Drummond, that he was afflicted with peritonitis, which was symptomatic of an undetermined medical cause. It is believed by some that overwork and stress precipitated his premature death in 1840 after working unceasingly for five years as Irish under-secretary. His dying words were reported as: Drummond was critical of the system of large estates ("landlordism") in Ireland and famously stated, "Property has its duties as well as its rights." See also Timeline of hydrogen technologies Notes References Further reading 1797 births 1840 deaths Scottish civil engineers Graduates of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich Royal Engineers officers Burials at Mount Jerome Cemetery and Crematorium Engineers from Edinburgh Scottish surveyors Under-Secretaries for Ireland Military personnel from Edinburgh