is an abuse of its power which Philosophy prohibits; for it is not enough that a truth should be acknowledged, it must be vitally actualized in the consciousness and conscience. “ Ου γαρ εν μεσοισι κείται ART. VIII.—A History of Inventions, Discoveries, and Origins. By John Beckmann, Professor of Economy in the University of Gottingen. Translated from the German by William Johnson. Fourth Edition. Carefully revised and enlarged by William Francis, Ph. D., Editor of the "Chemical Gazette," and J. W. Griffith, M.D. 2 vols. London: H. Bohn, 1846. IN glancing over the work before us, we have greatly to regret that it does not assume a more classified shape, but still retains the somewhat desultory form into which Beckmann originally threw its materials. The editors have taken due care to bring down to the present time the progress from each invention and discovery, which renders the work highly valuable; but we think they would have conferred a still higher obligation on the public, had they attempted a classification of the subjects. Possibly reverence for the form in which Beckmann left his materials induced this course; but we can see no harm, but great good, from smoothing the way to the sources for immediate reference. At present we have neither a scientific nor alphabetic arrangement, which is embarrassing for reference. We have, however, no work which conveys the same information in the space in which it is included in this work. Among the earliest articles, we have one on the odometer or pedometer, perambulator or way-measurer. It is very remarkable at how early a period invention directed itself to measure by time the progress of motion. Vitruvius, even, describes a machine of this character; and the well-known John Fernel measured, in 1550, a degree of the meridian between Paris and Amiens by an instrument of this description. A Berlin artist, of the name of Hohlfeld, invented one of the best of these machines. This was a remarkable man, and the author of numerous discoveries; among others, of one that indicated the revolutions of the wheels of a carriage, and he attached this instrument to the spokes. The odometer now in use is the invention of Mr. Payne, a watchmaker, of Bond-street. Our readers will find a minute description of it at p. 11, added by the ingenious editors of this work. To the paper on amalgam, we find the following judicious note on electro-gilding: : "It had long been known to experimentalists on the chemical action of voltaic electricity, that solutions of several metallic salts were decomposed by its agency, and the metal produced in its free state. The precipitation of copper by the voltaic current was noticed by Mr. Nicholson, in a paper entitled Account of the New Electrical Apparatus of Signor Alexander Volta, and experiments performed with the same;' but the earliest recorded process in electro-gilding is probably that contained in a letter from Brugnatelli to Van Mons, in which he states that he had deposited a film of gold on ten silver medals by bringing them into communication by means of a steel wire with the negative pole of a voltaic pile, and keeping them one after the other immersed in ammoniuret of gold newly made and well saturated. This announcement of a process identical with those now extensively used, attracted no attention at the time it was made, and no further experiments on the application of electricity to the deposition of metals for the purposes of the arts were published until the year 1830, when Mr. E. Davy read a paper before the Royal Society, in which he distinctly states that he had gilded, silvered, coppered, and tinned various metals by the voltaic battery. The experiments of Brugnatelli and Davy were, however, completely lost sight of, and the art may be said to date its origin from the period when the late Professor Daniell described his constant battery. Since that time the art has continued to advance most rapidly, either in the perfecting of the apparatus, or in the pointing out of more suitable salts of gold and silver from which the metals might be precipitated. Among those who have contributed to its advancement we may particularly instance the names of our countrymen, Woolrich, Spencer, Jordan, Mason, Murray, Smee, Elkington, Fox Talbot, and Tuck." (p. 14.) Our readers will find that this subject, while yet in its infancy, received the attention of the conductors of this Review; and in vol. ii, Art. 7, they will find the state of application of electro-metalurgy in Russia, France, and Germany, to the useful arts. The notice of "magnetic cures" holds out small encouragement to the Mesmeric school, which this philosopher most justly derides. Magnets are, however, applied in some manufactures, where small particles of iron or steel have accidentally fallen into the eyes of the workmen. Large magnets are kept fixed at a proper height, so that they can be resorted to immediately. We regret to say that, having worn one of the magnetic rings for some days, out of affection to the fair hand that placed it on our finger, we shall, after the following declaration, (though we can never renounce the donor's power as a charmer,) be positively obliged to discard her gift as delusive. "Quite recently, a new means has been contrived in England for deluding the public, in the form of rings, which are to be worn upon the fingers or toes, and are said to prevent the occurrence of, and cure various diseases. They are called galvanic rings. But this invention may be with propriety classed with the real magnet, animal magnetism, and tractation. What has been stated relative to the metallic tractors, equally applies to the metallic rings; for, although by the contact of the two metals of which they are composed an infinitesimally minute current of electricity-hence also of magnetism-is generated, still from the absurd manner in which the pieces of metal composing the ring are arranged, and which displays the most profound ignorance of the laws of electricity and magnetism, no trace of the minute current traverses the finger or toe on which the ring is worn; so that a wooden, any other ring, or none at all, would have exactly the same effect, as regards the magnetism or galvanism." (p. 46). Under the head of "coaches," which article is elaborately worked out, the editors have appended the following observations on the omnibus : "That very useful form of public conveyance, the omnibus, which is at present met with in every large town in Europe, originated in Paris in 1827. In the latter part of 1831, and the beginning of 1832, omnibuses began to ply in the streets of London. Those running from Paddington to the Bank were the earliest. Carriages, however, of a similar form were used in England as long stages more than forty years ago, but were discontinued, as they were not found profitable. They were in most request at holiday time, by schoolmasters in the neighbourhood of London; and some, even of the present generation, will remember their joyous pranks on journeying home in these capacious machines. "There are now about 900 omnibuses running in London and its immediate vicinity. The line from Paddington to the Bank is served by two companies, the London Conveyance Company, and the Paddington Association, which have mutually agreed to run forty omnibuses each. An idea of the utility of these conveyances may be formed from the fact, that the receipts of each of the eighty carriages on the above line averages £1000 per annum, in sixpences." (p. 82.) What will be the astonishment of the British public when they shall see, (if a company, whose written scheme is before us, be established,) 500 or 1000 added to the present number, and receive the additional accommodation of being carried at the rate of 1d. per mile; which sum will leave, we are informed, to the proprietors a handsome remuneration! The article on sympathetic ink concludes with the following important observations, which may possibly affect the recent case of forgery investigated at the Mansion-house, where a ten-pound cheque had been apparently converted into one for a larger amount. We think it right also, in addition, to warn our readers, that the ordinary blue ink in some cases, we have unhappily found, may be entirely obliterated by simply rubbing with the hand! "In consequence of the progress of modern chemistry and the discovery of a vast number of new chemical compounds, sympathetic inks may be made in an almost endless number and variety. The principal may be classed in the following manner :-1. Such as when dried upon paper being invisible, on moistening with another liquid become again evident: of this kind there are a vast number; among which we may mention a solution of a soluble salt of lead, or bismuth, for writing, and a solution of sulphuretted hydrogen for washing over, the writing then appears black; or green vitriol for writing, and prussiate of potash for washing over, when the writing becomes blue. 2. Such as are rendered evident by being sifted over with some powder, as the milk with soot, described above. 3. Those which become visible by heat, such as characters in dilute sulphuric acid, lemon-juice, solutions of the nitrate and chloride of cobalt, and of chloride of copper; the two former become black or brown, the latter are rendered green, the colouring disappearing subsequently, when allowed to cool in a moist place. Amusing pictures are sometimes made with these sympathetic inks, particularly those composed of cobalt; for if a landscape be drawn to represent winter, the vegetation being covered with a solution of cobalt, on holding the paper to the fire all those portions covered with the solution appear of a bright green, and thus completely change the character of the scene." (p. 110.) 66 Amid other points that our ingenious author has considered, he has even directed his attention to writing pens." He considers, first, the reed pen; next, the feather; and lastly, the steel. The most beautiful ancient reeds grew formerly in Egypt, Cnidus, in Asia Minor and Armenia, and even in Italy. Our author does not attempt to divine the distinction between "Calamus" and "Arundo." The pith, according to Pliny, dried up within the reed. It was split, and formed into a point like our quills; but, however useful for oriental writing, it never could have supplied to the scribe the advantages of the quill. A passage in "Clemens Alexandrinus" has been adduced, in which he appears to state that the Egyptian priests used quills, but it scarcely appears to convey so much. No accredited ancient drawing, we believe, exhibits the quill. Isidore, in 636, mentions, among writing materials, reeds and feathers. Alcuin, who lived in the time of Charlemagne, mentions writing pens; and a MS. of the four Gospels, which Mabillon had seen, represents the four evangelists with quills: this was written in the ninth century. Calami is the term given, no doubt, to quill pens even, from the Latin supplying no other; so that this must not mislead us as to the actual instrument employed. We consider the celebrated tablets dug up in Transylvania perfectly conclusive, that down to the time of Aurelius Verus, the stylus and not the quill pen was in general use. These, we believe nearly the only genuine Roman tablets extant, prove that the stylus was not superseded by the pen. The Herculaneum MSS. appear freely written, but great elasticity might be acquired by the reed pen, properly managed. We conclude this head with congratulating our readers on the advantages they derive from the swiftness of execution of the steel pen; and the comfort that the writer of these sheets feels in the vast evolutions that his steel pen enables him to continue without mending it, or stopping the course of ideas for mechanical execution, he can assure them, is to him, as an author, inestimable. In their usual style, the authors of this work have drawn down this invention to the latest point : "The softness of quill pens, and the constant trouble required to mend them, naturally led to the search for some substitute. Metals have supplied this, and the manufacture of metallic pens now gives occupation to an immense number of persons. Steel and other metallic pens have long been made occasionally, but were not extensively used on account of their stiffness; this was remedied by Mr. Perry, who, in 1830, introduced the use of apertures between the shoulder and the point. Numerous other improvements have been made, the metals have all had a trial, and pens can now be obtained of almost every form and quality. Perhaps the most perfect and durable, although the most expensive, are those in which the pen is made of gold, with a nib of osmium and iridium. The total quantity of steel annually employed in the manufacture of pens has been estimated at 120 tons, from which upwards of 200,000,000 pens are produced. One Birmingham manufacturer employed, in 1838, 300 persons in making steel pens. They are also extensively manufactured in London and Sheffield. When first introduced, steel pens were eight shillings a-gross; they afterwards fell to four shillings a gross, and now they are procured at Birmingham for four pence a gross." (p. 413.) We regret to say, that the article on lace is very barren of information on all early periods of its use. Some authors have thought that it was brought from Italy to Germany and France. It was not known certainly as a branch of textile art to the antients. Beckmann affirms the knitting of lace to be a German |