The Sun.
London, England, 1835-12-04 00:00:00

upon the subject, and produced an instrument which Will
down his name to the latest ages.
" The attention of your Committee has been drawn
,131:
ferent witnesses to contingencies in undcr
lamp of Sir Humphrey Davy ceases to afford adequate P
tion. Of the possible existence and nature of those 01
gencies your Committee have ascertained that the ince",
was well aware, and they regret that the cautions he r
some of his immediate friends were not made more
Accidents have occurred where his lamp was in gener",
careful use ; no one survived to tell the tale how these
rences took place ; conjecture supplied the want of
knowledge most unsatisfactorily; but incidents are r'
which prove what must follow unreasonable testing of the
rity of that lamp ; and your Committee are constrained to.
lieve, that ignorance and a false reliance upon its merits
cases attendant with unwarrantable risk, hare led to disa'"
consequences. The proofs collected in support of 01'5,
nion may be considered as so many warnings to the mill':
England. The prejudice which exists in many district 3
the employment of the Davy-lamp are not occasioneu
doubts of its protective character : the complaints made
with',,
of too little light, and the difficulty, in comparison ',t
use of the common candle, in bringing that light to bear
precision on the work, particularly in the thicker seams 'la
are found in Warwickshire, Staffordshire, and other CO0;
Notwithstanding these prejudices, your Committee emicer,
that no employer of miners can be justified in allowing caPj,
or inconvenience to certain individuals to "interfere with ,10
protection to the lives of his work people. In some °i
now lighted by the ordinary means, the use of thes,
i ied
ought, in the judgment of your Committee, to be compelled'
the owners.

" Many improvements, calculated to lessen the number,„
dangerous contingencies already alluded to, have been 5.r;
gested; all these may be considered as extensions of the l
ciple ; such are the lamps produced by Messrs. "..lptift."
Roberts, Mr. Newman, Mr. Martin, Mr. Douglas, Mr•
and Mr. Dillon. The lamps of Dr. Clanny and Mr. P,
are provided with additional mechanical contrivances
to exclude danger, which might overcome the safety prin"
and at oxce warn the miner of the insecurity of his sit',
by the extinction of his light. All these are described trice
evidence, except Mr. W. Martin's ; a drawing which ac
panies will serve that object ; and Mr. Ayres's, which is a
pended extinguisher, descending on the flame immedia,telt
gas inside the gauze is ignited ; this lamp cannot be opeP7,
interfered with, without producing such extinction.
Committee have not ascertained how far the extinction 01,
lighted wick would also be accompanied by the extineti°
the burning gas surrounding it.
" In the experiments made before your Committee 48,
London University, it may ,possibly be remarked, till°,
tests applied were not such, in nature or mode of appliott
as the known actual condition of the mines would point,
as satisfactory. It must not be forgotten that the objec:„
those experiments was to ascertain which, of all the 11';
produced, was, when exposed to the severest trial, best e;
tied to the name of a safety-lamp.' In these experiinfeer,
the explosion of the gases within the lamp was effected ine_,e
one, and similar explosions produced externally, save IqPi
Upton and Roberts's. Your Committee are therefore
to
cidedly convinced that its construction possesses parant°o
merit: Your Committee cannot admit that these experi.l„lY
had any tendency to detract from the character of 01,' ,0
Davy, or to disparage the fair value placed by himself 110
his invention. The improvements are probably those
longer life and additional facts would have induced binity
contemplate as desirable, and of which, had he not beclij
inventor, he might have become the patron. With the ;;;,
exception of unexpected destruction of the instrument, Mes
;,,
Upton and Roberts's lamp appears to your Committee to ro
vide against all, or nearly all the contingencies attending,.
Davy-lamp. Mr. Buddle states, that tin shields, and a rty
tial concealment of the lamp under their dress, constitutes.o
prudential precautions taken by the miners in dangerous situstio
to prevent the flame passing the gauze when the lamp is.o
tated. The glass chamber does all this with greater certal".
its sudden fracture leaves the instrument a perfect lamp,
Sir H. Davy's construction. The introduction of the gilv
not new ; the novelties are, the shape of the glass, the 61.,;,
which regulates the admission of air or gas to the cotton Wl;t.
and the double tissue of gauze beneath the wick, which Pe
vents firing backwards. If no practical objections are do!
vered, and your Committee do not contemplate any whiehoo
,80
not be readily overcome, Messrs. Upton and Roberts's
f„.
will supply a grand desideratum, especially if extensive 01,1
rience should prove that the lamp and area of the gauot.'
be so increased as to allow of more light with safety. ,of
"On the necessity of having correct maps and plans, el
Committee have already reported. The long catalogne.fri
casualties to which the miner is subject, will be found dots'
„„;
in the evidence. Mr. Roberts, one of the witnesses, prodtl;
to your Committe his safety-hood, to enable persons to en
drains, wells, and mines charged with carbonic acid gas. I,c'd
Committee report with pleasure their opinion of its Vio
value, and of the merit of the inventor. The advantafro
be obtained by having the safety-hood always ready.fiti„.o
are by no means hypothetical ; interesting proofs of what
be effected by its use have been received, and the practinaei
lity of saving life after explosions, when no hope remain
has been demonstrated."
In reviewing their labours, the Committee state tb3,r;
although they cannot but feel apprehension that they 01110
failed in devising any adequate remedies for the ev.o
which have been brought before their notice, they entert3l,ll
nevertheless a sanguine hope that the public attentioniel(
be turned with advantage to this interesting subject. V'
acknowledge the aid afforded to their inquiries fry
many scientific and philanthropic individuals, and thte:
?
suggest that great benefit might be fairly anticipa
from such persons being encouraged to visit mines, j
which they are assured they would be welcomely receipt
by the mine owners, and every assistance in the waY
experimenting afforded them. The great difficulties , g
the way of laying down any precise directions, or formuLd
any rules universally applicable to the dissimilar nature as
o
varying circumstance of particular mines, induce there
,0
refrain from advising any present legislative enactments °
this important subject. They notice with pleasure the 113 ii
creasing attention which is paid to the moral culture
education of the mining population, and they observe ttigt
great advantages may be anticipated from the establishel,
of associations similar to the Polytechnic school recoil,'
formed in Cornwall. They remark upon the deep resP,°';,,
sibility which rests upon the owners of mines, and the i'Prici
lant oversight which ought to be exercised by the ovolel,
yid managers over all their subordinate overseers, as welLt
the necessity of constant examination into the state of then
mines, either by personal inspection or by daily writte
reports from their subalterns of every circumstance at;
netted with their proper ventilation. The great innAr
ance of making the workmen fully acquainted with their iire
dividual responsibilities, and with the principles upon tit',
observance of which, both as to light and ventilation, tj;
safety of the whole body of miners depends, are also POI'
cularly dwelt upon.
In concluding their Report the Committee again exPre„ 5"
their regret that they are not enabled to lay before ti'
House any particular plan by which the accidents in VI;
tion may be avoided with certainty ; but they anticilo,
considerable advantages from the circulation of the valnavil
evidence which they have collected, and that science
avail itself of the information thus prominently exhibit
and, finally, they feel assured that those for whose immediate
t
benefit the inquiry was undertaken by Parliament, will 'l°,l
hesitate to place a generous construction on the motives at'`
intentions of the Legislature.

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.
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BIRTHS.
On the 3d of May last, at Secunderabad, the lady of Captain O.
H. Sotheby, Madras Light Infantry, of a daughter.
On the Ist inst., at Harting, Sussex, the wife of William Cur
Esq., of a son.