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1

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UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

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LONDON:

PRINTED BY JAMES MOYES, CASTLE STREET,

LEICESTER SQUARE.

AN

APPEAL TO THE PUBLIC,

¢ .

ON THE SUBJECT OF

RA ILWAYS.

BY

GEORGE GODWIN, JUN.

ASSOCIATE OF THE INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS'

“ D0 hoc multi multa, omnes aliquid, nemo sntis.“

LONDON:

J. WEALE, 59 HIGH HOLBORN; J. WILLIAMS, CHARLES STREET,

sono SQUARE; EFFINGHAM WILSON, ROYAL EXCHANGE.

MANCHESTER, SOWLER; LIVERPOOL, ROBINSON AND SON;

BRISTOL, STRONG; CHELTENHAM, WILLIAMS;

BIRMINGHAM, WRIGHTSON AND WEBB.

1837.

HEP/{RY

C'r' ': vIE

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

585.42

if} TO

EE’\9 THE DIRECTORS

If)

u“ or THE

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q

BIRMINGHAM, BRISTOL, AND THAMES

JUNCTION

RAILWAY COMPANY.

GENTLEMEN,

AT the suggestion of two Members of your

Board, I have been induced to submit to

the Public the following observations on the

general characteristics and political economy

of Railways; which were written by me

merely and entirely from a conviction of

the excellent results which will attend their

formation. If I am fortunate enough to

_ remove any prejudices; correct errors; or

éplace the national importance of Railways

cj54m a fair and substantial basis, I shall then

em

\\V\ou'.$51_

9251859

vi

have accomplished my wishes, and, I hope,

have affected a general good.

Living in the vicinity of the projected

extension of your line to Knightsbridge, and

feeling strongly the advantages which would

accrue to the western portion of the metro

polis, if a terminus, to the two great roads

from the western and northern parts of Eng

land, were formed there, I have taken great

interest in the promotion of that under

taking; and, although you have been foiled

in the attempt to accomplish it during the

present session of Parliament by a frivolous

attention to the letter, rather than the spirit,

of the “ standing orders,” I trust, and have

no doubt, you will ultimately succeed, and

with advantages even superior to what you

would have secured at present.

I am, Gentlemen,

Your most obedient Servant,

GEORGE GODWIN, JUN.

BROMPTQN,

March 1837.

AN APPEAL,

&c. &c.

‘ IT has been said, that the man who first promul

gates a great and important truth, or presents to

the world a new discovery in the sciences, does

not deserve greater honour and rewards than he

who, coming after the originator, shall so loudly

and clearly reiterate and set it forth, put it into so

many shapes, and shew it under such various

lights, as to succeed in impressing 0n the public

mind the nature of its results, and in bringing

about the universal adoption of it.

Whoever will reflect, even for a moment, on the

length of time which has usually elapsed between

the statement of some of the greatest truths, the

most important inventions, and the general acknow

ledgment of their value by the world ;——whoever

will call to mind thejeers and the taunts with which

such announcements have ever been met by a large

portion of the community, and the vast improve

ments which have resulted when universally re

ceived, (improvements which, but for the reiteration

8

of the original discovery—the re-urging of its im

portance—had, possibly, never been effected, or, at

all events, had been postponed to a remote period,)

will fully agree with this position.

Ignorance; existing interests which might for

a time be interfered with; and the desire, unfor

tunately, so often displayed, to keep down the

waters to one’s own level, instead of endeavour

ing to rise with them,——to stem the advance of

the on-rushing tide of intelligence and power; all

concur to produce the difficulty to which we

have alluded. Gallileo asserted that our world

revolved about the sun, and he was imprisoned

and persecuted. Harvey described the circula

tion of the blood, and his house was fired by

the mob. He who first applied the powers of the

steam-engine to combat with the waves, was laughed

at as a madman ; and the originator of the plan for

lighting our streets with gas, died, it is said, a

pauper in a foreign land.

We must not, however, multiply instances in

support of the assertion, but proceed at once to

our immediate purpose; namely, a consideration

of the effects which will probably-—which, in fact,

must result to commerce, to agriculture, and to

science, by the general introduction of Railways,

under proper direction, throughout the kingdom;

and to speak of some few of the advantages which

must accrue therefrom to every individual of the

community at large,—whether agriculturist or ma

9

nufacturer—whether peer or peasant. It is a sub

ject in which every one is interested ; as, from the

establishment of Railways, either good or evil must

result to all; and we hope, by thus bringing this

momentous modern application of scientific know

ledge to the purposes of life, before the eyes of our

fellows; by re-urging its advantages, and setting it

in a clearer light, if we may be so fortunate, than

it is usually seen under; to aid in obtaining for the

principle a general acknowledgment of its excel

lence, and in rendering all who look beyond the

passing hour, and are really anxious for the pro

sperity of their country, interested in the adoption

of it.

Some, we have no doubt, will say that the ob

servations with which we have commenced this

Essay—and which are introduced as an excuse

for entering on the subject—will not apply in the

instance before us; that the advantages of Rail

ways are already thoroughly understood by all,

and their value universally admitted; and allude to

the eagerness with which shares in all the projected

lines were bought up, and the sums, in addition to

their original cost, which in so many instances have

been, and are now, given to obtain them. This

conclusion, however, we deny. The public, unfor

tunately, have thought but little on the matter, and

the strife for shares, up to this period, has been

confined to one class of persons with hardly but

one motive—speculation. Previous to the esta

10

blishment of the Railway from Liverpool to Man

chester, various political circumstances had con

curred to induce the retention of much capital—

the country was unsettled, and public confidence

shaken. When the agitation had somewhat sub

sided, capitalists eagerly sought employment for

their money, and the projects for Railways offering

at the time ready means, they immediately entered

into them. The card turned up well; the price of

shares was speedily raised, either by natural or

artificial causes, and much money was made by the

original holders. Many more were, therefore, in

duced to speculate, thinking nothing of the ultimate

advantage, or otherwise, of the undertaking—caring

only for a rise in the price of shares, of which they

might avail themselves; and up to this moment,

it is to be feared, the same motive, in the greater.

number of instances, is the prevailing one. This,

however, is not the description of support which

should be given to works promising national, nay,

universal advantages of such vast importance, as

these must do to every thinking mind. Those who

have bought shares merely to sell again, will pre

sently be anxious to apply their money to other

and, perhaps, more immediately profitable schemes;

the shares will come into the market, possibly at a

reduced price, and, unless means be taken to rouse

the public attention, these undertakings, on the

success of which, we feel convinced, depends so

much the future prosperity of England—her power

11

to retain the superiority that her improved ma

chinery has, to this time, given her over the

foreigner—will be numbered by the multitude with

the South Sea scheme, the Mexican Mines, and

other bubbles of past time; and the mighty ad

vance which they would enable us to make, the

improvement that would be effected, through their

means, in the condition of every individual of the

state, will be for a time prevented.

True, it would be so only for a time; for if this

age be not sufficiently awakened to comprehend

the advantage of such improved means of commu

nication as Railways afford, and to aid the con

templated stride onwards, it will, most surely, rea

soning from analogy, be effected by the next. Let,

then, the English public now think seriously on

the matter, and resolve whether the advance of

civilisation shall be made by them, or left for future

generations—whether after-ages, when they exult

in their prosperity; speak of their populous, and

affluent towns; and glory in the universal spread

of education, and the dominion of intellect; shall

say, “ all this we owe to the genius of the nine

teenth century ;” or that, pointing to other and

more flourishing countries, they shall exclaim,

“ but for the strength of prejudice and the want of

foresight on the part of our forefathers, thus might

we have been.”

To dilate on the importance of good roads and

efficient means of communication with the various

12

parts of a country ; to shew, in fact, that on their

excellence depends the degree of affluence and

power to which a nation may‘attain—would appear

at first sight to be supererogatory, so plainly is the

truth apparent to all who have thought upon the

matter. The experience, however, of every day,

shews, that we may enjoy, during a life-time, the

advantages which result from certain institutions or

arrangements, and never stop to inquire what those

institutions and arrangements are; indeed, that we

may owe our comfort to the carrying out of a cer

tain principle, ; and yet, not knowing what that

principle is, may strongly combat against a further

and efficacious extension of it. If it were not so,

how would it be possible that men could be found

to oppose the improvement of roads, and the in

creased facility of communication.

“ Roads,” says Mr. M‘Culloch,* “ have been

denominated national veins and arteries, and the

latter are not more indispensable to the existence

of individuals, than improved communications are

to a healthy state of the public economy.” A sys

tem of good roads is the foundation of a country’s

civilisation ; and, without it, the resources and

energies of a nation, both moral and physical,

would remain latent and useless. If there were no

roads, no means of crossing rivers, a journey to a

distant part of England might occupy six months;

and, if the traveller wished to carry with him any

* “ Dictionary of Commerce.”

l3

sorts of goods, certainly could not be effected at

all. The first stream he met would probably force

him some miles out of his way before he could find

a ford; and after a day’s journey, in what he con

ceived to be the right direction, he would often dis

cover that he was then much further from his desti

nation than he was when he started in the morning.

If a country, however rich and extensive, were

divided into various small portions, the inhabitants

of which were without the means of intercourse

with each other, all would probably be poor and

miserable; they would be condemned to toil during

their whole lives for a scanty subsistence, and, in

many cases, would be unable to exist at all.

In one district the soil would be found to furnish

abundant crops of wheat, or other necessary of life,

but would offer no material to be used as fuel or

fashioned into implements, while another would

abound in coal or the metals, and yet not produce,

after the most toilsome labour, sufficient food to

maintain a scanty population. Establish, however,

means of communication between these several

districts, and an alteration, surprising and admir

able, is immediately effected. The inhabitants of

the first portion, finding that they can obtain firing

and implements from their neighbours, devote their

whole time to the cultivation of those productions

of the earth, for which their soil is particularly

suited: the population of the latter, ceasing their

vain endeavours to force corn from the barren

l4

ground, apply their energies in manufacturing the

iron or raising the coal with which their country

abounds: and the superfluities of each being ex

changed for those of the other—the labour of all

being directed into the most profitable channels——

thriving and populous towns spring up in the place

ofthe straggling and struggling villages. Competence

gives leisure; leisure induces inquiry; and inquiry,

knowledge: an impetus is given to the progress of

mind by emulation, which ever springs up where

numbers are congregated, and all are benefited.

Again: We know very well, that if an indivi

dual applies himself wholly to the manufacture of

any particular article, he quickly becomes expert,

discovers various processes by which to shorten the

labour, and is able to produce that on which he is

employed—we will say, for example, a pair of shoes

——much better, and at a less cost, than if he had

been engaged during the whole of his life in dig

ging the earth, making shoes, fashioning a nail, and

half a dozen other occupations, alternately. Instead

of being so long occupied in making a pair of shoes

as to need half a bushel of corn to maintain him

during the operation, and by which, of course, the

price to be charged for them would be regulated, he

might need only a quarter ofa bushel; and, although

the cost of the shoes might thus be lessened nearly

one half, he would be just as well paid as before,

andthe community, of course, be benefited; as

each individual would then be able to obtain a pair

15

of shoes for half the quantity of corn which was

necessary before, and the moiety, therefore, would

remain to support other manufacturers during their

labour. The condition of the shoemaker himself

will, in fact, be improved; for experience shews,

that every process which tends to lessen the cost of

production, increases the consumption, and he will,

therefore, be even more constantly employed than

he was before, and may continue to increase in

expertness, and still further to lessen the cost.

When books were written by hand (this is an often

quoted instance, but not the less powerful), they

cost immense sums, as a long time was occupied in

the operation, and during the whole of this period,

the transcribers were, of course, to be maintained.

Printing was invented; copies were multiplied; and

the cost was lessened, we will say, to a hundredth

part. The number of persons, however, who then

bought books was not multiplied merely a hundred

times, but a hundred times a hundred times; and

when, by the application of ingenuity and the

powers of steam, this cost was again lessened, a

still greater increase in the proportion borne by the

number of books purchased to the diminution in the

cost of their production was observable, and the

same effect has resulted, and must result, in every

like instance.

Returning, however, to our artisan: in the con

fined district ofwhich we have spoken, shoes would

not be required in sufficient numbers to occupy the

16

whole of a maker’s time, and the saving in the

cost of production and the increased excellence of

workmanship to which we have alluded, would

never be brought about. Now, the communication

opened with the neighbouring town presents to him

another set of customers; he applies himself, there

fore, wholly to the one pursuit, acquires these faci

lities, and, being able, at the second district, to sell

his goods for less than those who have them not,

finds ready purchasers; while the inhabitants of

the first district, with the money which they have

saved in the purchase of their shoes, because of the

ready communication which is established with

their neighbours, are able to employ some other

manufacturer, perhaps at the second district, who

would, in the same manner, acquire superior skill,

and, in his particular department, likewise lessen

the cost of production; so that, again, all would

be benefited indefinitely.

Leaving assumption, however, there is not, per

haps, a single country, certainly not a single district,

which does not depend entirely on others for the

greater part of its supplies. In Great Britain, we

owe more than half of that which we enjoy, to our

intercourse with foreigners. For tea, sugar, coffee,

wine, cotton, tobacco, and silk, which we could not

possibly obtain on the spot (at all events, without

a great sacrifice), we exchange our surplus pro

duce in those branches of manufactures in which

our command of coal and of improved machinery

17

has given us a superiority. It is, therefore, only

uttering a truism when we say, that those nations

or districts will be the most abundantly and cheaply

supplied with every thing that is useful or desirable,

who establish the most direct means of communica

tion, and eject the most perfect intercourse, at the

least expense, with their various neighbours.

The comparative ease with which a body float

ing in water may be moved, appears to have been

known from the remotest times; and seas and rivers

have therefore formed the earliest high roads for

the transport of heavy goods to stations whence

could be brought back materials for the support of

life, or for the employment of human skill. The

oldest civilised nations, according to the best

accounts, were those that arose on the coast of

the Mediterranean Sea, which appears from the

smoothness of its surface, and the numerous islands

with which it is studded, to have been well calcu

lated for the encouragement of the small degree of

skill in navigation then possessed. Egypt, which

was perhaps the first country where either agri

culture or manufactures were carried to any degree

of perfection, was situated on the borders of the

River Nile, and probably owes her early advance

ment to the means of inland communication

afforded by the numerous canals which connected

the principal villages. “ The Nile,” says Rollin)“

* “ Ancient History,” 8vo. edit. 1830, Vol. I. p. 4.

B

18

“ brought fertility every where with its salutary

streams; united cities one with the other, and the

Mediterranean with the Red Sea; maintained trade

at home and abroad; and fortified the kingdom

against the enemy.” Rivers thus offering a ready

means of communication, it is upon their banks

that industry first begins to exert and improve

itself; and experience shews, that it is usually a

long time before these improvements extend to the

interior of a country. Hamburgh is situated on

the Elbe; Munich, on the Iser; St. Petersburgh,

on theNeva; Paris, on the Seine; and London, on

the Thames; and it is not too much to say, that,

but for the means of communication afforded by

their rivers, not one of these cities could have

attained its present importance.

Now the immediate necessity for roads, or other

means of communication, being admitted—the fact

being apparent, that many articles which would be

of the greatest value in one place may possess none

in the spot where they are produced, and, therefore,

that all contrivances which will enable them to be

conveyed from one to the other are instrumental

in conferring value upon these articles—we will de

vote a few words to shew, that every improvement

which can be made in the means of communication,

whereby the cost of carriage and the time occupied

in the transit may be lessened, must benefit the

whole community, and is therefore a thing to be

19

desired : although, perhaps, what has been said has

already made this clear. _

We will suppose that an individual has cultivated

a piece of ground, and has produced, over and

above what he required to maintain himself and

family during the process, a bushel of corn, which,

we will imagine, he values at a day’s labour; and

this is to go towards the support of a manufacturer,

in return for some article which that individual

needs. Before he can dispose of this surplus, how

ever, he must convey it to the neighbouring town,

and must add to its price, when he reaches a

market, whatever it has cost him to convey it there.

In other words, he must be supported during the

~ journey; and, if the means of communication be

bad, may have eaten half his corn before he reaches

his destination, so that he would have less to sell,

and must therefore charge more for it, to the mani

fest injury not merely of the manufacturer, for

whose support it was intended, but of the agricul

turist himself; for the cost of wrought goods, de

pending, as it must do, on the cost of the necessaries

of life, he of course would have more to pay for

those things which he bought of the manufacturer

in return.

In some instances, the cost of conveyance forms

the greater part of the price of an article. Coal,

which is a commodity of such importance to the

community, that any reduction in the price would

be desirable, may be bought at the pit’s mouth for

20

a comparative trifle; and fish, were it not for the

expense of carriage, might be rendered generally

available-as food, to an extent that would effect

surprising changes in the economy of society.

Some articles, such as milk, choice fruits, or ve

getables, which must be quickly used, are not pro_

duced at all, unless facilities of communication

and sale can be secured.

Again, too, it may be shewn, that every dis~

covery and improvement in manufactures which

permits tools and implements to be made at a less

cost than heretofore—every arrangement by which

the expense of carriage is lessened—extends culti

vation to inferior lands, and increases, in a great

degree, the surplus produce which supports and

gives encouragement to workmen and manufac

turers. Without searching deeply into the science

of political economy, we may perhaps be able to

render this somewhat clear. If we apply the same

amount of labour and capital to soils of various

degrees of fertility, a successively decreasing pro

duce will be yielded, and it is clear that a limit to

cultivation would at length be discovered; that is,

that certain lands would be found to afford no

interest for the capital expended. For example,

on a particular tract of land, fifty labourers are

employed, who consume, during their operations,

'fifty quarters of corn, and require fifty more for

the purchase of implements and clothing. We will

suppose the ground produces, beyond the hundred

21

quarters expended upon it, a surplus of twenty

quarters. To send this crop to market, however,

might cost the value of the surplus; and, as thus

the farmer would not be able to obtain from the

land an interest for the capital expended, it would

be suffered to remain untilled, and this is the case in

regard to nearly half of the land in England. Im

prove, however, the means of communication ;

lessen the cost of conveying the produce to market;

and, as the tillage of the land would then, in

most instances, afford a surplus produce in propor

tion to the amount of the diminution in the cost of

conveying it to market, much of the ground would

be taken into cultivation ; a much larger population

might be supported; and the limit to the accumula

tion of manufacturing capital in the country wouldbe thrown considerably farther back?[6 I

Improvements in the means of conducting in

ternal intercourse give to a nation, therefore, the

same advantages, in regard to the production of

wealth, as would be brought about by an improved

skill in the application of labour, or an increased

fertility in the soil. The possession or non-posses

sion of these facilities constitute a difference, equal,

in kind, to that which exists between a barren and

a fertile country: and the value of this difference

must surely be understood by all persons.

Until within a few years, comparatively, there

* See, on this point, SMITn’s “ Wealth of Nations;"

Tormsns “ On the Production of Wealth,” 81c. '

2%

were no canals in England, few roads of any

excellence, and the means of communication were

consequently extremely limited. One cannot, in

deed, read of the mode of travelling which prevailed

even a hundred years ago—the amazing time

occupied in performing a journey, and the diffi

culties that were met with on the roads, without

feelings of surprise ; or avoid those of pleasure when

we contemplate the amazingimprovement that has

since been effected.

In Robertson’s “ Rural Recollections,” it is

stated (p. 39) that in 1678, a coach was started,

drawn by six horses, to run between Edinburgh

and Glasgow (a distance of forty-four miles), with

a pledge that it should perform the journey there

and back in six days,- and even so late as the

middle of the last century, the same distance occu

pied three days.

In 1703, when Prince George of Denmark went

from Windsor to Petworth to meet Charles III.

of Spain, it appears that the journey, which is a

distance of about forty miles, occupied fourteen

hours, although those who travelled it did not get

out, save when they were overturned or stuck fast

in the mire, until they reached their destination.

“ We were thrown but once, indeed, in going,”

says the relator; “ but his Highness’s body coach

would have suffered very much, if the nimble boors

of Sussex had not frequently poised it, or supported

it with their shoulders, from Godalming almost to

23

Petworth. The last nine miles of the way cost us

six hours to conquer them.” *

In 1739, in the way to Glasgow from London,

there was no turnpike road further than Grantham,

about a hundred miles, and at that time goods

were transported from one part of the country to

another by means of pack-horses who travelled

thirty or forty in a ganguj" Even at the close

of the last century, indeed, all light goods were

conveyed from place to place, when the dis

tance was not great, on horseback; when it was

considerable, carts were employed; and in this

case, it is said, the carrier, for his journey from

Selkirk to Edinburgh (thirty-eight miles), required

seven days.

The precise date when stage-coaches were first

established is not Well known; probably, however,

it was not before the reign of Charles I. ; and it was

many years after that period before any general

communication took place between the inhabitants

of widely separated districts, the roads being bad,

and the time occupied long. So important a mat

ter, indeed, was a journey deemed, that travellers,

before starting, were wont, and with prudence too,

to make their Wills, and arrange all their affairs.

In 1763, the journey from London to Edinburgh,

about four hundred miles, which is now regularly

1* “Annals of Queen Anne," Vol. II., Appendix, No. 3,

as quoted in “ Results of Machinery.”

1 CLELAN D's “ Statistical Account of Glasgow.”

24

performed in less than forty-four hours, occupied,

it is said, from twelve to sixteen days.

In 1783, the letters sent from Bath on Monday

night were not delivered in London until the after

noon or evening of the following Wednesday; and

nearly the same time was occupied in their trans

mission from London to Birmingham. In the be

ginning of the present century, the difficulty of

communication between one district and another

in the Highlands of Scotland was almost insuper

able; and the people being cut off from inter

course with others, were in a state of destitution

and moral degradation. Since then much money

has been spent in making roads and bridges, and

the result has been gratifying in the highest de—

gree : the entire habits of the people are changed;

and the country prodigiously advanced in civilisa

tion and refinement.

At the present moment there is no country,

perhaps, which is so well provided with roads and

canals for internal communication as England is;

and to this circumstance we may, in great part,

attribute her present supereminent position in the

scale of nations. Were it not so, indeed, the great

inland manufacturing towns, with which the face of

the country is studded,—-—the main sources of her

wealth, such as Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield,

and Leeds,-—could not exist; in fact, would never

have attained any consequence. According to a

Report of a Committee of the House of Lords,

25

which sat on Turnpike Roads in 1829,* the total

length of the different paved streets and turnpike

roads in England and Wales amounted, at that

time, to nearly 20,000 miles, and that of the cross

roads and other highways to 95,000 miles. Since

then, many extensions have been made and new

roads constructed, so that the present length may

be estimated as even much greater. A hundred

different canals, too, intersect the country in all

parts; and great and glorious have been the results

to England and to Englishmen.

Inquire into the condition of our ancestors a

century ago—the accommodations possessed by

them, their food and clothing; and then compare

their condition with that enjoyed at present by the

meanest and poorest persons amongst us. Why,

you will find that they now possess comforts and

luxuries which were formerly beyond the reach of

nobles; and nearly all this improvement which is

to be observed, may be ascribed to the increased

- facilities of intercommunication. Look into the

humblest cottage at the present time, and the

chances are that you will find a table made of

wood which was grown in America; tea which

was picked in China; and sugar cultivated in the

West Indies; a knife which was made at Sheffield;

a teapot from Birmingham; and a dish, by the

side of it, which came from Staffordshire; and

M‘CULLoen’s “ Dictionary of Commerce."

26

yet to obtain all these (through the excellence

of the means of communication, which allows each

article to be manufactured in the situation where

there are the greatest facilities for its production),

requires the expense of so little labour on the part

of the individual desiring them, that, as we have

said, they are possessed by the meanest among us.

This facility of communication, however, to

gether with the improved condition which it has so

mainly brought about, has not been obtained with

out great difficulty, but is the result of a series of

laborious efforts made at different times during a

number of years; and in spite of a continued and

powerful opposition on the part of those few who

thought they would, individually, be injured by the

improvement,—and, as a matter of course, cared

rather for their own good than for that of the

world at large—notwithstanding that it was after

wards clearly apparent, as each step was gained,

that those who fancied they would suffer by it were

in reality much benefited.

Stow tells us,”r that in the year 1580, the river

Lea, in Hertfordshire, was repaired and made na

vigable for the advantage of the community; but

that the farmers and maltsters in the parish of En

field and thereabouts were greatly angered, and

attempted, by making breaches, to let out the

water, asserting that, as the carriage of malt and

at “ Survey of London.” Strype's edition, 1720. B. I. p. 48.

27'

grain to London would be made cheaper than

could be afforded by land-carriage, their interest

was thereby interfered with.

In 1673 it was clearly shewn (at least so

thought the writer) that the country would be

entirely ruined; unless “ the multitude of stage

coaches and caravans, then traVelling on the roads,

were all or most of them suppressed, especially

those within forty or fifty miles of London.”ale The

inns on the road, says the “pamphlet alluded to,

will all be ruined if this be not done, inasmuch

when persons travel so quickly to their journey’s

end they will need no refreshment on the road.

The breed of good horses will be destroyed, for

none who are able to travel so conveniently from

place to place will keep saddle horses; and again,

that as fewer clothes are worn out—less property

wasted in travelling by the new method than by

the old one, trade will be dreadfully injured, and

100,000 persons totally deprived of bread. Nu

merous petitions, too, from various parts of the

country, were presented to Parliament, urging this

same necessity, but fortunately without effect; and

it cannot be necessary now (if what we have written

be as clear as we would wish it to be) to shew how

it was, that directly the reverse of all that which

* “ The Grand Concern of England Explained," printed in

1673. Reprinted in “ The Harleian Miscellany," Vol. VIII.

p. 547.

28

was prophesied actually followed; that fresh mar

kets were opened, more horses kept, and more

persons were profitably employed.

Hardly eighty years ago, some of the counties

in the neighbourhood of London petitioned Par

liament against the extension of the turnpike-roads

into the more distant counties. They conceived,

with the same shortsightedness which even now

prevails, that these remoter parts, as labour

was cheaper there, would be able to sell their

produce for less in the London markets than

themselves, and would thereby ruin them. Instead

of this, however, that which was to be expected,—

reasoning on the‘principles of political economy,—

actually took place; fresh markets were opened

for their produce, their rents have risen, and the

cultivation of the land has been improved since

that period.*6

When Steam Boats were first established, to

run between London and Margate, the coach pro

prietors on the road petitioned the legislature

against them, as likely to lead to their ruin. A

short time, however, soon shewed them that their

fears were idle. Instead of injury they derived

advantage from their introduction: Margate be

came a place of general resort; and the number of

coaches on the road was considerably increased.

For two or three hundred years, then, the

Sivu'rn's “ Wealth of Nations,” p. 202.

29

wisest amongst our forefathers have laboured to

facilitate communication between the various parts

of a country. They have drained fens, levelled

hills, thrown bridges over rivers, and filled up

valleys, in the face of a continued and resolute

opposition. Shall we then—who justly boast of

our advancement in science; our improvement of

the arts (an advancement, and an improvement,

too, which but for their labours we could not have

made), shall we do less .9 or have we actually pro

gressed so‘far, that our ways do not need mending?

Surely not: nor will we suppose, that those who

now laugh at and ridicule the petitions against the

stage coaches, and against the extension of the

turnpike roads, will oppose increased facilities for

the transit of those coaches; or, indeed, will fail to

assist in the application of our present scientific

knowledge to render greater the usefulness of

roads and promote rapid intercourse.

We think that no demonstration can be needed

to prove, that a wheel will roll over a smooth bar

of iron much easier than it will move on a loose

stony road; to say so, indeed—as a road increases

in goodness in proportion as it is hard and smooth

—is only asserting that a good road is better than

a bad one. A Railway (for so, we know, a road,

provided with two bars of iron for this purpose,

would be called) is merely an improved road; and

the step from Macadamised ways to Railways is

not so great, as it is from the roads in which

30

Prince George stuck fast in 1703 (see page 22) to

the Macadamised roads of our times.

Nor can it be necessary, at this period, to speak

of the amazing power to be gained by the use of

steam; for we have so many years used it in such

numerous ways—to battle with the waves, and to

stamp a button; to calculate proportions, and to

drain vast mines; to forge an anchor, and to point

a pin—that this, at least, must be comprehended

by all. The superiority, then, of a Railway over

a common road, we must suppose, will be uni

versally admitted by those who will think upon the

matter; and the only arguments which have been

used to shew why they should not be supported

and urged into effect by the great body of the

people—by those whose interest it is to increase

by every means in their power the facility of com

munication—are those same absurd and individual

objections which were stated one hundred years

ago, in opposition to earlier improvements, and in

spite of which they nevertheless went on. It is,

therefore, only needed, that the public mind should

be once thoroughly awakened to the right bearing

of the question ; and experience shews, that it

would be held fast and acted on until the principle

were fully carried out.

From an early period Railways of wood have

been used, to facilitate the transport of coals and

metals from the mine to the vessels by which they

were to be conveyed to their destination; and even

81

an iron Railway was used for that purpose at

Colebrook Dale, as early as 176'73'e In 1805,

steam power seems to have been first applied on

Railways, for the transport of passengers and goods

from Darlington to Stockton; and at that time the

maximum of speed attained was about eight miles

an hour. It was not, however, till 1830,j~ when a

trial of several locomotive engineswas made on

the Liverpool and Manchester Railway (that proud

specimen of modern power and skill), that the in

credible speed of transport which might be attained

on Railways, and the vast advantages which would

result to society from their introduction, first glim

mered even on the scientific world. Before the

construction of that stupendous work, the transit

of goods from Manchester to Liverpool (which is

the port whence is shipped a large portion of the

goods made at Manchester, and from which, in

return, that town receives the raw materials to be

worked upon) occupied by canal about thirty-six

hours. By means of the Railway the time is

lessened to one hour and three quarters, and

the cost reduced, both for passengers and goods,

nearly 50 per cent.; in consequence of which, in

the carriage of cotton alone, 20,000l. annually have

been saved to the manufacturersj Garden pro

* HEBERT’S “ Practical Treatise on Railroads,” p. 8.

f “ History of Steam Engine,” by Dr. LARDNER.

1 It may be mentioned, as a striking proof of the increased

traffic which takes place when facility of communication is

32

duce and milk, which before had no market, are

now, by means of the Railway, cheaply and quickly

transported to places where they are needed, and

become of value; and new sources of wealth and

incitements to industry are thus opened to the

poor inhabitants of the interior of the country.

Coal-pits have been sunk; manufactories established

on the line; and much inferior land (in conse

quence of the facility of transport for the produce,

and the case, too, with which manure can be

obtained) has been taken into cultivation: even

Chat-Moss, a wild and dreary bog, through which,

for some distance, the Manchester Railway passes,

and where, before, nothing had been grown, now

presents patches of wheat and comfortable resi

dences.*

secured, that, notwithstanding the amount of goods daily

transported on this Railway, the quantity sent by the Canals

between the two towns has considerably augmented. A con

firmation of the inference which may be drawn from past ex

perience; that existing interests have, in reality, little to fear.

In regard to the increase in the number of passengers pro

duced by the facilities afforded by Railways, Dr. Lardner has

taken some pains to shew, that it has been fourfold; and that

this is owing more to the saving of time than the saving of

money. We ourselves believe that the increase will be found

to be much greater than this.

* Chat-Moss was formerly let for about ls. 6d. per acre

(peat only was obtained from it); it now lets for 30s. The value

of land in the neighbourhood of the Railway is said to have

doubled since its construction. The same effect has taken

place on the Darlington road. When the Company wished to

33

If “the true criterion of distance be time,”——and

who can doubt it ?-—the port of Liverpool and the

manufacturing town of Manchester are now hardly

other than one place; and we will mention a cir

cumstance which occurred not long since, to shew

the immediate convenience and advantage of the

Railway to the inhabitants individually, independ

ently of the great benefits which all derive from

improvements tending to lessen the cost of pro

duction. A gentleman went to Liverpool in the

morning, purchased, and took back with him to

Manchester, 150 tons of cotton, which he sold, and

afterwards obtained an offer for a similar quantity.

He went again; and, actually, that same evening

delivered the second quantity in Manchester,

“ having travelled 120 miles in four separate jour

nies, and bought, sold, and delivered, 30 miles off,

at two distinct deliveries, 300 tons of goods, in

about 12 hours.”* The occurrence is perfectly

astounding; and, had it been hinted at fifty years

ago, would have been deemed impossible. Indeed,

even now, one can hardly contemplate the passage

ofa ponderous locomotive engine, dragging after it

form a second line, in consequence of the increased traffic, they

were compelled to pay 50 per cent more for land than they did

for the first portion : and on the line of the intended Manchester

and Leeds road, it appears, from the Railway Magazine (1835)

the occupiers of land have voluntarily proposed to pay an in

creased rent, if it be established. ‘

* “ Railway Magazine," March 1836.

C

34

fuel, water, and a vast train of carriages filled with

passengers, for thirty miles, in little more than an

hour, (which has occurred, and is constantly oc

curring), without mingled emotions of surprise and

admiration. The magic carpet and the flying

horse of the Arabian tales must cease to excite

wonder.

One way in which the rapidity of conveyance

thus gained increases the power of a country, has

been forcibly pointed out by Mr. Babbage, and

deserves mention. He says, “ On the Manchester

Railway, for example, above half a million of per

sons travel annually; and, supposing each person

to save only one hour in the time of transit be

tween the two towns, a saving of 500,000 hours, or

50,000 working-days of ten hours each, is efl'ected.

Now this is equivalent to an addition to the actual

power of the country of one hundred and sixty

seven men, without increasing the quantity of food

consumed; and it should also be remarked, that

the time of the class of men here specified, is far

more valuable than that of mere labourers.”*

Now, although this great rapidity of transport

has been attained, this surprising alteration in the

relative distance of places made, the art of transit

by steam is in its very infancy; each year, each

month, in fact, surprising improvements in the

i" “ Economy ofMachinery," page 306; In the conveyance

of letters, too, the importance of this increased rapidity and

certainty is also very great.

‘35

engines are effected; and if it be the character of

the true philosopher “to hope all things not im

possible, and to believe all things not unreason

able,”* we may, without fear of laughter, look

forward to the time (if prejudice and individual

interest, be not allowed to interfere) when our

ordinary rate of travelling will be, Eclipse-like, a.

mile a minute, and expresses be transmitted With

Men double that rapidityxl'

‘We said just now, that, by the means of Rail

ways, farmers would be able readily to obtain ma

nure; and the subject is of so much importance, as

to demand a few words more. Every one is aware

that two portions of land of a different nature may

be each naturally barren and profitless; but that,

if a part of the soil from one be exchanged for

some of that of the other, they may both become

rich and fertile. The best land is that, indeed, in

which various soils, regulated, of course, by cir

cumstances, are intimately mixed and blended;

and it may be safely said, that there are few lands

4" Sir John Herschel’s “ Discourse on the Study of Natural

Philosophy,” page 8.

1‘ The means of communicating intelligence by telegraphs

was regarded with astonishment, at the time of its first applica

tion; but it is presumed and expected that this mode will be

soon superseded and surpassed, by an invention which is now

in a course of experiment and trial. It is likely to be fully

developed at the next meeting of “ The Scientific Association ”

at Liverpool, in the ensuing September.

36

which may not be rendered fertile and productive.

Now, the chief prevention to this desirable state,

is the expense of transporting manure, which, in

the greater number of instances, would swallow up

the profit to be derived from the land, and it there

fore remains untilled. It need hardly be said, that

by the general introduction of Railways, which

lessen so materially the cost of carriage, all this

(in addition to that which the cost of transport for

the produce at this time renders useless) would be

brought into cultivation ; * and it is probable that,

in a few years, there would not be an acre of waste

land in England, which would then, doubtless,

admit a doubling of the population, and render

emigration unnecessary, at all events for many

years. I.

There is one other point, in regard to the

supply of food, that we must not forget to mention.

The greater portion of the Cattle sold in the London

markets is now driven from very distant parts of

the country, at a great expense, and to the ma

nifest injury of the animals. It has been asserted

by farmers of Norfolk, that the loss of weight which

takes place on the journey, the food required on

the road, wages of drovers, and occasional deaths,

render the expense equal to three guineas for every

bullock sent to market. By means of the Rail

‘ See, for information on this head, “ The Advantages of

Railways to Agriculture,” by C. W. Johnson.

87

ways, however, this great waste of property, toge

ther with the large amount of suffering entailed

lupon the cattle, would be prevented; for they

might then be slaughtered in the country, and

dispatched at once to the London markets:*

whereby, too, a further saving would be effected;

for it is now necessary that the skins, horns, and

other parts available for manufacturing purposes,

should again be carried back to various parts of the

country to be converted; whereas the cost of this

transit would then of course be saved.

At this moment there are in England, it is

computed, about 1500 miles of Railway in progress

in various directions; by means of which,—-al

though it is to be wished, perhaps, that, in the first

instance, the different lines had been arranged

more advantageously in relation one to another,-—

a wonderfully increased facility of communication

will be effected. Among the most important of

these must be regarded the great lines connect

ing the metropolis with Birmingham, and, through

4* Mr. W. Warner, a farmer, said, before a Committee of

the House of Commons, when examined on this point, that if

the London and Birmingham Railway had been made many

years ago, it would have saved him fifty pounds a-year in the

transport of lambs, alone.

It may be mentioned, while on this point, that when the

cattle are killed in the heated and diseased state consequent

on a long journey, the meat quickly becomes tainted ,- so that

much food is wasted in London every day, for which, of course,

the consumer of that which is not wasted pays.

38

Birmingham, with Liverpool and Manchester; with

the Midland Counties; with Bristol; and with

Southampton ; and the important line, although of

trifling extent, which will unite the greater num

ber of these with the Thames, and with one

another, known as the “Birmingham, Bristol, and

Thames Junction.” We know little of the direct

ors of these various lines; we know not at all

whether the undertakings be conducted econo

mically and wisely—(to these points let the share

holders and the public look)——but this we do know,

that, if properly managed, not only Will they

render all that permanent service to the country

which, we have attempted to shew, Railways

must ever yield, but they will afford an abundant

return for the capital invested. The journey to

Liverpool will occupy, even in the present state

of locomotive science, hardly ten hours! to

Bristol, five hours; and to Southampton, three

hours. The union effected between the Liverpool

and Southampton lines, by means of the “ Thames

Junction Railway,” will open a communication be

tween the interior of England and France; and

shoals of our countrymen, who are now deterred

by the expense from visiting foreign countries, will

then be induced to travel, and So to correct old

prejudices, and enlarge their ideas. Another line,

which is projected, to pass through South Wales,

\and thus to afford a speedy communication with

Ireland, will open, if carried into execution, new

39

markets for Irish produce and English manufactures ;

while it will enable us at the same time to obtain

in the metropolis cheap coals from South Wales:

as we should also from Staffordshire.*

When we begin to speak of the advantages

which will result to society from the vast improve

ment in the means of transit afforded by Railways,

they present themselves in such numbers, and in

such widely different situations, that we hardly

know which to mention first, and which to omit

altogether-the power of quickly concentrating a

military force, and the probability, therefore, that

they would lead to the reduction of the standing

army; or, the improved health of the inhabitants of

our island, by affording ready means for obtaining

change of air. Among other advantages of steam

transport, it has been urged by some, that the

million of horses said to be now employed in

Great Britain to convey travellers, will be no

longer needed, and that the land which was neces

sary for their support would then produce corn for

men. Analogy, however, leads us to believe, that

no reduction in the number of horses now main

* The public are not generally aware, that Railways are not

confined to the traffic carried on by the companies by whom they

were constructed; but, like turnpike-roads, are open to any

individual who may choose to start a locomotive engine, and pay

such tolls as are determined on by the Act of Parliament. This

will, of course, prevent overcharge on the part of the original

company.—See the various Railway Acts.

4O

tained would take place: and, indeed, experience

gives strength to the inference ; for, between Man

chester and Liverpool, although there is now no

direct coach, the increased number of travellers

has rendered so many more coaches necessary on

the cross roads, and for short distances on the

line, that more horses are employed there at

this time than were so formerly.

Independently, too, of the great improvements

which will be brought about when a perfect system

of these roads shall be established throughout the

country, one can hardly estimate the immediate

good which will be done by the mere operation

of constructing them—the employment afforded

to labourers; the circulation of so much capital

as they will necessarily put into motion; and

the impetus given to scientific investigations and

discoveries.*

We must not, however, elaborate on any of

* The amount of capital estimated to be necessary for the

completion of the Railways at present projected, is so large

(perhaps fifty millions), that some have feared lest so great a

change of investment should produce serious commercial incon~

venience. This, however, is very improbable. Dr. Lardner

has stated (History of the Steam Engine, p. 359), that the

accumulation of capital in this country is so great, that the

difficulty, probably, will be greater to find suitable investments

than to meet engagements. In Manchester alone, he says, the

annual increment on capital is no less than three millions; and

every inquiry we have made tends to shew that even a much

larger sum might have been stated with safety; so that, when

41

these points—we must not shew how much talent

will be developed by the demand for it, which the

construction of Railways will insure, nor dilate

(although we should do so right willingly) upon

the architectural embellishment to the country which

they may be made to afford, or we should run the

risk of fatiguing our readers, weighty and interest

ing as the subject is. To say nothing of the means

of decoration afforded by the viaducts, bridges,

approaches, and depots appertaining to Railways

themselves, a great improvement would be effected

in our domestic architecture, as we should, in

many cases, be able to use stone—the cost of

transport being lessened, places now remote being

brought together—instead of brick. There is,

however, one point in connexion with Railways—

one result—to which we have not alluded, but

which, from its all-involving importance, demands

from us, before concluding, a separate notice.

We speak of the amazing improvement which will

necessarily be brought about in the habits and morals

of the rural population—the cultivation of taste,

and the diffusion of knowledge, through the general

intercommunication which will then take place.

“ Whilst population,” says Dr. Lardner, “ exists in

detached and independent masses, incapable of

transfusion amongst each other, their dormant

we remember, too, that the capital for these undertakings will

be required only in small portions, and at distant periods of

time, little fear need be entertained on this head.

42

\L

affinities are never called into action, and the most

precious qualities of each are never imparted to

the other. We have, accordingly, observed, that

the advancement of civilisation, and the promotion

of intercourse between distant masses of people,

have ever gone on with contemporaneous progress,

each appearing, occasionally, to be the cause or

the consequence of the other.“ The result, then,

of the universal communication which Railways

must bring about, even in a moral and philosophical

point of view, will be of the most admirable nature.

Knowledge will be disseminated; the concentration

of intellect and power, now only exhibited in the

metropolis, will be spread abroad indefinitely, and

the moral condition of our species be immeasurably

advanced.

If our views, then, be correct, Railways claim

earnest support alike from the manufacturer and

the agriculturist—the man of science, the man of

capital, and the philanthropist; and would do so,

if no other country in the world yet knew their

advantages. This, however, we must remember, is

not the case. Railways are in progress in nearly

all the civilised countries of the globe,——in France,

in Belgium, in Germany, in Russia, and in India.

In America, indeed, more than 3000 miles have

been constructed; and although, so far as excel

lence and effectiveness are regarded, they may not

it “ History of the Steam Engine," p. 234.

43

be compared with those which have been formed in

England, the rapidity with which all this has been

carried into execution demands our admiration. To

retain our pre-eminent position, then, as manufac

turers for the world—a position which our improved

machinery has principally enabled us to maintain

so long, in spite of our enormous debt*—requires

that we should double our endeavours to increase

the facilities of communication throughout the

country; and, even if it were probable that Rail

ways would afl'ord but a small return for capital

expended, instead of a very large one, as expe

rience and calm inquiry assure us they ultimately

willyf we would strongly and sincerely urge

every individual of the society to lend his utmost

aid in establishing and increasing their effective

ness; feeling assured that he would thereby assist,

not merely to maintain the prosperity of his coun

try, but greatly to increase it.

* “ The cotton of India is conveyed by British ships round

half our planet, to be woven by British skill in the factories of

Lancashire. It is again set in motion by British capital, and,

transported to the plains whereon it grew, is repurchased at a

cheaper price than that at which their coarser machinery enables

them to manufacture it themselves.”—Economy of Machinery,

ut supra.

1‘ The shareholders in the Manchester and Liverpool Rail

way have received ten per cent annually, notwithstanding the

enormous outlay required; and 1001. shares now (1837) sell

for 230l. To the shareholders of the Stockton and Darlington

line the usual return has been eight per cent.

44

Whether, in some cases, Government should

not be called on to assist in their construction, is

a question on which, although deserving of the

most serious consideration, we will not now enter.

Certainly, however, no wise or prudent Government

would throw any unnecessary impediment in the

way of their formation, or increase the enormous

expenses which, even under favourable circum

stances, are incurred in obtaining an Act of Par

liament, by any opposition on account of mere

technical objections, or the influence of individualsfi'E

We must, however, now conclude this brief paper.

Although much too feeble for the importance of

its subject, it has been written in all sincerity of

purpose, and with a full conviction of the amazing

advantages that must result to the whole popu

lation of the kingdom, by the increased facility of

communication which will be obtained if a perfect

* It may not be out of place here, to allude to the course

oftentimes pursued by those individuals who have property

likely to be required for a projected improvement, with a view

to enhance the value of their assent, and so to extort a greater

price for their land; and one cannot observe without regret,

that the higher the rank-or influence of the proprietor, the more

exorbitant, usually, is the demand, because of the greater

power his wealth, rank, and consequent influence, give him to

enforce the demand. Every individual should be paid liberally

for that which he is compelled to sell; but surely it is beneath

the character of a gentleman to use his position in society,

and his power through its influence, as a means to extort

money.

45

system of Railways be established throughout the

country. The anticipation alone, of such a con

summation, fills us with delight: nor, indeed, can

we contemplate unmoved the glorious prospect

Which will be opened to the world. if merely the

vast and important works now in progress—(works

with which the useless Egyptian pyramids, or the

justly vaunted remnants of old Rome’s magnifi

cence, will not be able to endure comparison)—

be carried into execution. The length of our

lives, so far as regards the power of acquiring in

formation and disseminating knowledge, will be

doubled; and we may be justified in looking for

the arrival of a time, when the whole world will

have become as one great family—speaking one

language, governed in unity and harmony by like

laws, and adoring one G01).

THE END.

LONDON:

rRiNTED BY J. MOYES, CASTLE s'rnnn'r, LEICESTER SQUARE.

Llrl' >‘ "Y

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extensive and delicate works of public and private utility.

The second division is assigned to Constructive Mechanics and Machinery,

practically considered, in connexion with the domestic concerns of society, and

the arts and manufactures, as at this time cultivated.

l. The MECHANICS or FLurns, or Hydrodynamics, comprise those truths

which explain the, peculiarities of equilibrium and motion among fluid bodies,

especially such as are heavy and liquid.

As that branch of natural philosophy which points out and explains the

properties and affections of fluids at rest, it comprehends the doctrine of pres

sure,—specific gravity,—equilibrium,——together with the circumstances attend

ing the positions of equilibrium and the stability of floating bodies, with the

phenomena of cohesion and capillary attraction.

As that other branch of natural philosophy and practical science, which

points out and explains the motions of such fluids as have weight and are

liquids, it investigates the means by which such motions are produced,—the

laws by which they are regulated,—the discharge of fluids through orifices of

various dimensions, forms, and positions,—the motions of fluids in pipes, livers,

and canals,-and the force or effect which they exert against themselves, or

against solid bodies which may oppose them; the effects of water in giving

motion to machinery, under various circumstances and modes of application ; the

resistance which it opposes to boats, and other vessels, employed for the purposes

of inland navigation, as well as its resistance to ships at sea; and moreover,

the Mechanics of Fluids, practically considered, enable us to investigate and

apply a vast number of maxims and principles, upon which depend the con

struction and efficiency of various engines, and other apparatus, employed in

the arts, manufactures, and domestic concerns of society; together with that

extensive class of mechanical combinations displayed in the operations of

Hydraulic Architecture.

2. HYDRAULIC ARCHITECTURE, comprising the theory of construction and

scientific description of engines employed in working mines; the mechanical

principles of water-wheels and of water-works, in the domestic supply required

by cities and towns; the erection of light-houses, piers, and jetties; the con

struction of docks, harbours, breakwaters, embankments, canals, and aqueducts;

the principles of viaducts, rail-roads, and stone, wooden, and iron bridges,

actually constructed. In this view, Hydraulic Architecture presents an im

posing subject for the application of mathematical science to the experiments

and successful undertakings of practical men; and handled as we purpose to

do, it will offer results which concern, not only the profession of the engineer,

and those to whom the sea itself, the bowels of the earth, and fertilizing rivers,

offer a perennial source of power, that can be very generally applied; but

which interest all men in a country that gives employment to thousands of

industrious mechanics, honourably and profitably employed in their various

laborious avocations. . ,

2

3. The second division of the Gallery of Practical Science, 'which will

comprise constructive mechanics and machinery, accompanied by descriptive

and graphic illustrations, and classed with immediate reference to the general

principles which regulate the use of machinery, in the various processes which

it may have been contrived to effect, offers to the public a work of decided

superiority over mere description, though arranged in alphabetical order, as

works on mechanical science have hitherto been compiled.

By the plan we pursue, the different powers or forces employed in giving

motion to machinery, whether that power be human strength, the force of

brute beasts, or of wind, water, or steam, together with the forces which retard

or circumscribe its action, whether friction, rigidity, or resistance, will receive

ample scientific illustration. And in the descriptive and constructive matter

which we shall introduce, respecting the various methods of engaging and

disengaging machinery,——of accumulating or regulating power,—increasing

or diminishing velocity,—converting motion from one piece of mechanism to

that of another,-—in the saving of time in natural opera_tions,—in exerting

force for above human power, and on the contrary, in accomplishing operations

too delicate for human toucb,-—in economizing materials,—-in registering and

identifying with mathematical accuracy, as in copying, casting, moulding,

turning, stamping, punching, the elongation or contraction of designs,—we

shall unfold a vast treasure, which concerns not merely those who may be

employed in erecting extensive and difficult works, of public utility or of

private speculation, but we shall place at the disposal of practical men, a

repository of invaluable principles, originating in the unrivalled skill and

ability of ingenious men of all countries, who have devoted their talents and

fortunes to the construction ofmachinery, and the manufacturing commodities

which contribute to the utility, comfort, and luxuries of life, and give daily

bread to millions of our fellow men.

Such, in general, are the plan, construction, and contents of the Gallery of

Practical Science,- in which it is designed to confer upon particular branches

of mechanics, systematic arrangement, and that chaste simplicity with which

induction never fails to invest human knowledge; and, in a word, where

calculations do not occur, to make scientific description go hand in hand with

geometrical construction ;—yet, while we take nothing for granted which may

be deduced from a series of mathematical truths and scientific experiments, to

advance in this process no further than where practical results have been

attainable by practical men.

Constructed after this manner, every problem in the more scientific portions

of the volumes will be accompanied by a practical example; and in order

that nothing may be omitted which can render the subject intelligible to the

general reader, the most important formqu of a practical and general nature

are thrown into rules, in words at length; whereby all the arithmetical opera

tions required in the solution of the examples can be performed, without any

reference to the algebraic investigations. This we consider the surest way of

uniting precept with example, and supplying those desiderata which the rapid

progress of mechanical invention so imperatively demands. For, as Mr. Babbage

truly observes, “ it is the science of calculation, which becomes continually more

necessary at every step of our progress, and which must ultimately govern the

whole of the applications of science to the arts of life.”

“ It is a work,” says Dr. Birkbeck, in a letter to the Editor, 18th March,

1837, “ which will accomplish a great desideratum in practical science; for

although there occurs much mathematical investigation, there is nothing

which ought not to be easily understood and thoroughly known, by every

individual who attempts any practical pursuit connected with the subjects which

you have handled. Indeed, I consider this publication an admirable text-book

for engineers of every description ; and also peculiarly adapted for the libraries

and lecture-rooms of mechanics’ institutions.”

London: Published by W. Enwnnns, l2, Ave-Maria Lane; Jonn WEALE,

Architectural Library, 59, High Holborn; J. WILLIAMB, Library of Arts, 10

Charles Street, Soho Square; and may be had of all Booksellers.

I

3

IMPORTANT PRACTICAL WORKS

Fox THE CIVIL ENGINEER, STUDENT, ARCHITECT, AND BUILDER,

PUBLISHING

BY JOHN WILLIAMS,

LIBRARY or FINE ARTS, '10, CHARLES STREET, Souo SQUARE.

RAILWAY PRACTICE.

Nearly ready for publication, in 1 thick 4m. volume, illustrated withfrom 40 to 50 plates,

AN ORIGINAL AND HIGHLY IMPORTANT WORK, TO BE ENTITLED

Railway Practice, by C. S. Brees, C. E.

It is intended to give, in this Work, a series of Original Designs and thorough

Practical Details of Construction, under different circumstances, for Tunnels,

Viaducts, Bridges, 850., in which a suitable and consistent efl‘ect will be studied,

which has not always been attended to in many Engineering Works of merit in

other respects. These Designs will be in various styles of Architecture, and dif

ferent modes of execution.

There will also be a series of Examples, selected from Railways, and other exten

sive Works connected with the Science; together with much useful matter and

data; with a thorough review of every description of Works upon Railways, Canals,

8w. ; the whole forming a most useful volume, particularly at this moment, when

real working Plans, which these may answer for, are necessary in making correct

Estimates for projected Railways,likewise it being a class of art not yet illustrated.

Among the mass of Practical Information contained in this Work, the following

selection forms but a small portion :—

Occupation Bridges in Embankments.—Ditto in Cuttings—Ditto, ditto, Turnpike

Road Bridges—Bridges over Rivers, with various designs for Iron Rails and

Framing.—Viaducts of several descriptions—Retaining Walls. — Ornamental

Bridges.— Culverts, Cuttings, and Embankments. — Permanent Ways, Chairs,

Blocks, Eco—Cutting the Rock, Undersetting, &c.-—Entrance to Railways, Etc. 81.0.

The most important Works on the Birmingham and Great Western Lines will be

given, by express permission; rendering this work by far the most useful on the

subject.

In the press, and very nearly ready—A New Work on Practical Architecture,

By ALFRED Bsnrnonowsw, Ammrncr.

Shortly will be published, in one volume, 8vo., cloth, gold lettered, price ll. 14.,

and consisting of about 500 pages of closely printed letter-press, an entirely new

work, to be entitled,

SPECIFICATIONS FOR PRACTICAL ARCHITECTURE,

ACCOMPANIED BY AN ESSAY ON THE DECLINE OF EXCELLENCE IN THE

STRUCTURE OF MODERN ENGLISH BUILDINGS.

Illustrated by wood-cuts, pointing out practical defects and their remedy, and

exhibiting improvements in construction. This Work will contain Specifications

for the Erection and Repair of almost every description of Buildings ; with Obser

vations upon the Nature, Excellence, and Imperfections of various Materials and

Modes of Construction.

For a detailed account of this useful work, see Mr. Bartholomew’s Prospectus.

Names received until the day of publication at ll. 1s. 5 after which it will be raised

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Nearly ready, price 105. 6d.

THE ARCHITECT’S, ENGINEER’S, AND OPERATIVE

BUILDER'S CONSTRUCTIVE MANUAL,

Being a Practical and Scientific Treatise on the Construction of

, Artificial Foundations for Buildings, Railways, <30.

With a comparative view of the application of Piling and Concreting to such

purpose 3 also an investigation of the'nature and Properties of the Materials

employed in securing the stability of Buildings. To which is added, an Analysis

of the principal Legal Enactments affecting the operations of the Practical Builder;

illustrated by notes of cases occurring in actual practice.

Elegantly printed in one'oolumc 8110., illustrated with cuts.

By CHRISTOPHER DAVY, Arch‘. & C. E.

Thefollowing classification of a few of the more important features of this work will a!

once exhibit its comprehensiveness as u manual to the Architectural Student and Engineer,

and as a work of useful and practical reference, of the highest importance to the successful

operations of the Practical Builder.

1st. On the consideration of the quality of the difl'erent Strata of Earths, and of

the subsoil. 2nd. The construction, calculations, and use of the different varieties

of the Pile Driving Engine, and their effects in the operation. of Piling. 3rd. On

the varieties of Piling, and its application to specific Building purposes. 4th. On the

present use of Concrete, its nature, varieties, and application ; its employment in

important government establishments; valuable experiments relative thereto. 5th.

Comparative view of Piling and Concreting for foundations. 6th. 0n the manu

facture, quality, and employment of Brick, for foundations, &c. 7th. On the

varieties and composition of Mortars and Limes. 8th. On the varieties of Building

Stone, and their employment in foundations. The various subjects comprised in

this work will be further illustrated by useful Tables and Memoranda, collected

together from numerous sources of acknowledged worth, and illustrated with

numerous Cuts.

The Building Act, divested of its legal technicalities, will also be explained,

accompanied by notes and illustrations of such points as are of doubtful import, or

as may appear to require further elucidations, arising from the obscurity with

which certain clauses are worded.

The Publisher feels much pleasure in announcing the above as an entirely original work,

of the greatest utility to the Engineer, the Architect, and the Practical Builder ,- Mr. Davy

being expressly authorised by the Master General of the Ordnance, to give in this work all

the experiments, and highly important results, made under the direction of the Board of

Ordnance at Woolwich.

NEW BRIDGES.

Plan, Elevation, Section, and Parts at large, of the celebrated Wooden Bridge

across the DELAWARE, at Trenton, North America, 8s.

Plans, Elevations, and Sections of the curious Wooden Bridge at SCHAFFHAU

SEN, in Switzerland, built in 1760, by Ulric Grubenman, and destroyed by the

French in 1799; 19 inches by 29. 8s. .

A View of the Upper SCHUYLKILL' Bridge at Philadelphia, span of the Arch

340 feet. 5a.6d.

In the Press,

ELEMENTS OF ARCHITECTURAL CRITICISM,

For the use of Studpnts, Architects, and Reviewers; illustrated with plates, of

the Munich Gallery, 8w. &c., by Josnra GWILT, F.S.A., Author of several

valuable Works.

N. B. GRATIS—A CATALOGUE OF THE BEST PRACTICAL WORKS

ON CIVIL ENGINEERING, MECHANICS, ARCHITECTURE, &c., IVITH

SOME SPLENDID BOOKS OF PRINTS, VERY CHEAP.

MANUSCRIPTS, DRAWINGS, LIBRARIES, 820., PURCHASED ON THE

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UNIVERSITY OF lLLlN

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