The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1851-05-21

coffin of Mahomei, aud what il may ac>
compish in future times, (for there are
still mysteries connected with it,) il is
not possible 10 predict.
Before the beginning Of the century,
what was the printing press in comparl-
son to what il now isl A few years ago
there was not single printing press
driven by steam, now there is not paper
with large circulation printed without
it. From printing 1000. 2,O0U, and
1000 copies per hour, the latest improved
press can prin, 10000, and the time is
at hand when single press will he throw
ing off 10000 copies per hour. In 9th
er departments Of typography, the i'm
provemcnts have been equally striking
aud beneficial,
In what may be termed minor ma
chimes, the inventions and Improvements
have not been of minor importance.
Fifteen years ago pins were all made by
hand, each was made of more than one
piece, and number Of persons were re-
quired TO finish every one. 4 single ma
chine now completes the whole opera
ton from beginning to end and, in
Waterbury, Connecticut, 5000, 900 are
finished every day. and the machinery
for counting aud sticking them into pa
pers, is equally ingenious. In all kinds
of machinery for manufacturing textile
fabrics, the improvements made, during
the last half century, would require vol
umes to describe them in all their NUM-
berless variations. In weaving espe-
clally, we now behold the most beautiful
carpets, with the most intricate patterns,
woven by few rods and beams. without
The finger Of man touching them, after
they are sci III motion. The rich car
pets of Brussels are now made by steam,
and iron fingers lap tfe wires 10 raise
the figures, with more accuracy and
speed than the most accomplished weaver.
la some departments of manufacture,
improvements have succeeded one an
other with such rapidity that one set oi
machinery has been calculated to last
only three years.
In chemistry, what discoveries have
been made, in fact the whole science has
been remodeled. The discovery Of the
Vollaic battery was to chemistry what a
strong man is to great lawgiver in ex-
ecuting his mandates. In the hands Of
Davy, chemical compounds OF what were
supposed mere earthly crystals were re-
solved into metals in 1903, and since
that time the mos, 'onishing progress
has been made in the science.
Agricultural chemistry is but few
years old, anG bromine, iodine. palladl-
um, rhodium, &c, are discoveries OF
very late years. The Animal Chemistry
of Lebig, has been but recently given
TO the world cotton and saw-dust are
made TO propel cannon balls. and rend
rocks by a spark from battery, and
chlorolorm has come to the aid of sur
gerry, and arms and limbs are amputated
from men and women every day, and
they are as ignorant Of the oper alton
performing on them as the dead in their
graves.
Gas light was unknown in the veal
1900; it was not until two years afeI
that, when Murdoch made his first pub
lie exhibition at Soho since that time
his discovery has encircled the earth
in Europe aud America all the principa
cities are lighted with it, aud even New
Zealand villages where white man hac
built his residence in 1900, are now illu
minated by the same subtitle aud beautl'
ful agent of comfort aud happiness. We
have i, asserted, also. and that but yes
terday, that water is now made in New
England city, at but little expense. iC
give both light and heat to cold, blind
erring morIals. In the department q
chemistry there is still as great an ocean
before US as there is behind in phlslca
discovery.
In astronomy the advancement la:
been equally wonderful Mechanics have
come TO the aid Of msthematics-new
aud powerful telescopes have drawn The
stars down TO earth, and opened the sc
crei chambers of Orion TO the ken o
mor,als, and so refined have the disqui
siiions of philosophy become, that th'
planet Neptune was recently discovered
befnre ray Of lis light had entered th'
human eve; aud as Sir David Brewste
has we'll observed, "by law Of the SO
lar system, Just discovered by DAME
Kirkwood, an humble American the
ch mic, who, like Kepler. struggled I
find something new among the arllhmeI
ical relations of the planetary elements
we can determine the broken magnltud
of the original planet long after ii ha
been shivered 10 atoms"
There is III single department il
science aud arl hat has been greatly en
! ,:.LoJ ,,.;,h s,Jandid d,srovar,es durin