0 234016 2. 1-69 PREFACE. THE object proposed by this publication at its outset, was one of entire novelty, and no inconsiderable importance. A numerous and valuable portion of the community, including all who are manually employed in our different trades and manufactures, had begun, for the first time, to feel the want of a periodical work, which, at a price suited to their humble means, would diffuse among them a better acquaintance with the history and principles of the arts they practise, convey to them earlier information than they had hitherto been able to procure of new discoveries, inventions, and improvements, and attend generally to their peculiar interests, as affected by passing events. In the hope of being able, at least partially, to supply this want, the "MECHANIC'S MAGAZINE" was commenced; and so rapid was the success which attended our endeavours, that we can only venture to ascribe it to the extreme desire which prevailed for something of the kind, however imperfect or faulty might be the manner of its execution. When we look back on the labours comprehended within the present volume, we feel deeply sensible how much in performance, we have fallen short even of our own views and expectations. We trust, however, some allowance will be made for the inconveniences and difficulties inseparable from all new undertakings, and, above all, for the embarrassments in which Editors are sometimes placed by the very study to please a numerous circle of readers, as various in their tastes as pursuits, and all equally pressing in their claims for preference. More rigid we might certainly have been in our selections from the favours of correspondents; but we could not forget that one great object of our publication was, to encourage, by every possible" means, the class of men to whom it is more particularly addressed, to commit their thoughts and observations to writing, for the publie be 302163 nefit; and we felt, as we still feel, that it were better far, a good many faulty productions, from this source, should make their appearance, than that a single individual should be deterred, by the dread of too severe a scrutiny, from communicating any thing which he may conceive worthy of being made known to the world. How much besides of really valuable matter may we not owe, on the other hand, to that tenderness of consideration which some would inadvertently condemn? For, with all its defects, we believe the MECHANIC'S MAGAZINE may boast of having been the medium of as considerable a portion of original information and discussion during the time it has been established, as any of its costly contemporaries; and we have the assurance of some of its most instructive and approved contributors, that but for the frank manner in which they were invited to come forward, and the confidence which they felt of a kind and affable reception, they could never have been tempted to hazard the experiment of writing for the public eye. "Be assured," says one of this esteemed class, "that there is nothing in the plan and management of your work which will be more generally approved than the utter exclusion of that illiberal and sarcastic criticism, in which some publications indulge at the expense of every individual whose contributions may not be exactly suited to the ideas of the Conductors. How many persons have been induced rather to suffer a really beneficial project to remain in oblivion, than, incur the risk of unmerited ridicule or contempt. Persevere in the mode you have taken to invite, encourage, and stimulate inquiry and commu-, nication among the working classes, and your publication cannot fail to prove the source, not only of much individual improvement, but of great national advantage." That in other respects (in plainness and familiarity of description. particularly) there is much room for improvement, we freely own; and we trust, ere another volume comes to a termination, to make this improvement abundantly manifest. We are willing to consider much of the success with which we have been honoured, merely as a sort of advance, made on the credit of plans and intentions, unquestionably good in themselves, but which we have yet to do much to redeem. We cannot at all flatter ourselves, that the MECHANIC'S MaGAZINE is as yet, though we hope in time to make it, all that a high authority has declared it to be, "the most valuable gift which. the hand of Science has yet offered to the artizan." • Dr. Birkbeck's Inaugural Address to the London Mechanic's Institution MEMOIR OF JAMES WATT, THE GREAT IMPROVER OF THE STEAM-ENGINE. MANY great and distinguished men, the ornaments of the last and present centuries, have been more known and much more talked of than James Watt; but, perhaps, no one of them was the fortunate author of so much real good to mankind or has equal laims on their gratitude. Now, indeed, it is generally known, that he was one of the most successful and skilful inventors of machinery of the age. His good fortune may encourage, and his perseverance was instruct the present and all future generations of mechanics; and, therefore, his biography has been selected, as it seems particularly of a work which is to be entirely well adapted, for the first number devoted to their amusement an improvement. Mr. Watt also a kind good-hearted man giving lustre to his art, not only ated, but by the life he led. He by the prodigious power he creacquired wealth and honour by his own exertions, and was praised for his wisdom as well as for his skill. Though we do not pretend to assert that there is any thing in mechanical pursuits which peculi arly tends to soften and civilize mankind, yet we may safely quote Mr. Watt as one among many examples, of a great love for such pursuits being combined with great general acuteness and mildness of character. His virtues, which would have insured him respect, although he had not been a distinguished mechanic, gave to those really useful arts he loved and cultivated some of the moral dignity possessed by the individual. Unfortunately for the world, in consequence of these arts having been, in the early ages of European society, long practised only by domestic slaves and degraded classes of men, they are less honoured than they deserve; and still bear, even when their importance is acknowledged, part of the stigma attached to the vices and debased state of their first professors. We propose to ourselves, as one of the objects of this publication, to do whatever lies in our power to elevate the useful arts in the opinion of mankind, and we can conceive no more efficacious means of accomplishing our object than to set before the world examples like this of James Watt, combining great moral dignity with great skill and great attachment to the mechanic arts. James Watt was born at Greenock in 1736. His father was a respectable merchant and magistrate of that town, and James received a good education in its public schools. He had a delicate constitution, and very soon displayed the same love of retirement and study which was visible in all his after life. Even before he left school he felt a strong liking for the mechanic arts, and appears to have selected a profession for himself. At the age of 18 he repaired to London, and there received instruction for about a year from an eminent mathematical instrument maker. At that time ill health compelled him to return to Greenock; and he afterwards pursued his studies and his occupations without more in struction. His progress was, nevertheless, extremely rapid, and he soon acquired so much skill and reputation, that in the year 1757, and in the 21st year of his age, he was appointed mathematical instrument maker to the University of Glasgow. He had apartments given him in the College, where he remained till 1764, the epoch of his marriage, when he took up his abode in the town of Glasgow. From this time, tiil 1774, he acted as a civil engineer-made several surveys for canals and harbours, and some of his plans were afterwards carried into execution. It was during these ten years that he first thought of and completed most of his improvements of the Steam Engine; but it was not till the year 1774, that he united himself with Mr. Boulton a great manufacturer at Birmingham, in order to carry his improvements into execution. In consequence of this, he removed to Soho, near Birmingham, where he continued to reside till his death, which took place in his 84th year, at his seat of Heathfield, on August 25th, 1819. Mr. Watt was twice married; first in 1764 to his maternal cousin, Miss Miller, who died in 1773, leaving a daughter and a son⚫ and, secondly, after removing to Birmingham, to Miss Mac Gregor of Glasgow, by whom he had two children who both died in their infancy. He had also the misfortune to see his daughter, by Miss Miller, go before him to the grave, though not till she had given him two grand children. His son was long associated with him in his business and his studies, and is now in partnership with the son of Mr. Boulton at the head of that establishment at Soho near Birmingham, which their fathers formed, and which is at present known to all Europe. Mr. Watt was a fellow of the Royal Societies both of London and Edinburgh, and one of the few Englishmen who have been elected v'd bis |