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Paper, 'A description of an engine to raise water by the help of quicksilver, invented by the late Mr Joshua Haskins; and made practicable and usefull' by J T [John Theophilus] Desaguliers

Reference number: CLP/6/64

Date: 19 April 1722

Description

The paper describes the use of quicksilver rather than leather to prevent water or air from spilling out of hydraulic engines that utilise pumps.

Subject: Engineering / Hydrostatics

Read to the Royal Society on 19 April 1722

Published in Philosophical Transactions as 'A description of an engine to raise water by the help of quicksilver, invented by the late Mr. Joshua Haskins, and improv'd by J. T. Desaguliers, LL. D. R. S. S'.

Reference number
CLP/6/64
Earliest possible date
19 April 1722
Physical description
Ink on paper
Page extent
8 pages
Format
Manuscript

Creator name

John Theophilus Desaguliers

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Citation

John Theophilus Desaguliers, Paper, 'A description of an engine to raise water by the help of quicksilver, invented by the late Mr Joshua Haskins; and made practicable and usefull' by J T [John Theophilus] Desaguliers, 19 April 1722, CLP/6/64, The Royal Society Archives, London, https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/clp_6_64/paper-a-description-of-an-engine-to-raise-water-by-the-help-of-quicksilver-invented-by-the-late-mr-joshua-haskins-and-made-practicable-and-usefull-by-j-t-john-theophilus-desaguliers, accessed on 12 May 2026

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  • Classified Papers

    The 'Classified Papers' of the Royal Society are papers from British and international natural philosophers and scholars categorised according to subject areas.

    Dates: 1592 - 1741

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