A possible relationship between Petty and Barbon can be established through John Houghton. Houghton knew Petty through the Royal Society. Houghton, in turn, can be linked to Barbon through the intermediation of Robert Hooke. See Peter Slack, The Politics of Consumption, English Historical Review, no. 497, pp. 614 and 620.

Bert Tieben




-----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
Van: Societies for the History of Economics [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Namens michael perelman
Verzonden: maandag 23 januari 2012 22:17
Aan: [log in to unmask]
Onderwerp: Re: [SHOE] two questions

Thank you.  Your response suggests that Schumpeter missed the date by a century.  That would make his timing correct.  I have read that nobody was able to match the Dutch wind-driven mills when Boyle was writing.  Petty was very impressed by them.

My question about Petty was because he wrote about the reconstruction of London; Barbon was important in construction there.  Both have other similarities, as you suggest.  It seems unlikely that Petty would not be aware of him.

On Mon, Jan 23, 2012 at 12:56 PM, Nicholas Theocarakis <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> There is no reference of Barbon in Petty's writings. But they were 
> both medical doctors, both economists and most importantly both 
> ruthless landgrabbers from London to Londonderry. Their paths must 
> have crossed somewhere. Norman Brett-James (quod google) has some good 
> stuff on NB's land projects.
>
> Regarding wind saw-mills. The Enc.Brit. puts their intro to England in 
> the 18th c.:
>
> "In England, saw-mills had at first a similar fate with printing in 
> Turkey, the ribbon-looms in the dominions of the church, and the crane at Strasburg.
> When attempts were made to introduce them, they were violently 
> opposed, because it was apprehended that the sawers would thus be 
> deprived of the means of procuring subsistence. An opulent merchant in 
> 1767 or 1768, by desire of the Society of Arts, caused a sawmill to be 
> erected at Limehouse, driven by wind ; but it was demolished by the 
> mob, and the damage was sustained by the nation, while some of the 
> rioters were punished. This, however, was not the only mill of the 
> kind then in Britain; for at Leith there was one driven by wind, some years before."
>
> "SAW-Mills", Encyclopaedia Britannica, vol. XVIII, 1823 p. 522
>
> Olinthus Gregory's A Treatise of Mechanics, Theoretical, Practical, 
> and Descriptive, vol. ii 1815 cited in EB does not say much about the 
> history of saw-mills apart from a reference to curious paper by 
> Leonhard Euler [E235] "Sur l'action des scies", Mémoires de l'académie 
> des sciences de Berlin 12
> (1756) 1758, pp. 267-291. Reprinted in Opera omnia Series II vol. 17, pp.
> 66-88. [oo available from google] also nothing about history.
>
>
> On Mon, Jan 23, 2012 at 6:57 PM, michael perelman 
> <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>
>> First:
>>
>> Did William Petty have any personal contact with Barbon?  Did he ever 
>> comment on Barbon's work?
>>
>> I have never been able to find out anything about this.
>>
>> Second: [Not exactly history of thought]
>>
>> I have seen two early mentions about wind-driven saws in England.
>>
>> In 1671, Robert Boyle mentioned "Timber is sawd by Windmills."  I 
>> assume he is referring to England.
>>
>>
>> In Schumpeter's  Business Cycles, i, p. 243: "... violence ... made 
>> it impossible in 1663 to operate the new sawing mills then being erected"
>> because of the fear of unemployment.
>>
>>
>> Where can I find information about the use of this technology in England?
>>  I
>> had been under the impression that nobody had been able to duplicate 
>> this Dutch technology at the time.
>>
>> Thank you.
>>
>> --
>> Michael Perelman
>> Economics Department
>> California State University
>> Chico, CA
>> 95929
>>
>> 530 898 5321
>> fax 530 898 5901
>> http://michaelperelman.wordpress.com
>
>



--
Michael Perelman
Economics Department
California State University
Chico, CA
95929

530 898 5321
fax 530 898 5901
http://michaelperelman.wordpress.com