s Charles Coquet has presented a specimen to the Philomathematical Society in Paris. They are made of copper, and bear a great resemblance in form to the body of a violin. Like that instrument, they are rounded off at the extremities, and indented on the sides to admit the fingers. The faces are flat and parallel, and have Chinese characters Chinese characters engraved on the upper surface. They advance in a regular decimal progression, of which Coquetbert has discovered four distinct series, the units of which are in the proportion of 1, 10, 100, 1000. Instead of employing a combination of one, two, four, and eight units, or after the new system of one, two, and five units, the Chinese have a distinct weight for every intermediate number between one and ten. Thus they have weights of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, &c. Of course, those weights which stand related to each other in the proportion of 6 to 7, 7 to 8, 8 to 9, 9 to 10, differ so little in size, that it would be impossible to distinguish them without the help of the characters which are engraved upon the face. This is confessedly a defect in the system. Of the four different series exhibited to the society, the highest bears in China the name of kin, and is nearly of equal value with a pound avoirdupois. The kin contains ten times the number of units of the next inferior weight, which the Chinese denominate leang or loam, and which the Europeans call tal, taille, or Chinese ounce. This ounce is divided into ten fen, which answers nearly to our drachm. The fen is again subdivided into ten sen. The Chinese extend the decimal subdivision of their weights considerably farther. They have distinct names, which are all monosyllabic, for nine series below the fen. Supposing the kin to stand for unity, they have,

The Chinese weights, compared with the greatest precision, and with the help of the best instruments, bear the following proportion to our weights: The kin is equal to one pound 12 ounces 2 drachms 24 grains; the leang one ounce one drachm 60 grams; the fen 70 grams; the sen 7 grams. Consequently the last of this series, the fen, amounts to no more than 0 grams.

Chinese Wheel is an engine employed in the province of Kiang-si, and probably through the whole empire, for raising water from rivers to irrigate plantations of sugar canes, on a sandy soil, considerably elevated above the level of the river. By Sir George Staunton, who says that it is ingenious in its contrivance, cheap in its materials, easy in its operation, and effectual to its purpose, it is thus described:

Two hard wood-poles or uprights are firmly fixed in the bed of the river, in a line perpendicular to its bank. These poles support the axis, about ten feet in length, of a large and durable wheel, consisting of two unequal rims, the diameter of one of which, closest to the bank, being about fifteen inches shorter than that of the outer rim; but both dipping in the stream, while the opposite segment of the wheel rises above the elevated bank. This double wheel is connected with the axis, and is supported by 16 or 18 spokes obliquely inserted near each extremity of the axis, and crossing each other at about two-thirds of their length. They are strengthened by a concentric circle, and fastened afterwards to the rims: the spokes inserted in the interior extremity of the axis reaching the outer rim, and those proceeding from the exterior extremity of the same axis, reaching the inner and smaller rim. Between the rims and the crossing of the spokes is woven a kind of close basket-work, serving as ladle-boards or floats, which meeting successively the current of the stream, obey its impulse, and turn round the wheel. To both its rims are attached small tubes or spouts of wood, with an inclination of about 25 degrees to the horizon, or to the axis of the wheel. The tubes are closed at their outer extremity, and open at the opposite end. By this position, the tubes which happen in the motion of the wheel to be in the stream with their mouths or open ends uppermost, fill with water. As that segment of the wheel rises, the mouths of the tubes attach to it, after their relative inclination, but not so much as to let their contents flow out till such segment of the wheel becomes the top. The mouths of those tubes are then relatively depressed, and pour the water into a wide trough placed on posts, from whence it is conveyed as may be wanted among the canes.

The only materials employed in the construction of this water-wheel, except the nave or axis, and the poles on which it rests, are afforded by the bamboo. The rims, the spokes, the ladle-boards or floats, and the tubes or spouts, and even the cords, are made of entire lengths, or single joints, or large pieces, or thin slices, of the bamboo. Neither nails, nor pins, nor screws, nor any kind of metal enters into its construction. The parts are bound together firmly by cordage, also of slit bamboo. Thus, at a very trifling expense, is constructed a machine which, without labour or attendance, will furnish, from a considerable depth, a reservoir with a constant supply of water adequate to every agricultural purpose.

These wheels are from 20 to 40 feet in diameter, according to the height of the bank and consequent elevation to which the water is to be raised. Such a wheel is capable of sustaining with ease 20 tubes or spouts, of the length of four feet, and diameter two inches in the clear. The contents of such a tube would be equal to six-tenths of a gallon, and a periphery of 20 tubes, twelve gallons. A stream of a moderate velocity would be sufficient to turn the wheel at the rate of four revolutions in one minute, by which would be lifted 48 gallons of water in that short period; in one hour, 2860 gallons; and 69120 gallons, or upwards of 300 tons of water, in a day.

Sir George, who saw this wheel in motion, thinks it preferable in many respects to any machine yet in use for similar purposes. He observes, that, while it approaches near to the Persian wheel, of which a description and figure is given in the article Hydrostatics (Encyc.), it is more simple than that wheel in its contrivance, and much less expensive. This is indeed true; but the simplest engine of the kind, and therefore the best that has yet been invented, is perhaps that which is employed to throw water into the moats of Blair Drummond in Perthshire. See Moss, Encyc.CHOPINE, or CHOFERNE, a high shoe, or rather clog, worn 200 years ago by the Italians.

Tom Coryat, in his Crudities 1611, p. 262, calls them chopines, and gives the following account of them:

"There is one thing used of the Venetian women and some others dwelling in the cities and towns subject to the signory of Venice, that is not to be observed, I think, amongst any other women in Christendom, which is so common in Venice, that no women whatsoever goeth without it, either in her house or abroad," CHR [429] CHU

A thing made of wood and covered with leather of sundry colors; some with white, some red, some yellow. It is called a chapiney, which they wear under their shoes. Many of them are curiously painted; some also of them I have seen fairly gilt; so uncomely a thing, in my opinion, that it is pity this foolish custom is not cleane banished and exterminated out of the city. There are many of these chapineys of a great height, even half a yard high, which maketh many of their women that are very short seeme much taller than the tallest women we have in England. Also I have heard it observed among them, that by how much the nobler a woman is, by so much the higher are her chapineys. All their gentlewomen, and most of their wives and widows that are of any wealth, are afflicted either by men or women when they walke abroad, to the end they may not fall. They are borne up most commonly by the left arm, otherwise they might quickly take a fall.