^EGT,V,] Ilydraulics. 47 



path. He also failed ; his calcukitions turning out 

 equally remote from the truth with those of his 

 illustrious predecessor. After Guglielmini, j^ro- 

 fcssor Micliclotti, ol Turin, D. Bernoulli, of Swit- 

 zerland, and the abbe Bossut, of Paris, instituted 

 many experiments, to ascertain the theory or me- 

 chanism of hydraulic motion. The last gentleman, 

 in particular, conducted his experiments with great 

 labour, care, and perseverance, published a very 

 important work on the subject, and opened a 

 path of inquiry in this field of science, so new, and 

 in a manner so judicious, that he must aUvaj^s be 

 considered as holding a high rank in the hydraulic 

 history of the age in which he lived. After all, 

 how^ever, he left the subject very imperfectly ex- 

 plored. Bossut was succeeded by his countryman, 

 the chevalier 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 

 rendered himself, by his achievements in tliis 

 branch of philosophy, he cannot be said so much 

 to have discovered nev/ principles, as to have 

 classed and systematised, with great skill and in- 

 genuity, the principles flowing from IVl. d'Aiem- 

 bert's im wearied experiments and calculations on 

 this subject. Still the HxjdrauUque of Buat may 

 be considered the most ingenious, comprehensive, 

 9nd practical work, on the department of science 

 ©f which it treats, to be found in any language. 

 The great excellence of this work is, that its doc- 

 trines are deduced not so much from mathematical 



