526 THE CENTURY, 



form, had been contemplated in 1558. The Petition of 

 George Cobham, Tomazo Chanata, and others, was 

 presented to Queen Elizabeth, for the sole use of an 

 engine to cleanse and carry away all shelves of sand, 

 banks, &c. out of all rivers, creeks, and havens. See 

 Cal. State Papers, Dom. Series, 1547-1580. Edited by 

 B. Lemon, F.S.A. 8vo. 1856, page 119, No. 56. 



In 1583, an inventor, whose name does not appear, 

 proposed, as one out of twenty inventions : &quot; An engine 

 for cleansing or taking away of any shelves or shallow 

 places in the river of Thames, or any such river 5 

 the same device may serve for cleansing of ditches 

 about cities or towns, ponds, or any such like standing 

 waters.&quot; Eara Mathematica, edited by J. 0. Halli- 

 well, F.E.S., &c. 8vo. 1841. 



John Gilbert obtained a patent, dated 16th July, 1618, 

 for a water plough, for the taking up of sands or banks 

 out of the river Thames or other places. And the same 

 John Gilbert, with James Freese, obtained a patent, 

 dated 8th July, 1631, for engines or instruments, called 

 water ploughs, for the taking up of sands, gravel, 

 shelves, and banks out of the Thames and other havens. 

 Also Symon Hill, on the 30th May, 1633, patented his 

 invention for taking away of beds of sand and gravel 

 from rivers. 



93- 

 An Engine whereby one man 



may take out of the water a Ship 

 of 500. Tun, fo that it may be 

 calked, trimmed and repaired with 

 out need of the ufual way of ftocks, 

 and as eafily let it down again. 



\_A Ship-raising Engine. ] We find in Besson s admi- 

 rablv illustrated folio work on Instruments and Ma- 



