Virginia advocate. [volume] (Charlottesville, Va.) 1827-1860, 1829-12-25

ire whirlcd with incredible velocity ,novcd By no
n'wer visible To tho spnctator-with a supers,i-
ioiis conviction that the whole was the work of
'nblesscd powers To tell him that the force
Thich moved the mighty apparatus of the fac
| ny was earthly, yet that il WAS neither the
| rec of men nor horses neither the strcny. h
torrent NOR the piping winds of heaven. but
| >'hing moro or less than the steam of bnil,no
| 'tter. would only have excited his Indignation
| ' the bodncss of the imp,sture which it v,as
tempted |" palm upon him.
To show to one Of those dxordoily pei sons
vho return tr,m taverns after the hour of cur.
ew' aud VIII" of"ld were wont To gropo through
the Egyptian darkness of our streets T., their
own hnuses, the splcndidly Illuminated streets
~ Lond'n ar Liverpool, no would be- blinded
with excess of light, and fancy himself in the
nall "f Pandcnonium, lit up 80 by subtle magic"
with blazing cresscn,s of naptha and asphaI,us
1t he could understand that these brilliant stars
OF light proceeded from an invisible vapor which,
CIRCULATED for miles under the streets he would
be only the. moro perfectly convinced that he
had gone prema'urely into the lower world.
Since the invention of printing, the power of
man t" disseminate knowledge has been ncrcas.
ed almost beyond calculation. Even within the
last thirty years a pr"digious augmentation has
taken place in this pnwcr. Before tho improve.
ment of Earl Stanhopc, from three to four hun
dred sheets might be printed per hour at the
press; but the stcam-press which now works
tho Times newspaper, prints four thousand
| sheets per hour, or more than sheet ner sccond,
1t may be easily proved that To write by hand
| ha ,l,ar 6
Times, daily, would require million and q half
scribcs vet they are printed with ease by about
| two dozen men. Such is tho effect of skilful
| division of labor, that debate of or 10 hours
| duration in the House of Commons may be fully
| and ably reported, printed, and published so as
| {" be read in London within three or four hours
| liter ITS termination, and at sixty miles distance
| rom the Metropolis, before the speakers of the
| 'revious night have risen from their beds
| In Navigation, as IN printing, invention slum-
cred for centuries, and then suddenly nwoke in
The w'ndrous steam vessel. Steam navigation
Is probably yet in its infancy, yet il, has already
effected an astonishing extension of intercourse
between all pars or the British Isles. the widely
separated towing and territories Of the United
states, and several of the counties Of Europe
II was not uncommon dozen years ago TO wait
IN this port for days and even weeks by Gains or
| adverse winds. BY the steam packets we pass
easily and with certainty in single nigh. from
Liverpool to Dublin and they operate as bridg
cs connecting the sister islands with ENGLAND
Calms do not retard their fight over the waves
adverse udes and winds, though they somswha,
| impede, cannot arrest their progress. Instinct
with power" they walk the waters like thing
OF life" BY their aid the voyage to India will
probably be made, ere many more years have e.
apsed, scarcely moro formidable thing than
journey from London to Scotland was century
ago.
Such few Of the moro striking invcn.
tons and Improvements Of modern times Ye,
invention is not exhausted These seem to be
| but the commencement Of an endless scrie.
and the late experiments of Locomotive Car.
riages on our Railway gives US quite new idea
| OF what sciouce aud art may yet do to quicken
the transport Of travellers and goods through
the land. Though the idea of moving u ca.-
rlage by mechanical power within it, is not
absolutely new, yet it has never been success
! fully reduced 10 prictIce till our own day AMI
| mute power, applied either externally or inter-
naily, has always been used Tor purposes of loco
motion To place steam engine on wheels,
and to make it ;nove both itself and addition
al weight was bold conception; the FIRST es-
says were clumsy and unproDsing, and c,sn up
TO the present time machine has never been
seen in operation which was calculated for the
rapid conveyance either Of passengers or com
modities.
The performances If the Rocket and the Noe.
city give sudden spur TO our drowsy imagina-
tons. and make our ideas fly as fast the ma.
L chinnh ihnmsalurs Ihese en.rinas with ali