1803. On Thr aping Machines. 329 



Before entering upon the firft branch of the propofed plan, I 

 mull remark, that your correlpondcnt a) moll totally ncglccls to 

 mention the only machine capable of performing the arduous talk 

 of feparating corn from the llraw, while he dwells at great length 

 upon the trilling and infignilicant attempts of thofe, who, it would 

 appear, had been trying to conftrudl implements for thralhing at 

 an earlier period. He even avoids noticing the endeavours of 

 many people to conftru6l machines, which, though abortive, were 

 in every point of view, more deferving of attention than thofe he 

 has condefcended upon. The inutility cf fuch as he has defcrib- 

 ed, from the invention of Mr Evers to that of Mr Cottcrel, be- 

 ing apparent to the moft fuperficial inquirer, I fliall not offer to 

 examine them, though a few words fhall afterwards be ufed re- 

 fpeding the machine faid to be of Mr Cotterel's invention. 



The earlieft attempt in Britain to con{lru61: a machine for thrafli- 

 ing, was made by a Mr Menzics. The principle of it, as is well 

 known, was to work a number of flails by a w^ater-wlieel ; and 

 this was afterwards imitated by Mr Mcikle, as may be feen in a 

 letter defcribing the operations thereof, from fix refpedlable farm- 

 ers, fubjoined to the fecond volume of Wight's State of Scotilh 

 Hufbandry, pubHfhed in 1778. A Mr Sfirling of Perthfliire next 

 devifed a machine upon the principles of the flax mill, wliich was 

 ufed by himfelf for feveral years, and even imitated by others. 

 But thofe which chiefly engaged the public notice, were two ma- 

 chines conftru^ted in Northumberland, in 1772 and 1773; the 

 firft by a Mr Ilderton at Alnwick, and the other by a Mr Oxley 

 at Flodden. Mr Ilderton's a61:ed on the principle of prefling or 

 rubbing out the corn, which, it is faid, was in feveral inftances 

 imperfectly performed. Mr Oxley's attempt approached ncareil 

 to fuccefs ; therefore, I fliall be more particular in detailing the 

 feveral parts thereof, efpecially as it has been alleged by many 

 people, that the machine now in general ufe was borrowed from 

 it. This, however, is not true \ for I am confident that Mr 

 Meikle never faw nor heard any thing of it, till long after it was 

 taken down. Indeed, a moment's confideration will ferve to con- 

 vince any perfon acquainted with mechanics, that the two ma- 

 chines are altogether unconnected, both in principle and prac- 

 tice. 



The machine erected by Mr Oxley for Sir John Delaval Bart, 

 had two feeding rollers, and, inftead of a drum, had a double fet 

 of arms connefted at the ends by crofs bars. The flcutchers were 

 formed of pieces of wood about 3 inches broad, \\ inch thick at 

 one edge, by | inch at the otlier, and w-ere connected with the 

 crofs bars by leather ftraps. A circular brcaft was fixed beneath the 

 centre, about 3 inches diftant from the fliatchers, fo as to allow the 

 corn to pafs betwi^J them. The unthrailied corn was laid on a 



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