pointed, and the present report is the result of their labours. In the introduction they show that in place of this country having been anciently (as believed currently) celebrated for its mines, that no mine was ever known to have been wrought in it previous to the year 1720, and that since that time its mines never had a great, or durable development. They explored in all seventy-one mines, which lie principally in granite and talcose schist; the veins are small, and run in all directions, observing none of that regularity as to bearing, which enables the practised Cornish or Saxon miner to predict, almost with certainty, as to his future labours. The general character of the lodes is very similar to that of the mines in the central district of France, the Limousin, the Cevennes, &c., and the analogy even holds with respect to the rocks containing them. Veins of modern porphyritic granite have been discovered penetrating the more ancient fine grained granite, and some metamorphic rocks of transition. The veins generally lie between the granite and the mica schist (this is also the case in Ireland), the ores chiefly found are, argentiferous galena, bournonites mispickel, and grey copperthe minerals of lead most abundant, and principally antimonial. The most novel or interesting fact given in the report, is with reference to the change of mineral character in the lead ores, said to follow a change in the matrix of rock; thus, the galena is poor in silver in the granite, but rich in this metal when lying in the schist, and still more so when ores of lead and copper occur together. The report is completed by a table of the assay, as to valuable product, of all the ores found in Sicily and Calabria. The whole is a model of how mining speculations should be commenced, as the origin of the investigation is a beacon to warn Englishmen (if they can be taught) of the fallacy of the El Dorados which they so readily fancy to exist in every foreign land. Crystalization of Salts. M. Longchamps has published some experiments tending to show that all salts expand in the act of crystalization; and that the apparent contraction which often takes place, arises from loss of heat in the solution. Spring Water containing Arsenic. Some hot springs have been discovered in Algiers, or Algeria, as the French love to call their valuable possession in Africa, at Ham-am-escoutin, which are said to contain a small quantity of arsenic. The water is at 80° Reau., and deposits a large quantity of blueish white sediment which has not yet been analysed. Safety Paper for Deeds. It is perhaps known to most English readers, that such has been the extent of fraud committed upon the stamp department in France for years past, by using stamped papers a second or third time, the ink having been discharged, and such the amount of private fraud committed in various ways, by this, and analogous trickery, that a commission of the French Institute has been, for a very long period, engaged in the investigation of the subject, and the endeavour to provide a remedy: and that they have invited and offered rewards to inventors of methods of making safety papers for stamped documents (papiers de sureté). A great variety of propositions have been offered to them; some depending on the impregnation of the paper with matters actable on by ink, or other fluids; others on wire-marks, &c., in the substance of the papers; and others (the most numerous) on the production of inks which shall be indelible. Amongst the latter, Bracconot, whose name is familiar as a chemist, has produced apparently the best ink, but the commission, until very recently, had received no plan which it considered as meeting all the conditions of the question. The problem is, however, said at length to be almost, if not altogether solved by MM. Knecht and Zuber, who have produced a paper, which is made by machinery, with a wire-wove mark, in endless sheets, and at the moment of its manufacture (before it leaves the machine) is printed all over with an open pattern in common writing ink, without any thickening or mixture; thus any agent used to destroy writing in common ink upon it, will destroy this pattern too. The paper is further protected from crasure by embossing, and by engraved vignettes, printed all by the paper-making machinery, or actuated by the same train. WATER ELEVATOR. This last method is obviously founded on the principle that no writing fluid for ordinary use can be found, capable of being discharged by any agent that will not also affect common ink, and this is probably true. The stamps in our own country will probably soon begin to suffer if they are not doing so already, by frauds committed by the aid of electrotype, for which, until colouring and embossing are united, there is the most obvious facility; and the temptation to fraud will be increased by the anticipated increase of stamp duties. Elliptic Compasses. A new elliptic compass has been brought forward in Paris by M. M. Hamman and Hempel; it traces the whole curve, and is founded on the genesis of the curve by the motion of a point which turns round a second, which, in its turn, revolves with a velocity (sous-double) round a fixed point. WATER ELEVATOR. Sir,-In consequence of reading in your Magazine the description of Mr. Walker's water elevator, I am induced to send you the particulars of a small 297 For the experiment, take any length of lead, or other pipe; enlarge the bottom a little, as in Mr. Walker's instrument, and insert a valve (v1) to open upwards. Make a few openings, as e, e, in the wide part, to admit the water to the valve. On the top of the pipe fix a spiral wire of the size of the pipe, say 8 or 9 inches long, and on the top of the wire fix a piece of pipe of the same bore, and about 3 inches long with a valve, v2, next the wire, to open upwards; close the top of the short piece, and insert the discharge, or mouthpiece (d); inclose the whole in a tube of mackintosh cloth, which must be perfectly air tight, and rather longer than the spiral. I make the tube first, and draw it down over the pipe, before I fix the spiral and top; when they are fixed I then draw it over the spiral, and bind it tight at both ends. On placing the instrument, as thus completed, in water, and working the spiral a few times, you will find it answer the purpose. In my first instrument I made two guide-rods, and fixed them to the shortpiece, and they worked through four eyes on the longer piece, and kept the spiral always upright. The spiral is merely to keep the tube from collapsing, which it would do without it. I have no doubt that if a tube were constructed of leather, say 16 or 18 inches long, and 3, or more, inches in diameter, and fixed on to a pipe of the same bore, it would be found to work well, especially if it were fixed to the pump-rods of Mr. Walker's machine. I find by the drawing, Mr. W. has to lift the whole length of pipe, which, in some cases, must be objectionable on account of the great length. S. P. INSTITUTION OF CIVIL ENGINEERS.-MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS OF SESSION, 1842. JANUARY 11. "Description of a portion of the Works of the Ulster Canal." By Thomas Casebourne, M. Inst. C. E. The Ulster Canal, which is described in this communication, was designed for the purpose of facilitating the intercourse between the west and north of Ireland. It commences at the southern extremity of Lough Erne, in the county of Fermanagh, whence it extends for a length of 46 miles, and enters the river Blackwater, near the village of Charlemont, in the county of Armagh, from which there is an outlet through Lough Neagh to the ports of Newry and Belfast. The total cost of this work will amount to about 210,000l., or 4,5657. Allusion is made to a proposed junction canal between the rivers Boyle and Shannon, which may be considered as an extension of the Ulster Canal westward, effecting a junction between all the navigations of Ireland. By its means the produce of the town of Boyle, and the agricultural district around it, would be conveyed directly by steam to Belfast and Newry. At the time of this communication, the Ulster Canal was rapidly advancing towards completion; it was navigable up to Clones, a distance of 40 miles from its commencement, and would be opened to Lough Erne during the summer of 1841. A description is given of the most difficult and expensive portion of the canal, which is situated at about six miles along the line from Charlemont. The length of this part is about three-fourths of a mile, and it comprises seven locks. The expense of construction, exclusive of the value of land, was 17,0537. 4s. 9d.; in order to diminish the expense as much as possible, the canal was contracted in width in two points, where the local impediments were considerable. The transverse dimensions of the canal are, 19 feet 6 inches at the bottom, 36 feet at the surface of the water, and 42 feet at the top of the bank, giving a slope of 3 to 2 at the sides of the channel. The depth of water is 5 feet 6 inches in all the reaches, except the summit level, which is capable of containing 7 feet of water. The course of this portion of the line lay along the bottom of a steep ravine in a limestone rock, parallel with the channel of a mill-race adjacent to the river Blackwater; the mill-race was, therefore, diverted into the river between the first and fifth locks of the canal. Between the third and fifth locks the bed of the canal was formed by benching in the rock on one side, and embanking on the other with the mate rials so obtained; beyond this it was cut for a distance of nearly 350 yards through the limestone; in one place to a depth of 41 feet. The sides and bed were there lined with puddle, and protected by a facing of rubble wall. Thence, to the seventh lock, the channel was again formed by benching and embanking through a clay soil, where much caution was necessarily exercised in preventing slips at the foot of the embankment, which was subject to inundations from the Blackwater. The masonry was all constructed of limestone from an adjacent quarry. Two Appendices are subjoined to this Paper. The first of these gives in detail the items of expenditure for the portion of the canal described; the second contains a particular description of the locks and lockgates, the bridges, and the earth-work. The locks are 73 feet long, 12 feet wide, and vary in rise from 6 to 11 feet. They are all constructed in ashlar masonry. The paper is accompanied by three drawings, descriptive of the general plan and the details of these works, which were originally designed by Mr. Telford, and are now under the direction of Mr. Cubitt. They have been executed almost entirely under the superintendence of the author. "An account of the permanent way of the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway. By G. B. W. Jackson, Grad. Inst. C. E. The object of this railway is to afford a direct communication between the Western and the Midland Counties of England. The communication describes the course of the line until it reaches Cheltenham, where it joins that which was formerly called the Great Western and Cheltenham Railway, which terminates at Gloucester. Its length is 54 miles. The prevailing inclination is 1 in 300; but on the "Lickey" incline, near Bromsgrove, the rise is 1 in 37 for a distance of 2 miles, in ascending which the trains are worked by American locomotives, in addition to the usual train engines. northern portion of the railway appears to lie on the new red sandstone; then passes to the oolitic formation, on which it terminates. In the former, the principal cuttings are through marl, some of which is exceedingly indurated, and troublesome to work. principal strata of the latter system are blue The The MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN HUDDART, ETC. and yellow clays. Near Cheltenham, the shifting sand frequently rendered sheet-piling necessary in passing through it. The waters of Droitwich and Cheltenham were found to possess a saline quality, which rendered them unfit for the use of the engines; that from the surface sand near Cheltenham, is, however, extremely good. The building materials employed on this line were the sandstones of the Lickey and Forest of Dean, the lias of Norton and Wadborough, and the oolites of Cheltenham and Bredon, together with brick, for which earth was readily procured throughout. The cuttings and embankments, with the details of the permanent way, are severally described. The surface width is 30 feet. In the formation of embankments and cuttings, the usual methods appear to have been adopted. In the former, the slopes vary between 3 and 24 to 1; in the latter, between 2 and 14 to 1. In cuttings, there is a system of drainage beneath the ballast, consisting of longitudinal drains on either side of the line, connected by cross spits, all of which are filled up with broken stones. The rails are supported by chairs and intermediate saddles, which rest on longitudinal balks; and these are bolted to transverse ties. On embankments, whose height exceeds 5 feet, the cross spits, longitudinal balks, and saddles, are all dispensed with. The length of the bearings, the weight, dimensions, &c., of the iron and wood work, with the manner of putting them together, are then noticed. The timber employed was, American pine, and English beech, or larch. The various prices are enumerated of the materials and labour for the permanent way, of which the average cost per mile amounted to 5,4307. The present condition of the line is stated to be good, and its general working to have been perfectly satisfactory, since its opening in June 1840. Annexed is a description of an artificial ballast obtained by burning clay, which was employed where the country did not afford natural ballast. Its expense slightly exceeds that of the ordinary ballast; blue clay burnt in kilns was found to answer the purpose best, but it does not appear to form a successful substitute for gravel. The results of experiment show it to form a very imperfect drain. The author states that he has always observed the quality of this ballast to suffer in proportion with the quantity of lime contained in its composition. The paper is accompanied by four drawings, illustrating the construction of the permanent way. 299 "Description of a Water-pressure Engine at Illsang, in Bavaria.' By William Lewis Baker, Grad. Inst. C.E. The machine described in this paper is the most perfect among nine engines constructed by M. de Reichenbach, for the saltworks at Illsang, in Bavaria. These important works are situated in the most southern part of the kingdom; they are supplied from a mine in the valley of Berghtesgaden, and the salt-springs at Reichenhall. The salt was procured from the former in two states, that of rock salt, which was extracted by blasting, and that of brine. The rock salt was conveyed to Reichenhall, and there underwent the purifying process. But both these methods were attended with disadvantages from the scarcity of fuel; the old method was therefore abolished, and a line of pipes of 7 inches diameter was substituted, which was laid between the two places; a distance of about 60 miles. A series of water-pressure engines, each working a forcing pump, and being themselves worked by a head of water, were placed in convenient situations upon the line. The mine is now worked by forming cavities in the beds of salt, and filling them with water, which soon becomes strongly saturated brine; it is then pumped up, and forced through the pipes to Reichenhall, where a portion of it is retained, and the rest is sent on to Frauenstein, which is at the extremity of the line. At these places, the process of evaporation is carried on, and the salt is manufactured in the usual manner. The paper is illustrated by a drawing of the engine, showing the details of construction alluded to in the communication. "A Memoir of Captain Huddart." By William Cotton, F.R.S., &c. This memoir is intended by the author chiefly to supply some additional facts which are omitted in the account which was published by his son soon after the decease of this distinguished man, whose "great powers of mind, indefatigable industry, and high principles, raised him to a most honourable position among men of science." Joseph Huddart was born at Allonby, in Cumberland, the 11th January, 1740. His father was a shoemaker and farmer, and had also a small interest in a herring fishery. Young Huddart was placed under the tuition of Mr. Wilson, the clergyman of the village, and from his son, who had been at Glasgow, he acquired some knowledge of mathematics and astronomy. He early displayed much ingenuity in the construction of models of vessels and of machinery; and while herding his father's cattle, he was occupied in mathematical reading, drawing, and calculations. His determination to adopt a seafaring life was opposed by his friends; and it was not until he was called upon to take his share of the duties on board the herringfishing boats, that his father was reconciled to his becoming a sailor. At this period, during the hours of rest after his labours, he was engaged in making nautical observations, and laid the foundation for the chart of St. George's Channel, which was published by his friend, Mr. Laurie, from his survey, and is still the best chart of that locality. On the death of his father, in 1762, he took the command of a sloop which was employed in carrying salt herrings to Ireland. He then constructed a brig according to a model of his own, every timber being moulded by his own hands. In this vessel he traded for some years to America; until, in 1771, he was induced by Sir Richard Hotham (who had discovered and appreciated his judgment and knowledge,) to leave the brig and engage in the East India mercantile marine. In this extensive field of usefulness, Huddart evinced the superiority of his talents and his inflexible integrity; and his example as a commander was generally followed. While in the Indian service his attention was drawn to the defects in the usual manufacture of cordage, and led to the improvements which he afterwards so successfully accomplished. He subsequently took a prominent part in the direction of affairs at the Trinity House, the Ramsgate Harbour Trust, and the London and East India Docks, where the valuable advice given by him was properly appreciated, as it was also by the civil engineers, with whom he was so frequently called upon to co-operate. The memoir then relates many interesting anecdotes of his private life, illustrative of his general scientific acquirements, and of his amiable disposition. It then details, at considerable length, his experiments for the determination of the lines for ships, which, consistent with stability, and what might be required for stowage of cargo, would give the greatest velocity through the water. The author enters fully into the account of Huddart's inventions and improvements in rope machinery, which he raised to such a pitch of perfection. This machinery, which is now transferred to the Royal Dock Yards, has already been before brought under the notice of the Institution by Mr. Cotton and by Messrs. Dempsey and Birch, in communications, for which prizes were awarded.* The general introduction of Minutes of Proceedings, 1838, pp. 1-38 and 39-1841, page 171. chain cables rendered this machinery less useful, but could not take from its original merit; and, in its present position, it will long remain a monument of Captain Huddart's perseverance, mechanical skill, and scientific knowledge. Sir James South thought that Captain Huddart's scientific attainments as an astronomer had not received their due meed of praise in the memoir; but more especially, that the equatorial instrument, which he was now fortunate enough to have in his possession, should have been alluded to more particularly. That instrument was constructed by Messrs. Luke Howard and Co., of Oldstreet, from the designs and under the daily superintendence of Huddart. The greatest part of the instrument was put together with his own hands, and the result of this combination of skill and attention was, that up to the present time, the instrument had been unequalled; in fact he must be permitted to say, that he considered it perfect. It had been used for all kinds of observations,transit, declination, and equatorial; and, in all, with satisfaction to the astronomer. With it Mr. Herschel had made many of his observations, and always expressed himself in the highest terms of it. It had been examined by most of the eminent constructors of instruments, as well as many civil engineers, who all entertained the same opinion of its perfection: and, after a minute inspection, one constructor observed, "Here is the best system of edge-bars and bracing I ever saw, and my opinion of the instru ment is, that it is perfect in every part." Sir James then related several anecdotes of Huddart's habits of observation. On one occasion, being ordered to sail from Madras at a certain time, he delayed his departure, because he observed a sudden fall of nearly three-quarters of an inch in the mercury of the barometer. The result of this disobedience of orders (for which he incurred momentary censure) was, that his vessel alone of all the convoy escaped destruction. The President believed that Captain Huddart was the first to mark out the direct course to China, which is so generally followed at present. He was also the first observer who took a transit instrument out with him, to determine the rate of the chronometer. It was particularly worthy of notice, that the equatorial instrument and the rope machinery, both of which had been designed by and executed under the directions of a self-educated man, destitute of the means of acquiring instruction either in astronomy or mechanics, had been up to the present time, unequalled either in conception or in the perfection of their exe |