Mechanical Philosophy. 39 



prosecuted the subject further/ and with so much 

 success, as to excite deep regret that he had 

 not continued his useful labours. Since the expe- 

 riments and publications of Euler, many philoso- 

 phers of inferior name have turned their attention 

 to the same inquir}^; but without laying the scien- 

 tific w^orld under the same obligations, by exhibit- 

 ing original, or very interesting views of the sub- 

 ject. Among these it w^ould be improper to pass, 

 without respectful notice, the valuable services 

 rendered to practical mechanics by Mr. Smeaton 

 and Mr. Br am ah, both of Great-Britain. The 

 instances of the ingenious application of mecha- 

 nical principles to the construction of different 

 machines, by which the last century is distin- 

 guished, are too numerous, and the authors of 

 many of them too well known, to render a de- 

 tailed view of them proper in this place. 



HYDRAULICS. 



In the principles and practice of this part of sci- 

 ence great improvements have been made by the 

 philosophers of the last age. To calculate upon 

 sure and accurate grounds, the resistance and 

 motion of dense fluids, so as to furnish a re- 

 sult which might be relied on by engineers, and 

 other mechanics, was considered at the begin- 

 ning of the century one of the most interest- 

 ing and difficult problems in mechanical philoso- 

 phy. Newton first endeavoured to reduce the 

 laws of moving fluids to the precise form of ma- 

 thematical calculation. In this, however, though 

 he displayed great ingenuity, he was unsuccessful. 

 His demonstrations, when tested by practice, were 



d Commtni, Petrop. torn. iu. and Mem. Atad, Btrllny 1 747 and 1753. 



