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Ships' Bottoms.-Two Schooners are now building, with the view of being employed in an experiment for ascertaining the merits of a new plan of protecting ships' bottoms. In one schooner, the fastenings of the materials are to consist of copper bolts, and the bottom is to be sheathed with thin iron plates, protected by bands of zinc. The fastenings of the second schooner are to be of iron only, protected in like manner by rings or pieces of zinc.

Coal Mines.-Mr. Buddle recently sent an account to the Newcastle Natural History Society, of a singular phenomenon occurring in the east drift of Jarrow colliery, where it was found, that as the workmen proceeded, powerful eructations took place, when the coal was struck by the pick. These were as loud as the report of a musket, and by their force, large splinters of coal were thrown off, much to the alarm and annoyance of the workmen. Mr. B. suggested that the late accident might be attributed to an eruption of this nature, but of much greater magnitude.

Blue Colour of the Skin.-Dr. Paris is engaged in experiments to prove the efficacy of a remedy for removing that peculiarly blue colour of the skin which results from the internal use of Nitrate of Mercury. The remedy consists of a modified application to the skin of the voltaic battery, which has proved to have such wonderful efficacy in decomposing living animal matter.

Fatal Effects of Steam.-An American philosopher has calculated that up to a recent period, no fewer than 1500 lives have been lost in the United States, by explosions of Steam-boat Boilers.

South Sea Expedition.-The exploring expedition from the United States to the South Seas is a failure. The American papers state that the

crews had mutinied, and the expedition was at St. Mary's, a little south of Conception. All the scientific gentlemen had been landed on the coast of Peru.

Vacuum Engine.-A few weeks ago, an engine of a new construction was put into operation, for the purpose of draining Soham Meer, in the Fen district. The principle of the machine is the formation of a vacuum in a cylinder by the combustion of hydrogen gas, and forcing water into this vacuum by means of atmospheric pressure. It is said to be capable of being worked at twothirds of the expence of a steamengine.

Coronation Robes.-The Coronation Robe of his late Majesty was sold after his death, by auction, for a few pounds. It was a light tawdry piece of costume, and of little intrinsic value. The Coronation Robe of Napoleon was altogether a different matter-it weighed as much as eighty pounds; and was lined with the skins of no less than six thousand ermines. This brilliant garment was afterwards converted into vestments for the clergy of Notre Dame.

Royal Society. This society was chartered expressly for the purpose of improving Natural Science, in the expectation of lessening the influence of super-natural science, which at the time when the society was founded,had become alarmingly extensive. As we are upon the subject of the Royal Society, we may mention that we some time ago inquired on behalf of a respectable correspondent, in what manner the late Earl of Bridgewater's legacy of 8000l. for two essays had been disposed of. We now learn that the affair has been snugly managed between Mr. Charles Bell, Dr. Roget, and Professor Buckland.

Blind Traveller.-It is almost incredible but still very true, that one of the most active and enterprising of modern travellers, is Mr. Holman, a blind gentleman. He lately visited the chief districts of Hindostan, and in August last left Calcutta for China. The idea of a blind man travelling, seems such a solecism, that we doubt not but that many persons doubt the truth of the above representation. Dr. Walsh, who met Mr. Holman in Brazil, and who was indebted to that gentleman for many useful directions for travelling into the interior of the Brazils, told us that Mr. Holman, to his knowledge, was entirely deprived of sight, and upon matters of this sort it would not be easy to puzzle the Doctor.

March of Iron.-There is now plying on the great canal between Tophil and Dundas, in Scotland, a boat composed of the best malleable Iron-she is 66 feet long, and 6 feet in breadth, and her whole weight is but 2 tons.

Witchcraft. In the beginning of the last month, a Friendly Society at Bridgewater discovered that their box containing 541. had been broken open, and the contents stolen. A proposition was made that recourse should be had to witchcraft, in order to find out the thief. The

motion was carried amid acclamation and two deputies were actually sent from that place to Westleigh, in Devon, to consult a man, named Baker, a reputed white witch. We take the account of this astonishing symptom of ignorance from the Bath Journal, marvelling that persons who have the wit to form a Friendly Society, should have the folly to believe in witchcraft.

Literature. It is boasted of as a circumstance honourable to British enterprize, that there are in Calcutta, in the English language, Annuals, Magazines and Newspa

pers, amounting to 33 periodical publications. In the new state of Ohio alone, in America, there are no less than 101 Newspapers, besides 5 monthly Journals.

Newspaper Stamps.-The public ought to be careful in insisting on the reduction of the price of their Newspapers, to the full amount of the stamp tax taken off. The case of the Nautical Almanack is fully in our recollection. Government remitted the whole of the stamp duty(18.3d.) on this publication, but those who have the management of it, made an abatement of the price to only the extent of one shilling.

The New Beer Act.-It appears, from Parliamentary Returns, that five thousand three hundred and seventy-nine beer-houses have been opened under the new Act, in England and Wales; while the number of public houses licensed is 45,624. The number of beer-houses opened in Wales is 1,773, nearly half the number opened in all England— the number for England is 3,606.

IN THE PRESS.-An Epitome of English Literature in monthly numbers, from the indefatigable Valpy press.-Lord Henley's Life of Lord Northington. Speeches of Mr. Huskisson. The Smuggler, by the O'Hara Family.-Jacob's Enquiry concerning the Precious Metals.— Collier's Annals of the Stage.-Life of Sir Thomas Lawrence.-Life of Fuseli.-Dr. Johnson on effects of Change of Air.-The Lady's Medical Guide.-An Account of the Dynasty of the Khajars, translated from a manuscript, presented by his Majesty Feth Ally Shah, to Sir Harford Jones Brydges, Bart., in the year 1811, containing an account of the Family to that period. -Mr. Martin is engraving two prints, "Satan presiding at the Infernal Council," and "Pandemonium," on the same scale as the Belshazzar's Feast.

MARINE STEAM ENGINE, WITH MESSRS. BRAITHWAITE AND ERICSSON'S BOILER.

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Marine Steam Engine, with Messrs. Braithwaite and Ericsson's Boiler. -We give, on the preceding page, a Plan for which we are indebted to the Editor of the MECHANICS MAGAZINE, and which is intended to show the great saving of space effected by the application of Messrs. Braithwaite and Ericsson's boiler to marine engines. It has been constructed from working plans of both sorts of boilers by George Taylor, Esq., the agent at Manchester of the South and West of England Steam Navigation Company, with the assistance of Mr. Charles Todd, civil engineer.

Fig. 1., A, represents the space occupied by a boiler on the old plan; a, the chimney; bbb, the fire-grates. BB, the improved boiler; cc, the fire-grates; ee, space for firing for the improved boiler. C, double steam engine of 140-horse power; dd, the paddle-shaft.

According to the dimensions given in the engraving, the saving is 382 superficial square feet, or 20 feet in the length of the vessel-a space adequate to the stowage, on the most moderate computation, of 180 tons of admeasurement goods.

When at Liverpool, says the Editor of the M.M. we saw a boiler on this principle at Messrs. Laird's manufactory, for the Hibernia packet, belonging to the City of Dublin Steam Navigation Company, and were informed that another had been ordered for the Corsair, Belfast steamer. We also personally witnessed a most satisfactory experiment, made at the same place, with a small boiler of this kind; the same with which the experiments reported on by Messrs. Nimmo and Vignoles, in May, 1829, was made. See "Mech. Mag." vol. xiii. p. 235. Within thirty minutes after the fire was lighted, and the exhausting apparatus set to work, the steam was blowing off at 4lbs. pressure, being exactly about half the time usually required for that purpose. Messrs. Nimmo and Vignoles mention in their report, that so much of the heat is absorbed in passing through the flues, "that the hand and arm may be placed with impunity down the tube (at its external termination), the temperature probably not exceeding 180° of Fah." We repeated this experiment, and found the heat even less than here supposed; a thermometer, which we held in our hand, reached only 112°.

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Fig. 2 is an elevation of the front of the improved boiler represented in D is the fire-door; E, the ash-pit.

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THE

MONTHLY REVIEW.

APRIL, 1831.

ART. I.—A History of England from the First Invasion by the Romans. By John Lingard, D.D. 8vo. Vols. XI., XII., XIII., and XIV. London: Baldwin and Co. 1829-30.

In the quarto edition of this work, the title-page limits Dr. Lingard's labours to the period of "the revolution in 1688." The omission of these words in the octavo, which is also the second edition, induces us to entertain the hope that the author has resolved to continue his history to a later period. Though, from his sacred profession,-which presents to his mind much higher motives of action than any that mere ambition can suggest, he may perhaps be uninfluenced by the success which his preceding volumes have obtained, it must, nevertheless, be satisfactory to his feelings to know that in the cause of truth and justice he has not toiled in vain. It must have repaid him for many of the fatiguing and cheerless hours with which the difficulty of research frequently clouded his path, to observe that, as he proceeded, his investigations have been appreciated by a discerning public, the prejudices against his clerical character have been dissipated by the force of his inflexible integrity, and the opposition of rival aspirants and of their partizan-critics has been baffled by his thorough knowledge of all the parts of his subject, by his sagacity in eliciting the right conclusions from confused and often-times contradictory evidence, and by his manly, yet temperate and authoritative firmness, in laying those conclusions before the world.

It would require much more time and space than a monthly journal can afford, to compare, reign by reign, Dr. Lingard's History of England with any other of the same nation now existing in our own or in any foreign language, in order to shew its superiority to all of them on every point that enters into the essence, and contributes to the charm of this department of composition. In simplicity, perspicuity, and agreeableness of style, it is unriVOL. I. (1831.) NO. IV.

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