tant capital, the original of which verses is given ins Mr. Gutzlaff's miscellany, While la translation of them appeared some time ago in the Penny Magazine: and hotly original and translation may be found side by side in an article of Mr. Davis's in the 1st vol. of the Transactions of the Royal Asiatic Society. Jo In addition to the Magazine, the indefatigable missionary who is its editor has lately published in the same language a "History of England," from the invasion of the Romans to the reign of George the Fourth. This we have as yet had no opportunity of satisfactorily inspecting; but, on a cursory glance, our risible muscles were strongly excited by a portrait of the late king, copied from an English printsby an artist of Canton. The reputation of the workmen of Canton for making accurate copies is great, but there is a something so comically Chinese in. sinuated into the well-known features here, that the effect produced is as ludicrous as caricature. We cannot but advise all our readers who love a laugh to get a peep at it as speedily as possible. While Mr. Gutzlaff is thus so laudasbly active in endeavouring to introduce a knowledge of Europe into the literature of China, we cannot help wishing that he would devote a portion of his exertions to improving the knowledge of Chinese diterature in Europe. The greatest beneffit that could now be rendered to the study of that interesting language would be produced, we are led to think, by a complete translation of one of the great Chinese Encyclopædias, and this can hardly be undertaken any where with a ffull confidence of its successful execution sbut at Canton, The technical terms bwhich are constantly occurring in works of this description, can hardly be satisfactorily explained without incessant reference to intelligent natives. Once done, othe translation would, from this very abundance of technical terms, form a supplement, and a necessary one, to the dictionaries we already possess. Not only would the work be an invaluable assistance to every student of the language, but a large body of new ideas would be introduced to the European reader-he would learn to contemplate many old objects in a new light, and not a few altogether new would be introduced to him. A very interesting article on a branch of this subject has recently been gaus 918 aobrol lo zainig ode dubte ai -zib tad beiicie odw 190q seynido a ed inserted in the Journal Asiatique, of Paris, from the pen of Mr. Edward Biot, the son of the eminent mathematician. 66 Printing, gunpowder, and the compass, were," he observes, "known in China long before the Europeans had any idea of them. From the same country we received in the 18th century the art of manufacturing porcelain; and its introduction to Europe is in great part due to Father d'Entrecolles, who first had an opportunity of studying in China the details of the manufacture. At the same period many other inventions of this singular nation were pointed out by the missionaries, and among them we find the practice of boring for water, the employment of natural gas conducted through pipes for the lighting of towns, and the application of iron to the construction of suspension bridges; but at first little attention was paid to these hints. The employment of gas for the purpose of lighting was almost called in question, and the invention of suspension bridges was criticised as useless by De Pauw nearly a century afterwards these inventions reappeared among us as new discoveries, and then the genius of Europeans, which has a natural tendency to perfect, gave them a development in application far superior to what they have ever obtained in China. But these indications are enough to lead to a presumption that all the inventions of this ingenious nation are not even yet known to us, and this presumption will be changed to certainty, for whoever considers the distrustful character of the Chinese, and the extreme difficulty thus opposed to these Europeans who have wished to take a near survey of their arts." In a subsequent part of his essay, Mr. Biot observes, "Sugar from starch, which was not known in Europe till 1811, after the experiments of Kirkoff at St. Petersburgh, was known very long before in China, and employed in almost all the preparations of the pastry-cooks. It is mentioned in the Japanese Encyclopedia, and in the Teen-kang-kay-ur works, which bear the dates of 1713 and 1637. It is even mentioned in the Pun-tsaoukang-mich, which dates from the year 1571. In China the starch-sugar is extracted from rice by means of germinated barley, but in Europe, from the starch of potatoes, which in our part of the world are in general cheaper than rice. 182 GUTZLAFF'S CHINESE MAGAZINE, vol. 1. In the European process, sulphuric acid was for a long time made use of to effect the saccharification, and it is only within these few years that it has been discovered that germinated barley would produce the same result. This simple modification has produced a very great saving in the manufacture, which is now taking an immense development by the mixture of syrups of starch with the molasses of commerce, and other applications. All this process was pointed out in the Chinese encyclopedias, which I have already mentioned." *** "With regard to agriculture, it is from China that we have received the sowing-machines, which have been known there from a remote antiquity." It was to make other discoveries of this kind that Mr. Edward Biot applied himself to study the Chinese encyclopedias which exist in the Royal Library of Paris, where there is a superior collection to that in the British Museum, including especially the celebrated work of Matwan-lin, of which we regret to say there appears to be as yet no copy in this country. The Japanese Cyclopedia, to which we gave much attention, is, however, merely an improved edition of the San-Tsae-Too-Hwuy, or "Collection of Pictures of the Three Elements " () i. e. heaven, earth, and man; which is to be found at the Museum, or may be bought at Mr. Allen's, in Leadenhall-street, in 63 vols. large 8vo. in six cases, for 257. This work, which is tolerably complete, including, for instance, under the head of architecture, representations of every kind of building, from a palace to a pig-stye, and giving instructions even in boxing, with representations of the Chinese "fancy" in their different attitudes of "coming to the scratch," is, in our humble opinion, by no means the work to be chosen for a purpose like Mr. Biot's. The letter-press is nearly balanced in quantity by the plates (which are by no means of the very best kind), and relying on this, the descriptions have been made too brief and cursory to aid research. In fact, Mr. Biot himself observes, that "the expressions employed are often very vague, and the indications given by the text are rather sufficient to enable me to recognise a process since discovered in Europe than to pursue it from the description." In consequence of this, the praiseworthy researches of this worthy inheritor of a distinguished name, do not appear to have led to any important results. He concludes his essay thus-" From the extracts that I have given from several Chinese works, it will be seen that in the seventeenth century, at the period when the mission. ary establishments were flourishing in China, a judicious selection of articles from these works would have propagated useful ideas in Europe, and the disco very of some processes of industry might have been advanced by more than half a century" (this refers to some improve ments in the smelting of meta's). But these works are now too old in a technological point of view, since they date back two centuries and a half, and we should hope that the spirit of invention and detail, which has produced among the Chinese so many important discoveries, has not been stifled by their politi cal system. With regard to the develop ment that the sciences might have taken amongst them, no hopes can be enter tained by those who have perused their modern works in astronomy, such as the Hwan-teen-too-shwo, or "Description of the Celestial Sphere," a work published in 1820 at Canton, under the inspection of the Viceroy, and in which astronomy takes a retrograde march further back than the knowledge attained at the time of Ptolemy. The only instrument mentioned in it is the gnomon of stone which was employed in the infancy of astronomy. But new works on the arts of China would, without any doubt, have given us useful hints on the modern manufacture of gongs, of Chinese paper, of colours, and of other objects which I cannot here enumerate." These new works would, it appears, in vain be sought for at Paris, but there does not seem to be any difficulty in procuring them at Canton, and it is there that they might best be translated. Mr. Biot mentions a supplement to the great work of Ma-twan-lin, bringing it up to a recent period, which it must be owned was by no means unnecessary, when we consider that the original author flourished in the be ginning of the 13th century, at the time the Mongol Tatars conquered China and Russia. There could not be a more va luable present made to the literature of Europe than a translation of this great work and its supplement; and if this Number of the Mechanics' Magazine should ever meet Mr. Gutzlaff's eye, we would earnestly press on his attention the. power he possesses of immortalising his name by a work of such colossal interest and utility. In the mean time, in spite of all our deference for our learned brother-reviewer in China, we cannot help saying to the magazine, "Go on and prosper.' JONES' SPARK-ARRESTER. (From the Journal of the Franklin Institute.) The Committee on Science and the Arts, constituted by the Franklin Institute of the State of Pennsylvania for the Promotion of the Mechanic Arts, to whom was referred for examination an apparatus for stopping the sparks from the flues of locomotive-engines, invented by Mr. Alfred C. Jones, of Ports→ mouth, Virginia, report: That it has for some time been considered a desideratum to devise a plan by which the sparks escaping from the chimney, or smokepipe, of a locomotive-engine, may be arrested, so as to ensure both the comfort of passengers and the safety of goods transported on railroads. The rapid extension of this mode of conveyance is every day render ing this object of increased importance. Judging from the certificates of engineers and others, exhibited by Mr. Jones, it may be inferred that he has been more successful in relation to it than preceding inventors. The principal peculiarities of Mr. Jones' invention are the following: This 1. A projection, and funnel-shaped opening, in the front part of the wire-gauze, which surmounts the smoke-pipe. opening is for the purpose of admitting the external air to mix with the escaping smoke and steam, and is supposed to have the dou ble effect of cooling and condensing the smoke and steam, so that it will not burn and destroy the wire-gauze, and of producing adhorizontal or backward current of air, which throws the sparks into the receptacle hereafter described. 2. A peculiar shape in the wire-gauze cap, extending a considerable distance backward, over or beyond the back of the top of the smoke-pipe, which affords a space for the sparks to be thrown down into the receptacle hereafter described, the shape of the back part of the cap, or wire-gauze, being such that the sparks do not strike it perpendicu larly, but obliquely to its surface, and thus are thrown down instead of passing through the apertures. 3. A receptacle for sparks, back of the top of the smoke-pipe, and under the back part of the gauze-cap, at the lower part of which receptacle is a pipe, extending downward into the smoke-chamber at the end of the boiler, and below the part immediately connected with the boiler. Through this pipe the sparks pass, and fall into the bottom of the smoke chamber. It is supposed by Mr. Jones, that the impetus of the steam, escaping from the engine through the smoke-pipe, produces a partial vacuum in the bottom of the smoke-chamber, and causes a portion of air to rush down the said pipe, which makes the sparks more readily descend to a place where they are beyond the influence of the escaping current of smoke and steam, there to be consumed. 4. The gauze-cap is made with hingejoints, so as to be thrown over backward when the engine is not under way. This contrivance serves the double purpose of pre venting the gauze from being clogged with lamp-black, by the thick smoke escaping be fore the starting of the engine; and of facili tating the cleansing of the gauze, by a brush applied to its inner surface, where the smoke and lamp-black condenses. It is the opinion of the Committee that each of the foregoing features is productive of advantage. Hence, they are of opinion, that Mr. Jones' apparatus is among the best that has been devised; an opinion which is confirmed by the respectable testimony which has been adduced. There is a suitable apparatus for arresting the sparks when the engine is going back. ward, which it is deemed unnecessary here to describe. By order of the Committee, WILLIAM HAMILTON, Actuary. Jan. 14, 1836. REPORT OF A COMMITTEE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF BALTIMORE, APPOINTED TO WITNESS CERTAIN EXPERIMENTS UPON THE POWER OF THE LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES EMPLOYED ON THE BALTIMORE AND OHIO RAILROAD. (From the American Railroad Journal.) The Joint Committee of the City Council of Baltimore, appointed to witness experiments upon the power of the locomotiveengines, on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, at the inclined planes, respectfully report: That your Committee left Baltimore on the morning of Tuesday last, accompanied by a Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company, a Committee of the Board of Trade, and other individuals, in all amounting to 42 persons. The train consisted, besides the engine and its tender, of a double 8-wheeled passenger car, constructed to accommodate 44 persons, and three 4-wheeled passenger cars, capable of containing 17 each. After some delay, occasioned by coming in contact with the 184 REPORT OF EXPERIMENTS ON THE POWER OF LOCOMOTIVE-ENGINES. leaders of a burden team, who being alarmed, 30 281 20 212AM RATZ8 10 180TMA of 20 tons 15 cwt, deducting W the weight of the three cars cast off on plane No. 2, was drawn with equal case up a grade of 264 feet to the mile, the engine starting the train from rest on this grade. At the summit, two car loads of pig iron, weighing each 4 tons, were attached to the train, and the whole, weighing then 33 tons 15 cwt., was made to descend the plane, on the return to Baltimore, by the action of the engine alone, and without the assistance of a break, at such speed as the engineer pleased, and was several times stopped, on the way down, to show the command in which the engine was held. With such results as the above, it is unnecessary to add, that your Committee are equally gratified and surprised; and from what they themselves witnessed, they have no hesitation in expressing their conviction, that the engines of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad are capable of drawing with ease, at least 50 passengers, up ascents of any length, of from 200 to 220 feet per mile. From the account thus given, it will be at once seen, that the performances of the best engines in England have been far surpassed; and although your Committee are aware, that calculation was competent to prove the prac ticability of ascending grades like those ats the planes, with engines of the weight and power used on this occasion, and with similar loads, yet it was reserved for the company in T question to prove that machines of such giant power could be constructed, combining with to their great strength, the important qualities of speed, durability, facility of repair, and capability to use anthracite as their fuel, 56 Your Committee are glad to have an op-w portunity of expressing their sense of the w obligations, which the efforts of the Balti-ow more and Ohio Railroad Company have con of ferred upon the railroad system generally, and more especially in reference to it, as con- 9T nected with the city of Baltimore. It is now o a matter of common parlance to assert, that sw the Alleghanies can be passed by locomotive, pos engines, by the Potomac route, without the st use of stationary power; and your, Comis mittée entertain no doubt of the fact. It is OG this which gives to Baltimore the vantage typ ground, in the competition with her sister cities, for the western trade; and yet this isang owing, not more to the geographical depress 97 sions of the mountain range, than to the n engines perfected by the company just named, ouS Excepting the engines manufactured by them, issT there is probably not one in the United States, ed although some of the best ever made in Engnetol land have been imported, which is capable of ascending the grades and passing the sa curves for any profitable purpose, which 70a must occur among the mountains on the roadste in question. While nature, therefore, has do A 481 REPORT OF EXPERIMENTS ON THE POWER OF LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES 19185 VIDYA-VITGMOOOJ 90 я3W09 NHT KO 8TMNIA*4X 30 7HOTPA dwo 6l enoj 09 10 facilitate the intercourses of Baltimore with the west, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company has not done less. done much to f exceeding all previous experience, has been in the cause of doubt; or, in other words, th |