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was sorry to find that we could not be accommodated. Their carriages and the road were at our service; but the locomotive engine could not conveniently be spared.

Under these circumstances, we had no other resource than to endeavour to provide an engine elsewhere, either on loan or hire, and I am now anxiously awaiting answers to my inquiries on the subject.

Our intention is to try a series of careful experiments on the earliest possible day, the result of which I will send you, and immediately afterwards to appoint a more public day of trial, which shall be duly announced.

The railway was entirely completed on Monday last, and I had an opportunity of witnessing such very satisfactory proofs of the advantageous effects of gravity in longitudinal conveyance or undulations, as to even strengthen, if possible, the opinions I had previously formed. I will not, however, at present, enter into particulars, which I intend should form a part of my next communication.

I am, dear Sir, very truly,

RICHARD BADNALL.
Farm Hill, near Douglas, Isle of Man,
Aug. 25, 1834.

CANALS IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK.

Erie Canal.-Length from Lake Erie to the Hudson River, 363 miles, viz.

Western section-Buffalo to Montezuma, on Seneca River, 157 miles, 21 locks, fall 186 feet. Middle section-Montezuma to Utica, 96 miles, 11 rise and fall, 95 feet. Eastern section-Utica to Albany, 110 miles, 52 fall, 417 feet.-Total, 363 miles, 84 rise and fall, 698 feet.

Lake Erie is 565 feet above the Hudson River at Albany.

The canal is forty feet wide on the surface, and four feet deep.

Champlain Canal.-This canal commences at the junction with the Erie canal, nine miles north of Albany, and terminates at Whitehall, in the county of Washington, connecting the waters of the Erie canal and the Hudson river with Lake Champlain. It has a lateral cut connecting it with the Hudson River by three locks at Waterford, eleven miles north of Albany, as the Erie Canal has connecting it with the same river at West Troy, by two locks.

Length from Lake Champlain, at Whitehall, to junction with Erie Canal, nine miles above Albany, sixty-three miles. Number of locks, as follows

Seven locks rise from the lake to the sum. mit level, 54 feet. Fourteen locks fall from the summit level to the Hudson, 134 feet.Total, 21 locks; Rise and fall, 188 feet.

Oswego Canal.-Length from Salina to Oswego, thirty-eight miles; connecting Lake Ontario with the Erie Canal. One half the distance is canal, and one half slack water, or river navigation, with a towing path on the bank. Fourteen locks, (thirteen of stone, and one of wood and stone.) Descent from Salina to Lake Ontario, 123 feet.

Cayuga and Seneca Canal.-Commences at the Erie Canal at Montezuma, Cayuga county, and terminates at Geneva, Ontario county, connecting the waters of the Erie Canal with those of Seneca Lake. This canal has also a lateral branch to East Ca

yuga village, on the Cayuga Lake, thus connecting with the waters of that lake. It opens a lake navigation of more than 100 miles.

Length twenty miles and forty-four chains, from Geneva, on the Seneca Lake, to Montezuma on the Erie Canal. One half canal, and one half slack water navigation. Two thousand seven hundred and ten feet of towpath bridges. Eleven wood locks. Descent, seventy-three and a half feet from Seneca Lake to the Erie Canal at Montezuma.

Chemung Canal.-Extends from the head waters of the Seneca Lake to the Chemung (or Uioga) River, a branch of the Susquehannah, at the village of Elmira, Tioga county. Length twenty-two and a half miles, with a navigable feeder from Painted Post, Stuben county, on the Chemung River, to the summit level, thirteen and a half miles, making thirty-six miles of canal navigation. This canal thus forms part of a chain of communication from the Erie Canal to the Susquehannah River. It has fifty-two wood locks, comprising five hundred and sixteen feet of lockage, and one guard lock, three aqueducts, five culverts, and seventy-six bridges. Distance from Elmira to Albany, via this canal, Seneca Lake, Cayuga and Seneca and Erie Canals, three hundred and twenty-six miles.

Crooked Lake Canal.-Extends from Penn Yan to Dresden, both in Yates county, connecting the waters of the Crooked and Seneca Lakes, through a beautiful and fertile country. It is eight miles in length, and has two hundred and sixty feet of lockage, which is overcome by twenty-seven wood locks. The other structures are one guard lock, twelve bridges, three culverts, and one waste weir.

Among the varieties of timber trees discovered by the settlers in Southern Africa, is one used by the missionaries for the manufacture of household fur niture, of a saffron colour, and called "sneeze wood," from the effect of its pungent scent when newly cut, and which, among other good properties, is said to possess that of repelling all noxious vermin from its neighbourhood. It is singular enough that some of the Canadian timber imported into this country has a directly contrary effect.

Mr. Toplis, of the Museum of National Manufactures in Liecester-square, has constructed an engine, which he calls the Pacificator, becanse, according to his views, it will render armed multitudes powerless against any people disposed to defend themselves-a score of men, with this auxiliary power, being competent to annihilate the largest army which could be collected. The engine is portable, and, without its casing, might be carried by two men; mounted upon its proper carriage, it can be moved with celerity into any situation where horses or men can go; it is ready for action in a moment, and can be made at will to pour out for any desired time a continuous stream of bullets, which can be directed towards any point or object, with the same facility as the stream of water from a fire-engine, and with perfect precision; whilst the men who direct it are sheltered in entire security. Its construction is exceedingly simple:-a long tube like the barrel of a rifle, is mounted on a swivel. The breech of this barrel communicates with a chamber, in which gas is rapidly evolved by the combustion of gunpowder, so prepared that it burns without exploding. This gas rushes through the barrel, and propels the bullets, which drop into the barrel through a funnel, from a reservoir placed above it. The barrel can be elevated or depressed, or turned in any direction, with the utmost ease, so that the men who work it can discharge, with unerring aim, a stream of bullets that must destroy every thing exposed to it.-Morning Chronicle.

Aerial Steam-boat.-One of our ingenious citizens, Mr. Mason, has invented, and has now in preparation, the model of an aerial steam-boat, in which he proposes to ascend. The boat is about 10 feet long, the ribs being covered with silk, in order to render it very light. The engine, of two horse power, is placed in the middle, and turns four vertical shafts projecting over the bow and stern, into each of which are fixed four spiral silken wings, which are made to revolve with sufficient velocity to cause the vessel to rise. Over the whole is fixed a moveable silken cover, designed to assist in counteracting the gravitating force, at the same time tending to assist in its propulsion forward. The whole boat, including the engine, weighs 60 lbs., and has cost about 300 dollars.-Cincinnati Daily Gazette.

Experiments have been made with luggage trains down the inclined plane at Sutton, on the Liverpool and Manchester railway, to ascertain the distance the trains would move without the aid of engines. Some of the heavy trains acquired such a velocity in descending the incline as to run a mile (?) on the level without the aid of power.Manchester Chronicle, Aug. 23.

Improved Method of Tuning Piano-fortes.Among the recent new inventions announced in Paris is an improved method of tuning pianos, which is so simple that a person with a tolerable ear may tune the instrument himself. This is effected by means of a piece of mechanism formed of pressure screws, so that the large tuning key wil be no longer wanted, and be superseded by one

small enough to go into a lady's work-box; and it is formed on such a principle that the tone may be ascertained with the greatest nicety, and no risk of breaking the strings is incurred.-Athe

num.

A correspondent advises Mr. Hancock that he might probably do better, if, instead of manfully contending against all obstacles to locomotive progress, he were to abandon the enterprise in disgust, and to employ his time, before the next session of Parliament, in preparing matters for getting up a Committee of the Commons to bolster up his claims to a national reward for his past endeavours. Mr. Gurney can furnish him with instructions in what manner he should proceed.

Neglected Water-power. - Near the Lake of Mountcashel, in the county Clare, within a few miles of the great commercial town of Limerick, there is a magnificent water-power in the fall of the river Ougarnee. Yet it is of very little more value than the noise made by its fall. A source of treasure, if judiciously applied, is now only used for turning the wheel of an insignificant mill.From an Irish Correspondent.

. μ.

We lament to see, in the Irish newspapers, an account of a pleasure boat having been upset on Lough Strangford, by which four gentlemen were drowned, including among the number our highlygifted and much respected correspondont He perished in the prime of life, and in the midst of a career which promised to be one of more than ordinary brilliancy. Passionately fond of scientific pursuits, he brought to them qualifications of the very highest order-a mind of much natural energy, well disciplined by education, and richly stored with various learning-habits of most patient, untiring research-great tact in analysis, combined (rare combination!) with equal tact in generalization-singular readiness and fertility of invention and a love of truth, which dictated the same uniform and scrupulous respect for the claims of others, which he demanded-always modestly, yet firmly, for his own. He did our work the honour of making it the medium of a great many ingenious suggestions and speculations; but we have reason to think, that they formed but a small, and by no means the most important, portion of his philosophical labours. If his papers have fallen into good hands-which we sincerely trust they have-we make no doubt that we shall, ere long, hear more of them, and of their accomplished but ill-fated author.

Meteorological Stone.-A Finland journal gives an account of a singular stone in the north of Finland, where it answers the purpose of a public barometer. On the approach of rain, this stone assumes a black or dark grey colour, and when the weather is inclined to be fair, it is covered all over with white specks. This stone is, in all probability, an argillous rock, containing a portion of rock salt, ammonia, or saltpetre, and absorbing more or less humidity in proportion as the atmosphere is more or less charged with it. In the latter case, the saline particles, becoming crystalized, are visible to the eye as white specks.

Communications received from N. G.- Mr. Clark-Mr. Woodhouse-Mr. Tree-F. P. S.

LONDON: Published by M. SALMON, at the Mechanics' Magazine Office, No. 6, Peterborough Court, between 135 and 136, Fleet-street. Agent for the American Edition, Mr. O. RICH, 12, Red Lion-square. Sold by G. G. BENNIS, 55, Rue Neuve, Saint Augustin, Paris.

M, SALMON, Printer, Fleet-street.

386

IMPROVED STEAM-BOAT ON THE BURDEN
PRESCOT,

PRINCIPLE, BUILDING AT
UPPER CANADA.

We extract, from the Montreal Weekly Abstract of 19th July last, the following account of a steam-boat which is now building by a Mr. Sandford, at Prescot, Upper Canada, on the principle of Burden's steam-raft, but exhibiting many important improvements. The engrav ings to which the description refers are, 1, a longitudinal section; 2, a transverse section; and 3, a plan:

"The boat is 179 feet in length, by 36 feet 6 inches in breadth, and supported by two elliptical cylinders 177 feet in length, and 9 feet in diameter, flatter in the bottom than at the top, secured with wrought iron hoops placed 8 feet apart, and planked with 2 inch plank. The keel is formed of oak; the planks are secured to the hoops by screw bits driven from the outside, and screwed within with nuts. The two hulls are placed 12 feet 6 inches apart, and there are pine beams within the hulls two feet apart, and bolted through the top of each hull with screw bolts, and braced with iron braces from the beam to the bulge of each hull, which are supported with an arch framing fore and aft, braced with diamond braces from the top of each hull to the underside of the arch, and an iron rod is pushed through at the junction of the braces, continuing to the keel, and secured with screws and nuts. The wheel (A) is placed 65 feet from the stern, and the deck extends three feet at each end over the hulls. The after-cabin is 55 feet in length, and 22 in breadth, containing 32 berths, with a moveable partition, which separates three lengths of berths for the ladies. We have been informed by the architect of this enterprising experiment, that it will require 15,000 lbs. weight to sink this boat one inch. Her bearings being 60 feet in length by 18 feet in breadth; she will draw, with all on board, wood and water included, 24 inches, and will be propelled by two engines, of 30 horse power connected with one wheel. The shift of the water wheel is placed about 8 feet above the deck, in order to give a 25 feet wheel, and the engines are upon the deck, for the purpose of fastening them better; this produces an angle of about 10°. The air pumps are within the trunk of the boat, worked by a lever beam through a hole in the trunk. The boilers (B) are built upon the rail-road boiler principle; the outside of a cylindrical form of 5 teet 6 inches diameter, with 28 flues of 7 inches diameter, and 13 feet

long. A furnace is formed the full size of

the outside of the boiler. The whole length of the boiler is 19 feet. They are placed forward of the wheel, side by side, so that one smoke-pipe serves for both. The engines (C C) are outside the boilers; and the wheel, boilers, and engines, are within the space of 46 feet in length by 20 in breadth. The whole of this beautiful machinery is worked at Mr. Hulbert's foundery, at Prescot.*

"The most sanguine expectations of her success is anticipated: an event which cannot fail materially to change the principle of navigation hitherto subservient upon the waters of the St. Lawrence, to difficulties dangerous, and apparently insurmountable. Mr. Sandford has secured a patent for his invention, which appears to justify the utmost public confidence. We omitted to mention that the diameter of the water wheel is 25 feet 6 inches."

THE LATE LONDON MECHANICS'
INSTITUTION.

Sir, It is long since you declared that your rebellious off. pring, the "London Mechanics' Institute," had ceased to merit that title, being in no respect distinguishable from other Literary and Scientific Institutions, except by the lowness of the subscription. You will not, therefore, be greatly grieved, though perhaps a little surprised, to learn that it has been declared by a resolution of their last quarterly meeting, held on Wednesday, September 3, to be no longer a Mechanics' Institute, even in name. The law which enacted that two-thirds of the committee should be elected from the working-classes has been abolished by a majority of 12-the num bers being 77 to 65.

To be consistent, this proceeding should be followed up, and the name also changed for one more appropriate, such as the Birkbeckonian Institution (after the example of the Andersonian at Glas

Mr. Hulbert has a circular engine, for the use of his foundery, which makes several thousand revolutions in a minute. The machinery is simple, and by its power the several lathes employed in moving the brass, copper, and iron works of the machinery are set in motion, besides the va ious grinding stones necessary for the sharpening of tools, &c. The beam on this engine resembles the shape of a cigar, and is of extraordinary strength, being entire y composed of wrought iron, touched by the file, but highly po i-hed by the hammer alone The number of machines engaged

he fondery alone varies from forty to mity, and all of the most scientific class."