Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1851-10-30
From the Boston Medical aud Surgical journal
CURIOUS MECHANISM

Nothing in Vienna de lrhted me more than IN,
matchless mach merry ct the famous Pierra alue
Drez, in his androiaes Of selt-Aoving figures
He must have been one of the highest order o
mechanical genuSes. He exhibited three Of hi
aatomaton children before Louis XIV. of France
in i12, who at once raised him to distinction, a
far as royal influence could dignity man OF sucl
rare powers. Oae OF the figures writes heaut
ful haad--any sentence proroseG-hv simply
gaasing plate to particular order OF letters-
The second draws the figures OF animals on pa.
per, and actually shades Of profile; and tht
third plays with It's fingers on a keyed instra.
ment something similar to piano. Taey have
all the appearance OF life, even to the expression
of tao4ghtsulness | was permitted 10 iaSpec.
The mechanism at leisure, while in motion aud a
rest, and Of all the complicated, ileNplicabls
combination OF wheels, pin.ons, chains, eatless
screws, cams aud levers on which my eyes ever
rested, these are the most perplexias and aston
ishinE.
After the Inventor hal astonish,l all France
and England, he made . trip to Spain, with the
expectation Of reapng 4 rich harvest in that
we4thy kingdom; but he had hardly commences
the exhibition before the iAqnisltion arrested him
and threw him into prison for being in league
with The devil. Had it not been for the interest
felt in bis case by the Archbishop of Toledo
who comprehenled the nature Of the mechanism,
and favored his escape, it is thought he would
have been been burnt alive. This sad misfortune
ruined bis prospects, and stripped him OF the
avails Of his ingenuity. He fed, leaving the all
tomato in the strong box of the holy Office. where
they remained till Napoleon entered, when Y
the agency of some friends who knew the histo-
~ OF the transaction, they were recovered and
sent to parls-not, however, till the unfortunate
Droz and his equally talented son had been many
years in their graves. In the rough landings to
which they had been subjected. the apparatus got
out OF order, and no one cnaia be found con-
petent to repair them, till by the merest chance
the present proprietor, young German, on
learning their history, made visit of inspection
They were considered worthless, and no one
however eminent as mackinist, dared to under
take tha restoration. By rerSevering study, MI
Henri Martin. the gentleman alluded TO, discov-
cred the principle of the movement, and they are
now again in motion. He won,d like much to
90 to the United States with them, but dread:
the idea Of crossings turbulent ocean. Iaezel'.
celebrated rope-iancers, and even his chess.
players, are not to be named i'm the saE1e day ol
the month with them. Here is true mechani
cal movement, open for the most critical exani.
nation Of the spectator, white his was decep
ton. Connected with these figures, Mr. Martir
has miniature handcart, drawn by an old mat
smoking Ee tugs away awhile, stops AM
breathes hard, looks around, and then pull
again at the load with all the natgralness Of eve
gy-day lie.
It is the work of Il Matchmaker, who employ
ell his leisure moments in the construction, an
realized FIVE hundred florius fer his Ingenuity
I have been more particular in speaking OF tli
exhibition, because it is Of so rare character
ana evinces the resources OF mind, il. the Aipin
regions OF Switzerland, in the person Of Dro7
which has not had parallel in the history Of il.
rentions.