172 



NEW ENGLAND I' A II M E R 



MISCELLANEOUS 



CLOCKS. 



The first mode of measuriniT the lapse of time 

 was, undoubtedly, the observation of tlie sun's mo- 

 tion. In almost all climates, the morning, noon and 

 evenings would be readily distinguished. The 

 Babylonians appear to be the first who obtained 

 greater accuracy by the invention of the sun-dial, 

 at what epoch is not exactly kYiown ; but it was 

 evidently at a very ren)0te period. The dial of 

 Ahaz, mentioned by Isaiah, must have existed eight 

 centuries before the Christian era ; and it is a cu- 

 rious example of the little communication which 

 existed in ancient times between the nations of the 

 world, that this instrument was unknown to the 

 Greeks, until about G40, B. C. One of these Gre- 

 cian sun-dials is preserved in the British Museum. 

 It is ronjecturod that it served to show the hour in 

 one of tlic crossways in Athens. 



A few centuries later, the Egyptians, in order to 

 distinguish the hours at night and in cloudy weath- 

 er, invented the clepsydra, or water-clock ; proba- 

 bly a mere float, with a rod fixed upmi it, like a 

 mast, and placed in a vessel of water with a hole at 

 the bottom : as the water ran out, the float descend- 

 ed, and figures marked on the rod, at proper inter- 

 vals, showed the number of hours elapsed. The 

 sand-glass, made like the modern hour glass, was 

 also used in ancient times, as appears from a bas- 

 reli.'f, representing the marriage of Peleus and 

 Thetis, in which is the figure of Morpheus^ holding 

 a glass of this construction. 



The period of the invention of wheel-clocks is 

 ijivolved in uncertainty — some authors staling it to 

 have been as early as the fourth, and others as late 

 as the tenth century. The cause of this I'isagree- 

 ment is, that the word clock has been used tp de- 

 signate the clepsydrftnd hour-glass ; and probably 

 the clocks mentioneu by old chroniclers, and set 

 down by modera authors as proofs of the antiquity 

 of the invention, were some modifications of these 

 instJ-umenls. Such, probably, was the clock sent 

 by Paul I. to Pepin le Bref, in 700. 



The French historians describe a clock sent to 

 Charlemagne in 607, by Haroun al Rashid, the Ca- 

 liph of the East, which struck the hours by the fall- 

 ing of twelve brass balls upon a bell. It had also 

 twelve horsemen, who came out, one at a time, at 

 separate doors, which they openedand closed again. 

 This clock must certainly have been furnished with 

 some kind of wheel- work ; but the movirigp.iwer is 

 said to have been the fall of water. 



In the twelfth century, clocks moved by weights, 

 appetir to have been \ised in Italy ; and, early in 

 the fourteenth, one was put up in Loudon, by VVal- 

 lingford, a monk, who died in 1325, which was said 

 to show the time with accuracy. In the year 13d4, 

 Gracomo Dondi erected at Padua, his celebrated 

 clock, which, besides the hour of llie day, showed 

 the course of the sun in elliptic, and the places of 

 the planets. The celebrity acquired by this clock, 

 was the cause of great advancement in the art : al- 

 most every court in Europe was desirous of pos- 

 sessing a similar work, and skilful mechanics were, 

 in consequence, induced to turn their attention to 

 the manufacture. Its author was dignified with 

 the sirnamo of Horologius, which is still borne by 

 his descendants. 



A stnry told of Louis XI. (king of France from 



deal of money at play, stole a clock belonging to 

 the king, and hid it in his sleeve. In a sliort time, 

 the clocli, which continued to go, notwithstanding 

 its removal struck the hour, and the theft wns of 

 course discovered. Louis, as capricious in kindness 

 as in tyranny, not only pardcuied tlie culprit, but 

 made him a present of the clock. All these instru- 

 ments, though much superior to the clepsydra, and 

 celebrated at the period of their invention for the 

 accuracy of their movements, gave, according to 

 our present notions, but coarse approximations to 

 the true time. They were retarded greatly, when 

 a particle of dust got into their works, and accele- 

 rated when cleaned. As to the minute divisions of 

 time, they were quite useless. 'i ycho Brahe, an 

 astronomer who lived in the sixteenth century, and 

 who spared no expense or trouble in their con- 

 struction, found that no dependence could be plac- 

 ed upon them for his observations. 



The adaptation of the pendulum, by the cele- 

 brated Iluygcns, in 1057, at once brought clock- 

 making to perfection. The clock, which had hith- 

 erto merely served to divide the day into periods 

 of sufficient accuracy for the details of business, 

 or the hours of eating or sleeping, now became the 

 means of recording the minutest lapse of time, of 

 showing the smallest irregularities in the apparent 

 motion of the sun and planets, and of reducing as- 

 tronomy to the exactness of mathematical reason- 

 ing. Increased skill in workmanship, has, of course, 

 produced greater accuracy ; but tlie pendulum is 

 still the means of giving it effect 



JJiOV. 13, 1839. 



All of us who were engaged in the struggle must 

 have obsi.'rved (requent instances of a superintend- 

 ing Providence in our favor. To that kind Provi- 

 dence we owe this happy opportunity of consulting 

 in peace on the means of establishing our future 

 national felicity. And have we now forgotten that 

 powerful friend ? or do we imagine we now no 

 longer need its assistance ? I have lived, sir, a 

 long time, and the longer I live, the ninre con- 

 vincing proofs I see of this truth — that God gov- 

 erns in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow can- 

 not fall to the ground without His notice, is it pro- 

 bable that an empire can rise without His aid i 

 We have been assured, sir, in the sacred writings 

 that "except the Lord build the house, they laboi 

 in vain that build it." I firmly believe this ; and 

 also believe that without His concurring aid, w( 

 hall succeed in this political building no bette 

 than the builders of Babel ; we shall be divider 

 by our little, partial, Ioc.tI interests; our project 

 will be confounded, and we ourselves shall becom 

 a reproach and a byword down to future ages. An 

 what is worse, mankind may hereafter, from thi 

 unfortunate instance, despair of establishing go\ 

 ernment by human wisdom, and leave it to chanc( 

 war and conquest. 



I therefore beg leave to move — 

 That henceforth, prayers, imploring the assi; 

 tance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberi 

 tions, be held in this assembly every morning b( 

 fore we proceed to business, and that one or moi 

 of the clergy of this city be requested to officiate 

 that service. 



DR FRANKLIN AND LEGISLATIVE CHAP- 

 LAINS. 



Our great American philosopher has not been 

 usually tanked among those, who, among the re- 

 nowned names of the world, can be claimed as a 

 believer and follower of the Christian religion. — 

 Yet, in the testimony which is annexed, and which 

 we do not remember to have seen before, there is 

 such proof, both of religious faith and practical 



wisdom, as to outweigh many vague accusations 



JVfiv York American. 



Motion for prayers in Ihe Convention. 



Ma President : — The small progress we have 

 made, after four or five weeks' close attendance 

 and continual reasoning with each other, our dif- 

 ferent sentiments on ainio.st every question, several 

 of the last producing as many noes as ayes, is, 

 meihinks, a melancholy proof of the imperfection 

 of the bumau understanding. We, indeed seem 

 to feel our own want of politicdl wisdom, since we 

 have been running all about in search of it. We 

 have gone back to ancient history for models of 

 Government, and -examined the different forms of 

 those Republics, which, having been originally 

 formed with the seeds of their own dissolution, 

 now no longer exist; and v/e have viewed modern 

 States all around Europe, but find none of their 

 ciuistitutions suitable to our circumstances. 



In this situation of this assembly, groping, as it 

 were in the dark to find political truth, and scarae 

 able to distinguish it when presented to us, how 

 has it happened, sir, tliat we have not hitlierto once 

 tiiought of applying humbly to the Father of Light 

 to il.uininate our understanding? In the begin 

 ning of the contest with Britain, when we were 



sensible of danger, we had daily prayers in this 

 14(il lo 1 18-%) shows that the art had then made I room for the Divine protection. Our prayers, sir, 

 great advi nces. A gentleman who had lost, a great were heard — and they were graciously answered. 



!.S, 



\Vi-\SHlP'S BRIGHTON .M.:nSE:RI. 



AXD BOTANIC GARDKNS. 



^■.^■•<-<:v.. Fruit and Ornamental Trees, Shrulis, CiO( 

 ^■'■-,-' i.5r ers, Herliaccous, Perennials, Grei ii H'l 

 ■*. "''^■■SS Phints, &c. 

 5r4.> |:"^?~ Orders arldressed to Messrs WINSli: 



_^rir.. Rrigluoki, Slass., will be promptly exec iti 



and forwarded to any part of this or other eounlries. 

 April 10. 



ROHAN POTATOES, 



For sale at the New England Agricultural Warehouse a 



Seed Store, No. 5^ North Market Street, at Sr, per Imrrel. 



October 16. JOSEPH BllECK & CO. 



I<'rliit nml Oriiamental Trees, Flowering ShruU 

 Plants, &e. 



The present lieing the m >st favorolile .reason for Irai 

 planting all hardy trees and shrulis, we would remind thr 

 who are' in waiil of Fruit or Ornamental Trees. Shrti 

 flerhaceous Plains, &c. that we can futnis-li tliem at sh 

 notice at nursery prices, well packed for transportatii 

 anv part of the country. ..,...«., .,,,,,,-.,- . ^ 



bctoher 16. 



.lOSEPH liRECE & CO 



.^lORUS 11H.'1.TIC.4.11LIS. 



COOO Multieaulis from 2 to 4 feet h'gh, wood well ripenr 

 now slandinijin the field on the JoTies Piarein An"eU Stre 

 half a mile from the Prnvidenue Market, for sale low (if 

 ken in the field) liy. JOSEPH STETSON on the premi 

 or on application to STIAISON & HODGES 



Providence, Octolier 2S. 



A few pa 

 NoTemlie 



DOMESTICATED "WILD GEESIS. 

 for sale. Enquire at this office. 



THE NEW EWGI>A:>.D FARMER 



Is published every Wednesday Evening, at S3 per ann- 

 piyahlc at the end of the year— but those who pay Wil 

 sixty days from the time of suhscrihing are entitled to a 

 duolionof 59 cents. 



DENNETT AND CHISHOLM, PRINTT** 



n seiiiioLeTRBaT oostox 



