Egyptian Chain of Pots.

123

Chap. 15.]

of the rope, and securing to it a number of vessels at equal distancesthrough the whole of its length—and the Chain of pots, was the result.

The general construction of this machine will appear from an examin-ation of those which are employed to raise water from Joseph’s wellat Cairo, represented at page 46. Above the mouth of each shaft avertical wheel is placed; over which two endless ropes pass and are sus-pended from it. These are kept parallel to, and at a short distance fromeach other, by rungs secured to them at regulär intervals, so that whenthus united, they form an endless ladder of ropes. The rungs are some-times of wood, but more frequently of cord like the shrouds of a ship,and the whole is of such a length that the lowest part hangs two or threefeet below the surface of the water that is to be raised. Between therungs, earthenware vases (of the form figured No. 7) are secured by Cordsround the neck, and also round a knob formed on the bottom for that pur-pose. See A, A, in the figure. As the axis of the two wheels are atright angles to each other, two separate views of the chains are repre-sented. In the lower pit, both ropes of one half of the cham is seen ;while in the upper, the whole length of one is in view. The vases orpots are so arranged that in passing over the wheel, they fall in betweenthe spokes which connect the two sides of the latter together, as shown inthe section; and when they reach the top, their contents are dischargedinto a trough. [In some machines the trough passes under onerim whichis made to project for that purpose; in others, it is placed below the wheeland between the chains.] There are in the upper pit, one hundred andthirty-eight pots and the distance from each other is about two feet seveninches. The contents of each are twenty cubic inches. The wheels thatcarry the chains are six feet and a half in diameter. They are put in mo-tion by cog wheels (on the opposite end of their axles) working into oth-ers that are attached to the perpendicular shafts to which the blindfoldedanimals are yoked.

The chain of pots in Egypt is named the Sakia. Its superiority overthe noria and tympanum, &c. in being adapted to raise water from everydepth, has caused it to be more extensively employed for artificial irriga-tion than any other Egyptian machine—hence it is to be seen in Operation,all along the borders of the Nile , from its mouth up to the first cataract.In Upper Egypt , and Nubia, they are so exceedingly numerous as to oc-cur every hundred yards ; and in some cases they are not forty yards apart.Their numbers and Utility have rendered them a source of revenue, for weare mformed that each sakia is taxed twenty dollars per annum, while theswape is assessed at half that amount. They are also common in Abys-sinia. They were noticed there by Poncet in 169S. When Sandys wasm Egypt , A. D. 1611, the great number of sakias did not escape hisObservation : “ Upon the banks all along are infinite numbers of deepeand spacious vaults into which they doe let the river, drawing up the wa-ter mto higher cesterns, with wheeles set round with pitchers, and turnedabout by buffaloes.” Travels, page 118.

An attempt was made some years ago by an enterprising European tosupersede the employment of these machines in Egypt , which on accountof the interesting circumstances connected with it may here be noticed.In the latter part of the last Century an intelligent young man of PaduaWas designed by his parents for a monk, and was sent to Rome to receivean appropriate education. His inclination however led him to prefer thestudy of natural philosophy to that of theology, and particularly hydrau-lics. Upon the invasion of Italy and capture of Rome by the French , hewandered over various parts of Europe , supporting himself by publicly per