^Balloon, windmill, sofa, II 
 
 H| Bureau, narp, saseviol, |§ 
 
 violin, Buglehorn, && 
 
 Fire-Engine, and 
 
 wheelbarrow. 
 
 
 
 
 
 s 
 
 
 IN WORDS OF 
 
 zm One, two and tlaree syllables 
 
 
 
 NEWARK, N. J. 
 
 BENJAMIN OLDS. 
 
 

COBB'S TOYS, 
 
 THIRD SERIES, 
 Wo. 8. 
 
 STORIES 
 
 £BOUT THE 
 
 8ALLOON, WINDMILL, SOFA, BUREAU, HARP, 
 BASEVIOL, VIOLTN, BUGLEHORN, FIRE- 
 ENGINE, AND WHEELBARROW, 
 
 IN WORDS OF 
 
 ONE, TWO, AND THREE SYLLABLES. 
 
 A FIR£ ENGINE- 
 NEWARK, (N. J.) 
 
 BENJAMIN OLDS, 
 
 PRICE THREE CENTS. 
 
Entered according to the Act of Congress, in tlie year, 
 1836) by Lyman Cobb, in the Clerk's office of the Dis- 
 trict Court of the Southern District of New York. 
 
 PREFACE 
 
 TO THE THIRD SERIES. 
 
 This Series of Toys contains a more extensive 
 and minute description of Animals, Birds, Fishes, 
 Articles of Manufacture, &c. than was given in 
 the First and Second Series. 
 
 This Series is intended for a larger class of my 
 young friends than the preceding ones ; and, it is 
 hoped they will be both benefited and amused by 
 their perusal. 
 
 In this as well as in all the other Series nothing 
 has been permitted to find a place which is false, 
 unnatural, or unphilosophical, or any details of 
 conversations among animals which never did % 
 and which never can take place. 
 
 It is believed that in the large field of Nature 
 and Art, there are sufficient materials for descrip- 
 tions and stories without launching into the field 
 of Fiction and Falsehood, to find subjects which 
 will be interesting to children. 
 
 To remove difficulties in the reading of these 
 Stories as far as possible, and thereby render 
 them more interesting, the language used in the 
 descriptions is limited to words of one, two, and 
 
 THREE SYLLABLES. 
 
 New York, June *9, 1855. 
 
3 
 
 A BALLOON. 
 
 A Balloon is a very large bag, some- 
 what resembling a globe, made of silk 
 cloth, and is covered with a kind of 
 varnish. 
 
 The Balloon is then filled with a kind 
 of air called gas, which is much lighter 
 than common air. The Balloon is filled 
 with this gas by means of pipes coming 
 from a number of tubs, in which there 
 are iron-filings and oil of vitriol : for this 
 light air proceeds from iron while dis- 
 
•olving in a strong acid. While filling, 
 the Balloon swells like a bladder when 
 it is blown up, and at last becomes al- 
 most round, so that it obliges the men 
 to pull hard by the ropes to keep it 
 from rising. 
 
 When the Balloon is filled with this 
 light air, or gas, it rises to a great height, 
 and moves before the wind in a very 
 rapid manner, frequently a number of 
 miles in a few minutes. If made large 
 enough, it will take up great weights 
 with it, and persons also, if the whole 
 weight will still leave it lighter than 
 common air ; just as a large piece of 
 cork would rise through the water,though 
 apiece of lead were hung to it. 
 
 When persons wish to ride up in the 
 air with a Balloon, they surround it with 
 a kind of network, having small cords, 
 or ropes, attached to the bottom of it; 
 and a small car, which somewhat re- 
 sembles a small boat, is suspended by 
 them. When the car is ready, one or 
 two persons get into it, and the ropes, 
 which held the Balloon from rising, art 
 
ioosened, so that it ascends rapidly. 
 The Balloon first rises nearly straight, 
 and is then carried gently by the wind 
 to one side, and mounts higher and 
 higher, until it is not larger in appear- 
 ance than a paper kite, and finally is lost 
 to the sight entirely. 
 
 When the Balloon is far up in the air. 
 the persons in the car can look down 
 and see the hills, valleys, meadows, 
 woods, villages, cities, and rivers below 
 them. What a beautiful sight it must 
 be ! But it is a very dangerous way of 
 travelling, and attended with great ex- 
 pense. When the persons have gone 
 as far as they wish, they let some of 
 the gas out o( the Balloon, and descend 
 slowly to the ground. 
 
 The name of the man who first as- 
 cended with a Balloon, was Rosier, a 
 Frenchman, in 1783, who afterward, 
 in company with another person, lost 
 his life by the Balloon's taking fire when 
 about three fourths of a mile from the 
 earth. 
 
A WINDMILL. 
 
 A Windmill is a tall house, or build 
 big, shaped somewhat like a sugar-loaf. 
 
 On the top of the building are placed 
 four long wings, or arms, very high in 
 the air; and, when the wind blows, 
 these wings, or arms, turn round. Ob 
 
some of these buildings there are a great 
 many small wings placed so as to move 
 round the top of the building in a circu- 
 lar manner. 
 
 Within the Windmill there are large 
 stones, connected with wheels, or shafts, 
 which are attached to the arms, or wings, 
 of the Windmill ; and, when the wind 
 moves the wings, the stones are turned 
 round likewise. Between these stones 
 the men put corn, rye, or wheat; and, 
 when the stones turn round, they orind 
 it ; and it is then called flour, or meal, 
 and is fit for use. The surfaces of the 
 two stones which are next to each other, 
 are cut into shallow furrows, in such 
 directions as may create, by the moving 
 round of the upper stone over the fixed 
 one below it, the greatest quantity of 
 rubbing and grinding motion. The two 
 surfaces do not touch each other at all ; 
 and the small distance which is left be- 
 tween the stones is adjusted at pleasure, 
 according to the nature of the grain ; 
 the nearer the stones work together, the 
 finer will be the flour, or meal, into 
 
which the grain is ground. Apples, 
 bark, plaster, <fcc, as well as grain, can 
 be ground by Windmills. 
 
 The Windmill makes a very majes- 
 tick appearance when the wings are in 
 full movement by the force of the wind. 
 
 The Windmill is a very happy con- 
 trivance, as it can be used in any part 
 of the country where there is no river, 
 or creek, on which a Watermill could 
 be erected. 
 
 A SOFA. 
 
 A Sofa is a long, elegant seat, in 
 general with a stuffed bottom. Sofas 
 are, however, made in very different 
 iormfe, as well as of different articles. 
 In this country the usual frame is 
 mad* of mahogany, and the bottom i» 
 
9 
 
 formed of stuffed cloth, with a covering 
 of hair-cloth. chintB, silk, or calico. It 
 is placed in parlours, and is a piece of 
 very handsome furniture. 
 
 A BUREAU. 
 
 A Bureau is a chest of drawers, in 
 which to keep clothes or papers. They 
 are, in general, made of mahogany, or 
 eherrv wood. Some Bureaus are very 
 beautiful, having a looking-glass placed 
 on the top of them, and two nice, hanct 
 •ora© gla»s kntbs on ©aeh drawer. 
 
A HARP. 
 
 A Harp is a stringed instrument of 
 musick. The Harp has a great manv 
 strings ; and, when these are touched 
 by the finders, they give out very pleas- 
 ant and delightful tones. 
 
 Ladies, in general, play upon the 
 Harp, which is a very beautiful instru- 
 ment, and produces fine, sweet musick. 
 It is also a very great ornament in a 
 lady's parlour. Perhaps there is no 
 instrument that produces, when well 
 played, a greater degree of harmony and 
 melody than the Harp . 
 
 '.';- 
 
11 
 
 A BAJgEVIOL. 
 
 A Base viol is a stringed in strum ent 
 of musick, having four strings, played 
 with a bow, which is struck on them or 
 drawn across them. 
 
 The Baseviol is used for playing the 
 base, or gravest part of musick ; and its 
 •ones are deep, soft, and pleasant. 
 
 Baseviols were formerly used, more 
 than at present, in the performance of 
 sacred musick in churches ; but large 
 organs are now used instead of them to 
 * great extent. 
 
12 
 
 A VIOLIN. 
 
 A Violin, like the Baseviol. is a string- 
 ed instrument of musick, havine four 
 strings played with a bow. 
 
 The body of the Violin, as well as the 
 Baseviol, is hollow ; if thevwere not so 
 the bow and strings would not produce 
 as much sound, or as pleasant as they 
 now do when the bow is struck on the 
 strings. 
 
 The Violin is in verv general use at 
 parties of pleasure, balls, &c. It is one 
 of the most perfect and powerful instru- 
 ments that has ever been invented, and 
 is well suited to gay musick ; and it is, 
 therefore, almost always used, when 
 people are engaged in dancing 
 
13 
 
 The sound of the Violin has the 
 power to excite and enchant most per- 
 sons to a very great degree, so that when 
 they engage in dancing they frequently 
 exercise too much, and, from subsequent 
 exposure, take cold, and are thereby 
 much injured. 
 
 A BUGLEHORN. 
 
 The Buoflehorn is a verv fine wind 
 j\strumentofmusick,and produces, when 
 well played, delightful sounds. The 
 Buglehorn is in almost all bands of mar- 
 tial musick ; and it adds, more than any 
 other instrument, to the pomp and gran- 
 deur of military parade, &c. 
 
14 
 
 A FIRE-ENGINE. 
 
 Fire-Engines are used to put out or 
 extinguish fires in cities, villages, and 
 large towns, by throwing water on burn- 
 ing buildings, through a pipe connected 
 with the Engine, These Engines are 
 each managed, or worked by a com- 
 pany of men, each Engine being num- 
 bered, as No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, &c. Each 
 company of men belonging to an Engine, 
 chooses a foreman, who has the charge 
 of it daring a fire. 
 
 Whenever there is an alarm of fire, 
 every fireman is obliged to turn out and 
 hasten to the place where the fire is, or 
 is said to be ; no matter what the weath- 
 •r is f whether it be in (lie heat of th« 
 
15 
 
 summer, or in the severe cold of the 
 winter ; during rain and fair weather ; 
 in all seasons. The task of the fire- 
 man is one of great labour and toil ; and, 
 frequently, risk of life also. Who can 
 but admire the noble daring of the brave 
 and watchful fireman, who rushes into, 
 or on to a burning building to rescue 
 the property, and very often the lives of 
 persons, in imminent danger of losing 
 his own ? 
 
 There are a great many Fire-En- 
 gines in the city of New York ; and, as 
 the city is now quite large, it is a very 
 severe task r or the firemen to draw the 
 Engines from one part of the city to the 
 other by ropes attached to them. Very 
 frequently, on an alarm of fire, a great 
 many boys join with the firemen in 
 dragging the Engines through the streets, 
 hallooing and shouting, making a great 
 noise. It is to be hoped that, as the 
 city is now so extensive, horses will 
 soon be provided to draw the Engines 
 from place to place, as they may be 
 Reeded ; for, as it now is, the firemen 
 
16 
 
 are so much fatigued, many times, on 
 arriving at the fire, that they are unable 
 to work the Engines. 
 
 A WHEELBARROW. 
 
 Wheelbarrows have one wheel and 
 two legs. They have also two handle^ 
 by which a person takes hold and pushes 
 them forward. 
 
 Wheelbarrows are in great use in 
 many parts of the country, and to some 
 extent in cities. They are used to con- 
 vey small articles, or burdens, from one 
 place to another. They are of great, use 
 to the mechanick and farmer ; and they 
 are much used in the making of canals 
 and rail-roads, saving much labour and 
 fatigue in removing the earth, •mall 
 atones, &c.