The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1851-08-27
Curious Mechanism.

The following description OF singular
machine is given by J. V c. Smith, in The
Boston Medical and Surgical journal
"Noihing in Vienna delighted me more
than The mstchless machinery Of the famous
Jaq,e, Droz, in his sndroids Of sell. moving
hgures. lie must have been one of the yer,
highest order Of mechanical geniuses. he
exhibited three Of his automaior children
before Louis XIV of France, in l772
who al once raised him 10 distinction as far
as 70, influence could dignity man Of
sucl rare powers. One of these figures
wires a beautiful hand any sentence pro.
possibly simply guaging dIa plate 10 a
particular order OF letters. The second
draws the figures Of animals on pdper, and
ac;aally shades off profile and the lhlrd
pls,s with its fingers on a keyed instrument
something similar 10 piano. They have
all he appearance Of life, even TO The expires.
slot of Iboughtiulness.
Il was permitted 10 inspect the meohan.
ism al leisure while in motion and at rest !:
AMI Of all the complicated, inexplicsble CON-
binatjon Of wheels, pinions, chains, endless
screws, cams and levers, on which my eyes
ever rested, these are The most perpexng
AMI astonishing. After the inventor had
astsnished all France aud Engls he made
a TIP TO Spain, with an expectation OF reap
ing good harvest in that wealthy kingdom,
but he had hardly commenced the exhibi
lion before the nqulsition arrested him and
threw him into prison for being IN league
with the devil. Had it not bseR for the IN.
tere.l felt in his case by the archbishop Of
mechanism, and favored his escape, 1t is
though, he would have been burned alive.
This sad misfortune ruined his pros.
pesls, and stripped him of the avaIls Of his
ingenuity. He fled, leaving the automata in
the strong box of the holy office, where they
remained illl Napoleon entered, when, by
the agency OF some friends who knew the
history Of the trsnsactlsns, they were reco.
vered aud sent TO Parls-not, however, until
the unfortunate Droz and his equally talent.
ed son had been many years IN their graves.
In the rough landings to which they had
been subjected, the spparstus got out of
order, aud ne one could be found competent
to repair them, ill by the merest chance the
present proprietor, young German, on
learning their history, made visit OF IN.
speclon.
They were considered worthless, and no
one, however as a mechanst, dared under.
take the restoration. BY Persevering study,
Mr.. Henri Martin, the gentleman alluded to,
discovered the principle of the movement,
and they are now sgain in motion. lie would
like much to 60 to the United States with
lhsm, but breads the idea Of crossing tur.
bulent ocean. Maelzsl's celebrated rops dan.
GERS, and even his chess.players, are no, to
be named in the same day of the month with
them. Here is q true mechanical move.
ment, open for the most critical examlna.
,ion Of the spectator, while his was a de.
ception. Connected with these figures, Mr..
Martin has a miniature hand.cart, drawn
by an old man smoking. He tugs away
awhile, aud stops and brea.hes hard and
looks around, and then pulls again at the
load with oil the naturalness of every day
life.
1T 10 the work Of matchmaker who EN-.
ployed his leisure moments in the construc.
tion, and realized 500 florins for the ingenu.
ity. I have been moro particular in speak.
ing ef ;hn exhibition, because i IS of So