The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1836-1851, 1848-11-22
WAS 1T A STEAM ENGINE7

alists fourished about The middle of the sew
enteenlh century, whose name have perish.
ed; and OF their labors nothing is known, ex-
cept an enumeration of the use TO which
one Of their inventions could be applied. An
example is furnished by an anonymous pam
phlet, published in 1861, from which the fol-
lowing extract is taken. The device refer.
red to seems TO have posed every attribute
of a modern hgh-pressure engIfe; and the
various applications Of the latter appear 10
have been anticipated. Whereas, by the
blessing ofGod, who only is The giver Of
every good and perfect gilt, while | was
searching after that which many, far before
me in all humane learning, have sought but
not yet found, viz: perpetual motion. of 4
lessening the distance between strength and
time; though say not that have fully ob.
tanned the thing itself, yet have advanced
go near 1t, that already / can, with the
strength or help of four men, do any work
~"Ich is done in England, whether by wInde
water or horses, as the grinding of wheate
rape, or raising of water; not by any power
or wisdom of mine own. by Gods assistance
and Il humbly hope. after slarte.) lmmedl-
ate direction, have been guided in that
search to trade in another pathe than ever
any other man, that can hear or reade OF,
did trade before me; yet, with so good sue
cess, that have already erected one little
engine, or great model. at Lambeth, able to
give sufficient demonstration to either Artist
or other persons, that my invention is useful
and beneficial, (let others say upon proof
how much more,) let any other way of work.
ing hitherto known or used" And nc pro-
ceeds to give "a list oflhe uses or applications
for which these engines are fit, for it is very
difficult, if not impossible, to name them al!
at the same time. TO grind malt, Or hard
corne; to grind seed for the making of oyle;
to grind colors for potters, painters, or glass.
houses: to grind barke for tanners; 10 grind
wood for dyers; to grind spices. or snutte,
tobacco; to grind brick, tile, earth, or stones
for plaster; to grind sugar-cane; to draw up
coales stones, ore, or the like, or materials
for great and shigh building: TO draw wyre;
TO draw water from mines, meers, or iens;
to draw water to serve cities, towns, and to
draw waller to food dry grounds, or to wa
ter grounds; TO draw or hale ships, boats &c.
up rivers against the stream; to draw carts,
wagons, &C., as fast without cattle, TO draw
the plough without cattle 10 the same des'
despatch if need be; 10 brake hempe, t1ax;
to weigh anchors with less trouble and soon.
er; TO spin cordage or cables; to bolt meal
faster and finer; to saw stone and timber; TO
poIish anv stones or metals; TO turn any great
works in wood, stone, metals, &C.. that
could hardly be done before; 10 file much
cheaper in all great works; to bore wood,
stone, metals; 10 thrash corn, If need be, to
winow corne at all times, better, cheaper,
&c. For paper mills, iron mills, plate mills;
cum, multis oliis." If this extraor linary en-
CINE of motion, observes Mr.. Stewart, to
whom we are indebted for the extract, was
not some kind of steam engine, the knowl-
edge of an equally plastic and powerful mo-
tive agent has been utterly lost.
Steam is not here indicated, but it is diff
cult to conceive any other agent unless some
explosive compound be supposed, by which
the pressure Of the atmosphere was excited.
Tha, the engine consisted Of working cyen-
der and piston, and the latter moved oy
steam, must, we think. he adnittcdj tor al
though most Of the operations mentioned
might have been performed by forcing UP
water on an oversbot wheel, by an aPpara-
lus similar to Papn's or Savery's steam.en-
gines, there are others to which such mode
was Quite inspplicable. as raising OF anchors
or propelling carts, wagons and Ploughs.
The inventor, whoever he was, has given
proof of an extraordinary sagacity. for every
operation named by him is now effected by
The steam engine except raising the anchors
of steam vessels and ploughing. The latter
is at present the subjec: of experiment, and
the former will in all probability be soon
adopted The authors labors were most
likely not appreciated by his contemporaries,
and as the world is always too apt to thing
the vast in such cases, the whole will prob
ably now be sci down by some persons as
the dream of sanguine Projector-the Judg-
menl commonly psased upon those who arc
IN advance Of the aye they live in.
EwbanRs Hydraulics.
HupsoN BAY CoMpANY.-A letter from
Washington says: 1T is reported that Mr.
Buchanan has declined to resume the ne
co,ialion with the agents of the Hudson's
Bay Company. for the purchase Of their ac'
tual possessory rights. and their lar more
extensive claims. in Oregon. 1t would ap'
pear that the officers of the company, re-
sraining them from transferring to The u
nited States any IF the rights secured to il
by the treaty. The principal of these is the
right to the free navigation OF the Columbia
This looks as if the British Government III
tended to assert some national rights in thai
Territory. Its not at all unlikely that Sc
rious troubles will grow out "f the British
pretent,ons IN that quarter under the treaty
The idea of giving up the p ,int of all exclu