| INTRODUCTORY OBSERVATION. | Page | [1.] |
| Progress of the arts.—Influence of it upon the morals and conditionof man.—Beneficial tendency of chemical and mechanicalimprovements.—State of pre-eminence of people with regard tocivilization.—How to be estimated.—Flourishing state of thosenations which have shown the greatest activity in cultivating theuseful arts, and establishing useful enterprises.—General observationson this subject.—Extraordinary discoveries of moderntimes.—New art of procuring light.—Object of the treatise. |
| PART I. |
| PRODUCTION OF ARTIFICIAL LIGHT, &c. | [8.] |
| Production of the flame generated during the combustion of certainbodies.—Characters of flame when perfect.—Most luminousflame, how produced with the least consumption of combustiblematter.—Conditions necessary for that purpose.—Importance ofthis subject, with regard to the production and supply of artificiallight.—The flame of bodies may be tinged.—Blue flame,red flame, green flame, &c.—Opinion concerning the origin oflight emitted by bodies burning with flame.—Philosophy ofthe subject.—Theory of the action of the instruments of illumination.—Rudemethod of procuring light employed in somecountries.—Chemical action of candles, and lamps.—Agency ofthe tallow, oil, &c.—Office of the wick.—Reason why tallowcandles require snuffing, and wax candles snuff themselves—Furtherobservations on the subject. |
| METHOD OF ASCERTAINING THE ILLUMINATINGPOWER OF CANDLES, LAMPS, ANDOTHER LUMINOUS BODIES. | [22.] |
| Optical principle assumed as law for determining the relativestrength of lights of different kinds.—Admeasurement of theintensities of light.—Quantity of wax, tallow, oil, &c. requisitefor producing a light of a certain strength.—Method of increasingthe light of tallow candles, and to obviate the necessity ofsnuffing them.—A tallow candle placed in an inclined positiongives more light than when placed perpendicularly and snuffedwith an instrument.—Explanation of the fact.—Further observationson this subject.—Comparative cost of the light obtained byburning tallow candles of different sorts and sizes. |
| PART II. |
| GAS-LIGHT. | [47.] |
| Encouragement given by the legislature to the new system of procuringlight.—Gas-light company, incorporated by charter, toapply the new art of illumination by way of experiment, on alarge scale, to illuminate the streets and houses of the metropolis.—Powerand authorities granted to this corporate body.—arevery restricted, and do not prevent other individuals fromentering into competition with them.—Boundaries of their experiments.—limitof capital employed by them.—Power of HisMajesty with regard to the gas-light charter. |
| THEORY OF THE COMBUSTION OF COAL INELUCIDATION OF THE NATURE OF GAS-LIGHT. | [49.] |
| Natural history of pit-coal.—Immediate constituent parts of coal.—Theirrelative quantities—are different in different kinds ofcoal.—Phenomena, which happen during the combustion ofcoal.—Analysis of coal by distillation.—Great waste of mattercapable of producing light and heat, in the usual mode of burningcoal.—Proofs of this statement.—Theory of the productionof gas-light, compared with the production of light obtained bycandles and lamps.—Place which the discovery of lighting withgas occupies in the philosophical order of knowledge. |
| HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE RISE AND PROGRESSOF THE APPLICATION OF COAL-GASAS A SUBSTITUTE FOR PROCURING ARTIFICIALLIGHT. | [55.] |
| The discovery of the inflammable nature and application of coal-gasfor the production of artificial light, cannot be claimed by anybody now living.—Early notices of the inflammable property ofthe gas obtained by distilling coal.—Attempts to substitute it fortallow and oil.—Experiments made with coal-gas by Dr. Clayton,Dr. Hales, and the Bishop of Llandaff.—First successfulattempt of lighting manufactories with gas.—Creditor and debtoraccount concerning the expence of this mode of illumination,when compared with the light obtained by tallow candles.—Claimsof Mr. Murdoch with regard to the economical applicationof coal-gas.—Claims of Mr. Winsor.—Experimentsof Mr. Northern, Mr. Clegg, Mr. Cook, Mr. Ackermann.—Economicalstatements of the gas-light illumination whencompared with the cost of the same quantity of light obtainedby means of candles and lamps. |
| THEORY OF THE PRODUCTION OF GAS-LIGHT;AND DESCRIPTION OF A PORTABLE APPARATUSFOR ILLUSTRATING, IN THE SMALLWAY, THE GENERAL NATURE OF THE NEWSYSTEM OF PROCURING LIGHT. | [77.] |
| Philosophy of the production of coal-gas.—Characters of the variousproducts which the gas-light process affords, their quantities,and modes of obtaining them.—Quantity of gas obtainable froma given weight of coal.—Illuminating power of a given bulk ofcoal-gas compared with the illuminating power of a given weightof tallow candles.—Practical directions with regard to the productionof the gas from coal.—Its chemical constitution and analysis.—Pit-coalis not the only substance which affords carburettedhidrogen gas.—This gas exists ready formed in nature.—Mode ofcollecting it when found native.—Is given out by all kinds ofvegetable matter, submitted to distillation in close vessels.—Othersources of obtaining this gazeous fluid.—Practical directionswith regard to the method of obtaining from coal, this gazeoussubstance, as best suited for illumination.—Chemical constitutionof coal-gas.—How ascertained. |
| UTILITY OF THE GAS-LIGHT ILLUMINATIONWITH REGARD TO PUBLIC AND PRIVATEECONOMY. | [99.] |
| Objects to which the new system of lighting with gas may be beneficiallyapplied.—Capital advantages of the gas-light illumination.—Placesand public edifices lighted with coal-gas in this metropolis.—Situationsbest suited for the application of gas-lights.—placeswhere it cannot be used to advantage.—Illumination ofbarracks, arsenals, dock yards, &c. with coal-gas.—Further observationson this subject.—Great heat produced by gas-lights.—Reasonwhy the flame of coal-gas produces more heat than theflame of candles and lamps.—Admeasurement of the comparativedegrees of heat produced by gas-lights, oil lamps, tallowand wax candles, &c.—Gas lamps and burners, various kindsof.—Ornamental chandeliers and candelabras, for applying coal-gasas a substitute for oil.—Other products obtainable from coalbesides gas.—Coke.—Its nature.—Combustion of it.—Producesa more strong and lasting heat than coal.—Explanation of thisfact.—Advantages resulting from the use of coke as fuel.—Disadvantagesof its application in certain circumstances.—Relativeeffect of heat produced by equal quantities of coke and charcoal.—Methodof measuring the comparative effect of different kindsof fuel in producing heat.—Capital advantages resulting fromthe application of coke, as fuel, in the art of burning lime.—Plasterof Paris, bricks, &c.—Quantity of coke obtainable froma certain quantity of pit-coal.—Kind of coke best suited formetallurgical operations.—Mode of obtaining it in the gas-lightprocess.—Sort of coke best adapted for kitchen and parlour fires.—Manufactureof it.—Coal tar.—How obtained.—Its properties.—Earlof Dundonald’s method of manufacturing tar from coal.—Quantityof coal-tar produced in the gas-light process from agiven quantity of coal.—Characters of coal tar obtained fromNewcastle coal, differ from that produced from canel coal.—Coalpitch.—Process for obtaining it.—Properties of coal-pitch.—Useof it in the arts.—quantity of coal-pitch obtainable from agiven quantity of tar.—Ammoniacal liquor produced during thedistillation of coal.—Its chemical constitution.—Quantity obtainedfrom a given quantity of coal.—General observationrespecting the scheme of applying coal-gas as a substitute forcandles and lamps.—Effects which it must produce upon the artsand upon domestic economy.—Its views.—Primary advantages.—Resourceswhich it presents to industry and public economy.—Inwhat respect it is entitled to public approbation and nationalencouragement.—Effects of prejudice against the introductionof new and useful discoveries.—Have operated strongly in retardingthe gas-light illumination.—Remarkable slowness withwhich improvements of extended utility make their way intocommon use, contrasted with the rapid adoption of fashionablechanges.—Other causes unfavourable to the adoption of new anduseful plans.—Further observations on this subject.—The newsystem of lighting with coal-gas can never supersede the use ofcandles and moveable lights.—Gas-light illumination cannotprove injurious to the Greenland fishery—nor can it diminishthe coal trade—must prove beneficial to it.—The price of coaleven when it is the highest cannot materially affect the beneficialapplication of gas-lights.—Striking advantages to be derivedfrom the introduction of gas-lights into manufactories.—Principalexpense which must always attend the gas-light illumination.—Isthe dead capital employed for erecting the machinery.—Floatingcapital is small.—Advice to private individuals withregard to the erection of a gas-light apparatus calculated for theirown use.—Expence which must attend the application of thenew system of lighting under different circumstances.—Entirenew scheme of illuminating streets, or small towns, with gas-lights; whichwould save all the main pipes for conveying thegas through the streets as well as the branch pipes which conductthe gas to the lamps.—Management of the gas-light machineryis extremely simple and easy.—The apparatus not liableto be out of order.—Observations on the safety of the gas-lightillumination.—Misapprehension of the public concerning it.—Causesthat have alarmed the public concerning the applicationof the new lights.—Gas-lights cannot give rise to those accidentswhich have so often arisen from the careless snuffing of candles,&c.—Produce no embers or sparks.—Cannot fall, or be disturbedwithout becoming extinguished.—Are the safest of alllights.—Impossibility of streets or towns lighted with gas to bethrown suddenly into darkness by the fracture of the gas-pipesconveying the gas to the lamps—or by the destruction of one ormore of the gas-light machineries employed for preparing thegas.—Illustration showing the absurdity of such mistaken notions.—Curiousself-extinguishing lamp, invented by Mr. Clegg.—Hismachine which measures and registers in the absence of theobserver, the quantity of gas delivered by a pipe communicatingwith a gas-light main.—Leading characters of the new lights.—Objectsand views which this art embraces.—It must lessen theconsumption of oil.—Occasion a defalcation in the revenue. |
| TABULAR VIEW, Exhibiting the quantity of Gas, Coke,Tar, Pitch, Essential Oil, and Ammoniacal Liquor, obtainablefrom a given quantity of Coal: together with an estimateof the quantity of Coal necessary to produce a quantity ofGas, capable of yielding a Light equal in duration of timeand intensity to that produced by Tallow Candles of differentkinds. | [164.] |
| DESCRIPTION OF THE GAS-LIGHT APPARATUS. | [166.] |
| METHOD of correcting the relative pressure of the Gasometer,so as to cause the gas which it contains to be uniformly of anequal density. | [181.] |
| DIRECTIONS TO WORKMEN ATTENDING THEGAS-LIGHT APPARATUS. | [182.] |
| ESTIMATE of the price of a Gas-Light Apparatus. | [185.] |
| LONDON Price List of the most essential articles employed inthe erection of a Gas-light Apparatus. | [186.] |