xi

PREFACE.

...nor expenses in order to provide an exact account of them, having myself visited the sites several times and received from the Gentlemen of the Royal Society of London original: "Société Royale de Londres"; the UK's national academy of sciences, with whom Bélidor corresponded regarding the Newcomen steam engine. all the insights I could desire.

In the fourth Book, several means are provided to make the water of a spring rise by itself much above its own level, provided one has a fall, by utilizing the force of which water is capable through its own thrust original: "poussée"; Bélidor is referring to the principles of hydrostatic pressure and the "water hammer" effect., without employing any of the parts that enter into the ordinary composition of Machines; this is an important discovery made recently.

Next will be found a Dissertation on the origin of Fountains, the manner of discovering them and conducting their waters, whether by Trenches or Aqueducts; the construction of Basins, Reservoirs, and Cisterns original: "Bassins, Réservoirs & Citernes". to preserve it; the manner of distributing it to the Fountains of a City and to private individuals, to which are joined several Machines for drawing it from very deep Wells.

As nothing is more pleasing to the eye for the decoration of Gardens than jetting waters original: "eaux jaillissantes"; refers to decorative fountains and plumes of water., we have expanded greatly on the manner of directing them, showing how, with a small quantity (which one has the art of repeating several times), one can, without great expense, offer a most delightful spectacle. We give as examples what has been executed in this style at Versailles, Marly, Saint-Cloud, Chantilly, Sceaux, Liancourt, and in Foreign Countries, so that those who intend to embellish their Gardens may find what suits them, having regard for the expense they wish to incur and the situation of the grounds; and so that, in general, the Reader may be in a position to judge the beauty of objects of this kind which might interest his curiosity. I say nothing here of the Machines to raise the water into the Reservoir which must give the soul Bélidor uses the term "soul" (âme) to describe the constant supply of water that animates a garden's fountains....