322 Mr D. Stevensoirs Uevtarks on the 



Before describing the Dublin and Kingstown railway, it will 

 be proper to notice the harbour of Kingstown, between which 

 and the City of Dublin this railway forms a connection. Through 

 the kindness of Mr Thomas, engineer for the harbour works at 

 Kingstown, I lately made a visit to that place. The naviga- 

 tion of the River LifFey to Dublin, is only practicable for 

 vessels of large burden in certain states of the tide, and even 

 then is tedious and uncertain, a circumstance which forms a 

 great bar to the commercial prosperity of Dublin, and renders 

 its quays unsuitable as a post packet station. These considera- 

 tions, together with the want of an asylum harbour for the ship- 

 ping of St George'*s Channel, induced Government to establish a 

 harbour at Kingstown, upon a scale suitable as a rendezvous for 

 His Majesty's ships of war. This magnificent work, which is 

 now drawing to a close, was originally designed by the late emi- 

 nent Mr Rennie. It has been in operation for eighteen years, 

 and is expected to cost, when completed, about one million Ster- 

 ling. The harbour is formed by the projection of two great 

 breakwaters into the sea, enclosing a space of no less than 250 

 acres, with a depth of 4 fathoms at low-water at its entrance. 



During my stay at Kingstown, I had the honour of an intro- 

 duction from Colonel Burgoyne, of the Board of Public Works 

 in Ireland, to Mr Vignoles, the eminent engineer for the Dublin 

 and Kingstown Railway, which afforded me ample opportunity 

 of examining that work, and as it possesses several peculiarities in 

 its details, and as some improvements have lately been introdu- 

 ced there, I shall endeavour to notice its principal features to 

 the Society. The Kingstown Railway is 5\ miles in length. 

 For the first mile out of Dublin, it is carried on an embank- 

 ment, supported between two retaining walls of masonry, and 

 thus elevated, it passes over several streets in the suburbs of the 

 city on elliptical arches of about 30 feet span, and 7 feet rise. To 

 the extent of about 2J miles before reaching Kingstown, the 

 railway is carried along the margin of Dublin Bay, on another 

 embankment, which, on the side exposed to the wash of the 

 waves, is defended by a rough talus wall or bulwark of granite 

 masonry. 



The erection of these extensive sea-walls and embankments, 

 \ together with compensation for damages done to some valuable 



