They stand
at 70 paces distant, and out of 100 shots they often put in 60
bullets!" William says, "Great preparations are still making for
the reception of the French. Several thousand of pikes are
carried through the town every week; and all the volunteers and
riflemen have received orders to march at a moment's warning."
The alarm, however, passed away. At the end of 1804, the two
boys received prizes; William got one in arithmetic and another
in the Rector's composition class; and John also obtained two,
one in the mathematical class, and the other in French.
To return to the application of gas for lighting purposes. In
1801, a plan was proposed by a M. Le Blond for lighting a part of
the streets of Paris with gas. Murdock actively resumed his
experiments; and on the occasion of the Peace of Amiens in March,
1802, he made the first public exhibition of his invention. The
whole of the works at Soho were brilliantly illuminated with gas.
The sight was received with immense enthusiasm. There could now
be no doubt as to the enormous advantages of this method of
producing artificial light, compared with that from oil or
tallow. In the following year the manufacture of gas-making
apparatus was added to the other branches of Boulton and Watts'
business, with which Murdock was now associated,--and as much as
from 4000L. to 5000L. of capital were invested in the new works.
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