half a day. The extent of railway formed in Great Britain, 

 in fifteen years, is about 1 600 miles. In the United States 

 of America it is said to amount to 7000. 



" Having thus taken a rapid view of the progress recently 

 made by our countrymen, and by our brethren in the United 

 States of America, in locomotion, we might easily extend 

 our inquiries, did time permit, to various important 

 improvements and discoveries lately effected both at home 

 and abroad, in other branches of science and the arts of life. 

 In astronomy, the labours of Herschell, Arago, and Bessel 

 will be powerfully assisted by the stupendous telescopes now 

 in coimse of construction by Lord Rosse. This indefatigable 

 and talented nobleman was present at the meeting of the 

 British Association, held in York, at the beginning of the 

 last month. After explaining the operose processes 

 employed by him in the casting and grinding of his gigantic 

 speculum of six feet diameter, he exhibited delineations of 

 nebulae which he was thereby enabled plainly to discern, but 

 which had never before been seen by mortal eye, though 

 aided with the most powerful instruments. These nebulae 

 were composed of thousands of stars, and prove that the 

 anxious researches of former astronomers have gone but a 

 little way in elucidating the illimitable extent of God's 

 creation. Accurate simultaneous observations in terrestrial 

 magnetism and meteorology are now going on in all quarters 

 of the globe, and excite the liighest interest, and the 

 processes adopted in photography and electro-chemistry 

 have already produced the most important practical results. 

 The same may be said of the very interesting discoveries of 

 Liebig in agriculture and organic chemistry. New and 

 important facts are continually rising up to confirm the 

 theories of our modern geologists. To all of us, but 

 especially to the naturalists who have this evening done us 

 the honour to join us, the laborious researches of Professors 



