Gwennap; a Descriptive Poem, in Four Cantos1845 - 80 pages |
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abound adit ancient appear attendance beautiful Bissow blest Britain Burncoose Busveal called CANTO Capt Carharrack Carnabii Carnmarth Cassiterides chapel christian church Chycoose Cimbri copper Cornish Cornwall Crofthandy Cusgarne cylinder Danmonii Danmonium delight design'd doth earth fair fame fear feelings fell fire formerly gardens grace granite Gwennap heart Helston Hichens Hick's mill higher town hill honour hundred improvement labour land lifts lodes means mind miners mines Molus mongst o'er once parish past peace Penponds Penryn perhaps piston pleasure Poldice poor praise prepar'd present race rays Redruth rich rock Romans scene Scorrier seat shaft Silures soon soul spirit steam engine Stithians sweet thou thought Tolcarne town trees Tresamble Tresavean Trethellan Trevarth Trevethan Trevince Treviskey truth tumulus twas Wesley Wesleyan Wheal whence Whilst wise wood worship youth zeal
Popular passages
Page 53 - ... and lift a ship of war like a bauble in the air. It can embroider muslin and forge anchors, cut steel into ribands, and impel loaded vessels against the fury of the winds and waves.
Page 54 - It has increased indefinitely the mass of human comforts and enjoyments, and rendered cheap and accessible, all over the world, the materials of wealth and prosperity. It has armed the feeble hand of man, in short, with a power to which no limits can be assigned ; completed the dominion of mind over the most refractory qualities of matter ; and laid a sure foundation for all those future miracles of mechanic power which are to aid and reward the labours of after generations.
Page 53 - By his admirable contrivance, it has become a thing stupendous alike for its force and its flexibility, for the prodigious power which it can exert, and the ease, and precision, and ductility, with which it can be varied, distributed, and applied. The trunk of an elephant, that can pick up a pin or rend an oak, is as nothing to it. It can engrave a seal, and crush masses of obdurate metal before it ; draw out, without breaking, a thread as fine as gossamer...
Page 11 - NYMPHS ! you erewhile on simmering caldrons play'd, And call'd delighted Savery to your aid ; Bade round the youth explosive Steam aspire, In gathering clouds, and wing'd the wave with fire ; Bade with cold streams the quick expansion stop, And sunk the immense of vapour to a drop. Press'd by the ponderous air the piston falls Resistless, sliding through its iron walls ; Quick moves the balanced beam, of giant birth, Wields his large limbs, and nodding shakes the earth.
Page 39 - An admirable and most forcible way to drive up water by fire, not by drawing or sucking it upwards, for that must be as the philosopher calleth it, infra spheeram activitatis, which is but at such a distance. But this way hath no bounder, if the vessels be strong enough ; for I have taken a piece of a whole cannon, whereof the end was burst, and filled it...
Page 148 - With a zeal that ought to put to the blush men of higher pretensions, those indefatigable servants of their Master have penetrated into the wilds of the mines, and unappalled by danger or difficulty, careless of abuse or derision, and inflexible in the good work they had undertaken, they have perseveringly taught, gradually reclaimed, and at length, I may almost venture to say, completely reformed a large body of men, who, without their exertions, would probably...
Page 53 - It is our improved steam-engine that has fought the battles of Europe, and exalted and sustained, through the late tremendous contest, the political greatness of our land. It is the same great power which now enables us to pay the interest of our debt, and to maintain the arduous struggle in which we are still engaged, [1819], with the skill and capital of countries less oppressed with taxation.
Page 97 - how is it possible that a people possessed of such magnificence at home, could envy me a humble cottage in Britain ?" The emperor was affected by the British hero's misfortunes, and won by his address.
Page 148 - ... are now of very rare occurrence, and will probably, in the course of a few years, be only remembered in tradition; the spots where these scenes of disorder were held, being now inclosed, and a great part of them covered with the habitations of the miners.
Page 51 - manufacturing a new article that kings are very fond of." " Aye, aye, Mr. Boulton, what's that ?" " It is power, may it please your Majesty." " Power ! Mr. Boulton : we like power, that's true ; but what do you mean ?" " Why, Sir, I mean the power of steam to move machines.