FULTON FUNCTIONS. 



335 



for his submarine boat, as it was afterwards executed. 

 He returned to America in 1806. 



We must now advert to Mr Fulton's connex ion 

 with the practical establisluiient of navigation by 

 steam. The real inventors of the steam-boat were 

 Mr Millar of Dalswinton, and the tutor of his family, 

 Mr James Taylor. (See Taylor, James.') The for- 

 mer was the first to suggest the application of paddle- 

 wheels in the propelling of vessels, and the latter to 

 suggest the employment of steam as the moving- 

 j ower of these wheels. So far back as the year 

 1788, they constructed a boat on this principle, the 

 engine of which was made by Mr Symington, then a 

 young engineer in Edinburgh. Experiments were 

 made with this boat on the lake of Dalswinton, 

 Dumfries-shire, which proved highly satisfactory, the 

 vessel being driven at the rate of five miles an hour. 

 In the Scots Magazine, for November, 1788, p. 566, 

 we find the following account of these experiments : 

 " On Oct. 14, a boat was put in motion by a steam 

 engine, upon Mr Millar of Dalswinton's piece of 

 water at that place. That gentleman's improve- 

 ments in naval affairs are well known to the public. 

 For some time past, his attention has been turned to 

 the application of the steam-engine to the purposes 

 of navigation. He has now accomplished, and evi- 

 dently shown to the world, the practicability of this, 

 by executing it upon a small scale. A vessel, 

 twenty-five feet long and seven broad, was, on the 

 above date, driven with two wheels by a small en- 

 gine. It answered Mr Millar's expectations fully, 

 and afforded great pleasure to the spectators. The 

 success of this experiment is no small accession to 

 the public. Its utility in canals, and all inland navi- 

 gation, points it out to be of the greatest advantage, 

 not only to this island, but to many other nations of 

 the world. The engine used is Mr Symington's new 

 patent engine." The same gentleman, in the fol- 

 lowing year, constructed, at the Carron foundry, a 

 larger vessel, which was tried on the Forth and 

 Clyde canal in November and December, 1789, and 

 went at the rate of seven miles an hour. An ac- 

 count of various experiments made with this vessel 

 will be found u/the Edinburgh newspapers for Feb- 

 ruary, 1790. Soon after this, a misunderstanding 

 arose between Messrs Millar and Taylor, and the 

 prosecution of the invention was by them for some 

 time neglected. Mr Symington, the engineer, mean- 

 while, did not abandon the project. Having com- 

 menced business at Falkirk, he, in 1801, built an- 

 other experimental steam vessel, which was also tried 

 with success on the Forth and Clyde canal, but was 

 interdicted by the canal company, on account of its mo- 

 tion destroying the banks. This vessel, which lay at 

 Lock Sixteen, was inspected by Mr Fulton, accom- 

 panied by Mr Henry Bell of Glasgow, when on a 

 visit to the Carron works ; and the consequence was, 

 that, in 1807, Mr Fulton launched a steam vessel on 

 the Hudson, and, in 1812, Mr Bell another upon the 

 Clyde, being respectively the first vessels of the 

 kind used for the service of the public in the new 

 and old hemispheres. Before, however, carrying 

 the discovery to America, Mr Fulton, in company 

 with Robert R. Livingston, American minister to 

 France, made several experiments on the subject. 

 After some trials on a small scale, they built a boat 

 upon the Seine, in 1803, which was completely suc- 

 cessful. On Mr Fulton's arrival at New York, in 

 1806, they immediately engaged in building a boat 

 of what was then deemed very considerable dimen- 

 sions. This boat began to navigate the Hudson 

 river in 1807 : its progress through the water was at 

 the rate of five miles an hour. February 11, 1809, 

 Mr Fulton took out his first patent for navigation by 

 steam ; and, February 9, 1811, he obtained a second 



patent for some improvements in his boats and ma- 

 chinery. In 1811 and 1812, two steam-boats were 

 built under Mr Fulton's directions, as ferry-boats for 

 crossing the Hudson river, and soon after, one of the 

 same description for the East river. Of the former 

 Mr Fulton wrote and published a description, in the 

 American Medical and Philosophical Register, for 

 October, 1812. These boats were what are called 

 twin-boats ; each of them being two complete hulls, 

 united by a deck or bridge ; sharp at both ends, and 

 moving equally well with either end foremost ; so 

 that they cross and recross without losing any time 

 in turning. He contrived, with great ingenuity, 

 floating docks for the reception of these boats, and a 

 means by which they are brought to them without a 

 shock. 



We have not space for the details of Fulton's con- 

 nexion with the project of the grand Erie canal ; of 

 his new plans and experiments relative to sub-marine 

 warfare ; of the construction of the steam-frigate 

 which bore his name ; of the modifications of his sub- 

 marine boat ; of his vexatious and ruinous law-suits, 

 and controversies with those who interfered with his 

 patent-rights and exclusive grants. For these, we 

 must refer the reader to the valuable Life of Robert 

 Fulton, by Cadwallader D. Colden. 



Mr Fulton died February 24, 1815. In person, he 

 was about six feet high, slender, but well propor- 

 tioned, with large dark eyes and a projecting brow. 

 His manners were easy and unaffected. Ills temper 

 was mild and his disposition lively. He was fond of 

 society. He expressed himself with energy, fluency, 

 and correctness, and, as he owed more to experience 

 and reflection than to books, his sentiments were 

 often interesting from their originality. In all his 

 domestic and social relations, he was zealous, kind, 

 generous, liberal, and affectionate. He knew of no use 

 for money but as it was subservient to charity, hos- 

 pitality, and the sciences. But what was most con- 

 spicuous in his character, was his calm constancy, 

 his industry, and that indefatigable patience and per- 

 severance, which always enabled him to overcome 

 difficulties. 



FULVIA ; the ambitious wife of Mark Antony. 

 See Antony. 



FUMIGATION ; means employed for the de- 

 struction of miasmata, or effluvia. The most effica- 

 cious substance for this purpose is chlorine ; next to 

 it, the vapour of nitric acid, and lastly that of muria- 

 tic acid. The fumes of heated vinegar, burning sul- 

 phur, or the smoke of exploded gunpowder, deserve 

 but little attention as antiloimics. 



FUNCHAL, or FUNCH1AL ; a sea-port, and 

 capital of the island of Madeira; Ion. 17 4' W.; 

 lat. 32 38' N.; population, 15,000 ; houses, 2000 ; 

 bishop's see. The harbour is defended by several 

 batteries and a castle. It contains six parishes, one 

 cathedral, and seven other churches, four convents, 

 and three hospitals. The streets are narrow, wind- 

 ing and dirty, and the city is irregularly built. Some 

 of the houses are neat, and the windows sashed with 

 lath-work, but with openings wide enough for those 

 within to see and be seen. The principal trade of 

 the inhabitants consists in wine, which the British 

 residents ship to Britain and India. 



FUNCTIONS considered in regard to the actiona 

 of the body, are by physicians divided into vital, ani- 

 mal, and natural. The vital functions are those 

 necessary to life, and without which the individual 

 cannot subsist ; as the motion of the heart, lungs, 

 &c. The natural functions are those which the body 

 cannot subsist any considerable time without ; as the 

 digestion of the aliment and its conversion into blood. 

 Animal functions include the senses of touching, 

 tasting, seeing, &c.,and the voluntary motions. 



