Des Arc citizen., 1858-11-13
The Invention ofthe Steam Engine.

This is fact not widely circulated. Al that date Spaniard exhibited in the pres- ence of Charles V. and all his court, in the harbour of Barcelona, a vessel of 200 tons, propelled by an engine, the construc- ton of which was secret 10 all but the inventor. The chronicles of that day in. forms us that there was great cauldron of boiling water within, and two wheels on the outside which moved the vessel.-- The treasurer of tic kingdom objected 10 its introduction. It seems to have been quite perfect, since the objections urged against it were that it was too complicated, very expensive, and the boiler apt 10 ex- plode. But Spain was no. ripe for it, the world was not ripe for it. The inventor, disguised with the want of appreciation displayed by the court, took the engine out of the vessel, allowed the ship to rot in the arsenal, and his secret perished with him in his grave.
 One century later and the same prob, lem was offered to France. A celebrated female, equally renowned for her beauty,
 mmoralities, mislor,unes and longevity also, for she died at the age l34 years,- the famous Marie del Orme---so we'll known to the readers of modern fiction
 has furnished us, in a letter to an admirer written m l64l, these most astonishing details. The celebrated Marquis of Wor- cester was then on visit to Madam in Paris, and with her visited madhouse in the capital. While crossing the court yard of that dismal establishment. the lady was almost paralyzed with terror, and while clinging to her companion she saw a frightful face looking through the bars of a window of building, and heard these strange words :---" am not mad am not mad have made discovery which shall enrich the kingdom that adopts 1t. The question was asked by one of the wis. itors, what is it that this man has discover. ed. The answer of the visitor, with q mocking laugh was, "Oh it's not much {; it's something about the power of steam" And so the lady laughed that man should go mad about so frivolous thing as that.
 This man i, seems, came from Norman dy to bring before the king his discovery of the fact that steam could be used to navigate the ocean, and in short there was nothing that he did not claim could be done by the power of steam. Cardinal Rich. elieu was uppermost then, and though he was most sagacous and enlightened as worldly wisdom goes, yet he turned his back on the inventor. Tie man followed him from place to place, and the Cardinal, getting tired of his pertinacity, sent him to the madhouse. The man even wrote q book on the subject of his thoughts, enii. tied Moving Powers. The Marquis of Worcester was much interested in this book, and used some of its ideas after wards in his own works. So we see that France in 164l. as Spain in l543, proved her inability to take up and wield this mortal thunderbot.
 The problem was reserved for the An. glo Saxon race to grapple with and con quer, and thereafter the mechanical skill of England was turned to this invention with various success, till in tEe middle of the last century, after the idea had been floating for 200 years in ingenious minds, the steam engine, that scarcely inanimate Titan, that living. burning mechanism, was brought to perfection by James Watt. Thenceforth the engines of labor, mar. shalled by the power which Watt brought forward, were to make their bloodless tr. umph, not for the destruction bu. for the blessing of mankind. All hail to thee, mute, indefa.igable agent of strength, working in deep mines, moving along the pathways of trade, toiling in the service of man! No fatigue can palsy thy her. culean arm! No trampled hosts writhe under thy feet! No widowed hearts bleed at thy benefcient victories
 England solved the problem, but it seems as if il were the will of Providence thai
 she should not go so far as to apply steam
 to the navigation of the ocean. This par
 of the problem remained for the othe
 branch of the Anglo.Saxon ace,--tht branch of that western hemisphere whose
 expanded territories are traversed by some
 of the noblest rivers, and separated iron
 England by an almost worldwide ocean
 The thoughts of the men of the last cen
 tury after the Revolution, were turned tt
 the development of steam. One of those
 men attracted the attention of him whom : nothing escaped that belonged to the wei
 fare of this country--of Washington
 and he expressed his satisfaction of th' experiments of Rumsey. It seems almos proyidential that steam was not developed in ocean navigation at the time of th'
 Revolution, for it would have given he , vast resources and powers to bear mor'
 swiftly and directly on the struggling colo nists-with what effect who can tel
 But the Revolutionary period wa passed, and independence established, tn
 hour had come, and the man was there
 In the year l799 the thought became ma ture in Fulton's mind, and Chancellor Liy
 ingston took deep interest in the schem of water navigation by steam. They ap piled to the New York Legislature for al act of incorporation. l am sorry to sa, that America at that time did not seen ! much wiser than France and Spain hal ! been before her. Livingston tells us Una the young men of the Legislature, whel
 tired of the grayer matters of the law a would call up the steam bill as they cale !. it, and have little fun. Young Americ i