THE BRIDGEWATER TREATISES. Dear Sir, I am glad you have taken up the question of the Bridgewater Treatises, which, taken as a whole, are an expensive hoax on the public. The late Earl of Bridgewater was well known for his singularities, amongst which was one, that women never pardon; on which account his native home was no home for him. Of his religion I know nothing; he might have abundance of faith, but certainly it was not accompanied, in his life-time, by good works. Vanity and ostentation were prominent follies in him; and to the former is, I am persuaded, to be attributed the "magnifi cent bequest of 8,000l. for a treatise on the power, wisdom, and goodness of God, as manifested in the creation." Now, we have already Ray, Derham, and Paley, who have written, and admirably too, on this subject; much more so, indeed, than the Bridgewater authors. When a person proposed to write a work in praise of Hercules, it was justly observed, who ever thought of blaming Hercules? Now, who would imagine that the wisdom or goodness of the Deity required ten volumes to prove it? There is impiety in the thought; it is enough to make those doubt who never doubted before; and those who did doubt, doubt the more. As to the treatises generally, they are extremely discreditable to their authors; and to this there are only two exceptions-Sir Charles Bell's on ""the Hand;" which contains a mass of curious information, but seldom relevant to the subject; and Dr. Roget's on "6 Animal and Vegetable Physiology;" a work beyond all praise, but sadly degraded by the company it is placed in.

I

may perhaps return to the subject.
1 remain, meanwhile,

Your most obedient servant,
SENEX.

London, Sept. 8, 1834.

CALICO PRINTING.

[Extracts from Minutes of Evidence before the Select Committee of the House of Commons, on Manufactures, Commerce, and Shipping.]

Mr. James Thomson, calico-printer, at Primrose, near Clithero, examined (14th and 18th June, 1833):

(Concluded from last Number.) Has not the growth of printing in this country been a rapid one, and been attended with great improvement?-Its origin dates

from the year 1690, when a small prints ground was established on the banks of the Thames, at Richmond, by a Frenchman, who in all probability was a refugee, after the revocation of the edict of Nantz. Ther first large establishment was at Bromley Hall, in Essex; it stood No. 1, in the Excise books, when the duty was first imposed, showing that it was at that time the most considerable manufactory of printed calicoes near London. There was a lead pump theres some years ago, with the date 1710 upon ita The trade gradually increased in the neighbourhood of London; and about the years 1768, or 1769, it was carried into Lancashire, where it is now one of the great and leading branches of the cotton manufacture.

Did not a very great improvement take place in consequence of Scheele's discovery of discharging vegetable colour by oxymu riates?-The philosophical fact discovered in Sweden by Scheele, was first applied to bleaching in France by Berthollet, and subsequently brought to perfection in this country: more recently it has been applied to the discharging of dyed vegetable colours, the discovery of Mr. Koechlin, of Mulhausen, and one of the most beautiful processes in ! calico printing.

Was the establishment of printing manu✩* factories in this country considered prejudicial at the time to other manufactories?There was great hostility on the part of the 1 Spitalfields weavers. In the year 1680 there was a general insurrection amongst them, on account of the introduction of printed calicoes from India, and the wearing Indian chintzes, and their application to bed furni ture and hangings; and it was subsequently, at the instance of the weavers of Spitalfields, that the duty was imposed on printed caliThe same opposition was made by the silk-weavers of France to the introduction of

coes.

printing into that country, on the ground of its being injurious to the silk trade.

Was not the printing first applied to linen? -It was; and subsequently to a mixed fabric of cotton and linen, manufactured at Blackburn, from Hamburgh yarn and cotton wool. --' Many Indian calicoes were also, in the early stages of the manufacture, printed.

Is it not of late years that the application of printing has become so general to cotton goods? It is many years since the linen or mixed fabric has been superseded by cotton.

Are you aware of the state of printing calicoes in Ireland?-The Irish have this year been very formidable rivals in the fine London trade, and they have of late years been exporters to South America. I consider the manufacture is making considerable progress there.

Are those print-works in the north of Ireland? There are considerable print-works

at Belfast, and also in the neighbourhood of Dublin.

Do you consider that there are any fiscal regulations which oppress in any degree the manufacture in which you are engaged, and the removal of which would be advantageous? There are duties on dying drugs which it would be very advantageous to remove, particularly the duty on madder.

Are you consumers of oil to any considerable extent ?—Yes; the repeal of that duty is very desirable also.

Are the duties of which you speak the chief impediments to the extension of the trade, so far as regards fiscal regulations?— They are, and those duties are so detrimental, that they have destroyed one branch of our industry, that is, the dyeing of the Turkeyred yarn, in which the quantity of madder used is very considerable, forming at least 60 per cent. of the cost of production.

To what do you attribute the circumstance of foreigners, at Elberfield for instance, being able to dye Turkey-red so much cheaper than we can?-The principal cause is the duty on madder, and the duty on oil. The Turkey red yarn consumed in Russia, is English yarn dyed at Elberfield. It is sent from this country, dyed there, and then forwarded to Russia on English account. Turkey-red yarn even for our own consumption is beginning to come from Elberfield; English yarn dyed there, and sent back to England.

The

Have they any particular facility, except the lower price of madder and of oil?-That is the chief cause.

Have they any other facility?-They have very much abridged and simplified the process, but that is now well known in this country; for the fact of our having lost the whole of our Russian trade, and a portion of our own, has, of course, attracted the attention of the dyers of this country, who have got Elberfield men, and are now working by the new process.

To place us in a situation successfully to compete with Elberfield, you think it would be necessary to take off the duty upon the manufactured madder, as well as madder root?-I think so.

Supposing that were done, are you of opinion that we should be able to avoid the extraordinary anomaly of sending our manufactured goods abroad to be dyed, and brought back again? I think we should, if we were relieved from the duties on oil and madder.

Is there any English grown madder?None.

Which is the finest quality of madder?The different sorts are applicable to different purposes. The French madder has gained

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very much over the Dutch, but that is very much from price.

Has inconvenience been found from the present state of the law with regard to the copyrights on prints? Very serious inconveniences have been felt. We have protection only for three months, and, had it not been for the recent interpretation of the law by the late Chancellor, Lord Lyndhurst, it would have been of little use; this interpretation is, that no person has a right, during the three months of copyright, to make any preparation by engraving rollers or cutting blocks for the printing of that pattern which has a copyright, and still less, to print it ready for introduction into the market on the expiration of the copyright.

Will you explain what is the process upon inventing any pattern by which it is endeavoured to be secured?-The process is simply to print the name of the manufacturer, and the date when the pattern was published, upon the end of the piece. That is required by the act, and that only, and that constitutes the proof of publication.

Is any specimen of the pattern given in any where, and a record kept of it? None whatever; that was proposed in the new act which we applied for, and in which we were unfortunately defeated eight or ten years ago.

What parties were principally opposed to it? Those persons who profit by the inventions of others, and by their pattern drawings; persons engaged in the same trade, who wait till the leading manufacturers have brought out their new prints, and then select those patterns which are most successful in the market, and those only, and bring forth imitations of them, printed perhaps on inferior cloth, and with inferior execution, and sold at a very low price.

Have you any suggestion to make with a view to remedy this evil?-The chief thing we want is an extension of the time; and though twelve months was once desired, yet I believe the manufacturers would be content with six. At this moment the shop windows of London are full of fine prints, which were introduced perhaps about the 1st of March,. and on the 1st of June their copyright. expired, so that the protection ceases long before the termination of the season.

Do you consider that the machinery by which you are protected is at present suffic cient, but that the term for which the protection is given is not enough? We should be willing to continue the same machinery, with an extension of three months to six.

Would you think it desirable to have the pattern registered and recorded? —I am scarcely prepared to give an answer to that question. We did conceive, at the time the

act was applied for, that a registry would be desirable, in order to facilitate the proof of the publication; but we have found that there is no difficulty, and there have been proceedings for the last two or three years under this act, with the result of which, in every respect, we are satisfied, except that three months is too limited.

Are you in the habit of employing artists for the invention and production of patterns? Yes; that is a very important and a very expensive part of our business.

What sort of men do you generally employ ; are they men brought up in the manufacture, who have specially directed their attention to it, and received an education, fitting them for that purpose?-Chiefly persons who have served their apprenticeship as drawers in the manufactory.

Do you consider that we are before or behind the French, in the invention of tasteful patterns? It is difficult to give an opinion upon that. One of the first calico-printers in France left London one or two days ago; he came here expressly in search of ideas for next spring; he has visited all the shops in London, and has gone home well satisfied. I went to Paris three weeks ago for the same purpose.

What is the number of houses engaged in the print trade, who go to the expense of preparing expensive and original designs?-I should think half a dozen.

Does the number of houses in the practice of copying exceed that number?-It does.

Do you meet with any formidable competition from the copying of your designs?— The competition has ceased in consequence of the proceedings in the Court of Chancery against them during the last two years; yet still it is exceedingly annoying, and exceedingly injurious.

Could they bring out their copies, if it were not for the protection the copyright affords, very speedily after you have brought out the original ones?-They would, in certain cases, bring them out in ten days or a fortnight, or sooner, such copies as would be very injurious.

Have you known that done?—I have; and I have known something worse done; for I have known copies brought out at the very moment the original designs were brought out; the pattern was obtained surreptitiously by bribing the workmen ; and it was difficult to say which was brought out first, the original or the copy.

Are those houses which are understood to copy the designs of others put to any portion of that expense of which you have spoken as applicable to your own trade in drawing ?Not as regards the pattern they copy; and they also avoid the risk and loss arising from

unsuccessful patterns; for they pick only those which are the very cream of the production.

By the interpretation which has been put upon the law, is the copyright considered to be confined to the precise pattern, or to extend to imitations of it ?-Not only to the precise pattern, but to such imitations of it as are so close that one could be sold for the other, or would affect the sale of the other.

Are printed cottons now exported from this country to India?-Very extensively.

How long has that trade existed?—In the year 1798, the trade in Lancashire was very bad, and there was great difficulty in finding employment; in that year the two houses of the Peels memorialised the Court of Directors for permission to send out an adventure to India, and they shipped 5,000 pieces of printed calicoes, selected, according to the best information they could obtain from the captains of ships and mates, who had carried out small quantities before; but that adventure was very unsuccessful. In the year 1817, three years after the opening of the India trade, the exports of printed calicoes to India were 50,000 pieces and upwards; in 1822 the export was 300,000 and upwards. From a cursory examination which I have made a few days ago, I believe that the amount now is nearly half a million of pieces.

THE LATE MR. TELford.

The Council of the Institution of Civil Engineers, of which Mr. Telford was President from its commencement, have published the following judicious, eloquent, and well-earned tribute to his memory:

"The Council of the Institution of Civil Engineers feel themselves called upon to address the members of that body on the occasion of the great loss they have sustained by the death of their venerable President, to express their high sense of his talents and eminence as a professional man, and their heartfelt respect for his memory. His various works are conspicuous ornaments to the country, and speak for themselves, as the most durable monument of a well-earned fame: in number, magnitude, and usefulness, they are too intimately connected with the prosperity of the British people to be overlooked or forgotten in future times; and the name of Telford must remain permanently associated with that remarkable progress of public improvement which has distinguished the age in which he lived.

"The boldness and originality of thought in which his designs were conceived, has been

only equalled by the success with which they have been executed, and by the public bene. fits which have resulted from their use; whilst the general admiration with which his structures are regarded is an evidence of his good taste, in giving elegance of appearance to the most substantial fabrics.

"The profession in which, during a long and successful career, Mr. Telford was one of the brightest ornaments. has been greatly advanced in public estimation by his unceasing efforts for its improvement. The members of that profession can never forget the liberality with which he patronised and encouraged young men, his ready accessibility, and the uniform kindness of feeling and urbanity of manners evinced in his intercouse with every one.

"The Institution of Civil Engineers has been particularly indebted to Mr. Telford, who was chosen President at an early stage of its formation, and has always executed his influence to promote its objects and consolidate its foundation; his presents to the library and collection have been most liberal, his attendance at the meetings constant, and his conduct in presiding has been in every way calculated to promote mutual good feelings, harmony of sentiments, and co-operation of talents."

A correspondent, adverting to what we said last week of Mr. Telford's occasional devotion to the Muses, says, "I beg to send you an extract from John Mayne's poem of the Siller Gun-a poem that, in the opinion of Walter Scott, comes nearer to the productions of Burns than those of any other Scottish bard-in which you will find full justice done to Telford's 'double claim to renown. After recording with due praise the Malcolms, Fergusons, Pasleys, Lauries, Maxwells, Reids, and other worthies of Dumfriesshire, the poet thus speaks of Telford :

To rank amang our men o' fame,
Telford upholds a double claim;
O' fabrics of a splendid frame
The engineer-

In poesy, a poet's name

To Eskdale dear!" "

Since our last we have referred to Dr. Currie's Life of Burns, for the poem which we mentioned had been addressed by Mr. Telford to the Ayrshire bard, and shall now extract a few verses from it, for the sake not only of the light which they throw on Telford's own personal history, but of the decisive evidence of poetical talent which they contain. Dr. Currie introduces them by the following notice: A great number of manu

415

script poems were found among the papers of Burns, addressed to him by admirers of his genius, from different parts of Britain as well as from Ireland and America. Among these was a poeti

cal epistle from Shrewsbury,* of superior merit. It is written in the dialect of Scotland (of which country Mr. Telford is a native), and in the versification generally employed by our poet himself. Its object is to recommend to him other subjects of a serious nature, similar to that of the Cotters' Saturday Night, and the reader will find that the advice is happily enforced by example. It would have given the editor pleasure to have inserted the whole of this poem, which he hopes will one day see the light; he is happy to have obtained, in the mean time, his friend, Mr. Telford's permission to insert the following extracts. (Then follow the permitted extracts, from which we select the following) :

"Pursue, O Burns, thy happy style,

Those manner-painting strains,' that while They bear me northward mony a mile, Recal the days

When tender joys, with pleasing smile,
Blest my young ways.

"I see my fond companions rise;
I join the happy village joys;
I see our green hills touch the skies,
And thro' the wood

I hear the rivers rushing noise-
Its roaring flood.t
"No distant Swiss with warmer glow
E'er heard his native music flow,
Nor could his wishes stronger grow
Than still have mine,
When up this rural mount I go
With songs of thine.

"O happy bard! thy gen'rous flame
Was given to raise thy country's fame;
For this thy charming numbers-came-
Thy matchless lays :
Then sing, and save her virtuous name
To latest days."

416

NOTES AND NOTICES..

Mareh of Steam in the United States.-Holt (the proprietor of a hotel in New York) has a steamengine which performs to my knowledge the following duties; cooks, cleans boots, cleans knives and forks, pumps the supply of water through the house, carries luggage and travellers from one floor to another, washes the dishes, shaves and cuts hair, makes up the beds, and sweeps the rooms.-Treadway's Statistics of the United States. Wonderful as all this may seem, we can of our knowledge aver that it does not do half justice to Boniface Holt and his engine. When we were there, it not only cleaned the boots, but pulled them off and on; not only washed and cleaned the plates, dishes, knives and forks, but at dinner time handed and took them away; not only cut hair, but frizzled it after the newest fashion; not only shaved chins to admiration, but heads too (Treadways among the number); and, to crown all, went messages, kept the books, made out the bills, and answered the bells!!!

The

London und Greenwich Railway.-This undertaking is making rapid progress. About a mile of piers being already constructed, they have approached near to High-street Deptford. arches now turned are fifty-two in number. These being filled in with concrete foundations, a substantial roadway is formed, upon which those who visit the work are permitted to walk on paying a small gratuity. Having enjoyed a promenade upon this elevation, we are able to report that the prospect of the surrounding country is most interesting. The north view commands St. Paul's, the Tower of London, the winding of the river to Greenwich, and all the commercial activity of the shipping. Eastward there is Greenwich College, Deptford dockyard, and all the picturesque woody scenery on the heights of Blackheath. The green Surrey hills on the south, and the more contiguous cultivated fields extending to the Kent-road and Surrey canal, complete one of the most delightful views near London. The breadth of the railway or viaduct is about thirty feet. It is formed by external 'walls three bricks thick, with four internal running walls of two bricks thick. These abut upon the arches, which are sprung from piers of equal thickness. Strong parapet walls will be erected, and the whole formed in the most substantial manner. Some delay has occurred in the work in consequence of objections made by the Commissioners of Sewers, but the men are now going on with the greatest activity. As one of the stopping places, viz., at the Grange-road, is very near to the Bricklayers' Arms, passengers from the west end of London will be brought to this place in omnibuses, and perform the rest of the journey to Greenwich at the same cost, and in seven minutes instead of half an hour. It is calculated that the engines will be capable of conveying 200,000 passengers along the road daily, should they ever amount to so large a number.-Morning Advertiser.

Chunam, or Hindu cement, is made from gravelly limestone, or from shells washed out of salt-water marshes, burnt with charcoal and then powdered. The powder is mixed with clean sharp river sand, in various proportions, according to the use for which it is intended. For finer works the powder is very finely ground, and the water used in preparing it for mortar is generally mixed with molasses or sugar. It seems this article is considered by modern practitioners, who have had the most extensive practice in building, as an indispensable ingredient in a durable and hard cement.-Review of Ram Raz on the Architecture of the Hindus.Architectural Magazine.

New Mode of Canal Navigation.-Experiments of rather a novel character have, for some time past, been in progress on the Forth and Clyde

canal, to ascertain the merits of an invention for propelling boats on canals at greater velocities than have hitherto been attained either by steam or horses. The principle upon which the experiments are founded may be thus described:-A light chain is laid in the canal from one extremity to the other, and firmly fixed at each end. To effect the motion a twin-boat is used, in the trough of which a grooved wheel, receiving the chain, is made to revolve by a steam-engine placed in the boat. From this description it will be evident that as the wheel revolves the boat is drawn forward, at a speed equivalent to the power, or at precisely the same velocity as the periphery of the grooved wheel. At first sight there appear to be several objections to this plan, not the least of which are the turning the bends, and meeting or passing general craft on the canal. The experiments made on Friday, the 29th ult., however, fully prove the facility with which the vessel can be steered from side to side on the canal, describing at the same time quicker curves than any to be met with on the Forth or Clyde navigation. On the whole, the experiments were satisfactory, and such as to induce further trials-a speed of 834 miles per hour being obtained; and there is little doubt but that, with a lighter engine, and a boat drawing less water, a higher velocity will be attained than hitherto, at a less expense than either by horses or steam.-Scotsman. We do not perceive any dif ference, in principle, between this method of navigation and the chain ferry boat of the Duke of Sutherland, of which we lately gave a drawing and description; see Mech. Mag. No. 577.

A new Observatory, far surpassing in magnitude every similar establishment, is about to be built at St. Petersburgh, by command of the emperor. The Observatory itself will consist of three towers, with moveable cupolas. Two of these towers are to be appropriated to the Konigsberg heliometer and the Dorpat refractor; but the centre tower is destined for the reception of an instrument exceeding in size all others of the kind. In the lower part of the towers the meridian and transportable instruments will be placed. Spacious habitations for five astronomers will be connected by two corridors with these towers; so that the whole will form a continuous building, 510 feet in length. Smaller subordinate buildings, for various purposes, will increase the establishment, for the site of which an eminence between six and seven miles from St. Petersburgh has been selected.-Athenæum.

Ornamental Chimneys.- Another tall chimney has now reared its head amongst us, and seems not only to prove an extension of our staple trade, but an improvement in taste. We allude to the steam chimney just completed for Messrs. J. Rodger and Sons, by an able townsman, Mr. S. Worth, architect. It is octagonal, and finished at top with a capital of ornamental stone work. The great height of the chimney (150 feet), and the elevated ground on which it stands, render it a very conspicuous object from the surrounding country. We hope this specimen of tasteful architecture will stimulate to further improvement the future builders of these structures.-Sheffield Independent.

Communications received from W. W. F.-Mr. Exley-W. H. H.-Trebor Toille-Enort-T. S.Mentor.

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,