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[Book IV.

Few Inventions fmmerly recwded.

CHAPTER V.

Few Inventions formerly recorded—Lord Bacon—His project for draining mines—Thomas Bushell—Ice produced by hydraulic machines—Eolipiles—Brarca’s application of the blast of one to producemotion—Its inutility—Curious extract from Wilkins—Ramseye’s patent for raising water by fire—Ma-nufacture of nitre—Figure illustrating the application of steam, from an old English work—Kircher’sdevice for raising water by steam—John Bäte—Antiquity of boys’kites in England—Discovery of at-mospheric pressure—Engine of motion—Anecdotes of Oliver Evans and John Fitcli—EJasticity andcoudensation of steam—Steam-engines modifieations of guns—A moving piston the essential feature inboth—Classification of modern steam engines—Guerricke’s apparatus—The same adopted in steam-en-gines—Guerricke one of the authors of the steam-engine.

How few, how exceedingly few of the conceptions and experimentalresearcbes of mechanics have ever been recorded ! How many millionsof men of genius have passed through life without making their discove-ries known! Even since printing was introduced, not a moiety of thosewho possessed in an unusual degree the faculty of invention have pre-served any of their ideas on paper. Of some men celebrated for the no-velty of their devices, nothing is known but their names ; they have gone,and not a trace of their labors is left. Of others, the title by which theydesignated their inventions is nearly all that has come down—no particu-lars by which we might judge of their merits. This is the case with manyof the old experimenters on steam, especially those who raised or at-tempted to raise water by it. Among these we have sometimes thoughtLord Bacon should have a place, under the Impression that he employed,or designed to employ, that fluid to raise water from the deluged mineswhich he undertook to recover. He obviously had some new modes andmachines for the purpose. An account of these he laid before the King ,(James I ) who approved of the project, and consented that the aid ofparliament should be invoked. In the “ Speech touching the recovery ofdrown’d mineral works,” which Bacon prepared to be delivered beforeparliament, is the following passage : “ Änd I may assure your Lordshipsthat all my proposals, in Order to this great architype, seemed so rational andfeasable to my Royal Sovereign, our Christian Salomon, [!] that I therebyprevailed with his Majesty to call this honorable Parliament , to confirmand impower me, in my own way of mining, by an act of the same.”* Thisgreat man was therefore in possession of a novel plan of accomplishingone of the most arduous undertakings in practical hyaraulics; and so im-pressed with a belief in its efficiency that the king was induced by himtocall, or agree to call, a parliament, chiefly it would seem to give sanctionto it. What the plan was, we are not informed, nor is any account of itbelieved to be extant. Dr. Tenison, (Archbishop of Canterbury) the au-thor of “Baconiana,” alludingin 1679 to Bacon ’s “Mechanical Inventions,”observes, “His instruments and ways in recovering deserted mines, I cangive no account of at all; though certainly, without new tools, and peclüiarinventions, he would never have undertaken that new and hazardouswork.” b That the project consisted chiefly in some peculiar mode ofraising the water is certain ; and it is worthy of remark that a member of

a Baconiana. Lond. 1679, p. 133. b “ An Account of all the Lord Bacon's Works,”subjoined to Baconiana, p. 17.