de Caus, who was born at Dieppe or in its neighbourhood. Let us take an impartial glance at the respective claims of these two competitors.

afterwards, to the Elector Palatine. Upon this event, De Caus went over to Heidelberg, where he became "Ingenieur et Architecte de son Altesse Palatine Electorale," and from this place most of his books are dated. The dedication above alluded to is, "A la Tresillustre et Vertueuse Princesse Elizabeth, Princesse de la Grande Bretaigne, Electrice Palatine;" and in the preceding year, 1614, he dedicates another work, "Institution Harmonique,” “A la Tresillustre et Vertueuse Dame Anne, Royne de la Grande Bretaigne.” In the "Beauties of England and Wales," it is stated, that, "Monsieur Solomon de Caus, Inigo Jones, and Webb, were successively engaged to enlarge and embellish" Wilton House, the famous seat of the Herberts, Earls of Pembroke, in Wiltshire. In the catalogue of the British Museum a book is ascribed to Isaac de Caus, called "Wilton Garden." This Isaac published a work of which one edition appeared in 1657, but another is without date, entitled, "Novvelle Invention de lever l'Eav plvs havlt que sa source, auec quelques Machines mouantes par le moyen de l'Eau et vn discours de la conduite d'ycelle, par Isaac de Cavs, Ingenyeur et Architecte, Natif de dieppe." In 1659, a translation of this, by John Leak, was published in London, in which exactly the same copper-plates are employed for illustration as in the original volume.

From their surname being the same, and from the great similarity of many of the mechanical contrivances which they invented or described, as well as from their both having apparently found professional employment in England, there seems reason to conclude that the two De Caus were in some way related to each other; and, if they were not brothers or cousins, but either father and son, or uncle and nephew, Isaac appears, from the smaller number of the mechanical contrivances which he has published, to have been the first in order of time, although this is not so stated in the usual biographical accounts. Mr. Stuart, in his "Anecdotes of Steam-Engines," seems to consider them to be the same person, under different names, (vol. i. p. 27.)

On the authority of the title-page to his work already cited, Isaac may be held to have been a native of Normandy. It is possible that the same authority may be the only one that has led his biographers to call Solomon also a Norman. M. Arago, in the Annuaire

C

The Marquis, being seriously implicated in the intrigues in the latter years of the reign of the Stuarts, was imprisoned in the Tower of London. One day, as the story goes, the lid of the pot in which his dinner was cooking, suddenly rose. What can a man do in such a case, but think? The Marquis, then, thought about the strange phenomenon he had just witnessed. Then it occurred to him that the same force which had lifted the lid, might become, in certain circumstances, a useful and convenient moving power; after regaining his liberty, he explained, in 1663, in a

du Bureau des Longitudes for 1830, only says that he was a Frenchman, without more minutely particularising the place of his birth. And the only arguments by which he supports even this general assertion are, 1. that he wrote in French, 2. that he calls himself, in a dedication to Louis XIII., a subject of that monarch, and, 3. that he is also styled his subject in the privilege granted to his publication. But these circumstances are consistent with the supposition of his having been French only by extraction, as he might, even in that case, take a pride in using the language of his fathers, and claiming his connection with their country and its sovereign, while in the privilege the designation which he adopts in the dedication is naturally repeated.

It may be worth observing, that Solomon de Caus' books printed at Frankfort were published "En la boutique de Jan Norton, Libraire Anglois;" and his first work, "La Perspective avec la Raison des Ombres et Miroirs," was published in London (1612.) He seems afterwards to have gone to Paris, at least in 1624 he published there, "La Pratiqve et Demonstration des Horloges Solaires," and a second edition of "Les Raisons des Forces Mouvantes."

It must not be supposed, from the above observations, that we intend to assert that Solomon de Caus was born in England; of this we have no proof; but the weight of proof as to his birth-place rests on the nation which has claimed the honour of his inventions, and the circumstances mentioned above seem to shew that on this point there is yet some room for doubt.-TR.

"*the

book entitled "A Century of Inventions,' means by which he thought he could put his idea

* Mr. Stuart, in his "History of the Steam Engine," has erroneously stated (p. 12,) that the "Century of Inventions" was first printed in 1683; and this error he has not corrected in the second edition of his work. The full title of the Marquis of Worcester's little book is as follows:-"A Century of the Names and Scantlings of such Inventions as at present I can call to mind to have tried and perfected, which (my former Notes being lost,) I have, at the instance of a powerful Friend, endeavoured now, in the Year 1655, to set these down in such a way as may sufficiently instruct me to put any of them in practice.—Artis & Naturæ proles. London: Printed by J. Grismond, in the year 1663." This little book has been often reprinted; and, in 1825, it was edited, with historical and explanatory notes and twenty-four illustrative engravings, by Mr. Partington.

To the kindness of a friend we are indebted for the sight of a copy of the first edition of the "Century of Inventions," to which is appended a description of “a stupendious Water-commanding Engine, boundless for height, or quantity, requiring no external or even additional help or force, to be set or continued in motion, but what intrinsically is afforded from its own operation, nor yet the twentieth part thereof," &c. &c. It is introduced by a preface, and concludes with a Latin elogium and English panegyric, "composed, through duty and gratitude, by an ancient servant of his Lordship, (James Rollock,) who hath, for 40 years, been an eye-witness of his great ingenuity, indefatigable pains, and vast expenses in perfecting, for public service, not only this most stupendious Water-commanding Engine, but likewise several other rare, useful, and never formerly heard of mathematical conclusions, of which he hath owned a Century, and thereunto I refer you; though this alone were enough to eternalise his name to all ages and future times," &c. &c. An address to the King (Charles II.) follows the preface, and is signed, "Your Sacred Majestie's faithfully devoted and passionately affected, useful if cherished, Subject and Servant, WORCESTER.” There is also inserted the Act of Parliament for a Water-commanding Engine, with a prohibition to all others to make use of the same for 99 years; one-tenth part of the profits being also directed to be paid into the Exchequer, and a model of the engine to be delivered by the Marquis to the Lord Treasurer, or Lords Commissioners for the Treasury, on or before the 29th September, 1663, to be by him or them put into the Exchequer and kept there.

The panegyric is headed, “ A Panegyrick to the Right Honorable

into practice. These means are, in all their essential points, at least in so far as we can understand them, the bomb-shell half full of liquid, and the ascending vertical tube which I have just described.

The bomb-shell, the same tube, arè engraved in Edward Lord Marquess of Worcester, upon his stupendious and never sufficiently-commended Water-work." We insert it, because it is an additional argument for the Marquis having made not only a descriptive invention, but an actual engine, producing such effects as he mentions to have been attained.

The Latin elogium is much to the same purpose, and is written, mutatis mutandis, much in the same style; it is entitled, “In admirandam magis quàm imitandam, aut ullis Encomiis satis prædicandam, illustrissimi Domini Marchionis Vigorniæ Machinam Hydraulicam Elogium ;" and precedes the panegyric.-TR.

"les Raisons des Forces Mouvantes,' "'* a work of Solomon de Caus. There, the idea is clearly, simply, and unpretendingly set forth. Its origin has nothing romantic; it is connected neither with the events of civil war, nor with a famed state prison, nor even with the rising of the lid of a prisoner's pot; but, what is of infinitely greater importance in a question as to priority, it is, by the date of its publication, forty-eight years earlier than the "Century of Inventions," and forty-one years prior to the imprisonment of the Marquis of Worcester.

The dispute, thus made to depend on a comparison of dates, seemed to be of necessity brought to a close. For how, in fact, could it ever be maintained, that the year 1615 was not earlier than the year 1663? But those whose chief aim appears to have been to expunge every French name from this important chapter in the history of science, suddenly changed their ground as soon as "Les Raisons des Forces Mouvantes" had been extricated from the dusty libraries in which it lay buried.† They broke without hesitation their

"Les

* The title of the first edition of this work is as follows :Raisons des Forces Mouvantes, auec diuerses Machines tant utilles que plaisantes, Aus quelles sont adioints plusieurs desseings de grotes et fontaines, par Salomon de Caus, Ingenieur et Architecte de son Altesse Palatine Electorale. A Francfort, en la boutique de Jan Norton, 1615."—TR.

+ M. Arago seems here to imply too sweeping a censure on the English writers on the steam-engine. Although the work of Solomon de Caus, spoken of in the text, appears not to have been known to Professor Robison; yet full justice has been done to his claims by Stuart and Farey at least, if not by other English authors.—TR.