NEW THEORY OF THE UNIVERSE. By Description.-A A, principal supports of carriage, 7 ft. 9 in. long; B, two 4 feet diameter wheels; C, crank axletree, fixed, 2 ft. 9 in. from N; cranks 6 inches each. D, two 2 feet pulley wheels. E, 1 ft. 3 in. diameter pulley wheels, with ratchet in nave to allow wheels to run on in going down a hill, with levers standing still; FF driving band (dotted;) Q foot levers, 3 feet long, pressing on crank axletree, 1 ft. 3 in. from the ends GG; HH hand levers, 3 feet long, with a 5 inch diameter pulley attached to each handle I I, with cords passing under pulleys at J J to K K. turning these hand pullies (which can be done whilst working the H levers,) you are enabled to guide the carriage, and by having the front iron L bent a little, the carriage will run straightforward, so that in guiding it you only require to alter the course at bends of the road, which is a help; an upright iron is likely at any instant to turn out of its path, if not strongly held. M, axletree of front wheel, 2 feet long; O front wheel, 3 feet diameter; P springs; SS seats; the posture for sitting is nearly upright, a rest to be placed for the feet, when not required to work, as would be the case in all descents, ever so small, the hand levers being quite sufficient to drive with.. A brake might also be attached to great wheels to steady or stop a carriage in going down hills. "NEW THEORY OF THE UNIVERSE." Sir, I should not again so soon have requested the insertion of another paper in your valuable work had I not received two letters on the subject of my communications to you, which appear to render it necessary. The writer of one of these letters seems to understand my theory and to approve of it, the writer of 175 the other to misunderstand and to con demn it. Una vox librorum sed non omnes æque informat. However, in this instance some fault may rest with me, for, as that eminent writer, Mr. Whe well, observes, in his preface to Butler's Sermons, "the show of clearness is easily acquired by him who has to trace into its consequences a principle already admitted or assumed; but the effort by which we obtain possession of the peculiar idea involved in a new principle is hard to communicate in a precise manner." Inasmuch as my theory opens a new path for the inquiry into the nature of heat and cold, and hence is of the greatest importance to the arts-inasmuch as my theory offers a rational and obvious cause for an effect for which otherwise an imaginary cause is assigned-I own that I am particularly anxious that it should be well understood and thoroughly investigated by those who are capable of seeing clearly, thinking deeply, and judging impartially. Talent, courage, and generosity, are alike necessary to induce a person to interest himself in the success of a theory suggested by another, the importance of which must at first be faintly impressed on his mind. I do not mistrust my theory, but I do mistrust my own powers of developing it, and I do mistrust the possibility of finding a person of adequate talent, courage and generosity to examine it as it deserves to be examined. An approved author of the present day asserts, the only distinct notions we are capable of forming respecting matter are that it consists of certain powers of attraction and repulsion, occupying certain portions of space and moving in space; and that its parts thereby assume different relative positions and configu rations." My theory does not admit of space, solidity and compactness are equipoised by rarity and extent. Plato says that "man is nature's horizon, dividing between the upper sphere of immaterial intellects and this lower of corporiety. The metaphor might have been carried further. Nature's horizon he divides also between the rarity which has no matter, and the solidity which has no rarity. Not to touch on metaphysics, I content myself with taking animal and vegetable life as the pivot on which all heat, all cold, all weight, all lightness, and, consequently, all motion depends, 176 COMMON ROAD STEAM CARRIAGES. Previously to having been acted on by life all matter is positive cold; after having been acted on by life it is positive heat, either latent or sensible; by positive heat and positive cold I mean a fluid in two opposite states, one producing the sensation of cold, the other the sensation of heat. The state of heat being liable to be lost beyond the sphere of the sun's action-beyond that is, the distance to which his exhalations extend without interference with the exhalations of other spheres. Hence a continual circulation of the fluids of the Universe by (as I have elsewhere remarked), the absorption of the cold fluid to supply the exhalation of the warm fluid. The fate which generally awaits the first promulgation of any new thing that is worth having, will most probably attend my theory for the present. That of Dr. Harvey and his theory of the circulation of the blood, will be a warning to any one not to adopt too readily the suggestion of another. Should any one do so in this case, there may, perhaps, be more than one coincidence between his fate and Dr. Harvey's*-a fate not very de sirable for those who do not prefer future fame to present enjoyment. Allow me to thank you, Sir, for the obliging manner in which you have inserted my papers, and to remain, Yours, &c. July 14, 1840. E. A. M. COMMON ROAD STEAM CARRIAGES. Sir, I observe in the last week's number of your Magazine a letter on common road steam coaches, signed "A. Gordon," in which he states that all the common road steam coaches hitherto built have gone pretty well on level roads, but that the moment the road is bad, laid with gravel, or the carriage ascends hills, the full power of the engine being of course exerted, the immense pressure, aided by the collisions so natural on common roads, has invariably been attended with injury to some part of the engine, and he then proceeds to state that in the trips I have made to Brighton in my steam coach the same result has taken place. * I believe the Doctor lost his practice and his money by attending to the suggestion of a lady on the circulation of the blood. I beg to state that such is not the fact that in all the trips I have made no derangement of any kind has taken place except once, on taking in a quantity of muddy water, and then it merely retarded the progress of the carriage slightly-that I have, with the carriage full loaded, ascended the steepest hills on the Brighton road, namely, Hemel Cross hill and the Red hill, at 12 miles an hour. I have since that time been three or four times to Seven Oaks and Tunbridge Wells, the most hilly road out of London, and I have never once experienced the least derangement of the machinery that has at all stopped my progress, and the average speed of each trip has been 16 and 17 miles an hour. I do not wish to detract from the merits of the superior plans Mr. Gordon may have for his machinery, but think that it is hardly fair that without making inquiry he should publish such erroneous statements, tending to the injury of an individual, as those contained in his letter. Begging the insertion of the above, I have the honour to be, Sir, Deptford Chemical Works, Common Road Steam Carriages. Sir,-In reply to your correspondent, who writes in your last number about the " impossibility" of common road steam carriages going up hill, and who evidently never did me the honour of accompanying me to Harrow, Watford, &c. during the eighteen months that I daily run up those hills twice as fast as any thorough-bred team of horses in England, I beg leave to send you the copy of a note addressed to me by Mr. Beale, the well-known engineer, which is as follows: RECENT AMERICAN Patents. the hour, with only one wheel clutched, without a pause. Wednesday last we ascended Shooters' Hill at the rate of 14 miles the hour, without a pause, with the steam blowing off when we arrived at the top." "P. S. In London-street, Greenwich, we went over above a hundred yards of deep loose gravel in gallant style, all up hill!" MR. HALL'S SYSTEM OF CONDENSATION.MR. OLDHAM IN REPLY TO SCALPEL. 44 SIR,-The language and style of your correspondent Scalpel" is universally so justly appreciated, that I shall not make one remark upon it; nor should I have troubled you with another communication, were I not called upon to confirm and explain some statements contained in my letter to you of the 29th ultimo, published in your 882d Number, and particularly by Mr. T. Hawke, in your last week's magazine, respecting the actual vacuum in each chamber of Mr. Hall's condensers. In the latter number " Scalpel" puts in a note of explanation, in which he says, "I spoke of two gauges simply as a means to enable the time of both vacuums to be noted as an answer to Mr. Oldham's inconclusive fact of one gauge being connected with the top and bottom of the condenser." Now, how can Scalpel" term what I said respecting that fact- inconclusive; I will repeat my words and leave it for any one to judge how far "Scalpel" is justified in the above statement. "I would here mention a fact of which "Scalpel" does not appear to be aware, viz.: the pipe by which the vacuum gauge is attached to the engines of the British Queen, has two branches furnished with cocks, one leading to the lower chamber of the condenser, and, of course, below the condensing pipes; and the other, to the chamber into which the steam immediately enters, as it leaves the working cylinder. How can any one be at a loss to understand, that when the cock on the branch pipe leading to the bottom chamber of the condenser is shut, and that on the branch leading to the upper chamber is open, the gauge will be connected, any required length of time with the latter, and show the amount of vacuum therein; and, that when the cocks are reversed, and, of course, the guage stopped off from the upper-chamber and connected with the lower one, that the vacuum in the latter will be shown in the same way. It is evident that the gauge may be attached for any length of time to the upper-chamber, and then be changed and applied for any period to the lower-chamber. Why, then, does "Scalpel" assume, that the experiment 177 has been unfairly made by merely opening the gauge cock for an instant previous to the termination of the upstroke of the air-pump. However, I distinctly assert, that no such trickery has been practised, and that the vacuum in the upper chamber is shown for any required length of time, by being connected with the gauge as above mentioned. I should have said a word or two in reply to Mr. R. Armstong, to prove that the real superiority of Mr. Hall's condensers over the common condensers, is more clearly shown by the vacuum gauge when attached to the upper chamber of the former, than even by the indicator. But Mr. Hawke has done it in so beautiful and lucid a manner, that I need not add another word on the subject. I will, notwithstanding, follow in his wake, and tell Mr. Armstrong, without fear of contradiction, that if, with a vacuum in the top chamber of Mr. Hall's condensers of 30 inches, there be only an average effective vacuum of 25 in. in the cylinders; the result would be, that if the vacuum were less by 3 inches in the condensers, or only 27 inches, in the same proportion would it be reduced in the cylinders, viz.: from 25 to 22 inches, which is a clear proof of what Mr. Hawke has explained, viz.: that the indicator shows only the degree of perfection or imperfection of the valves &c., whereby the steam is allowed to pass more or less freely from the cylinder to the condenser. This, perhaps, may justify Scalpel's using the words "slowness of the process"-not indeed, in condensation, but in the passage of the steam from the cylinders to the condensers-no matter whether they are Mr. Hall's or the common condensers. I do not know what Mr. Armstrong wishes to intimate by stating that he happens to have had long in his possession, the actual original indicator card ("whereby there hangs a tale.") The fact is this, Mr. Peterson took several cards, all of which may be called originals. The card in the Mechanics' Magazine, alluded to by Mr. Armstrong, was taken from one of them. Perhaps Mr. Armstrong will, at some future opportunity, give the public the "tale" which, no doubt, (from his mysterious mention of it,) must be highly important and interesting. I remain, Sir, Your most obedient servant. Hull, July 22d, 1840. RECENT AMERICAN PATENTS. [Selected from the Franklin Journal.] IMPROVEMENT IN CHURCH AND OTHER BELLS, AND IN HANGING THE SAME, Ebenezer Dewey.-This bell is a cone, a section through the axis of which would present 178 BAKEWELL'S SELF-ACTING safety-Valve. a right angle at its apex, its diameter at its base being equal to twice its height. "The diameter at the mouth of the bell is forty lines, and the thickness of the lip is one line, and one-third of a line in thickness at the top, and half a line in thickness at one-third the distance from the base or mouth to the crown, and gradually diminishing in thickness from thence to the crown." These dimensions, it is said, may be changed. This bell is not intended to swing like the ordinary church bell, but it is attached to a cross timber which hangs on gudgeons at its ends, to allow a free vibration and motion to the bell. The hammer strikes on its outside, its handle being affixed to a shaft which turns on gudgeons, and which stands parallel to, and above the timber by which the bell is suspended; this shaft has a pulley on its end to which the bell rope is attached, and in ringing, the hammer may be carried clear over from one side of the bell to the other. A spring on each side serves to hold the hammer clear of the bell after the stroke. Claim." I claim the gradual diminution of the thickness of the sides of the conical bell from the lip at its base to its apex or crown, in the manner above described; and also the combination of the yoke and shaft containing the hammer handle and the spring, in the manner and for the purpose above described." IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILERS, AND APPARATUS ΤΟ PREVENT EXPLOSIONS THEREOF, Cadwallader Evans.-In the apparatus described in the specification of this patent, there is a very skilful arrangement and adaptation of the respective parts for the purpose of preventing explosions. The fusible alloy is to be used, combined in a particular way with the common safety valve, and in such manner as to leave the valve free to act by the ordinary pressure of the steam; the alloy being intended to regulate the opening of the valve by the influence of temperature alone, irrespective of the pressure of the steam. The claim in this part is to the particular manner in which the combination is made between these parts. To give notice of the descent of the water to a point below that of safety in either of the outside boilers in a series of boilers like those used on our western waters, a float is so used as to allow of the escape of steam, which is to sound a whistle on one side and a horn on the other, which shall distinctly indicate the fact, and the boiler in which the water is deficient. The particular combination for effecting this, is claimed. A water level of a peculiar construction is made so as to exhibit, in the cabin, the level of the water in the boiler, operating by its combination with the other parts of the apparatus in producing this result. PRESS FOR HAY, COTTON, &c., Chas. W. Hawkes. In this press the follower is to be brought down upon the hay, cotton, or other article contained in the pressing box, by means of a rack and pinion; to which, of course, no claim is made, the claims being confined to certain special arrangements intended to facilitate the operation; these consist in the mode of employing a lever to clear the follower from the interior of the box; a method of fastening the doors, &c.; these may be conveniences in this kind of press, but they do not require special description. IMPROVEMENT IN SCALES FOR WEIGHING, Jonathan Ball.-These scales are of the kind in which the dish to receive the article .to be weighed is above the beam. The beam is a graduated rod having sliding weights upon it, by which to ascertain the weight. The arrangement is undoubtedly new, and it is clearly described. The claims are to "the manner of constructing and combining the balance frame and movable graduated bars as above described." MANUFACTURING THE LEAVES of Steel SPRINGS FOR CARRIAGES, Micah Seabury. -The object in view is to give the proper taper and width to the leaves of springs, by means of a rolling mill constructed for that purpose. The two rollers are made eccentric, to the extent required for the taper of the springs to be rolled; and at the ends of these rollers there are grooves which constitute edging rollers, by which the plates are to be reduced to, and kept at, the proper width. The manner of forming them is fully described in the specification, and the claims made are to "the method described of giving to the metal to be made into springs the proper width, in combination with the method of giving the proper thickness and taper." There is but little of novelty in all this, the taper of springs having been given precisely in the manner set forth; but it is not known that they have been rolled to a width on the same rollers. A, a metallic pipe or tube, which is to be placed within and securely fastened to the boiler with its lower end resting upon the flue, (or the bottom of the boiler if made without flues.) B, a metallic rod or stem, constructed with an enlargement at one end, and connected, with a right and left screwed collar, to a piece made with a pivot hole at D. E, the safety valve, made as usual, G KL lever beam. F, a suitable quantity of the fusible metallic compound enclosed in a thin metallic cup, which is loosely connected at the top with the rod B, so that it can be taken out of the pipe A, if required, by raising the rod. ST, a bent lever connected at L with the short end of the lever beam-turning in a slot at M, and connected with the upper part of B at D, and having an opening through which the stem of the safety valve passes freely without touching. M, a standard or upright attached to the upper casing of the safety valve, and constructed with a slot to admit the free motion of S T, and with cheeks or guides above, which loosely clasp the lever beam; the bottom of which slot is filed to an edge, and is to be about one-half an inch below the bottom of the lever beam, as seen just below n. It will be seen that the fusible metal will sustain the rod B and lever ST, as long as it shall remain unfused, and consequently serve as the support for the pivot end of the lever beam, GKL. And that as soon as it becomes fused, it will allow of the descent of the rod B, and as soon as the lever beam touches the standard M at n, the action of the lever is reversed, and it must exert the same power to open the valve as was before exerted in hold ing it down. To replace the apparatus, it will be requisite that whenever notice is given. from the escape of steam that the boiler has be come so much heated as to fuse the alloythat the engineer should raise the lever beam by means of the usual lift line V, until it touches a bolt or pin P, which is passed through the cheeks of M, and at the same alloy, and holding it there until the alloy is time withdrawing the stem from the melted sufficiently cooled, either from the escape of steam or from cold water having been poured within the pipe A, so as to enable it to sustain the stem as at first. The double right and left screwed collar is intended for the purpose of regulating the proper position of the lever ST, and connexion at L. The claim is asfollows, viz: "I claim as my invention, the attachment of a rod or stem (B) to the end of the lever or beam, of a safety valve, in such a way, point of the beam, as long as the alloy rethat it shall be the fulcrum, pivot, or turning mains unfused; and, I claim the placing of valve and the weighted end of the lever to a standard or upright (M) between the safety |