| Description | On the same sheet:
Transcript of letter. John Scott (Shrewsbury) to Boulton & Watt [Soho]. 9 Jul. 1781.
Summarised "Copy of Scott’s letter concerning "Bog" engines. Speaks of the model with the crank. About Cornish mine affairs in strong language. About motions to patent including the double crank. Boulton has a model of a rolling mill. Wilkinson desires to erect one, will Watt leave it my hands – I will do him credit."
Dear sir
my last to you was the 3rd instant and to Mrs Watt on Saturday last since which I am favoured with yours of the 5th and I have likewise received by this post a letter from Mr. Wilson with 2 something at one month which you may be assured was highly agreeable to me and I hope in about a fortnight a love letter that will be agreeable to you the dull coach deed is sent to Wilson Jack Stratford brought me a letter today from Esquire Scott a copy of which I send you a copy above I thought of sending Jack to Cornwall for he is now out of employ but upon second thoughts I believe he had better go to Gregory for fear Thompson and his colleagues should dam the engine so soon as Joseph and Henry have left it which would rejoice arkwright who sunny Lord told Wilkinson that his father had greatly improved the common engine I suppose with horse dung but that the people of Manchester were going to indict him for his smoky chimneys which Wilkinson told him we had found the remedy for and had other conversation about our engines not worth writing I wrote to Hadley but no answer yet Joseph Harrison and Henry Williams are to set out at 5:00 in the morning to Gregory and Stratford goes to see his father for a week or nine days Robert Cameron and Jonathan Smith are also to set out in the morning for Cornwall so that you will be pretty strong if you can get timber pray cannot you get supplied at Plymouth Bristol or some of the western ports although I am sorry for Dudley yet it is better for his character should be ruined than ours which would soon be the case if we had no better engineers than him nor anymore sober or industrious I am vexed at attack of camber and he should be told that he shall also suffer if he does not mend what can be mended and do the rest as it ought to be I think you want an assistant with a good pair of lungs and that looks damnable fierce by God instead of a small bear Billy I shall give who the caution you mentioned as to Williamson of Bristol I think his engine will vanish in smoke no do I think the wheel in the pilot can probably be half so good a thing as Eva of two rotative motions we have I have no objection to north down sparing wheel virgin but I will I wish the something would look before they leap I fear they will soon get out of their depth I wish you would see that wheal virgin Clark keeps hi distinct account of the engines without mixing any other expenses in that account of a wise their pits sumps addicts levels bottoms and tops will all be hung up on Aaron gin as at **** loaf and we'll chance and it will affects the minds of the ignorant the same as if it were true all poultice pumps ah sent off to Bristol and all-wheel virgin pumps accept the brass working barrels at bersham and I have this night wrote to Mr. Turner to hasten them and to send then down the seven without delay in Case No conveyance to Cornwall after at Chester or Liverpool Joseph and Robert have been trifling for a week past and have done very little even the little model intended for you is not finished but I will send it as it is by the waggon the great model half worked very well with the little engine and is certainly as good a thing as ever will be made for corn mills and for coal gins and all horizontal motions the model you so worked by the little engine when the crank was used it drew 49 lbs to the height of 28 inches at each stroke and that was the utmost he ever did do but the new elliptic raised 70 lbs + 11 lbs = 81 lbs to the height of 28 inches each stroke and continued to raise that white to the top of the triangle equals 210 lbs nearly per square inch of the cylinder which is really a good performance and therefore I hope you will think that as delays or dangerous it is necessary to take out a patent for deriving rotative motions from the reciprocating beam of a steam engine and in the specification I advised that the elliptic and the double crank without the 2nd wheel of half the diameter of the 1st and waited as the drawing in said patent and if you please you may also add the spiral which but at present day are out of fashion as Soho you have escaped I scouring from Wilkinson who is fully determined to have 4 steam engines iron forges and half extorted a promise from me to go over to broseley tomorrow afternoon with doctor Priestley and to return on Friday morning he wants me to see his situation his buildings and to conclude appana plan for working in the same building 2 hammers of 600 white H120 strokes per minute I have got a very pretty model which is either two forges or when I please is 1 rolling mill and am persuaded it will answer in great if you wish it to be sent to Cornwall to show Mr. Edwards it shall be sent Wilkinson has seen it and nobody else not even the workmen who made it it is all double crank worked two engines data work two such forges you have so much more important than full employ about the mines that I'd be troubled with projects but if you were consent for me Ann Wilkinson to hammer out a pair of forges you shall have none of the dishonour plague trouble disputes or expense and you shall have all the profit I think if we make met appan anybody they should be made upon Wilkinson as he's doubly interested in the experiments perhaps the first forge may not be the best possible but I am sure of making a good one nothing shall be done without provisionally acquainting you nor then if you object you can never loose reputation nor money and you are sure to gain by wilkinsons experience he is very set up on it that I don't think it probable to appease him without the forge it must be done or quarrel I was at Mr writes this morning and we all executed the agreements one of which I have in my possession but I had a long argument with them about losing our 5 / 6 pie 10,000 in proportion to their losing the height however I confounded them so that they acquiesced I was right
present my respects to Mrs Watt and believe me dear Sir I am yours most sincerely
Matthew Bolton
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