AGRICULTURAL ENGINKs. 61 



having a portable boiler so arranged that if necessary 

 it could be easily placed on wheels. 



[Rough draft.] 



SlK, "CAMBORNE, March 15^, 1813. 



" I have your favour of the llth inst. respecting a steam- 

 engine for thrashing. I have made several, all of which answer 

 the purpose exceedingly well. They are made on a very simple 

 construction so as to be free from repairs, and are kept in order 

 and worked by the farm labourers, who never before saw a steam- 

 engine. The first I made on this plan was for Sir Christopher 

 Hawkins, who resides at this time in Argyll Street, Oxford Street, 

 London. If you call on him, he, I doubt not, would give you 

 every information you require respecting its performance. This 

 was a fixed engine, because it was only required to work on one 

 farm. It has been at work nearly eighteen months, and has not 

 cost anything in repairs, nor any assistance but from the labourer 

 who puts in the corn ; he only gives three or four minutes every 

 hour to put on a little coal. A few pails of water, put into the 

 furnace in the morning, is sufficient for a day's work. They have 

 at different times tried what duty the engine would perform 

 with a given quantity of coal, and found that two Cornish 

 bushels, weighing 168 Ibs., would get up steam and thrash 1500 

 sheaves of wheat in about six hours. 



" Before this engine was erected, they usually thrashed 500 

 sheaves, with three heavy cart-horses for a day's work. I can- 

 not say exactly the measurement of the corn that it thrashed, but 

 it was considerably above 60 Winchesters of wheat with 168 Ibs. 

 of coal ; not a halfpenny in coal for each Winchester of wheat. 



" The engines that I have since erected have performed the 

 same duty. 



" The horse machinery is thrown out of use, but the same 

 drum is turned by the engine. 



"A fixed engine of this power I would deliver to you in 

 London for 100 guineas; it would cost you about 15Z. more to 

 fix the furnace in brickwork. 



" A portable engine costs 160 guineas, but it would cost 

 nothing in erecting, as it will be sent with chimney and every 



