122 TEAR-BOOK OP FACTS. 



of humble station, who, by habits of observation almost innate, by 

 powers of discrimination almost intuitive, and by practical know- 

 ledge gathered in the workshop or acquired in manual labour, gradu- 

 ally rose to professional celebrity. Mr. Watt himself informed me 

 that he never attended Dr. Black's lectures on chemistry, as has 

 been alleged ; that he had been unfortunately prevented, by the 

 necessary avocations of his business, from attending any other lec- 

 tures, and that he had a natural inaptitude for mathematics ; and 

 yet there was no one among the chemical and mechanical philoso- 

 phers of his day whose knowledge of these subjects, within certain 

 limits, was so varied and correct, and who had treasured up with 

 equal care those irrefragable results which could be safely applied in 

 the construction of great works. Mr. Telford, also, had not only 

 au inaptitude, but a singular distaste for mathematical studies, and 

 he never even made himself acquainted with the elements of geo- 

 metry. So remarkable, indeed, was this peculiarity, that when we 

 bad occcasiou to recommend a young friend as a neophyte in his 

 office, and founded our recommendation on his having distinguished 

 himself in mathematics, he did not hesitate to say that he consi- 

 dered such acquirements as rather disqualifying than fitting him 

 for the situation. That this opinion, which is far from being an 

 uncommon one among engineers, is not utterly groundless, may be 

 inferred from a comparison of the labours of some foreign engineers 

 who were great mathematicians with those of Watt, Smeaton, 

 Brindley, Rennie, Telford, and Isambard Brunei ; but we are 

 clearly of opinion that such a doctrine cannot be gravely maintained 

 by any person who has viewed the subject in all its phases. If 

 sound practical knowledge and habits of accurate observation should 

 be found incompatible with mathematical and physical attainments, 

 we would at once pronounce in favour of 'science' as the distin- 

 guishing quality of the engineer ; but we hold both to be essentially 

 requisite in the construction of works in which the materials are 

 exposed to the disintegrations of chemical and atmospherical agents ; 

 to the superincumbent pressure of solid and fluid bodies ; to the 

 action of complicated mechanical forces ; to the direct assaults of 

 the lightning and the tempest, and to various contingent pressures 

 which require to bo foreseen and resisted." 



THE DEBUSSCOPE. 



A SXALI instrument has lately made its appearance, which seems 

 to be of the greatest utility to designers, draughtsmen, painters, 



and other trades engaged in the ornamental and decorative arts. It 

 is of French origin, called a Debuasoope, we presume From the 

 name of its inventor. It consists of two silvered plates of great 

 reflect i\e po I la a framework of cardboard or 



. at the angle of 7 ||J . On being placed over a small picture or 

 of any kind, no matter how rough, or whether good or bad, 

 the debussoope will reflect the portion immediately under th 

 on all sides, forming the must beautiful and elabort : and, 



by being slowly moved orer the picture, will multiply new designs 

 to any extent. No matter what the subject is on which the iustru- 



