The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-02-14 00:00:00

THE SMOKELESS FURNACE.

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71?031 OUR LONDON CORRESPONDENT.

MONDAY MORNING.
IT is Unnecessary for me to dilate at any great length on
the certainty of war—its actual existence at this moment—
neither is it required of me to notice the extensive and
salve preparations for such a state as I see are being made
by the government. Distinguished officers of both ser-
vices have paid numerous and frequent visitts to the
FOREIGN SECRETARY since Thursday last. Sir CHAS.

NAPIER, as I was the first to intimate some time ago
would be the case, goes into active command, and General
EVANS has the same orders for the land service. Both
officers look hearty for their years. They are known in
the services by the appellation of " Dare devils ;" the
General was a soldier of fortune, and made his way up to

his present high position by'heading, when a young offi-
cer, several " forlorn hopes ;" he was determined to die or
rise in his profession. The Coldstream Guards, a fine body
of men, are now doing duty at the Tower of London, previ-
ous to a large section of them-starting for the seat of war.
They mount guard on the ramparts of the ancient fortress
in forage caps, which give a very odd, aswellasundignified,
appearance. Your readers are aware that the usual head-
covering of this gallant corps is a huge bear-skin cap, about
two feet in height—most formidable in size; and as incon-
venient. The frame-work is constructed of wicker, which
is covered with the costly skin of Bruin. This cumbrous

cut to the last. Parties when they offend are handed over to

the custody of the Serjeant, who must, as a sine qua non,
have been a military man, in the line or militia. Col. PER,
ctvs.t., I believe, belonged to the latter. He was long the
Irish champion of high Conservatism, .and was rewarded
some years since with the serjeantcy,of the House of Peers
—a capital berth, requiring only fall-dress attendance
occasionally during their lordships' sittings. The colonel
wears a rapier, more as a synabol of authority than for use ;
for I don't think, were the gallant. Serjeant-at-Arms to
draw it, a mouse would be frightened. Col. PERCIVAL is
now stricken in years, and a very heavy man in person ;
he had a fit in his club the other day, but has got well
over it. _ . .

COMMERCIAL 4, MONETARY NEWS.

MONDAY NIGHT.

NOTWITHSTANDING the near approach of the
crisis with Russia, and the excitement caused by
the active preparations for hostilities on a large
scale, commercial affairs during 'the week have
been in a state of quietude, as though there were
nothing likely soon to occur to disturb peaceful
operations. The telegraphic despatches have pr e
sented their usual various and contradictory ac-
counts of the progress of the war, and the negotia-
tions relating thereto ; but the Funds have main-
tained their value, the fluctuations, indeed, having
been very slight. The returns of the Bank of
England, on Friday, showed few alterations worthy
of notice, there being a very small increase in the
stock of bullion, and a decrease to the amount of a
million and a quarter on public and private de-
posits ; money for commercial purposes has been
rather easier, and nothing has occurred to disturb
the confidence which has prevailed for some time
past.
The reports from Ihe manufacturing districts
show that, notwithst; nd ng the warlike demon-
strations from the witl dra val of 'the Russian Am-
bassador, and the active preparations for hostilities,
trade has considerably improved, though prices
have not experienced a corresponding advance.
This improvement has been stimulated in some
measure by the advices of short supplies of Cotton
from America, and also by more cheering accounts
of trade in the India and China markets. It is
also anticipated that the strike at Preston is draw-
ing to a close, the masters having commenced the
movement of opening their mills to such of the
operatives as are willing to return to work. In the
Woollen districts trade is still very dull, and the
Hosiery and Lace trades have as yet shown no
signs of improvement.
The Corn markets through the .country have
experienced a sensible decline, varying from 2s. to
4s. per quarter on Wheat, and a corresponding rate
of fall on other articles. This appears to have
operated to induce farmers to sell, as the quantity
of English Wheat at Mark Lane this morning was
much larger than for many weeks past.
The return from the Bank of England for the
week ending the 4th of Feb., gives the following
results, when compared with the previous week :
Public deposits ... £2,121,718; Decrease £393,666
Other deposits ... 12,608,926; Decrease 877,308
Rest ... 3,349,523; Increase 10,129
On the other side of the account—
Government securities £12,537,716, Decrease £695,000
Other securities ... 13,570,465; Decrease 418,157
Notes unemployed ... 6,966,505; Decrease 202,135
The amount of notes in circulation is £22,557,115,
being an increase of £208,730 ; and the stock of
bullion in both departments is £16,226,683, showing
an increase of £3,469, when compared with the
preceding return.

This monthly meeting of the Liverpool Polytechnic
Society was held last night, .at the Royal Institution, in
Colquitt-street. In the absence of Mr. Newlands, the
president, Mr. Grantham was.-called to the chair. Mr.
E. H. Bramah, law-clerk to the Birkenhead trustees, Mr.
Andrew Leighton, Mr. Michael Neville, and Mr. William
Bennett, were elected members of the society. Mr. John
Lee Stev ens then read a paper on " The Subversion of the
Smoke Nuisance," and gave a full explanation of his
patent smokeless furnace. -He complained of the want of
earnestness on the part of the Corporation of Liverpool
in their endeavours to suppress the nuisance of smoke,
and denied that he wished to claim exclusive patronage
for his plan over that of other inventors. There
was plenty of room for . all, and the great difficulty
which he had experienced of late was to supply the
many demands for his furnaces in the metropolis. All
he wanted was fair competition, and he claimed no other
favour than that which the merits of his invention de-
served. He then proceeded, with the aid of large coloured
diagrams, to explain the peculiarities of his invention.
At the far end of the ordinary furnace is placed a supple-
mentary bearing bar, under which, at a few inches from
the upper fire-bars, is a small grating, upon which a
portion of incandescent. fuel falls from the furnace beyond
the supplemental bearing bar ; and, at the end of the
furnace, there is an opening, in which is placed two plates,
protruding into the furnace, with an opening between
them for the admission of air. The oxygen of the
atmosphere, passing through the ashpit, over the grid
plate, and between the two caloric plates, becomes
heated, and in that state comes into contact with
the gases passing off from the body of the furnace,
and so combining with the carburetted hydrogen,
ignition is produced, and the flame carried along
the flues in place of the black smoke. Mr. Stevens
denied that he proffered to prevent all smoke, but he
proffered to reduce the dense black smoke produced from
the fuel ordinarily in use, to the thin semi-opaque vapour
from the best anthracite, and also to save the cost of fuel
to the extent of from ten to twenty per cent. In this there
was no deception, he had no means of practising it, for the
working was under the control of the proprietors and
engineers where it had been tried, and their reports were
the testimonials to which he referred. The invention was
an advantage to those who tried it, the saving in fuel
alone would in a year or little more pay the first expense,
in addition to the prevention of the smoke nuisance, and
therefore, while he spared no labour to make its merits
known, he was not begging for its adoption, as he was sa-
tisfied in a little time he and his co-proprietors would have
more demands on them than they could well supply. He
said he had, in April, 1853, made an offer to the Corpo-
ration of Liverpool to put up his invention at his own
expense and risk, if they would give him the oppor-
tunity : he now withdrew that offer, for he did not see
why he should be making experiments at Liverpool
when he could find employment in London, Manchester,
Leeds, and other places. If any one, however, were willing
to try it, the question of royalty he would leave until per-
fect satisfaction were given. He concluded by mentioning
several places where the furnaces were at work, or being
erected.

Mr. C. WYB WILLIAMS took advantage of the opportu-
nity afforded for discussion to read some testimonials in
favour of an invention of his own, for the prevention of
smoke. Upon being called to order, he said that Mr.
Stevens' invention must be successful, but it was only to
certain furnaces, and under particular circumstances.
After some few remarks from the Chairman, thanks
were voted to Mr. Stevens and to the chairman, and the
meeting separated.