New York.-Steamship Augusta, now building for N. York Savannah line. Hull by Wm. H. Webb. Machinery by Stillman, Allen & Co.

Philadelphia.-Steamship Keystone State, for Philada. and Savannah line. Building. Hull by Vaughn & Lynn. Machinery by Merrick & Son.

BOILERS.-Two, return tubular, same as State of Georgia. (See Journal, xxiii. 409.)

Philadelphia.-Steamer Carolina, (destination not given.) Hull by Wm. Cramp. Machinery by Reany, Neafie & Co.

Contents of bunkers,

ENGINES. TWO upright cylinder, geared to the propeller shaft, in the

ratio of

Diameter of cylinders,

BOILERS.-Two "flue and rising return flue."

20 tons.

1 to 24 40 inches.

3 feet.

20 lb per sq in stroke.

21 ft. 3 ins.

8 feet.

66

cylindrical shell,

7 "diam.

Philadelphia. Four coasting steamers now building, (names and destinations unknown.) Hulls, by Byerly & Son. Machinery by Reany, Neafie & Co.

ENGINE. One direct action vertical cylinder, non-condensing.

Diameter of cylinder,

Length of stroke,

Steam pressure,

Cut-off,

(inside)

6 in.

16 feet.

Diameter of chimney,

Number of blades,

Photography:-The Fixation of Colors.*

M. Niepec de Saint-Victor laid before the Academy of Sciences, at the sitting of the 8th of November, daguerreotypes upon which he had succeeded in fixing, in a manner more or less permanent, colors by the camera-obscura. M. Niepec states, that the production of all the colors is practicable, and he is actively engaged in endeavoring to arrive at a convenient method of preparing the plates. "I have begun," he says, "by reproducing in the dark chamber, colored engravings, then artificial and natural flowers, and lastly, dead nature-a doll, dressed in stuffs of different colors, and always with gold and silver lace. I have obtained all the colors; and, what is still more extraordinary and more curious is, that the gold and silver are depicted with their metallic lustre, and that rock-crystal, alabaster, and porcelain, are represented with the lustre which is natural to them. In producing the images of precious stones and of glass we observe a curious peculiarity. We have placed before the lens a deep green, which has given a yellow image instead of a green one; whilst a clear green glass placed by the side of the other is perfectly reproduced in color." The greatest difficulty is that of obtaining many colors at a time; it is, however, possible, and M. Niepec has frequently obtained this result. He has observed, that bright colors are produced much more vividly and much quicker than dark colors:-that is to say, that the nearer the colors approach to white the more easily are they produced, and the more closely they approach to black the greater is the difficulty of reproducing them. Of all others the most difficult to be

* From the London Athenæum, November, 1852.

obtained is the deep green of leaves; the light green leaves are, however, reproduced very easily. After sundry other remarks, of no peculiar moment, M. Niepec de Saint-Victor informs us, that colors are rendered very much more vivid by the action of ammonia, and at the same time this volatile alkali appears to fix the colors with much permanence. These results bring much more near than hitherto the desideratum of producing photographs in their natural colors. The results are produced upon plates of silver which have been acted upon by chloride of copper or some other combination of chlorine. The manipulatory details have not been published, but we understand they are very easy.

For the Journal of the Franklin Institute.

Remarks on Incrustation in the Boilers of the Steamship Isabel.

A few weeks since the steamship Isabel came into this port for repairs of hull and machinery, and to replace her boilers. The boilers have been removed, and are now being cut up; an opportunity has thus been afforded to obtain the accompanying specimen of scale from her boilers, which, in the opinion of the writer, show an extraordinary degree of ignorance or negligence on the part of those persons having charge of her machinery.

If we are not mistaken, this vessel commenced her service in the winter of 1848, and the boilers have therefore been in use three and a half years; the ship plying semi-monthly between Charleston, Havana, and Key West: she is under steam an average of sixteen days per month, for ten months in the year; consequently, the boilers are now to be replaced after about six hundred days' service. The vessel being laid up for two months in each year for a general overhaul and repairs, it is to be supposed that at such times at least the scale is removed; in fact, the number of lamina in one of the pieces forwarded agrees with this supposition: therefore, this accumulation, estimated to amount to about a ton, has been deposited in less than a year.

It is commonly asserted, to exculpate careless engineers, that the water in the vicinity of coral reefs holds in suspension, in addition to the usual constituents of sea water, a quantity of carbonate and sulphate of lime. I am not aware that this assertion has been proved by an analysis of the water; but an experience of four years on board steamships in the Gulf of Mexico, satisfies me that no accumulation of scale to exceed onesixteenth of an inch need be made.

These boilers have common return flues, and there could have been no difficulty in cleaning them, if inadvertently in a careless moment a small deposition had been made; but, unfortunately, many engineers confine their attention to the interior of the furnaces and flues, to the neglect of the interior of the boiler.

The scale averaged three-eighths of an inch thick over the shell, and upwards of half an inch on the flues and connexions; in some places not less than four inches thick: the greatest deposit in the vicinity of the back connexions, where it hung pendant like stalactites.

There can be, I think, no doubt but that this extraordinary accumula

tion was caused by neglecting to blow, and carrying the water at a density approaching saturation. The loss occasioned by this neglect, independent of that caused by the short term of duration of the boilers, cannot be estimated at less than fifty per cent. in fuel; and we can only attribute their exemption from collapse to the thorough manner in which they are braced, and to the fact that the engines were short of steam, and worked it off with such rapidity as to keep the pressure below the point necessary to collapse red hot flues.

Specimen No. 1. Taken from over the furnace; iron in contact with it much injured, and showing evident marks of having been overheated; half an inch in thickness.

No. 2. Taken from an angle of the furnace, at the entrance of the flues; this specimen is completely vitrified; five-eighths thick.

No. 3. Taken from the vertical portion of the shell adjacent to the furnace. This specimen has not been in contact with red hot iron, and presents an entirely different fracture and appearance; five-eighths in thickness.

No. 4. Taken off a flue at the back connexions; presents a crystalline fracture, and marks of having been subjected to great heat; one inch and a quarter in thickness.

Baltimore, Md., August 20th, 1852.

FRANKLIN INSTITUTE.

Proceedings of the Stated Monthly Meeting, January 20, 1852.

Samuel V. Merrick, President, in the chair.

Thomas Fletcher, Vice President.

John F. Frazer, Treasurer.

Isaac B. Garrigues, Recording Secretary.

The minutes of the last meeting were read and approved.

N.

Donations were received from the Royal Astronomical Society, London, Dr. David Dale Owen, U. S. Geologist; The Ohio Mechanics' Institute, Cincinnati, Ohio; T. H. Forsyth, Senate of Pennsylvania; The Legislature of Pennsylvania; Charles Ellet, jr., Esq., Theophilus Code, Esq., and Dr. C. M. Wetherill, Philadelphia.

Donations to the Cabinets from Wm. N. Jeffers, Esq., U. S. Navy, Professors J. C. Cresson and J. H. Alexander, U. S. Commissioners to examine steam boilers, and J. V. Merrick, Esq., Philadelphia.

The Periodicals received in exchange for the Journal of the Institute were laid on the table.

The Treasurer read his statement of the receipts and payments for the month of December; also, his annual statement of the Funds of the Insti

tute.

The Board of Managers and Standing Committees reported their minutes.

The Committee on Publications reported their annual statement of the condition of the Journal of the Institute.