New-York daily tribune., 1843-01-21
VOL. III. no. 2i4.

found In glSlng satisfactory answer. Upon this
point the world has evidently been at fault; and
men of the greatest power have lived in obscurity,
and not till after death have they received the
honor due them. Events, when they occur, are
not seen In their true importance; and of this Sir
James Macintosh mentions memorable instance.
In l454 the English evacuated Paris, an event
which then was deemed Of the frs: Importance
far gtea.er than any other of the age AT the same
time, in S'ras5ourg, was going on lawsuit about
some copying machines-bu, those machines were
printing presses; and that slight event yet moves
the world, while the other is almost forgotten.
Time, then, would seem to be the truest test of
genius.
Nor is popular applause now any test of true
worth Once men earned the renown they en-
joyed by the products OF their genius; the
Ar. Of Printing has made of the whole Earth
huge whispering gallery, where the feeblest man
may make himself distinctly heard on the other
side of the globe. The vast machinery of putting
too than which few are more ingenious, often
thrusts forward bag of air, and sends it to the en-
pyrean where it seems to take the place of An
lasting star. So close at hand now sthe means Of
thus making ones self heard, that ere long the
real wonee1-the rard aris- the real prodigy, will
be the man who has read books, but never written
them. Publicity can now be taken as no evidence
of greatness. We must look farther and higher
than this. If we would be safe, we must trust
only to the awards OF time and look those upon
whose greatness ages have set their imperishable
stamp-upon Shakespeare and Milton, Bunyan and
Defoe. As yet in the English language there has
been no adequate criticism of Shakespeare, nor
any thing that approaches to it, except the scat
tered hints of Hazlitt, Lamb and Mrs. Jameson
MIR. Furniss surely must have forgotten Coleridge,
for his Lectures on Shakespeare, published in his
Literary Remains, (of which no American edition
mas been issued,) are werth all those he
names have ever written upon him.
Mr.. FuRHlss went on to speak of the uncon-
sciousness in which Genius labors and Of the dan
ger it encounters when the admiration of others
reveals TO itself its own powers. Instead of walk
ing simply and strongly on, it begins TO mince and
assume airs, until at length it totters to its fall
The young who display intellectual power are la
Die to great danger from this cause.
Geniusi is also distinguished by activity. 1t was
not given to man to feed his vanity, but to bless
.he world. 1t abors not for Fame and Wealth
but for Truth Beauty and the best Utility. Men
of SO noble stamp have existed as almost to in
duce the belief that the force of Nature can no fur
her go:' but the Lecturer still thought that the
Earth, fruitful in every thing else, will yet
tlnue TO give US men.
Hydraulic Fire Engine--The Rnnsomer.
This truly ingenious machine, invented and con-
structed by Doctor Ransom, is beginning to excite
the public attention. The assertion may be ven
tured that every one who has witnessed its opera
ton is satisfied that our City authorities should
appoint committee of scientific and practical
men to investigate its merits-being satisfied that
it must ultimately supcrsede the use of all other
machines for ex,inguishing fires. The advantages
of /" The Ransemer may be briefly enumerated
as follows:
l. L does not exceed in size or weight the COM
mon Fire Engine.
Q. 1t can be brought to the ground and put in
operation as easily and with as little delay as the
common Fire Engine.
3. Its sole moving power is the Croton Water,
communicated by attaching to the Engine from
one to six hose from as many hydrants-thus dis.
pensiag entirely acith manual labor or steam
poaoer
d. 1t will discharge more mater in given time
and thro,o It CHER than iue Of the common city
engines. :,
5. The mechanism is very simple, and not like
" to get out of repair If repairs are needed,
they can be made as readily to conmen en-
gine.
g. The machine will work with one hydrant at
tached, and ether hydrants and hose for d'>eherg-
ing the water can be added without interfering
with the working of the engine.
T. The power Of the machine, when the full
number of hydrants is attached, is estimated equal
10 that Of three hundred men.
The above statement of the advantages of The
Ransomer was prepared by gentleman who has
several times Witnessed its operation. The man
ner of attaining the results specified, Is thus ex-
planned:
The moving power of the engine resembles the
cylinder, piston and valves of high-pressure
steam engine, somewhat modified SO as to be oper-
u,ed by the Croton Water under the pressure de-
rived from the hydrants. The water which is to
be discharged from the engine, instead OF being
delivered into an open chamber as IN the common
engine, is introduced into The Ransomer under the
full pressure derived from the hydrants; and 10
this power is then superadded the whole power o!
the machine. Thus the water is discharged under
6oable pressure.
To nakethis matter plain: A stream discharged
from one of the hydrants issues under such pres
sure as causes it to discharge Jet to gwen
hight IF the hose from t.ro hydrants be intro
duced into the machse, enc hat OF the water SO
introduced is expended in working the machine
aud the other half is discharged under doable
pressxre-such as, if the machine worked without
friction, would throw to twice the hight i, would
attain by the pressure OF the hydrants alone In
other words: allowing twenty-five per cent for
friction, The Ransomer will throw a jet one and
three. .fourths the hight it would attain if Issuing
simply from the hydrant. Seventy 1--WE per cent. is
thus added TO the pressure of the Croton.
These are not speculative results, but are stated
from actual experiments repeatedly made The
latest trial was in Chatham square on Monday lsst
In simplicity of construction and its actual re-
suits, The Ransomer is highly worthy the at,en-
ton OF our City authorities. 10 all this should be