70 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



(p. 97.) — " !Nous avons vu uii autre moulin ou I'oii a suivi le meme 

 systeme de force motriee et le meme meeanisme a quelques modifica- 

 tions pres. 



" Au premier coup d'oeil elles paraissent peu avantageuses, et n'en 

 remplissent pas moins I'objet des constructeurs. Le canal ou aqueduc 

 y est eleve a plusieurs pieds audessus du niveau de la roue : mais le 

 conduit dans laquelle I'eau tombe, au lieu de representer une pyramide 

 renversee et posee diagonalement, oSre un cone tronque et vertical. 



" L'eau y entre par le retrecissement du sommet, et apres avoir 

 rempli I'ampleur de la base s'en echappe par un tuyau perce borizon- 

 talement et qui se trouve de niveau avec la roue. De plus, au lieu de 

 perdre, comme dans le precedent moulin, la sui'abondance, ou la crue 

 des eaux, on I'a rendue utile en divisant le courant de maniere k faire 

 toui'ner les roues des deux moulins jumeaux et accoles I'un d I'autre. 

 A cet effet I'aqueduc s'elargit d son extremite qui est divisee en cleux 

 parties egales par tme cloison en plancbes epaisses ; ce qui forme deux 

 canaux paralleles, garnis de leui's vannes ; et qui aboutissent aux deux 

 cones ou l'eau se precipitant en meme temps, fait agir le double 

 meeanisme." 



[Tkanslation,] 



In Greece is met with at every step the tradition of ancient usages, 

 and particularly of those of the mechanical arts. It is worth observing 

 that the greater part of the machines made use of in this country are 

 of a simplicity such, that far from thus marking the first efforts of art, 

 they seem on the contrary to be but the result of reflexion, assisted by 

 a long experience. If by mechanics is to be understood the art of 

 increasing certain efiects while simplifying the causes, it might be 

 believed that the ancients understood it better than we do, particularly 

 if one is to judge after the gigantic enterprises which they have 

 executed, with the aid of machines which might be called primitive 

 or elementary, and of which ours are but the complicated form. 



(p. 90.) — We have said that necessity alone was the guide of the 

 ancients on the invention of machinery. Thus, that of mills for 

 grinding corn only goes back to the century of Augustus. Before 

 this period people were content with hand-mills, similar to those to 

 be still seen in Sicily (see Picturesque Tour in Sicily, by M. Houel, 

 p. 91 (1782-87)), and which are but simple household instruments. 

 These mills were quite portable, occupied but little space, and were 

 capable of producing at but slight expense enough flour for the food 

 of a family. There might even be employed for this work the labour 



