they struck work, and Clegg
himself had for a time to act as lamplighter.

The advantages of the new light, however, soon became generally
recognised, and gas companies were established in most of the large
towns. Glasgow was lit up by gas in 1817, and Liverpool and Dublin in
the following year. Had Murdock in the first instance taken out a
patent for his invention, it could not fail to have proved exceedingly
remunerative to him; but he derived no advantage from the extended use
of the new system of lighting except the honour of having invented
it.[11] He left the benefits of his invention to the public, and
returned to his labours at Soho, which more than ever completely
engrossed him.

Murdock now became completely identified with the firm of Boulton &
Watt. He assigned to them his patent for the slide-valve, the rotary
engine, and other inventions "for a good and valuable consideration."
Indeed his able management was almost indispensable to the continued
success of the Soho foundry. Mr. Nasmyth, when visiting the works
about thirty years after Murdock had taken their complete management in
hand, recalled to mind the valuable services of that truly admirable
yet modest mechanic. He observed the admirable system, which he had
invented, of transmitting power from one central engine to other small
vacuum engines attached to the several machines which they were
employed to work. "This vacuum method," he says, "of transmitting
power dates from the time of Papin; but it remained a dead contrivance
for about a century until it received the masterly touch of Murdock."

"The sight which I obtained" (Mr. Nasmyth proceeds) "of the vast series
of workshops of that celebrated establishment, fitted with evidences of
the presence and results of such master minds in design and execution,
and the special machine tools which I believe were chiefly to be
ascribed to the admirable inventive power and common-sense genius of
William Murdock, made me feel that I was indeed on classic ground in
regard to everything connected with the construction of steam-engine
machinery. The interest was in no small degree enhanced by coming
every now and then upon some machine that had every historical claim to
be regarded as the prototype of many of our modern machine tools. All
these had William Murdock's genius stamped upon them, by reason of
their common-sense arrangements, which showed that he was one of those
original thinkers who had th