The Sun.
London, England, 1829-11-27 00:00:00

ORIGIN OF THE SAFETY LAMP.

It was in attempting to measure the expan-
sion occasioned by the combustion of a mixture
of fire damp (carburetted hydrogen) and com-
mon air, that Sir Humphry Davy discovered a
fact,Swhich, by an ingenious and happy train of
reasoning, led to the invention of his lamp. He
ascertained that an explosive mixture could not
be kindled in a glass tube so narrow as one-
seventh of an inch in diameter ; and that when
two separate reservoirs of an explosive mixture
were connected by a metallic tube, one-fifth of
an inch in diameter, and 13 inch in length, and
one of the portions of the gas was set on fire,
the explosion did not extend to the other.
Another equally curious fact was discovered
during this investigation—namely, that a mix-
ture of fire-damp and air, in explosive propor-
tions, was deprived of its power of exploding by
the addition of about one-seventh its bulk of
carbonic acid, or nitrogen gas ; a fact which at
once suggested the possibility of constructing s
lamp, in which the flame, by being supplied with
only a limited quantity of air, might produce
carbonic acid and nitrogen, in such proportions
as to destroy the combustibility of explosive mix-
tures, and which might also, by the nature of its
apertures for giving admittance and exit to the
air, be rendered incapable of spreading combus-
tion to the surrounding atmosphere, supposing
it to be an inflammable one. This object was
accomplished by the use of air-tight lanterns,
supplied with air through tubes, or canals, of
small diameter, or through apertures covered
with wire gauze below the flame, and having a
chimney at the upper part of a similar system for
carrying off the foul air. The apparatus was
afterwards simplified by covering or surrounding
the flame of a lamp or candle with a cylindrical
wire sieve, having at least six hundred and
twenty-five apertures in a square inch. Within'
the cylinder, when the fire-damp encompassing
it is to the air as one to twelve, the flame of the
wick is seen surrounded by the feeble blue flame
of the gas. When the proportion is as one to
five, six, or seven, the cylinder is filled with the
flame of the fire-damp ; and, though the exte-
rior air is explosive, it is not kindled by it.
Thus is the miner now enabled to penetrate into
the deepest recesses, fearless of the fire daimon,
who had, previous to this invention, brought so
many of his unhappy brethren to a premature
end ; the enemy is no sooner encountered than
he is defeated, and may be seen harmlessly flut-
tering in the iron cage. There is something very
like magic in all this ; and the author of such an
invention a century ago would have stood a fair
1 chance of being burnt for witchcraft ; but we
have to relate another property in this lamp that
partakes still more of the marvellous. If a small
coil of platinum wire be hung above the wick of
the lamp, within the wire gauze cylinder, the
following effects will take place :—after the ex-
plosive mixture has burnt for some time, it will
expire, together with the lamp, and the miner
would be left in impenetrable darkness ; but at
this embarrassing moment the little coil of pla-
tinum will begin to glow with a light sufficiently
bright to guide him into a purer atmosphere,
when the heat thus produced will be sufficient to
rekindle the lamp ! This phenomenon is to be
explained upon a principle discovered during
the progress of the inquiry into the nature of
flame, which Sir Humphry Davy proved to re-
quire a high temperature for its maintenance.
When, therefore, the combustion of the fire-
damp is reduced to so low a temperature as to
be inadequate to that ignition of gaseous matter
Which constitutes flame, it may still excite a
temperature sufficient to render platinum wire
luminous. arious applications of this prin-
ciple have been made for the construction of
philosophical trifles, and which any of our readers
may very easily repeat. For instance, all igni-
tion of platinum wire, giving light enough to
read by, may be supported for many hours, by
surrounding the flame of a common spirit lamp
with small coils of the wire, not exceeding 1-100
of an inch in diameter. Twelve coils of this
wire, twisted spirally round the tube of a to-
bacco-pipe, or round any thing that will render
the coils about 3-20 of an inch in diameter, are
to s,urround the wick. When the lamp, after
being lighted for a few moments, is blown out,
the platinum will glow, and continue in that
state as long as there is a supply of spirit of wine.
The spirit, during this slow combustion, is con-
verted into vinegar ; and hence an aromatic fu-
migating lamp, for a sick chamber, has been
lately advertised for sale, and which is no other
than the contrivance above described ; and it is
evident that if the spirit be impregnated with
• fragrantprinciples, ail aromatic vinegar will be
,
diffused
in fumes through the apartment.—Ex-
tracted from a Biography of Sir Humphry
Davy.

was Thomas Davies, and the Vicar of Moviddy was Wil- Curate of Holy Trinity .£lO 0 0 per ann. or 38.10 d. a day.
Hain Healy. Again, in the year 1633, the other grand Curate o or' St. P
St.
inn
tul'4 69 4 71i or 3 9,
tot, sian dcm. 69 4 71' ~,„
or •` Regal Visitation of Ireland," as it is called,was made, Curate Another to ditto ".
50 0 fO or
or about st))
which affords additional and later proof ant none of these Curate of St. Peter's
, AnotherC,irateof
St.
Mars 69 47j or 3 9
to ditto 46 3 1 or about 2 6.i
parishes were from time immemorial united. The Bishon's F handon 46 3 1 or 2 IN
therein certifies, that Aglish was then held by Thomas Curate of St. Nicholas co 0 0 or 3 3K.
Davies, as Vicar ; Kilbonane, er Kilvoynane, by Thomas By this statement it appears that not one of the curates
Burden, as Vicar ; and Moviddy, by John Johnston, as in the City of Cork receives 751. a year of the present cur-
Vicar, all being separate and distinct benefices. Thus, reney. Some of these curates have already officiated for
have we an example of what au union from time Mime- nearly 20 years. One Curate not long since, resigned from
morial, in the' modern returns, means. Indeed, the dis- old age, having served the best part of his life at a salary
tances between pseishes united to other good things, as' of 50/. Irish currency, or 461. 34. id. British. Another
well as the times when they were united, according to died after having been for 40 years Curate of St. Peter's
these modern returns are most perplexing and unsatisfac- Parish, at an annual salary of not more than 69/. 4s. 7iel.
tory. As the documents I quote front are produced as leaving a family, who lam informed, are now in the most
" legal evidence" in Courts of Law, I suppose their va- abject poverty.
lidity will not be questioned.. And unless a parish is united The Rev. Mr. Baldwin is Curate of Inchigeelah. His
by " Act of Council," it becomes ipso facto severed by Rector is a Pluralist, holding also the parish of St. Paul,
the death of the incumbent. But I have shown from the in Cork, a most populous and important parish. The
printed testimony of the Bishop of Curb that Moviddy Rector passes the greatest part of the year in Bath, where
was united in ISIS. And though the parish of Innis- his family resides. Although an order was made to grant it
keany, distant trout it eight miles, has been given (to use by the Archbishop of Cashel, yet this order has never been
your Lordship's words) "to a stranger," 3'et I think the complied with. The Rev. A. E. is Curate of the lucrative
Rev. Thomas St. Lawrence has not cause to complain, if parish of Skull, which is 16 miles in length, and con-
it be true, that 111oviddy pays under the Tithe Composi- tains so many Protestants, that on some days there are 200
tion Act, 507/., Aglish, 445/. 195., and Kilbonane, 2251. communicants ; the Rector is Archdeacon of Connor, (the
10s ,in the whole 1,176/. 9e. yearly, without valuing near most distant part of Ireland,) has not for many years
one hundred acres of glebe land, and besides all this, hold- visited this Parish, and the only provision for the Citrate it
ing ae he does, a large Prebend in the Diocese of Ross, and the Glebe House and land. The Rev. W. 8., is Rector of
a Vicar-Choralship in the Cathedral. Need I say more ? the Union of Inniscarra, which produces under the Cern-
As your Lordship has not called expressly on me to prove position Act, the sum of 1,150/. a-year. The Rector, a young
the incorrect statements of a Bishop , f Cloyne, now no man of fashion, resides principally in England. The Rev.
more, I readily follow the adage "De inortuis nil nisi J. G., his Citrate, has not received the augmented salary.
bonus," especially, when we have cause to expect happy There has been in this living a most lamentable lapse to
results fronsthe disposition of our present good Bishop, and Popery within the last twenty years, and only for the
aae zealous and talented members of his amiable family, exertions of the present Curate, there would be now
Your Lordship tells us " your Chapter situations, in hardly a poor Protestant attending a Church, to which
eneral are a burthen instead of a benefit." How much was formerly attached a large congregation. Is your Lord-
are they who fill them to be pitied ? Is it not strange, my g,
ship satisfied with these few specimens? If not, in my next
I can favour you with more. WeThere see practically the
Lord, that Clergymen are so inconsiderate as to accept
these burdensome appointments? But you would, of advantage time people reap from the piety, the zeal, the
learning, and the disinterestedness which the present system
course, first separate from these the rectorial tithes, which
you affirm to have no connection with the cure of souls, as is likely to promote. Whilst the Lily pay their money,
also the parishes with cure of souls, on which, you assert and time Curates, with some few honourable exceptions of
the Dignitaries reside, a thing not always the case. As for pious incumbents, labour in the Lord's vineyard, time
worldly minded, the indolent; and the gay, sit in the lap
the estates held by Deans and Chaptere, your Lordship says
nothing about these, and then time patronage ! No doubt, of luxury, live for themselves, and turn to little profit that
education your Lordship considers of so much importance.
any Lord, you will also provide for these small matters,
before you would finally condemn " our chapter situa-
Yea, my Lord, I know this moment of one who has served
tions."
as Curate in a rich parish worth eleven hundred pounds
But your Lordship appears inclined to retaliate on me,
per annum, upwards of thirty-five years. He has a
7wife
and would hint that I had better be silent, because I any-
and seven children to support on a salary of 691. 48.1e1.,
self, am a tithe proprietor. lam ready to allow Ido poa-
which is about fivepence to each per day. In a letter
lately received from him, he writes, " I can with perfect
seas tithes in the county of Antrim, over 1 believe, several
thousand acres of land, and I have reason also to believe, truth declare to your Lordship, that I find it extremely
I have legal claims to much more in other parts, which difficult to provide common food, and indifferent
clothing for my poor children; but I am quite unable
the clergy, however, actually hole!. The people are almost
all of the Church of Scotland, and are not deficient in Mi.• to procure a proper person to educate them." I Low
ask any man who possesses one spark of Christianity, is
nisters, and hut few members of either the Church of Eng,-
land or Church of Rome are resident. I think the far-
the 'present system un equitable or a rational one? And
when I meet with such*au insinuation as this applied to
mers cannot complain of my exactions, as probably on an
me, " y )tai' Lordship seems to think poverty useful to the
average I do not get sixpence per acre—perhaps not three-
Church," I almost fancy I can see the charge rebound
pence. The whole amount of what I last year received
from him it was unjustly
,thrown at, and quickly wing its
on account of tithe, after deducting what was paid to
Clergymen, amounted to exactly 101/. Is. 3d., a sum I way back to the genial place of its nativity.
I hare little time now to examine tie two instances in
hope to spend annually for the promotion of religion and
morality. Still these tithes, I can with sincerity say, I which your Lordship ran your valuable life against
would willingly relinquish, if the spiritual welfare of the Bishops' leases. lam sorry you " felt sensibly" that the
speculation turned out to be a bad one. The public must
people was likely to be promoted by the act. Being en-
by this time be quite convinced of your Lordship's spi-
tailed, I have, however, co power to dispose of them.
I now come to a passage in your Lordship's letter which ritual inclinations, and that it is the welfare of the Church
of England you have briefly at heart. You no doubt wish
I think deserves to be transcribed. It is this— •
d t men in holy orders. You dll
have only well-educated "As to the list of Unions which your Lordship has in toPrince LEOPOLD dined with the Duchess o,
your possession, of parishes which had previously sup-
argue against an equal distribution of the incomes of the KENT, on Wednesday, at her apt tments in time King's
ported separate clergymen, and separate churches,
it clergy, (who differed from you?) only on the ground of Palace at Kensington.
its tendency to diminish the number of well qualified mini-
would, I think, not be fair to withold it till the time toThe French Ambassador had a long interview
which you allude, as by so doing, the enquiry into the i sters. Can any one for a moment doubt all this? Bait with the Earl of ABERDEEN yesterday, at the Foreign
facts will come too late to remedy the evil which the state-
your Lordship allowing that it is the fluty of an incumbent Office.
ment will produce. Take but the example of Moviddy
to look after his Roman Catholic; parishioners, uses these ,
.
words, " our clergy ought to attend to their Roman Ca- the American Minister had a conference
Suppose it not to have been brought forward till that
future day, and what a sensation would the statement of tholic parishioners, when they show any disposition to with Mr. VESEY FITZGERALD yesterday, at the Office of
facts happening in your own country, made within your attend to their instructions, because it is their duty." Do, a the Board of Trade.
own knowledge, produce? Believe me, my Lord, you
not this my Lord imply that the sheep are to look after the I PRESENTATION OF KERRY.—A new can-
will find many cases like ,loviddy in your list." sshepherds first ? How much does this doctrine disagree didate ha, been mined within the last few days in the per-
with the excellent directions given by his Grace the Arch- son of the Earl of KERRY, the eldest son of the 31arquis
Happy to find we agree in one thing, and briefly hinting
that ancient documents are not wanting to throw light on t bishop of Tuain to his Clergy ! ! I don't know what sort of LANsnowNE. This young Nobleman is we believe
of mental reservations your Lordship may melee, witen you of age, and has lunch distinguished himself in Col-
d
Unions from time immemorial, 1 must hurry forward, or
would persuade us th at ignorance and immorality are cot
this letter will become too long.lege.—Tke Noble 31arquis has extensive estates in
Reminding your Lordship that `c the true friends of the to be charged to Protestante in Ireland. I belerve we are Kerry, and the prospects of the young Earl are spoken of
church earnestly hope that, with very few exceptions, all at first like weeds, which if cultivated in time nursery of as by no means discouraging. We understand that it is
unions and pluralities will soon be abolished," (see my first
knowledge and religion, may gradually lose our noxious ' not the Noble Lord's intention to oppose either of the pie-
letter), 1 beg to say a few words on the rich hying of Wes-
qualities. But when little or bad cultivation is used, the sent patriotic members for the county, and that he will
ford to which your Lordship tells me you have made such
effects arising ftotn the bad qualities of the plant, become only offer himself to the consideration of the electors in the
.
valuable additions. Strange to say, the return for 1806, sufficient proofs of neglect. It is a disagreeable task for . event of a vacancy.— Thrice Mercury.
(which was not made by your Lordship); makes the own-
me to point out failings. They who do so with the best I
T
motives seldomthanks. Residing in Irelend, mixing HE CONSTITUENCY OF LoUTEI.--We
om receive
her of parishes in the union of Wexford to be no less thanhave just been infonUed by a gentleman who is well ace
with the lower orders, probably more than your Lordship,
sixteen, of which St. Iherius, and St. Selaker, then formed quainted with electioneering movements in this county",
devoting my time and my thoughts to their spiritual and
two. And your Lordship must also be incorrect when you that 311.. APClneence- has relinquished the canvass for'
temporal improvement, and having no interest to induce
say that there are two additional Curates appointed. I the representation in which he leel been for some time ac-
believeme to TINS-state, I think my testimony is not to be rejected,
there is only one to the parish of Rathaepee, anti tively engaged, and we have learned from the same source,
when I repeat that the lower order of Protestants of the
two in Western. Now, in the life time of the Reverend that le could only count on 70 votes out of nearly 700
Church of England has been lamentably neglected, by too
Mr. Elgee, before your Lordship became connected with registered ifreeholders now mialified in Louth.— Louth
the Diocese, there were two Curates in Wexford, many of their spiritual teachers.
exford, namely,Free Press,
1 From the commencement of this correspondence, I bays