48 EXPERIMENTS ON CHRONO MEtERS. 



Mudgc'stiemon- Mr. Mudgc's comprehenfive mind fiiggefted a Remontoir* 

 tone for winding ^|,jj^ f[)ou!d be wound UD at every vibration of the balance, 

 up cv£rv vibi'ii- 

 tion. S"d lie attaclicd it to a 'fcapement which was certainly very 



fuperior to Mr. Harrifon^s, and for uniformity of excellence 

 in its going, is more to be depended upon, in my opinion, 

 than any other which has hitherto been applied to a portable 

 machine. Mr. Madge in the confiirudion of this 'fcapementi 

 had almofl: rendered his Remontoire ufelefs with refpefl to one 

 purpofe for vvh:ch he introduced it. His fon, in a book en- 

 titled a Narration of Fadts, (pages 46 and ^T, in the margin) 

 has pubiidied an extra6t from a manufcript of his father's. 

 He fuppofed it wherein he writes as follows, " was I to make a watch my- 

 known caufes"of ^"^'^ ^P"" *^'^'^ reafoning, I (hould not expe6l it to be by any 

 eiior. means perfed, but I cannot help thinking, that I (liould in 



the firft efllxy get rid of fo many, and fo great error.s, that the 

 caufe of thofe that remain would be more comeatable than 

 wlien blended as they are now, &c." I fay, that he had, in 

 the formation of his admirable Tcaperaent, nearly annihilated 

 thofe errors, the caufe of which he propofed to arrive at the 

 knowledge of by the introdu6lion of the Remontoire; it is 

 much to be lamented that this great mechanic's powers failed him 

 through age and infirmities, at the time when he had almofl: 

 arrived at the knowledge of thofe caufes of error which he fo 

 earneftly fought after. And we may prefume from the fu- 

 periority of his penetration,' that he would alfo have ac- 

 complithed the means of removing them, and confequently of 

 giving to his machines all the perfedion of which their prin- 

 ciples were fufteptible. 

 MuJge^s Witches It is obfervable that Mr. Mudge's watches, (which I con- 

 rates at firft. "^ filler from their conftru6tion as having the caufes of error 

 which I Qiall endeavour to develope, operating in them in a 

 lefs degree than any other time-keepers,) in almofl every in- 

 ftance accelerated their rates of going, while under trial at 

 Dr. Maflcelyne's the Royal Obfervatory. The Rev. Do6tor Mafkelyne has, I 

 ' think, done mechanics an eflential fervice, by publifliing his 

 very judicious and accurate remarks upon their going while 

 under his care. He obferves, among other facts, " that the 

 watches did generally accelerate their rates of going with 

 fometimes retarding them a little, that they accelerated their 

 rates lefs in the fecond trial than in the firft, and leaft of all 

 in the laft trial, and that towards the latter part of that trial 



the 



