THE 'POWERS' THAT BE. 177 



we plough the sea, by steam, we do it with the 

 blades of a circular paddle : why not the earth ? 

 When we cut wood into saw-dust by steam, we do 

 it with the revolving teeth of a circular saw : why 

 not the clod into soil as fine, by the same mode of 

 action ? 



* What has the laborious dragging of a plough to 

 do with steam-mechanism, whose mode of action lies 

 in rapid revolution, which applied behind your loco- 

 motive (which must travel forward on the hard soil), 

 could cut a trench a foot deep, and with its case- 

 hardened tines, rasp away the soil from the land-side 

 to any pattern of fineness, as easily as a saw can cut 

 a board, taking a moderate bite five or six feet 

 wide as it goes ' 



* " Gently over the stonesV" shouted Mr. Greening 

 as the sudden crash of a fallen tumbler awoke him 

 up, and the opening door announced the entry of 

 luncheon l " a bite six feet wide ! " my heart ! who 

 was it took that, Sir ? What a happy-tight he must 

 have had ! What, luncheon a'ready ! well, it's un- 

 common interesting, I'm sure ! Why you'll be 

 quite an Inventor ! It's for all the world like what 

 my little girl reads out to me o' nights from her 1 



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