The Placer herald., 1863-06-13
Clocks.


time was, undoubtedly, the observation oi
suns motion. In almost all climates, the
morning, noon and evening would be readily
distinguished The Babylonians appear to
be the first who obtained greater accuracy
by the invention of the sun dial at what
epoch is not exactly known; but it was evil
IDENTIFY at very remote period. The dial
Of Anaz; mentioned by Isaiah, must have ex
listed eight centuries before the Christian era;
and it is a curious example Of the communi-
cation which existed in ancient times between
the nations Of the world, that this instrument
was unknown TO the Greeks until within
about $40, B.. C. One of these Grecian sun
dials is preserved in the British Museum. 1t
is onjectured that it served to show the
hour in one of the cross'ways Of Athens
The Greek inscription placed on the exterior
of the two western faces states that "Phadrus,
the son of Zoilus. Peonian, made this"
A few centuries later, the Egyptians, in
order to distinguish the hours at night and
in cloudy weather, invented the clepsydra,
or water clock probably mere float, with
a rod fixed upon i, like mast, and placed
in vessel of water with hole at the bot.
and figures marked on the rod at proper
intervals showed the number of hours elaps,
ed. The sand glass, made like the modern
hour glass, was also used in ancient times,
as appears from baslreef, representing the
marriage of PeIeus and Thelis, in which is
the figure of ofMorpheus, holding glass of
this construction.
The period of the invention Of wheel
clocks is involved in unrertainty-some au-
thors stating it TO have been as early ms the
fourth and others as late a. the tenth cen
tury. The cause Of this disagreement is
that the word 'clock," has been used to des
ignate the clepsydra and hour-glass; and
probably the clocks mentioned by old chron.
iclers, and set down by modern authors as
proofs of the antiquity of the invention
were some notifications of these Instruments
Such, probably, was the clock sent by Paul
|. to Pepin le Bref in 760.
The French historians describe clock
sent Charlemange, in so7. by Ilaroun at
Raschid, the Caiph of the East, which
struck the hours by the falling of twelve
brass balls upon a bell 1t had also
twelve horsemen, who came out, one at a
time, at sepera,e doors, which they opened
and closed again. The clock must certainly
have been furnished with some kind of wheel
work; but the moving power is said to have
been the fall Of water.
In the twelfth century, clocks, moved by
weights, appeared to have been used in Italy;
and early in the fourteenth century one was
put up in London, 10y Walingford, monk.
who died in 1925, which was said to show
the time with accuracy. In the year 1874,
Giacomo Dondi erected, at Padua, his cele'
brated clock, which, besides the hour of the
day, showed the course Of the sun in eclp
tic and the p lace Of the planets. The cele'
brty acquired by this clock was the cause
OF great advancement in the art. Almost
every court in Europe was desirous of pos
sessing a similar work; and sklIfu mechan-
les were, in consequence, induced to turn
their attention to the manufacture. Its au
thor was dignifed with the sirname of Io-
rologious, which is still borne by his de-
scendents, the chief of whom, the Marcbesse
Dondi Orologio, was lately, and most likely
still is, a. resident of Padua.
A story, told cf Louis XI., (King of
France from l46l to 1889 shows that the
art had then made great advancement.-A
gentleman who had lost great deal of mon
ey at play, stole clock belonging to the King,
and bid it in his sleeve. In a short time the
clock, notwithstanding its removal, struck
the hour, and the theft of course was discov
cred. Louis, as caprcious in kindness as in
tyranny, not only pardoned the culprit, but
made him present of the clock
tnc a.
rior to the clepsydra, and celebrated at the
period of their invention for the accuracy of
their movements, gave; according to our
present notions, but coarse approximations
to the true time. They were retarded great,
ly when particle of dust got into their
works, and accelerated when cleaned. AS
to the minute divisions of time, they were
quite useless. Tycho Brahe, an astronomer
who lived in the sixteenth century, and who
spared no expense or trouble in their com
struction, found that no dependence could
be placed upon them for his observations.
The adaptation of the pendulum by the
celebrates lluypens, 1867, at once brought
clock making to perfection. The clock, that
had hitherto merely y served to divide the
day into periods of sufficient accuracy for the
details of business, or the hours of eating and
sleeping, now became the means of record
ing the minutes lapse Of time, of showing
the smallest irregularities in the apparent
motion of the sun and planets, and of rel
ducing astronomy to the exactness of malh'
ema,ical reasoning. Increased skill in
workmanship has, of course, produced great
er accuracy; but the pendulum is still the
mears of giving the effect.
JEWISH MARRIAGE DIvoRCE.-The Jewish
&c liuorno L. ahnrA n.I lon.l IL