Machine for Microscopic IVriting. 
55 
An Account of Mr. Peters's Machine for Microscopic 
Writing. By R. J. Farrants, Esq., F.R.C.S. 
(Eead April 25th, 1855.) 
Most of the Members of the Microscopical Society are un~ 
doubtedly acquainted with Nobert's lines, and have probably 
considered with astonishment the wonderfully-minute move- 
ments which must have been effected in producing them. 
Very beautiful specimens of microscopic writing, also by a 
foreigner, Froment, of Paris, have, I believe, also been exhi- 
bited in this room. I am not aware that any account has been 
published of the manner in which the results are attained. 
It is satisfactory to be able to state that these interesting 
productions of our continental neighbours have been at least 
equalled by means of a machine, entirely contrived and prin- 
cipally constructed by a gentleman of our own country, Mr. 
Peters, the banker, who is also a distinguished member of the 
Microscopical Society : he make* no secret of the manner in 
which his marvellous specimens are produced : on asking 
leave to lay before this Society an account of his wonder- 
working machine, and the manner of using it, permission was 
at once most liberally given ; and that the description niay be 
the more intelligible, he has kindly allowed the machine itself 
to be placed on the table. Being thus enabled to point to 
the machine, the need for accurate drawings of it, is in a great 
measure superseded ; still, some figures have been prepared 
with a view to render the details of its construction more easy 
of comprehension : these, however, are diagrams merely, and 
have no pretension to be considered drawings of the instru- 
ment. 
The machine had its origin in the following circumstance : 
Mr. Peters, having been shown some microscopic writing, 
executed, I believe, by Froment, of Paris, expressed his belief 
that he could produce writing as small : this opinion was re- 
ceived with extreme incredulity ; Mr. Peters, however, feeling 
confident of the sufficiency of his plan, determined to test it 
by actual trial : the result is a machine capable of executing 
and recording movements of almost inconceivable minuteness : 
with it, in its present condition, Mr. Peters has written " The 
Lord's Prayer," (in the ordinary writing character without 
abbreviation or contraction of any kind) in a space not exceed- 
ing the one hundred and fifty thousandth, 1-1 50,000th of a 
square inch. There are in this specimen six lines of writing; 
the length of the sides of a parallelogram, to include the whole, 
would be l-250th and 1-GOOth of an inch linear: the area so 
included is (1-250 X 1-GOO -) l-150,000th of a square inch : 
