80 



INVENTIONS AND DISCOVERIES. 



tension : it proved, however, harm- 

 less in its consequences. A very 

 strong current was attracted to the 

 writing instrument of the Lockport 

 line, by the large iron wire used. 

 The power was so great, that it 

 became necessary to detach the 

 wire, in order to prevent the in- 

 strument from melting. One of the 

 most intense flashes of electricity 

 took effect upon one of the opera- 

 tors, by removing him, almost in- 

 stantaneously, from his seat at the 

 machine. 



THE ELECTRIC SPARK. 



Faraday was the first to elicit 

 the electric spark from the magnet : 

 lie found that it is visible at the in- 

 stants of breaking and of renewing 

 the contact of the conducting wires, 

 and only then : 



Around the Magnet Faraday 



Is sure that Volta's lightnings play : 



But how to draw them from the wire ? 

 He took a lesson from the heart : 

 'Tis when we meet, 'tis when we part, 

 . Breaks forth the electric fire. 



Blackwood's Magazine. 



It has been established, that 

 Faraday obtained a spark from a 

 temporary or electro-magnet, as far 

 back as November, 1831. 



SIR HARRY SMITH AND THE CAFFRES. 



In the course of the pacification 

 conference of Sir Harry Smith (go- 

 vernor of the Cape of Good Hope) 

 with the Caffres, at King William's 

 Town, a voltaic batteiy was fired 

 on the opposite slope, about a quar- 

 ter of a mile distant. Here a waggon 

 liad been placed at 300 yards' dis- 

 tance from the battery, communi- 

 cating in the usual manner by means 

 of wires. The object of His Ex- 

 cellency was to convey to the Caffre 

 mind an idea of sudden and irresis- 

 tible power. Accordingly, on a 

 given signal from him the waving 

 of a small flag the discharge in- 

 stantly took place. The explosion 

 shattered the carriage of the waggon, 



canting up the body of the vehicle, 

 so that it remained fixed by one 

 end on the ground, at an angle of 

 forty-five degrees. The action was 

 so sudden, as scarcely to afford time 

 to his Excellency to direct the at- 

 tention of the Caffres to the experi- 

 ment ; but, in those who were look- 

 ing towards the spot, and saw the 

 power exercised on a distant object, 

 the surprise manifested was amus- 

 ing. " There," exclaimed Sir Harry 

 Smith, " is a lesson to you not to 

 meddle with waggons ; as you now 

 see the power I possess, should you 

 do so, to punish you." 



FOURDRINIER'S pAPER-iiAKraa 



MACHINERY. 



On April 25, 1839, some very 

 interesting details of Fourdrinier's 

 machinery for making paper of 

 endless length, were elicited dur- 

 ing a debate in the House of Com- 

 mons, upon the presentation of a 

 petition from these ingenious ma- 

 nufacturers. It appears that 1000 

 yards, or any given quantity of 

 yards of paper, could be continu- 

 ously made by it. Many years 

 since, the invention was patented ; 

 lout, owing to a mistake in the pa- 

 tent the word "machine" being 

 written instead of "machines" 

 the property was pirated, and that 

 led to litigations, in which the pa- 

 tentees' funds were exhausted be- 

 fore they could establish their 

 rights. They then became bank- 

 rupts, and thus all the fruits of 

 their invention, on which they had 

 spent ,40,000, were entirely lost 

 to them. 



The evidence of Mr. Brunei, 

 and of Mr. Lawson, the printer of 

 the Times, proved the invention 

 of the Fourdriniers to be one of 

 the most splendid discoveries of 

 the age. Mr. Lawson stated that 

 the conductors of the metropolitan 

 newspapers could never have pre- 

 sented to the world such an im- 



