The Sun.
London, England, 1867-09-16 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, _MONDAY EVENING, SEP I'EMBER IG, 1867.

STOCK and SHARE DEALER.
Mr. PETER WATSON, English and Foreign Stock,
Share, and Mining ()flicks, 79, Old Broad-street., Lon-
don, E.G.

Railway' Joint-Stock Banks, Dock, Insurance, Canal,
Steamship, dr.e., and evary other de,cription of
SHARES. BOUGHT and SOLD at t prices.
TELEGRAPHIC MESSAGES to Buy er Sell Railway,
Bank, Mine, and other Shares and Stocks, punctually
attended to, at Net Prices for Cash, or for Fortnightly
Sott'ements, with Advice as to Purchases or Sales.
Twenty-three Years' Experience!
(Two in Cornwall and Twenty-one iu London.)
BANKERS.
THE ALLIANCE BANK, AND UNION BANK OF LONDON.
From the close proximity of his Offices to the Stock
Exchange, as well as the Mining Exchange, I'. W. is
enabled to act with promptitude on all orders entrusted to
him, which at all times are carried out with punctuality
and to the best advantage of his customers.

COMPAGNIE GENERALE TRANSAT-
L ANTIQUE, 8, Place Vendome, Paris.
NEW YORK VIA HAV.RE AND BREST.
The undermentioned Steamers sail every 14 days as
follows:
From RAVRE-26th September, 10th and 24th October,
7th and 21st November, sth and 19th December, 1867.
From BREST-14th and 28th September, 12th and
26th October, 9th and 23d November, 7th and 21st De-
cember, 1867.
NAPOLEON 111. ... Paidle 1,200 h-p.
VILLE DE PARIS... ... Screw 1,000 „
PEREIRE ... do. 1,000 „
ST. LAURENT ... do. l,OOO „
EUROPE ... ... Paddle 900 „
RATES OF PASSAGE.
Havre or Brest to New York, ISt Class £33 0 0
2d Class l7 0 0
17 3d Class l4 0 0
London : STRINGER, PEMBROKE, and CO.,
8, Austinfriars, E.C.
Havre : W. ISELIN and CO.

VEST INDIES AND TIM GULF _OF
T • - -
THE COMPAGNIE GENERALE TRANSAT-
L ANTIQUE.
The LOUISIANE (s) will sail on the 16th September,
for St. Thomas, Havana., and Vera Cruz, with branch lines
from SL Thomas to Guadeloupe, Martinique, Porto Rico,
Cape Hayti, Santiago, and Jamaica; also from Vera Cruz
to Tampico, Matamoras, and New Orleans. For freight of
goods and rates of passage, and other particulars, apply to
STRINGER, PEMBROKE, and CO.,
8, Austinfriars, E.C.
Letters addressed via St. Nazaire, and posted in London
on the evening of the 14th, will be sent by the above line.

JAPAN, HONG KONG, SHANGHAE, AND
PACIFIC PORTS, VIA PANAMA.

THE COMPAGNIE GENERALE TRANSATLAN-
PIQUE ander POSTAL CONTRACT with the FRENCH
GOVERNMENT.
The Steamer IMPERATRICE EUGENIE will sail
from St. Nazairo for Martinique, Santa Martha, Colon,
Japan and China, Aspinwall, Isthmus of Panama, La
Guayra, Porto Cabello, Guadeloupe, Trinidad, Demerara,
Surinam, Cayenne, &e., Callao, Valparaiso, San Jose, and
San Francisco. For rate of freight of goods and of passage,
and other information, apply to
-

STRINGERS PEMBROKE, and CU,
8, Austinfriars, E.C.

ARMY CONTRACTS.
Tenders will be received by the Director of Con-
tracts, War Office, Pall Mall, London, until Twelve o'clock
noon on the 26th September, for the supply of
FORAGE

for the use of her liajesty;frops, stationed in the fol-
lowing places, from Ist November, 1867, to 30th April,
1868.
LONDON DISTRICT Commissariat Office, 109, Victoria-

street, 'Westminster :-
1. Hyde Park, Kensington 3. Hampton Court.
Regent's Park, and Horse 4. Windsor.
Guards. 5. Brighton.
2. Hownslow and Kneller 6. Sandhurst.
Hall. 7. Enfield.
NORTHERN DISTRICT, Commissariat Office, Barrack-
street, Hume, Manchester :-
1. Bury. 7. Birmingham.
2. Sheffield. 8. Coventry.
3. Preston. 9. Northampton.
4. Ashton-under-Lyne. 10. Weedon.
5. Burnley. 11. York.
6. Manchester. 12. Newcastle-on-Tyne.
EASTERN DISTRICT, Commissariat Office, Camp ,
,Colchester :
1. Colchester.
2. Ipswich.
3. Norwich.

WOOLWICH DISTRICT, Commissariat Office, Royal
Artillery Barracks Woolwich (S.E.) :-
1. Woolwich.
2. Shoeburyness.
3. Warley Barracks.
4. Maidstone.
CHATHAM DISTRICT, Commissariat, Offico, The
Barracks, Chatham:—
No. 1, Chatham.
SOUTH-EASTERN DISTRICT, Commissariat Oflico,
Camp, Shorn° :-
1. Shorncliffe.
2. Canterbury.
SOUTH-WESTERN DISTRICT, Commissariat Office,

SE Thomas-street, Portsmouth :
1. Portsmouth and Hilsea.
2. Dorchester.
3. Netley.
WESTERN DISTRICT, Commissariat Office, 20, East
Emma Place, Stonehouse, Plymouth :-
1. Plymouth, Devonport, Tregantle, and Scraesdon Forts,
Maker Barracks, and Heights.
2. Exeter and Topsham.
3. Bristol and Horfield.
NORTH BRITAIN, Commissariat Office, 3, Hill-street
Edinburgh :

1. Perth.
2. Leith Forth, Edinburgh, and Piershill.
3. Hamilton.
Separate tenders must be made for each of the above-
mentioned stations as separately numbered.
Forms of tender, initialed and numbered, and conditions
of contract, may be obtained on application at the above
offices, by letteraddressed to the senior commissariat officer
of the district, or in person, between the hours of ten and
four o'clock, and no tender will be entertained unless made
upon the form so obtained.
Tenders on the printed forms must be properly filled up
and signed, and no tender will be noticed unless delivered
under closed envelope at the War-office, Pall-mall, Lon-
don, before twelve o'clock noon on the 26th September
instant, addressed to the director of contracts, and marked
outside " Tender for Commissariat Supplies."
THOMAS HOWELL, Director of Contracts.
War-office, Pall Mall (S.W.), Sept. 13, 1867.

TEE T H. —Messrs. G A B It I E L.
(ESTABLISHED 1815).
NEW PAMPHLET, FREE BY POST FOR FOUR STAMPS,
Explaining the Painless System of Dentistry, and
self-adhesive Teeth without springs,
AT MODERATE CHARGES.
* * 61,
*** 513, HaLUGATE-HILLITY,
rley-sD treet, CavendishC square, London. . *** 134, Duke-street, Liverpool.

IRE LABOUR CONGRESS AT CHICAGO.

f The
pl a sr
ote
email fg
sr o mo f At
hnei er ic
National a
broughtLa h fullLabour
r Congress accounts
at Chicago. Early this year the meeting was called
for the 19th August, each of the 1,200 trade unions
being requested to send a representative. The
meeting was in every respect a failure, only 100
o delegatesin
and the revenue raised
g,
n small amount, no deep interest
shw attending,ts
in the subject. The Congress opened with ad-
dresses from the president and secretary, both men
of weight in the unions. Their exposition of the
objects to be attained were, the more extensive
formation of labour unions, the establishment of
distinct unions among the Southern negroes, a strong
and combined stand against the encroachments
of capital, the establishment of a journal to advocate
these objects, the limit throughout all the States to
eight hours of labour out of each 21, the election of
those who favour these projects, and to make poli-
tical action available for labour questions in the
next Presidential campaigns. The president was
voted a salary of $l,OOO annually, and authorised
to employ lecturers to travel over the country. The
Congress effected a permanent organisation under a
constitution, annual meetings to be held, the next
in Pittsburgh early in the ensuing May. The
eight-hour laws lately passed by four States were
denounced as frauds and shams. The delegates de-
sire the eight-hour laws to be imperative, and to be
passed by both Congress and the State Legislatures,
and they demand from the Government a gift of
$25,000,000. They require a better regulation of
the currency, as it appears to them " that money is
the medium of distribution to non-producing capital
and producing labour, the rate of interest deter-
mining what proportion of the products of labour
shall be awarded to capital for its use, and what to
labour for its productions ; the duty of Congress
being so to make money and regulate its value that
it may be a correct and uniform standard cf value,
and distribute the products of labour equitably
between capital and labour according to the service
or labour performed in their production." This is a
sufficient specimen of the political economy of the
labour Congress. A favourable report was made
on the co-operative system, but it was not heartily
received. It was decided that a delegate should be
despatched to Europe to investigate the system of
co-operation there, and by treaty or otherwise to
prevent the importation of labourers to impoverish
alike the working men of America and of Europe,

and to effect a more perfect understanding between
the Reform Labour Associations of both countries.
The Congress considered that the Public Lauds
should be given to actual settlers, and that Govern-
ment Loans should not be exempt front taxation.

THE NEIV PROCESS FUR MAKING
CHLORINE.

TO THE EDITOR OF TIIE MINING JOURNAL.

Sir,—The British Association for the Advance-
ment of Science may, or may not, be remarkable
for the number and importance of the discoveries
which it has given to the world ; but it certainly
reckons among its supporters many eminent men of
European reputation, whose names alone would
seem to guarantee the correctness and validity of
its proceedings. The association was, if I mistake
not, originally constituted for bringing together
men of science at this particular season, in order
that by mutual communication and discussion new
facts might be developed, and the domains of
philosophy enlarged. Of late years, however, the
genuine worshippers of science who are in the habit
of attending these gatherings have been, in a
measure, supplemented by certain worshippers of
the Golden Calf, who seize the no less golden
opportunity afforded by these annual meetings for
thrusting their plagiarised, ideas and pretended dis-
coveries upon the notice of the general public as
fresh-blown novelties of their own. The meeting
of the British Association is a grand advertisement
to persons of this clao.- .NQr have they arty
-ffiffieufty in promptly turning it to their advantage;
for the bulk of the people who patronise
these assemblies are for the most part in
search of amusement, or recreative instruc-
tion at most, and having so many - calls
upon their attention in different ways, they
have no time to inquire into the truth or fallacy of
any particular position which is advanced, but sit
there and swallow the scientific boluses presented to
them as fast as ever the learned professors can make
them up. The consequence is that all the hetero-
geneous matter which is brought before the different
sections finds its way unchallenged into the public
papers as the true and accredited report of the
British Association.

In the report of the meeting at Dundee, in this
day's Standard, j find under the heading, "Section
B —Chemical Science," a long account of the sup-
posed new process for making chlorine, by Mr.
Walter Weldon. The substance of this new method
may be thus briefly described Chlorine is
eliminated in the usual way from black oxide of
manganese and hydrochloric acid. 2. The residual
liquor (chloride of manganese) is decomposed by
the addition of an equivalent of lime. 3. Atmo-
spheric air is brought into intimate contact with
the resulting protoxide of manganese by blowing
through it, or otherwise; whereby the latter com-
bines with a further portion of oxygen. 4. After
draining off the soluble chloride of calcium from
this mixture, hydrochloric acid is again poured upon
the resulting oxide of manganese, when chlorine is
evolved as before, and the above operations, and
the recovery of the maganese, are consecutively re-
peated as often as required. But this is not all :
Mr. Walter Weldon renders the process continuous,
and has absolutely succeeded in performing by turn
all these varied operations in one and the same
vessel. This statement comprises the entire in-
vention.

Now, in order to arrive at the value of Mr.
Weldon's discovery, let us first regard the matter as
as abstract chemical question. What is the quan-
tity of oxygen absorbed by the white protoxide of
manganese when the latter is brought into con-
tinuous contact with the atmospheric air ? Mr.
Weldon is fully alive to the importance of this
question; he knows that every thing hinges upon it,
and he informs us that the oxide most frequently
obtained by the process above described contains
(perhaps he means is equivalent to) about 65 per
cent. of binoxide. I am in a position to inform the
public most positively that such is not the case. I
have repeatedly performed very careful analyses of
the substance so prepared, and so subjected to the
action of atmospheric air, and can safely affirm that
an average of 45 per cent, is much nearer the truth
than 65 per cent. A friend of mine has the accu-
rate record of at least 50 such analyses performed
by me and another chemist to decide this very
question. But any of your readers who may be
interested in the matter can easily verify my state-
ment by repeating the experiment and analysis for
himself. So I pass on to another question, also
affecting the practical value of the said discovery.
Mr. Weldon, as above set forth, performs all
the operations named in one vessel, whereby he
avoids all risk of loss by removal ; and, according
to his own account, effects a great saving of time.
Indeed, he states that even when operating upon the
largest scale the process may be completed within
one hour. Is Mr. Walter Weldon asleep? Is he
theorising upon the matter of which ho speaks, or
has he actually performed the operation in question ?
If the latter, then upon what scale ? Was it by the
ton or cwt., or was it a mere experiment in a test-
tube or a tea cup? This statement is so utterly at
variance with my own experience that I am bound
to ask these questions. He talks of the subsidence
of the oxide of manganese from the solution of
chloride of calcium, and drawing off the latter solu-
tion preparatory to a fresh operation, as if it were
the easiest and quickest thing to accomplish in the
world. One would suppose he was speaking of the
precipitation of some salt of lead, or silver, or mer-
cury ; it is so very easy, and so very soon done.
Let any one add an equivalent of lime to a solution
of manganese, and he will understand the difficulty
of separating the insoluble oxide from the associated
liquor far better than any mere description can
convey. The former will not sink more than a
trifling distance in the body of the liquid, even after
a lapse of many hours ; and any attempt to draw the
latter off by a syphon, or otherwise, quickly causes
the oxide to follow it in a state of intimate mixture. In
fact, it is a bulky and intractable precipitate,and can
by no means be de dealt with in the off-hand manner
which Mr. Weldon would have us suppose. More-
over, the vessel which he etnplo3s for effecting these
decompositions is a still. He declares it to be so in
his paper, and, indeed, as chlorine is to be generated
in it, it can be no other. A large leaden still, with
blown joints and seams, just as is required for this
purpose, is not so rapidly productive even when at
work ; and it will scarcely pay to lie idle during the
process of restoration. Besides what are the men
to do? Are they to go to something else, or are
they to strike, or smoke a quiet pipe, while the
manganese is going down, and the counter affini-
ties aro bracing up the elements for a fresh start?
These are very serious considerations ; but the
lightlylveh touched e tin pt
ioonn
iaslrneoa
not
ny iz
sh
wa
lry.
most serious consideration of all is that which has
ew
. It
rtirely my invention which is thus lucidly
beenawnda
lWalter
en
us de-
scribed before the British Association. Three, four,
and five years ago I was working hard upon this
very thing, at Maidstone and elsewhere—this very
thing, identical in all its chemical details, and dif-
fering now only in a worthless mechanical adapta-
lion. I used some tons of lime, and some tons of
acid and manganese, so I think I can speak to the
point with some little confidence and knowledge ;
and, more than this; I can bring forward one or two
dozen skilled artizans and respectable workmen to
attest the truth of my words—men who in various
ways assisted in those very experiments. Did
I ever, then, communicate this matter to
Mr. Weldon, that it should thus appear in a
bran new dress before the British Association?
No! But in 1862, at the Suho Mills, at
Woburn, I did communicate the rationale of the
whole process to Mr. Townsend Hook, the well-
known proprietor of the Snodland Paper Mills,
Kent, who is Mr. Walter Weldon's partner. Per-
haps—vaind, I only say perhaps—both Ur. Hook

and Mr. Weldon will start at the idea of there being
any partnership at all between them. Very li izely ?
But if they tell me so, I am certainly called ul otti to
believe it. Perhaps they will Inth recollect cAlinl:
upon me in a cab about 5 or 6 o'clock one Showery
Friday evening, in the summer of 1836. It was to
discuss some projected improvements of mine in tbo
manufacture of bleach (chlorine). The appoint me3•t
lay with Mr. Hook alone, for I had previously to. d
him that the communication I had to Make wa.l
entirely confidential, and I wished no chemist to be
present.. I was, therefore, surprised on his arrival
to find he had not come alone, and I naturally asked
him if his companion was a chemist, tow hich he re-
plied, " Yes ; but it is all right, it is only my part-
ner, Mr. Weldon." As some further questions which
I then asked were not answered satisfactorily, it is
only just to Mr. Weldon, as well as to myself, to
say that I took care-in what followed to keep my
own counsel.

I only refer to the fact to point to the association
and declared partnership existing between Mr. Hook,
to whom I had made the confidential communica-
tion of the invention at Woburn, and Mr. Weldon,
who has just brought forward the self-same in-
vention as the genuine coinage of his own brain,
before the assembled savans at Dundee. I might
intensify the inference which will naturally present
itself to the mind from a consideration of these
facts, by stating that during the two or three years
my experiments were proceeding Mr. Hook never
lost an opportunity at the monthly dinners of the
Paper Makers' Association to endeitvour to elicit
information as to their progress. But I have said
enough, I think, to dispossess Mr. Weldon of his
borrowed plumage, and to show the true and real
origin of the invention which he now brings forward
with such pomp and circumstance. With all his
cleverness, he yet wants, besides the quality of
originality, the keystone to the fabric which he
seeks to appropriate. There is something yet to be
done, Mr. Weldon, before your object is attained ;
and whether that something falls to your lot or mine
remains to be seen. One little parting precept,
however, I will venture to offer, and it is this —that
for the future you pursue a more independent and
original train of thought and of effort. It is not
unlikely to lead you on to some good and useful
results ; and, if so, it will certainly enable you, with
better promise of success, to meet the great high
priests of science in the September of the ensuing
year. ISHAM BAGGS.

54, Chancery-lane, London, Sept. 9.