THOMSON (James), an excellent British poet, the fon of a Scotch divine, was born in the fhire of Roxburgh in 1700, and was educated in the univerfity of Edinburgh with a view to the ministry. But his genius inclining him to the study of poetry, which he foon found would be in compatible with that of theology, or at least might prevent his being provided for in that way in his own country, he relinquifhed his views of engaging in the facred function, and repaired to London in confequence of fome encouragement which he had received from a lady of quality there, a friend of his mother.

The reception he met with wherever he was introduced, emboldened him to risk the publication of his excellent poem on Winter. This piece was published in 1726; and from the univerfal applaufe it met with, Mr Thomfon's acquaintance was courted by people of the firft tafte and fashion. But the chief advantage which it procured him was the acquaintance of Dr Rundle, afterward bishop of Derry, who introduced him to the late lord chancellor Talbot; and fome years after, when the eldest son of that nobleman was to make his tour on the continent, Mr Thomfon was chofen as a proper companion for him. The expecta tions which his Winter had raised, were fully satisfied by the fucceffive publications of the other feafons; of Summer, in the year 1727; of Spring, in the following year; and of Autumn, in a quarto edition of his works, in 1730. Befide the Seafons, and his tragedy of Sophonisba, written and acted with applaufe in the year 1729, he had, in 1727, published his poem to the memory of Sir Ifaac Newton, with an account of his chief discoveries; in which he was affifted by his friend Mr Gray, a gentleman well verfed in the Newtonian philofophy. That fame year the refentment of our merchants, for the interruption of their trade by the Spaniards in America, running very high, Mr Thomfon zealously took part in it, and wrote his Britannia, to roufe the nation to revenge.

With the Honourable Charles Talbot, our author vifited most of the courts in Europe, and returned with his views greatly enlarged; not only of exterior nature and the works of art, but of human life and manners, and of the conftitution and policy of the feveral ftates, their connections, and their religious inftitutions. How particular and judicious his obfervations were, we fee in his poem on Liberty, begun foon after his return to England. We fee at the fame time to what a high pitch his care of his country was raised, by the comparifons he had all along been making of our happy government with thofe of other nations. To infpire his fellow-fubjects with the like fentiments, and show them by what means the precious freedom we enjoy may be preferved, and how it may be abufed or loft, he employed two years in compofing that noble work, upon which he valued himself more than upon all his other writings. On his return to England with Mr Talbot (who foon after died), the chancellor made him his fecretary of briefs; a place of little attendance, fuiting his retired indolent way of life, and equal to all his wants. From this office he was removed, when death, not long after, deprived him of his noble patron. He then found himfelf reduced to a state of precarious dependence. In this fituation, having created fome few debts, and his creditors finding that he had no longer any certain fupport, became inexorable; and imagined by confinement to force that from his friends, which his modesty would not permit him to afk. One of thefe occafions furnished Quin, the celebrated actor, with an opportunity of difplaying the natural goodness of his heart, and the difintereftedness of his friendship. Hearing that Thomson was confined in a fpunging houfe for a debt of about 701. he repaired to the place; and, having inquired

this

for him, was introduced to the bard. Thomfon was a good Thomfon. deal difconcerted at feeing Quin, as he had always taken pains to conceal his wants; and the more fo, as Quin told him he was come to fup with him. His anxiety upon head was however removed, upon Quin's informing him, that, as he fuppofed it would have been inconvenient to have had the fupper dreffed in the place they were in, he had ordered it from an adjacent tavern; and, as a prelude, half a dozen of claret was introduced. Supper being over, and the bottle circulating pretty brifkly, Quin faid, "It is time now we fhould balance accounts." This aftonifhed Themfon, who imagined he had fome demand upon him; but Quin perceiving it, continued, "Mr Thomion, the pleasure I have had in perufing your works I cannot eftimate at less than a hundred pounds, and I infift upon now acquitting the debt." On faying this, he put down a note of thatvalue, and took his leave, without waiting for a reply. The profits arifing from his works were not inconfiderable; his tragedy of Agamemnon, acted in 1738, yielded a good fum. But his chief dependence was upon the prince of Wales, who fettled on him a handfome allowance, and honoured him with many marks of particular favour. Notwithstanding this, however, he was refused a licence for his tragedy of Edward and Eleanora, which he had prepared for the ftage in the year 1736, for some political reafons. Mr Thomfon's next performance was the Mafque of Alfred, written in the year 1740 jointly with Mr Mallet, by the command of the prince of Wales, for the entertain. ment of his royal highness's court at Clifden, his fummer refidence.

Mr Thomson's poem, entitled the Caitle of Indolence, was his laft work published by himself; his tragedy of Coriolanus being only prepared for the theatre, when a fatal accident robbed the world of one of the best of men and beft of poets. He would commonly walk the distance between London and Richmond (where he lived) with any acquaintance that offered, with whom he might chat and reft himself, or perhaps dine by the way. One fummer evening being alone in his walk from town to Hammersmith, he had over heated himself, and in that condition imprudently took a boat to carry him to Kew; apprehending no bad confequence from the chill air on the river, which his walk to his houfe, towards the upper end of Kew-lane, had always hitherto prevented. But now the cold had fo feized him, that the next day he was in a high fever. This, however, by the ufe of proper medicines, was removed, fo that he was thought out of danger; till the fine weather having tempted him to expofe himself once more to the evening dews, his fever returned with violence, and with such fymptoms as left no hopes of a cure. His death happened on the 27th of Auguft 1748.

Mr Thomfon had improved his tafte upon the fineft ori. ginals, ancient and modern. The autumn was his favourite feafon for poetical compofition, and the deep filence of the night he commonly chofe for his studies. The amufement of his leifure-hours were civil and natural hiftory, voyages, and the best relations of travellers. Though he performed on no inftrument, he was paffionately fond of mufic, and would fometimes liften a full hour at his window to the nightingales in Richmond gardens; nor was his tafte lefs exquifite in the arts of painting, fculpture, and architec ture. As for the more diftinguithing qualities of his mind and heat, they beft appear in his writings. There his devotion to the Supreme Being, his love of mankind, of his country, and friends, fhine out in every page; his tender nefs of heart was fo unbounded, that it took in even the brute creation. It is not known, that through his whole life he ever gave any perfon a moment's pain, either by his

writings

Thornhill.

of Thornhill made ample amends for the infufficiency of his Thorongs inftructor, and by an happy application of his talents he made fo great a progrefs, that he gradually rose to the higheft reputation.

Thonifon writings or otherwife. He took no part in the political fquabbles of his time, and was therefore refpected and left undisturbed by both fides. Thefe amiable virtues did not fail of their due reward; the applause of the public attended all his productions, and his friends loved him with an enthufiaftic ardour.,

fobnfon's

"As a writer (fays Dr Johnson), he is intitled to one praife of the highet kind; his mode of thinking, and of expreffing his thoughts, is original. His blank verfe is no more the blank verfe of Milton, or of any other poet, than the rhymes of Prior are the rhymes of Cowley. His numbers, his pautes, his diction, are of his own growth, with out tranfcription, without imitation. He thinks in a peculiar train, and he thinks always as a man of genius; he Lives of the looks round on Nature and on lite with the eye which Nature Poets. beftows only on a poet; the eye that diftinguishes, in every thing reprefented to its view, whatever there is on which ima. gination can delight to be detained, and with a mind that at once comprehends the vaft, and attends to the minute. The reader of the Seafons wonders that he never saw before what Thomion fhews him, and that he never yet has felt what Thomson impreffes."

His teftamentary executors were the lord Lyttelton, whose care of our poet's fortune and fame ceafed not with his life; and Mr Mitchell, a gentleman equally noted for the truth and conftancy of his private friendship, and for his addrefs and fpirit as a public minifter. By their united interests, the orphan play of Coriolanus was brought on the stage to the best advantage; from the profits of which, and the fale of manufcripts and other effects, a handfome fum was remitted to his fifters. His remains were depofited in the church of Richmond, under a plain ftone, without any infcription. A handfome monument was erected to him in Westminster abbey in the year 1762, the charge of which was defrayed by the profits arifing from a fplendid edition of all his works in 4to; Mr Millar the bookteller, who had purchased all Mr Thomfon's copies, giving up his property on this grateful occafion. A monument has also been erected to him at the place of his birth.

THOR, the eldest and braveft of the fons of Odin and Frea, was, after his parents, the greatest god of the Saxons Henry's Hi- and Danes while they continued heathens. They believed, fiory of that Thor reigned over all the aerial regions, which comGreat Bri pofed his, immenfe palace, confifting of 540 halls; that he tain, vol. ii. launched the thunder, pointed the lightening, and directed part 4. the meteors, winds, and ftorms. To him they addreffed their prayers for favourable winds, refreshing rains, and fruitful feafons; and to him the fifth day of the week, which ftill bears his name, was confecrated.

THORAX. See ANATOMY.

WHITE OF HAW THORN. See CRATEGUS. THORN, a town of Poland, in Regal Pruffia, and in the palatinate of Culm.. It was formerly a Hanfeatic town, and fill enjoys great privileges; is large and well fortified; but part of the fortifications, and a great number of houses, were ruined by the Swedes in 1703. It is feated on the Viftula, and contains 10,000 inhabitants. E. Long. 18. 42. N. Lat. 53.6.

THORNBACK, in ichthyology. See RAIA. THORNHILL (Sir James), an eminent English paint er, was born in Dorletshire in 1676, of an ancient family; but was conftrained to apply to `fome profeffion by the diDictionary ftreffes of his father, who had been reduced to the neceffity of Painters. of felling his family-eftate. His inclination directed him to the art of painting; and on his arrival at London he applied to his uncle, the famous Dr Sydenham, who enabled him to proceed in the ftudy of the art under the direction of a painter who was not very eminent. However, the genius

His genius was well adapted to historical and allegorical compofitions; he poffeffed a fertile and fine invention; and he fketched his thoughts with great cafe, freedom, and fpirit. He excelled alfo equally in portrait, peripective, and architecture; fhewed an excellent taste for defign, and had a free and firm pencil. Had he been fo fortunate as to have ftudied at Rome and Venice, to acquire greater corre&ness at the one, and a more exact knowledge of the perfection of colouring at the other, no artist among the moderns might perhaps have been his fuperior. Nevertheless, he was fo eminent in many parts of his profeffion, that he muit for ever be ranked among the best painters of his time; and his performances in the dome of St Paul's church at London, in the hospital at Greenwich, and at Hampton-court, are fuch public proofs of his merit as will convey his name to pofterity with great honour.

This painter lived in general esteem; he enriched himself by the excellence of his works; was appointed ftate-painter to Queen Anne, from whom he received the honour of knighthood; had the fingular fatisfaction to repurchase his family eftate; and was fo much diftinguifhed as to be elec ted one of the members of parliament. He died in 1732. THOROUGH-WAX, in botany. See BUPLEURUM. THOTH, or THEUT, (called by the Phoenicians Taaut, by the Greeks Hermes, and by the Romans Mercury), was a Phoenician of very fuperior talents, and one of the civilizers of mankind. He was prime minister to Ofiris, whom, after his death, he deified; and he was himself deified by his countrymen the Egyptians, for the benefits that he had rendered to the human race. See MERCURY, MYTHOLOGY, no 34, and POLYTHEISM, no 18.

THOUGHT, a general name for all the ideas confequent on the operations of the mind, and even on the opera tions themselves. See METAPHYSICS.

THOUGHT, in compofition. See ORATORY, Part I. and II. THOUINIA, in botany; a genus of plants belonging to the clafs of diandria, and order of monogynia. The corolla is quadripetalous; the calyx quadripartite, and the antheræ feffile. There is only one fpecies discovered, the nutans.

THRACE, a country very frequently mentioned by the Greek and Latin writers, deriving its name, according to Jofephus, from Tiras one of the fons of Japhet. It was bounded on the north by mount Hamus; on the fouth, by the Ægean Sea; on the weft, by Macedon and the river Strymon; and on the eaft, by the Euxine Sea, the Hellefpont, and the Propontis.-The Thracian Cherfonefus is a peninfula inclofed on the fouth by the Ægean Sea, on the weft by the gulf of Melas, and on the eaft by the Hellefpont; being joined on the north to the continent by a neck of land about 37 furlongs broad. The inland parts of Thrace are very cold and barren, the fnow lying on the mountains the greatest part of the year; but the maritime provinces are productive of all forts of grain and neceffaries for life; and withal fo pleafant, that Mela compares them to the most fruitful and agreeable countries of Afia.

The ancient Thracians were deemed a brave and warlike nation, but of a cruel and favage temper; being, according to the Greek writers, ftrangers to all humanity and good nature. It was to the Thracians, however, that the Greeks were chiefly indebted for the polite arts that flourished among them; or Orphæus, Linus, Mufæus, Thamyris, and Eumolpus, all Thracians, were the fift, as Euftathius informs us, who charmed the inhabitants of Greece with their

cloquence

Thrace

Thrafning, eloquence and melody, and perfuaded them to exchange their fiercenefs for a fociable life and peaceful manners; nay, great part of Greece was anciently peopled by Thracians. Tereus, a Thracian, governed at Daulis in Phocis, where the tragical ftory of Philomela and Progne was acted. From thence a body of Thracians paffed over to Euboea, and poffeffed themselves of that island. Of the fame nation were the Aones, Tembices, and Hyanthians, who made themselves masters of Boeotia; and great part of Attica itfelf was inhabited by Thracians, under the command of the celebrated Eumolpus. It is not therefore without the utmost ingratitude and injustice that the Greeks ftyle them Barbarians, fince to them chiefly they were indebted both for the peopling and polishing of their country.

Thrace was anciently divided into a number of petty states, which were first fubdued by Philip of Macedon. On the decline of the Macedonian empire, the country fell under the power of the Romans. It continued under fubjection to them till the irruption of the Turks, in whofe hands it still remains.

THRASHING, in agriculture, the operation by which corn is feparated from the ftraw. This operation is performed in a variety of ways, fometimes by the feet of animals, fometimes by a flail, and fometimes by a machine.

The most ancient method of feparating the corn from the ftraw was by the hoofs of cattle or horfes. This was prac. tifed by the Ifraelites, as we find from the books of Mofes; ☛ Pliny, it was alfo common among the Greeks and Romans *. viii. 30. Flails and thrashing machines were alfo not uncommon Virgil, Georg. iii. Rong thefe nations t. The flail which was used by the 132. Col ii. Romans, called baculus, fuftis, or pertica, was probably no21. Tibull, thing more than a cudgel or pole. The thrafhing machine, which was called tribula or tribulum, and fometimes traha, was a kind of fledge made of boards joined together, and Homer, ll. loaded with ftone or iron. Horfes were yoked to this machine, and a man was scated upon it to drive them over the fheaves of corn.

75216

Ifaiah xviii. 27.

XX. 495.

Different methods are employed in different countries for separating the corn from the stalk. In the greatest part of France the flail is ufed; but in the fouthern diftricts it is generally performed by the feet of animals: animals are alfo ufed for the fame purpofe in Spain, in Italy, in the Morea, in the Canaries, in China, and in the vicinity of Canton, where the flail is also fometimes used. It appears that in hot climates the grains do not adhere fo firmly to the ftalk as in cold countries, and therefore may be more eafily feparated. This will explain the reason why animals are so frequently employed in hot countries for treading out the corn; whereas in cold climates we know they are feldom tried, and have no reason to suppose that they would answer the purpose. In the Ifle of France in Africa, rice and wheat are thrashed with poles, and maize with fticks; for it has not been poffible to teach the negroes the use of the flail.

The animals used for treading out corn are, oxen, cows, horfes, mules, and even affes when the quantity is not great. 'T'he operation is performed in this manner: The fheaves, after being opened, are spread in fuch a manner that the ears of the corn are laid as much uppermoft as poffible, and a man, ftanding in the centre, holds the halters of the cattle, which are made to trot round as in a manege; whilft other men with forks shake the ftraw up from time to time, and the cattle are trotted over it again and again till they have beaten out all the grain. This method is expeditious enough; but befides bruifing a confiderable quantity of corn, it requires a great many cattle, and injures the legs of the horfes and mules, which are preferred before cows and oxen for this work.

The flail is undoubtedly a much better inftrument for VOL. XVIII. Part II.

thrashing corn than the feet of animals, for it feparates the Turahing. grain from the ftraw and husks both more effectually and more expeditiously; yet it is liable to many objections. It is a very laborious employment, too fevere indeed even for a ftrong man; and as it is ufually the intereft of the thrasher rather to thrafh much than to thrash clean, a good deal of corn will generally be left upon the ftraw. It is therefore an object of great importance in husbandry to procure a proper machine for feparating the corn from the ftraw.

The first thrashing machine attempted in modern times, of which we have received any account, was invented in Edinburgh by Mr Michael Menzies about the year 1732. It confifted of a number of inftruments like flails, fixed in a moveable beam, and inclined to it at an angle of ten degrees. On each fide of the beam in which the flails were fixed, floors or benches were placed for fpreading the fheaves on. The flails were moved backwards and forwards upon the benches by means of a crank fixed on the end of an axle, which made about 30 revolutions in a minute.

The fecond thrashing machine was invented by Mr Mi. chael Stirling, a farmer in the parish of Dunblane, Perthfhire. Of this difcovery we have received a very accurate and authentic account from his fon, the Reverend Mr Robert Stirling minifter of Crieff.

It is an old proverb, that neceffity is the mother of invention. This was verified on the prefent occafion. Befides his ordinary domeftic fervants, Mr M. Stirling had occafion fometimes to hire an additional number to thrash out his grain, and frequently found it difficult to procure so many as he needed. This naturally led him to reflect whether the operation of thrashing could not eafily be performed by machinery. Accordingly, fo early as the year 1753, under the pretence of joining in the amufements of his children, he formed in miniature a water mill, in which two iron fprings, made to rise and fall alternately, reprefented the motion of two flails, by which a few ftalks of corn put under them might be fpeedily thrafhed. This plan he executed on a fcale fufficiently large within two years after, making the fprings about ten feet long, each of which had one end firmly ferewed into a folid plank, and the other terminated in a round batoon of folid iron, two feet long and above an inch in diameter. Under these the fheaves were conveyed gradually forward in a narrow channel or trough, by paffing between two indented horizontal cylinders, fimilar to thofe now ufed in mot of the thrashing mills in that part of the country, and called feeders. In this manner the thrashing was executed completely, and with confiderable rapidity; but as the operation was performed on a low floor, and no method contrived for carrying off the ftraw, the accumulation of it produced such confufion, and the removal of it was attended with fuch danger, that this fcheme was very foon entirely abandoned. The mortification arifing from difappointment, and especially the fcoffs of his neighbours, for what was univerfally accounted an abfurd and ridiculous attempt, ferved only to Aimulate the exertions of the inventor to accomplish his defigns on another plan.

Laying afide therefore the iron fprings with the feeders, and all the apparatus adapted to them, he retained only an outer or water wheel, with an inner or cog wheel moving on the fame axle; to this inner wheel, which had 48 teeth or cogs, he applied a vertical trundle or pinion, with seven notches, the axle of which paffed through a floor above the wheel, and having its upper pivot fecured in a beam fix feet above that floor. At the distance of three feet three inches above the floor two ftraight pieces of fquared wood, each four feet long, paffed through the axle of the trundle at right angles, forming four arms, to be moved round horizontally. To the extremities of these arms were fixed 3 S

four

machine however, was, ingenious, and did great credit to Thrashing the worthy inventor, and certainly deferved a better fate than it was deftined to undergo.

A third threshing mill was invented in 1772, by two perfons nearly about the fame time, and upon the fame prin. ciples. The inventors were, Mr Alderton who lived near Alnwick, and Mr Smart at Wark in Northumberland. The operation was performed by rubbing. The fheaves were carried round between an indented drum of about fix fect diameter, and a number of indented rollers arranged round the circumference of the drum, and attached to it by means of fprings; fo that while the drum revolved, the fluted rollers rubbed the corn off from the ftraw by rubbing again! the flutings of the drum. But as a confiderable quantity of the grain, was bruifed in paffing between the rollers, the machine was foon laid afide.

Thrashing four iron plates, each 20 inches long, and eight broad at the end next the arms, but tapering towards a point at the other end. This large horizontal fly, conflituting four thrashers, was inclofed within a wooden cylindri cal box three and an half feet high and eight in diameter. On the top of the box was an opening or port (two or three ports were made at first, but one was found fufficient) eight inches wide, and extending from the circumference a foot and an half towards its centre, through which the corn fheaves defcended, being firft opened and laid one by one on a board with two ledges gently declining towards the port; on which board they were moderately preffed down with a boy's hand, to prevent them from being too haftily drawn in by the repeated (trokes of the thrafhers. Within the box was an inclined plane, along which the ftraw and grain fell down into a wide wire riddle two feet fquare, placed immediately under a hole of nearly the fame fize. The riddle received a jerk at every revolution of the spindle from a knob placed on the fide of it, and was inftantly thruft back. ward by a fmall fpring preffing it in the opposite direction. The fhort ftraw, with the grain and chaff which paffed through the wide riddle, fell immediately into an oblong ftrait riddle, which hung with one end raised and the other depreffed, and was moved by a contrivance equally fiple as the other; and having no ledge at the lower end, the long chaff which could not pals through the riddle dropped from thence to the ground; while the grain and moft of the chaff falling through the riddle into a pair of common barn-fanners that flood under it on the ground floor, the ftrong grain, the weak, and the chaff, were all feparated with great exactnefs. The fanners were moved by a rope er band running circuitoufly in a fhallow niche cut on the circumference of the cog-wheel. The ftraw collected gradually in the bottom of the box over the wide riddle, and through an opening two and an half feet wide, and as much in height, left in that fide of the box neareft the brink of the upper floor, was drawn down to the ground with a rake by the perfon or perfons employed to form it into fheaves or rolls.

Such was the thrashing mill invented by Mr Michael Stirling, which, after various alterations and improvements, he completed in the form now deferibed, A. D. 1758. By experiment it was found that four bells of oats, Linlithgow meafure, could be thrashed by it in 25 minutes. From that period he never used a common flail in thrashing, except for humbling or bearding barley. In every other kind of grain he performed the whole opcration of thrashing with the mill; and continued always to use it till 1772, when he retired from bufinefs, and his thrashing mill became the property of his fecond son, who continues to use it with equal advantage and fatisfaction. Several machines were conftructed on the fame plan, particularly one near Stirling, under Mr Stirling's direction, for Mr Moir of Leckie, in 1765, which, we understand, has been used ever fince, and gives complete fatisfaction to the proprietor. There was another erected in 1778 by Mr Thomas Keir (in the parish of Muthil and county of Perth), who has contrived a method of bearding barley with it and by the addition of a fmall fpindle with fhort arms contiguous to the front of the box, and moved by a band common to it and the great fpindle to which it is parallel, the ftraw is fhaken and whirled out of the box to the ground. That this machine did not come immediately into general ufe, was owing partly to the finallness of the farms in that part of the country, whofe crops could eafily be thrashed by the few hands neceffarily retained on them for other purpofes; and chiefly to an apprehenfion that the machine could only be moved by water; an apprehenfion which experience proves to be entirely groundlets. The

In 1776 an attempt was made by Mr Andrew Meikle, an ingenious millwright in the parish of Tyningham, Eaft Lothian, to contruct a new machine upon the principles which had been adopted by Mr Menzies already mentioned. This confifted in making joints in the flails, which Mr Menzies had formed without any. But this machine, after much labour and expence, was foon laid afide, on account of the difficulty of keeping it in repair, and the small quantity of work performed, which did not exceed one boll or fix Winchefter bushels of barley per hour.

Some time after this, Mr Francis Kinloch, then junior of Gilmerton, having vifited the machine invented in Nor thumberland, attempted an improvement upon it. He incloted the drum in a fluted cover; and inftead of making the drum ittelf fluted, he fixed upon the outside of it four fluted pieces of wood, which by means of fprings could be raised a little above the circumference of the drum, fo as to prefs against the fluted covering, and thus rub off the ears of corn as the fheaves paffed round between the drum and the fluted covering. But not finding this machine to answer his expectation (for it bruiled the grain in the fame manner as the Northumberland machine did), he fent it to Mr Meikle, that he might, if poffible, rectify its errors.

Mr Meikle, who had long directed his thoughts to this fubject, applied himfelf with much ardour and perfeverance to the improvement and correction of this machine; and after fpending a good deal of time upon it, found it was confructed upon principles to erroneous, that to improve it was impracticable.

At length, however, Mr Meikle's own genius invented a model, different in principle from the machines which had already been conftructed. This model was made in the year 1785; and in the following year the first thrashing machine on the fame principles was erected in the neighbourhood of Alloa, in the county of Stirling, by Mr George Meikle the fon of the inventor. This machine anfwered completely the wishes of Mr Stein, the gentleman for whom it was erected, who gave the moft ample teftimony of his fatisfaction both to the inventor and to the public. The fame of this discovery foon fpread over the whole country, and a great many farmers immediately applied to Mr Meikle, defiring to have thrafhing mills erected on their farms. The difcovery, it appeared, would be profitable, and it was reafonable that the inventor fhould enjoy the profits of his invention. He accordingly applied for a patent; which, after confiderable expence, arifing from the oppofition of fome perfons, who claimed a fhare in the difcovery, was granted.-Thefe machines are now becoming very common in many parts of Scotland, and are increafing very confiderably in number every year over all the united kingdom.

We will now endeavour to describe this machine in its molt improved flate; which is fo fimple, that with the affist.

ance

Plate DVIN

Thrafting, ance of a plate, exhibiting the plan of elevation, no 1. the ground plan, n° 2, and the 3d fhowing its effential parts in a diftinét manner, we hope it will be easily understood by all our readers who have not had an opportunity of feeing it. The power employed for turning that part of the machine which feparates the corn from the ftraw is produced by four wheels (when moved by horses), the teeth of which move in one another and turn the drum, on which four fcutchers are fixed. The fheaves are introduced between two fluted rollers, which hold them firm, and draw them in gradually, while the fcutchers ftrike off the grain from the fraw as it paffes through. This will fuffice for a general idea of this machine. We will now be more parti

cular.

The large fpur-wheel A, no 1. and 2. which has 276 cogs, is horizontal, and moves the pinion B, which has 14 teeth. The pinion B moves the crown-wheel C, which has 84 teeth; the wheel C moves a fecond pinion D, which has 16 teeth; and the pin on D moves the druma HIKL. The drum is a hollow cylinder three feet and an half diameter, and placed horizontally on the outside of which the fcutchers are fixed by ftrong fcrew bolts. The feutchers confift of four pieces of wood, faced on one fide with a thin plate of iron, placed at an equal diftance from each other, and at right angles to the axis of the drum.

The fheaves are fpread on an inclined board F, no 3. from which they are introduced between two fluted rollers GG made of caft iron, about three inches and an half in diameter, and making about 35 revolutions in a minute. As thefe rollers are only about three quarters of an inch diftant from the fcutchers or leaves of the drum HIKL, they serve to hold the fheaves faft, while the fcutchers a, b, c, d, moving with prodigious velocity, feparate the grain completely from the ftraw, and at the fame time throw out both grain and ftraw upon the concave rack M, lying horizontally with flender parallel ribs, fo that the corn paffes through them into a hopper N placed below. From the hopper it. paffes through a harp or riddle O into a pair of fanners P, from which, in the most improved machines, it comes out clean and fit for the market. The ftraw, after being thrown by the fcutchers a, b, c, d, into the rack, is removed from it by a rake QRST into a place contiguous V. The rake confifts of four thin pieces of wood or leaves; on the end of each of thefe leaves is ranged a row of teeth e, f, g, h five inches long. The rake moves in a circular manner in the concave rack, while the teeth catch hold of the ftraw, and throw it out of the rack. Thefe are all the effential parts of the machine; the rest may be easily understood by the references to the Plate. W is the horse-course, n° 1, which is 27 feet diameter. X is the pillar for fupporting the beams on which the axle of the fpur-wheel is fixed. YYY are three (pindles for moving the two fluted rollers, the rake, and fanners. To the defcription now given we have only to add, that the drum has a covering of wood Z at a fmall diftance above it, for the purpofe of keeping the fheaves

close to the fcutchers.

The advantages of this machine are many. As the drum makes 300 revolutions in a minute, the four fcutchers to gether make 1200 ftrokes in the fame space of time. From fuch power and velocity, it is evident that much work muft be performed. When the horfes go at the rate of two and

Threa!.

one-third miles per hour, from three to fix bolls will be Thrafting thrashed; but as the quantity thrashed will be lefs when the ftraw is long than when it is fhort, we fhall take the ave rage at four bolls. One gentleman, whofe veracity and accuracy we can depend on, affures us, that his mill thrashed 63 bolls in a day; by which, we fuppofe, he meant 10 hours. To prove the fuperior advantage of this machine to the com. mon method of thrashing with flails, a gentleman ordered two equal quantities of oats to be thrashed by the mill and by flails. When the corn was cleaned and measured, he ob. tained th more from the fheaves thrashed by the mill than from thofe thrashed by the fail. We are alfo informedby another gentleman who has fludied this machine with much attention, and calculated its advantages with care, that, independently of having the corn much cleaner feparated from the ftraw than is ufually done by flails, there is a faving of 30 or 40 per cent. in the expence of thrashing. The number of perfons requifite for attending the mill when working is fix: One perion drives the horses; a second hands the fheaves to a third, who unties them, while a fourth spreads them on the inclined boards and preffes them gently between the rollers; a fifth perfon is neceffary to riddle the corn as it falls from the fanners, and a fixth to remove the ftraw (4).

This machine can be moved equally well by water, wind, or horfes. Mr Meikle has made fuch improvements on the wind-mill as to render it much more manageable and conve nient than formerly; and we are informed many wind-mills are now erecting in different parts of the country. As to the comparative expence of thefe different machines, the erection of the horfe machine is leaft; but then the expence of employing horses must be taken into confideration. One of this kind may be erected for L.70. A water mill will coft L. 10 more on account of the expence of the waterwheel. A wind-mill will coft from L. 200 to L. 300 Sterling.

THRAVE of CORN, an expreffion denoting 24 fheaves, or four fhocks of fix fheaves to the fhock; though in fome countries they only reckon 12 fheaves to the thrave.

THRASYBULUS, a renowned Athenian general and patriot, the deliverer of his country from the yoke of the 30 tyrants, lived about 294 B. C*.

*See AttiTHRASYMENUS LACUS (anc. geog.), a lake of Etru-ca, n° 199 ria, near Perufia, and not far from the Tiber, fatal to the-174. Romans in the Punic war. Now Il Lago de Perugia on the Ecclefiaftical State.

THREAD, a small line made up of a number of fine ・・ fibres of any vegetable or animal fubftance, fuch as flax, cotton, or filk; from which it takes its name of linen, cotton, or filk thread.

Dyeing THREAD Black. Linen and cotton thread may be dyed of a durable and deep black by folution of iron in four beer, in which the linen is to be fleeped for fome time, and afterwards boiled in madder. See the article DYEING, n° 87.

Thread may be cafily bleached by the oxygenated muriatic acid discovered by Mr Scheele. This acid whitens cloth remarkably well, but it is ftill more advantageous for bleaching thread. M. Welter has formed at Lile, with two partners, an eftablishment for bleaching thread with great fuccefs, and he has already begun fome others. He 3 S2

has