Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1843-06-02

ton must be considered as due to Gutenberg
II has been confidently asserted, that the first
movable types were of wood, but there seems
to be no satisfactory ground for this opinion, and
in all probability they were of metal. One of the
most remarkable circumstances in the history of
this art is, that it should have been perfected al.
most as soon as invented. Books printed thirty
years alter the invention of the art scarcely
inferior to those of the present day, in colour of
ink or clearness of impression, though the types
are not so well and clearly cut The most i'm
portant improvements in this art are the inven.
ton OF stereotype plates, by which a whole page
is cast solid, the introduction of hiking rollers,
and various new presses, and other mechanical
contrivances, by which presswork is performed
with vastly increased rapidly. Various attempts
have been made to construct machines for set.
ting types, the compositor touching keys like
those of a pianoforte or organ. Some of these
are said to promise important results, but thus
far, they have disappointed the expectations of
their projectors.
The invention Of paper making and printing
as well as those of gunpowder and the mariners
compass are claimed by the Chinese, and some
OF them at least with great show of probability,
but all these inventions were known in En-.
rope before there was any direct commercial in
tercourse with China, the European inventors
are fairly entitled to the praise of originality, if
not Of priority of discovery.
The art of printing from engraved metallic
plates or blocks of wood, and from stone, though
more generally employed in the service of the
fine arts, ought not to be passed unnoticed In
| engraving on copper or steel, the lines are cor.
roded by an acid, scratched by needle, or cut by
grayer, in ntaglio, and in printing, these lines
are hlled with ink, and the intermediate spaces
| cleaned off, and the impression is given by
rolling press. In wood engraving, the lines are
left in relief, the intermediate parts being cut
away, and the block is mixed and printed in the
| CT ma man G.. 1
engraved with the graver, and printed from, like
metal plates, or the lines may be left in relief
and the spaces corroded, in which case it is ink
ed and printed like a wooden block, or lastly,
as in common lthographv, the drawing or writ
| ing may be made upon the stone with cravon
| or fluid of peculiar composition. The print
| ing ink adheres to the lines only, leaving the in.
termediate spaces clean, and thus the impression
is in fact taken from plane surface. The most
remarkable improvement connected with these
arts is that of Perkins. BY this plan, an engrav.
ing is made in intagiio upon soft steel, which is
then hardened. From this plate an impression
is taken in rclcf, on the surface of soft steel
roller, and the roller being hardened will give
impressions in ntagio again, on flat plates of soft
steel or copper. In this way the original plate
may be many times multiplied and extensive use
has been made Of this invention in bank note
engraving.
| The portion ofyour time, which have thought
myself at liberty to occupy, has allowed me to
give but very hasty and imperfect sketch of
| the history of a few of the nr,nc;n,I ,r,s and I
have been obliped to omit all notice of m,ny &c
almost equal interest and ;mnortn,ca A to,aro.
ply complete account of the rise and progress of
any one of them would require a volume, and |
have aimed not to crafty, but to excite curiosi.
tv, by such hints as migbt load In, na,,hnrs ,f
the Institute TO further Investigation ppon suh.
jects, which to them must possess much interest
| shall now trespass upon your natience Int n
few moments longer. while I endeoyor In mo-.
tice the distinguishing characteristics Of modem
mechanic art and some of the economical priuci
PIES which are pecul;or IN !,
The most striking characteristic of ,nodrrn
art is the vast cx,ent +, which n,,ohiro- - s,,h
stituted for human STRENGTH. and even humnn
manual deAterity That the aucjents used In.
mechanical powers in various combinations far
raising heavy weights and MOVING heavy bodies
for battcring walls, and impcllino military uro.
iectiies, for grinding Grain and other similar nur
poses requiring mere accumulation of nor.er
we well know, and it is certain. that thpv c,n'
ployed the lathe, not only in no,t.rv I'm, FIR
turning in wood and possibly metal Inc Dnido.
rvs wheel, the bellows the loom and NAM. d,h.r
simple contriyauces for obr;dr ;nr mr. fc;I;,o,;r,,
labour. They are moreover said ia have con.
structed automata. and the mocbor;c;-n A.
chytas is reported TO have made , n;r.o, If
wood and metal. which was M, o,Iy s,n,or,od
but moved forward in the air. bv m,cb;nrtv con'
ceaed within it. Archimedes IS related To- have
disnlaved ,yonderrL ,,aoto.I 70 III - ~ nav
ing a great variety of engines of d.f.nce n, ,ho
siege Of Syracuse, and even to have SET on fire.
the enemy's fleet, at considerable distance Nv
means of a compound concnve ,nirrar nn; H., h,
ancients do not seem 70 have emnIa,,cd ,nacI'in.
cry for any purposes. which corid hoo.s;I. wa
eomplished by manual sk I'm srch nc o,,,.;,9 az
shaping the raw material nor 10 ro,nI,nsS, - y.
any sort seem to have bcen cn1n,ovod - 49,.
considerable extent in thsir ,,,li;c ,,'orts 81
manufacturing, if We excen, such si,nnie cor,r;
vances as cranes and nnlIers tho Ia,ho ,aJ ~
loom. OF complicated m,ch;,ss ,hay b,J ,o w
The steam engine. that wonderful c,nh;ra ,;',
of mechanical capacities. which hns introdncod
new motive element ma a, n'I 'ntronuced
and which, after doing lis m,rvoIIons vol g.,
little more than a centnrv il narh,ns ~, ha s ,u'
perseded by the newly dsco,orad ,,a,,o, ~
tro.magnetsm. is atogetber madam ~. a1eo
that miraculous machine The chronor,otnr
whether clock or watch. which when ,ya c"o s;d
err the extreme smallness Of ~, ",r,s ,,,, ,,i;.a
cy of its adjustments, md III. n,er;s;nr ~ "a.
movement, in sn,e of The rnn,,rn,s J;n',,.ti 10
causes that interfere with The ro,,u,a,;- e ~.
operation, NAV well he reg,rd,d nc IN, ~.