other purpose but that of raising water.

His machine was applied to pounding drugs, and he published his account of it in 1629. It consisted of an œlipile (fig. 6), the blast of which was directed against a wheel formed with float-boards, or vanes, similar to a water-wheel or wind-mill. A rotary motion was thus produced, which, by the aid of intermediate mechanism, worked the stampers or pounders. We afterwards find Bishop Wilkins and Father Kircher proposing similar machines—the latter recommending to employ two clipiles; and Philibert de l'Orme proposing to use the blast of the œlipile to drive smoke up a chimney.

A note to a Spanish work lately published, consisting of original papers relative to the voyages of Columbus, contains a very curious account of an experiment made at the port of Barcelona, in the year 1543, in the presence of the Emperor Charles V., Prince Philip, and several officers of state. A ship of 200 tons burden was propelled by machinery, and it is stated that the experiment was altogether so successful, and that the ship tacked so expertly, that the Emperor and his suite highly applauded the performance, and Garey was handsomely rewarded. The whole of the engine could not be seen, but, from the part exposed, it was observed to consist of a large vessel of boiling water, with moveable wheels at each side of the ship. When the exhibition was over, Garey took the engine from the ship, and, depositing the wood-work in the arsenal of Barcelona, kept the rest himself.

This account, copied from the Royal Archives of the city of Salamanca, was communicated to the author of the work, August 27, 1825, by one Thomas Gonzales. According to Sir Richard Phillips, the facts cannot be

These were the only methods suggested for the application of steam to mechanical purposes previous to that of the Marquis of Worcester. How far they had been put in practice, or, indeed, if any one of them had been actually used, is very doubtful; but the Marquis most undoubtedly did succeed in constructing a machine for raising water, in which the expansive force of steam was employed as a source of motion. His account of the invention is contained in a work, the original manuscript of which is preserved in the British Museum. It is entitled "A Century of the Names and Scantlings of Inventions," and was written in 1655, and first appeared in print in 1663. We there find the following Name and Scantling:

"LXVIII. A Fire Water-Work.-An admirable and most forcible way to drive up water by fire, not by drawing or sucking it upwards; for that must be, as the Philosopher calleth it, infra sphæram activitatis, which is but at such a distance. But this way hath no bounder, if the vessels be strong enough; for I have taken a piece of a whole cannon, whereof the end was burst, and filled it three-quarters full of water, stopping and screwing up the broken end, as also the touch-hole, and making a constant fire under it; within twenty-four hours it burst and made a great crack; so that, having a way to make my vessels so that they are strengthened by the force within them, and the one to fill after the other, I have seen the water run, like a constant fountain-stream, forty feet high. One vessel of water, rarefied by fire, driveth up forty of cold water. And a man that tends the work is but to turn two cocks, that, one vessel of water being consumed, another begins to force and refill with cold water, and so, successively, the fire being tended and kept constant; which the selfsame person may likewise

doubted-who further observes that the invention was laid aside, "owing to the bigotry of an imperial officer, one of those slow sailing intellects which in every age obstruct improvement." If it be true, the honor of first navi. gating a ship by steam belongs to Blasco de Garey, as also that of constructing the first efficient steam engine.

abundantly perform in the interim between the necessity of turning the said cocks."

This description is too vague for us to determine the precise form of his machine, and in consequence, many ingenious plans for the construction of an engine answering the terms proposed have been given by different writers. Among these the most complete and simple elucidation of the invention is to be found in Tredgold, from whom we copy the annexed figure and description:

"B (fig. 7) is the boiler; C one of the vessels, with a pipe to deliver the water to an elevated cistern, D.

vessel C to be supplied from a cistern of

Now suppose the cold water A by a

pipe, so that it should be filled on opening the cock E, and afterwards closing it; if, when the steam in the boiler is of sufficient strength, the cock F be opened, the pressure of the steam on the water in C would cause it to ascend from C, through the pipe a, into the cistern D. The vessel C being emptied, and the cock F being shut, it would refill with water, on again opening the cock E. Another vessel C and its cocks and pipes, are necessary to complete the species of water engine indicated by the description, and these may be on the other side of the boiler."

We may observe here, that only the expansive power of steam is employed, for the Marquis does not appear to have any knowledge of condensation. His application of steam was necessarily very expensive, from the great condensation produced on the steam coming in contact with the cold water. His mode of operation was, however, perfectly capable of producing the effects stated, he merely raising 20 cubic feet, or 1,250 lbs. of water one foot, by one pound of coals, being about the 200th part of the effect of good modern engines.

The Marquis declares, in his title page, that he has "tried and perfected" the extraordinary inventions he describes; but, from the studied brevity and obscurity of those descriptions, it was long doubted whether he really did effect any of the things he pretends to. He has been designated as a "fantastic and credulous mechanic," and his book pronounced to be "an amazing piece of folly;" however, many of his schemes have been unexpectedly realized in later times, and it has been satisfactorily proved, not only that a fire-engine could be constructed, “fulfilling the conditions of the enigma, and no more," but that he himself had one in successful operation. In 1818 was published a translation of a manuscript left by Cosmo de Medicis, Grand Duke of Tuscany, narrating his travels in England, in the year 1656, in which we find the following account of this machine :

"His Highness, that he might not lose the day uselessly, went again, after dinner, to the other side of the city, extending

his excursions as far as Vauxhall, beyond the palace of the Archbishop of Canterbury, to see an hydraulic machine, invented by Lord Somerset, Marquis of Worcester. It raises water more than forty geometrical feet, by the power of one man only, and, in a very short space of time, will draw up four vessels of water through a tube or channel not more than a span in width."

We think we may now dismiss his lordship, with the acknowledgment that to him is due the merit of having first practically applied the expansive power of steam to purposes useful to society.

In 1682, we find Sir Samuel Moreland endeavouring to obtain the patronage of Louis XIV. of France to a scheme for raising water by the force of steam, on apparently a similar principle to that of Worcester's; but which he claims as his own. The manuscript which contains his proposal is preserved among the Harleian MSS. in the British Museum. It is in the French language, beautifully written on vellum, and highly ornamented, and it purports to be an account of machines for raising water. The part which treats of steam is entitled, "The Principles of the New Force of Fire, invented by Chevr. Morland, in 1682, and presented to his most Christian Majesty in 1683." In this year, he exhibited his invention before the French king at St. Germains. We have no description of his apparatus or its mode of action. His explanation of his theory is as follows:

"Water being converted into vapour by the force of fire, these vapours shortly require a greater space (about 2000 times) than the water before occupied; and sooner than be constantly confined, would split a piece of cannon. But being duly regulated according to the rules of statics, and by science reduced to measure, weight, and balance, then they bear their load peaceably (like good horses), and thus become of great use to mankind, particularly for raising water, according to the following table, which shows the number of pounds that may be raised 1800 times per hour, to the height of six inches, by