"The steam from the engine might be turned around the outside of the furnace for distilling rum, as the distilleries require but a slow heat. "I think the steam would answer a good purpose around the outside of the pan. "If this method answers, the cost of working the engine would be nothing, and the engine would be then working, as it were, without fire or water. "The Spaniards told me that if this plan answers, they would take a thousand engines for South America and the Spanish West Indies. I shall be very much obliged to you for your opinion on this business. These merchants make a trade of buying up sugar mills and pans, with every other thing they want from England, and exchange them with the Spaniards for sugar. "At Manchester I found two engines had been made and put to work; they worked very well: three more are in building. From there I went to Derbyshire. The great pressure-engine I expect will be at work before the middle of October. A foundry at Chesterfield is building a steam-engine as a sample; two foundries in Manchester are at full work on them, and one in Liverpool. There are six engines nearly finished at Coalbrookdale, and seven in a foundry at Bridgenorth. "I am making drawings for several other foundries. Any number of them would sell. A vast number are now being erected, and no other engine is erected where these are known. The engine for the West India Docks was neglected during my absence from the Dale, but I expect it will be ready to send off in ten days. "In about three weeks I shall be in London to set it up. It will please you very much, for it is a very neat and complete job, and I have no doubt will answer every purpose exceedingly well. At Newcastle I found four engines at work, and four more nearly ready; six of these were for winding coal, one for lifting water, and one for grinding corn. "That grinding corn was an 11-inch cylinder, driving two pair of 5-feet stones 120 rounds per minute; ground 150 winchesters of wheat in twelve hours with 12 cwt. of small coal. It worked exceedingly well, and was a very complete engine, only the stroke was much too short, not more than 2 feet 6 inches, which made very much against the duty. "The other engine that was lifting water had a 5-1/2-inch diameter cylinder, with a 3-feet stroke, drawing 100-gallon barrels, twenty-four every hour, 80 yards, burning 5 cwt. of coal in twenty-four hours. "This work it did with very great ease. I believe you will find this an exceeding good duty for a 5-1/2-inch cylinder engine. "Below I send a copy of Mr. Homfray's and Mr. Wood's letters to me:--