Vegetable Cuttings for the Micro/cope, 305 



This is the firft rude hint refpe&ing the mode of cutting of 

 vegetables, fince which time cutting machines have been con- 

 trived by feveral ingenious mechanics, that might better per- 

 form this delicate operation. In 1770 Dr. Hill published a 

 treatife, in which he explained the conftfuction of timber 

 by means of vegetable cuttings examined by themicrofcope; 

 and he in that work gives an account of a cutting engine, 

 in which a fpiral knife is employed ; the invention, he fays, 

 of Mr. Cummings. The late Mr. Adams, optician in Fleet- 

 ureei, appears to have contrived a machine for cutting thin 

 fe6tions of wood, in order that the texture thereof might be 

 more vifible to the microfcope ; and in his Eflays on the 

 Microfcope, he fays, that this his invention was afterwards 

 improved by Mr. Cummings. Notwithftanding the appli- 

 cation of Dr. Hill, and of others who attempted to bring 

 this art to perfe&ion, Cu'ftance, a common carpenter from 

 Ipfwich, furpafled every other, and, as Mr. Adams juftly 

 obferved, continued unrivalled in his dexterity of prepar- 

 ing thin fe&ions of wood, having brought this art to the 

 higheft perfection. He cautioufly kept his method a fecfet 

 from every one, 2nd varioiis conjectures were made in what 

 way he accomplimed his unrivalled cuttings. When he was 

 alive, I offered him fifty pounds for the difcoveiy, to difclofe 

 it to the world for the promotion of fciehce, and iri order the 

 better to accomplifh my views iri rny New Illuftration of 

 Linnaeus, where the organifation of vegetables is a particu- 

 lar object of consideration *. When prefled, he offered me 

 the difcovery for an hundred guineas, which thinking ex- 

 orbitant, I gave up all thoughts of it; but, foon after dying, 

 he left in his will,- that every thing he pofTeffed mould be 

 put up to public auction ; and, among other things, his in- 

 vention of the cutting engine was particularly noticed in the 

 catalogue. They were not, however, expofed to examina- 

 tion, but I did not fail being at the fale to embrace this op- 

 portunity of bidding for the two engines, fearful that a mo- 



• Rcprcfentations of al! the Conines of Cuftance \rill be ^iven in this 

 Work. 



Vol. Ill, X nopoly 



