and Italy, and obtain what information he could respecting the raising and management of the worms, and the preparation of the raw material, has just returned, after an entirely successful tour. We are promised some full details of the result of his inquiries at a future time. In the mean while, we lay before our readers a few incidental facts, which will be reeeived with interest. to inspect the silk manufactures of France | seeds. Much of the Chinese mulberry. ||able circumstances, which may probably Morus Multicaulis, brought to this country, exist 15 to 20 days longer, among other emis heated in ovens by the Chinese, so as to ployments of my painful time, is the transdestroy its vitality; and this is the general ||lation of certain portions of Volney's Jour occasion of its failure to vegetate. We ney through Egypt and Syria, augmented shall wait with interest for further commu-by notes of the Havana translator, in the nications from Mr. Whitmarsh, on a sub- Spanish edition of 1830, published in Paris. ject so important to the agricultural I send you now, in English, the 5th chapter, community, and to the whole country; On the Climate and Air of Egypt;" and and are happy that the enterprise has been hereafter will inform you of the application undertaken by so exact and intelligent an I shall make of the facts it contains. He says decidedly, that every thing which observer; and one, too, who has so deep a Very respectfully, he has seen and learnt, favors the cultiva-personal interest in the concern. H. C. Your ob't. serv't., tion of silk in this country; that it may April, 26, 1836. ultimately become one of the most important interests of the country; and will satisfy all reasonable expectations. As it respects climate and labor, two points in regard to which there has been much scepticism, we have a decided advantage. From the New-York Farmer. HENRY PEMNE. The climate of Egypt is justly considered very hot, as in July and August the therPEEKSKILL, 27th April, 1836. mometer of Reaumure steadily indicates Dear Sir: A method of preserving ap- 25° above the freezing point. 1 The proxples, in this section of the country, has been imity of the sun a(which in summer is almost introduced to some extent, which ought to perpendicular) is doubtless the principalcause be universally known. As I have not ob- of so much heat; but when we consider served that it has been noticed in any agri- that other countries, under the same paral cultural or other paper, I give it to you, that||lel of latitude, are cooler, we discover a secyou may make such use of the information as you may deem proper. The method is as follows: ond cause as efficacious as the first; and that is, the small elevation of the surface over the level of the sea. In respect to temperature, there ought not to be distin As it respects labor, though wages and living are extremely low abroad, and the peasantry engaged in the raising of silk live in the most frugal and meanest manner, yet so much more is accomplished by a laborer among us than among them, that the difference in the expense finds more than Take an ordinary flour barrel, and as an equivalent in the superior amount per-much ground plaster or gypsum as will beguished more than two seasons in Egypt, formed. Every thing done abroad in this re required for use, of course dependent way, is done in the most awkward and slovenly manner; the silk, throughout Europe, is cultivated in a small way, in cottages by humble means; and instances are not unfrequent, in which the peasantry travel five and six miles daily to obtain a supply of leaves for their worms. The silk raised on the continent, is of a far inferior quality to that raised in this country; eight pounds of cocoons in this country, yielding a pound of silk, whereas in Europe, twelve pounds are required. This, he thinks, is to be attributed to our climate; the colder the climate, as long as feed can be found for the worms, or to speak in more classic terms, for the operatives, the better the silk. The American silk, therefore, is of a superior quality to the European or the Chinese. the Spring and Summer, i. e. the cool seaupon the quanrity of apples intended to son, and the hot season. The heat continbe thus laid down. Cover the bottom of ues from March to November, and even dythe barrel slightly with the plaster, select ring the latter part of February, the sun at the best and fairest fruit, and place them 9 A. M. is insupportable by an European. singly in the bottom of the barrel, so as not In all this time the atmosphere is scorchto touch each other, and cover them withing, the sky scintillating, and the heat inplaster; and so proceed in the same way, sufferable by those who are not accustomed until the barrel is filled; head up the barrel to it. With the lightest clothing, and in and place it in any dry and proper place. complete repose, one melts into sweat, which The fall pippin has been preserved in this is here so necessary that the least suppresway, until the month of June. I have sion is a disease; so that instead of the orpractised this mode of preserving apples,dinary salute of "How do you do?" one and find it decidedly the best that I have ever tried. There is no difficulty in thus preserving the Newtown pippin, or any other winter apple, through the summer. The apple, when taken out of the plaster, is in a very perfect state, the flavor in no way injured or affected. To the farmer, this is no additional expense, as the plaster can be should rather ask, "How do you sweat?" However, as soon as the sun departs from the zenith, the heat becomes somewhat tempered. The vapors from the grounds inundated by the Nile, and those brought by the North and the West winds, by absorb ing the caloric diffused in the air, produce an agreeable coolness, and even biting cold, if we credit the natives and some European Mr. Whitmarsh has brought with him several kinds of mulberry, to which he de-used upon his land. signs to give a fair trial. The white mul- I should recommend this to be done im-traders; but it must be recollected, that the Egyptians (who travel nearly naked, and are accustomed to sweat,) tremble at the least degree of cold. The thermometer (of Reaumur,) which, in February, maintains an el berry is not used, excepting as furnishing mediately upon gathering the fruit; let the stocks for grafting. The mulberry, which barrels and plaster be taken to the orchard, he thinks is to be preferred to all others, is and laid down in this way as taken from the one known as Muries de Chine, or Chinese tree; it is the least troublesome, and the mulberry; but not the Morus Multicaulis.apples will be longer preserved. The rea-evation of 8 to 9 degrees above the freezing This plant is not yet introduced into France son and philosophy of this method is very point, gives us exact ideas on this subject. or England, but has been long enough in apparent, as the plaster absorbs the mois-It may be said that snow and hail are pheItaly to test its remarkable value. Its ture from the apples, and excludes the at-nomena which have never been witnessed foliage, though not so large as that of the mosphere from the fruit, more effectually by many Egyptians of 50 years of age, Morus Multicaulis, is yet much thicker and than other substance. heavier; and it is comparatively proof against the coldest climate. Respectfully yours, W. N. With respect to the European merchants, they owe their extreme sensibility to the abuse of clothing with furs, which in winter is carried to so great a degree, that they Of this mulberry he has brought a large quantity of the seed, which he warrants as To the Editor of the New-York Farmer and American commonly wear two or three coverings of fox skins, and which, even under the heats of June, induces them to keep on ermine, They pretend that the coolness experi Dear Sir: Still detained here by unavoidenced in the shade is a more than sufficient reason to clothe themselves with such ex-observation: this fertile soil appears to be Perhaps some will judge that Egypt is very unhealthy, in consequence of the excessive heat, and of the marshy state of the country which lasts three months. In fact, this was the first thought which occurred to me on my arrival; and on seeing afterwards, in Cairo, the houses of the European merchants situated along the Kalidj, where the water lies stagnant until the following April, I persuaded myself that the aqueous halitus ought to cause them many diseases; · bu texperience contradicts this presumption, and the emanations from standing water, so noxious in Cyprus and Alexandrietta, do not produce any harm in Egypt. 'To me, the cause appears to be the continued dryness of the atmosphere, which is maintained by the vicinity of Africa and Arabia, where the humidity is incessantly absorbed; and by the perpetual currents of the winds, which encounter obstacles. b In proof of this opinion, is the fact that the flesh of animals, exposed to the North wind, even in summer, far from putrifying, becomes as dry and as hard as a stone. In the desert are found dried corpses, so light, that one man easily lifts with one hand the whole skeleton of a camel.2 Besides this great dryness of the atmosphere, its saline qualities are observed in all parts. The stones are corroded by natron, and in humid spots are found long chrystal ized needles, which may be mistaken for nitre. The well of the Jenuts Garden in Cairo, formed of bricks and earth, becomes covered with a crust of natron as thick as a dollar; and when the beds of the garden have been watered with water of the Kalidj, as soon as they become dry, white chrystals are seen shining on the earth, which could not have been brought by the water, as it gives no indication of salt to the taste nor by distillation. H. P. NOTES OF VOLNEY.-1. The Astronomer Beau- From the Genesee Farmer. THE HESSIAN FLY. One of our new subscribers in Ohio, has expressed a wish to see a dissertation on the Hessian fly, and as it may be accepta. ble to other of our readers, we shall attempt to furnish briefly, the most important of the information which we possess respect ing it. This insect belongs to the order DIPTERA, which includes all those insects having only two wings, and to the genus Tipula. The number of species belonging to this genus are numerous, amounting to more than one hundred and thirty of those hitherto known and described, and as many of these resem ble each, care is necessary in observations on the Hessian fly, that no mistakes are made in identifying the species. The following description of the Hessian fly, (Tipula vaginalis tritici of Mitchill,) is given by Dr. Akerly, in the American Magazine and Critical Review, of August, 1817. It is a very small black insect, not so large as the moscheto of this place, with two fine three ribs diverge, as through the leaf of a transparent wings, from the roots of which, plant. The body, when examined by a microscope, is found to be divided into four segments, with a few hairs observable on transparent; the head inflected, with a short each. The legs are of a yellowish cast, and proboscis." This, in common with nearly all other NOTES OF THE SPANISH TRANSLATOR-The tem- of existence: 1, the egg; 2, the larva, or insects, passes through four distinct stages perature assigned by the Author to Egypt, is exactly the MAXIMUM of the Island of Cuba, CAETERIS PASImaggot; 3, the pupa, or dormant state; BUS, that is, in the shade. The mercury there rarely and 4, the perfect winged insect. In this passes above 25°, even in the hottest months of July part of the country, it passes through two and August. Notwithstanding, in these same months, generations in one season, and attacks the it constantly maintains itself from 23 to 24° at mid-wheat both in the spring and in the autumn. day, without more variations than those naturally pro- The fly, or perfect insect, deposits its eggs duced by the nightly absence of the sun, which causes it to descend sometimes 6o, and when least, 3°: in the autumn, soon after the young plants This note is limited to the conjecture of the Hava-appear above ground, between the lowest effects of the NITRIFICATION caused by the nitrogen the main stem or straw, and as near the na man, that the saline productions noted by, are part of the leaf and that part which forms of the atmosphere; but he does not suggest why or how the nitrogen becomes converted into nitric acid. root as possible. "It resembles, at first, a NOTES OF H. P-a The PROXIMITY OF THE SUN very small white nit, and as it grows larger cannot be the principle cause of the greater heat of becomes a sluggish and almost inanimate summer, if our astronomers tell the truth in saying, maggot, of a white color. In this state, the that the earth is nearer to the sun in winter; nor can proper and most natural food is the sap or it be the cause of the greater heat of any season, or juice of that kind of green wheat which has of any latitude, since, in all parts of the world, and in the most delicate straw." It remains in every day of the year, the nearer the sun that travellers have been on mountains, and eronauts in balloons, this situation through the whole winter, apthe colder have they found the atmosphere. parently in the chrysalis state, without sufduced by the absence or presence of obstacles in the and in the spring, as soon as the weather b The difference in the humidity of climate pro-fering any injury from the frost or snow; course of the winds, is remarkably contrasted by the becomes warm enough, and generally about extreme dryness of the air over the whole great peninsula of Yucatan, and the extreme humidity of the air in the time vegetation has fairly commenced, the adjoining small State of Tabasco. The North and it is transformed into the fly. In this state North-West winds sweep over the level surface of it performs the functions necessary for a Yucatan, from the Mexican Gulf to the Bay of Hon-continuation of its species. It lays its eggs duras, without encountering any elevated obstacle in their flight, and hence the rainy season, as it is called, endures but four months, and will not average more On the contrary, the same winds, which pass over Tathan a shower of an hour to every second or third day. basco, are stopped at its South and South-East boundary by the Chiapian mountains, (a N. E. spur of the great Mexican Cordelleras,) and hence are obliged to precipitate their moisture to so great a degree, that it months, and showers the rest of the year. is a common saying here, that in Tabasco it rains eight c The Havana man adds, that "the analogies be between the straw or stem and the sheath which encloses it, as before described, and dies; and a new generation sueceeds. warmth of the season; and the young inThese eggs are soon hatched by the sects may be discovered in the form of small white maggots, within the sheath of the straw, and just above the lower joints. and tender fibres of the plant, by which it They here continue to feed upon the sap This property of the air and of the earth tween the physical state of Egypt and of Cuba, or of either withers and dies, or is stunted in its joined with the heat, is what communicates, without doubt, to the vegetation an activity almost incredible to the inhabitants of cold climates. Whenever the plants abound in water, they develope themselves with prodigious rapidity. Whoever has been in Cairo or Rosetta, may have satisfied himself that the kind of pumpkin called gara, shoots nearly four inches in 24 hours. I ut let us conclude with a very important the W. I. Islands in general, are so notable, that 1 can- eaten very good peaches produced in ground not seven leagues distant from Havana. Neverthe less, with respect to garden vegetables, they degene rate as much as in Egypt, but with this difference, that the new seeds, instead of producing wrinkled and infirm plants, vegetate with excessive violence, throw out immense leaves, and do not give time sufficient to season the nutricious juices-a circumstance which renders them extremely watery." growth, so that the grain does not arrive at maturity. They are changed into the pupa state before harvest, and at this season, while the wheat is yet green, their presence may be readily detected by walking through the field, and pressing the heads with the fingers; those which feel soft, and unfilled with grains, are those which have been injured by the insect, and if the stalk be ex. *Its body is about one-ninth of an inch in length. + Havens on the Hessian fly, in Bgric. Trans., New York, vol. 1, p. 77. amined they will be found near the lower calamity, it is necessary to avoid the oppo-ripe-then mow it down, and when dry, it joints, somewhat resembling a flax seed, site evil. If the grain is sown too late, there can be drawn into the barn and stamped off but smaller and slenderer, and of a dark will be danger, as is obvious, of its suf- with horses. brown color. They continue in this state fering from the effects of the frost of win- The ground is then in better order for until after harvest, and may be found upon ter, or in other words, of being winter_kil- wheat than it would have been had it lain the stubble in the field. Early in autumn led. Hence a middle course must be adopt-idle. The crop on rich land will be from they pass into their winged state, and layed. It may also be observed, that as there 10 to 15 bushels to the acre. their eggs in the young plants of wheat as is a decided advantage in early sowing before described. where wheat is not attacked by the fly, it would not be advisable where no danger of such attack is to be apprehended, as is the case in some places, to sow late in order to avoid its ravages. When the fly is about to issue from the pupa into the state of perfect insect, it disengages itself by boring a small round hole through the brown case in which it is enclosed, and through the sheath of wheat just opposite to the place where it lodged, and this hole may be easily discovered as long as the stubble remains entire.* If this method of cultivation should suc ceed, I hope some of the fraternity of farmers will contrive to save the flax that grows on the stalk, by cutting it with a cradle or some other way. The above statement is no visionary theory, but has been successfully practised in Seneca county some years past. My information was had from a gentleman of the first respectability, by the name of Stephen Cook, who is a practical farmer, and The best evidence in favor of late sow-has cultivated the above named crop with ing, as a means of preventing injury from sucoess. He resides at Fayette, Seneca the fly, is experience. Among other instan- county. ces, two are related by a correspondent of this paper in Pennsylvania, (vol. 3, p. 321,) who waited till the first autumnal frost, when his grain was sowed and covered as speedily as possible. The result was, that the next harvest he had a good crop of excellent wheat, while his neighbors on each side of him, who sowed earlier, did not reap more than one-fifth of the quantity, and that injured by the fly. The other instance was this:-One half of the wheat crop was first sown, when a heavy fall of rain took place, which retarded the sowing of the rest until dry weather with frost; when it was harvested, the first sown was scarcely worth taking into the barn, while the latter proved an average crop of merchantable wheat. In these instances, the effect of frost in destroying the parent insect, is obvious. With regard to the time of undergoing its final transformation the first time in the season, Judge Havens observes, "The size of the maggot when full grown, and the time necessary to complete its growth, depend in a great degree upon the quantity of nourishment it may obtain from the grain, and the number of maggots that may happen to be on one straw. This, according to the best of my observations, is sɔmewhere between four and six weeks, which will bring the time, in which its growth will generally be completed, to the first part of June. But here the several causes of variation in the time of its being laid in the wheat, and of its completing its growth, both conspire to render this time so various, that some will be full grown, and others transformed into a chrysalis [pupa,] while others are small; and this circumstance Although the autumn fly is considered as has no doubt led many skilful observers to the cause of the far greater part of the missuppose, that there are two complete gen-chief, much injury is often committed by erations of the insect before harvest." The the spring fly. This is more especially second time that the fly issues from the pu- the case where the wheat is sown too late pa, depends also in a great degree, on cir- in the fall, and is not of sufficient vigor the cumstances. "It generally," says Havens, next season to out-grow the effects of the begins about the 20th or 25th of August, injury. This is an additional reason for and continues in a greater or less degree selecting a medium period for sowing. An through the whole month of September, but instance of the efficacy of this course, will by far the greater part of the species are be found on page 81, of the current volume without doubt transformed into a fly, in the of the Genesee Farmer. first part of this latter month." By understanding the history of this insect, we are enabled to apply the means for its destruction, or for escaping its ravages. As it remains upon the stubble in the pupa state after harvest, the first means to be used, is, to destroy the stubble soon after cutting the wheat. This is to be done either by ploughing or burning. If by the former, the pupa is buried in the earth, and is thus prevented from changing to the fly; or if it changes, it cannot escape. Unless, therefore, the stubble be completely buried, the experiment will not succeed, consequently the deeper the ploughing the better. If by the latter, the stubble must be entirely burnt in order that the destruction may be complete, for, as the insect lies near the root, it will escape unless the fire be well applied. But the best method of preventing the mischief occasioned by it, is to sow so late that the wheat will not be above ground until the autumn fly has perished. As the fly is in the state of the greatest activity early in September, the wheat which is up at that season, will be most liable to be destroyed; on the contrary, if the sowing is deferred till a month later, it will in a great measure escape. It is supposed that a single frost will destroy all the insects while in the state of the fly, and if the wheat is not up before such an occurrence, no danger whatever is to be apprehended. In endeavoring, however, to escape one to sow, In conclusion, therefore, we would re- From the Genesee Farmer. LOW GROUND, WITHOUT INJURING THE WHEAT CROP. Plough the ground as early in the spring as practicable, then drag it lengthwise. Then sow not to exceed half a bushel of flax seed to the acre, and harrow it well with a fine toothed harrow. Nothing further need be dene until the seed becomes It is true, the flax will be coarse in consequence of being sown so thin, but it might answer for cordage or coarse cloth. It may be well to add, that the oil makers at Waterloo are in the habit of furnishing seed to the farmers in the spring, and receive the same quantity after it is harvested without interest. Oil makers in other parts would probably be willing to do the same. ABNER F. LAKEY. Palmyra, March 19, 1836. PRESERVATION OF ANIMAL MATTER. At a late meeting of the Asiatic Society, a human hand and a piece of beef, preserved by means of a preparation of vegetable tar, found on the borders of the Red Sea, in the vicinity of Mocha, and a specimen of the tar, were presented by Lieutenant Colonel Bagnold. In an accompanying letter, Colonel Bagnold observed-" During my resi dence as Political Agent on the Red Sea, a conversation with some Bedouin Arabs, in the vicinity of Mocha, led me to suspect that the principal ingredient used by the ancient Egyptians in the formation of mum. mies, was nothing more than the vegetable tar of those countries, called by the Arabs katraan. My first trials were on fowls and legs of mutton, and which, though in the month of July, and the termometer ranging 94° in the shade, succeeded so much to my satisfaction, that I forwarded some to England; and have now the pleasure to send, for the Society's information and inspection, a human hand, prepared four years ago by my brother, Captain Thomas Bagnold. The best informed among the native Arabs think that large quantities of Camphor, myrrh, aloes, and frankincense, were used; these specimens will, however, prove that such were by no means necessary, as the tar, when applied alone, penetrates and discolors the bone. The tar is obtained from the branches of a small tree, or shrub, exposed to a considerable degree of heat, and found in most parts of Syria and Arabia Felix."-[Athenæum.] Naval Gas-Lighting.-A steam vessel is fitting in the river, which is to be lighted with gas, on a plan suggested by Lieutenant Engledue, R. N. Two retors are placed in the fires under the boilers about two hours before dark, which will supply gas sufficient to burn the whole night, lighting the cabins, engine-room, and mast head. This may be fitted at a trifling expense, and without the least danger, the whole apparatus being on deck.. Frequent accidents have occurred from steam vessels not being properly lighted at night.[Lond. Mechanics' Magazine.] Twill be received at the Office of the Commissionere of the Illinois & Michigan Canal, from the 25th of May to The work consists principally of deep excavation, a considerable portion of which is rock, and is well worthy the attention of contractors. Plans, profiles and specifications, giving all the necessary information to those wishing to obtain contracts on this line, may be examined at the Oflice of the Canal Commis sioners, after the 25th of May next; and contractors are Canal. Attest: JOEL MANNING, on letter sheets, can obtain them by applying at the Canal N. B.-Any person wishing to procure copies of the above Office.-Chicago, April 19, 1836. m6 125 PATENT RAILROAD, SHIP AND CHICAGO LOTS. June next, at the Town of Chicago, in the State of All the unsold Town Lots in the original Town of pur will be continued from day to day, until all the Prop- HARTFORD AND NEW-HAVEN RAILROAD. this Railroad is now located, and is expected to be JAMES BREWSTER, Agent. New-Haven, April 27, 1836. m16-31 give it three insertions, and send their bills to James [Editors to whom this is MARKED, are repuested to Brewster, President Railroad Company, COMPANY, incorporated by the State of Delaware, THE NEWCASTLE MANUFACTURING sale, and the residue in three annual instalments, extensive Finishing Shops and Foundries for Brass and purchase money to be paid in advance at the time of with a capital of 200,000 dollars, are prepared to execute in the first style and on liberal terms, at their bearing an interest of six per centum per annum, pay-Iron, situated in the town of Newcastle, Delaware, all able annually in advance." Those who are unacquainted with the situation of the above mentioned Property, are informed that those Lots which are described as belonging to the original Town of Chicago, are situated in the best built and The Troy Iron and Nail Factory keeps con- dry ridge, commencing near the harhor, and extendbusiness part of the Town. Section Fifteen is a stantly for sale a very extensive assortment of Wroughting south, one mile, along the shore of Lake MichiganSpikes and Nails, from 3 to 10 inches, manufactured by the subscriber's Patent Machinery, which after nois and Michigan Canal. By order of the Board of Commissioners of the Illi. five years successful operation, and now almost universal use in the United States, (as well as England, JOEL MANNING, where the subscriber obtained a patent,) are found Treasurer to said Board. superior to any ever offered in market. 13-8t Railroad Companies may be supplied with Spikes having countersink heads suitable to the holes in iron rails, to any amount and on short notice. Almost all the Railroads now in progress in the United States are fastened with Spikes made at the above named factory-for which purpose they are found invaluable, as their adhesion is more than double any common spikes made by the hammer. ** All orders directed to the Agent, Troy, N. Y., will be punctually attended to. HENRY BURDEN, Agent. Troy, N. Y., July, 1831. Attest, PROSPECTUS OF VOLUME II. OF THE CHICAGO AMERICAN, TO BE PUBLISHED SEMI-WEEKLY. orders for LOCOMOTIVE and other Steam Engines, MR. EDWARD A. G. YOUNG, feb 20-ytf Also, AXLES furnished and fitted to wheels com- Also, Flange Tires, turned complete, J8 ROGERS, KETCHUM & GROSVENOR. ALBANY EAGLE AIR FURNACE AND WILLIAM V. MANY manufactures to order, IRON CASTINGS for Gearing Mills and Factories of every description. ALSO-Steam Engines and Railroad Castings of every description. The collection of Patterns for Machinery, is not equalled in the United States, 9-1y IRON. der the old title, but with extended dimensions, the In proposing to establish a SEMI-WEEKLY paper unsubscriber acknowledges the favors of the past, and solicits the continued patronage of a liberal public.The reasons that induced him about a year since to establish his weekly paper, operates with renewed **Spikes are kept for sale, at factory prices, by I. and increasing force in favor of his present design. & J. Townsend, Albany, and the principal Iron Mer- He shall endeavor, as it was originally intended, to chants in Albany and Troy; J.I. Brower, 222 Water make his paper American in all things; and by idenstreet, New-York; A. M. Jones, Philadelphia; T. Janviers, Baltimore; Degrand & Smith, Boston. tifying itself with the interests and circumstances of P. S.-Railroad Companies would do well to for. Chicago-which from a recent wildnerness has adward their orders as early as practicable, as the sub-vanced to a population of thirty-five hundred-and scriber is desirous of extending the manufacturing so of the rich, extensive, and rapidly developing country as to keep pace with the daily increasing demand for of which it is the emporium, he hopes it may "grow his Spikes. with their growth, and strengthen with their strength." 1J23am As a record of passing events, current literature, of the march of agriculture, commerce and manufactures, and especially of the progress of internal improvements, of which this State, by her recent passage of the act for the construction of the "Illinois and Michigan Canal," has commenced her great and auspicious system, it will aim, as ever, to be accurately and early informed, and thus endeavor to consult alike the tastes Wrought Iron Rims of 30, 33, and 36 inches diam. With party, as generally understood, it will have as and wants of the community with which it is identified.eter for Wheels of Railway Cars, and of 60 inches diameter for Locomotive Wheels, little to do as possible. Its politics will be the Constitution-its party, the Country, ARCHIMEDES WORKS. (100 North Moor street, N. Y.) STEPHENSON, No, 264 Elizabeth street, near Bleecker street, RAILROAD COMPANIES would do well to exa-) mine these Cars; a specimen of which may be seen on that part of the New-York and Harlaem Railroad J25tf now in operation. TERMS.-The AMERICAN will be published SEMI- Chicago, March 25, 1836. THOS. O. DAVIS. FLAT BARS in lengths of 14 to 15 feet, counter sunk holes, ends cut at an angle of 45 degrees, with splicing plates and nails to suit. 250 do. of Edge Rails of 36 lbs. per yard, with the requisite chairs, keys, and pins. Axles of 21, 24, 2, 3, 34, 34, and 34 inches in diameter, for Railway Cars and Locomotives, of patent iron. The above will be sold free of duty, to State Gov. ernments and Incorporated Governments, and the drawback taken in part payment. A. & G. RALSTON, 9 South Front street, Philadelphia. Rails, Chairs, Pins, Wedges, Spikes, and Splicing Models and samples of all the different kinds o Plates, in use both in this country and Great Britain, will be exhibited to those disposed to examine them. 4-d7 Imeowr NEW-YORK AND ERIE RAILROAD. TO CONTRACTORS.-Proposals will be reErie Railroad Company, in the village of Binghampceived at the Engineer's Office of the New-York and ton, on and until the 30th day of June next, for gra go, in Tioga County, to the village of Deposit in Delading 69 miles of the Raiiroad, from the village of Owe ware County. Proposals will also be received at the Engineer's Office, in Monticello, on and until the 11th day of July next, for grading 48 miles of the Railroad through the county of Sullivan, extending from the Delaware and Subscriptions and Advertisements for the CH-Hudson Canal up the valley of the Neversink, and CAGO AMERICAN will be received at the Office of the thence to the mouth of the Callikoon Creek, on the Railroad Journal, 132 Nassau street, by PUBLISHED WEEKLY, AT NO. 132 NASSAU STREET, NEW-YORK, AT FIVE DOLLARS PER ANNUM, PAYABLE IN ADVANCE. D. K MINOR, EDITOR.] SATURDAY, MAY 14, 1836. [VOLUME V.-No. 19 PROPOSALS will be received until the tenth day of June next, at the Engineer Office of the Hartford and New Haven Railroad, corner of Collis and East streets, New-Haven, for grading eighteen miles of this Railroad, from New-Haven to Meriden. On and after the 25th day of the present month, maps and profiles of the different sections may be seen at the of fice, together with specifications and plans of the proposed constructions. Contractors not personally known to the Engineer, must accompany their proposals with suitable certificates or recommendations. ALEX'R C. TWINING, Engineer. 19–tj10 May 16, 1836. no experiments related, but those made by the author himself, on a new plan and with new aims; finally, no theory exposed but such as is derived from those experiments. There are 33 distinct Figures or Engra-lished hitherto. No facts will be quoted, cation. INTRODUCTION. There exists no special work on Locomotive Engines. Two writers, Wood and Tredgold,* have indeed, in England, slightly touched upon that matter, but only in a subordinate manner, in treatises on railways; and besides, they both wrote at a time when the art was scarcely beyond its birth. Consequently their ideas, their calculations, and even the experiments they describe, have hardly any relation to the facts which actually pass before our eyes, and can be of no use to such as wish to acquire a knowledge of these engines and their employ on railways. given long ago. Far from this being the case, however, not even the mode of action of the steam in these engines has been elucidated. In the absence of such indispensible knowledge, all theoretical calculations were impossible. Suppositions were put in the place of facts. In consequence, we have seen very able mathematicians propose, on the motion of the piston in steam engines, analytical formulæ, which would certainly be exact, if all things went on in the engine as they suppose; but which not being founded on a true basis, fall naturally to the ground, in presence of facts.From this also results that, in practice, the proportions of the engines have only been determined by repeated trials, and that the art of constructing them has proceeded hitherto in the dark, and by imitation. Locomotive Engines being first of all steam-engines, we cannot advance in the researches we undertake, without solving at the same time the question relating to Many questions had not even been en- steam-engines in general. There is even tered into, others had been solved in a faulty a remarkable point to be observed, which is, manner. New researches on the subject that of all sorts of steam-engines, locomobecame therefore indispensable. This work tive ones are those which in their applicawill, in consequence, be found completely tion have to overcome the least complicated different from any thing that has been pub-resistance, and the most susceptible of a "A Practical Treatise on Railroads, and Interior rigorous appreciation. Communication in general, by Nicholas Wood." First renders them therefore more proper than edition, London, 1825; 2d edition, London, 1832. any others, for furnishing an explanation of general facts common to all those machines. "A practical Treatise on Railroads and Carriages by Thomas Tredgold," London, 1825. This circumstance |