“A ratchet and pawl, ball-clutch, or eccentric friction-clutch will accomplish this object, the latter being preferable, owing to the absence of noise. “With the large wheel, and the rider sitting below the centre of gravity, a slow motion can be maintained and the effort to propel it need not necessarily be great.” [Illustration: A. C. Monnin and P. Filliez, of Canton, O. Bicycle. No. 361,310. Patented April 19, 1887.] “It will be seen that by our peculiar arrangement an operator can use his hands and feet in propelling the bicycle proper, and that great speed can be made by reason of the wheels _E_ working on the pinions _b_. It will be understood that to the rear end of the arm _G_ is attached, in the ordinary manner, a small travelling wheel, and, if desired, two wheels may be attached to the arm _G_. It will also be understood that a suitable saddle is to be properly attached to the arm _G_.” [Illustration: G. B. Scuri, of Italy. Velocipede. No. 242,161. Patented May 31, 1881.] “_To all whom it may concern_: “Be it known that I, +G. Battista Scuri+, a citizen of the Kingdom of Italy, residing at Turin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Velocipedes. “My invention relates to improvements in that class of velocipedes called ‘monocycles,’ in which but one wheel is employed, that serves both as a propelling and steering wheel. “The velocipedes which have heretofore been chiefly used are the bicycle and the tricycle, and to a limited extent the quadricycle, or four-wheeled velocipede, in all of which the support for the driver is so arranged as to practically throw his weight upon the front and rear wheel axles. The power required to propel these various species of conveyances increases proportionally with the number of wheels employed, and the relative diameters of the latter, as well as the mechanism employed for propelling and steering the same, together with the weight of the apparatus. It is obvious therefore that the power required to propel these conveyances diminishes proportionally with the number of the elements referred to. Consequently, to reduce this power to a minimum, it will only be necessary to correspondingly reduce the number of propelling-wheels, the propelling and steering mechanism, and the weight of the apparatus. “To obtain these results I employ but one wheel. “In a monocycle that is constructed to support the entire weight of its driver, it is absolutely necessary that said weight, as well as that of the supports for the same and all other mechanism, either for propelling or steering, should be thrown upon the one wheel-axle and be adapted to be equally balanced thereon. “By means of this construction and arrangement I obtain a velocipede that can be propelled with comparatively little fatigue, and the cost of construction of which is reduced nearly one-half of that of the ordinary velocipede.” * * * * *