a d

e

a is a force pump; b a suction pipe, to be inserted in a pail or other vessel of water; c the pipe which conducts the water out of the pump into the top of the vessel d; e is a receiver for the purified water; ƒ a cock to draw the water off; g g g g screws for separating the receiver from the vessel d when required.

That this machine is convenient for its portability, and from the rapidity with which small quantities of water may be filtered, we are ready to admit, and it is so far deserving of public patronage; but to suppose that a 9-inch cylinder (the size quoted by the patentees) will filter 2000 gallons of water" from the mass of corrupted and putrescent animal and vegetable matter, with which it comes impregnated into our houses," is so gross an untruth, that it deserves to be noticed.

The filtering substances used in this apparatus are of the same description as those used in others. The upper portion of the filterer, down to about the bottom of the letter d in the cut, is left vacant for the dirty water, which first passes through a thin bed of charcoal; the rest of the vessel downwards, which is about three-fourths of the whole, is occupied with sand, excepting a few layers of flannel at the bottom, which lie over a perforated metal plate. The difference in the process from that of others, consists in the water being forced, instead of being allowed to percolate quietly, through the sand, &c. Filtering by the constant pressure of a column of water has long been practised; and if force be desirable, it must be preferable to the intermitting action of a force pump, which has a greater tendency to dislodge the impurities that had been previously

detained, and is very well calculated to send out the water charged with more frogs, toads, efts, &c., than it had previously.

If we suppose the delectable water mentioned by the patentee to contain only a thousandth part of foreign matter, the interstices between the particles of sand in his machine would be filled before a hundred gallons had passed through, and the machine would be rendered worse than useless until cleansed.

PAPER MANUFACTURE.

JOHN DICKINSON, of Nash Mills, Hertfordshire, paper manufacturer, has taken out a patent for a "new improvement in the method of manufacturing paper by machinery, and also a new method of cutting paper, or other materials, into single sheets or pieces, by means of machinery." Mr. Dickinson, who is the inventor of patent machinery, which have been in use for some time, in the manufacture of paper in continuous sheets or webs, describes in his present specification three improvements. First, to cause the paper to be pressed between two rollers, the upper of which is heated by steam in the usual way, first with one side, and afterwards with the other upwards, to give it an equal gloss on both sides; secondly, to introduce, during the manufacture, into the centre of the paper threads, fine net or other reticulated material; aud, thirdly, to cut it into a sheet of appropriate size, by a more convenient and expeditions method than those now in use. The first object he effects by carrying the paper upon félt round a series of rollers, similar to those employed in the double machines for printing both sides of a sheet of paper at one time. The second, by placing over the pulp vessel a series of bobbins with thread or a roller, with any other material to be introduced into the paper. These threads are guided by a grooved roller into the pulp close to the first or feeding roller, which takes up the pulp to form the paper; and by the current of the pulp approaching the feeding roller, the threads are brought into contact with it. The third improvement he' effects by affixing to the bottom of a tall oscillating frame, a series of circular revolving cutters; and when this frame is made to oscillate, and the cutters to revolve, they traverse along the edge of stationary cutters, on which the paper to be cut is extended, and thus all the advantages of a clipping action is obtained.

WINDMILLS.

CHURCH MEWES, of Manchester, engineer, has obtained a patent for various improvements in the form and construction of VOL. IV. No. 73. 1ST AUGUST, 1829.

windmills and their sails." The first improvement described by the patentee is an arrangement for varying the relative speed of the mill-stones, and the sails, to obtain the same speed in the stones with different forces of wind; which he effects by fixing on the same shaft a series of spur-wheels of different sizes, the largest being nearest the end of the shaft. These wheels are acted upon by a spur-wheel on a shaft placed parallel to the last, and connected by bevel wheels with the main sails, or first mover of the machinery. The different sized wheels are brought into contact with the driving wheel, as required by the frame which supports them being connected to the frame which supports the driving-wheel by rods, which act in a manner precisely similar to the action of the rods, which connect the two sides of a common parallel rule; thus, while the shaft, with the different sized spur-wheels, is carried forward, it is also brought nearer to the driver, so that a wheel of a smaller diameter is brought into gear with it. The second improvement, which Mr. Mewes describes, is to render the helm sails by which the main sails are adjusted to face the wind, more susceptible of the action of slight winds, and this he effects by connecting a large vane with their axes, through a series of levers, so arranged that the slightest turn of the vane will bring the helm sails to face the wind, and thus cause them to be acted on by a much lighter wind than what is required to act on helm sails without a vane. His third improvement applies to the main sails, the whips or arms of which he arranges so as to present to the wind an equal quantity of surface, though they are much shorter than those usually employed. He increases the number of the whips or arms, which are not made to radiate from the centre, but to proceed from points at some distance from it; the front arm proceeding in one direction, and the back arm in another, so as to give the required angle to the sail. These sails being much shorter, can be made much lighter than sails of the usual construction; and hence the top or moveable part of the mill can be. made considerably smaller, a circumstance of very great importance..

CAL

IMPROVED MUSICAL GLASSES.

By Mr. TAIT, of Jermyn Street, St. James's.

THE musical glasses exceed every other instrument in the production of a soft, clear, and liquid quality of tone, and is peculiarly effective in the performance of pathetic music. It has heretofore been considered a desideratum that an instrument formed of glasses might be so constructed as to accord with, and accompany other instruments; to be tuned agreeably to concert pitch, with the capa

bility of modifying in all the keys of the chromatic scale, which would tend to their being brought into general use. This arrangement we are happy to state has been completely accomplished by the talent and industry of Mr. Tait, and he has contrived to render it highly convenient to play upon, as well as an elegant piece of furniture.

The inconvenience attending the former plan of tuning the glasses by water, is completely obviated by grinding their surfaces. In this tedious operation, nothing but the exercise of that perseverance, which is the characteristic of true genius, would ever have obtained the admirable result of perfecting by such means every note. We understand that a single turn of the lathe often entirely changed the tone, which no subsequent grinding of the glass would recover: the labour therefore in bringing this instrument to perfection, in a scientific sense, may well be conceived. Every glass produces one particular definite tone, which is not liable to change (as was the case when water was used, occasioned by evaporation), but the note which it denotes is permanent.

The subjoined engravings will convey an idea of the appearance of the instrument independently of the ornament with which they are more or less decked.

Fig 1 represents a perspective view of the instrument, in the -form of a card-table, one of the leaves of which are inclined when open for the reception of the music-book, and likewise serves to enclose the instrument when not in use. The plane on which the glasses are placed is not quite horizontal, but slanting a little, like a writing-desk, which gives increased facility to the range of the player.

The compass of Mr. Tait's instrument is two octaves and a half, commencing, as will be seen by the annexed scale, with the c, the first ledger line under the treble cleff, which is usually the compass of a female voice.

It will therefore be apparent to those who play on other instruments, that written music can be performed with the same precision in this improved instrument as on the piano-forte, and that it does not, as heretofore, depend, upon the ear alone, as the following example of "The Swiss Boy" will illustrate.

We should not omit to notice that the musical glasses, by having all the semi-tones (or flats and sharps), may be played in any key, and that the art is very soon acquired.

BY THE EDITOR.

As the matter burned by the flame of a tallow or wax candle is nearly the same as that issuing from an oil or gas lamp, namely, carburetted hydrogen; it has often occurred to us, that if candles were formed upon the same principle, as the argand burners of lamps are constructed, a light would be obtained from them, of as great intensity and purity as that derived from gas. To ascertain the correctness of our views, about four or five years ago we formed, in a coarse manner, a hollow tallow candle, the wick of which was one of the common tubular kind, used in argand oil lamps. The result of the experiment was as successful as could be expected from the imperfect nature of the manufacture. The flame was a brilliant