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Chap. 2.] Chinese Bellows in the Philadelphia Museum .

Chinese bellows to the European one, he sa.id it was more commodiousand efficient. b It is employed to some extent in Java, having been intro-duced from China . 0

Sinoe the preceding remarks were written, we have examined twobellows from China, in the splendid “Chinese Collection” in Philadelphia .One of them belonged to a traveling blacksmith. It is formed of a cylin-drical joint of bamboo, 2J feet in length, and between five and six inchesdiameter. The piston rod is a wire jj; or § of an inch thick, with a smallgimlet handle. Air is admitted through a cluster of five or six small holesin each end, which are covered in the inside by paper flaps: these are theinduction valves, marked J F in No. 112. Along one side of the bellowsa Strip of wood 2J inches wide and lj thick, is secured by what appearsto be eight small thumb screws, and the junction made tight by cement orwax; this projecting piece resembles those on the sides of high pressuresteam-engine cylinders, and is intended for a somewhat similar purpose, itsinterior being hollowed into a passage for the wind when expelled by thepiston from either end of the cylinder. A short metallic tube conveysthe wind from the middle of this piece to the furnace as in No. 112. Theends of the bellows are secured from Splitting by two thin and narrowiron hoops, and at one place a small clamp is driven across a crack, as issometimes practiced in mending wooden bowls. The instrument resem-bles the one in the last figure, but is double acting: the figure of the artistaccompanying it is seated on the ground and Works it with one hand whilehe attends the fire with the other.

The other bellows consists of along box like the one figured at No. 112.From the circumstance of its not being confmed in a glass case, and per-mission to examine its interior having been politely accorded, we had anopportunity of ascertaining some particulars that are not mentioned in anypublished account of these instruments that has fallen in our way. It istwenty-two inches long, seven deep, and five wide, made of thin boardsof a species of fir and extremely light: the sides and ends are dovetailedtogether ; and the bottom appeared to be intended to slide over the sides,having Strips projecting from it and no pins or nails visible ; this arrange-ment enables a person to examine the interior, and to replace or repair thevalves, &c. with great facility. The boards of which the machine is madeare of a uniform thickness (about § of an inch) except the top, which islj inches. The reason for this extra thickness was perceived as soon asit was removed, (it was secured to the sides and ends by long woodenpins,) for a deep and wide groove is made through its whole length withthe exception of \ of an inch at each end, and at the middle of the groovea passage is cut at right angles to it through one side for the air to passinto the tuyere. Upon the removal of this thick cover, the inside of thebox was not exposed, for another thin one was found inserted within thesides, and flush with their edges. This was a board slipped between thesides and resting upon the upper edge of the piston, having two openings,one at each end, which coincided with the groove in the outer cover, (theinner cover is represented by the line H O in No. 112 ;) hence the windis driven by the piston alternately through each opennjg into the groove,and by the aetion of the valve in the middle of the latter, is compelledto pass into the tuyere. This valve is represented at G in No. 112,and from an inspection of that cut, it will be apparent that some contri-vance of the kind is absolutely necessary, in Order to prevent the windwhen forced from one end of the bellows, from passing along the groove

b Histoire Generale, Tom. viii. 106. 'Raffles’ Java, ii. 193.31