Stack BBB CK ANI 500 7125 3ERT J10YLE ;NTOR PHILANTHROPIST. A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. California egional acility Ex Libris C. K. OGDEN I ; 11 mi i I /& S ROBERT BOYLE INVENTOR AND PHILANTHROPIST. A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. LAWRENCE SAUNDERS. LONDON: GILBERT WOOD & CO., 175 STRAND. 1885. Stack Annex T O CAPT. DOUGLAS GALTON, C.B., F.R.S., F.B.G.S., i-c., AS A TRIBUTE OF Ei-TEE.V FOR HIS DISIXTERESTED AND Ut/TIRlfiG EFFORTS THE CAUSE OF SAXITAEY SCIEXCE AXD THE PUBLIC WEAL, ljis ICittlc Mork (WITH HIS KIXI) PERMISSION) IS RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED. SCO? , 190792 1 ? " In Science there is work for all hands more or less skilled, and he is most fit to occupy the higher posts who has risen from the ranks, and has experimentally acquainted himself with the nature of the work to be done in each and every, even the humblest, department." J. T. FOKBES. PREFACE. As a just tribute of respect to an Inventor and Philanthro- pist, whose life had been spent in good and useful work, some portions of the matter contained in the following pages were contributed five years ago to the columns of the " Inventor's Record." Of emperors and princes, ministers of state, and heroes of the sword we have ample knowledge. History and biography keep pace with the world's adoration of temporal power and the semi-barbaric love of pageantry and pomp, but modern civilization has been built up by stout hearts and strong hands, nobly devoted to a greater revolution than ever sceptre or sword can accomplish. In the field of industry hundreds of men come and go, leaving behind them memorials of their conscientious toil in the form of substantial and permanent benefits conferred on future generations. VI PREFACE. However humble their path of life, however unpretentious their labour, such men have a claim to some little niche, where the memory of their faithful service may be kept green. A friend once wrote to Dr. Samuel Smiles, the author of " Lives of the Engineers " " I do not begrudge destructive heroes their fame, but the constructive ones ought not to be forgotten, and there is a heroism in skill and toil belonging to the latter class worthy of as grateful record, less perilous and romantic it may be than that of the other, but not less full of the results of human energy, bravery, and character. The lot of labour is indeed often a dull one, and it is doing a public service to endeavour to lighten it up by records of the struggles and triumphs of our most illustrious workers, and the results of their labour in the cause of human advancement." The life of Mr. Robert Boyle was not distinguished by any highly sensational or stirring vicissitudes : it was a simple career of very hard work, always directed to one end the public good. Yet, comparatively barren though it be of exciting incidents, the record of his labours has a special claim to attention. It exhibits very forcibly many sound PREFACE. Vll and practical lessons : it reminds us that " work is the medicine of the soul," and " He that by the plough would thrive, Himself must either hold or drive." As an inventor, never weary, never beaten, firmly and cheerfully confronting stubborn opposition and ignorant prejudice, the story of his life is one which may convey some useful lessons to workers of this class. " La carriere ouverte aux talents" said Napoleon, and therein lies the secret of all success in life. No tools are so durable as those of knowledge, but none need more skilful handling. The adroit and successful application of means to a desirable end has won many victories in the battle of industrial progress. If this little sketch of a singularly active and earnest career inspired from early boyhood to the grave by the sacred proverb, " Take fast hold of instruction, let her not go; keep her, for she is thy life" should serve to strengthen the purpose or direct the efforts of students and toilers anxious to render a good account of their Master's talents, my task will not have been altogether unprofitable. I have endeavoured in the compilation of these pages to place on record some interesting evidence of the substantial Viii PREFACE. service done by Robert Boyle, and continued by his son, in the cause of sanitary science. They have accomplished so much in popularizing the subject of healthy homes, and in bringing it from the region of theory to simple practice, that I have taken special pleasure in collecting facts to illustrate their successful progress. In doing so I have departed somewhat from the strict limits of a biographical sketch, but the exceptional circumstances must be my excuse. The late Mr. Robert Boyle left many great schemes but partly developed, and it remained for his son to carry them out. He has virtually lived again in the genius of his successor, and we can only measure the prac- tical outcome of the late Mr. Robert Boyle's industrious life by following the undertakings which he initiated, until we reach the extraordinary developments of to-day. L. S. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. Career. Youthful Studies The Power of using Knowledge First Appearance in Public Affairs An Unsophisticated Loaf A Mysterious Warning The Bread Riot Another Remarkable Preservation The Restless Spirit of Revo- lution Miraculous Escape at Paisley Lectures on Missionary Work Constructs his own Lenses, &c. , Hard Work an excellent Medicine Robert Boyle's Power as an Orator, ....... 13 CHAPTER II. pbllantbroptc Enterprises. Importance of Technical Education He organizes au Industrial Museum Dr. Livingstone and African Missions Change of Plans Nature and Art Dis- covery of a new Explosive Trial of the Explosive Shell H.R.H. The Duke of Cambridge approves it The Official Extinguisher Injustice to Inventors A New Ink, .......... 27 X CONTENTS. CHAPTER III. ffatber ano Son. PAGE Synchronism of Ideas Strange Phenomena Nothing Im- possible Practical Duties of Life Among the Slums Efforts of Scientists A Simple Eemedy required Working to Extend the Span of Life A Problem to Solve, 36 CHAPTER IV. B (Sreat Invention. Comparative Experiments Sir William Thomson's Opinion Invited by the Royal Society Nature does the Work The Library of the Inner Temple Sir Gilbert Scott recommends the Invention Public attention aroused Capt. Galton and the Government Depart- mentsThe Rev. Newman Hall Experiences of the Russian Government Professor Grant and Professor Rankin Local Authorities and their Duties The First Sea Lord of the Admiralty The "Black Hole " Royal Commendation A Proud Moment The Rewards of Genius Death of Robert Eoyle His taste for Works of Art What was thought of him His Bright Example His Son carries on the Good Work, .... 46 CHAPTER V. pursuit of IRnowlefcge. Travelling Abroad in Pursuit of Knowledge New Inven- tionsSir Chas. W. Siemens Smoke a Nuisance of the Past Improvements in Steel Manufactures, 68 CONTENTS. XI CHAPTER VI. Science anD practice. PAGE Professor Faraday's Report Commended by H.M. Board of Works Gratitude of the Officials A Difficult Problem Solved The Subject raised to the dignity of a Science "The Biter Bit" The Forum of the City Fathers A Crucial Test The President of the R.I.B.A. Official Thanks Experiments by an Eminent London Physician The Reform Club The Ex-Chief Commis- sioner of Works, 74 CHAPTER VII. HDvance of Sanitary Science. The Hospital Ship Castalia Visit of Sir Charles Dilke "Nothing succeeds like Success" A Hurricane in the House Australian Experiences The Mission of Father and Son Hungry Vultures The " Kew Farce" The Homes of the Poor Business a Pleasure The Beautiful in Nature and Art ' ' All Work and no Play," &c. Literary Work The Good Cause Prospers Overthrow of the Subtle Destroyer A Great Pro- fession of the Future The " Silent" System Striving after Perfection, 87 "I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty Inventions." PROVERBS viii. 12. ROBERT BOYLE. CHAPTER I. Earlp Career, " 'Twere a concealment Worae than theft, no less than a traducement, To hide your doings ; and to silence that Which, to the spire and top of praises, vouched, Would seem but modest." Corlolanus. I OOKING- back over a period of fifty years, we are bewildered by the magnitude, the rapid changes, the onward rush, of modern progress. When poor Henry Thomas Buckle sat down to write the " History of Civil- isation," he must have had a stout heart to face the gigantic proportions of his task. His brain and hand were still and cold ere he had finished the introduction to his stupendous theme, and yet he had filled a ponderous volume. But the difficulties which he encountered in recording the earlier events of our social, political, and material advancement were trifles in comparison with the complicated details of develop- ment, the accumulated results of inventive genius, scientific 14 YOUTHFUL STUDIES. research, skilled labour, and indomitable energy, which, within the space of half a century, have put a new face on the civilized world. On the role of the many who have contributed to this great impetus of progress, we may fairly inscribe the name of Robert Boyle. Original genius allied to physical power a clear, keen, active mind, backed by a firm will, are the attributes of men who leave " footprints on the sands of time." Eobert Boyle gave evidence of these qualities at the dawn of his useful life, and through his maturer years they left behind him a long track of good work. His steadiness of purpose and remarkable activity won many a laurel beyond the reach of lesser men. He demonstrated by fifty years of unflinching industry that '' The best and sweetest far are toil-created gains," and all his efforts were directed by a deep religious faith and a broad benevolence of heart. Robert Boyle was born at Hamilton, N.B., in the year 1821. He was the son of a surgeon who had obtained considerable celebrity as an inventor, and whose name is perpetuated in several medical works as the discoverer of a green ointment, very successful in the treatment of wounds. At an early age the subject of our memoir exhibited an exceptional quickness of intelligence, and devoted hours, THE POWER OP USING KNOWLEDGE. 15 usually spent by boys of his age in purposeless sport, to the construction of mechanical models and to artistic work. His thirst for knowledge and remarkable facility of comprehension rendered study an intense pleasure. Almost every branch of science was eagerly entered upon with a passionate love of learning seldom exhibited in one so young. It was this broad and varied field of elementary knowledge, acquired in the springtime of life, which formed the basis of later studies prolific in practical results. The mind naturally powerful and endowed with a strangely sensitive delicacy of perception was happily trained in habits of arrangement and order, so that knowledge, instead of being a chaos of facts, was to him like a care fully -ordered store- house, with every article classified and ready for immediate use. " Successful men," says Carlyle, " possess the great gift of a methodical, well-balanced, arranging mind; they are men who cannot work in disorder, but will have things straight and know all the details, which enables them so to arrange the machinery of their affairs that they are fully cognizant alike of its strength, weakness, and capa- bility, and they judiciously and discreetly exercise all its power to the uttermost.'' Every day of our lives we see the practical evidence of these truths. It is not the mere book-worm who achieves anything for the good of his fellow men the mere accumulation of knowledge is as useless as 16 FIRST APPEARANCE IN PUBLIC AFFAIRS. the hoarded treasures of the miser. The power of usingr knowledge is the power which has civilized the human race, and its usefulness is proportionate to the facility with which it is brought to the surface when wanted. Young Boyle, bending for hours over his books, or enthusiastically engaged on a mechanical model, an experi- ment in chemistry, electricity, hydraulics, or optics, out in the green fields examining the structure of plants, or study- ing, with the soul of an artist, the forms and tints of Nature, was gathering knowledge under the influence of one predominant desire to render a good account of it in the future. It is quite unnecessary to follow the course of these early studies. The seed was sown on good ground, and we shall see what kind of fruit it brought forth. His first appearance in public affairs was at Glasgow, where, observing the bad and impure quality of the bread supplied by the bakers of the town, he resolved to start a bakery for the manufacture of unadulterated bread. Two depots were opened one in Crown Street, and another in Milton Street, Cowcaddens. The task required no ordinary qualities of mind to accomplish with success. People were quite as apathetic in those days as they are now in matters affecting their general welfare, and nothing but the vigour with which he plunged into this enterprise, a vigour which AN UNSOPHISTICATED LOAF. IT characterized everything he did, awakened the public to a proper appreciation of the important reform he was effecting. "When they thoroughly understood this, the bold undertaking met with enthusiastic support from all classes, and crowds- of people thronged the thoroughfares on Saturday nights to secure an unsophisticated loaf. He must have worked very hard, for the pure bread business was only one of many philanthropical undertakings with which he identified himself at that period. He was not only busily engaged in lecturing and in Sunday-school teaching, but gave many hours to close study and practical experiments in various branches of science. During this period of his life we are told that he escaped,, by an astonishing manifestation of mental warning, from a disaster which hurried many unfortunate people to a shocking death. An all-wise Providence preserved Robert Boyle for a life of public usefulness. We may well ask with Tennyson " Do we move ourselves, or are we moved By an unseen hand at a game ? " The dreadful catastrophe on the Clyde, caused by a boiler explosion in a steamer, sent at the time a thrill of horror through the country. Overwrought in nerve and brain by the numerous scientific and philanthropical pursuits- B 18 A MYSTERIOUS WARNING. which at that period fully occupied his mind, he resolved to try the effects of a trip down the Clyde to recruit his health. He accordingly boarded the new steamer Telegraph with that object, but had not been long on deck when a mysterious feeling of uneasiness crept over him, a feeling of impending danger which he could not in any way account for. Unable to find a reason for this nervous sensation, and believing it to be the result of overwork, he strove to battle against it. His efforts were all in vain ; the feeling of uneasiness grew uncontrollable, and he was obliged to go ashore. When on the quay, however, this vague sense of insecurity entirely left him, and believing it was some mental delusion, he again went on board the Telegraph, but no sooner did so than he was attacked by a nervous fit of greater intensity. Un- able in spite of his great strength of will to bear Tip against these alarming symptoms, he left the steamer, impelled by an invisible and irresistible force. There happened to be another boat advertised to start at the same time, but she was a very old, crazy vessel, so crazy, in fact, as to be unsafe. This boat Eobert Boyle, against his reason, actually boarded, feeling utterly ashamed at being conquered by nervous feelings so unreasonable. At last the bell rang for the Telegraph to start, and, resolving to be master over his own reason, he made a THE BREAD RIOT. IS dash to board the steamer a third time. Again he was thwarted. Seized with a kind of paralysis, he stood motion- less on the gangway until he was forced to retire and return to the other boat. It was very vexatious to witness the Telegraph gracefully skimming the waters like a sea-bird while the miserable craft in which he found himself creaked and groaned behind " like a rusty signboard." Landing at Greenock, he took a long walk, but returning to the shore he was surprised to observe a large crowd gazing anxiously across the water in the direction of Helensburgh. A loud explosion had been heard, and the news was soon after brought by a tug that an appalling accident had happened. The boiler of the Telegraph had burst ana torn the ill-fated steamer to pieces ! About six years later, the popularity of the young philan- thropist preserved him in an equally miraculous manner, when the whole town of Glasgow was suddenly thrown into a paroxysm of wild excitement by the notorious bread riot on 6th March, 1848. The furious mob, delirious with passion, surged through the streets, wrecking every shop on their way. With mad yells they rushed up Crown Street, in which one of Boyle's bread stores was situated, and armed with every conceivable form of weapon broke into the shops, leaving a long trail of ruin behind them. On arriving at the bread stores, however, an extraordinary scene occurred. A few 20 ANOTHER REMARKABLE PRESERVATION. of the more reckless rioters were proceeding to treat it in the same manner, when suddenly there was a murmur amongst the crowd, and rushing to the front a number of men, amongst whom were several of the ringleaders, drove back their fellow rioters and formed a barrier before the shop. Thus checked, the people had time to reflect, and they acknowledged their true friend by leaving his shop unmolested. His goodness to the poor shone forth as a beacon of salvation over the tempest of human passion. When we remember the nature of the riot, it is evident that the work of the philanthropist had been "thorough," and had won its way to the very hearts of the masses. It was the practical philanthropy of substantial benefits con- ferred not the miserable cant of empty words and it was understood. Another instance of his remarkable preservation from danger, or perhaps death, occurred at Paisley, where he went to deliver a lecture illustrated by the oxy-hydrogen light. Before the doors of the church were opened, in accordance with his usual custom he proceeded to test the light, to do which he had occasion to sit with his legs over the front of the gallery, the gas bags being immediately behind him. Instantly, on applying the light, a violent explosion took place, which partially destroyed the roof, and blew out every window and door in the building. The gas bags had MIRACULOUS ESCAPE AT PAISLEY. 21 burst, and such was the terrific force that the fifty-six pound weights with which they were loaded were whirled through the air, wrecking and destroying everything in their course. Mr. Boyle was rendered momentarily unconscious, but on recovering his senses he was astonished to find himself, instead of being blown into the body of the building, as might have been expected, stretched out at full length on the front seat of the gallery. His head and face were slightly scorched, and his hair was singed, but he sustained no other injury. He naturally considered his escape as miraculous, and, falling on his knees, offered up thanks to God for mercifully preserving him in so great a peril. Had the accident happened but ten minutes later the church would have been crowded with people, and the loss of life through the effects of the explosion, and the panic which must certainly have ensued, would have been too terrible to contemplate. The church-keeper, who happened to be under the gallery at the time, received such a shock to his nervous system through the fright he sustained, that he was confined to his bed for a considerable time afterward. There is but one step from the sublime to the ridiculous. A Sunday-school teacher, on entering immediately after- wards, innocently enquired if it always did that. Robert Boyle studied social problems with an excep- 22 THE RESTLESS SPIRIT OF REVOLUTION. tionally keen interest, and he preserved an independence of judgment which kept him free from the trammels of mere party politics. There was much to excite the mind of an intelligent man in those days, when the air was thick with the dark Spirit of Insurrection, and Revolution threatened every country in Europe. They were anxious times. In London and every large town in England the Chartists were maintaining a dangerous agitation. In Ireland popular irritation was even more demonstrative. Insurrectionary rifle clubs were formed, and the passions of poor Pat were inflamed by violent leaders. Political agitation on the Continent excited a baleful influence everywhere. The supporters of old-world despotism, and the champions of liberty were face to face. Italy was making its first feeble effort to throw off the Austrian yoke, and men were lashed into fury by political antagonism. The Lombardo- Venetian provinces were in open revolt, and Marshal Radetzky, in command of the Austrian troops, cheered on the Imperial soldiers by the assurance that " The efforts of fanatics and a false spirit of innovation would be shivered against their courage and fidelity like glass striking against a rock." At Berlin the people were restless and threatening. More than a hundred men and women were shot down at the gates of the royal palace, and the work of slaughter was LECTURES ON MISSIONARY WORK. 23 scarcely over when King Frederick William issued a proclamation stating that his "faithful soldiers had only cleared the court yard at a walking pace, with their weapons sheathed, and that the guns had gone off of themselves, without, thanks to God, causing any injury." At Munich the people had captured the arsenal, and only restored the arms on satisfaction of their demands. The workmen of Paris were parading the streets in thousands, and Prince Louis Napoleon was making every effort to win the confidence of France. Thus far we have glanced at the surrounding aspect of affairs, to show how much there was to excite the sympathies and claim the attention of a man gifted with quick intelli- gence and philanthropical instincts. These events simply had the effect of strengthening Robert Boyle's conviction that popular education, based on a pure Christian faith, was the real bulwark of society, and he resolved to devote the best part of his life to this work. What he had to do he did with all his might, and for a certain period of his life he devoted his whole time to lecturing on behalf of great missionary undertakings, His lectures on missionary work in the South Sea Islands were illustrated by dissolving views, with the aid of the oxy- hydrogen light, the whole of the apparatus, even to the grinding and polishing of the lenses, being the work of his own hands. There are many now engaged in the earnest 24 HARD WORK AN EXCELLENT MEDICINE. battle of life who will remember the Sabbath school in connection with the late Dr. Beattie's church, and who still carry with them the vivid impression of truths forcibly inculcated by an earnest teacher Robert Boyle. A very practical philosopher of modern times has said that " work kills half the ills that flesh is heir to." So thought Robert Boyle when overtaken by a severe illness which kept him for a time from active labour. On one occasion, when confined to bed with a severe illness, he so chafed at his enforced idleness, that at last he devised a novel means of propagating the knowledge he could not orally impart. He collected and arranged a number of striking facts relating to missions, heathen manners, customs, &c., and had them condensed and manu- factured in the form of small wafers, so that booksellers might distribute them to be used instead of seals for letters. At that time envelopes were not generally used, and almost all letters were sealed or wafered ; the consequence was that these wafers became very popular. They were a ready means of conveying gospel truths far and wide, and, to extend their influence for good, they were translated into several different languages. The sale of these attractive little messengers of " good tidings " ultimately realised an amount sufficient to build a large boat, which was appro- priately named The Wafer, and was specially designed and ROBERT BOYLE'S POWER AS AN ORATOR. 25 fitted for the service of missionaiies on the rivers of the West Coast of Africa. The religious ceremonies and customs of India had been illustrated at the Royal Polytechnic, London, by a very beautiful collection of views, and, an opportunity being .afforded to purchase them, Robert Boyle at once secured these valuable and attractive aids to the work of instruc- tion. His lecture on this subject was one of the most popular he ever delivered, and bore good fruit in directing .attention to the moral, social, and religious position of millions of human beings in the bondage of ignorance and cruel superstitions. The success of this lecture, as indeed of all his efforts on the platform, was in no small measure enhanced by his earnestness, the natural dignity of his demeanour, and a force of character which gleamed through every movement of his features. He possessed a power of the eye and voice which chained the attention of his audience. Remembering how great an influence he possessed over the minds of thousands who attended his lectures, it is almost to be regretted that he had not selected the pulpit for his special work in life. Had he done so he would have been a very famous preacher, for ready wit, great per- suasive power, and intense earnestness were prominent characteristics of his oratory. 26 IMPORTANCE OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION. Perhaps he was right in selecting a more general field of work. He was an inventor, and apart from religious teaching he was always striving to invent ingenious appli- . ances for the convenience and benefit of his fellow men. Had he undertaken the duties of a minister of the Gospel, he was much too sincere a man to have neglected his spiritual work for temporal concerns, and the world might have lost one of the most useful sanitary inventions of the Victorian age. He was singularly skilful in the construction of apparatus, and possessed acquaintance with a great variety of handi- crafts. One day he would be a skilled optician, designing an optical instrument of the most complicated description ; another, he was an electrician, preparing batteries and working out elaborate circuits ; the next he would be a chemist, solving the mysterious action of gases and the laws- which govern explosive compounds. CHAPTER II. pbilantbropic ^Enterprises. ' ' The generous spirit, who, when brought Among the tasks of real life, hath wrought Upon the plan that pleased his childish thought." To a man so eminently fitted for the work of instruction,, and so deeply impressed with the national importance of technical education, it is not surprising that the backward- ness of the country in this respect should have been a matter for much anxious thought. He foresaw with prophetic certainty the approaching struggles of trade the incoming tide of foreign competition, and he knew that the best safe- guard against a rapid decline of national prosperity would be the encouragement of technical training. Convinced of the extreme urgency of the case, he could not rest until practical steps were taken to provide such instruction in Glasgow. In conjunction with the Lord Provost, and leading promoters of the temperance movement in Glasgow, he organized in 1854- an Industrial Museum and Hall of Science and Art, the first institution of the kind in Scotland. The museum contained specimens of natural produce and iO HE ORGANIZES AX INDUSTRIAL MUSEUM. manufactures from all parts of the world, samples of artistic industry, and a picture gallery ; lectures were delivered on various subjects within the range of practical science, and Robert Boyle laboured most assiduously, almost always con- structing his own apparatus for the effective demonstration of his lectures. The museum was located in the large block of buildings at the juncture of Trongate and Brunswick .streets. The energetic promoter spared neither toil nor money to collect instructive objects for exhibition, and it is believed that he expended a very large sum of money on the undertaking. Notwithstanding every effort, however, to make it a permanent success, the museum had to be closed at the expiration of three years. The industrial classes were not sufficiently impressed at that time with the need of intellectual culture; they could not be raised from the apathy of gross ignorance ; education had not been doing its work as a national system, and the number of supporters were consequently insufficient to maintain such an institu- tion. During all this time Robert Boyle was vigorously carrying on the work of practical instruction in other parts of Glasgow and the neighbourhood, notably at the City Hall, where he frequently lectured to large audiences on electricity, chemistry, natural philosophy, astronomy, etc. The lectures on astronomy were illustrated by a large orrery, which he made himself, and which was a wonderful DR. LIVINGSTONE AND AFRICAN MISSIONS. 29" example of mechanical ingenuity. He also made at this time a complete apparatus for electric telegraphy and the electric light. An apparatus, still preserved, was invented by him, which shows that he had fully conceived the idea of the fixed electric light. It was natural that, being a personal friend of Dr. Livingstone, his attention should be attracted to that great traveller's exploits, and we find him hard at work painting the scenery of African deserts, forests, lakes, etc.,, and illustrating the principal incidents of the explorer's missionary labours. He visited every part of the country with this lecture, and accomplished much towards awakening a greater sympathy for the benighted races of the Dark Continent. A substantial result of these lectures was the consignment of large quantities of clothing and other necessaries for distribution at missionary stations in Africa. He really intended to go himself, and join those soldiers of the Cross who faced the danger of African wilds in the great cause. Every preparation was made for the journey and had he carried out his intentions, his indomitable energy of mind and body would probably have won for him a dis- tinguished name among African explorers. His soul was stirred by the contemplation of that great continent plunged in the gloom of ignorance and left behind for long centuries in the triumphant march of human 30 CHANGE OP PLANS. progress. With the pastoral bard who sang "The Seasons," he pitied their savage isolation. " Ill-fated race ! the softening arts of peace, Whate'er the humanising muses teach ; The godlike wisdom of the tempered breast ; Progressive truth, the patient force of thought ; Investigation calm whose silent powers Command the world ; the light that leads to Heaven ; Kind equal rule, the government of laws, And all-protecting Freedom which alone Sustains the name and dignity of man ; These are not theirs." They would have found in Robert Boyle a courageous messenger of light, a patient, vigorous and resolute pioneer of civilization. But he was destined for less adventurous, though no less important work. The sudden illness of his wife changed all his plans, and we are perhaps indebted to this domestic trouble for the valuable inventions by which he has benefited this country. There were pleasant periods of rest from the lecture room and the platform, when the love of Nature, and the quick perception of the beautiful, seem to have had full sway over the subject of our memoir, for we find him bending with painstaking diligence over the easel, studying art with all the ardour of innate genius. One of the best of his art productions .was an allegorical picture representing the marriage of the Prince and Princess of Wales. DISCOVERY OF A NEW EXPLOSIVE. 31 He always watched with lively interest the passing events of his day, and to the last pursued knowledge with persistent zeal. Thus it was that he conceived the idea of diminishing the number and duration of wars by making war more terrible. Believing in this doctrine, he went to work with his characteristic enthusiasm to invent a missile of most destructive power, and succeeded in manufacturing a detonating powder of awful explosive force, and yet possessing the recommendation of being quite safe to handle or move about. In combination with this powder he designed a shell, which was admitted by experienced military men to be an improvement on everything of the kind then in use. It is a curious coincidence that while he was engaged in perfecting this invention, Professor Faraday gave a lecture on explosives, in which he hinted at the possibility of ian explosive force being devised by a combination of bodies capable of instantaneous and vast expansion. No process had as yet been discovered by which the com- bination could be effected. This was exactly what Robert Boyle accomplished, and what had baffled hundreds of experimentalists before his time. Interesting experiments were made at Glasgow in the presence of Lord Provost Blackie, Mr. Dalglish, M.P., Colonel Carter, and other officers of the 63rd regiment, and a large assembly of practical and scientific men, who unanimously proclaimed TRIAL OF THE EXPLOSIVE SHELL. the success of the invention. We find the following report of one of these experiments in the North British Daily Mail, of Oct. 13, 1866 : " Yesterday at Muirhouses Brickfield, head of Eglinton Street, some interesting experiments took place with the view of testing the power of a new description of detonating powder, prepared by Mr. Robert Boyle, Glasgow, well known for his missionary lectures in this city and throughout Scotland. There were present on the occasion the Lord Provost, Mr. Dalglish, M.P., Colonel Carter of the 63rd regiment. Colonel Dreghorn, and other officers and gentle- men. A cast-iron tube, 9 inches in length, and 2^ inches thick, with a bore three-fourths of an inch iu diameter, and closed at one end, was filled with Kames crystal gunpowder, medium No. 2, while into another tube of similar size and character was inserted a cartridge con- taining only 2^ drachms of the detonating powder. On being discharged, the tube which had been filled with the ordinary gunpowder was left uninjured, while the other tube was shattered to pieces, some of which were forced deep into the soil and others thrown to a considerable distance in different directions. Colonel Carter and the other gentlemen present expressed themselves completely satisfied with the result. The powder is designed to be applied to the purposes of war, in connection with a new description of shell which H.B.H. THE DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE APPROVES IT. 33 Mr. Boyle has likewise invented. The shell consists of two- parts, which are screwed together, one end being conical. Within the other part is a chamber for containing the explosive compound. The shell may be termed an electric ball, there being another substance in the chamber besides the powder, by junction with which, as of two electric poles, the explosive power is increased threefold. The powder has at the same time the great advantage of being safe, as- compared with all detonating substances, and it stands a great amount of friction, as Mr. Boyle convinced all present by grinding a portion to dust between two irons. We understand that means are being adopted, through the instrumentality of those who have examined and approved of the invention, to have it ultimately brought under the notice of Government. Mr. Boyle, as his career has shown, is a man of peace, and has been long under the conviction that the individual who could invent the most destructive missile of war would be the greatest friend of peace." It was afterwards tested and reported upon favourably by the principal military authorities, including H.R..H. the Duke of Cambridge, who expressed a wish to see it adopted at Woolwich. His Grace the Duke of Argyll introduced Robert Boyle to the Minister of War, from whom he received similar assurances of approval. Mr. Abel, the government chemist, issued a report testifying to its special merits, and c 34 THE OFFICIAL EXTINGUISHER. told the inventor that he knew of nothing so powerful and yet so safe. The official encomiums were encouraging, but they were the stereotyped preface to an old, wearying and monotonous story a story of invention crippled, crushed, and driven out of the country by red-tape obstructiveness ! The inventor who depends on such favours "Swims with fins of lead And hews down oaks with rushes." With a droll inconsistency the select Ordnance Com- mittee informed Robert Boyle that his invention was not suitable for the British service ! The disappointment was probably great. Few inventors can bear with equanimity the cold shade of neglect. Intelligent industry must have scope and purpose, but it has neither the one nor the other when it meets the dead wall of prejudice. The inventor can never be "A man that fortune's buffets and rewards Has ta'en with equal thanks. " Enthusiasm, hope, and faith are the vital principles which direct and sustain his energy in the struggle against stubborn obstacles, in the eager search for the unknown, in the patient determination to pick up a thread that has been recklessly trampled over by hurrying generations through the long line of centuries. To cool enthusiasm by apathetic neglect, to crush hope with official barriers, and to shake A NEW INK. 35 faith by gross injustice has been too long the disastrous policy of England towards inventors. This is more to be lamented because, although we have been called " a nation of shopkeepers," the histoiy of civilization proves us to be a nation of inventors. It is not our duty here to discuss the merits of Boyle's powder and shell. We believe that his son is acquainted with the secret of their manufacture, and may yet succeed in obtaining from the War Office some result more consistent than that which approved his father's invention and rejected it. There are other inventions which Robert Boyle devoted much time in submitting to her Majesty's Government, and it is hoped that their public utility will yet be recognised. Amongst them we may mention an ink which is perfectly inerasable, and which successfully stood the most severe tests made by the Royal College of Chemistry on behalf of the Government. This ink is of great commercial value : it can be used also by artists as a paint in place of sepia or Indian ink, and is invaluable for important documents deeds, etc., as it preserves the paper upon which it is written, the unwritten portion of which might fade away, but that written upon would still remain as sound as ever. CHAPTER III. jfatber ano Son. ' ' That Talbot's name might be in thee reviv'd When sapless age and weak unable limbs Shall bring thy father to his drooping chair." Henry VI. FORTUNATELY Robert Boyle was sustained in the work of his later life by the valuable assistance of his son. He had trained his boy with the affectionate solicitude of a wise and good father. He had cultivated that close intimacy and mutual confidence by which a father may control and hold the affections of a young man entering the world. He reaped his reward in the faithful and able co-operation which lightened the cares o later years. So closely were parent and child bound together in heart and mind by the frank and frequent interchange of ideas, that there became manifest a most remarkable phenomenon, for which we can find no better name than synchronous thought. At the same instant they would both be engaged with a similar train of ideas. Through all his lectures, experiments, and undertakings, Robert Boyle's son acted in the capacity of private secretary and "business man." A few instances of SYNCHRONISM OF IDEAS. 37 the remarkable sympathetic unison between them will suffice to show its effects its cause we cannot penetrate. "Who shall tempt, with wandering feet, The dark, unfathomed, infinite abyss, And through the palpable obscure find out His uncouth way ? " On one occasion Robert Boyle and his son were sitting in the dining room of their coast residence at Kamesburgh, when the father broke the silence by exclaiming that he had hit upon a plan which might be the means of saving many lives in the event of vessels striking on the rocks. His son remarked that it was a curious circumstance, for he was at that moment meditating on something of the same kind. On comparing notes, they found to their amazement that they had both conceived the same idea, and worked it out precisely in the same manner, even to the minutest detail. The subject had not been so much as hinted at during any previous conversation. A yet more remarkable coincidence occurred when Robert Boyle, noticing in the papers the records of numerous robberies of Post Office pillar-boxes, designed an improved pillar letter-box, from which it was impossible for letters to be stolen. He submitted his in- vention to the Duke of Montrose, then Postmaster-General, -\vho at once acknowledged the improvement, but blandly informed him that the thieves were captured. The force of 38 STRANGE PHENOMENA. his remark as a reason for not adopting the invention was- not apparent to the inventor, so he thanked His Grace for having honoured him with an interview, and returned to Glasgow. On arriving there, to his utter astonishment, he found his son had made, with the aid of some old battery cells, a model of a letter-box, which was identical in principle with his own, and this had been accomplished without any previous knowledge of what had already been done. Another instance deserving record was a startling sim- ultaneous unison of ideas, in connection with the famous Air-Pump Ventilators. Mr. R. Boyle, jun., has laboured with the utmost diligence in building up for the first time in this country the distinct profession and business of ven- tilation engineering. From the age of eleven he had acted as his father's confidential agent in business matters, and when a youth of sixteen had actually given elementary lectures on the Sciences to large public audiences. He was r therefore, thoroughly trained to co-operate in the develop- ment of such an important reform a reform affecting the health of the whole community. It was while examining a plan of the Air-Pump Ventilator that father and son silently discovered at the same instant a means of greatly increasing the power of the apparatus. There is no doubt that these and other mysterious manifestations of an unknown agency, influencing thought NOTHING IMPOSSIBLE. 39 and action, were subjects for frequent meditation and much speculative thought. They are, more or less, attractive to all active minds ; nor are such apparently supernatural problems to be cast carelessly aside to the realm of the impossible which, after all, is merely an undiscovered country. There is a spiritual essence pervading the universe, and in close relationship with matter, of which we know nothing, but here and there highly sensitive natures are supposed to feel its presence. In the graphic words of Goethe, translated by Mr. Theodore Martin, we find the idea of one subtle force governing the life of the material world beautifully set forth " In the currents of life, in action's storm, I wander and I wave ; Everywhere I be ! Birth and the grave An infinite sea ; A web ever glowing Thus at Times' whizzing loom I spin And weave the living vesture that God is mantled in. 1 ' We have said that the region of the impossible is merely an undiscovered country. It is this faith which has given the world its grandest discoverers and greatest inventors. Very truly has Herschel said: "The perfect observer in any department of science will have his eyes, as it were, opened, that they may be struck at once by any occurrence 40 PRACTICAL DUTIES OP LIFE. which according to received theories ought not to happen, for these are the facts which serve as clues to new dis- coveries." Nor is Herschel alone in this opinion. The most successful scientists of the Victorian age have given us similar advice. " The word ' impossible ' is not, to my mind, applicable to matters of philosophy," wrote Professor Huxley ; " that the possibilities of Nature are infinite is an anachronism with which I am wont to worry my friend." Again, Mr. William Crookes, the discoverer of the radiometer, has given us a very clearly expressed argument against what Humboldt called " presumptuous scepticism." He writes, " I prefer to enter upon enquiry with no precon- ceived notions whatever as to what can or cannot be, but with all my senses alert, and ready to convey information to the brain ; believing as I do that we have by no means exhausted all human knowledge or fathomed the depths of all physical forces." Faraday, too, has left on record words which no student of Nature should forget : " Nothing is too wonderful to be true if it is consistent with the laws of Nature, and in such things as these experiment is the best test of such consistency." It was in this spirit of unprejudiced enquiry that Robert Boyle noted and often communicated to his personal friends the mental phenomena we have mentioned. The practical duties of life absorbed too much of his time to leave much AMONG THE SLUMS. 41 opportunity for the collection of any connected evidence which might throw additional light on those psychological problems which still puzzle the world, but may some day be satisfactorily solved. In the long rambles which he was in the habit of taking, through the by-ways and squalid labyrinths of our great towns, seeking for opportunities of improving the condition of the poor, he was painfully impressed with the want of sanitary precautions in thickly populated districts, where poverty, dirt, and vice were in grim alliance. Sanitary reformers had delivered learned discourses to the fashionable audiences of learned societies, pointing out the conditions of health and exposing our deficiencies in the matters of pure air and water : but there was no real attempt to place within the reach of the people a substantial remedy for these evils. Robert Boyle believed, and rightly, that pure air was the first of all sanitary conditions, and he had observed the general neglect of this condition in the construction of public and private buildings. He knew that the time was not far distant when a very great change for the better would be necessary, to meet the requirements of a public better educated on such vital questions, and he felt that every effort should be made to nd a simple method of ventilation which would, with 42 EFFORTS OP SCIENTISTS. certain modifications, be applicable to almost every building from the palace to the cottage. Accustomed to view such subjects from a common-sense point of view, he at once arrived at the conclusion that any apparatus to be generally adopted and always efficient must be as permanent as the building to which it would have to' be connected, and with this guiding principle to direct his efforts he resolved to exert his inventive faculties in search of the much-needed ventilator. It was no easy task ; but with the assistance of his son he succeeded beyond his most sanguine expectations. To find a suitable remedy for the poisoned air which thousands nay, millions of people were daily inhaling was probably the lesser half of the great work to be accomplished. To convince the world of its fatal errors ; to make people understand the presence of deadly influences, which they cannot see and do not immediately feel; to arouse the public mind to a proper appreciation of the grave consequences resulting from imperfect ventilation the&e were tasks which required no ordinary ability, energy, and singleness of purpose to accomplish. Thanks to the efforts of Dr. Hichardson, Prof. Du Chaumont, Prof. Corfield, and other distinguished men of science, we have no excuse for continued apathy on such matters ; but even now it is terrible to contemplate the A SIMPLE REMEDY REQUIRED. 4 fearful penalty we are paying for the neglect of simple sanitary precautions. Dr. "Whitmore, the Medical Officer of Health for Marylebone, in his reports to the Vestry on the unhealthi- ness of the six districts into which the parish is divided, stated that, owing to its wide streets and large and well- ventilated houses, the Cavendish Square district had a death rate of only 14*1 per thousand, while, owing to its narrow streets and small and badly-ventilated houses, that of Christchurch district was 21 '7 per thousand, but even this was an improvement, for owing to the perseverance of the sanitary officials there was an annual saving of. about 300 lives. We might fill ten thousand pages with such facts. The remedy for that procrastination which permits great districts of "poor neighbourhoods" to fester in the heart of our cities, must be found in some very simple and efficient system of ventilation a system within the reach of all classes, as effective in purifying the air of a church or a theatre, as in removing the foul air from crowded workshops and the confined dwellings of the industrial classes. It was this consideration which influenced Robert Boyle to avoid all complications in working out the problem of ventilation, and with the assistance of his son, such determined and vigorous efforts were made to provide simple 44 WORKING TO EXTEND THE SPAN OF LIFE. and reliable apparatus for the better ventilation of public and private buildings that the subject rapidly gained favour with architects, and assumed the aspect of a distinct branch of scientific engineering. So far as one can trace the history of ventilation in a practical and scientific form, it appears that Robert Boyle and his son are entitled to take a foremost place as pioneers of such progress as we can now boast. Refer- ring to their labours in this direction, Industry, in its " biographical sketches of eminent men," says : " The Messrs. Boyle, as founders of the profession of ventilating engineers, have raised the subject to the dignity of a science." They grappled with the difficulties of the subject and faced the characteristic apathy of the nation in matters of public health, in the true spirit of philanthropy. Where men with narrow views might have fallen back faint-hearted, they were strengthened in their work by a higher aim than mere trade. It was a glorious prospect for the contemplation of the practical philanthropist the prospect of adding a year or two to the span of life of thousands nay, tens of thousands of fellow-beings. Here, indeed, was a noble legacy to leave to future generations. Others might strive to snatch the honour and dispute the service j but truth finds its way on the page of history and finds a chink to shine more brightly through the unclean rubbish of falsehood. A PROBLEM TO SOLVE. 45- Robert Boyle and his son never contemplated building up a great business by supplying people with the means of breathing pure air. It was a matter which directly affected the welfare of teeming millions, and this was enough for the enthusiastic inventors, who, in the midst of scientific researches and the fascinating labour of peering into the grand mysteries of nature, never forgot that the true value of knowledge was to be found in its application to the wants of their fellow men. A powerful and constant exhaust, which would unceasingly pump the foul air out of buildings, without requiring any attention, was the principal problem to solve. The result of investigation and experiments in this direction was the famous Air-Pump Ventilator. CHAPTER IV. H Great Invention. " Since at contrivements we are skilful both, For dexterous sleights, 'mongst mortals thine's the prize." Homer. "Tnis ventilator was originally a revolving one, but finding from experience that any ventilator having a mechanical movement was liable to get out of order, and prove to be a nuisance rather than a boon, this form was quickly and wisely discarded in favour of the fixed ventilator, which, since its introduction, has effected the almost complete rejection by architects and experts of revolving and other forms of mechanical ventilators. To test the compai-ative merits of the fixed and revolving ventilator, a series of experiments were conducted in Glasgow under the inspec- tion of Sir William Thomson, the eminent electrician, and a large and distinguished body of scientists, including professors from several of the principal colleges in the kingdom, architects, engineers, and medical men, when the superiority of the fixed ventilator was fully demonstrated. Sir William Thomson, after further experiments with the Air-Pump Ventilator, and prolonged observation of its SIR WILLIAM THOMSON'S OPINION. 47 action, presented Mr. Boyle with the following testimonial : tl I have seen several different forms of Mr. Boyle's Air- Pump Ventilator in actual operation, and have much pleasure in testifying to their efficiency. They thoroughly realise the favourable anticipations which I formed from experiments on models shown to me by Mr. Boyle. Having one fitted up in my yacht, I find it has caused a very decided improvement in the draught." This opinion, from one of the most eminent scientific men of the day, and whose inventions have revolutionised almost every department of science, was essentially of the greatest value to Robert Boyle, for the practical knowledge and scientific attainments of Sir William Thomson render his opinion a power, and no one was more competent to judge of the value of such an invention. Sir William Thomson possessed too high a reputation to be lightly compromised by any hasty or uncertain conclusions, and hence public confidence was largely increased in Robert Boyle's simple ventilator, and the work of ventilating buildings received a new impulse. He was invited by the Royal Society to explain his invention to the members, who unanimously approved it, and orders were given through the Architect, Mr. Charles Barry, to have it at once applied to the laboratory of the Society at Burlington House. It might certainly be looked upon as a good omen for 48 INVITED BY THE EOYAL SOCIETY. the success of the Air-Pump Ventilator that it should have received the approval of the Society, and that almost its first application should be to the Institution founded by an illustrious namesake, Robert Boyle, Earl of Burlington.* There have since appeared numerous exhaust ventilators which act on the same principle, but they are all more or less appropriations of Robert Boyle's original invention,, cunningly varied in detail to avoid infringement of patent rights. Continued experiments extending over many years have brought the construction of the ventilator so very near perfection that these imitations in every instance appear to lose in efficiency proportionately as they deviate from the form of the original. The leading principle in the Air-Pump Ventilator is the utilization of a great and ever varying natural force the motion of the atmosphere to extract foul air from the interior of buildings. Nature has provided a proper venti- lation for the surface of the earth in the restless current of the air. " The circling typhoon whirled from point to point Exhausting all the rage of all the sky," * ' ' Why need I name Boyle, whose search amid the dark recesses- of his works the greater Creator sought ?" James Thomson. " Who shall grace, or who improve like Boyle ?" Pope. " Recommend the good we owe a Boyle." Sir Samuel Garth. " Thy Boyle in wisdom found content." Lord Lyttleton. NATURE DOES THE WORK. 49 which within the sultry region of the tropics sweep and cleanse ' ' The swampy fens, Where putrefaction in life ferments And breathes destructive myriads ; " or nearer home, within the temperate zone, the cold " north east," and those circling waves of air, the rough and noisy- Boreas and the " ever fanning breeze " or soft warm zephyr of a summer day, constitute Nature's grand system of ventilation, without which the fair world would be a pestilential waste. By arresting the natural circulation of the air within the walls of rooms, by artificial heat, by exhalations from the lungs and body, by fumes from burning gas or oil, by subtle poisons escaping from the sewers and other sources of impurity, we repudiate the immutable laws of Nature, and are punished by enfeebled health, disease, and death. It is evident we cannot do better than render the interior of houses and public buildings as healthy, so far as purity of the air is concerned, as the open fields. Is this possible? This is a question which Robert Boyle answered for us in the affirmative. The inventor knew perfectly well that if people could be persuaded to have appliances for the extraction of the hot, poisoned air from their houses, they would never D 50 THE LIBRARY OP THE INNER TEMPLE. submit to the trouble of looking after them. It was, there- fore, necessary that the apparatus should not only be self- acting, but never failing, and dependent solely for its action on the ever benevolent energies of Dame Nature. However satisfactory such apparatus may be in theory, we know by many experiences that we must rely on the evidence of actual practice before an opinion on its results may be safely expressed. An opportunity for the patent Air-Pump Ventilator to "speak for itself" was afforded by the utter failure of many attempts to ventilate the Library of the Inner Temple. Robert Boyle, upon being invited to deal with the difficulty, applied his apparatus in perfect confidence that the problem which had baffled architects and engineers would be promptly solved by its simple action. He was right. It was a complete success, and the stifling hot air of the great Library was at once exchanged for cool fresh air withoiit any inconvenient draughts. " Those fixed under my direction at the Library of the Inner Temple," wrote Mr. Arthur Gates, architect to the Crown, " have realised my expectations, and completely fulfil the object which I had in view. I consider this application of them a severe test, and the success which has attended it confirms the statements which you make as to their efficacy." The late Sir Gilbert Scott was equally delighted with the SIR GILBERT SCOTT RECOMMENDS THE INVENTION. 51 simplicity and thorough efficiency of this form of ventilator, and in a testimonial which he presented to the inventors the value of which may be conceived when it is mentioned that it is the only one he was ever known to give he says : " Gentlemen, I have used your Patent Self- Acting Air-Pump Ventilators with complete success. From experience of them in my own house and other buildings public and private where they have been applied under my direction, I can confidently and will always have great pleasure in recommending them." This eminent architect fully realised the public importance of the invention when he departed from his rule of reticence to offer such emphatic public testimony to its merits. While most encouraging to Robert Boyle that his invention should be esteemed worthy of such distinguished notice, a vast amount of good was done by Sir Gilbert's frank avowal of its merits, in stimulating architects to adopt systems of ventilation hitherto regarded as impracti- cable. His son, John Oldred Scott, alluding to a ven- tilator put up at St. Margaret's Church, Brighton, wrote to Messrs. Boyle a letter with this significant sentence : " Medical men recommend their patients to attend this church because of the purity of its atmosphere." Perhaps the most gratifying proof that the inven- tion is one of extraordinary merit and great public 52 PUBLIC ATTENTION AROUSED. usefulness may be found in the fact that the distinguished judges at the International Medical and Sanitary Exhibition held in London in 1881, awarded it the highest and only prize given for roof ventilators. Wherever exhibited the Air-Puinp Ventilators and System of Ventilation carried off the palm of victory, notwithstanding an ever-increasing host of competitors. At the Mining Institute of Cornwall, the Cork International Exhibition, the North-East Coast Exhibition, Tynemouth, the International Exhibition of Means and Appliances for the Protection and Preservation of Human Life, the International Ventilation Competition, the Eastbourne Sanitary Exhibition, and other competitions, first prizes were won by the unanimous verdicts of the judges. Had the subject of this memoir lived to receive them with his own hand, such a display of medals and honours would have been a pleasing reward for much anxious thought ; but more gratifying than these testimonies of approval would have been the substantial evidence of having aroused public attention to the important necessity of efficient ventilation. One of the first gentlemen in London to appreciate the beneficial results likely to result from Eobert Boyle's sanitary inventions, was that very able sanitarian, Captain Douglas Galton, C B., FR.S., who was then chief adviser to H.M. Board of 'Works. When the Air-Pump Ventilator was CAPT. GALTON AND THE GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS. 53 brought under his notice he instantly recognised its practical value and the correctness of the principles upon which it was designed, and being satisfied with the merit of the invention he lost no time in submitting it to the notice of the executive committees of several Government departments, who received it most favourably. To these introductions by Captain Galton, Messrs. Boyle have reason to express them- selves considerably indebted, for the ventilators are now extensively used by all the departments. The example encouraged influential men to give the subject of ventilation their attention, and thus we may give Captain Galton a prominent place among the pioneers of this important sanitary reform. Another good friend to the cause was the late Sir Randall Martin, chairman of one of the committees in the War Department, who took not only a great liking to the invention but to the inventor, to whom he accorded his warmest friendship. A description of the various sanitary inventions of Mr. Boyle and his son is to be found in the excellent books on ventilation, sanitation, and heating, written by Capt. Galton. The inventions are also described in over fifty different works ; indeed, we do not know any modern book treating upon ventilation which does not contain some reference to Messrs. Boyle's work on behalf of public health. Our churches are still so badly ventilated that congrega- 54 THE REV. NEWMAN HALL. tions are either half suffocated with foul air and heat, or subjected to dangerous draughts ; but the popularity of Mr. Boyle's invention has led to its adoption in a great many places of worship. One of the first churches in London to which ihe Air-Pump Ventilator was applied was the Rowland Hill Memorial Church. The Rev. Newman Hall after several years' experience of it says : " I consider our ventilation very successful." When the ventilator, which is 6 feet diameter, was tested by the architect and others it was found to be extracting the foul air at the rate of 360,000 cubic feet per hour, with only a gentle breeze, and there was not the slightest down-draught. Mr. Spurgeon's new college in connection with the Tabernacle, Newington. Butts, is ventilated with the Air- Pump Ventilators; and as indicating Mr. Spurgeon's satis- faction with them, it may be mentioned that he has recently adopted them for the new Tabernacle which is being built in Auckland, New Zealand, for his son, the Rev. Thomas Spurgeon. Mr. Alfred Waterhouse, A.R.A., the eminent Architect, in a letter to Mr. Boyle, referring to his appliances in use at Eaton Hall, says : " I am glad to hear good reports of your Cowls fixed at the Duke of Westminster's house." The EXPERIENCES OF THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT. 55 Chapel of Caius College, Cambridge, is ventilated by Mr. Boyle's system, under the direction of Mr. Waterhouse. The chapel of Emanuel College, Cambridge, and St. Mary Redcliffe, Bristol, are also ventilated by the system, under the direction of Mr. Arthur W. Blomfield, who uses the Air-Pump Ventilator extensively for churches, and with so much success that he has presented Mr. Boyle with the following testimonial : " I have used the Air- Pump Ventilators of Messrs. Robert Boyle