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industrial biography-第33部分

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assignees; and the result of the proceeding was that the whole

benefit of Cort's inventions was thus made over to the ironmasters

and to the public。  Had the estate been properly handled; and the

patent rights due under the contracts made by the ironmasters with

Cort been duly levied; there is little reason to doubt that the whole

of the debt owing to the Government would have been paid in the

course of a few years。  〃When we consider;〃 says Mr。 Webster; 〃how

very simple was the process of demanding of the contracting

ironmasters the patent due (which for the year 1789 amounted to

15;000L。; in 1790 to 15;000L。; and in 1791 to 25;000L。); and which

demand might have been enforced by the same legal process used to

ruin the inventor; it is not difficult to surmise the motive for

abstaining。〃  The case; however; was not so simple as Mr。 Webster puts

it; for there was such a contingency as that of the ironmasters

combining to dispute the patent right; and there is every reason to

believe that they were prepared to adopt that course。*

 'footnote。。。

This is confirmed by the report of a House of Commons Committee on

the subject Mr。 Davies Gilbert chairman); in which they say; 〃Your

committee have not been able to satisfy themselves that either of the

two inventions; one for subjecting cast…iron to an operation termed

puddling during its conversion to malleable iron; and the other for

passing it through fluted or grooved rollers; were so novel in their

principle or their application as fairly to entitle the petitioners

'Mr。 Cort's survivors' to a parliamentary reward。〃  It is; however;

stated by Mr。 Mushet that the evidence was not fairly taken by the

committeethat they were overborne by the audacity of Mr。 Samuel

Homfray; one of the great Welsh ironmasters; whose statements were

altogether at variance with known factsand that it was under his

influence that Mr。 Gilbert drew up the fallacious report of the

committee。  The illustrious James Watt; writing to Dr。 Black in 1784;

as to the iron produced by Cort's process; said; 〃Though I cannot

perfectly agree with you as to its goodness; yet there is much

ingenuity in the idea of forming the bars in that manner; which is

the only part of his process which has any pretensions to novelty。。。。

Mr。 Cort has; as you observe; been most illiberally treated by the

trade:  they are ignorant brutes; but he exposed himself to it by

showing them the process before it was perfect; and seeing his

ignorance of the common operations of making iron; laughed at and

despised him; yet they will contrive by some dirty evasion to use his

process; or such parts as they like; without acknowledging him in it。

I shall be glad to be able to be of any use to him。  Watts

fellow…feeling was naturally excited in favour of the plundered

inventor; he himself having all his life been exposed to the attacks

of like piratical assailants。

 。。。'



Although the Cort patents expired in 1796 and 1798 respectively; they

continued the subject of public discussion for some time after; more

particularly in connection with the defalcations of the deceased Adam

Jellicoe。  It does not appear that more than 2654l。  was realised by

the Government from the Cort estate towards the loss sustained by the

public; as a balance of 24;846l。  was still found standing to the

debit of Jellicoe in 1800; when the deficiencies in the naval

account's became matter of public inquiry。  A few years later; in

1805; the subject was again revived in a remarkable manner。  In that

year; the Whigs; Perceiving the bodily decay of Mr。 Pitt; and being

too eager to wait for his removal by death; began their famous series

of attacks upon his administration。  Fearing to tackle the popular

statesman himself; they inverted the ordinary tactics of an

opposition; and fell foul of Dundas; Lord Melville; then Treasurer of

the Navy; who had successfully carried the country through the great

naval war with revolutionary France。  They scrupled not to tax him

with gross peculation; and exhibited articles of impeachment against

him; which became the subject of elaborate investigation; the result

of which is matter of history。  In those articles; no reference

whatever was made to Lord Melville's supposed complicity with

Jellicoe; nor; on the trial that followed; was any reference made to

the defalcations of that official。  But when Mr。 Whitbread; on the 8th

of April; 1805; spoke to the 〃Resolutions〃 in the Commons for

impeaching the Treasurer of the Navy; he thought proper to intimate

that he 〃had a strong suspicion that Jellicoe was in the same

partnership with Mark Sprott; Alexander Trotter; and Lord Melville。

He had been suffered to remain a public debtor for a whole year after

he was known to be in arrears upwards of 24;000L。  During next year

11;000L。 more had accrued。  It would not have been fair to have turned

too short on an old companion。  It would perhaps; too; have been

dangerous; since unpleasant discoveries might have met the public

eye。  It looked very much as if; mutually conscious of criminality;

they had agreed to be silent; and keep their own secrets。〃



In making these offensive observations Whitbread was manifestly

actuated by political enmity。  They were utterly unwarrantable。  In the

first place; Melville had been formally acquitted of Jellicoe's

deficiency by a writ of Privy Seal; dated 31st May; 1800; and

secondly; the committee appointed in that very year (1805) to

reinvestigate the naval accounts; had again exonerated him; but

intimated that they were of opinion there was remissness on his part

in allowing Jellicoe to remain in his office after the discovery of

his defalcations。



the report made by the commissioners to the Houses of Parliament in

1805;*

 'footnote。。。

Tenth Report of the Commissioners of Naval Inquiry。  See also Report

of Select Committee on the 10th Naval Report。  May; 1805。

 。。。'

 the value of Corts patents was estimated at only 100L。  Referring to

the schedule of Jellicoe's alleged assets; they say 〃Many of the

debts are marked as bad; and we apprehend that the debt from Mr。

Henry Cort; not so marked; of 54;000L。 and upwards; is of that

description。〃  As for poor bankrupt Henry Cort; these discussions

availed nothing。  On the death of Jellicoe; he left his iron works;

feeling himself a ruined man。  He made many appeals to the Government

of the day for restoral of his patents; and offered to find security

for payment of the debt due by his firm to the Crown; but in vain。  In

1794; an appeal was made to Mr。 Pitt by a number of influential

members of Parliament; on behalf of the inventor and his destitute

family of twelve children; when a pension of 200L。 a…year was granted

him。  This Mr。 Cort enjoyed until the year 1800; when he died; broken

in health and spirit; in his sixtieth year。  He was buried in

Hampstead Churchyard; where a stone marking the date of his death is

still to be seen。  A few years since it was illegible; but it has

recently been restored by his surviving son。



Though Cort thus died in comparative poverty; he laid the foundations

of many gigantic fortunes。  He may be said to have been in a great

measure the author of our modern iron aristocracy; who still

manufacture after the processes which he invented or perfected; but

for which they never paid him a shilling of royalty。  These men of

gigantic fortunes have owed muchwe might almost say everything to

the ruined projector of 〃the little mill at Fontley。〃  Their wealth

has enriched many families of the older aristocracy; and has been the

foundation of several modern peerages。  Yet Henry Cort; the rock from

which they were hewn; is already all but forgotten; and his surviving

children; now aged and infirm; are dependent for their support upon

the slender pittance wrung by repeated entreaty and expostulation

from the state。



The career of Richard Crawshay; the first of the great ironmasters

who had the sense to appreciate and adopt the methods of

manufacturing iron invented by Henry Cort; is a not unfitting

commentary on the sad history we have thus briefly described。  It

shows how; as respects mere money…making; shrewdness is more potent

than invention; and business faculty than manufacturing skill。

Richard Crawshay was born at Normanton near Leeds; the son of a small

Yorkshire farmer。  When a youth; he worked on his father's farm; and

looked forward to occupying the same condition in life; but a

difference with his father unsettled his mind; and at the age of

fifteen he determined to leave his home; and seek his fortune

elsewhere。  Like most unsettled and enterprising lads; he first made

for London; riding to town on a pony of his own; which; with the

clothes on his back; formed his entire fortune。  It took him a

fortnight to make the journey; in consequence of the badness of the

roads。  Arrived in London; he sold his pony for fifteen pounds; and

the money k
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