M A C 



MAC 



by applyinjr a lever to any fide of the ftone that feems to be 

 firmed, tliey force it aloft, and hold it up at the proper 

 height, until the driver put his carriage backward between 

 i and c, which carriage ought to have a i^rong frame upon 

 four low llout wheels ; then the ftone is let gently down 

 and carried away." 



By this fort of machine large ftones or other bodies can 

 be raifed and removed without any great difficulty. 



Machine, Thre/hing, a contrivance made ufe of inftead 

 of the flail for threfliing corn and other feed crops. See 

 Threshing Mnchhf, 



Machine, WaUr, or Hydraulic, is either ufed to fignify 

 a fimple machine, ferving to conduft or raifc water ; as a 

 fluice, pump, &;c. or feveral of thefe afting together, to 

 produce fome extraordinary effeft ; as the 



Machine r/yl/dW;. SeeMAHU. See alfo YiRv^-engme, 

 STK\M-enaine, and WATER-'ztioris. 



Maciiinl:, IValfr-raipn^, a fort of machine contrived for 

 the purpofe of raifmg water a few feet high by the po A-cr 

 of the luinJ, for the purpofe of draining moraflTes, or of 

 watering lands on a higher level, and other finiilar ufes. 

 A feftion of it is given at fig. j, and it is defcribed by the 

 author of the Philofuphy of Agriculture and Gardening to 

 "confift of a windmill fail placed horizontally, like that cf 

 a fmoke-jack, furroundcd by an oclagpn tower ; the divcrg-- 

 ing rays of this tower, a h, a i, may confift of two-inch djals 

 only, if on a fmall fcale, or of brick-work if on a larger one. 

 Thefe upright pillars are connefled together by oblique 

 horizontal boards at A B, by which boards placed horizon- 

 tally from pillar to pillar in refpeft to their length, but at 

 an angle of alxjut 45 degrees in refpeft to their breadth, f > 

 as to form a complote oftagon, including the horizontal 

 windmill fail near the top of it ; the wind, as it ftrikes againft 

 any of them, from whatever quarter it comes, is bent up- 

 wards, and then ftrikes againft the horizontal wind-fail. 

 Thefe horizontal boards, which form the fides of the pfla- 

 gon, may either be fixed in their fituations, or be made to 

 turn upon an axis a little below their centres of gravity, fo 

 as to clofe thcmfelves on that fide of the oftagon tower moft 

 didant from the wind. It may be fuppofed that the wind 

 thus reflefted, would lofe confiderably of its power before it 

 ftrikes on the wind-fail; on -fixing a model of fuch a ma- 

 chine, however, on the arm of a long whirling lever, with 

 proper machinery to count the revolutions of the wind-fail, 

 when thus included in a tower, and moving horizontally ; 

 and then when moved vertically, as it was whirled on the 

 arm of the lever with the fame velocity, it was found on 

 many trials by Mr. Edgeworth, in Ireland, and Dr. Dar- 

 win, at Derby, that the wind, by being thus reverted up- 

 wards by a fixed planed board, did not feem to lofe any of 

 its power. And as the height of the tower may be made 

 twice as great as the diameter of the fail, there is reafon to 

 conclude, the doftor thinks, that the power of the horizontal 

 wind-fail mjy be confiderably greater, than if the fail was 

 placed nearly vertically oppofed to the wind in the ufiial 

 manner. At the bottom of the ftiaft of the wind-fail is 

 placed a centrifugal pump with two arms at D, C, which 

 confills fimply of an upright bored trunk, or cylinder of 

 lead, with two oppofite arms with an adapted valve at the 

 bottom to prevent the return of the water, and a valve at 

 the extremity of each arm to prevent any ingrefs of air 

 above the current of the water as it flows out ; cccc is a 

 circular trough to receive the ftreams of water from C and 

 D, to convey them where required in any particular opera- 

 tion or proceft. 



And at fy. 6 is another machine, invented by Mr. Ser- 

 geant, of Whitehaven, calculated for raifing or farcing 



water in particular cafes, as for domeftic or other ufes. ft 

 is extremely fimple and cheap in its conftruftion, the wdiole, 

 exclufive of the pump pipes, &c. not colling more than five 

 pounds. The objedt for which it was particularly contrived 

 was that of raifing water for the fupjjly of a gentleman's 

 houfe from a ftream running at the dillance of about 140 

 yards. In which intention a dam was made a little diftance 

 above, fo as to eaufc a fall of about four feet, the water 

 being brought by a wooden trough, into which was inferted 

 a piece of twg-inch leaden pipe, a part of which is feen at 

 a, in the figure; the llream of this pipe is fo directed as to 

 run into the bucket be, when the bucket is elevated ; but as 

 foon as it begins to defcend, the ftream flows over it, and 

 goes to fupply the wooden trough, or well, in which the 

 foot of the forcing pump, c, ftands, of three inches bore ; 

 d is an iron cjlinder attached to the pump rod, which pafles 

 through it, which is filled with lead, and is in weij/ht about 

 240 pounds. This is the power which works the pump, 

 forci.ig the water through 240 feet of inch pipe from the 

 pump up to the houle. At e a cord is fixed, which, when 

 the bucket comes to within four or five inches of its loweft 

 projeftion, becomes ftretched, and opens a valve at the 

 bottom of it, through which the water difcharges itfelf. 

 This fort of pump may be found very beneficial in a variety 

 of inftances where its application can be admitted. 



Machine, tFiiid. See Anemometeh, and Wind Ma^ 

 chine. 



MACHINERY, in the Lyric theatre, or Opera-houfe. 

 In the early operas of Italy, during the 17th century, it 

 feldom happened that the names of the poets, compofers, 

 or fingers, were recorded in printed copies of the words ; 

 though that of the machinift was feldom omitted; and much 

 greater care feems to have been taken to am ufe the eye than 

 the ear or intelleft of thofe who attended thefe fpeiSacles. 



In 1675, we are told, in the Theatrical Annals of Venice, 

 that a mufical drama, called La Divifione del Mondo, writ- 

 ten by Giulio Cefare Corradi, and fet by Legrenzi, excited 

 univerfal admiration, by the ftupendous machinery and de- 

 corations with which it was exhibited. And in 1680, the 

 opera of Berenice, fet by Domenico Frefchi, was performed 

 at Padua in a manner fo fplcndid, that fome of the decora- 

 tions recorded in the printed copy of the piece feem worthy 

 of notice in this article. The mufical drama coi'.fifted of 

 poetry, mufic, dancing, machinery, and decorations ; and 

 it wotild be curious to point out the encroachments which 

 any one of thefe conftitucnt parts at different periods has 

 made upon the reft. In the beginninef it was certainly the 

 intention of opera legiflators to favour Poetry, and make her 

 miftrefs of the feaft ; and it was a long while before Mufic 

 abfohitely took the lead. Dancing only ftept into import- 

 ance during the laft century; but very early in the 17th 

 century, machinery and decorations vis^e fo important, that 

 little thought or expence was bellowed on poetry, mufic, or 

 dancing, provided fome means could be devifed of exciting 

 aftonifhment in the fpeftators, by fplendid fcenes and in- 

 gei.ious mechanical contrivances. 



In the opera of Berenice juft mentioned, there were 

 chorufes of one hundred virgins, one hundred foldiers, one 

 hundred horfemen in iron armour, forty cornets of horfe, 

 fix trumpeters on horfeback, fix drummers, fix enfigns, fix 

 facbuts, fix great flutes, fix minftrels playing on Turkiih 

 inftruments, fix others on o£lave flutes, fix pages, three 

 ferjeants, fix c^'mbahils, twelve huiufmen, twelve grooms, 

 fix coachmen for the triumph, fix others for the procefijon, 

 two lions led by two Turks, tv/o elephants by two others, 

 Berenice's triumphal car drawn by four horieS, fix other 

 cars with piifouers and fpoils drawn by twelve horfes, fix 



coachea 



