men of invention and industry-第39部分

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your　permission；　call　upon　you　at　any　time　you　may　do　me　the

favour　to　appoint。　　

〃Faithfully　yours；　



〃Rowland　Hill。〃



On　further　enquiry　I　obtained　the　Patent　No。　6762；　but　found　that

nothing　practical　had　ever　come　of　it。　　The　pamphlet　enclosed　by

Sir　Rowland　Hill　in　the　above　letter　is　entitled　'The　Rotary

Printing　Machine。'　It　is　very　clever　and　ingenious；　like

everything　he　did。　　But　it　was　still　left　for　some　one　else　to

work　out　the　invention　into　a　practical　working　printing…press。　

The　subject　is　fully　referred　to　in　the　'Life　of　Sir　Rowland

Hill'　（i。　224；525）。　　In　his　final　word　on　the　subject；　Sir

Rowland　〃gladly　admits　the　enormous　difficulty　of　bringing　a

complex　machine　into　practical　use；〃　a　difficulty；　he　says；　which

〃has　been　most　successfully　overcome　by　the　patentees　of　the

Walter　Press。〃





CHAPTER　VIII。



WILLIAM　CLOWES：　INTRODUCER　OF　BOOK…PRINTING　BY　STEAM。



〃The　Images　of　men's　wits　and　knowledges　remain　in　Books；

exempted　from　the　wrong　of　time；　and　capable　of　perpetual

renovation。　　Neither　are　they　fitly　to　be　called　Images；　because

they　generate　still；　and　cast　their　seeds　in　the　minds　of　others；

provoking　and　causing　infinite　actions　and　opinions　in　succeeding

ages；　so　that；　if　the　invention　of　the　Ship　was　thought　so　noble；

which　carrieth　riches　and　commodities　from　place　to　place；　and

consociateth　the　most　remote　Regions　in　participation　of　their

Fruits；　how　much　more　are　letters　to　be　magnified；　which；　as

Ships；　pass　through　the　vast　Seas　of　time；　and　make　ages　so

distant　to　participate　of　the　wisdom；　illuminations；　and　

inventions；　the　one　of　the　other？〃Bacon；　On　the　Proficience　and

Advancement　of　Learning。



Steam　has　proved　as　useful　and　potent　in　the　printing　of　books　as

in　the　printing　of　newspapers。　　Down　to　the　end　of　last　century；

〃the　divine　art；〃　as　printing　was　called；　had　made　comparatively

little　progress。　　That　is　to　say；　although　books　could　be

beautifully　printed　by　hand　labour；　they　could　not　be　turned　out

in　any　large　numbers。



The　early　printing　press　was　rude。　　It　consisted　of　a　table；

along　which　the　forme　of　type；　furnished　with　a　tympan　and

frisket；　was　pushed　by　hand。　　The　platen　worked　vertically

between　standards；　and　was　brought　down　for　the　impression；　and

raised　after　it；　by　a　common　screw；　worked　by　a　bar　handle。　　The

inking　was　performed　by　balls　covered　with　skin　pelts；　they　were

blacked　with　ink；　and　beaten　down　on　the　type　by　the　pressman。　

The　inking　was　consequently　irregular。



In　1798；　Earl　Stanhope　perfected　the　press　that　bears　his　name。　

He　did　not　patent　it；　but　made　his　invention　over　to　the　public。　

In　1818；　Mr。　Cowper　greatly　improved　the　inking　of　formes　used　in

the　Stanhope　and　other　presses；　by　the　use　of　a　hand　roller

covered　with　a　composition　of　glue　and　treacle；　in　combination

with　a　distributing　table。　　The　ink　was　thus　applied　in　a　more

even　manner；　and　with　a　considerable　decrease　of　labour。　　With

the　Stanhope　Press；　printing　was　as　far　advanced　as　it　could

possibly　be　by　means　of　hand　labour。　　About　250　impressions　could

be　taken　off；　on　one　side；　in　an　hour。



But　this；　after　all；　was　a　very　small　result。　　When　books　could

be　produced　so　slowly；　there　could　be　no　popular　literature。　

Books　were　still　articles　for　the　few；　instead　of　for　the　many。　

Steam　power；　however；　completely　altered　the　state　of　affairs。　

When　Koenig　invented　his　steam　press；　he　showed　by　the　printing

of　Clarkson's　'Life　of　Penn'　the　first　sheets　ever　printed　with

a　cylindrical　pressthat　books　might　be　printed　neatly；　as　well

as　cheaply；　by　the　new　machine。　　Mr。　Bensley　continued　the

process；　after　Koenig　left　England；　and　in　1824；　according　to

Johnson　in　his　'Typographia；'　his　son　was　〃driving　an　extensive

business。〃



In　the　following　year；　1825；　Archibald　Constable；　of　Edinburgh；

propounded　his　plan　for　revolutionising　the　art　of　bookselling。　

Instead　of　books　being　articles　of　luxury；　he　proposed　to　bring

them　into　general　consumption。　　He　would　sell　them；　not　by

thousands；　but　by　hundreds　of　thousands；　〃ay；　by　millions；〃　and

he　would　accomplish　this　by　the　new　methods　of　multiplicationby

machine　printing　and　by　steam　power。　　Mr。　Constable　accordingly

issued　a　library　of　excellent　books；　and；　although　he　was

ruinednot　by　this　enterprise；　but　the　other　speculations　into

which　he　enteredhe　set　the　example　which　other　enterprising

minds　were　ready　to　follow。　　Amongst　these　was　Charles　Knight；

who　set　the　steam　presses　of　William　Clowes　to　work；　for　the

purposes　of　the　Society　for　the　Diffusion　of　Useful　Knowledge。



William　Clowes　was　the　founder　of　the　vast　printing　establishment

from　which　these　sheets　are　issued；　and　his　career　furnishes

another　striking　illustration　of　the　force　of　industry　and

character。　　He　was　born　on　the　1st　of　January；　1779。　　His　father

was　educated　at　Oxford；　and　kept　a　large　school　at　Chichester；

but　dying　when　William　was　but　an　infant；　he　left　his　widow；　with

straitened　means；　to　bring　up　her　family。　　At　a　proper　age

William　was　bound　apprentice　to　a　printer　at　Chichester；　and；

after　serving　him　for　seven　years；　he　came　up　to　London；　at　the

beginning　of　1802；　to　seek　employment　as　a　journeyman。　　He

succeeded　in　finding　work　at　a　small　office　on　Tower　Hill；　at　a

small　wage。　　The　first　lodgings　he　took　cost　him　5s。　a　week；　but

finding　this　beyond　his　means　he　hired　a　room　in　a　garret　at　2s。

6d。；　which　was　as　much　as　he　could　afford　out　of　his　scanty

earnings。



The　first　job　he　was　put　to；　was　the　setting…up　of　a　large

poster…billa　kind　of　work　which　he　had　been　accustomed　to

execute　in　the　country；　and　he　knocked　it　together　so　expertly

that　his　master；　Mr。　Teape；　on　seeing　what　he　could　do；　said　to

him；　〃Ah！　I　find　you　are　just　the　fellow　for　me。〃　　The　young　man；

however；　felt　so　strange　in　London；　where　he　was　without　a　friend

or　acquaintance；　that　at　the　end　of　the　first　month　he　thought　of

leaving　it；　and　yearned　to　go　back　to　his　native　city。　　But　he

had　not　funds　enough　to　enable　him　to　follow　his　inclinations；

and　he　accordingly　remained　in　the　great　City；　to　work；　to

persevere；　and　finally　to　prosper。　　He　continued　at　Teape's　for

about　two　years；　living　frugally；　and　even　contriving　to　save　a

little　money。



He　then　thought　of　beginning　business　on　his　own　account。　　The

small　scale　on　which　printing　was　carried　on　in　those　days

enabled　him　to　make　a　start　with　comparatively　little　capital。　

By　means　of　his　own　savings　and　the　help　of　his　friends；　he　was

enabled　to　take　a　little　printing…office　in　Villiers　Street；

Strand；　about　the　end　of　1803；　and　there　he　began　with　one

printing　press；　and　one　assistant。　　His　stock　of　type　was　so

small；　that　he　was　under　the　necessity　of　working　it　from　day　to

day　like　a　banker's　gold。　　When　his　first　job　came　in；　he

continued　to　work　for　the　greater　part　of　three　nights；　setting

the　type　during　the　day；　and　working　it　off　at　night；　in　order

that　the　type　might　be　distributed　for　resetting　on　the　following

morning。　　He　succeeded；　however；　in　executing　his　first　job　to

the　entire　satisfaction　of　his　first　customer。



His　business　gradually　increased；　and　then；　with　his　constantly

saved　means；　he　was　enabled　to　increase　his　stock　of　type；　and　to

undertake　larger　jobs。　　Industry　always　tells；　and　in　the

long…run　leads　to　prosperity。　　He　married　early；　but　he　married

well。　　He　was　only　twenty…four　when　he　found　his　best　fortune　in

a　good；　affectionate　wife。　　Through　this　lady's　cousin；　Mr。

Winchester；　the　young　printer　was　shortly　introduced　to　important

official　business。　　His　punctual　execution　of　orders；　the

accuracy　of　his　work；　and　the　despatch　with　which　he　turned　it

out　soon　brought　him　friends；　and　his　obliging　and　kindly

disposition　firmly　secured　them。　　Thus；　in　a　few　years；　the

humble　beginner　with　one　press　became　a　printer　on　a　large　scale。



The　small　concern　expanded　into　a　considerable　printing…office　in

Northumberland　Court；　which　was　furnished　with　many　presses　and　a

large　stock　of　type。　　The　office　was；　unfortunately；　burnt　down；

but　a　larger　office　rose　in　its　place。



What　Mr。　Clowes　principally　aimed　at；　in　carrying　on　his

business；　was　　accuracy；　speed；　and　quantity。　　He　did　not　seek　to

produce　editions　de　luxe　in　limited　numbers；　but　large

impressions　of　works　in　popular　demandtravels；　biographies；

histories；　blue…books；　and　official　reports；　in　any　quantity。　

For　this　purpose；　he　found　the　process　of　hand…printing　too

tedious；　as　well　as　too　costly；　and　hence　he　early　turned　his

attention　to　book　printing　by　machine　presses；　driven　by　steam

power；in　this　matter　following　the　example　of　Mr。　Walter　of　the

Times；　who　had　for　some　years　employed　the　same　method　for

newspaper　printing。



Applegath　&　Cowper's　machines　had　greatly　advanced　the　art　of

printing。　　They　secured　perfect　inking　and　register；　and　the

sheets　were　printed　off　more　neatly；　regularly；　and

expeditiously；　and　larger　sheets　could　be　printed　on　both　sides；

than　by　any　other　method。　　In　1823；　accordingly；　Mr。　Clowes

erected　his　first　steam　presses；　and　he　soon　found　abundance　of

work　for　them。　　But　to　produce　steam　requires　boilers　and

engines；　the　working　of　which　occasions　smoke　and　noise。　　Now；　as

the　printing…office；　with　its　steam　presses；　was　situated　in

Northumberland　Court；　close　to　the　palace　of　the　Duke　of

Northumberland；　at　Charing　Cross；　Mr。　Clowes　was　required　to

abate　the　nuisance；　and　to　stop　the　noise　and　dirt　occasioned　by

the　use　of　his　engines。　　This　he　failed　to　do；　and　the　Duke

commenced　an　action　against　him。



The　case　was　tried　in　June；　1824；　in　the　Court　of　Common　Pleas。　

It　was　ludicrous　to　hear　the　extravagant　terms　in　which　the

counsel　for　the　plaintiff　and　his　witnesses　described　the

nuisancethe　noise　made　by　the　engine　in　the　underground　cellar；

some　times　like　thunder；