| Description | Mr M. Boulton Rotterdam 25 Sept 1778
Sirs
I was favoured in due time by your Agreable answer upon my letter to Mr James Watt, and saw with pleasure that gentleman constantly employed in erecting engines according his improved method, but it gave me some concern, that neither he nor you were in no manner Sollicitous for honorary rewards, the more as the desired solution and answer upon the question could have been composed by Mr Watt for diversion's sake, and in his leisure hours in th' approaching winter evenings, without doing him any harm, and where there was a prospect, that by obtaining the promised reward, his person and method would be more effectually recommended in his Country, than by all th' exclusive priviledges you may have, besides this would never impede to obtain in this Country th' exclusive priviledge, you seems to desire. In the contrary, it would greatly promote its obtaining, and must certainly be the best recommendation of any one's abilities in that sphere, and the preference he merites above all his competitors. These considerations I hope may alter yours and his resolution, and induce him to try his abilities in the discussion of this scheme. My friends and I are quite unable to employ your Mr Watt, we have no lands which want to be drained, all whatever we proposed ourselves to do had been nothing else than to demonstrate to people in general, that Fire Engines could be used in this Country to better purpose, than the common wind mills, whose defects and insufficiency were known and seen by us since many years. We never hath any other or special view of self interest, we expected not the least reward or profit, not even the reimburse of our expences. The glory of doing รข Signal service, to our Country, was the only reward we aimed at, and those are the sentiments we stand in till this very moment, and as I hope we will never alter. We were offered an exclusive priviledge for the common fire Engines, but we have declined it, and In the same time we have served other people. Mr Blakey should never have obtained th' exclusive priviledge for his invention in this Country, if I had not given my formal consent to it, and I am ready to serve you and Mr Watt, where I can, and assist you in procuring th' exclusive priviledge, if you think fit to obtain it; but to tell you the truth I can see no great advantage for you in it because the Dutch have no faith at all, they must see the thing with both their eyes, and then (when it is a new thing) they are with great difficulty persuaded to adopt it, and this is the Case with most nations
I am very respectfully,
Sir
Your mt obt Hble Servant
J:D: Huichelbos van Liender |