for the Dpfence of this Island. 59 



above 53 English.) But what is all this to the purpose? 

 These results were procured by two reflections ; and Napier, 

 in burning an eneniv's fleet, could only use one reflection, 

 if indeed, in this instance, he did not also have recourse to 

 refraction. Of such an effect not a trace is to be found in 

 any of the books to which I have access. But I will not 

 be so rash as to afiirm the thing to be impossible in itself, 

 or even beyond the ability of Napier. We have seen how 

 much the greatest philosophers were mistaken about the 

 practicability of his first })roposal, afterwards so happily- 

 verified by Kircher and Bufion. 



III. On our illustrious author's third proposal we cannot 

 offer so good a commentary as the following curious extract 

 from the 15th page of his well-written life, by die eai'l of 

 Buchan and Dr. Minto, printed at Perth in 1787. 



Sir Thomas Urquhart, of Cromarty, (the biographer of 

 the admirable Crichton) in his Jewel, " after having re- 

 ferred his readers to his trigonometrical work intitled Tris- 

 sotelras, for the praises of Napier, thus mentions" " an 

 almost incomprehensible device, which being in the mouths 

 of the most of Scotland, and yet unknown to any that ever 

 was in the world but himself, deservetb very well to be 

 taken notice of in this place ; and it is this : — He had tlie 

 skill, as is commonly reported, to frame an engine (for in- 

 vention not much unlike that of Archytas's dove) which by 

 virtue of some secret springs, inward ressorts, with other im- 

 plements, and materials fit for the purpose, inclosed within 

 the bowels thereof, had the power, if proportionable in 

 bulk to the action required of it, (for he could have made it 

 of all sizes) to clear a field of four miles circumference of 

 all the living creatures exceeding a foot in height that should 

 be found thereon, how near soever they might be found to 

 one another; by which means he made it appear that he 

 was able, with the help of this machine alone, to kill thirty 

 thousand Turks, without the hazard of one Christian, 

 Of tliis it is said that (on a wager) he gave proof upon a 

 large plain in Scotland, to the destruction of a great many 

 head of cattle and flocks of sheep, whereof some were di- 

 t^tant from other half a mile on all sides, and some a whole 

 mile. To continue the thread of my story, as I have it, 

 1 must not forget, that when he was most earnestly desired, 

 bv an old acquaintance and professed friend of his, even 

 about the time of his contracting the disease whereof he 

 died, that he would be pleased for the honour of his family, 

 and his own everlasting memory to posterity, to reveal unto 

 \\nn the jnaiiner of the conlrivancc of so ingenious a mys- 

 tery J 



