7S6 MECHANICS, 
vapours, from the deeompofition of the oil, which might 
occafion dangerous explofions 5 but this objection is not 
very material, as high-p re flu re engines are very feldom 
ufe.d, and probably, from the danger attending them in 
other refpetts, will never be very generally adopted. As 
a testimony in favour of Mr. Woolf’s machines on the 
(core of economy, we may mention, that, according to 
Mgffrs. Leans’ report on (team-engines in the county of 
Cornwall, for December 1815, the average work of thirty- 
three engines was 19,335,126 pounds of water lifted one 
foot high with each bufhel of coals confumed. During 
the fame month the work done by Woolf’s engine at 
Wheal Vor was 46,907,795, and that at Wheal Abraham, 
47,622,040, pounds of water lifted to the fame height with 
each bulhel of coals. 
But a (till more economical fupply of fleam-engines is 
hinted at by Dr. Gregory ; and with thofe hints (as eco¬ 
nomy is now the order of the day) we (hall conclude. He 
obferves, that in many manufactories and public works 
the (learn may be generated by the wa(te-heat arifingfroin 
foine effential branch of the concern ; and thus great part 
of the daily expenfe of the machine may be faved. Mr. 
Blakey, who paid considerable attention to this point, 
fays, in his Mifcellaneous Works, “ The mod complete 
engine I made was in 1783 at Namur, for a rolling-mill; 
it raifed 7500 pounds of water every condenfation, which 
fell on wheels of fifteen and fixteen feet diameter; the 
wafte-heat for heating the metal was fujfcient to make more 
Jleam than was wanted to work the engine .” Again, “ I have 
brought my engines to work fugar-mills with no other 
power than that of the waft e-heat coming from the fire for 
boiling fugar; by which means all the charge of cattle and 
of water-mills for fugar works will be faved." And, once 
more, there is “a capital amendment made by general 
Conway, and which defrays the whole expenfe offuel. This 
is done by means of the flame or heat that comes from 
coking-ovens, which heat creates all the (team neceflfary 
to work the engine. By tkefe means all iron-foundries heated 
with coke can work their engines clear of all expenfe of fire." 
An engine has lately been invented, as we are informed, 
which may be put into motion either by water or fleam, 
without any alteration in its conllruftion, or in any of its 
parts. Its power, when worked by water is, as in other 
hydraulic machines, in proportion to the quantity em¬ 
ployed and height of the fall. In mines and manufac¬ 
tories, where the dream may be abundant at one period 
of the year, and deficient in dry feafons, fuch an engine 
mull be extremely valuable. The particulars of the con- 
ItruClion have not reached us. 
Of Steam-Boats, Steam-Carriages, &c. 
Plate XXXI. XXXII. 
The idea of impelling boats or carriages by means of 
Seam, is treated in Ozanam’s Mathematical Recreations 
with great contempt; and an inftance is given of an at¬ 
tempt of each kind, which totally failed. The date of 
thefe attempts is not given ; but we may conclude it was 
at a time when the fleam-engine was in a very imperfect (late. 
I. Steam-Boats.— After repeated effays by various inge¬ 
nious men in different parts of Europe within thirty years, 
to navigate boats or veffels by the power of fleam-engines, 
all of which had failed to a degree that left little hope 
that the objeft would be.attained; Mr. Robert Fulton, a 
native of Philadelphia, and well known in France and 
England, has been the fortunate philofopher who has 
eftabli'hed fleam-boats with complete fuccefs in his native 
country. His firlt boat, 150 feet in length, 18 feet wide, 
was built in 1807 on the H-udfon-river, to carry paffengers 
between the cities of New York and Albany, a diftance 
of j 60 miles; which boat, to the aflonilhment of the inha¬ 
bitants of thofe cities, performed the voyage in 30 hours; 
but they now accomplith it in 20. A few voyages, and the 
certainty of her arrival at given places within a given time, 
foon eftablifhed public confidence in this new inode of 
conveyance, and drew the paffengers from the (tages and 
• 3 
common (loops into the fleam-boat, which proving lucra» 
tive to Mr. Fulton, he in 1809 darted a fecond and im¬ 
proved boat, called the Car of Neptune. A.correfpondent 
of the Monthly Magazine, who in the year 1810 made a 
voyage from Canada to New York in this veffel, informs 
us, “ that it is fitted up in a (tyle, and conducted with a 
degree of order, that furpaffes any mode ef travelling yet 
invented : however violent the wind, there is no rolling or 
tolling, no caufe of ficknefs from the agitation of waves; 
the car moves on majeflically, ever on an even keel. She 
was then on her feventy-third trip for the feafon, and 
was expected to make eighty trips before the dee clofed 
the river. In which cafe, this veffel will have run 12,800 
miles in one year by the power of fleam; or the two boats 
equal 25,600 miles.” 
A boat of this kind is reprefented at fig. 126. But they 
are now built of larger dimenfions; and another corre- 
fpondent writes, “ Why they (hould be called boats, I 
cannot furmife ; the Paragon, launched at New York julfc 
before war was declared, is the length of a firft-rate man- 
of-war; and, although not wide in proportion, ltill the 
deck is very fpacious. I cannot recoiieft the precife di¬ 
menfions; but, as two tables can be laid on it for the ac¬ 
commodation of upwards of 200 perfons, with fufficient 
room for the attendants, See. fome idea of it may be 
formed. Below thefe are four cabins, two before and two 
behind the fleam-engine, which, with the kitchen, occu¬ 
pies the centre. The after-cabins are very elegantly fitted 
up with beds, See. The boats which leave New York at 
five P. M. on Saturday, almoft to a certainty reach Albany 
by twelve on Sunday night. The fare is feven dollars, 
for which tea and fupper are found on Saturday evening, 
and next day breakfaft, dinner, tea, and fupper, that is, 
exclulive of liquors; and every thing is in profufion and 
of good quality; fo that an American fleam-boat is in 
fa£t a moving hotel of the very firfl clafs, in which fami¬ 
lies may be conveyed hundreds of miles, at a moderate 
expenfe, without trouble, fatigue, or danger.” 
As to the public convenience and utility of fleam-boats 
or packets, it is almolt unneceffary to make any remark, 
for the ufe of well-informed perfons; becaufe it is one of 
thofe things that mull Alike and claim the attention of 
any intelligent mind; for any one travelling on the line 
of country where ufed, that wifhes to pafs reafonably and 
expeditioufly, at lefs expenfe than by land carriage, and 
without fatigue, this, of all other modes of travelling, 
is the moll plealant and comfortable. Their cabins below 
are like fitting-rooms; their tables are ftrewed with pa¬ 
pers, monthly publications, and books of amufement; fo 
that no one can duly appreciate their comfort and con¬ 
venience, but thofe that have travelled in them. 
Mod of the principal rivers in North America are na¬ 
vigated by thefe fleam-boats: one of them paffss-200© 
miles, on the great river Mifliffippi, in twenty-one days, 
at the rate of five miles an-hour, againlt the defeending 
current, which is perpetually running down. This fleam- 
boat is 126 feet in length, and carries 460 tons, at a very 
(hallow draft of water, only two feet fix inches; and car¬ 
ries, from New Orleans, whole (hips’ cargoes into the in¬ 
terior of the country, as well as paffengers. The city of 
New York alone poffeffes feven fleam-boats, for commerce 
and paffengers. That to Albany, on the North River, 
paffes 130 miles; then (after about 45 miles of land-car¬ 
riage to Lake Champlain) you may enter another fleam- 
boat, that will take you about 200 miles, to near Montreal, 
between which place and Quebec, a Britilh fleam-boat, 140 
feet in length, is conilantly palling, and ufually goes down 
in twenty-eight hours, but fometimes in twenty-four, al¬ 
though the diftance is 180 miles; and, in returning, (he 
is feldom more than twelve or fifteen hours additional 
time, although the ftream is almoft conilantly running 
again ft her, with that velocity fo peculiar to the river 
St. Lawrence. This boat, in the year 1813, was found 
of the greateft fervice to the Britifli government, in carry¬ 
ing troops and (lores with greater eafe and difpatch than 
poflibly 
