VAUCANSON'S FLUTE-PLAYER. 203 



each pair of bellows is a double pulley, one of 

 whose rims is 3 inches in diameter, and the other 

 1J. The cord which proceeds from the crank 

 coils round the smaller of these pulleys, and that 

 which is fixed to the upper board of the bellows 

 goes round the larger pulley. By this means the 

 upper board of the bellows is made to rise higher 

 than if the cords went directly from them to the 

 cranks. 



Round the larger rims of three of these pulleys, 

 viz. those on the right hand, there are coiled three 

 cords, which, by means of several smaller pulleys, 

 terminate in the upper boards of other three pair 

 of bellows placed on the top of the box. 



The tension of each cord when it begins to 

 raise the board of the bellows to which it is 

 attached, gives motion to a lever placed above it 

 between the axis and the double pulley in the 

 middle and lower region of the box. The other 

 end of this lever keeps open the valve in the lower 

 board of the bellows, and allows the air to enter 

 freely, while the upper board is rising to increase 

 the capacity of the bellows. By this means 

 there is not only power gained, in so far as the 

 air gains easier admission through the valve, but 

 the fluttering noise produced by the action of the 

 air upon the valves is entirely avoided, and the 

 nine pair of bellows are wrought with great ease, 

 and without any concussion or noise. 



These nine bellows discharge their wind into 

 three different and separate tubes. Each tube 

 receives the wind of three bellows, the upper 

 boards of one of the three pair being loaded 

 with a weight of four pounds, those of the 

 second three pair with a weight of two pounds, 



