Journal of Factt. 



447 



railways. A slate 2 5 inches thick is found 

 to be as strong as a stone 1 foot thick. 

 A slate of greater thickness is found by 

 experiment to be less strong. 



Railroad across the Isthmus of Pa- 

 nama. The company of Shareholders, at 

 the head of which is Mr. Beddle, a 

 United States man, and M. Azuero, a 

 Columbian, having lodged the necessary 

 securities, and perfected their guarantees 

 with the Government of New Grenada for 

 the making of a railroad, as conceded to 

 them by a decree of the 6th of June last, 

 and rendering navigable a stream which 

 goes the remainder of the way across the 

 isthmus, which separates the Atlantic and 

 Pacific Oceans, the grant was finally 

 perfected on the 26th of August, and the 

 works are to be commenced without de- 

 lay. Columbian Paper. 



Ease of Draught on Railways. Two 

 horses drew the immense load of two 

 hundred and sixty-three quarters of grain 

 from Dalkeith to Edinburgh, on the Edin- 

 burgh and Dalkeith Railway, a distance 

 of six miles. The weight of grain was 

 about forty-four tons, and the weight of 

 the waggon ten tons, making a gross 

 weight of fifty-four tonst Keen's Bath 

 Journal. 



Rail -road from Paris to St. Germain. 

 The projected rail-road from Paris to 

 St. Germain is to commence near the 

 Church de la Madeleine on the Boule- 

 vards, and afterwards pass through a tun- 

 nel under the Commune of Les Batignolles 

 Monceaux. This tunnel will be 907 yards 

 in length. There are to be three stations 

 for receiving and delivering luggage. 

 The number of bridges or viaducts to be 

 erected over streets and roads, between 

 the point of departure and the Seine, will 



be twelve. It is expected that the steam 

 carriages on this road will be able to tra- 

 vel at the rate of thirty miles an hour, and, 

 according to this calculation, the distance 

 between Paris and St. Germain will be 

 performed in twenty-four minutes. It 

 now occupies one hour and forty minutes. 

 Spots on Marble. Housekeepers may 

 perhaps like to know that all the red spots 

 which are to be found in marble, are not 

 ineffaceable. Those proceeding from iron 

 always remain, but those which are caused 

 by a vegetable substance, or cryptogamous 

 plant, may be removed by a camel-hair 

 brush and a little water. They are often 

 to be seen in the marble of Saravezza, and 

 are identical with those fungi which im- 

 part the red colour to snow. 



Paper. A new species of paper has 

 been invented by a Mons. Masard, a 

 French paper-manufacturer, which, ac- 

 cording to report, is likely to prove of 

 great benefit to commerce. From this 

 paper it is impossible to obliterate any 

 thing which has been written, without 

 its exhibiting some mark, and losing its 

 original whiteness ; it will resist every 

 chemical agent ; and can be manufactured 

 of the best quality at a very moderate 

 price. Some eminent scientific men have 

 given their opinion that full confidence 

 may be placed in the alleged qualities of 

 this paper. 



The Royal Library at Paris. from 

 an inspection recently made at the Royal 

 Library in Paris, it appears that it now 

 contains 800,000 printed volumes, 100,000 

 manuscripts, and 1,000,000 historical do- 

 cuments. Taking the average, 15,000 

 volumes are annually added, exclusive of 

 pamphlets. 



LITERARY NOTICES. 



THE Author of " Hampden in the Nineteenth Century" has in the press " Col- 

 loquies on Religion and Religious Education," being a supplement to the 

 former work. 



Mr. Sharpe is preparing a fifth edition of ' Old Friends in a New'Dress, or 

 Select Fables in Verse,' which will be illustrated, for the first time, with a 

 great variety of beautifully finished and appropriate embellishments. 



An interesting and useful work for young people is now in the press, 

 written by the talented author of 'The Annals of my Village/ &c., to appear 

 in a few weeks, under the title of 'The Progress of Creation considered with 

 reference to the Present Condition of the Earth.' This excellent work will be 

 beautifully illustrated. 



Works in the Press. 



The first publication of the Central Society of Education, consisting of 

 Papers by the following gentlemen: Thomas Wyse, Esq. M.P. ; C. Baker, 



