Railways in England.

There are now in England 682 miles of railway completed and in operation, and it is expected that in the course of the present year 650 miles additional will be completed, making altogether 1313 miles of railway, which will be brought into operation before the end of 1840. There will then remain for subsequent completion in England 413 miles, the entire number of miles for which railway Acts have been passed being 1726 miles. The amount to be raised by calls for railway purposes during the present year is calculated to be 5,908,500l., a sum considerably less than was called up during the past year of depression and suffering. The amount remaining to be called for, after 1840, is 3,865,000l., which will complete the capital authorised to be raised for railways in England by Acts of Parliament passed up to the close of last session.

The "Archimedes."

Ib.

We have of late heard frequent inquiries made respecting the important substitution of the screw for paddles, exhibited in the Archimedes, of which we gave an account several months ago. The vessel is now at Dover, competing, in an amicable way, with the Government packets at that station, in which she has been very successful. The saving of fuel by this invention is a matter of great importance, and we understand that in all the trials, the screw has never once been out of order. The Archimedes, it is said, would have made any difficult passage, such as that from Liverpool to Dublin, during the winter, in as little or less time than the best steamer upon the station, and with half the fuel, because she would have often gone quicker by sailing than others by steaming. She is stiff under canvass, and sails beautifully-the screw being no impediment. The inactivity of the company for so many months was occasioned by the repeated accidents to the engine, and not by any difficulties about the invention itself.

Ib.

Wealth in Russia.

M. de Tiszkiewicz, the richest landholder in Russian Lithuania, died a short time since. The St. Petersburgh papers inform us that he left to his three sons 2,000 villages, containing more than 60,000 serfs, and in ready money 10,000,000 crowns, and that it was this gentleman who was said to have refused the hand of his daughter to Duke Alexander of Wurtemberg, who afterwards married the Princess Marie d'Orleans. His daughter has since married Prince Sapicha, and had 2,000,000 of crowns for her dowry. A letter from St. Petersburgh says-"This gentleman's property comprised 46 extensive domains, on which there are 20,000 families of peasantry, reckoning in them 60,000 males. In money he possessed 56,000,000 Polish florins, equal in French money to 21,600,000 francs. He had had six children, of whom three sons, besides his daughter, survive him. The eldest, according to the laws of Lithuania, inherits the whole of this immense wealth. He, however, has assigned one-fourth to be equally divided between his two brothers.

Galignani's Messenger.

SEPTEMBER, 1840.

Angles reckoned to the right or LUNAR OCCULTATIONS FOR PHILADELPHIA, westward round the circle, asseen in an inverting telescope. For directvision add 180°

Maximum height during the month. 84.00 on 26th.
Minimum a

16

29.00 on 9th.

Barometer.

30.35 on the 28th.

S

to

of

to

JOURNAL

OF THE

FRANKLIN INSTITUTE

OF THE

State of Pennsylvania,

AND

MECHANICS' REGISTER.

AUGUST, 1840.

Practical and Theoretical Mechanics and Chemistry.

Arts and Artisans at Home and Abroad: with sketches of the progress of Foreign manufactures. By JELINGER C. SYMONS, Esq., one of the assistant Commissioners on the hand-loom inquiry, &c.

[CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10.]

Facts from the Factories, and Sketches of the Produce in Switzerland and Austria.

Switzerland. The following was the number of spindles (almost all mules) in the cotton factories of Switzerland in May, 1836, when a census

was taken:

Since that period, from 30,000 to 40,000 spindles have been put into activity; and there are at this time mills building, in the neighbourhood of St. Gall chiefly, which, when completed, will contain from 100,000 to VOL XXVI. No. 2.- AUGUST, 1840.

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