From — Christin
ALS: American Philosophical Society
<Carlsruhe, at the residence of the Margrave of Baden-Durlach,
September 19, 1778, in French: Born in the canton of
Bern, Switzerland, I have traveled through France, Holland,
and Germany and devoted myself to clock-making and other
works of precision. My ambition now is to submit to your
judgment some of my inventions.
One of them is an oar for high free-board ships, designed
in such a way that six of them can bring a vessel out of any
port, away from currents, shoals and shallow waters, a mighty
advantage in a war situation.
Another discovery I made concerns a machine for piercing
metal: it would accelerate considerably the production of cannons.
Finally, I devised a new machine for cutting through steel
and making files of all sizes by using the power of water, wind,
or counterweights. A man operating it by himself could manufacture
as many files as if he employed thirty workmen.
If you think it proper, I am ready to present my findings to
the academies of Paris or London. The first one seems particularly
important.>
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