he was succeeded by his son/en

1) (to manage to do what one is trying to do; to achieve one's aim or purpose: He succeeded in persuading her to do it; He's happy to have succeeded in his chosen career; She tried three times to pass her driving-test, and at last succeeded; Our new teaching methods seem to be succeeding.) conseguir; triunfar, tener éxito (en)

2) (to follow next in order, and take the place of someone or something else: He succeeded his father as manager of the firm / as king; The cold summer was succeeded by a stormy autumn; If the duke has no children, who will succeed to (= inherit) his property?) suceder; sucederse

•

- success

succeed vb

1. tener éxito / triunfar

2. conseguir / lograr

tr[sək'siːd]

intransitive verb

1 (be successful - person) tener éxito, triunfar; (- plan, marriage) salir bien; (- strike) surtir efecto, dar resultado

2 (manage) lograr, conseguir

■ she aimed to swim a mile and succeeded se propuso nadar una milla y lo consiguió

■ at least we succeeded in raising public awareness al menos conseguimos sensibilizar a los ciudadanos

3 (throne) subir (to, a); (title) heredar (to, -)

transitive verb

1 (take place of) suceder a

2 formal use (follow after) suceder a

\

if at first you don't succeed, try, try, try again el que la sigue la consigue

to succeed in life triunfar en la vida

succeed [sək'si:d] vt

follow: suceder a

succeed vi

: tener éxito (dícese de las personas), dar resultado (dícese de los planes, etc.)

she succeeded in finishing: logró terminar

• acertar v.

• salir bien v.

• suceder v.

• suceder a una persona v.

• tener éxito v.

• topar v.

1) ( have success) \<\<plan\>\> dar* resultado, surtir efecto; \<\<person\>\>

2)

vt suceder

1. VI

1) [person]

a) (in business, career) tener éxito, triunfar (in en)

b) (in task, aim)

- if at first you don't succeed, try, try again

c) (=take over)

2) [thing]

a) (=work) [plan, strategy, experiment] dar resultado, salir bien

b) (=do well) [business] prosperar; [film] tener éxito

- nothing succeeds like success

VT (=follow) suceder a

* * *

1) ( have success) \<\<plan\>\> dar* resultado, surtir efecto; \<\<person\>\>

2)

vt suceder

इन्द्रः [इन्द्-रन्; इन्दतीति इन्द्रः; इदि ऐश्वर्ये Malli.]

1 The lord of gods.

-2 The god of rain, rain; cloud; इन्द्रो वरुणः सोमो रुद्रः । शं न इन्द्रो बृहस्पतिः Tait. Vp.1.1.1. Bṛi. Up.1.4.11.

-3 A lord or ruler (as of men &c.). इन्द्रो- मायाभिः पुरुरूप ईयते Bṛi. Up.2.5.19. first or best (of any class of objects), always as the last member of comp.; नरेन्द्रः a lord of men i. e. a king; so मृगेन्द्रः a lion; गजेन्द्रः the lord or chief of elephants; so योगीन्द्रः, कपीन्द्रः.

-4 A prince, king.

-5 The pupil of the right eye.

-6 N. of the plant कुटज.

-7 Night.

-8 One of the divisions of भारतवर्ष.

-9 N. of the 26th Yoga.

-1 The human or animal soul.

-11 A vegetable poison.

-12 The Yoga star in the 26th Nakṣatra.

-13 Greatness.

-14 The five objects of senses.

-द्रा 1 The wife of Indra, Indrāṇī.

-2 N. of a plant (मरुबक Mar. मरवा) [Indra, the god of the firmament, is the Jupiter Pluvius of the Indian Āryans. In the Vedas he is placed in the first rank among the gods; yet he is not regarded as an uncreated being, being distinctly spoken of in various passages of the Vedas as being born, and as having a father and a mother. He is sometimes represented as having been produced by the gods as a destroyer of enemies, as the son of Ekāṣṭakā, and in Rv.1.9.13 he is said to have sprung from the mouth of Puruṣa. He is of a ruddy or golden colour, and can assume any form at will. He rides in a bright golden chariot drawn by two tawny horses. His most famous weapon is the thunderbolt which he uses with deadly effect in his warfare with the demons of darkness, drought and inclement weather, variously called Ahi, Vṛitra, Śambar, Namu- chi &c. He storms and breaks through their castles, and sends down fertilizing showers of rain to the great delight of his worshippers. He is thus the lord of the atmosphere, the dispenser of rain, and governor of the weather. He is represented as being assisted by the Maruts or storm-gods in his warfare. Besides the thunderbolt he uses arrows, a large hook, and a net. The Soma juice is his most favourite food, and under its exhilarating influence he performs great achieve- ments (cf. Rv.1.119), and pleases his devout worshippers, who are said to invite the god to drink the juice. He is their friend and even their brother; a father, and the most fatherly of fathers; the helper of the poor, and the deliverer and comforter of his ser- vants. He is a wall of defence; his friend is never slain or defeated. He richly rewards his adorers, particularly those who bring him libations of Soma, and he is supplicated for all sorts of temporal blessings as cows, horses, chariots, health, intelligence, pros- perous days, long life, and victory in war. In the Vedas Indra's wife is Indrānī, who is invoked among the goddesses.

*****Such is the Vedic conception of Indra. But in later mythology he falls in the second rank. He is said to be one of the sons of Kaśyapa and Dākṣāyaṇī or Aditi. He is inferior to the triad Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Maheśa (though in some places Viṣṇu is regard- ed as his younger brother, cf. R.14.59,15.4), but he is the chief of all the other gods, and is com- monly styled Sureśa, Devendra &c. As in the Vedas so in later mythology, he is the regent of the atmosphere, and of the east quarter, and his world is called Svarga. He sends the lightning, uses the thunderbolt and sends down rain. He is frequently at war with Asuras, whom he constantly dreads, and by whom he is sometimes defeated. The Indra of mythology is famous for his incontinence and adultery, one prominent instance of which is his seduction of Ahalyā, the wife of Gautama (see Ahalyā), and for which he is often spoken of as Ahalyā-jāra. The curse of the sage im- pressed upon him a 1 marks resembling the female organ, and he was therefore called Sayoni; but these marks were afterwards changed into eyes, and he is hence called Netra-yoni and Sahasrākṣa. In the Rāmāyana Indra is represented as having been defeated and carried off to Laṅkā by Ravaṇa's son called Meghanāda, who for this exploit received the title of 'Indrajit'. It was only at the intercession of Brahmā and the gods that Indra was released, and this humiliation was regarded as a punishment for his seduction of Ahalyā. He is also represented as being in constant dread of sages practising potent penances, and as sending down nymphs to beguile their minds (see Apsaras). In the Purāṇas he is said to have destroyed the offspring of Diti in her womb, and to have cut off the wings of mountains when they grew troublesome. Other stories are also told in which Indra was once worsted by Raja, gran- dson of Purūravas, owing to the curse of Durvāsas, and other accounts show that he and Kṛiṣna were at war with each other for the Pārijāta tree which the latter wanted to remove from Svarga, and which he succeeded in doing in spite of Indra's resistance. His wife is Indrāṇī, the daughter of the demon Pulo- man, and his son is named Jayanta. He is also said to be father of Arjuna. His epithets are numerous; mostly descriptive of his achievements, e. g. वृत्रहन्, बलभिद्, पाकशासन, गोत्रभिद्, पुरंदर, शतक्रतु, जिष्णु, नमुचिसूदन &c. (see Ak.I.1.44.47). The Heaven of Indra is Svarga; its capital, Amarāvatī; his garden, Nandana; his elephant, Airāvata; his horse, Uchchaiśravas; his bow, the rain-bow, and his sword, Paranja.].

-Comp. -अग्निः the fire produced from the contact of clouds; ˚धूमः frost, snow; ˚देवता the 16th lunar mansion.

-अनुजः, -अवरजः an epithet of Viṣṇu and of Nārāyaṇa (उपेन्द्र); तस्थौ भ्रातृसमीपस्थः शक्रस्येन्द्रानुजो यथा Rām.6.91.4.

-अरिः an Asura or demon.

-अवसानः a desert.

-अशनः 1 hemp (dried and chewed).

-2 the shrub which bears the seed used in jeweller's weight, (गुंजावृक्ष).

-आयुधम् Indra's weapon, the rainbow; इन्द्रा- युधद्योतिततोरणाङ्कम् R.7.4,12.79; K.127.

(-ध) 1 N. of the horse in Kādambarī (i. e. Kapiñjala changed into a horse).

-2 a horse marked with black about the eyes.

-3 a diamond. (

-धा) a kind of leech.

-आसनम् 1 the throne of Indra.

-2 a throne in general.

-3 a foot of five short syllables.

-इज्यः N. of बृहस्पति the preceptor of gods.

-ईश्वरः one of the forms of Śiva-liṅga.

-उत्सवः a festival honouring Indra.

- ऋषभ a. having Indra as a bull, or impregnated by Indra, an epithet of the earth. इन्द्रऋषभा द्रविणे नो दधातु Av.12.1.6.

-कर्मन् m. an epithet of Viṣṇu (performing Indra's deeds).

-कान्तः A class of the four-storeyed buildings. (Mānasāra 21.6-68).

-कीलः 1 N. of the mountain मन्दर.

-2 a rock.

(-लम्) 1 the banner of Indra.

-2 A pin, nail, bolt फालका भाजनोर्ध्वे तु तदूर्ध्वे चेन्द्रकीलकम् (Mānasāra 12.126). cf. also Kau. A.2.3.

-कुञ्जरः Indra's elephant, Airāvata.

-कूटः N. of a mountain

-कृष्ट a. 'ploughed by Indra', growing exuberantly or in a wild state. (

-ष्टः) a kind of corn produced by rain-water.

-केतुः Indra's banner.

-कोशः, -षः, -षकः, -ष्ठः 1 a couch, sofa, which is generally made up of covering pieces of perforated wooden planks; cf. अट्टालक- प्रतोलीमध्ये त्रिधानुष्काधिष्ठानं-इन्द्रकोशं कारयेत् Kau. A.2.3.

-2 a platform.

-3 a projection of the roof of a house.

-4 A pin or bracket projecting from the wall (नागदन्त). A projection of the roof of a house forming a kind of balcony; Kau. A.24.

-गिरिः the महेन्द्र mountain.

-गुरुः, -आचार्यः the teacher of Indra; i. e. बृहस्पति.

-गोपः, -गोपकः [इन्द्रो गोपो रक्षको$स्य, वर्षाभवत्वात्तस्य] a kind of insect of red or white colour; Śukra.4.157; K.1.

-चन्दनम् the white sandal wood.

-चापम्, -धनुस् n.

1 a rainbow; विद्युत्वन्तं ललितवनिताः सेन्द्रचापं सचित्राः Me.64; Śi.7.4.

-2 the bow of Indra

-चिर्भटा A mild variety of Colocynth. The leaf is tripartite, rough and wrinkled. (Mar. कंवडळ, applied often as इन्द्रावण in the sense of vile, malignant, dark and hateful.)

-च्छदः A neck- lace of pearls having 18 strings.

-च्छन्दस् n. [इन्द्र इव सहस्रनेत्रेण सहस्रगुच्छेन च्छाद्यते] a necklace consisting of 1 strings.

-जः N. of Vālī.

-जतु n. Bitumen (Mar. शिलाजित).

-जननम् Indra's birth.

-जननीय a. treating of Indra's birth (as a work).

-जा a. Ved. born or arising from Indra. Av.4.3.7.

-जालम् [इन्द्रस्य परमेश्वरस्य जालं मायेव]

1 the net of Indra. तेनाह- मिन्द्रजालेनामूंस्तमसाभि दधामि सर्वान् Av.8.8.8.

-2 a weapon used by Arjuna; a stratagem or trick in war.

-3 deception, cheating.

-4 conjuring, jugglery, magical tricks; इन्द्रजालं च मायां वै कुहका वा$पि भीषणा Mb.5.16.55. स्वप्नेन्द्रजालसदृशः खलु जीवलोकः Śānti.2.2; K.15.

-जालिक a. [इन्द्रजाल-ठन्] deceptive, unreal, delusive. (

-कः) a juggler, conjurer.

-जित् m. 'conqueror of Indra', N. of a son of Rāvaṇa who was killed by Lakṣmaṇa. [Indrajit is another name of Meghanāda a son of Rāvaṇa. When Rāvaṇa warred against Indra in his own heaven, his son Meghanāda was with him, and fought most valiantly. During the combat, Meghanāda, by virtue of the magical power of becoming invisible which he had obtained from Śiva, bound Indra, and bore him off in triumph to Laṅkā. Brahmā and the other gods hurried thither to obtain his release, and gave to Meghanāda the title of Indrajit, 'conqueror of Indra'; but the victor refused to release his prisoners unless he were promised immortality. Brahmā refused to grant this extravagant demand, but he strenuously persisted, and achieved his object. In the Rāmāyaṇa he is repre- sented to have been decapitated by Lakṣmaṇa while he was engaged in a sacrifice]. ˚हन्तृ or विजयिन् m. N. of Lakṣmaṇa.

-ज्येष्ठ a. Ved. led by Indra.

-तापनः the thundering of clouds.

-तूलम्, -तूलकम् a flock of cotton.

-दमनः the son of Bāṇāsura.

-दारुः the tree Pinus Devadāru.

-द्युति Sandal

-द्रुः, -द्रुमः 1 the plant Termi- nalia Arjuna (अर्जुन).

-2 The plant कुटज.

-द्वीपः, -पम् one of the 9 Dvīpas or Divisions of the continent (of India).

-धनुः N. of Indra's bow, the rainbow; स एकव्रा- त्यो$भवत्स धनुरादत्त तदेवेन्द्रधनुः Av.15.1.6.

-ध्वजः 1 a flag raised on the 12th day of the bright half of Bhādra.

-2 Indra's weapon; विस्रस्ताकल्पकेशस्रगिन्द्रध्वज इवापतत् Bhāg.1.44.22.

-नक्षत्रम् Indra's lunar mansion फल्गुनी.

-नेत्रम् 1 the eye of Indra.

-2 the number one thousand.

-नीलः [इन्द्र इव नीलः श्यामः] a sapphire; परीक्षाप्रत्ययैर्यैश्च पद्मरागः परीक्ष्यते । त एव प्रत्यया दृष्टा इन्द्रनीलमणेरपि ॥ Garuḍa. P.; R.13.54;16.69; Me.48,79.

-नीलकः an emerald.

-पत्नी 1 Indra's wife, शची.

-पर्णी, -पुष्पा N. of a medicinal plant (Mar. कळलावी).

-पर्वतः 1 the महेन्द्र mountain.

-2 a blue mountain.

-पुत्रा N. of अदिति.

-पुरोगम, -पुरःसर, -श्रेष्ठ a. led or preceded by Indra, having Indra at the head.

-पुरोहितः N. of बृहस्पति. (

-ता) the asterism Puṣya.

-प्रमतिः N. of the pupil of Paila and the author of some ṛiks of the Rv.

-प्रस्थम् N. of a city on the Yamunā, the residence of the Paṇḍavas (identified with the modern Delhi); इन्द्रप्रस्थगमस्तावत्कारि मा सन्तु चेदयः Śi.2.63.

-प्रहरणम् Indra's weapon, the thunderbolt.

-भगिनी N. of Pārvatī.

-भेषजम् dried ginger.

-मखः a sacrifice in honour of Indra.

-महः 1 a festival in honour of Indra.

-2 the rainy season; ˚कामुकः a dog.

-मादन a. animating or delighting Indra; ये वायव इन्द्रमादनासः Rv.7.92.4.

-मेदिन् a. Ved. whose friend or ally is Indra; इन्द्रमेदी सत्वनो नि ह्वयस्व Av.5.2-.8.

-यज्ञः (See इन्द्रमह and इन्द्रमख) श्वो$स्माकं घोषस्योचित इन्द्रयज्ञो नामोत्सवः भविष्यति Bālacharita I.

-यवः, -वम् seed of the Kutaja tree.

-लुप्तः, -प्तम्, -लुप्तकम् 1 excessive bald- ness of the head.

-2 loss of beard.

-लोकः Indra's world, Svarga or Paradise.

-लोकेशः 1 lord of Indra's world, i. e. Indra.

-2 a guest (who, if hospitably received, confers paradise on his host).

-वंशा, -वज्रा N. of two metres, see Appendix.

-वल्लरी, -वल्ली N. of a plant (पारिजात) or of इन्द्रवारुणी.

-वस्तिः [इन्द्रस्य आत्मनः वस्तिरिव] the calf (of the leg).

-वाततम a. Ved. desired by Indra. अस्मे ऊतीरिन्द्रवाततमाः Rv.1.6.6.

-वानकम् A variety of diamonds. Kau. A.2.11.

-वायू (du.) Indra and Vāyu. इन्द्रवायू उभाविह सुहवेह हवामहे Av.3.2.6.

-वारुणी, -वारुणिका Colocynth, a wild bitter gourd cucumis colocynthis. (Mar. मोठी कंवडळ) किमिन्द्रवारुणी राम सितया कटुकीयते Laghu Yoga- vāsiṣṭha-sāra X. सौवर्चलं हरिद्रा च पिप्पली चेन्द्रवारुणिः । मूत्र- कृच्छ्रे प्रशंसन्ति पिण्डो$यं वाजिनां हितः ॥ शालिहोत्र of भोज 33.

-वाह् a. carrying Indra.

-वृक्षः the Devadāru tree.

-वृद्धा a kind of abscess.

-वैडूर्यम् a kind of precious stone.

-व्रतम् Indra's rule of conduct; one of the duties of a king (who is said to follow इन्द्रव्रत when he distri- butes benefits as Indra pours down rain); वार्षिकांश्चतुरो मासान् यथेन्द्रो$प्यभिवर्षति । तथाभिवर्षेत्स्वं राष्ट्रं कामैरिन्द्रव्रतं चरन् ॥ Ms.9.34.

-शक्तिः f. Indrāṇī, the wife of Indra, or his energy personified.

-शत्रुः 1 an enemy or destroyer of Indra (when the accent is on the last syllable), an epithet of प्रह्लाद; इन्द्रशत्रो विवर्धस्व मा चिरं जहि विद्विषम् Bhāg.6.9.12. बलिप्रदिष्टां श्रियमाददानं त्रैविक्रमं पादमिवेन्द्रशत्रुः R.7.35.

-2 [इन्द्रः शत्रुः यस्य] one whose enemy is Indra, an epithet of वृत्र (when the accent is on the first syllable). (This refers to a legend in the Śat. Br., where it is said that Vṛitra's father intended his son to become the destroyer of Indra, and asked him to say इन्द्रशत्रुर्वधस्व &c. but who, through mistake, accented the word on the first syllable, and was killed by Indra; cf. Śik.52; मन्त्रो हीनः स्वरतो वर्णतो वा मिथ्याप्रयुक्तो न तमर्थमाह । स वाग्वज्रो यजमानं हिनस्ति यथेन्द्रशत्रुः स्वरतो$पराधात् ॥

-शलभः a kind of insect (इन्द्रगोप).

-संजयम् N. of a sāman. Arṣeya Br.

-संधा connection or alliance with Indra. तयाहमिन्द्रसंधया सर्वान् देवानिह हुव Av.11.1.9.

-सारथिः 1 N. of Mātali.

-2 an epi- thet of Vāyu, driving in the same carriage with Indra; Rv.4.46.2.

-सावर्णिः N. of the fourteenth Manu.

-सुतः, -सूनुः 1 N. of (a) Jayanta; (b) Arjuna; (c) Vāli, the king of monkeys.

-2 N. of the अर्जुन tree.

-सुरसः, -सुरा a shrub the leaves of which are used in discutient applications (निर्गुंडी).

-सेनः N. of several men; of Bali; of a mountain; Bhāg.8.2.23.

-सेना 1 Indra's missile or host.

-2 Indra's army; Rv.1.12.2.

-सेनानीः the leader of Indra's armies, epithet of Kārtikeya.

-स्तुत् m.

-स्तोमः 1 praise of Indra; N. of a particular hymn addressed to Indra in certain ceremonies.

-2 a sacrifice in honour of Indra.

-हवः invocation of Indra; भद्रान् कृण्वन्निन्द्रहवान्त्सखिभ्य Rv.9.96.1.

-हस्तः a kind of medicament.

abs

1) the plan (the attack, our efforts, his attempts, hard work, etc.) succeeded наш план и т.д. удачно осуществился /увенчался успехом/; an author (a writer, a composer, etc.) succeeded писатель и т.д. преуспел /добился успеха/; а book (a play, etc.) succeeded книга и т.д. имела успех; if you try you will succeed если вы приложите усилия, вы добьетесь своего

2) the right to succeed право наследования; on George VI's death, Elizabeth succeeded после смерти Георга на престол вступила Елизавета

1) succeed in smth. succeed in one's business (in one's undertaking, in one's work, in everything, in nothing, in one's plans, etc.) добиться успеха в своих делах и т.д., succeed in life преуспевать в жизни; succeed in an examination успешно сдать экзамен; I succeeded in my efforts (in my attempt, in my ambition, etc.) мои усилия и т.д. увенчались успехом; succeed with smb. methods of treatment that succeed with one person may not succeed with another методы лечения, хорошо действующие на одного человека, могут оказаться не эффективными для другого; he may be able to get his way with some people by the use of threats. but that kind of thing will not succeed with me у некоторых людей он, возможно, добивается своего угрозами, но со мной это не пройдет /но на меня угрозы не действуют/ || succeed beyond all (smb.'s) expectations успешно завершиться /иметь успех, быть удачным/ сверх ожиданий

2) succeed to smth. succeed to these years of war (to the stormy days of that period, etc.) последовать за годами войны и т.д.; succeed to a crown (to a title, to the family business, to a large property, to large fortune, etc.) наследовать /получить по наследству/корону и т.д.; по woman could succeed to the throne женщина не могла наследовать престол

1) succeed if... you'll succeed if you try often enough ты добьешься успеха, если будешь настойчив в своих попытках

2) succeed when... an eldest son succeeds when a peer dies когда умирает пэр, титул наследует его старший сын; who will succeed when king Henry dies? кто взойдет на престол после смерти короля Генриха?

SUBJECT AREA: Chemical technology, Mining and extraction technology, Weapons and armour

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The son of a barber-surgeon who deserted his family to serve in the Swedish army, Nobel showed little interest in academic pursuits as a child and was sent to sea at the age of 16, but jumped ship in Egypt and was eventually employed as an architect by the pasha. Returning to Sweden, he won a scholarship to the Stockholm School of Architecture, where he studied from 1821 to 1825 and was awarded a number of prizes. His interest then leaned towards mechanical matters and he transferred to the Stockholm School of Engineering. Designs for linen-finishing machines won him a prize there, and he also patented a means of transforming rotary into reciprocating movement. He then entered the real-estate business and was successful until a fire in 1833 destroyed his house and everything he owned. By this time he had married and had two sons, with a third, Alfred (of Nobel Prize fame; see Alfred Nobel), on the way. Moving to more modest quarters on the outskirts of Stockholm, Immanuel resumed his inventions, concentrating largely on India rubber, which he applied to surgical instruments and military equipment, including a rubber knapsack.

It was talk of plans to construct a canal at Suez that first excited his interest in explosives. He saw them as a means of making mining more efficient and began to experiment in his backyard. However, this made him unpopular with his neighbours, and the city authorities ordered him to cease his investigations. By this time he was deeply in debt and in 1837 moved to Finland, leaving his family in Stockholm. He hoped to interest the Russians in land and sea mines and, after some four years, succeeded in obtaining financial backing from the Ministry of War, enabling him to set up a foundry and arms factory in St Petersburg and to bring his family over. By 1850 he was clear of debt in Sweden and had begun to acquire a high reputation as an inventor and industrialist. His invention of the horned contact mine was to be the basic pattern of the sea mine for almost the next 100 years, but he also created and manufactured a central-heating system based on hot-water pipes. His three sons, Ludwig, Robert and Alfred, had now joined him in his business, but even so the outbreak of war with Britain and France in the Crimea placed severe pressures on him. The Russians looked to him to convert their navy from sail to steam, even though he had no experience in naval propulsion, but the aftermath of the Crimean War brought financial ruin once more to Immanuel. Amongst the reforms brought in by Tsar Alexander II was a reliance on imports to equip the armed forces, so all domestic arms contracts were abruptly cancelled, including those being undertaken by Nobel. Unable to raise money from the banks, Immanuel was forced to declare himself bankrupt and leave Russia for his native Sweden. Nobel then reverted to his study of explosives, particularly of how to adapt the then highly unstable nitroglycerine, which had first been developed by Ascanio Sobrero in 1847, for blasting and mining. Nobel believed that this could be done by mixing it with gunpowder, but could not establish the right proportions. His son Alfred pursued the matter semi-independently and eventually evolved the principle of the primary charge (and through it created the blasting cap), having taken out a patent for a nitroglycerine product in his own name; the eventual result of this was called dynamite. Father and son eventually fell out over Alfred's independent line, but worse was to follow. In September 1864 Immanuel's youngest son, Oscar, then studying chemistry at Uppsala University, was killed in an explosion in Alfred's laboratory: Immanuel suffered a stroke, but this only temporarily incapacitated him, and he continued to put forward new ideas. These included making timber a more flexible material through gluing crossed veneers under pressure and bending waste timber under steam, a concept which eventually came to fruition in the form of plywood.

In 1868 Immanuel and Alfred were jointly awarded the prestigious Letterstedt Prize for their work on explosives, but Alfred never for-gave his father for retaining the medal without offering it to him.

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SUBJECT AREA: Land transport, Railways and locomotives

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George Stephenson was the son of the fireman of the pumping engine at Wylam colliery, and horses drew wagons of coal along the wooden rails of the Wylam wagonway past the house in which he was born and spent his earliest childhood. While still a child he worked as a cowherd, but soon moved to working at coal pits. At 17 years of age he showed sufficient mechanical talent to be placed in charge of a new pumping engine, and had already achieved a job more responsible than that of his father. Despite his position he was still illiterate, although he subsequently learned to read and write. He was largely self-educated.

In 1801 he was appointed Brakesman of the winding engine at Black Callerton pit, with responsibility for lowering the miners safely to their work. Then, about two years later, he became Brakesman of a new winding engine erected by Robert Hawthorn at Willington Quay on the Tyne. Returning collier brigs discharged ballast into wagons and the engine drew the wagons up an inclined plane to the top of "Ballast Hill" for their contents to be tipped; this was one of the earliest applications of steam power to transport, other than experimentally.

In 1804 Stephenson moved to West Moor pit, Killingworth, again as Brakesman. In 1811 he demonstrated his mechanical skill by successfully modifying a new and unsatisfactory atmospheric engine, a task that had defeated the efforts of others, to enable it to pump a drowned pit clear of water. The following year he was appointed Enginewright at Killingworth, in charge of the machinery in all the collieries of the "Grand Allies", the prominent coal-owning families of Wortley, Liddell and Bowes, with authorization also to work for others. He built many stationary engines and he closely examined locomotives of John Blenkinsop's type on the Kenton \& Coxlodge wagonway, as well as those of William Hedley at Wylam.

It was in 1813 that Sir Thomas Liddell requested George Stephenson to build a steam locomotive for the Killingworth wagonway: Blucher made its first trial run on 25 July 1814 and was based on Blenkinsop's locomotives, although it lacked their rack-and-pinion drive. George Stephenson is credited with building the first locomotive both to run on edge rails and be driven by adhesion, an arrangement that has been the conventional one ever since. Yet Blucher was far from perfect and over the next few years, while other engineers ignored the steam locomotive, Stephenson built a succession of them, each an improvement on the last.

During this period many lives were lost in coalmines from explosions of gas ignited by miners' lamps. By observation and experiment (sometimes at great personal risk) Stephenson invented a satisfactory safety lamp, working independently of the noted scientist Sir Humphry Davy who also invented such a lamp around the same time.

In 1817 George Stephenson designed his first locomotive for an outside customer, the Kilmarnock \& Troon Railway, and in 1819 he laid out the Hetton Colliery Railway in County Durham, for which his brother Robert was Resident Engineer. This was the first railway to be worked entirely without animal traction: it used inclined planes with stationary engines, self-acting inclined planes powered by gravity, and locomotives.

On 19 April 1821 Stephenson was introduced to Edward Pease, one of the main promoters of the Stockton \& Darlington Railway (S \& DR), which by coincidence received its Act of Parliament the same day. George Stephenson carried out a further survey, to improve the proposed line, and in this he was assisted by his 18-year-old son, Robert Stephenson, whom he had ensured received the theoretical education which he himself lacked. It is doubtful whether either could have succeeded without the other; together they were to make the steam railway practicable.

At George Stephenson's instance, much of the S \& DR was laid with wrought-iron rails recently developed by John Birkinshaw at Bedlington Ironworks, Morpeth. These were longer than cast-iron rails and were not brittle: they made a track well suited for locomotives. In June 1823 George and Robert Stephenson, with other partners, founded a firm in Newcastle upon Tyne to build locomotives and rolling stock and to do general engineering work: after its Managing Partner, the firm was called Robert Stephenson \& Co.

In 1824 the promoters of the Liverpool \& Manchester Railway (L \& MR) invited George Stephenson to resurvey their proposed line in order to reduce opposition to it. William James, a wealthy land agent who had become a visionary protagonist of a national railway network and had seen Stephenson's locomotives at Killingworth, had promoted the L \& MR with some merchants of Liverpool and had carried out the first survey; however, he overreached himself in business and, shortly after the invitation to Stephenson, became bankrupt. In his own survey, however, George Stephenson lacked the assistance of his son Robert, who had left for South America, and he delegated much of the detailed work to incompetent assistants. During a devastating Parliamentary examination in the spring of 1825, much of his survey was shown to be seriously inaccurate and the L \& MR's application for an Act of Parliament was refused. The railway's promoters discharged Stephenson and had their line surveyed yet again, by C.B. Vignoles.

The Stockton \& Darlington Railway was, however, triumphantly opened in the presence of vast crowds in September 1825, with Stephenson himself driving the locomotive Locomotion, which had been built at Robert Stephenson \& Co.'s Newcastle works. Once the railway was at work, horse-drawn and gravity-powered traffic shared the line with locomotives: in 1828 Stephenson invented the horse dandy, a wagon at the back of a train in which a horse could travel over the gravity-operated stretches, instead of trotting behind.

Meanwhile, in May 1826, the Liverpool \& Manchester Railway had successfully obtained its Act of Parliament. Stephenson was appointed Engineer in June, and since he and Vignoles proved incompatible the latter left early in 1827. The railway was built by Stephenson and his staff, using direct labour. A considerable controversy arose c. 1828 over the motive power to be used: the traffic anticipated was too great for horses, but the performance of the reciprocal system of cable haulage developed by Benjamin Thompson appeared in many respects superior to that of contemporary locomotives. The company instituted a prize competition for a better locomotive and the Rainhill Trials were held in October 1829.

Robert Stephenson had been working on improved locomotive designs since his return from America in 1827, but it was the L \& MR's Treasurer, Henry Booth, who suggested the multi-tubular boiler to George Stephenson. This was incorporated into a locomotive built by Robert Stephenson for the trials: Rocket was entered by the three men in partnership. The other principal entrants were Novelty, entered by John Braithwaite and John Ericsson, and Sans Pareil, entered by Timothy Hackworth, but only Rocket, driven by George Stephenson, met all the organizers' demands; indeed, it far surpassed them and demonstrated the practicability of the long-distance steam railway. With the opening of the Liverpool \& Manchester Railway in 1830, the age of railways began.

Stephenson was active in many aspects. He advised on the construction of the Belgian State Railway, of which the Brussels-Malines section, opened in 1835, was the first all-steam railway on the European continent. In England, proposals to link the L \& MR with the Midlands had culminated in an Act of Parliament for the Grand Junction Railway in 1833: this was to run from Warrington, which was already linked to the L \& MR, to Birmingham. George Stephenson had been in charge of the surveys, and for the railway's construction he and J.U. Rastrick were initially Principal Engineers, with Stephenson's former pupil Joseph Locke under them; by 1835 both Stephenson and Rastrick had withdrawn and Locke was Engineer-in-Chief. Stephenson remained much in demand elsewhere: he was particularly associated with the construction of the North Midland Railway (Derby to Leeds) and related lines. He was active in many other places and carried out, for instance, preliminary surveys for the Chester \& Holyhead and Newcastle \& Berwick Railways, which were important links in the lines of communication between London and, respectively, Dublin and Edinburgh.

He eventually retired to Tapton House, Chesterfield, overlooking the North Midland. A man who was self-made (with great success) against colossal odds, he was ever reluctant, regrettably, to give others their due credit, although in retirement, immensely wealthy and full of honour, he was still able to mingle with people of all ranks.

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SUBJECT AREA: Horology

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Huygens was born into a cultured and privileged class. His father, Constantijn, was a poet and statesman who had wide interests. Constantijn exerted a strong influence on his son, who was educated at home until he reached the age of 16. Christiaan studied law and mathematics at Ley den University from 1645 to 1647, and continued his studies at the Collegium Arausiacum in Breda until 1649. He then lived at The Hague, where he had the means to devote his time entirely to study. In 1666 he became a Member of the Académie des Sciences in Paris and settled there until his return to The Hague in 1681. He also had a close relationship with the Royal Society and visited London on three occasions, meeting Newton on his last visit in 1689. Huygens had a wide range of interests and made significant contributions in mathematics, astronomy, optics and mechanics. He also made technical advances in optical instruments and horology.

Despite the efforts of Burgi there had been no significant improvement in the performance of ordinary clocks and watches from their inception to Huygens's time, as they were controlled by foliots or balances which had no natural period of oscillation. The pendulum appeared to offer a means of improvement as it had a natural period of oscillation that was almost independent of amplitude. Galileo Galilei had already pioneered the use of a freely suspended pendulum for timing events, but it was by no means obvious how it could be kept swinging and used to control a clock. Towards the end of his life Galileo described such a. mechanism to his son Vincenzio, who constructed a model after his father's death, although it was not completed when he himself died in 1642. This model appears to have been copied in Italy, but it had little influence on horology, partly because of the circumstances in which it was produced and possibly also because it differed radically from clocks of that period. The crucial event occurred on Christmas Day 1656 when Huygens, quite independently, succeeded in adapting an existing spring-driven table clock so that it was not only controlled by a pendulum but also kept it swinging. In the following year he was granted a privilege or patent for this clock, and several were made by the clockmaker Salomon Coster of The Hague. The use of the pendulum produced a dramatic improvement in timekeeping, reducing the daily error from minutes to seconds, but Huygens was aware that the pendulum was not truly isochronous. This error was magnified by the use of the existing verge escapement, which made the pendulum swing through a large arc. He overcame this defect very elegantly by fitting cheeks at the pendulum suspension point, progressively reducing the effective length of the pendulum as the amplitude increased. Initially the cheeks were shaped empirically, but he was later able to show that they should have a cycloidal shape. The cheeks were not adopted universally because they introduced other defects, and the problem was eventually solved more prosaically by way of new escapements which reduced the swing of the pendulum. Huygens's clocks had another innovatory feature: maintaining power, which kept the clock going while it was being wound.

Pendulums could not be used for portable timepieces, which continued to use balances despite their deficiencies. Robert Hooke was probably the first to apply a spring to the balance, but his efforts were not successful. From his work on the pendulum Huygens was well aware of the conditions necessary for isochronism in a vibrating system, and in January 1675, with a flash of inspiration, he realized that this could be achieved by controlling the oscillations of the balance with a spiral spring, an arrangement that is still used in mechanical watches. The first model was made for Huygens in Paris by the clockmaker Isaac Thuret, who attempted to appropriate the invention and patent it himself. Huygens had for many years been trying unsuccessfully to adapt the pendulum clock for use at sea (in order to determine longitude), and he hoped that a balance-spring timekeeper might be better suited for this purpose. However, he was disillusioned as its timekeeping proved to be much more susceptible to changes in temperature than that of the pendulum clock.

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प्रह्रा (ह्ला) दः 1 Great joy, pleasure, delight, happi- ness.

-2 Sound.

-3 A species of rice.

-4 N. of a son of the demon Hiraṇya-Kaśipu. [According to the Padma Purāṇa, he was a Brāhmaṇa in his previous existence, and when born as son of Hiraṇya-Kaśipu, he still retained his ardent devotion to Viṣṇu. His father, of course, did not like that his own son should be such a devout worshipper of his mortal enemies, the gods, and with the object of getting rid of him, he subjected him to a variety of cruelties; but Prahlāda, by the favour of Viṣṇu, was quite unscathed, and began to preach with even greater earnestness than before the doctrine that Viṣṇu filled all space and was omni-present, omni-scient, omni-potent. Hiraṇya- Kaśipu in a fit of exasperation asked him "If Viṣṇu is omni-present how do I not see him in the pillar of this hall?" Whereupon Prahlāda struck the pillar with his fist (according to another account, Hiraṇya- Kaśipu himself angrily kicked the pillar to convince his son of the absurdity of his faith), when Viṣṇu came out half-man and half-lion, and tore Hiraṇya- Kaśipu to pieces. Prahlāda succeeded his father, and reigned wisely and righteously.]

1) (in opposition to: They fought against the enemy; Dropping litter is against the law (= illegal).) contra

2) (in contrast to: The trees were black against the evening sky.) sobre, respecto a

3) (touching or in contact with: He stood with his back against the wall; The rain beat against the window.) contra

4) (in order to protect against: vaccination against tuberculosis.) contra

against prep contra

tr[ə'genst, ə'geɪnst]

preposition

1 (gen) contra

■ against the wall contra la pared

■ Leeds played against Liverpool Leeds jugó contra Liverpool

■ there's no evidence against her no hay pruebas contra ella

■ I have nothing against him, but... no tengo nada contra él, pero...

■ insurance against fire un seguro contra incendios

2 (opposed to) en contra de

■ it's against the law va en contra de la ley

■ I am against the plan me opongo al plan

■ I voted against the proposal voté en contra de la propuesta

3 (in contrast to) respecto a, frente a

■ the euro has risen against the dollar el euro ha subido frente al dólar

■ the black bear was clearly visible against the white snow el oso negro se veía claramente sobre el fondo blanco de la nieve

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to work against the clock trabajar contra reloj

against [ə'gɛntst, -'gɪntst] prep

1) touching: contra

against the wall: contra la pared

2) opposing: contra, en contra de

I will vote against the proposal: votaré en contra de la propuesta

against the grain: a contrapelo

• en contra adv.

• enfrente adv.

• al lado de prep.

• cerca de prep.

• contra prep.

1) ( in opposition to) en contra de, contra

2) ( in opposite direction) contra

3)

a) ( alongside) contra

b) (on, onto) contra

4)

a) ( in contrast to) contra

b) ( in relation to)

5) ( as protection from) contra

adverb en contra

1. PREP

1) (=in opposition to) [+ person] contra, en contra de; [+ plan] en contra de

- be up against it

2) (=in contact with) contra

3) (=in front of) contra

4) (in comparisons)

5) (=for)

ADV en contra

* * *

1) ( in opposition to) en contra de, contra

2) ( in opposite direction) contra

3)

a) ( alongside) contra

b) (on, onto) contra

4)

a) ( in contrast to) contra

b) ( in relation to)

5) ( as protection from) contra

adverb en contra

SUBJECT AREA: Mechanical, pneumatic and hydraulic engineering

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Charles Holtzapffel was the son of John Holtzapffel, a native of Germany who settled in London c.1787 and set up as a manufacturer of lathes and tools for amateur mechanics. Charles Holtzapffel received a good English education and training in his father's workshop, and subsequently became a partner and ultimately succeeded to the business. He was engaged in the construction of machinery for printing banknotes, of lathes for cutting rosettes and for ornamental and plain turning. Holtzapffel is chiefly remembered for his monumental work entitled Turning and Mechanical Manipulation, intended as a work of general reference and practical instruction on the lathe. Publication began in 1843 and only the first two volumes were published in his lifetime. A third volume was edited by his widow from his notes and published shortly after his death. The fourth and fifth volumes were completed by his son, John Jacob Holtzapffel, more than thirty years later. Holtzapffel was an Associate of the Institution of Civil Engineers and served on its Council: he was also a member of the Society of Arts and Chairman of its Committee on Mechanics.

परशुः [परं-शृणाति, शॄ-कु डिच्च; cf. Uṇ.1.34.]

1 An axe, a hatchet, a battle-axe; तर्जितः परशुधारया मम R.11.78.

-2 A weapon in general.

-3 A thunderbolt.

-Comp. -धरः 1 an epithet of Paraśurāma.

-2 of Gaṇeśa.

-3 a soldier armed with an axe.

-मुद्रा a kind of pose in Tantraśāstra.

-रामः 'Rāma with the axe', N. of a celebrated Brāhmaṇa warrior, son of Jamadagni and the sixth incarnation of Viṣṇu. [While young he cut off with his axe the head of his mother Reṇukā at the command of his father when none of his other brothers was willing to do so; (see जमदग्नि). Some time after this, king Kārtavīrya went to the hermitage of his father, and carried off his cow. But Paraśurāma, when he returned home, fought with the king and killed him. When his sons heard this they became very angry, and repaired to the hermitage, and on finding Jamadagni alone, they shot him dead. When Paraśurāma, who was not then also at home, returned, he became very much exasperated, and made the dreadful vow of exterminating the whole Kṣatriya race. He succeeded in fulfilling this vow, and is said to have 'rid the earth thrice seven times of the royal race'. He was afterwards, destroyer of the Kśatriyas as he was, defeated by Rāma, son of Daśa- ratha, though quite a boy of sixteen (see R.11.68- 91). He is said to have at one time pierced through the Krauñcha mountain, being jealous of the might of Kārtikeya; cf. Me.57. He is one of the seven chira- jivins and is believed to be still practising penance on the Mahendra mountain; cf. Gīt 1.:-- क्षत्रियरुधिरमये जगदपगतपापं स्नपयसि पयसि शामतभवतापम् । केशव धृतभृगुपतिरूप जय जगदीश हरे ।].

-वनम् N. of a certain part of hell.

SUBJECT AREA: Mechanical, pneumatic and hydraulic engineering

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Sir Alfred Ewing was one of the leading engineering academics of his generation. He was the son of a minister in the Free Church of Scotland, and was educated at Dundee High School and Edinburgh University, where he studied engineering under Professor Fleeming Jenkin. On Jenkin's nomination, Ewing was recruited as Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Tokyo, where he spent five years from 1878 to 1883. While in Tokyo, he devised an instrument for measuring and recording earthquakes. Ewing returned to his home town of Dundee in 1883, as the first Professor of Engineering at the University College recently established there. After seven years building up the department in Dundee, he moved to Cambridge where he succeeded James Stuart as Professor of Mechanism and Applied Mechanics. In thirteen creative years at Cambridge, he established the Engineering Tripos (1892) and founded the first engineering laboratories at the University (1894). From 1903 to 1917 Ewing served the Admiralty as Director of Naval Education, in which role he took a leading part in the revolution in British naval traditions which equipped the Royal Navy to fight the First World War. In that war, Ewing made an important contribution to the intelligence operation of deciphering enemy wireless messages. In 1916 he returned to Edinburgh as Principal and Vice-Chancellor, and following the war he presided over a period of rapid expansion at the University. He retired in 1929.

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would,

❢ When would is used with a verb in English to form the conditional tense, would + verb is translated by the present conditional of the appropriate verb in French and would have + verb by the past conditional of the appropriate verb: I would do it if I had time = je le ferais si j'avais le temps ; I would have done it if I had had time = je l'aurais fait si j'avais eu le temps ; he said he would fetch the car = il a dit qu'il irait chercher la voiture.

For more examples, particular usages and all other uses of would see the entry below. modal aux ( aussi 'd ; nég wouldn't)

1 (in sequence of past tenses, in reported speech) she said she wouldn't come elle a dit qu'elle ne viendrait pas ; we thought we would be late nous avons pensé que nous serions en retard ; I was sure you' d like it j'étais sûr que ça te plairait ; we were wondering if he'd accept nous nous demandions s'il accepterait ; they promised that they'd come back ils ont promis de revenir ; soon it would be time to get up ce serait bientôt l'heure de se lever ; it was to be the last chance we would have to leave ça devait être la dernière chance que nous aurions de partir ; he thought she would have forgotten il pensait qu'elle aurait oublié ; I wish he would shut the door! il pourrait fermer la porte! ; I wish you'd be quiet! tu ne pourrais pas te taire! ;

2 ( in conditional statements) it would be wonderful if they came ce serait merveilleux s'ils venaient ; I'm sure she would help if you asked her je suis sûr qu'elle t'aiderait si tu le lui demandais ; if we'd left later we would have missed the train si nous étions partis plus tard nous aurions raté le train ; we wouldn't be happy anywhere else nous ne serions heureux nulle part ailleurs ; what would be the best way to approach him? quel serait le meilleur moyen de l'aborder? ; who would ever have believed it? qui l'aurait cru? ; you wouldn't have thought it possible! on n'aurait jamais cru que c'était possible! ; I would have found out sooner or later je l'aurais découvert tôt ou tard ; wouldn't it be nice if… ce serait bien si… ; we wouldn't have succeeded without his help nous n'aurions jamais réussi sans son aide ; it wouldn't be the same without them ça ne serait pas la même chose sans eux ; it cost far less than I would have expected ça a coûté beaucoup moins cher que je n'aurais pensé ;

3 ( expressing willingness to act) do you know anyone who would do it? est-ce que tu connais quelqu'un qui le ferait? ; they couldn't find anyone who would take the job ils n'arrivaient pas à trouver quelqu'un qui accepte ( subj) le poste ; he wouldn't hurt a fly il ne ferait pas de mal à une mouche ; she just wouldn't listen elle ne voulait rien entendre ; after that I wouldn't eat any canned food après cela je ne voulais plus manger de conserves ; he wouldn't do a thing to help il n'a rien voulu faire pour aider ; the police wouldn't give any further details la police a refusé de donner plus de détails ; they asked me to leave but I wouldn't ils m'ont demandé de partir mais j'ai refusé ;

4 ( expressing inability to function) the door wouldn't close la porte ne voulait pas se fermer ; the brakes wouldn't work les freins ne marchaient pas ;

5 (expressing desire, preference) we would like to stay another night nous aimerions rester une nuit de plus ; we'd really love to see you nous aimerions vraiment te voir ; I would much rather travel alone je préfèrerais nettement voyager seul ; she would have preferred a puppy elle aurait préféré un chiot ; which film would you rather see? quel film est-ce que tu préférerais voir? ; I wouldn't mind another slice of cake je prendrais bien un autre morceau de gâteau ; it's what he would have wanted c'est ce qu'il aurait voulu ;

6 ( in polite requests or proposals) would you like something to eat? voudriez-vous quelque chose à manger? ; would you like some more tea? voulez-vous encore du thé? ; would you help me set the table? est-ce que tu pourrais m'aider à mettre la table? ; switch off the radio, would you? éteins la radio, tu veux bien? ; would you be interested in buying a vacuum cleaner? est-ce que vous seriez intéressé par un aspirateur? ; would you like to go to a concert est-ce que tu aimerais aller à un concert? ; would you give her the message? est-ce que vous voulez bien lui transmettre le message? ; would you mind not smoking please? est-ce que ça vous ennuyerait de ne pas fumer s'il vous plaît? ; would you please be quiet un peu de silence s'il vous plaît ; would you be so kind as to leave? sout auriez-vous l'obligeance de partir d'ici? fml ;

7 ( used to attenuate statements) it would seem that he was right il semblerait qu'il avait raison ; so it would seem c'est ce qu'il semble ; you would think they'd be satisfied with the results! on aurait pu penser qu'ils seraient satisfaits des résultats! ; I wouldn't say that je ne dirais pas ça ; I would have thought it was obvious j'aurais pensé que c'était évident ; I wouldn't know je ne pourrais pas vous le dire ;

8 ( when giving advice) I wouldn't do that if I were you je ne ferais pas ça à ta place or si j'étais toi ; I really wouldn't worry à ta place je ne m'en ferais pas ; I would check the timetable first tu ferais bien de vérifier l'horaire d'abord ; I'd give her a ring now tu devrais lui téléphoner maintenant ; wouldn't it be better to write? est-ce que ce ne serait pas mieux d'écrire? ;

9 ( expressing exasperation) ‘he denies it’-‘well he would, wouldn't he?’ ‘il le nie’-‘évidemment!’ ; of course you would contradict him! bien sûr il a fallu que tu le contredises! ; ‘she put her foot in it ○ ’-‘she would!’ ‘elle a mis les pieds dans le plat ○ ’-‘tu m'étonnes!’, ‘c'est bien d'elle!’ ;

10 ( expressing an assumption) what time would that be? c'était vers quelle heure? ; I suppose it would have been about 3 pm je pense qu'il était à peu près 15h 00 ; being so young, you wouldn't remember the war étant donné ton âge tu ne dois pas te rappeler la guerre ; let's see, that would be his youngest son voyons, ça doit être son plus jeune fils ; it would have been about five years ago ça devait être il y a environ cinq ans ; you'd never have guessed she was German on n'aurait jamais cru qu'elle était allemande ;

11 (indicating habitual event or behaviour in past: used to) she would sit for hours at the window elle passait des heures assise à la fenêtre ; every winter the fields would be flooded tous les hivers les champs étaient inondés ; the children would be up at dawn les enfants étaient toujours debout à l'aube ;

12 sout ( if only) would that it were true! si seulement c'était vrai! ; would to God that… plût à Dieu que (+ subj) fml.

SUBJECT AREA: Metallurgy

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The protestant Momma family were well known in Aachen, the seventeenth-century centre of German brass production. Subjected to religious pressures, some members of the family moved to nearby Stolberg, while others migrated to Sweden, starting brass manufacture there. Jacob travelled to England, establishing brassworks with two German partners at Esher in Surrey in 1649; theirs was the only such works in England to survive for more than a few years during the seventeenth century.

Jacob, naturalized English by 1660, is often referred to in England as Mummer or another variant of his name. He became respected, serving as a juror, and was appointed a constable in 1661. During the 1660s Momma was engaged in mining copper at Ecton Hill, Staffordshire, where he was credited with introducing gunpowder to English mining technology. He smelted his ore at works nearby in an effort to secure copper supplies, but the whole project was brief and unprofitable.

The alternative imported copper required for his brass came mainly from Sweden, its high cost proving a barrier to viable English brass production. In 1662 Momma petitioned Parliament for some form of assistance. A year later he pleaded further for higher tariffs against brass-wire imports as protection from the price manipulation of Swedish exporters. He sought support from the Society of Mineral and Battery Works, the Elizabethan monopoly (see Dockwra, William) claiming jurisdiction over the country's working of brass, but neither petition succeeded. Despite these problems with the high cost of copper supplies in England, Momma continued his business and is recorded as still paying hearth tax on his twenty brass furnaces up to 1664. Although these were abandoned before his death and he claimed to have lost £6,000 on his brassworks, his wire mills survived him for a few years under the management of his son.

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