Note 347 — Chapter XX · Prosperity of Soho—Young Boulton and Watt—The Riots—William Murdock.

Watt to Boulton, 23rd May, 1794. Young Watt continued to sympathise with his political friends; as we find him, some months later, writing Matthew R. Boulton from London as follows:—“The citizens here are all in very high spirits since the late trials; and I had the honour of dining with two of the acquitted felons on Sunday last.” Watt, junr., having remained for some time in London on business connected with the prosecution of Bull and others for infringement of his father’s patent, Boulton, junr., kept up an active correspondence with him on the affairs of the firm. In one letter (19th February, 1795), after discussing various matters of detail relating to the letter-copying machine and engine business, Boulton entreats his friend to send him down a supply of hair-powder. “I have to intrust to your care,” he says, “the execution of an important commission on the part of the ladies and myself. The report of a scarcity of hair-powder has caused great consternation amongst the beaux and belles here, and we beg of you to preserve for us 1 cwt. of that necessary article.” To which Watt, jun. replied,—“Your new order is in train, so that I hope (whatever the poor may suffer by the destruction of so scarce an article of nourishment) your aristocratical vanity will be gratified, with only the additional sacrifice of one guinea per annum to your immaculate friend Mr. Pitt, for the purpose of carrying on this ‘just and necessary war!’ Under the existing circumstances, I am doubtful whether I shall not sacrifice my aristocratical appendage [queues being then the appendages of gentlemen], as it goes much against my inclination to throw away my money at this moment of personal poverty, or to contribute any sum, however small, to the support of measures which I reprobate in toto. On the other hand, however, I do say that, of all the taxes which have ever been imposed within my memory, this is the most politic and the least likely to be burdensome to the poor.”—Boulton MSS.