Chain Pump.
149
Chap. 17.J
the chain pump, the Romans would have received it from them; whereas,from the silence of Vitruvius , it is clear that his countrymen were not ac-quainted with it. As an engineer, he would have been sensible of itsvalue, and would have preferred it in many cases, in rhising water fromcolfer-dams, docks, &c. to the tympanum and noria, which he informs uswere employed in such cases. a Arch. Book v, Cap. 12. Moreover, if itwas employed by the Romans, it would have been preserved in use, aswell as other machines for the same purpose, either in Europe or intheir African or Asiatic possessions ; but we have no proof of its use atall in any of the latter, nor yet in the former, tili comparatively moderntimes.
But if the origin and improvement of the chain pump is due to onenation more than another, to whom are we indebted for it 1 To a peopleas distinguished for their ingenuity and the originality of their inventions,as for their antiquity and the peculiarity of many of their customs ; andwho by their System of excluding all foreigners from entering the countryhave long concealed from the rest of the World many primitive contrivan-ces, viz. the Chinese . This singulär people appear to have had littleor no communication with the celebrated nations of antiquity, a cir-cumstance to which their ignorance of the chain pump may be attribut-ed. This machine has been used in China from time immemorial, andas connected with their agriculture, has undergone no change what-ever. The great requisites in their husbandry “ are manure and wa-ter, and to obtain these, all their energies are devoted.” Of such im-portance is this instrument to irrigate the soil, that every laborer is inpossession of one; its use being “ as familiär as that of a hoe to everyChinese husbandman,” “ an implement to bim not less useful than a spadeto an European peasant.” It is worthy of remark too, that they often useit, in what may be supposed to have been its original form, viz. as an opengutter; a circumstance which serves to strengthen the opinionof its originand great antiquity among them. Like the peculiarity of their compass,which with them points to'the South, it is a proof of their not having receivedit from other people. “ The Chinese [observes Staunton] appear indeedto have strong Claims to the credit of having been indebted only to them-selves for the invention of the tools, necessary in the primary and neces-sary arts of life ; these have something peculiar in their construction, somedifference, often indeed slight; but always clearly indicating that, whetherbetter or worse fitted for the same purposes as those in use in other coun-tries, the one did not serve as a model for the other.” b
But the general form of chain pumps in China is that of a squaretube or trunk made of plank; and of various dimensions acccording tothe power employed to work them. Those that are portable, with oneof which every peasant is furnished, are commonly six or seven inches indiameter, and from eight to ten feet in length. Some are even longer, forVan Braam, who was several years in China , and who, as a native of Hol-land, was a closeobserver of every hydraulic device, when speaking of them,remarks, that “ they use them to raise water to the height of ten or twelvefeet; a single man works this machine, and even carries it wherever it isWanted, as I have had occasion to remark several times in the province ofQuangtong near Vampou.” c A small wheel or roller is attached to eachend of the trunk, over which an endless chain is passed. Pallets, or