Paul and Hart's, for Curriage Springs. 127 form of spring described herein differs but slightly, if at all, from that straight formed spring usually attached to gigs, or dennet gigs, as they are called in the specification. They are proposed to be made of lance wood, (though some other sorts of wood will answer nearly as well) cut into thin slips or plates, several of which slips or plates are to be attached together by means of iron clasps wrapped round them, the centre of the plate being secured by a strong bolt passing through the whole; or the several slips may be connected together by pins, with stops, much in the same manner as similarly formed steel springs are connected. Their centres are proposed to be attached to blocks, which may rest either upon the frame of the carriage or support the body; the extremities of the longest plate or slip being shod with iron ends, for the purpose of suspending the body to the spring, or the spring to the frame. From two to five slips or plates of wood are to form the spring, according to the strength required; and it is proposed to place the longest slips uppermost, in order to prevent wet from getting in between them, so as to swell the wood and create friction. A composition of mastic varnish and black lead is to be put upon the faces of these plates, which, when dry, must be rubbed smooth; and when put together, a composition of soap, black-lead, and oil, is to be introduced between each two of the plates, as an anti-attrition medium. We believe that not only lance wood, but many other sorts of wood, have been used for carriage-springs. Whether the cutting of lance wood plates, and applying it to such purposes, be new, is a question which we do not pretend to decide. Inrolled, November, 1821. 128 On Jamieson's Celestial Atlas. To the Editor of the Journal of Arts, &c. SIR, As you have not reviewed a work which has been a good deal puffed in the metropolis, I request permission to occupy a page of your Journal concerning it. Being a frequent observer of the heavenly bodies, I was induced, by the opinions of the public prints, to purchase A Celestial Atlas; comprising a systematic Display of the Heavens, in a Series of thirty Maps, illustrated by scientific Descriptions of their Contents, and accompanied by Catalogues of the Stars, and Astronomical Exercises. By ALEXANDER JAMIESON, A.M. In the preface Mr. J. tells us that several years have elapsed since he first undertook the construction of this Atlas; and that were he now to obey the feelings excited by its completion, the preface he should have to offer would be a history of its progress from beginning to end. This history, however, is very soon told. Mr. J. goes on to say that "It remains only to be seen whether a work that is unique in matter and form will be considered as filling up a desideratum by the astronomical student and those who profess to be the patrons of genius, or the guardians of science. My labours are now within the pale of public criticism; but, unluckily for their author, great number of those whom accident or necessity has placed over the periodical reviews, are but little versed in the universal canons of the art whereby this Atlas has been brought into being." Now what will be thought of the originality and genius of this production when the reader is informed that the On Jamieson's Celestial Atlas. 129 thirty maps in Mr. J.'s work are, without the slightest alteration in size or linear projection, copied from a French work, with the following title: Atlas Céleste, de Flamsteed; publiée en 1776, par J. FORTIN, Ingenieur-Méchánicien, pour les Globes et Spheres. Troisième Edition, revue et corrigée, et augmentée par M.M. Delalande et Méchain. A Paris, chez Delamarche, Rue du Jardinet, No. 13, (quartier St. André des Arcs.) M.DCC.XCV. The projection, too, is one of the worst for this purpose that could have been devised. The misshaped appearances intended to represent stars are also copied. Some few of the seventh and eighth magnitude are, indeed, added, but with very little attention to truth. The utility of a celestial atlas upon a scale so small as the one in question, even if the exact positions, magnitude, and number of stars, had been carefully attended to, is extremely questionable; detached portions of the heavens, exhibiting one or two constellations only, are not the best means of leading the student to a familiar acquaintance with the actual situation of the fixed stars. The delineation of a considerable portion of the sphere in plano upon any projection but the stereographic, will produce distortion, and destroy the resemblance between the map and the heavens. It is with reluctance that I make these observations; but a publication like this, sent into the world with no ordinary pretensions, and dedicated, by permission, to the King, demanded them. In conclusion, I would just add, that if Mr. J. or any competent person, will lay down the zodiacal stars upon a larger scale, and send the work into the world with the judicious remarks of a Herschel or a Wollaston, he will perform a useful service, and be, no doubt, rewarded for his labour.-I am, &c. London; August 22, 1822. A STAR-GAZER. We give place to the above letter because we think the statements in it are substantially correct. But, although there appears little doubt that Mr. Jamieson must have seen and copied, as far as it goes, the French work above quoted, or some copy from it, we yet are, in justice, compelled to say that Mr. Jamieson has added to his Atlas numerous small stars which are not in that work. How Mr. Jamieson will get over the charge of plagiarism, it is not for us to divine; but we do think the public is entitled to an explanation in this affair. The original French work is now before us. By the Discours Préliminaire, it appears that the Celestial Atlas of Flamstead, (to which Mr. J. slightly alludes in his 'work,) was published at London in 1729. This Atlas consisted of twenty-eight maps. But these maps, from their size and their expense, could only be obtained by the opulent. In 1776, J. Fortin undertook to reduce Flamstead's maps to one-third of their size. It is added, that foreigners have felt the utility of the undertaking, for this work has been copied in London. In this reduction the editors of 1795 say that they perceive the most careful attention to preserve all the resemblance of the original. The only difference consists in the positions of the stars, which, in the second edition given by Fortin, were fixed for the year 1780; whereas Flamstead had placed them for the year 1690, the period of his observations.-EDITOR. On Gordon's Improved Wheel Carriages. 131 Whilst we are happy in affording Mr. Gordon the opportunity of explaining or correcting what we have said in our account of his specification, we regret that an error of the kind mentioned in his first paragraph should, by any means, have escaped our notice. Relative to the second paragraph it will be remembered, that we spoke doubtingly upon the subject; but we can state distinctly, that two wheels without a continued axle were employed in the water-cart to which we alluded, and between the wheels of which cart the tank was suspended.-EDITOR.] SIR, To the Editor of the Journal of Arts. I WAS extremely sorry to observe, that, in page 19 of your Journal for July, you have made an error in describing the additional wheel which I proposed for carriages to be propelled by steam, &c. Besides some difference of phraseology, you describe the said wheel as being similar to the "wheels used on tram-roads ;" whereas, in my Specification, it is described as similar to the "wheel used in what are termed walking cranes, &c." I also observe, that, in page 18, you state, "This construction of carriages has been commonly used in the East Indies for ages; and, if we mistake not, has been, within the last three years, employed in carrying a tank for watering the roads near Vauxhall." Now, I have made the most diligent enquiry, and I cannot find that any carriage similar to mine, either in principle, construction, or effect, has been ever used on any road near Vauxhall, or any where else in these kingdoms; and I think it extremely unlikely that there ever was: for, before my Specification was drawn, two of the best informed engineers in London were so good as to examine for me all the publications of which they knew on the |