Govern- 
ment. 
Graduation. 
—o 
History. 
Graduation 
first prac- 
tised a- 
mongst 
clockma- 
kers. 
Abram 
Sharp. 
Rowley. 
Sisson the 
el er. 
GOV 
nity. The friends of the exiled family were still nu- 
merous in the nation. A junto favourable to their in- 
terests had recently been discovered in the cabinet itself; 
andarebellion, countenanced andsupported by the power 
of France, had actually broken out for the purpose of 
restoring them tothe throne. It is not therefore to be 
wondered, if such men as Mr Hume, who might be 
supposed capable of influencing, in some measure, the 
public mind, should endeavour, if not by reconciling, 
at least mitigating, the principles by which the oppo- 
site parties were actuated, to moderate their passions, 
GRADUATION. 
Grapvarion is the name given to the most delicate, 
difficult, and important branch of mathematical instru- 
ment making: it gives to the instrument the means of 
ascertaining the dimensions of objects, or their distance 
from each other, according to its nature, whether li- 
near or angular measure is required. 
The substance of this article was intended to have 
been placed under the equally appropriate title of Di- 
vipING, and was partly written with that intention. 
Our having indiscriminately used both these terms, is 
owing not only to this circumstance, but also because 
the latter is exclusively used by the workmen. 
We believe that in every country in Europe, clock- 
making was the earlier art, and that clock-makers were 
the first who fabricated mathematical instruments. But 
as the excellence of the time-piece depends not at’ all 
upon the accuracy of the division of its dial-plate, we 
may suppose that instruments, the perfection of which 
rests principally upon the correctness of division, came 
from their hands in a very rude state. 
As clocks, however, must at first have raised clock- 
makers out of brasiers, smiths, or other workers in me- 
tal nearest allied to the nature of the work ; so instru- 
ments must have made instrument-makers, and for this 
purpose the clock-maker was more than half formed. 
One would think, indeed, that makers of compasses, 
dials, rules, astrolabes, &c. from the great usefulness of 
these instruments, must have existed prior to clock-ma- 
kers, and of course the graduation of them; but how- 
ever that might be, if there was about the middle of the 
17th century any such distinct trade in this country, 
those who practised it were little thought of by men of 
science ; for the instruments ‘nvpned by Hook were 
made by Tompion ; and both Fompion and Graham in 
succession made instruments for the royal observatory. 
It was the opinion of the late Mr Smeaton, that Mr 
Abram Sharp, the assistant of Flamstead, was the first 
who cut accurate divisions upon astronomical instru- 
ments: he having, about the year 1689, constructed 
and graduated for the royal observatory, a mural sex- 
tant of 64 feet radius, which in the hands of Flamstead 
rendered essential service to astronomy. Whether Mr 
Sharp was bred up to any mechanical business, or whe~ 
ther the whole was the effort of his own genius, is now 
unknown. 
There were, however, instrument-makers in the early 
part of the 18th century, who, in the art of dividing, might 
at least have equalled those celebrated clock and watch- 
makers, whose names have been mentioned. Some of 
the works of Rowley are still extant, and bear such evi- 
dent proofs of neatness and accuracy, that many a 
workman of the present day might be proud’ te own 
them. The elder Sisson, contemporary with, or a little 
later than Rowley, like him, constructed and graduated 
large instruments with success ; but neither the manner 
848 
GRA 
‘and encourage unanimity.—Phi i sornetimes 6 
e anes in” aa cause of poe pa, can she, 4% 
consistently with her obligations to the moral inte- — 
rests of mankind, ever actually raise her voice in , 
sition to her real sentiments? Can she ever delight to 
sacrifice the sternness of her dictates, even on the altar 
of public peace? (5. B.) 94 
GOUT. See Mepicine. ' 
GOZO. See Matra. : ' 
GRACCHUS. See Rome. 
GRACE. See TuroLtocy. 
Ls | 
of performing the work of graduation, when beyond the 
limits of their dividing-plates, nor the method pursued 
by Sharp, has been recorded. It ‘was in the workshi 
of Sisson, that the eight feet mural quadrant, sev 
large zenith sectors, &c. of Graham, were executed, Gr 
That the latter should be employed in the construction 
of them, rather than any one who was exclusively an 
instrument-maker, was owing, no doubt, to his superior 
abilities as a genera] mechanician, his knowledge in as« 
tronomy, and his proficiency in making observations, as 
well as to his sound judgment, and nice execution of the 
most essential parts of whatever he undertook to con- 
struct, va 
About the year 1727, the late Mr Bird, then a rustic p; 
lad of Bishop Aukland, observing the unequal divisions 
and coarse-engraving of a clock dial-plate, determined 
upon doing one himself. The success of this attempt 
was the first step that led to the developement of powers, 
which, during a long life, proved beneficial to science; 
and rendered his name an honour to his country. It 
was from the elder Sisson, to whom he served a short Sissor 
apprenticeship, and his acquaintance with Graham, that your 
Bird learned every thing that was not derived from his 
own resources. Bird and the younger Sisson were cons 
temporaries and rivals for fame, were both men of consi-« 
derable abilities and application. But the superior inge- 
nuity of the latter lost its effect with the best informed; 
when brought into competition with the accurate exe. 
cution and sound judgment of the former, ~ r 
Mr Ramsden followed the next in time ; and J 
ined greater credit in his line of business, than any 
receding artist. «The dividing-enpine, viol bechie ail 
vented, by rendering small instruments almost as accu- : 
rate as large ones had been before, will shed lasting and 
well-merited honour upon his name. In_ his i 
works, however, he was not so happy, althot oa 
were graduated better than any previous to his day, 
Too vain of invention, he despised the patterns left by 
his predecessors, and gave to his works complex and 
unsteady forms, "s 2s 
The late Mr John Troughton, about twelve years Mr Jc 
younger than Ramsden, was equal, if not superior, to T: 0g 
im in the graduation of instruments. But his chief ~ 
works, performed in his own attic, were destined to 
shed honour upon the names of the first mathematical 
instrument sellers in London; and by the time his 
merit became known to the public, his younger brother 
had taken the lead. But we must close these short bio- 
graphical sketches with the labours of the dead. : 
We are aware that these desultory remarks’ will il 
supply the place of a regular history of the art; athing 
which we cannot attempt, and which is perhaps impos- 
sible. To describe things as they are, and to give the 
methods as hitherto practised by eminent men, will 
certainly be more useful: and in doing this, as often as 
