.ADVOC'A'I‘E OF INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS.

recorded observation of the fact, and the ap-
plication of steam to generate motion, ap-
pear to have been made by a Greek me-
chanic, about one hundred and thirty years
before the Christian era.. - '

Hero the Elder, who flourished at Alex-
andria in the reign of Ptolemy Philadelphus,
was eminently distinguished in that ageand
regionof refinement, not only for the extent
of his attainments in the learning of the
time, but also for the numberand ingenuity
of his mechanical inventions. .In one of
his books, he deduced all the‘ laws of what
are called the mechanical powers from the
properties of the lever. His Spiritalia, or
Piieumatica, contains the first awccountyof
the forcing pump : of a fountain, still known
by his name,~in which water is elevated in
a jet by the elasticity of condensed air.
Among other contrivances in the same trea-
tise, he describes two machines ot'_hisin-'
vention; in one of which a rotatory motion
is produced by the emission of heated air;
and a similar movement is imparted to the
other by the reaction of vapor rising from
boiling water. i

A pipe, at, is directed by Hero tobc insert-
ed under the hearth of an altar, on which a

rection, having their extremities, c, f, open
and turned upwards. A base or drum, g,
is attached to the pipes, on which are placed
small figures in various attitudes. The air
at the upper extremity of the vertical pipe
being heated by contact with the under side
of the altar hearth, is expanded, and de-
scends into the pipe, and proceedi"ng along
the horizontal arms is expanded, at their ori-
fices, e,  This causes ‘them to revolve
round the pivot b, so that the figures which
are placed on the base g, are carried around
with and appear “to lead the dance, as it‘
they were animated beings.”

It isscarcely necessary to notice the iden-
tity of this elegant apparatus with that of
Barker’s mill ; and that the rotatory motion
would be produced, as stated by Hero,
though not by the" emission of warm, but
through the aclmission of cold air at the ori-
fices: in the horizontal arms, in consequence
of the rarefactioii at the upper end of the
vertical pipe under the hearth of the altar.
—-[Stuart.] A

In addition to the foregoing descriptions of

the “First Application of Steam,” and the
“ First Useful Application ofit,” we now in.‘

fire is burning." This-pipe, placed in a ver-',sert a cut ofMr. Fulton’s first boat, (the North
tical position, is inoveable on a pivot, 12, rest- ‘River, or Clcrmont,) which we copy from n
' l

1
l

ing on the base of the altar. Two other
pipes, c, d, of smaller diameter, proceed
from the vertical one in a horizontal di-

 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
  

lllll
in 3‘.

The following boats were built underthe
superinteiidance o_f Enltofl, 01‘ 3»(‘C°1‘dm§ to
his plan, during his lite-time :

Names. Tonnage. Where employed.
1806. _ North River, or Clermont 160 Hudson river
1807 Rariton _ . . .  . 129 Rariton river
T 1807 Car of Neptun . 29:) Hudson river .
1811 iPa”ragon - . . 331 izludsolgl F1"’%§ H U
.- . ‘roin ew- o ; 4
1812 Fire-Fly I H -.118§ Newbmgh
1812 V Jersey‘Ferry Boat" . —- F61‘l‘Y C0f_11P€mY
1813 Richmond . ' .~ . 370 Hudson river
1813, Wasliington . . 275 Potomac river
1813 York Ferry Boat . . —— Ferry Coniptllly
1813 Nassau Feri-y,Boatt . i— Brooklyn Coinpimy
1813 Fulton . .  .  ' . 327 Long Island bound
1814 Fulton the First .2475 11\3IavyYan% Y k
. . r .t eni ew or
l81t'> Olive Branch . . -—— &(;1X1V§W]3,.unS,v,ck
1316 Emperor of Iftussia . 330 Undetermined
1816 Chancellor Livingston . 526 Hudson river.

For a description of Mr. Fulton’s first trip, P

see Vol; II. page 291, of the Railroad Journal.
Sii_ice«the aboveiwas in type, Captain Da-

vis.-‘Hunt, who was the commander oi’ thei,

drawing made by himself, and which may
be considered as descriptive of the first suc-
cessful application of steaingini navigation.

C 583

possessed of small capital, as by those employ-
ing much larger sums. Any single cottageif,
it he were detected by one purchaser, might
hope that the fact would not become known to
all the rest_; whilst the larger the sums of mo-
ney tor which any merchant deals, the more is
his cliaracter for punctuality studied and known
by others. Thus it happens that high charac-
ter supplies the place of an additional portion
of capital; and the mc-.rchant., in dealing with
the great manufacturer, is saved from the ex-
pense of verification, by knowing that the loss,
or even the impeachment, of the nianufactnrer’s
character,iwould be attended with greater pe-
cuniary detriment to himself than any profit
upon any single transaction could compensate.

215. To such an extent is this confidence in
character carried, that, at one of our largest
towns, sales and purchases on a very extensive
scale are made daily in thecourse of business
without any of the parties ever exchanging a

written document. . The amount of well-ground-

ed confidence, which such a practice indicates,
is one of the many advantages an old manufac-
turing country always possesses over its rivals.
215. A breach of confidence of this kind,
which might have been attended with very se-
rious cmbarrassinent, occurred in the recent
expedition to the mouth of the Niger.

“Vie brought with us from England,”eMr.
Lander states, “nearly a hundred thousand

needles of various sizes, and amongst them
was a great quantity of ‘ ‘Whitecluzpel Sharps,’
warrzmted ‘super/ine, and not to cut in the eye.’
Thus highly recoinniendcd, -we imagined that
these needles must have been excellent indeed ;
but what was our surprise, some timeago,
when a number of them which we h.'=.<l disposed
of were returned to us, with a Z‘-';??;l.i.“Zi.il1i} that
tliey were all eyeless, thus redeeniing with a ven-
geance the pledge of the manufacturer, ‘that they
would not cut in the eye.’ On an examination

atterwartls, we found the same fault with the -

remainder of the ‘VVhitcchapel Sharps,’ so that
t.o save our credit we have been obliged to
throw theiii away.”* .

217. The influence, o

markable manner at the time of' the exclusion

of British manufactures from the Continent

during the last war. One of our largest estab-
lishments had been in the habit of doing ex-
tensive business with a house in the centre of
Geriiiany ; but, on the closing of the continen-
tal ports against our inanutactures, heavy pe-
nalties were inllicted on all those who contra-
vened the Berlin and Milan decrees. The
lilllgllfill iiiaiiutacturer continued, iievertlieless,
to receive orders, with directions how to con-
sign them, and appoiritinents for the time and

- _ mode of payment, in letters, the handwriting

boat, has seen the engraving, and pronoun-
ces it correct in-every particular. 1 '

Babbage» one the Economy of Jilanufactures;
[Continued from page 553.}

214.’ Another event which has arisen, in one
trade at least, from the employment of large
capital, is, that a class of middle-men, who
were formerly interposed’ between the maker
and. the merchant, now no longer exist. For-
merly, when calico was woven in the cottages
of the worltmeii, there existed a class of per-
sons who travelled about and purchased the
pieces so made, in large numbers, for the pur-
pose of selling them to the exporting merchant.
But, the inidlle-inan was obliged to examine
each piece, in order to know. that it was perfect,
fmdiof full measure. Now, although the greater
art of the workmen might be depended upon,
‘yet the fraud of the fowwoiild render this ex-_

racter, though great iinpall circu_i1istaiic,e,s;of‘life",?

  

amination indispensable: for the ‘value of_'_cl_iai;- i ,,

“of which was known to him,-but which were
never sigried, except by the Christian name of
one o_t'?thc firm, and even in some instances
they were /without any signature at all. These
orders were executed ;' and in no instance was
there the least irregularity in the payments.
218. Another‘ circumstance may be noticed,

7 whieh.to‘a small extent is more advantageous

to large than small factories. In, the export of
several articles of manufacture, a drawback is
allowed by government, of a portion of the duty
paid on the importation of the raw material.
In such circunistances, certain forms must be
gone through in order to protect the revenue
from fraiid; and a clerk, or one of the part-
ners, must attend at the custom-house.
quantity exported is inconsiderable, the small
manufacturer frequently does not find th’e-dra_w-
back will repay him for his loss oftiirie ;i-wliilst
the agent of the large estttblisliffiéilti'D!3(§upl(3S
nearly the same time in ire‘c'eiv'ing a'(lrawba'ck~
of scivcral thou sands, - as the: ’sin’allerr exporter
does ofa f'ew_sl1illings!.‘c >“'~‘{_  *  =e' '
3319. In -inany on tlieflarge establishments ‘of

our yiiianiiliicttiringi ‘cliustricts, ‘substances — are

c,inployed1 9 ‘wliich are "tli’e€ ‘ 7prodi‘i'ee wof remote
' ‘ iijnti'ie's 3, 7 and —whi’e‘li" aré,><fiii’_5several‘ instances,

 

\.——’-.

   

It.‘

can never, be so fully experienced,,by[pe‘r's,citiie,

i .* «I-at-d;e_r’s« J°‘1.FI1i11:0f’03‘..EXl’.‘3‘l“‘°”~
get, voliia i'll_.4?t_ , _ , p ,_  ,
I, «H, .‘_, _ .:.-:.-x f"j.; *. 't

1‘ established character '
’ in producing confidence operated in a very re-

If the?

to the _lV_ii(.‘l1l.l1-()i".t.llé3 Ni :