years of age; who, in the year 1794, attended the embassy to Tippoo
Sultan, when the hostage princes were restored; and who went through a
course of experiments in natural philosophy, in the presence of the
sultan. I answered Dr. Bell that, before I left England, I had read, in
his account of the asylum, extracts from this William Smith's letters,
whilst he was at the sultan's court; and that I remembered all the
experiments he had exhibited perfectly well; and also that he was
detained, by the sultan's order, nineteen days after the embassy had
taken leave, for the purpose of instructing two aruzbegs, or lords, in
the use of an extensive and elegant mathematical apparatus, presented to
Tippoo by the government at Madras. [Footnote: _Extracts from William
Smith's Letters to Dr. Bell, (vide the Pamphlet before mentioned.)_

'Devanelli Fort, April 8, 1792.

'REVEREND SIR,

'I take the liberty of informing you that we arrived here the 28th uit.
without any particular occurrence in the way. The day after our arrival
we made our first visit to the sultan; and he entertained us at his
court for upwards of three hours.

'On the 1st instant Captain Dovetoun sent me an order to open the boxes,
and lay out the machines, to show them to the sultan. Accordingly, on
the third, I was sent for, and I exhibited the following experiments;
viz. head and wig; dancing images; electric stool; cotton fired; small
receiver and stand; hemispheres; Archimedes' screw; siphon; Tantalus's
cup; water-pump; condensing engine, &c. Captain Dovetoun was present,
and explained, as I went on, to the sultan, who has given us an instance
of his being acquainted with some of these experiments. He has shown us