I trust I have now left nothing undone as to the perfect security of the lamps, under every possible circumstance. I feel highly gratified that it was at your mines I effected the only object that remained to be accomplished--that of guarding against _blowers_ meeting fresh currents of air. I thank you very sincerely for the interest you have taken in the lamps, connected with my efforts to render them applicable in all cases. I remain, &c. H. DAVY. On the 19th of October 1816, a letter appeared in the Durham County Advertiser, dated "Gosforth, August 22nd, 1816," in the name of Mr. W. Brandling, in which, alluding to the Resolutions of the Coal-owners of the 31st of August, he expresses a wish that a strict examination should take place previous to the adoption of a measure which might convey a decided opinion to the public, as to the person to whom the invaluable discovery of the Safety-lamp is actually due. "The conviction," says he, "upon my mind is, that Mr. George Stephenson, of Killingworth Colliery, is the person who first discovered and applied the principle upon which safe lamps may be constructed; for, whether the hydrogen gas is admitted through capillary tubes, or through the apertures of wire-gauze, which may be considered as merely the orifices of capillary tubes, does not, as I conceive, in the least affect the principle. "In the communications I have seen from Sir H. Davy, no dates are mentioned; and it is by a reference to them only that the question can be fairly decided. For the information of the Meeting, therefore, I shall take the liberty of enclosing some which I received from Mr. Stephenson, to the correctness of which, as far as I am concerned, I can bear testimony; at the same time I beg leave to add, that the principle of admitting hydrogen gas in such small detached portions that it would be consumed by combustion,[41] was, I understand, stated by him to several gentlemen, as the idea he had embraced two months before his lamp was originally constructed." [41] Granted:--but what connexion has that with the principle of Davy's lamp, or with any _Safety_ lamp? Mr. Brandling then proceeds to state, that the Killingworth lamp, with a tube to admit the air, and a slide at the bottom of such tube to regulate the quantity to be admitted, was first tried in the Killingworth pits on Saturday October the 21st, 1815; but not being found to burn well, another was ordered the same day with three capillary tubes to admit the air; and on being tried in the mine on the 4th of November following, was found to burn better and to be perfectly _safe_.[42] On the 17th of November, it was _tried_[43] at Killingworth office with inflammable air before Richard Lambert, Esq.; and on the 24th of the same month, before C. J. Brandling, Esq. and Mr. Murray. [42] It could not have been safe.