action of the sometimes highly explosive atmosphere of a coal mine. The tests adopted by the Committee to ascertain this important fact, were most advisedly resorted to, being in their nature such as might be expected in the practical use of a safety lamp. The sound judgment of the Committee in this respect, is remarkably in contrast with that of the persons who have hitherto so pertinaciously supported the pretended safety of the Davy Lamp, by inadequate trials, through its long destructive course. Several newlyconstructed lamps, which had been placed before the Committee, were tried, on the occasion referred to, at the London University. They were subjected to the tests, under which the Davy Lamp failed, and with the exception of a lamp invented by Messrs. Upton and. Roberts, all proved insecure. The disposition you have constantly shown to benefit both the mineowners and their workmen, whenever an opportunity presented itself, has induced me to make this communication.

Your obliged and obedient servant, U. G. R. August 5, 1835.

THE LATE LONDON AND BIRMINGHAM RAILWAY COMPETITION.

Sir, It is to be expected that if an individual treads upon another's heels, the aggrieved will either turn round or call

out.

I may, therefore, hope to be pardoned for so doing.

Mr. Daglish's prize rails and pedestals, described in No. 620, however they may have been approved by one or more of the Committee of Reference, are not, after all, those adopted by the London and Birmingham Railway Directors. Can Mr. Daglish, therefore, have cause to complain at not having received the whole instead of the larger portion of the premium offered by the Directors, when it appears, from their not having adopted his plans, they are not likely to derive any advantage from them ?*

The circumstance, however, which leads me more particularly to address you is,

The premium was offered unconditionally for the best of the forms proposed, whether subsequently adopted by the Directors or not. The question of "advantage" seems to us, therefore, to be here raised somewhat unnecessarily. It is no fault of Mr. Daglish s, though possibly it may be a great fault on the part of the Directors, that his plans have not been followed.-ED. M. M.

that another candidate

whose sug

gestions have been, and are now being, adopted by the Directors-should be altogether overlooked. The new method of placing the stone sleepers angularly to the line of rail* will, doubtless, be attended with advantage. A stone of 18 inches will present more surface in the direction most required, than a stone of 2 feet can do if placed square to the line of road. I would ask, then, if there be not a saving advantage in the proposition? And may not some acknowledgment—if not a crumb or two of the cake-be expected by the originator of the plan, offered, as it was, in consequence of the advertisement issued by the Company? It may be said, "Oh it is only laying the stone a little different, that is all!" No doubt; but so might it have been said when Mr. M'Adam proposed and used broken granite to repair the public roads. Is it not somewhat singular that the advantage, simple as it is, should never have been pointed out before?

I have, however, no wish to cavil; the suggestion is undoubtedly approved: and I should be well pleased were the full advantage of placing the stones in an angular position likely to be reaped by the Company, which, for one or two reasons, however, I fear will not be the case.

Mr. Barlow has taken to himself the credit (pages 31 and 92 of his experimental pamphlet) of suggesting the fixing of the centre of the rail to the chair, to admit of its contraction and expansion. His words are:

"I suggest, as a matter deserving the attention of practical men, that as the bar must necessarily contract, it will draw from that side (end?) which is least firmly fixed, and hence all the shortening will most probably be exhibited at one end, however slight the hold on either may be; and when it happens that the adjacent ends of two bars both yield, the space is double.' To avoid this evil, one of the two middle chairs in each bar might be permanently attached to the rail, in which case, the contruction must necessarily be made from each end."

Now, what will be thought of Mr. Barlow's candour and fairness when I state, without fear of contradiction, that he has borrowed this suggestion from one of those very competitors whose plans were referred to him for decision, and to

First suggested, we believe, by the writer.ED. M. M.

whose attention he so formally recommends it asan idea of his own? The 5th and 7th of my propositions to the Directors were as follows:

"5. That the round key will keep the rail steady without wedging; and, if fitted in tightly and headed, will admit the expansion of the rail.

7. That, to secure the correct position, the centre of each rail is to be firmly wedged to one of the centre chairs."

I should not have trespassed so far upon your limits, had not a sense of propriety really demanded it, and did I not feel assured of your willingness to afford every facility to the vindication of the truth.

66

Sir, The "Erin " steam-carriage, which was built by Mr. W. Hancock to run on the Paddington-road, and originally called the " Era," (described in your journal, No. 585) started from Stratford on Tuesday morning last, at half-past four, for Marlborough, with a party of gentlemen. Mr. Hancock had attached a small tender to the carriage, containing coke and water sufficient to have lasted us to Reading; but the bar of wood, through. which the bolts ran that fixed the tender to the carriage, gave way in Cheapside, and we were obliged to leave the tender behind us.

The carriage reached Hyde-park Corner by 6 o'clock, where we remained about half an hour to take in some more of our party, and proceeded on to Reading, which we reached at 11 minutes past 11 o'clock. The company stopped there an hour and a half and dined; after which the journey was resumed.

The carriage reached Marlborough by half-past 6 o'clock, with no other acci. dent than the breaking of one of the bands of the blower. The total time on the road was a minute or two short of 12 hours, of which 4 were occupied in stoppages, leaving 7 hours for travelling the 75, being at the rate of just 10 miles an hour.

No one who has not travelled by steam-carriages can imagine the incon

venience and delay which results from the want of regular and ample supplies of water; the carriage having to stop from 14 to 18 minutes every 10 or 12 miles to fill the tanks by hand-buckets from pumps, with sometimes the additional inconvenience of having to take the supply from some neighbouring stream or pond. While the carriage is stationary, the fire slackens in conse quence of the blower being stopped, and it requires about two miles running to get it again into full play. By observations which I made on the road while timing the carriage, I found that the rate of the first three miles, after taking in water, averaged 74 minutes a mile, whilst the latter part of the distance, till the carriage again stopped for water, averaged 1 mile in 5 minutes. Frequently the men were obliged to use any kind of water they could get; some being filled with duck-weed, straw, and filth of every description, which, of course, very much retarded the generation of steam. The inconveniences arose in the present case chiefly from the loss of our tender, which would have carried us to Reading without any stoppage.

All these delays would, of course, not happen, if water stations, having tanks with large hose, which might fill the carriage in a minute, were provided. There is no doubt, that had such ar rangements been made for supplying the "Erin on the present journey, it would have performed it, including stoppages, in 6 hours; though the carriage was not built, I am informed, nor intended for long journeys, but for such short distances as between London and Padding

ton.

Mr. Hancock started from Marlborough to return to London on Friday at halfpast 5. The carriage accomplished the ascent of Marlborough-hill-the steepest acclivity on the Bristol-road, being full one mile long, and having a rise of about 1 in 7, in 6 minutes, with a stoppage of 4 minutes. The "Erin" reached Reading by 10, and stayed 1 hour for breakfast. After running through the town we continued our journey, and reached London by half-past 5, being again 12 hours on the road, and having lost nearly about the same time in stoppages as on our journey down.

Our reception on the road was very cordial; there was scarcely any manifesta

11 22 4 20

7 20 0

The prices here stated, however, are exclusive of the cost of coals, headings, materials, and the use of the kiln-shades and tile. boards. The price is now reduced from the average of 13s. 9d. to 9s. per thousand for making. The size of the tiles when burnt is 14 inches long, 4 high, 3 base (outside dimensions), and

ths of an inch thick. The total cost may now be stated as under 14s. per thousand, including expense of buildings, coals, headings, and other requisites.

The

quantity of tiles required to drain an acre of land by such furrow is 1,500, on an average width of 7 or 8 yards; and the cost of labour in placing them 12 or 14 inches deep in the furrow is about 12s. per acre.

Since the sale prices for drain tiles have fallen from 40s. to 30s., 25s., and then to 20s. per thousand (although in some districts the price is still high, partly from the want of a better application of labour in making tiles), the quantity used by the public has wonderfully increased; there is a price which compels the public to use them sparingly-and there is a palatable price that leads to general usage. Upon cold, loamy soils, furrow-drained, the increase in the crop of wheat is usually from 16 to 20 bushels, that is, an increase of 4 bushels per acre. Upon better loamy soils, the increase is from 24 bushels to 28 or 30 bushels; and upon rich loamy soils, there are some instances where the increase is from 28 to

19s. 13s. 9d...

40 bushels; this increase has continued for years past. It is most distinctly shown, that on soils where sheep are liable to rot, not any thing of the kind is in existence where furrow tile-drainage is had recourse to, provided there is a reasonable degree of attention paid to the work at the time it is carried on, and in keeping the ditches and outfalls properly cleansed. On all wold, cliff, heath, and light soils, where the substrata are chalk, limestone, gravel, and where the surface-water filters through the soil as it falls, drainage of course is not needed.

There is an able article on the rot in sheep in the last Quarterly Journal of Agriculture, wherein it is remarked, that to prevent the rot is better than to cure, but there is not a word about furrow tiledrainage as a preventive.

In the Mechanics' Magazine, No. 618, June 13, 1835, there is a notice of a hand-labour brick and tile machine at Leeds, patented by Messrs. Clark, Longbottom, and Co., by which the tile is produced at one and the same operation by pressure. The expense of grinding the clay is thus saved; and the labour in making so much reduced, that the price for drain-tiles has fallen at Leeds from 14s. to 11s. 6d. per thousand. This im portant result will doubtless cause a great increase in the demand for drain-tiles, and lead ultimately to the introduction of an uniform rate of expense for them throughout the country.

B.