SXBASBUEG.

161

But though it is mainly the toy character of tlie time-piecethat attracts the " children of larger growth " in such crowdsevery mid-day to see it strike twelve, nevertlieless, the dock issomethino- more than a mere collection of movins fiVures. It

O ÖD

not only teils the ordinary, or mean time, as well as the dayof the week and month, but it indicates sidereal time, thephases of the moon, eclipses to come, and all the revolutionsof the stars and planets; besides marking the different fetes,or feast-days, and Computing the Golden Number, DominicalLetter, &c*

The case of the Strasburg clock is a stupendous affair,being literally as big as a house. The pedestal of the case, soto speak, is like a monster wardrobe, and above this rises, inthe centre, a tall Square turret of wood, reminding one of thegawky clock-cases that used to stand in gentlemen's halls,but being of gigantic dimensions. On one side of this turretis an isolated Spiral staircase, and on the other a smallerSquare turret, with the figure of a cock, the size of life,cresting the top.

The wardrobe-like base is divided into three compartments.In the centre is an enormous dial, with a huge, full-lengthfigure at either side—one pointing to the day of the month,and the other to the name of the Saint whose/efe is celebratedon that day. In the compartment to the left of this there is a

* There was a clock of this kind at Strasburg in the fourteenth Century,but the wheels ceased to work, and no mechanicians could be found sufficientlyexpert to setthem going again. At length, however, three ingenious " artistes"resident in the town undertook the task, which was completed in 1574 by thebrothers Isaae and Josias Habrecht of Schaffhausen. Their work lasted forupwards of two centuries, and the clock continued going tili the year 1789.Then, however, the machinery came once more to a stand- still, nor was its recon-struction attempted tili 1838, when the Municipal Council of Strasburg votedthat the task should be confided to M. Schwilgue of that city, and he, in thecourse of six years, perfected the present wondrous piece of mechanism, which isalmost entirely new — only a very small portion of the old works having beenused in it.

VOL. II.

M