The Statesman.
London, England, 1821-09-14 00:00:00

MECHAMCS.

FROM THE BALLSTON FARMER, AMERICAN PAPER. JUNE 27•
USEFUL AND IMPORTANT DISCOVERY.—The circular
saw, so far as I know, is a recent invention and certainly
a very useful one. The Shakers, at their •illage in
Watervliet, near Albany, have this in very excellent use
and great perfection. In a saw mill there, they have a
set of a machinery on this principle, erected at a very
trifling expense, which, in cutting stuff for window
sash, grooving floor plank, gaging clapboards, Six. with
one man and a boy to attend it, will perform the labour
of thirty men.
But I saw a new and novel machine in operation in
this house, so full of ingenious machinery, which de-
serves a place among the most useful discoveries in me-
chanics of the present day It is a circular bur, of thin,
soft sheet iron, 6 inches in diameter, which cuts the
hardest steel almost with the ease of tallow. The bus
is well secured with cottrels on an axis turned by a band,
and moves with inconceivable velocity; and the engine
is so constructed as to secure in a proper position, and
bring into contact, whatever you wish to cut. A steel
saw mill saw plate was placed in the machine, having
the old teeth all taken off, and in four minutes it cut with
perfect accuracy II teeth—or half cut—for, in order to
finish the cutting, the saw must be turned in the ma-
chine, so as to come work-wise for cutting the other
half. With a machine of this kind in perfect order, I
should say that the whole teeth might all be cut with
an old saw mill, by a perfectly straight line, and a
new set of teeth cut, gaged perfectly, in less than &el
hour. The cutting is done so accurately, that very little
filing is necessary to complete the dressing of the saw
for business. The operation of this machine is a sort of
phenomenon in mechanical philosophy.
I saw it in operation► in July, 1817, and immediately
sent a description of it to the publishers of the new
Cyclopedia, but I do not know whether it has been
published. The Shakers considering the discovery
too useful to be monopolised by a patent, consented to
my giving it publicity as public property. Like most
others, t►is discovery was made by accident. A piece
of sheet tin, nearly round, was put into a lathe, and a
file applied to the edge, in order to dress it down to a
perfect circle. The file bad no effect upon the tin, but
the tin cot the file, as in other matters it often happens
that the biter gets bitten. Learning this fact, an in-
, geniis''s young Shaker, Freegift Wells, tried the esp.;
rimiest, succeeded. and constructed th: macbias which
I saw. 1 applied it to pieces of old files, and it cut
them in two deem is 'nick as a candle could bare
been cat with a hot ire.

The deceased and the prisoner had quarrelled about
a sovereign, and at last agreed to fight in regular
rounds of pugilism. In the fifth round before the
last, the deceased had received a blow on the right
side of his head which laid him stunned on the
ground, hut he persisted to fight, saying he should
come round again. lie was at length carried quite
exhausted and speechless oft the ground. He died a
few hours afterwards. The surgeon had no doubt
that death had been caused by the external violence
applied to the head. The fighting had been quite fair,
and tl►e deceased had first begun it, and persisted in
prolonging it.
Mr. Justice BATLEY said that by law no fighting
was allowed; and if the blows given by the prisoner
caused the death, he must be found gailty---(iuilty.
The sentence was imprisonment for 14 days.
BCROLARY.—Job El/iron, aged 20, was charged
with having bnrglariously entered the dwelling-house
of Thomas Sandiford, a calico-printer, at Tottington-
higher-end, on the 18th of July, and with having
stolen a watch, foar gold rings, four soveteigns, two
guineas, a necklace, a ruby, an amethyst, and other
trinkets.

On the night in question, two men, one with a light
in onelaind, and a pistol in the other, another with a
large bludgeon in his right hand, entered the bed-cham-
ber of the posecutor,at half-past twelve. They demand-
ed where his property was, and he told them, and gave
them some keys. They compelled him to get out of
hod. sad epee some desks for them. Upon his get-1
deg into bed again, they fastened his hands to the
Poets of the bed. Observing, while in the act of doing
so, that he bad gold rings on "bit fingers, they pulled
them off. They proceeded next to Miss Sandiford's
room : she offered resistance, bat was soon overpower-
ed, and such trinkets as were to be found in her room
were carried away. While the robbers were thus oc-
cupied, the prosecutor contrived to disengage his
hands, and to escape out of the house to alarm the
neighbours. The robbers soon discovered this, and
Bed. They were pursued but uot taken. The prose-
cutor went afterwards to Blackburn, in order to see
whether be could recognise any of the robbers. The
prisoner he saw there at his work as a sawyer, but in
a light dress. He was asked if he had a dark coloured
dress, and baring said he had, he was made to pat it
on. The prosecutor was then satisfied that he was one
of the men. He was more convinced on hearing him
speak, for-one of the robbers bad repeatedly spoken to
him. The prisoner bad been seen near the place on
the night of the robbery--Ouilty—Death.
The prosecutor begged that his Lordship would re-
commend him to mercy.
MANSLAUGUTZILJOhIt Robinson, aged 46, was con-
victed of manslaughter. He bad snowed his cart to
drive se before him, and in the middle of the street, in
Liverpool, tie horses bad trampled upon a child of 20
'sleuths of age. The prisoner got the highest possible
character rot steadioess, sobriety, and humanity bat
Mr. Macdonald, the surgeon, showed in the clearest
manner that the braises given by the horses were the
cause of death. His Lordship expressed great regret at

Mr. Justice BATLET.—That I hare no means of
knowing; but you can take till to-morrow morning to
consider whether you will withdraw your plea of guilty
and plead nut guilty. If you plead guilty, I bare no
power but to pronounce the sentence of the law, which
is transportation for 14 years.—The prisoner took time
to consider.

Paine is to be tried for the capital offence.

MALICIOUSLY SuooTtsco—Williana Davis and W:1-
liam Drennam, sawyer!, from Liverpool, are to be capi-
tally tried for shooting at William Wright. This cage
excites great interest, as the offence charged is under-
•tood to have been committed in prosecution of a de-
sign to enforce a rise of wages. Mr. Harmer is the
solicitor employed for the prisoners.
Other five persons are in the calendar charged with
the same offence, but upon Mr. RAirta's application,
Mr. Justice BAYLEY permitted them to go before the
OrandJury as witnesses for the crown. His Lordship
seemed very reluctant to grant the application, and said
it was a very unusual number of accomplices to be ad-
mitted witnesses in one case.

Dlr. RAINg said he believed it accuser?, though he
said he did not know that he should call them all u
witnesses.