where, but such is the result. I maintain
that we in this country want to produce a quarter of corn
to the acre more than we have done, and that my system
and the steam implements therewith connected show the
way to do it. I should have been glad if the time of the
officers of the Royal Agricultural Society could have
allowed a little more than 30 minutes at the most to have
investigated the merits of my implements;
am willing to allow the experiments of a small farmer to
abide their decision. but, as it is, I
And now, sir, in order to test the sincerity of my argu-
ments and assertions, lam ready with the implements ex-
hibited by me at Chelmsford to farm cold clay lands, hilly
and uneven, for four years, against any steam-cultivating
implements exhibited at Chehnsford for a prize, or, it'
necessary, for a wager of 5001., the conditions to be these
—the land to be billy, clayey, and uneven ; no manure
whatever to be used ; the horse-power not to exceed tit•
ordinary seven-horse engine manufactured by Ransome's ;
and that the total produce, cost, and condition of the
land at the end decide the result. •
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
WILLIAM SMITFI,
Woolston, Bletchley Station, Dec. 19.

coroner,
mofedthaenininorthsotf Augustnircommenced so long
MURDER.—Mr. Blackburn, the Leeds borough
last. The
agoon Ma
so
theod a
latterY last
part
inquiry related to the death of John
labourer from the county of Mayo, L. i' naer aged 30, a
of Burns took plane at the Mendacity-office al".
The death
the night of the 25th of August last, Y-office, Leeds,. on
a blow inflicted by another Irishman,
from the effect.; of
Riley. It appears that the deaaa ~,1 Luau, named James
over to Leeds for the hay ''''' and his brother came
harvest, and lodge
went to ,
with a woman named
Bridget Allan,
street. On Sunday, the 20th `an, Riley's-court, I. ork-
together, and is returnin h of July, they had been out
aoguthbr,
number of Irishmen w7i owe they had to pass throbgh
row in the street. They ° Were indulging in an Irish
a few minutes after did
8°
with, ut molestation,. but
Riley rushed into they bad got to their ' lodgings James
the house, and witbout any provoca-
tion struck the deceased over the bead with a heavy
wooden stool he had withhim. The stool was broken
in
two by the blow, and the deceased's skull was seri-
ously fractured. Riley immediately left the house,
leaving the deceased senseless upon the floor, weltering in
blood. The deceased was conveyed to the Mendicity-
office, where Mr. Radcliffe, surgeon, attended him. He
lay in a state of unconsciousness for five weeks, and then
expired. From the evidence of Mr. Ratcliffe and other
witnesses there was no doubt that the blow from the
stool was the cause of death. Riley having absconded
the inquest was adjourned from time to time, in order
to aff.)rd an opportunity for his apprehension. Hitherto
e La.; e!tl ie.l k1et,:.',,,0. aid the oorontr, n,;t (iN-tn,ng a
iattler i,.djouinuitlt n,e,—ary, the inquiry was (nosed
on Monday, when a verdict was returned of " Wilful
Murder against James Riley,"