1825.] 
ton—the latter by becoming a sea- 
port—will receive incalculable advan- 
tage. Illicit trade, with all its evil con- 
sequences, will be put an end to for 
ever, by the formation of a harbeur at 
Beer ; and smuggling will no longer, as 
it has been stated by a worthy magis- 
trate, be a “ matter of hard and peri- 
lous necessity”, to a population of 1,800 
individuals, 
To the London. merchant, and the 
Welsh and Irish exporter, the increase 
of profit, by saving of time, will be in- 
valuable. Ireland and the south of 
Wales will be brought a fortnight’s sail 
nearer to the London market, and ves- 
sels will, in future, make twelve annual 
voyages, where they now make six, 
round the Land’s End, and avoid, at 
the same time, the risk of that dan- 
gerous navigation. On an average of 
the last nine years, forty-two vessels 
have been annually lost between the 
canal’s two points of termination, Here, 
then, humanity and patriotism combine 
in supporting a cause, recommended 
by commercial profit and. by individual 
emolument. The saving’ of life will be 
as great as the saving of time ; and ame- 
lioration of morals will accompany the 
progress of popular industry and com- 
mercial benefit; for, besides lessening 
the number of shipwrecks, the proposed 
canal will lessen, if it does not annihi- 
late, the system. of “ wrecking,”,,with 
all its demoralizing effects on the cha- 
racter and habits of the people, which 
has so long disgracefully prevailed on 
the coast of Cornwall. C. 
STEAM NAVIGATION IN GERMANY. 
A steam-vessel was launched on the 
- Lake Constance in August last, and has 
been working regularly, since the first of 
December, from Wirtemburg to Switzer- 
land, crossing the lake from Friederic’s 
haven to Korshach. The only obstacles it 
meets with arise from the prejudices of the 
old-established boatmen ; and it is wor- 
thy of remark, that the Government of 
Wirtemburg, wishing to favour the enter- 
prize, without injuring individuals, have 
awarded the sum of 4,000 florins, (more 
than £320.a year,) to the boatmen of Frie- 
deric’s. haven. 
Another steam-vessel is also in acti- 
vity, between the Grand Duchy of Baden 
and the Swiss towns situated on the bor- 
ders of the Lake. It is intended to con- 
tinue her on to Constance. It is also in 
serious contemplation to establish steam- 
boats on the Rhine. 
In SwrrzeERLAND 
making. 
similar efforts are 
Steam Navigation and Land Conveyance. 
509 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magaxine. 
Sin: 
cn requires little reflection to feel 
satisfied, that the steam-engine will 
shortly be: applied’ as extensively to 
land conveyance ‘as it has been to navi- 
gation.. We may also safely venture to 
predict, that these engines will be used 
on the ordinary turnpike-roads of the 
kingdom ; so that the use of rail-roads 
will’exhibit an enormous waste of capi- 
tal.’ It was originally supposed ‘that a 
steam-carriage required a peculiar form 
of the wheel to lay hold of the rail-way, 
which was itself indented for that pur- 
pose : it now appears that the effect of 
friction is ‘sufficient ona smooth rail, 
and that the carriage may even be 
worked up a very small inclination. 
The objection to'the use of the car- 
riage, on any ordinary smooth road, is 
the difficulty of surmounting the hills, 
whichareso very generalin this country ; 
and I am not aware that any. proposal 
thas been offered for meeting this diffi- 
culty, except the plan for erecting sta- 
tionary engines at every hill in the line 
of rail communication. 
I have now to ‘submit avery obvious 
and ingenious suggestion of Benjamin 
Thorold, Esq.; of Harmston-hall, Lin- 
colnshire,; who» proposes that each car- 
riage shall work itself up the hill, by a 
chain fastened \at’'the top of the hill, 
and extending to the foot; the cost of 
such a chain,’ fixed ‘at'‘each hill, being 
incomparably less than that of a rail 
and engine. The engine of the carriage 
winds the chain round a drum in the 
carriage, or on the axis of the wheels; 
so that, as the carriage ascends, it leaves 
the lower part of the chain behind it, 
unwound, for the use of the next comer, 
This plan is already in use for drawing 
boats through the tunnels of canals. 
It might also be advisable, that each 
steam-carriage should carry a chain, to 
be fastened to any object on the road, 
and used in any accidental case of ob- 
struction. The great pressure by the 
weight of a steam-waggon, may be’ob- 
viated by applying the engine to a 
separate carriage, to be used ‘asa steam- 
tug, for drawing a succession of broad» 
wheeled \carriages. | Lofty ‘wheels! will 
most effectually surmount obstructions. 
I cannot conclude without mention- 
ing a remarkable consequence of the 
new system of conveyance :~it will 
equalize the manufacturing and trading 
power of the upland and lowland dis- 
tricts, allowing commerce to reach the 
more healthy and elevated towns, in- 
stead 
