He can contrive accurately to discern the countenance of every other
person, without being visible himself. I need not enlarge to your
lordship upon the admirable uses of this machine. I will only add, that
my very dear and ever-lamented friend Mr. Pinchbeck, effected before he
died an improvement upon it so valuable, that it cannot but preserve his
name from that oblivious power, by which common names are devoured. In
his lanthorn, the shade, which used to be inseparable, may be taken away
at the possessor's pleasure, like the head of a whisky, and it may
appear to all intents and purposes one of the common vehicles of the
kind. He had also a contrivance, never to be sufficiently commended,
that when the snuff of the candle had attained a certain length, it
moved a kind of automatic pair of snuffers that hung within side, and
amputated itself. He left me two of these lanthorns as a legacy. Such is
my value for your lordship, that I have wrought myself up to a
resolution of parting with one of them in your lordship's favour. You
will receive it in four days from the date of this by Gines's waggon,
that puts up in Holborn.
But, my lord, there is a second object of consideration still more
important than this. It is in vain for your lordship, or any other
person, to persuade the sovereign against any of the measures of his
government, unless you can add to this the discovery of those new
sentiments you have instilled, to all such as it may concern.
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