ples, and recommends a more expensive plan, if possible, than any of them.

There is no difficulty in forming a smooth immoveable pavement that will bear any weight, by the mere appliance of good mortar and rectangular stones, without any recourse to the ridiculously expensive humbug exhibited in Oxfordstreet. But, as I have shown in my "Hints to Paviours," although this plan is existing and answering every purpose in Milan, Sienna, Florence, Rome, and Naples, it will not do for London, where it would be daily disturbed for water and gas-pipe laying, or for cleansing or repairing the rotton brick sewers. To il

lustrate all this, it would be necessary for me to add my entire pamphlet to this long letter. Such of your readers as take any sort of interest in the subject, but who may not like to pay a shilling for the work to Mr. Effingham Wilson, may refer to your volumes for 1825 and 1826. Every one of the plans exhibited in Oxford-street is utterly inapplicable to London streets. They are all as difficult to lift and properly to replace as are the horizontal walls of Puzzolana mortar and Besalt, which cover the streets of Rome and Naples, and which never require to be disturbed. One merit these

inventions" surely do possess, and that is, vast expense!

'Junius Redivivus" recommends a pavement of wooden blocks, placed in cast iron boxes, four feet square, so as to ensure a large "surface bearing." Now, "in for a penny (such a penny!) in for a pound," say I. Iron boxes, covering several hundred square miles, will rust and wear rapidly; let us have them of gold, or of silver, at any rate; what a capital job for the silversmiths of Ephesus, I mean of Bishopsgate, and Newgate, and Tyburn turnpike (tour du baton.)

The writer in the "Civil Engineers' and Architects' Journal" likens that absurd and most costly specimen of the genius of Mr. Macnamara, (who, by the bye), has been "taken up" by a company), of broad pyramidal stones placed side by side, to a flat arch and a congregation of "keystones!"

The scientific gentleman does not tell us what mechanical bearing supports every alternate stone which has its broadest side, or base, downward on the soft

unequally resisting earth! Pray, good Sir, just go and look at a specimen of this mutually supporting "key-stone" pavement, by the Foundling Hospital, where each of the stones that speedily sunk make a hole sufficient to break an axle or a bone.

"Junius Redivivus" also advises the wooden pavement to "be placed on a level of concrete, eight or ten inches deep," while he objects, very properly, to other plans of blocks joined by bitumen, &c., into immoveable surfaces ! He totally forgets his panegyrics upon my most uniquely simple and cheap method of merely hardening the substratum and then beating down the stones, old or new, by a powerful locomotive "monkey." My plan requires no sublayer of gravel, much less another over that of broken granite, and still less any lime 'grouting." The addition of a little old brick and mortar "dry rubbish" over the soil, and then, the old stones, which are better than the new larger ones, well rammed down by my machine of five hundred weight, will constitute a pavement that can never budge; but should any protuberance appear, one more ramming on such protuberances will settle the street for the period of the stones endurance of mere wear from friction on their surface, which, mayhap, is longer than it is worth while to calculate. Here are no new stones; no new material; no difficulty in taking up any part of the pavement, and then, by a mere local mechanical appliance, restoring any such portion to any degree of density, according to the numberof strokes of the rammer.

After giving the most unqualified approbation and preference to my cheap and "philosophical" system of paving, and praising you, Mr. Editor, for showing its preference to all others, "Junius Redivivus" not only returns to the "concrete" horizontal immovable wall, but advocates the condemned iron-box absurdity, besides giving great credit to "the authorities who rule Marylebone, who have very wisely arranged their disputes as to which is the best mode of road-making, by agreeing to lay down. various samples side by side in Oxfordstreet." Why the Marylebone sages have not given a sample of my simple street-paving along with the jobbing, expensive, absurd vagaries he has long

ago, conjointly with the Times, Herald, &c. declared to be quite inapplicable to the streets of London, "Junius" does not say, perhaps, because he does not know. He is not at all offended, however, at this studied scorn for his opinion! But the fact is, when I sent them a dozen copies of my pamphlet, I asked for no contract, no reward;-I offered "the authorities who rule Marylebone" to superintend the application of my plan, for common labourer's wages. In fine, these great "authorities" have excluded from their notice and trial, the only system which costs not a shilling more than the older one, save the first expense of the locomotive wooden ram

mer.

The Strand, Holborn, Cheapside, Fleet-street, &c. have been repaved every four months with the absurd layers of gravel, then of broken granite, then of new large stones, then of mortar grouting; in fact, one or other of these great urban arteries is always stopped, always paving, always level as the river in a gale of wind! All the vast traffic of carts, waggons, stages, omnibuses is at some time diverted from some portion of the regular track! No sooner is the grouted pavement laid, than scores of men are seen, in numerous places, labouring at taking up parts so sunk as to attract the notice even of the "authorities." Then anon a great board proclaims that by authority of the Lord Mayor, or some other official, no carriages are to pass that way. Thanks to such "authorities," how many a quiet, narrow, dingy lane, has latterly been favoured with the rattling current of three thousand vehicles a day, where nothing but a cart with sugar casks or cotton bales had passed before this era of complex paving jobs!

In your last number, Sir, my name is mentioned in connection with the preservation of stone and plaister by the application of oleaginous matter. On this subject I hope to be allowed to say a word.

Being at Rome, in 1811, I was acquainted with the Count Forbin Janson, Intendant-general of the museums of the Emperor of France. At my suggestion he applied oil to all the statues and basreliefs exposed to the open air. Subsequently, the fresco painting of the cupola of the Pantheon at Paris, being in a damp and mouldering condition, my plan

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of preservation was applied by the celebrated chemist d'Arcet. A charcoal fire was placed in a grate attached to a long handle, like those used to pitch the sides of a ship. The part, well dried, was then " paid" with a mixture of linseed oil and wax. Then, when cold, polished with a brush and flannel.

In 1810 I had caused a similar preservative operation to be performed upon many of the frescos of Pompeii, which were constantly being rendered less and less vivid and discernable, by the guides throwing water over them for visitants to see them to the best advantage. A coat of good varnish, at my suggestion, rendered the freshness permanent and preserved the paintings. I also caused the beautiful group of the Toro Farnese, and other antique statues, exposed in the Villa Reale, at Naples, to the sea spray, charged with muriatic acid, to be covered with linseed oil, in which bees'-wax was dissolved. Cardinal Forbin Janson, brother to the count above named, will well remember the fact. You state that the builder or artist of the Hyde-park triumphal arch, protected his marble with a similar application. This was years after the publication even of my paper on that subject in your Magazine.

Apologising for having occupied so much of your valuable space, but not upon unimportant subjects,

I have the honour to be, Sir,
Your obedient servant,
F. MACERONI.

No. 3, St. James's-square.

KILN-DRYING WHEATS FOR GRINDING.

We have been lately struck with a passage in the last Quarterly Journal of Agriculture, recommending the process of kilndrying wheats, as applied in Scotland and the North of England to oats. "It is evident, observes the writer," that all grain intended for household consumption can be readily preserved: but that all meal is less easily kept from the attacks of insects, and is with greater difficulty recovered from the deterioration. We incline to think that the vast superiority of Scotch oatmeal over that which the unfortunate Southerns obtain from English millers, and the great length of time during which the former will remain sweet and good compared with the latter, which will keep useable only a fort. night, is attributable to the method of kilndrying that the Scotch millers adopt, which

not only destroys incipient (or perhaps actual) insect vitality, but imparts that richness of flavour which is wholly deficient in English oatmeal. In fact, the mealmen of the South confess they know not how to give the same appearance, taste, scent, or texture, to their oatmeal, that is so apparent and so delicious in that of Scotland.

"We are firmly of opinion that if wheat could be subjected to a similar process to that which is adopted for oats, the results would be the same, namely, that it would keep a much longer time; it would be secured from insects; its flavour would be highly improved in richness and delicacy; it would be decidedly more wholesome, and would require much less time in cooking. Our reasons for speaking thus positively arise from actual demonstration. It is well known that flour from wheat is rejected altogether by the despeptic, because it lies heavy on the stomach,' because it turns sour, because it ferments,'' because'twenty other reasons; therefore it is not a fit' aliment for young children, where, from ill health or fortuitous circumstances, a mother is unable to nurse her offspring, and recourse is to be had to extraneous nourishment. Every succedaneum with which we are acquainted has been tried for the food of infants, and not any is so entirely free from objection as this very contemned wheatenflour, when it has undergone the process of either baking or boiling for the space of a couple of hours. All crudity is then subdued -it becomes a compact hard mass, which is to be rolled or grated when wanted for userequires merely heating, not even boiling, to make it palatable, and is in flavour really delicious; it is also light, nourishing, free from all those objections made by the dyspeptic, and moreover will keep free from insects, shall we say for ever? if we do, our readers will see that we mean an indefinite period."

NOTES AND NOTICES.

Royal Exchange Improvements.-The plan suggested for building the new Royal Exchange, it is understood, will be adopted with little, if any alteration. All the buildings immediately contiguous to the late Royal Exchange and West of that building are to be thrown down, to make room for a grand front to the new building facing the West, in the best style of architecture. The side-front, opposite the Bank. will be much larger than the old Exchange, and extend nearly as far as Freeman'splace. Finch-lane, according to the plan, will be flagged, and no longer a passage for horses or car

riages, and there will be no building at either side of the new edifice, to obstruct its view. It will be completely insulated, and be a considerable improvement to that part of the city when finished.

Steam-boat Incident.-The following incident is related in the Buffalo Commercial Advertiser, as having occurred on Lake Erie, during the tremendous gale which swept over it in the month of November last. In that fearful night, the steam-boat Constitution, Capt. Appleby, was out amidst the terrors of the gale. By the glimpses caught at intervals, when the fitful storm for a moment broke away, the anxious and watchful commander was made aware of the critical situation of his boat, which was rapidly drifting in-under the hurricane power of the gale, which blew almost directly across the lake-toward a dangerous reef, from which escape would have been impossibié. He went directly to the engineer, and ordered on "more steam." The reply of the engineer was that there was already as much on as the boilers would safely bear. Again did the Captain seek the deck, to see if his labouring boat was making head-way, and again returned to the engine-room. He explained to the engineer their hazardous situation, and told him that all hope was lost, if no more head-way could be gained, but left the engineer to use his discretion in the crisis. A moment of reflection, and the decision was made. He coolly directed the heads of two barrels of oil to be broken in, and the furnaces were rapidly fed with wool dipped in the highly inflammable liquid, while two men with ladles dashed the oil into the flames. The intense heat which these combustibles created, generated steam with the rapidity of lightning, and soon the resistless vapour forced up the safety valve, and issued forth with tremendous violence, its sharp hissing heard above the wild uproar of the waters and the storm. With a desperate and determined courage, which equalled the most daring heroism that the page of history has ever, recorded, the engineer sat down upon the lever of the safety valve, to confine and raise the steam to the necessary power required to propel the boat against the drifting waves! In this awful situation he calmly remained, uutil the prodigious efforts of the engine had forced the Constitution sufficiently off shore to be beyond the threatened danger. This intrepid act was not a rash and vain-glorious attempt to gain the applause of a multitude by a foolhardy exposure of life, in some racing excurion-it was not the deed of a drunken and reckless man, wickedly heedless of the safety of those whose lives were perilled-but it was the self-possessed and determiued courage of one whose firmness is worthy of all admiration.

The Thames Tunnel.-In 1838 a distance of eighty feet of this work was completed, and it has now advanced to within 90 feet of the low water mark on the Middlesex side of the river. We understand that the works continue to progress slowly, but steadily.

Nelson's opinion of Steam Navigation.-In 1800, Mr. Bell purchased a small French vessel, fitted her up with a steam-engine of four horse power, and sailed with her from the Clyde by the Land's End to London, at the rate of seven or eight miles an hour; with the view of submitting his plans to Government. That boat was inspected by the late Lord Melville, and a number of naval gentlemen, all of whom, except Lord Melville and Lord Nelson, considered the invention of no value to the country. The remark made on that occasion by Nelson is worthy of notice. He said, "Gentlemen, if you do not take advantage of this invention, you may rely on it, other nations will."-Edinburgh Journal.

THE STOVE EXCITEMENT SEASON OF 1837-8-CHANTER AND CO.'S PATENT

STOVE.

The winter of 1837 having been one of unusual severity, the inventive faculties of men were exerted in proportionate degree to devise means of sup plying by artificial means that congenial warmth in their houses, places of business and of congregation, of which nature for a time had deprived them. The countless plans which were conceived in the mind, drawn out upon paper, experimented upon in private, or put even into operation in a limited circle, we leave out of the question, but the number which came to the maturity of publication in scientific journals, or of tempting their inventors to the risk of the expense of a patent of monopoly, form a striking indication that thousands of minds were probably directed towards the attainment of the desired object-economical and healthy artificial warmth. In the coluinns of the Mechanics' Magazine alone many plans have been published, as well as numerous hints and remarks upon their efficacy or inefficacy; and these were hardly a tithe of the communications we received and were compelled to keep back, either from want of space in our pages, or deficiency of merit or originality in the plans. On the records of the inrollment offices within the same time, thirteen specifications have been placedhow many of them will repay their patentees we venture not to say.

The plan which received the greatest share of public attention was that of Messrs. Harper and Joyce. The causes of this popularity were, in the first place, the singularly clever means taken to excite the public attention, at the Jerusalem Coffee House, and in newspaper páragraphs,—and, secondly, in the specious advantages attributed to it of extreme portability and cheapness: a portability which was to render it available under every circumstances of travel, in the cabin, in the carriage, on the railway, in a lady's muff, and it was almost hinted, in a gentleman's waistcoat pocket! No chimney was to be required-London was to be for ever freed from smoke and the effects of that sombre vapour. The stone of its palaces and its public buildings once cleansed, was to remain white as Parian marble, and its atmosphere was

to rival in clearness that of the cities of the sunny south. In point of cheapness, a hundred people were to be warmed for a song, and a fifty-horse steam boiler fed for the price of a ballad. All this was to be effected by a wonderful chemical discovery! The monopolizing coal owners were in despair; the weapon which was to overthrow their combination appeared in the form of an insignificant urn. To buy up and crush this enemy was now their aim, and it was currently reported, that a hundred thousand pounds in sterling money had been subscribed and offered to the fortunate inventor for his secret, or if he would keep it his own, and let it die with him-but was refused! What delirious visions of greatness must have disturbed the slumbers of the poor gardener of Camberwell -what a prospect of transition from obscurity to splendour, from poverty to riches-unequalled almost in the fanciful events of the Thousand and One. Sadly, however, was poor Joyce disappointedand most strikingly in this instance was the old adage verified;

indeed was there" a sudden "slip" the cup and the lip." We are credibly informed, that up to this day, Joyce has only received sixteen pounds for his discovery, and involved himself, to boot, in the meshes of a chancery suit! By what arts this deprivation of the inventor of the fruits of his invention has been effected, (whatever its merits may be,) we are not sufficiently informed to venture to state-but this we know, that whilst his name is blazoned forth as a party in an apparently extensively conducted business, the puffings, and advertisings, and manufacturings, of which must be carried on at no trifling expense he is totally unconnected with, and ignorant of its proceedings—and is a poorer and less happy man than he was before he made his wonderful discovery, or dreamt his splendid dream.

To return to our subject. From the moment we became acquainted with the material to be used as a fuel in Harper and Joyce's patent stove-we felt it to be our duty to set our face against its introduction. So convinced were we of the danger certainly attendant on the combustion of charcoal under any modification, that we should have felt ourselves to be conniving at the wholesale administration of poison, had we been silent on the occasion of an attempt to