168 LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC NOTICES. AFRICA. By some late accounts received from Tripoli, we find that Mr. Laing had reached Gadamas in November, and calculated on being at Timbuctoo, by the 10th of December. At the French Academy of Sciences, in January last, was presented, by M. Geoffry Saint Helaire, a human monster, which has just been discovered in a collection of animal mummies, forming part of a splendid cabinet of antiquities, recently imported from Egypt, by that able artist and antiquary, M. Passalacqua. This monster belongs to the class known by the name of amencephalous, characterised by the complete privation of the brain and spinal marrow; and exceedingly interesting, first as questioning of the Cartesian philosophy, that thought is generated in the brain; and, secondly, as opposed to the more recent theory of the origin of the nerves in the cerebral and vertebral pulp. A new work is announced as being in the press, from the pen of Dr. Henderson, author of "A Residence in Ireland," termed Biblical Researches and Travels in Russia, including a Tour in the Crimea, and the Passage of the Caucasus; with observations on the State of the Rabbinical and Karaite Jews, the Mahomedans, and the Pagan Tribes, inhabiting the southern provinces of the Russian Empire. In a few days will be ready, in a large octavo volume, embellished with a coloured plate, Letters from the East, written during a recent Tour through Turkey, Egypt, Arabia, Palestine, Syria, and Greece, by John Carne, Esq. of Queen's College, Cambridge. PARIS.-It has been long in contemplation to convert Paris into a Port, by means of a canal, which is to be fed principally by the Seine River; the project is still in agitation, and some of the French journals are discussing the best means of bringing to bear an object of so much commercial importance. A monument to the memory of the late General Sir Thomas Picton, designed by Mr. Nash, has recently been erected near Carmarthen. The plan is extremely simple, and produces a fine effect; this erec tion will perpetuate the fame of this gallant soldier, to the land which gave him birth. In the Bombay Journals of August, we find some account of a Chevalier Rienzi, who had arrived at Bombay, by way of the Red Sea, after traversing the three Arabias being the first European who had visited the country between Mount Sainen and Assab, and the vicinity of the ancient Adulis. During his journey he made a fine collection of antiquities, natural history, and other subjects of great curiosity. AMERICAN EXPEDITION. - Captain Beachy is now in the Pacific Ocean, with the vessels under his command. The objects in view, are surveys of coasts at present little known, and ultimately to pass Behring's Straits, for the purpose of joining Captain Franklin. Mr. John H. Brady, author of the "Varieties of Literature," is making great progress with a work, on "The Derivation of the names of the principal market towns, and remarkable villages in every county in England," with notices of local antiquities, historical and topo graphical anecdotes. DIORAMA. The view of Rouen, which we mentioned some time back to be in preparation, is now exhibiting to the public. The prospect is taken from the high ground about a mile from the city, on the road from Faris. Our limits will not allow us to describe this delightful scene; we can only say, that the artist has been alike happy in his choice of subject as in its execution, and perhaps there are few prospects that afford so much scope for his extraordinary talent as those in the neighbourhood of this city. The effect of sunshine, and its transition to a shower and a rainbow, is truly admirable. The second scene, is the interior of the magnificent chapel of Roslyn, by'day. light, in which the rays of the sun, occasionally breaking through the gothic arches, produce an effect of grandeur and indeed sublimity, that we do not rememher to have ever before witnessed upon canvas, THE London JOURNAL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES. No. LXVI. Recent Patents. TO ROBERT STEPHENSON, of Bridge Town, in the Parish of Old Stratford, in the County of Warwick, Engineer, for his Invention of Axletrees, to remedy the extra friction on Curves to Waggons, Carts, Cars, and Carriages used, or to be used on Rail Roads, Tramways, and other Public Roads. [Sealed 23rd January, 1826.] MR. ROBERT STEPHENSON, late of Newcastle-uponTyne, is the engineer who projected and casi uto effect that extraordinary work the Hetton Calier, and constructed the various ingenious mechan" contrivances for conveying the coal from the pinouth along a line of railway of about eight miles ex over hills and dales, to the town of Sunderland. In the course of this, and other similar works, Mphenson frequently noticed the immerse tration pr by the wheels of the loaded carriages upon the rails at those parts of the line where the road turned or curved, which induced him to consider of some method of preventing this inconvenience, and the result has been the simple but effective contrivance which constitutes the subject of this patent. We shall not here enlarge upon the existing evils above mentioned, or the advantages of the plan proposed to remedy them, the patentee having communicated to us a few practical observations relative thereto, which are given in the original communications of the present number; to these we refer our readers, and proceed to explain the principles of the invention. The specification commences by stating, that the merits of this invention, will be best understood by first observing, that whenever the railway deviates from a straight line, the opposite wheels of a carriage running thereon, must necessarily pass over different extents of surface, that is, the outer wheels must traverse over a longer line than the inner wheels. To accommodate, therefore, the different velocities with which the opposite wheels must move when running upon curved parts of the line of railway, the wheels have been frequently attached loosely upon fixed axles, but this has allowed of some little freedom or play, and consequently the action of the wheels could not be confined to the precise limits of the parallel rails, without enlarging the breadth of the peripheries of the wheels, or the breadth of the rails, and hence increasing their weight and cost. The most convenient mode, therefore, has been found to fix the running wheels of the carriages upon revolving axles; but here the inconvenience of friction presents itself, as in passing over curves the outer wheels must consequently be dragged or made to slide forward upon the rail, and the wearing away by the wheels of the loaded carriages upon the rails at those parts of the line where the road turned or curved, which induced him to consider of some method of preventing this inconvenience, and the result has been the simple but effective contrivance which constitutes the subject of this patent. We shall not here enlarge upon the existing evils above mentioned, or the advantages of the plan proposed to remedy them, the patentee having communicated to us a few practical observations relative thereto, which are given in the original communications of the present number; to these we refer our readers, and proceed to explain the principles of the invention. The specification commences by stating, that the merits of this invention, will be best understood by first observing, that whenever the railway deviates from a straight line, the opposite wheels of a carriage running thereon, must necessarily pass over different extents of surface, that is, the outer wheels must traverse over a longer line than the inner wheels. To accommodate, therefore, the different velocities with which the opposite wheels must move when running upon curved parts of the line of railway, the wheels have been frequently attached loosely upon fixed axles, but this has allowed of some little freedom or play, and consequently the action of the wheels could not be confined to the precise limits of the parallel rails, without enlarging the breadth of the peripheries of the wheels, or the breadth of the rails, and hence increasing their weight and cost. The most convenient mode, therefore, has been found to fix the running wheels of the carriages upon revolving axles; but here the inconvenience of friction presents itself, as in passing over curves the outer wheels must consequently be dragged or made to slide forward upon the rail, and the wearing away |