The Sun.
London, England, 1859-04-19 00:00:00

LONDON, TUESDAY gVENING,

are not in any way merely hypothOtical, it willibe
sufficient to direct attention to the unJeniable and
perfectly reliable facts accumulated by the secre-
tary to the association, which has been already
formed under the happiest auspices, for Promoting
the Erection of Drinking Fountains in tho Metro-
polis. That official, Mr. WAKEFIELD, has issued a
selection from the facts in the form of an at tractive
little pamphlet, entitled " A Plea for Free. Drink-
ing Fountains," in which we read, amon3. other
most encouraging statements, in reference to Mr.
MELLEY'S Fountains in Liverpool, that—" a calcu-
lation based upon a series of observations, tal,:en at
different seasons, and in different parts of the town,
by persons of perfect reliability, employed for the
purpose, gives an average number of upwards of
1,000 persons drinking every day throughout the
year at each of the 40 fountains scattered through-
out the town and its outskirts. This would give
fifteen millions of persons who annually drink
at the Liverpool fountains. And in a subse-
quent communication, dated March 5, 1859, Mr.
MELLEY writes that he is quite sure that if 20 more
fountains were judiciously placed in Liverpool, both
the new and old fountains would average 1,000
each the year round—that is, if Liverpool were
adequately supplied with fountains, they would be
frequented 22,000,000 times in the course of the
year." Immense, however, though the advance
already made in that locality by the erection of as
many as 45 fountains there in all, it is calculated
that no less than 80 fountains altogether would
alone be adequate to the wants of Liverpool.
Supposing which estimate to be in any degree
accurate, actually 400 fountains would be neces-
sary to meet • the requirements of London and
Westminster. Nobly, most eloquently, did the
Earl of CARLISLE close his admirable appeal in
behalf of the humane project for extending the
boon of these Free Drinking Fountains to our
metropolis, with the utterance of these fervent and
impassioned words—" I have only further to remind
you of the value that has been attached by the
holiest lips that ever spake on earth to the cup of
cold water ; and I think I am not making an
irreverent allusion to it, when I ask you on this
occasion to give it a literal interpretation."
Beyond these there could not be more earnest or
more impressive words of persuasion.

MR. MACINTOSH S INCENDIARY
MATERIALS FOR WARFARE.

TO THE EDITOR OF TIIE SUN.

SIR,—In justice to Mr. Macintosh, I beg to cor-
rect an error which I perceive you have made in
your number of yesterday ; and having given so
prominent a notice to a letter sent to you relative to
Captain Norton being congratulated by the son of
General Sir William Napier (sent to Capt. Norton
at Sir William's request), " as being now generally
allowed to be the real originator and inventor of the
great improvements in gunnery projectiles," &c., I
beg to state, in explanation, that although Captain
Norton has amused himself (for some time past) by
experimenting at Chatham with shells filled with
liquid and other incendiary materials, he has done
so, well knowing that the inflammable materials he
was using were not compositions of his own inven-
tion, but were those of Mr. John Macintosh, of North-
bank, Regent's-park. Although Captain Norton
was "fully aware" that he was experimenting with
materials patented and invented by another inven-
tor, he has not had the courtesy of explaining this
fact, nor has he yet requested any of the periodicals
or newspapers to correct the error they have all
invariably committed, in ascribing the invention of
the compositions he experiments on, when using
incendiary shells, to him, whereas Mr. John Macin-
tosh is the true and real inventor. I beg to add
that both the " War and Admiralty Departments"
have been fully cognisant, since 1853, prior to the
last Russian war, and have made several official
experiments with Mr. Macintosh's incendiary com-
positions for filling shells, which, although satisfac-
tory, have not yet been adopted into the ser-
vice, for reasons which the late Secretary of
State for War, Lord Panmure, can best explain;
he having, as you are already aware, "officially
sealed-up" Mr. Macintosh's patent, No. 1774, during
the continuance of the last Russian war, and then
allowed Mr. Macintosh to obtain his patent, "(Vier"
the war was concluded, and then refused to either
purchase it, or adequately remunerate him for this
illegal seizure. The application for the " New
Patent Law" sufficiently explains this fact, and
further, that this " New Patent Law" has entirely
originated from the result of Mr. Macintosh's inge-
nious and laborious inventions.
Trusting you will kindly give equal publicity to
this statement,—l am, sir, &c.,
April 19. JUSTICE.
N.B.—Mr. Macintosh's specification, No. 1774,
can be inspected at the Great Patent Seal Office,
25, Southampton-buildings, Chancery-lane.