Proceedings of the ~ranklin Institute. "11

i~g, and ~all upon the grating, which has an oscillating motion, which serves to project the coal into a wagon or vehicle, whilst the water escapes through the grating.

Two men ~'ould b-e sufficient to work a cistern of about 40 ins. high and 40 inches in diameter, and capable of washing about 20 metrical tons in the day with a force of one horse. A cistern of about 9 feet 10 ins. in diameter and depth would wash 200 tons in the day, and would re= quire a force of 10 horses to work it. The smaller machine would cost about £80, and the larger about £400.--BuUelin de la Soci~l~ Indu~tri. ,'th', de .MaYwuse,'. No. 123, p. 292.

Pendulous Reciprocating Steam Engine.* A novel and cheap steam engine has lately been invented under the

above title. It is "an eccentric revolving on its own diameter," in a "cylin- <tt.r" or steam chamber suspended as a pendulum, the shaft on which the ~ccentric piston is keyed, being the main or driving shaft, and makes

' r ' • . . . . r • ~jpwar(ls ot 100 rc~ oluuons per minute m a thirty horse engine, rhe prm- c[,>te of this engine is similar to the ordinary engine but it works with mt~lch less friction ; a thirty horse high pressure will work with one pound ~,f steam. "An eccentric revolving, on its own diameter" contains the :wo motions of the ordinary en~ne, vm., rectilinear and revolving, though ~ a nalgamated as to be hardly distinguishable. It has been received tavorably by the Lords of the Admiralty, being especially adapted for ~crew propulsion, fi'om the small space it occupies and the speed that can be obtained direct. The inventors and patentees, Messrs. Shiptons & Simpson, engineers, Manchester, obtained a'medal at the Exhibition of 1851, since which great improvements have been made by them.

F R A N K L I N I N S T I T U T E .

Proceedings of the Stated ,Monthly .Meeting, December 21, 1854.

Samuel V. Merrick, President, in the chair. John F. Frazer, Treasurer. Isaac B. Garrigues, Recording Secretary. The minutes of the last meeting were read and ~pproved. Letters were read from the Virginia Mechanics' Institute, Richmond,

Va.; and the Pottsville Scientific Association, at Pottsville, Penna. Donations to the Library were received from the Royal Geographical

Society, and the Institute of Actuaries, of London ; J. L. Dodg..e, Esq.) Rome, New York ; the New Orleans Academy of Semnce, Loumana ; and Prof. John F. Frazer, and Messrs. Chas. E. Smith, and George M. Conarroe, Philadelphia.

Donations to the Cabinets were received from Messrs. Joseph Har- rison, Jr., and Richard Griffith, Philadelphia.

The periodicals received in exchange for the Journal of the Institute were laid on the table.

" Frora the Lond. Cir. Eng. and Arch's. Jour. March, 1854.