Sir H. Davy And Copper Bo...
The Times, 1824-10-18T00:00:00

We insert, with a feeling of great regret for the author, but with no feeling of reluctance on our own account, the following very singutlar letter from the IPresident of the Royal Society, in answer to a paragraph wvhich appeared in our paper of Saturdlay. If the passion of the learned Prcsident had not entirely blinded his understanding, he moust have seen that the language which he employs is neither becoming the chair which he occupies, nor cal- culated to produce conviction in the quarter which he addresses. In order to have the pleasure of making out as many assertions as possible to which he may apply the epithet of " false," he divi(les our paragraph into five pro- positions, wbich he takes the liberty of centradicting, and only one of which touches the point at issue between us and the learned President. First, that a committee was appointed to investigate the causes of the rapid decay of copper-shcathing, Sir Humphry tlocs not deny ; though, claiming to be at the birth of the said commitee, he corrects us with respect to its genealogy, and ascribes its origin, not to the Admiralty directly, but to the Council, through the representation of the Admiralty. WVe give the learned Presidlenit all the benefit of this distinction, and would only beg to ask him, in return, as the price of our concession, how many meetings of this Council-sprung comrnittee he himself attended? The secon(d assertion which he draws from our paragraph fer the purpose of contradicting, is the only propo- sition respecting which we are at issue tvith the learned President. If ships protected by his principles have nei- ther got foul when sent on short voyages, or retained in harbour, thenourinformation was wrong; but even tbough it wrre correct, as we still believe it to be, we would not apply the wordfuLde to the President's contradiction, with- out a stronger provocation than that which he received. Our answer to his second head of charge will apply equially to the third. WVith regard to the President's fourth declaration oft "untruth," we shall say nothing. It would dlisgrace a child to enter into discussion with hiin on the point. Didl he or did lie not pay for his voyage in the Steam-boat? If he did not, diti he not sail at the public expense? But the last contradiction of the learned President, probably appeared to him the most overpower- ing. We presumed, without inspectin the log-book of the steam-boat, that the President ha as "pleasant a voyage" as all philosophical inquirers ought to have on so laudable an expedition. When, lo and behold, we arc in- formed that we were again in error-that the passage was stormy, and the President sea-sick. Having no ob- ,ect but truth in any of our statements, we only wish the hiead of tde Royal Society a better voyage, and a better t.e-mper, the next time he sails on a philosophical cruise. -' TO THE EDIT'OR OF THE TIMES. * Sir- ingseeniny namne in The Tirnes connected with ' cop. arnd patent copper," I think it right to inform you that every thiisg relating to me in that paragraph is false. Yeu probabl,y will not wish statements whichi are erroneous, which somD mazy think calumnious, and which may mislead the ship-owners Jof the couatry, to be noticed any where but in your own pages. I trust, therel'ore, that you will Insert an immediate contradictien of them in your paper. I sin, Sir, If. DAVY. sLt. It is not true that ally committee of the Royal Society was formed to investigate the causes of the decay of Copper sheeting, at the request of the Lords of thc Advniralty. The Cormmissioners of the Navy Board consulted with the President of the Royal Societv on this subject, nnd he proposed to them to refer it to the Councir who formed a committee for the investigation of it. This was in 1822, long before " patent copper" was heard of. 2. It is false that any vessels, protected accordh;gtto Sir H. Davy's principles, and sent out upon short cruises by the Lords of the Ad. miral-y, have retu:ned infested with worms and barnacles. 3. it is false that any failure has taken place in my experiments. As far as they have yet gone, they scem to show that the decay of copper may be entirely prevented in harbour, and to a great extent in sailing, by theprotectors; and the ravages of wornas. &c., upon protected ships, is an entire fiction: indeed', it requires peculiar in- genidty to imagine how worms can prey upon the bottom of a ship, ibe copper ot wlhichi remains untouched. 4. It is not true that the President of the Royal Society has made any voyages at the public expense. The Commissioners of Longitude having resolved to ascertain the longitude of different points of great importance to navigation in the North Sea,by chronometers, the use of the Comet steam-boat was granted to them by the Admiraltv, and whe was put under the direction of the President of the Royal So- ciety for this purpose, and he took the opportunity of trying certain experiments on the protection of copper, eoinig in her to Sweden and coming back in ber from the north of the *Veser, making his journeys and voyages in Sweden, Denmark, Holstein, and Hanover, at his privmite expense. 5. It is not true that he had a pleasant voyage. He had a stormy passage out, anl a still more stormy passage home; and he wishes the autbor of the paragraph in question no severer punishment forhis inaccuraciea and ill-will, if he be a landsmanR and liable to sea. sickness, than a similar voyage. October 17. SIR H. DAVY ANiD COPPER BOTTOMS.