effect of the peculiar wording of a patent. ordinary laws are followed.

In such cases the

Any action, however, based upon want of novelty of the invention, or in the case of importation, upon the fact of the importer not being qualified, where it is not necessary to decide between two patentees, belong to the political authorities.

ART. 28. Any patentee, who believes himself aggrieved by infringement, can appeal to the tribunal within whose jurisdiction the residence of the defendant may be. When it relates to an invention, of which the description has remained secret, the infringer (should it be his first offence) will be ordered to abstain from the further manufacture or sale of the article patented. In case of a repetition of the offence, or of manufacturing the article of which the description has been entered in the register of patents, the complainant can demand the immediate seizure of the counterfeit article, whether it be in the hands of the manufacturer or in those of a third person, even should it have been imported from a foreign country. The judge must, to the utmost of his power, maintain the privilege. He must follow the laws of the code, and must observe, as far as analogy will admit, the spirit of the laws respecting seizures and injunctions. He must take care that no irreparable damage be needlessly caused to the defendant; and he must only put those precautionary measures in force which may have been ordered for the benefit of the plaintiff, when they are applicable to the article forming the subject of the dispute.

ART. 29. The infringer of a patent, of which the description has not been published, will, for the first offence, be ordered to abstain, for the future, from the manufacture of the article patented. In case of a repetition of the offence, the penalty will be a fine of not more than one hundred ducats, one-half of which is to go to the patentee, and the other to the poor of the district, aud the counterfeit articles will likewise be awarded to the party aggrieved.

ART. 30. The regulations of the ordinance of December 8th, 1820, are revoked (without prejudice to any rights created thereby) from the date of the present law, and also the lations, published subsequently, for its execution.

(Signed)

regu

FRANCIS.

Vienna, 31st March, 1832.

Scientific Notices.

REPORT OF TRANSACTIONS OF THE INSTITUTION OF CIVIL ENGINEERS.

(Continued from page 249, Vol. XXII.)

June 21, 1842.

JAMES SIMPSON in the Chair.

"The History of the Canal of Katwyk, (Holland,) with a Description of the principal Works."

By the Chevalier F. W. Conrad; translated by Charles Manby Secretary, Inst. C. E.

This communication is divided into three parts:-1, The introduction; 2, The history of the Canal of Katwyk; and 3, A description of the principal works.

1. The introduction gives the general outline of the locality of this canal, which is probably one of the most useful and extensive works undertaken in Holland, for the purpose of draining the lowlands, and rendering them capable of cultivation; it is carried in a north-east direction from the village of Katwykbinnen through the sand-banks to the North Sea, where it is terminated by five sea locks. It was undertaken for the purpose of draining the district called "Rhynland," a succinct account of which is given, with details of the early attempts at draining, such as the embankments of Marendyk, those of Spaarndam, &c., tracing them up to the time of Count William the Second, king of the Romans, in the year 1253; at which period the level of the district was identical with that of medium tide, and each "Polder" (or spot of cultivated land) was separately protected from the spring tides by an embankment; a change has occurred in the relative levels, whether by the sinking of the land or the elevation of the sea, is, it appears, a subject of dispute, but it is certain that the level of the river Y, and of the Zuyder Zee, is now much above that of the Rhynland district. The natural consequence of this change, has been to increase the demand for artificial drainage by canals, and of windmills for pumping, and

VOL. XXII.

2 I

also the establishment of local boards of direction, whose duty is the superintendence of the works for the protection of the lowlands.

The district of Rhynland contains 127,000 bonniers or 317,500 English acres, which is thus divided:

The drainage is effected by two hundred and sixty-eight windmills, working scoop wheels or Archimedean screws.

Within this district, is included the Lake of Haarlem, which alone extends over 18,000 bonniers or 45,000 English acres; the drainage of it is now commenced, and will restore a tract of very valuable land.

The enumeration of the original locks at Spaarndam and other places, is given, showing their incapacity for carrying off the waters, particularly when unfavorable winds prevented their free current into the Y, and hence the necessity for the canal of Katwyk, and the choice of that particular spot, which is not affected by the prevailing winds.

2. The historical portion of the memoir, treats of the naturally unfavorable position of the district for drainage; it mentions a project for a canal at Katwyk in the year 1404, as related by Professor Lulofs, on the authority of the historian Van Mieris; and enumerates all the various examinations of the levels, the projects of tunnels, canals, &c., the appointment of numerous committees, the local opposition to the several plans, the repairs of the embankments, which had become so expensive that the landholders abandoned their estates, rather than pay the cost of preserving them; the attempt to form a small canal through the sandbanks, which was either closed by a heavy storm or was suffered to fall to decay; and the effect of the siege of Leyden by the Spaniards in 1573-4, when, instead of draining the country, every attempt was

made to cause an influx of the waters to annoy the invading army. It appears that, subsequently, the expense of renewing the hydraulic works would have been so considerable, that they were in a great measure abandoned for a time. In 1627, attention was again given to the subject, and Katwyk was pointed out as the only spot for an effectual system of drainage. The map by Bolstra, which the author promises to send, shows all the plans with great precision.

The reports are then given of all the various engineers and scientific men, on the drainage of the Lake of Haarlem, in all of which the Canal of Katwyk is a principal feature. The very able tract by Mr. Twent, on the state of the drainage of Rhynland, and the necessity for a canal at Katwyk, is mentioned as one of the principal causes for its final construction. After the publication of this tract, Mr. Brunings, in the year 1802, caused the nomination of Mr. Conrad (the father of the author) and Messrs. Blanken, Jun., and Kros, to report upon the project; which they did with such effect, that, in May, 1804, it was ordered to be executed by the reporters, under the superintendence of Mr. Brunings, the director-general of the "Waterstaat ;" the plan selected being that which was laid down by Mr. Conrad, In August of the same year, the works were commenced, and in 1805, were so far advanced, that in June the first stone of the inner lock was laid ; Mr. Conrad, who, in consequence of the death of Mr. Brunings, had assumed the chief direction, carried on the works with such activity, that they were entirely finished by the month of October, 1807, without the occurrence of any accident, although they had to support several very severe storms during their progress. On one occasion, just as the masonry of the locks was finished, the level of the tide was raised by a storm 2.36 metres (2·54 yards) higher than usual, carrying away the external cofferdam, but such was the solidity of the masonry, that it resisted perfectly.

A steam-engine was fixed for pumping up a head of water for scouring the sand from the exterior canal; and the final opening of the canal took place with great ceremony on the 21st October, 1807, when a medal was struck to commemorate the event, a copy of which is given by the author to the Institution.

Mr. Conrad made a series of experiments which completely proved the efficacy of the works, and then was carried off within the short space of three months, from the termination of his successful labours, which will hand down his name to posterity, as

the projector and executor of one the most useful engineering works on record.

A slight sketch is then given of the origin of the Lake Haarlem, the causes of its extension, and the works already executed in anticipation of its eventful drainage.

The third part consists of a detailed description of the principal works at Katwyk, with their dimensions, and the necessary references to the drawings which accompany the paper.

The length of the canal from the Rhine to the sand-banks near the lock, is 2260 metres (2471.53 yards) of an average depth of 2.20 metres (2·40 yards) beneath the conventional height of tide for the kingdom of Holland, from which all tidal measures are taken; it corresponds with the average tides of the river Y :—the common tide at Katwyk, falls 0·60 metres (0.65 yards) below, and rises 1.02 metres (1·115 yards) above that standard.

From that lock to the next, is 490 metres (535.86 yards) of the same depth; the additional canal is 1108 metres (1211.70 yards) long; the widths at the standard level vary between 13 and 40 metres, (14.21 and 43.74 yards) and the side slopes, which are all puddled and covered with turf, vary between 1 to 1 and

3 to 1.

The outer canal, which has been made chiefly by scouring, is 151 metres (165 13 yards) long, to low water mark, at a depth of 0.47 metres (0·5139 yards); below that point, it is 37.67 metres (41.19 yards) wide, and the sides are constructed of fascines covered with stone.

The principal works enumerated are,1st. The sea locks, (buiten sluis.)

2nd. The interior lock, (binnen sluis.)

3rd. A bridge of three arches at the sea locks, with balance gates and rising sluices.

4th. A bridge of two arches over the canal in the Noord

wykerweg.

The five sea locks are each 19.78 metres (21.63 yards) long and 3.77 metres (4-12 yards) wide; with the mouths of the outfall culverts 1.88 metres (2.05 yds.) below the standard tide level. They are founded upon piles of red and white deal, with sleepers, and the whole faced and covered with deal plank sheathing.

The masonry of the foundations and of the principal part of the construction, is of blue limestone from Escosine, squared and well bedded. A hard stone, called "klinkers," is also much