like to give you the preference, if not against my personal 1807.

In 1807 there was the greatest difficulty with commercial men to obtain change in silver, but particularly in copper, to pay the work-people their wages. During the year, I put up machinery for the manufacturing of tokens or coins, because the distress and annoyance were so great with the manufacturers, that many principal establishments were determined to pass their own tokens of copper, and some of silver, and made payable at their own works, sooner than that their workmen should attend in dozens at a public house to obtain change. I first manufactured one for my own establishment; but it was found so troublesome, when they were delivered in twenty shillings worth for payment, that in less than six months all were melted down, except in the iron districts, which continued for twelve months longer, particularly at Mr. Fereday's works, which tokens of one penny were manufactured by me to the amount of from £5,000 to £10,000, and for different establishments in Wales; and at about this period I received an order from the African Company in London to make the silver coinage for Africa.

In 1806, Sir Samuel Auchmuty captured Montevideo,

1807. at the mouth of the River Plata, by storm; and he addressed a letter to "the Mayor of Birmingham," (the principal Magistrate being then, however, only "High Bailiff") recommending the manufacturers to take advantage of the new opening offered as an outlet for their hardware goods; and stated that what few hardwares were to be seen there sold at a quadruple price, owing to their being obliged to pass through old Spain, and to be entered as Spanish manufactures. The excitement which this opening caused throughout the town was extreme, inasmuch as Government expressed their determination to support the station so contiguous to the great commercial city of Buenos Ayres.

Almost every manufacturer prepared to speculate, and, supposing that every unfashionable article of their stock would there find a purchaser at some remunerating price, and as General Whitelock was ordered to proceed with a large army to establish our claim to Paraguay, all was bustle for some months in cleaning up old stock, so that one half of the articles sent were ill assorted, and not at all adapted for the climate or the wants of the people. My speculation was very trivial. I had a pair of dies engraved; on the obverse was Joseph, Mary, and the Child, with appropriate legends in the Spanish language; and I sent 5,000 medals, ready ringed, adapted for the natives to suspend round their necks. The fleet of ships of war and of merchant vessels only arrived, however, to witness a most disgraceful capitulation. There was one clause in the treaty, and only one, that was favourable to the consigners-that six weeks should be given to the merchants and their supercargoes to dispose of their consignments, without molestation, in the town of Buenos Ayres. This period was a contracted short

time even to unship the cargoes, consequently it was 1807. supposed that one-fifth of the consignments came back again, with all the appended expenses and charges of insurance, freight, &c., to the utter ruin of hundreds.

There was one person, absolutely, who consigned 300 warming pans to a country where every one called out for ice instead of caloric. The consignee not being able to get one purchaser, was driven to begin to repack, when, accidentally, a Brazilian sugar-maker noticed them, and, considering that they were an improved inventtion upon the ladle to lift out the saccharine juice of the sugar-cane from the boiler, he bought the whole, realizing a large profit to the consigner. There was another solitary instance of success to a Birmingham speculator in broad-cloths. The draper had already realized a fortune, and had, as usual, on the approach of retiring, began to sell his stock off at prime cost, and it struck him that nothing was so likely to clear his warehouse and shop at once, as to send the whole upon a speculation to Buenos Ayres. However, to make the consignment of more importance, he went to every draper's shop, and purchased every remnant which they possessed at half price. The agent, or young man, whom he sent with these goods, happily got them landed early, but could not find a wholesale purchaser for a day or two, and, perceiving that, if the goods were unpacked, he might sell a good deal piece-meal, he took a a large room, which was hourly thronged with little customers to buy from one to two yards; he sold the whole of the consignment, realizing a profit for his employer of £10,000. The agents for the extensive consigners, not choosing to stoop to such degradation, had to carry back to England their consignments, as

1807. well as my 5,000 medals, which were immediately consigned to the melting pot for resuscitation !

At this period I turned my attention to a thought which struck me about gaining some mechanical power and convenience, with the assistance of a boy, to turn the lever only of a cock.

I made a small model, which seemed to act. Admitting that the spring land, near which the machine was erected, was higher than the machine itself, the water, in rising up the iron pipe, T, would force open the valve, B, and would push up the piston, P; the rope of the piston, P, would allow the descent of the valve, A, from the top of the tube, X, to the situation of the place where it now stands in the corresponding iron tube, X, as at D, in the drawing; and, at this moment, the connecting iron rod of the valve, V, would be opened by the radius formed by the pulley, L, which would allow the water in the pipe, T, to syphonize, and stand in the pipe, X, upon a level with it. A boy must now turn the cock, C, which, with the same motion, instantly shuts the connecting valves, V and B, and allows all the water in the iron tube, from the valve to the piston, P, to run off. The water in the iron tube, X, syphonized upon the wheel, W, from whence a spindle was attached to turn machinery. The boy now turned the cock, C, to shut V, but to open valve B, when the iron tubes are again filled, and in this way continued their action.

It was found not to answer, upon two mechanical principles: first, the action of the rising and the discharge of the water became sluggish, and it is an axiom, that whatever you gain in time, you lose in power; what, in mechanics, is clearly proved, "that a double velocity in the same given time, in the same circle, ba