The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-04-10 00:00:00

BENNETT V. BiRCHALL.

This action was brought to recover the sum of £24 for board
and lodgings.
The parties in this case reside at Preston. It appeared that
the plaintiff kept a small shop. The defendant married the
daughter of the plaintiff in the December of the year 1836,
after which he lived for 29 weeks with the plaintiff, who had
been in the habit of letting lodgings. Witnesses were called
on the part of the plaintiff, to show that the defendant and his
wife were really lodgers. It appeared that after about font- or
five months had elapsed, the defendant quitted his wife. Some
relations of the defendant came forward and swore thitt the
defendant and his wife were hired servants of the plaintiff, and
that he had lent the latter EV.

A further sum was claimed by the plaintiff, for money al.
leged to have been lent to the wife of the defendant. This the
learned Judge said could not be entertained, as a man was not
bound to pay money lent to his wife without his authority.
The jury returned a verdict for the-plaintiff damages £24 Is.
This case terminated the business before Mr. Justice Patteson.

NISI PRIUS COURT.—FnIDAY.

ADJOURNED KUISANCE CASE.-THE QUEEN V. MUSPRATT.

His Lordship took his seat at niue o'clock.

Dr. John Rogerson was the first witness called. He was a
physician, practising as a surgeon, residing in Scotland-road.
He had frequently seen the vapour spoken of by the different
witnesses. It had a nauseous and unpleasant odour. It pro-
duced a suffocating sensation; It had the appearance of a fog,
caused by the muriatic acid gas combining with the vapour of
the atmosphere, by means of oil which, when it was condensed
it fell to the ground in the form of very diluted muriatic acid.
He should decidedly say, from the taste and appearance of the
vapour, that it was dilute muriatic at-id. The works from which
this gas issued were those engaged in the preparation of an im-
pure alkali, commonly called the black ash, or British barilla.
It was prepared by pouring sulphuric acid on common salt,
which was a chloride of sodium, commonly called inuriate of
soda. The sulphuric acid combined with the sada, and formed
sulphate, or rather a bi-sulphate of soda, and the muriatic, acid
gas was disengaged. It went up the chimney with the smoke,
and in consequence of the beat applied, a quantity of sulphur-
MIS acid gas was disengaged, and perhaps a little nitrous acid as
well. The muriatic acid gas composed of hydrogen and chlo-
rine in equal volumes or atoms. The chlorine was part of the
salt combined with part of the sodium. Salt being miked with
the sodium, that was decomposed, by means of the sulphuric
acid and heat. The chlorine then united with the hydrogen.
Sulphuric acid consisted of sulphurous acid gas arid water.'
When the pulphurous acid gas was poured upon the.muriate of
soda, the water of the acid was decomposed. The oxygen of
the decomposed water united with the sodium and formed water.
The hydrogen of the water united with the disengaged ebb).
and formed muriatic gas. • When.the sulphurous acid gas
united with the sodium, it formed the sulphate of soda he .had
spoken of, or the- bi-sulphate of. soda.
,The properties of the
muriatic acid gas were traLsparent as a gas when in the pure
state; but when mixed with the air it formed those white
vapours which had been spoken of, by its couthinina with the
nioisture.of the atmosphere with which it mixed. It then formed
a diluted acid, having a pungent odour, an acid taste; it, was
rapidly absorbed by water, which at -40 degrees of Fahrenheit
took up 480 times its bulk of the gas. It turned vegetable
colours red. It would not support combustion, and it was fatal
to animal and vegetable life, and very injurious. He had made
several experiments along with his brother, and had assisted
him. He should think, from the great affinity of the muriatic
acid gas for the atmosphere, it would combine with it, and
issuing from the chimney-top, and fall to the ground in form of
diluted acid. It would fall more rapidly where there was in-
creased moisture. lie hail tried experiments with his brother,
and his opinion was. not what had been stated, and about which
there was some mistake, that the muriatic gas when combined
with the atmosphere in the proportion of one part in 15(X), did
not do injury. He considered that it did, and was highly in-
jurious to health when so mixed. When the muriatic acid was
mixed in the proportion of one part in 1500 of the atmosphere,
it did not kill vegetables or plants immersed in it for a certain
period of time; but it must still be considered as highly inju-
riour to health, on account of its irritating and stimulating
properties. It could be in no wise useful to the growth of
plants. Dr. Christimin, of Edinburgh, professor of the Univer-
sity of Glasgow, stated, that when one cubic inch of this gas
was mixed with 20,000 parts of the atmosphere, it was still in-
-jurious to plants, and withered the leaves. This also was his
opinion. He considered that it constantly occasioned injuries
to the health. The experiments they had made with plants had
generally been made under 12 hours. If a person were exposed
for weeks to an atmosphere loaded with this vapour, its injuri-
ous effects would be likely to be increased. The longer the
action of the gas continued, the inure injurious it would be to
vegetathe and animal life. The effect of the.gas issuing from a
chimney would depend upon the volume carried by
.the wind.
'towing to the wind and the moisture of the atmosphere, this
white vapour actually descended so that it could be seen, it
would be decidedly prejudicial to vegetables on which it fell,
and pro tanto to animal life., If a person complained of his
lungs who had been inhaling that atmosphere, it would not be
necessary to resort to experiments to pronounce as to the quan-
tity.of injurious gas he had inhaled ; he should say at once
from the fact that it was injurious, and explain his complaint
to having inhaled a nitrated atmosphere. If a patient suffered
in his lungs, and the inhaling of this muriatic acid steam made
him suffer, he should say that it increased his disease. lu his
judgment it increased the irritation of the lungs. As to how
much irritation would produce death was a matter for inquiry.
It was a very difficult question to answer the proportion of
muriatic acid gas there was in the white vapour as it left the
chimney top.
• Cross-examined--He had not examined as to the relative
proportion of the gas that issued from. the chimney top, and was
not able to tell the jury whether the proportional parts were 51
of muriatic acid gas to 941 of other matters. He had tried the
experiments with the muriatic acid gas on, plants, which had
died when submitted to its action, by putting them into a glass
receiver with the gas, and covering them up. A plant would
live a considerable time without being enclosed, when submitted
to the vip'our. There would be an immense difference between
the effect of the- experiment when confined and where the open
air was not excluded. His opinion was that romantic acid, 1
Aloweiter diluted, was injurious, as it was an improper aciatic
stimulent. Carbonic acid gas did a great deal of good to vege-
lables, but it was highly injurious to animal life. Wherever
coal or lime was burnt it would be given out in large quantities.
Sulphuretted hydrogen was very destructive to animal life; but
'he thought they ought to put that outof thequestion. It would
:he'also injurious to vegetables from its acid properties. That
would be plentifully supplied by the soap. manufactories. Bi-
carburited hydrogen gas would be injurious to vegetables but
not to animals. Its proper term was bihydrogulated hydrogen.
It would issue from the gasometers. The manure heaps would
furnish parametic oil of ammonia; so would the bone boilers,
and the horse boilers, and wherever animal matter was decom-
posed. He was not quite certain whether the turpentine works
would give out ammonia. They would give out acetic gas
which would make people cough, but it would be soon condensed
into vinegar. If by chance sal-ammoniac works were added,
they would increase the ft easure of gas. There would he brim-
stone acid gas from them as well from the works of the muriatic
acid manufacturers. These constituted the sweets of what was
called.spice island. If there was' mariate in the clay for burn-
ing bricks, they would get muriatic acid gas front the burning
of bricks. He found the vapour from the alkali works iujured
asthmatic patients.

Mr. James Cooper,'-surgeon, of St. Ann's-street, was exa-
mined, and spoke to living in St. Ann's:street. The gas came
full over his house.from Mr. Musprates chimney, and caused
him and his family to cough. It rusted his surrical instruments,
which he was obliged to keep constantly cleaning. He had
formerly lived in Fraso.-street, and had not experienced the
same effect. When the wind blew in an opposite dit eCtion from
Muspratt's chimney, the leaves, and trees, and plants, in his
garden, were quite green; but when the• wind blew from Mus-
prates chimney towards•his house, it turned all vegetation black
in his garden, and would kill and wither. the trees and leaves in
a single night. ,
Cross-examined.—Fraser-street, his former residence, was
300 yards from where he now lived. _

Dr. William Reynolds was next examined.--Fie was a phy-
sieian, residing in Liverpool, and lecturer on chemistry at the
Royal Institution.. He -was acquainted with the process of
manufacture of what was called black ash, and also of salt
cake. In the-manufacture of salt cake a volume of muriatic
acid gas was poured, out of a chimney. It then combined with
the moisture of the atmosphere, and was no longer governed-by
the ordinary laws of grsses. It became heavier than the atmos-
phere, and
,than the ordinary moisture of the air, from combin-
ing with the muriatic acid. The vapour was a liquid muriatic
acid gas, in very small globules, the same as steam. It corroded
metals, and gave the appearance of being rusted. A ton, of salt
would give nut upwards of- 1-1 O. feet of muriatic acid gas.- It
would produce irritation of the air passages through the lungs,
end produce cough, and also, when" a person was exposed for
some time to its influence, produce disorder of thEC'stomach. it
would-be extremely injurious to vegetable-life, and would cause
the leaves to wither'and he destroyed. If vegetables were
-sub-
mitted to its action for some time there would be an apparent