Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1861-05-29
ODDITIES OF Invention.

A very High appreciation Of that which is
simply curious In art was universally entertain
ed In former times. We, more practical than
our ancestors, attach higher value to that which
is really useful. and curious contriyauces of
mechanical skill are abandoned to copjurers and
toy manufacturers. One or two samples Of the
kind Of inventions which were OF old particular
ly esteemed. may not be uninteresdng; but, at
the same time, 1t Is necessary to. premise that
these descriptions being taken from the ac-
counts which have been bequeathed TO US by
those who knew little either Of science or me-
chanics, It 10 not unlikely that some Of the
statements may be exaggerated, and undue i'm
portance have been given to things which would
now scarcely excite interest. .I i
Petrus Rsmus tells US Of wooden eagle aud
an iron fly, made by Regiomortanns, a famous
mathematician Of Nuremberg. The eagle was
made to spread It's wings, fy In the air. and
meeting the Emperor Msximilian some distance
from the city gates, salute him, crown him, or
something of that sort, and follow him back to
his palace This mechanical eagle-our French
neighbors employ live one on similar occa-
sions-ls said to have excited great astonish.
NEXT In all who witnessed its flight, and a poet
has described it DIV 'l-7 j. .',rr
-" Mounting from his nst that framed her,
Flew far to meet the German emperor;
And having met him, with her nimbls train
And pl ant wings turning shout again, .a ~ .l
:. Followed him close unto the castle gate -...
otNurembsrs. where all their shows o. OF state
Streets hanged With arras arches cuhou, built;
Gray.headed senate, and youths' Eallsntries-
Graced not 80 much ss only this device
The same poet describes the iron-ng:
"once, a. this artist more with m'rth THAI meat,
Feasted some friends whom hs esteemed great b..
Forth from his hapd an iron dy dew out. Il. . 5I..t
Which, having down perfect Toupd-about,
With weary wings returned unto her m,ster, 200 s..
And s3 judicious, on hsarm he placed her. IA
Obi Wit divine, that In the narrow wound
. or small Ay could hod suficsnt room S411' =
For all thee springs, wheels, counterpoles, chains
Which stood Instead Of I'VE, and blood, and VEINS"
% In the twentieth year Of Queen EIis sbeth,
Mark Scaliot, a blacksmith, made lock, con-
sistipg Of eleven pieces OF iron, steel and brass.
all Of which, together with pipe.key to it,
weighed but one grain Of gold, he made also q
chain Of gold consisting Of forty-three links,
whereunto, having fastened the lock and key
before mentioned, he put the chain about
Aea's neck, which drew them all with ease. This
Is, perhaps, the earliest specimen Of Aeas--ar-
tificially industrious-on record '2 ~
An old writer tells us that Janellus Turiauus,
q great master 10 the mathematics, amused the
leisure of Charles w. he who was -frie hten ed
iuto q monastery by q comet-by exhibiting mir.
aparrows into the Emperola dining room, which
fiew about there and returned; ct other times,
he caused little armed men to muster them.
selves upon the table, and arti6cislly move ac-
cording. 20 the discipline Of war, which was done
40 beyond example that the superior of the
religious house Of st. Jerome, who was igno-
rant of the mysteries of art, suspected him Of
witchcraft. s-,l.ss f,f,,s, o,eils,,b'-.,
II saw at Leghorn,"" says Gassor, "a clock,
brought bither by German to be sold, which
had 90 many varieties In Is, as I should never
have believed II mine own eyes had not seen it;
| for, besides an infinite number of strange mo.
tions which appeared not At all to the eye, you
| b ii there q comp ny Of shspherdfs someH VI ich
played on the bagpipe with such harmony and
exquisite motion of the fDgers, as that one
would have thought they bad been alive; others
danced by couples, keeping exact time and
measure, whilst others capered and leaped ur
and down with so much, nimbleness that my
spirits were wholly rsvished with the sight "
! In the gardens Of one OF the Italian nobility,
near Florence, there was formerly statue oI
Pan, sitting on stuol, With q reed pipein his
| hand, and another Of nymph motioning him
TO play on the pipe. Pan, putting away bis
i stool stood ur and performed, as requested, af-
tier which be took his stool and sat down again
There was also the statue of woman washing
clothes In the stream; and gAtatue of Fame,
VIM spresd his wings, and sounded his trumpet
| Artificial birds ,peIched ON trees. apd made Il
sing or whistle, or spFe,,d their WINGS were
common adjuucts to q garden. The mechanics
| arts were employed In the strangest manner. ss
as TO rudely initiate Nature. and all the litter.
ate and learned with admifation. These tick
of arthave grown stale, and dancing dolls an,
i marionettes Of all kinds->whether strikingIth
Il - - 4. Al