The Mechanician is essentially a book of processes, including all operations by which the principal portions of engines are forged, planed, lined, turned, and otherwise treated. The author endeavours to perform two things - to explain to uninitiated students how engines are really made, together with the fundamental principles involved in making them, and also to produce a book which shall be useful to practical mechanics for reference in the difficult details of their business.

Of the six chapters constituting the work, the first is devoted to forging; in which the fundamental principles to be observed in making forged articles of every class are stated, giving the proper relative positions for the constituent fibres of each article, the modes of selecting proper quantities of material, the steam-hammer operations, the shaping-moulds, and the manipulations resorted to for shaping the component masses to the intended forms.

Engineers' tools and their construction are next treated, because they must be used during all subsequent operations described in the remaining chapters; the author thinking that the student should first acquire a knowledge of the apparatus which he is supposed to be using in the course of the processes given in Chapters 4, 5, and 6. In the fourth chapter, planing and lining are treated, because these are the elements of machine-making in general. The processes described in this chapter, are those on which all accuracy of fitting and finishing depend. The next chapter, which treats of shaping and slotting, the author endeavours to render comprehensive by giving the hand-shaping processes in addition to the machine-shaping.

In many cases, hand-shaping is indispensable, such as, sudden breakage, operations abroad, and on board ship, also for constructors having a limited number of machines. Turning and screw-cutting occupy the last chapter. In this, the operations for lining, centring, turning, and screw-forming are detailed, and their principles elucidated.

The Mechanician is the result of the author's experience in engine-making during twenty years; and he has concluded that, however retentive the memory of a machinist might be, it would be convenient for him to have a book of primary principles and processes to which he could refer with confidence. It is hoped that the descriptions given of the author's lining-tables, pillar-tables, gap straight-edges, slottil, valin, monto, and other instruments, may cause them to be more generally used by engineers, the author having proved them highly efficient during many years.

The Tables of dimensions relating to sizes of iron for forging, cylindrical gauges, screw-taps, and hobs, are also exactly in accordance with his practice ; also his method of shaping tap-screws, hob-screws, dies, bolt-screws, and selecting screwing-whcels.

Erith, London, 1869.