40 Mechanical Philosophy. 



found inaccurate and inapplicable. Guglielmini^ 

 a celebrated Italian, succeeded him, assuming his 

 principles, and aiming to attain the object in view 

 by the same path. He also failed; his calcula- 

 tions turning out equally remote from the truth 

 with those of his illustrious predecessor. After 

 GuGLiELMii^i, Professor Michelotti, of Turin, 

 1). Bernoulli, of Switzerland, and the Abbe Bos- 

 suT, of Paris, instituted marly experiments, to as- 

 certain the theory dr mechanism of hydraulic mo- 

 tion. The last gentleman, in particular, con- 

 ducted his experiments with great labour, care and 

 perseverancCji made a very important publicatioil 

 on the subject, arid opened a path of inquiry in 

 this field of science, so new, and in a manner so 

 judicious, that he must always be considered as 

 holding a high rank in the hydraulic history of 

 the age in which he lived. After all, however, 

 he left the subject very imperfectly explored. Bos- 

 SUT was succeeded by his countryman, the Cheva- 

 lier BuAT, who took up the inquiry where the 

 Abbe had left it, prosecuted it with singular skill 

 and assiduity, and formed a system much nearer 

 to the truth than all who had gone before him.— 

 But distinguished as the Chevalier has justly ren- 

 dered himself, by his achievements in this branch 

 of philosophy, he cannot be said so much to 

 have discovered new principles, as to have classed 

 and systematized, with great skill and ingenuity, 

 the principles flowing from M. D'Alembert's 

 unwearied experiments and calculations on this 

 subject. Still the Hydraulique of Buat may be 

 considered the most ingenious, comprehensive 

 and practical work, on the department of sci- 

 ence of which it treats, to be found in any lan- 

 guage. It furnishes most important information 

 to the engineer; and enables him now to answer, 

 with sufficient precision, many questions, in an* 



