PREFACE.

V

necessarily led the inhabitants of botb countries to cultivate to tbe utmostextent the art of raising water. Wind-mills for draining water off landfirst occur (in modern days) in Holland. It is indeed the constant employ-ment of this element—wind—that preserves the Dutch from destructionby another; for, as a nation, they are in much the same predicament theyformerly put unruly felons in, viz : confining each in a close vault with apump, and then admitting a stream of water that required his unceasingefforts to pump out, to prevent himself from drowning.

The French have contributed the neatest machine known ; the ram ofMontgolfier—theirs is the double pump of La Hire, and the frictionlesspiston of Gosset—La Faye improved the old tympanum of Asia—Papinwas one of the authors of the steam-engine, and Le Demour devised thecentrifugal pump. Rotary pumps and the re'introduction of air-vessels andfire-engines rest between Germany and France . Drawn leaden pipeswere projected by Dalesme. The English revived the plunger pump andstuffing-box of Moreland, and furnished the expanding metallic pistons ofCartwright and Barton—the steam-engines of Worcesterand Savery, New-comen and Watt—the pneumatic apparatus of Brown, and motive enginesof Cecil and others—Whitehurst was the first to apply the principle ofthe ram, and the quicksilver pump was invented by Hawkins—Haiesinvented the milling of sheet lead, and the first drawn pipes were madeby Wilkinson. Switzerland contributed the spiral pump of Wirtz—Ame-rica has furnished the riveted hose of Seilers and Pennock, the motivemachine of Morey, and high pressure engines of Evans ; and both havegiven numerous modifications of every hydraulic device. The Italians have preserved many ancient devices, and to them the discoveries of Gal-lileo and Torricelli respecting atmospheric pressure are due. Porta hasgiven the first figure of a device for raising water by steam, and Venturi’sexperiments have extended their claims.

Remarks have occasionally been introduced on the importance of themechanic arts and the real dignity attached to their profession, notwith-standing the degraded state in which operatives have ever been held bythose who have lived on their ingemiity and become enriched by theirskill. But this state of things we believe is passing away, and the time isnot distant when such men, instead of being deemed, as under the oldregime, virtual serfs, will exert an influence in society commensurate withtheir contributions to its welfare. And where, it may be asked, is therea comfort, or convenience, or luxury of life, which they do not create orassist to furnish, from the bread that sustains the body to the volume thatinforms the mind ?

Few classes have a more honorable career before them than intelligentmechanics. Certainly none have better opportunities of associating theirnames with those of the best ,of their species. Science and the arts openthe paths to true glory ; and greater triumphs remain to be achieved inboth than the world has yet witnessed. Human toil has not been d'ispensedwith, but it certainly will be superseded, in a great measure, if not alto-gether, by forces derived from inanimate nature. A great part of the globeis yet a desert, inhabited by beasts of prey, or by men more savage thanthey; whereas the Creator designs the whole to be a garden and peopledwith happy intelligences, as in the first Eden. It is much too common toseek ephemeral distinction on the troubled sea of politics or party ; but ofthe thousands who launch their barks upon it, how few ever reach thehaven of their wishes ! The greater part are so on engulphed in oblivion,while not a few, exhausted by useless struggles, are bereft of their ener-gies and quickly sink in despair—but no fame is more certain or more