Southern standard. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1851-1856, 1851-11-01
Curious Mechanism.

Nothing in Vienna delighted me more than the
matchless machinery of the famous Pierra Jaquet
Droz, in his androides of self-movng figures
He must have been one of the highest order of
mechanical geniuses. lie exhibited three of his
automaton children before Louis XIV, of France
in 1879, who at once raised him to distinction, as
far as royal influence could dignity man of such
rare powers. One Of the figures writes beaui-
ful hand-any sentence proposed-by simply qua
ging plate to particular order Of letters. The
second draws the figures Of animals on paper, and
actually shades of profile and the third plays
with its fingers on keyed instrument, something
similar to piano. They have all the appearance
of life, even to the expression OF thoughtfuness.
was. permitted to inspect the mechanism at lei
sure, while In motion and at rest, and OF all the
complicated, inezpicable combination of wheels,
pnlons, chains, endless screws, and levers on
which my eyes ever rested, tAese are the most
perplexing and astonishing.
After the inventor had astonished all France
and England, he made trip to Spain, with the
expectation of reapng rich harvest in that then
wealthy kingdom but he had hardly commenced
the exhibition before the nquisition arrested him
and threw him into prison for being in league with
the devil Had il not been for the interest felt in
his case by the Archbishop of Toledo, who com
pretended the nature of the mechanism and fa-
vored his escape it is thought he would have been
burnt alive. This sad misfortune ruined his pros
poets, and stripped him of the avails Of his inge
nuity. He fed, leaying-the automata in the strong
box of the holy Office, where they remained ill
Napoleon entered, when, by the agency OF some
friends who knew the history of tie transaction,
they were recovered and sent to Paris--nol, how
ever, until the unfortunate Drez and his equally
talented son had been many years in their graves.
In the rough handling to which they had been
subjected, the apparatus go, out Of order, and no
one could be found competent to repair them I'LL,
by the merest chance, the present proprietor, 3
young German, on learning their history, made a
visit of inspection.
They were considered worthless, and no one,
however eminent as a maChinist, dared to under
take the restoration. By persevering study Mr..
Henri Martin, the gentleman alluded to, discover
ed the principle OF the movement, and they are
now again in motion. He would like much 10 go
to the United States with them, but breads the
idea of crossing turbulent ocean. Maelzels eel
ebrated rope dancers and even his chess players
are not to be named in the same day of the month
with them. Here is true mechanical movement
open for the most critical examination of the spec
tator, while his WAS deception. Connected with
these figures, Mr. Martin has a miniature handcraft
drawn by an old man smoking. He tugs away
awhile, stops and breathes hard, looks around,
and then pulls again atthe load with all the natu-
ralness of everyday life.
It is the work Of a watch maker, who employed
his leisure moments in the construction, and rca-
lzed FIVE hundred forms for his ingenuity. have
been more particular in speaking of this exhibi-
ton, because it Is of SO rare a character, and
evinces the resources of mind, in the Alpine re
gons Of Switzerland, in the personof DroZ, which
has not yet had parallel in the history of nven-
Itions.-BoSton Medical and Surgical JauTHak