A little more than a year after this appointment Cambridge received another offer of a secret for the process of stereotype printing. The inventor was the third Earl Stanhope, a remarkable man who, besides being prominent in political life, was a Fellow of the Royal Society, the author of Principles of Electricity, and the inventor of many devices including a microscopic lens, a new kind of cement, a calculating machine, an artificial tile for keeping out rain, a cure for wounds made in trees, an instrument for performing logical operations, and several improvements in the art of printing. Of these last the most important were the Stanhope press and an improved process of stereotyping: the Stanhope press was made of iron instead of wood and an ingenious mechanism made it possible to print a sheet twice as large as on the old wooden presses; the university bought two of these new presses, which are still in use at the present day.
The offer of the stereotype secret came to the university from Andrew Wilson, the London printer employed by Earl Stanhope. By a preliminary agreement of 20 April, 1804, Wilson was to receive for the space of 14 years one-third of the savings resulting from the employment of the stereotype process and was to act, in conjunction with Watts, as agent for the Syndics' bibles and prayer-books. The savings were to be calculated by arbitrators appointed by the respective parties.
This not very business-like arrangement naturally led to a dispute before long. As early as October, 1805, Milner seems to have had misgivings both about the scheme and about Wilson's competency, as the following entries in his notebook show:
Qy whether Wilson's declaration of 30,000 profits in 8 years be not a proof want of judgmt.
Qy whether Wilson be not an adventr—without judgment.
Hints to new Vice-Cr.
1. The system of talking before them viz. Watts and Wilson.
The absolute necessity of others being informed in the stereotype art.
Watts talks of going to London again by Wilson's directions to see what chases and things he wants—and when I say he should not leave them, he says, Oh, there is no more in leaving them now than when he was ill—they are to be trusted.
Qy—Quid cogitant ille and Wilson.