"… beguiling the tedium of the way by describing to him in detail the various exhibits he had that morning seen at Merlin's Mechanical Museum. These included such attractions as a juggler, an aerial cavalcade, Merlin's Cave, and a set of Antique Whispering Busts (very ingenious); but these had not interested Felix as much as a hydraulic vase, a band of mechanical music, an mechanical cruising frigate. … he meant next to visit an exhibition at Spring Gardens, where Maillardet's Automaton was to be seen. This marvel … was a musical lady, who was advertised, rather alarmingly, to perform most of the functions of animal life, and to play sixteen airs upon an organized pianoforte, by the actual pressure of the fingers."
-- Frederica, Georgette Heyer
Felix, a twelve year old boy and one of the minor main characters, is interested in steam power. Over the course of the story, in addition to the above passage, he looks for (but fails to find) one of Trevithick's railway locomotives called the Catch-me-who-can, visits a Soho foundry with a pneumatic lift, takes a trip down the river in a steam boat, and rides in a hot-air balloon.
The story itself is set in London, 1818.
( This is the ranty part )
-- Frederica, Georgette Heyer
Felix, a twelve year old boy and one of the minor main characters, is interested in steam power. Over the course of the story, in addition to the above passage, he looks for (but fails to find) one of Trevithick's railway locomotives called the Catch-me-who-can, visits a Soho foundry with a pneumatic lift, takes a trip down the river in a steam boat, and rides in a hot-air balloon.
The story itself is set in London, 1818.
( This is the ranty part )
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