418 
joined, .under rigorous penalties, to 
keep up and enlarge those in exis- 
tence, and to introduce new ones 
wherever they may be required. The 
fertility of the lands is immense: yet 
agriculture would be more flourish- 
ing, if the grower were as much mas- 
ter of his harvesis as he is of the 
ground ;-if the will of the Pacha or of 
his officers did not at times dictate 
which lands are to be sown, what they 
are to produce, at what period the pro- 
duce shall be sold, and what prices it 
shall fetch. The Egyptians would be 
happy to pay any fixed tribute in cash 
or in kind, if in other respects they 
were left independent in the cultiva- 
tion of their soil. Bysuch a measure, 
which is confidently anticipated from 
the Pacha’s wisdom and generosity, 
both the country and the public trea- 
sury would be benefited. 
Mehemed-Ali does in Egypt for 
commerce, industry, and the arts, that 
which the family of the Medici for- 
merly did in Tuscany: he encourages 
them by his example, protects them by 
his authority, and enlivens them by his 
own speculations. 
—<—— 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR 
HE following excellent observa- 
tions on the explosion of the 
steam-engine near Camberwell, are 
copied from the Statesman newspaper 
of the 2lst of September, and merit 
transfer to your pages, where I observe 
the same accident is noticed. 
W. GoopMan. 
In our paper of yesterday was an 
account of the proceedings of the co- 
roner’s inquest on the two unfortunate 
young men who lost their lives by the 
explosion of the boiler of a steam- 
-engine near Camberwell. The ver- 
dict was, “ Accidentally killed by the 
-bursting of a steam-boiler.” The jury, 
it is added in one of the papers of the 
morning, “also lamented the number 
of accidents which have occurred in 
consequence of proper attention not 
being paid to the apparatus used in 
the process of steam ; for, in all cases, 
it generally is occasioned by some 
defect in the articles used in the ma- 
chinery.” There is too much ground 
for these remarks; and we therefore 
wish that the jury, in every case of 
this kind, would require the best evi- 
dence that can be collected to throw 
light on the causes of the accident in 
question, instead of suffering their 
Explosion of the Steam-Engine near Camberwell. 
[Dec. 1, 
time to be engrossed with the circum- 
stances in which the hapless deceased 
were found, or ascertaining scientifi- 
cally the bruises or fractures that 
occasioned their death, they might be 
more usefully occupied in detecting 
and reporting, with the aid of intelli- 
gent and impartial men, the particular 
defect either in the apparatus or in 
the overseers that caused the disaster. 
At all times “the life of man,” it has 
been said, ‘zs like unto vapour ;” but 
more especially is it at the present 
period, when the existence of thou- 
sands, not only who voluntarily trust 
themselves to vessels navigated by 
steam, but who casually reside in the 
neighbourhood of manufactories, de- 
pendant on the precarious watching 
of their “safety valves.” It is of no 
use, after a boiler of one of these 
steam-engines has burst, and two men 
have in consequence been killed, and 
four have been wounded, for a score ~ 
of individuals to meet, and tell us what 
we knew before, viz. that the loss of 
life was occasioned by the bursting of 
the steam-boiler. A verdict in such 
terms has little other effect than to give 
the timid additional reason for being 
afraid of steam-engines in general. Je 
may confirm a prejudice, but cannot 
give information. What appears to 
be expected, from a solemn investiga- 
tion of a case wherein a human life is 
lost, is such information as may teach 
precaution where the disaster was acci- 
dental, or direct to punishment if it 
arose from negligence or design. The 
instruction of the Coroner is, to en- 
quire ‘‘ how the deceased came to their 
deaths.” In the instance of a death 
occasioned by a weapon, it is not 
enough to have the wound probed and 
the weapon ascertained, the hand that 
directed must be sought out. In like 
manner, in the case before us, it is of 
little service to learn that the men 
were killed by the bursting of a steam- 
boiler, unless the manner is described 
in which the boiler is supposed to have 
burst. 
On learning to be wise from other’s 
harm, we shall then do well. If the 
evidence on the late inquest be cor- 
rectly reported, the steam-boiler had 
been lately re-bottomed. The accident 
happened the first time it was used 
after being repaired; and a question 
of no small importance was asked by 
a juror, respecting the manner in 
which the bottom had been rivetted. 
Tf rivets are numerous, too much of the 
metal 
