On Rail iioads. 51 



The springs and pedals to the organ act in the same man- 

 ner as in thu pianos. The pedals for the organ as 'veil as 

 for the piano may be fastened, if those notes made by pedals 

 are warned to be used for a length of linie ui playing, in 

 the same m'.nn.r a? on harps. The mechanism in the or- 

 gan and piano, for the flats as well as for the sharps, is so 

 confitrucled that, the pedal 3 must likewise bring on the 

 notes be!ono;ing to pedal No. 2 and I ; an J the pedal 2 

 must also bring on the notes belonging to pjda! 1. This 

 tflect may alsoljc obtained by ihe tread of the pedals, 



iVb^e.— In the. specification, another large dra-.ving of the 

 harmonic orsjan is given. It describes a second method of per- 

 foriiTioii; thesame movement, a? above descriljed : the chief 

 difference is, that the stickers 8 8 are all arranged side by 

 side m one row, instead of two; but as this meihod crowds 

 the organ up very much, it has never been put in practice 

 by the pitentc* : on this account, and that it would exceed 

 the limits of oiu- plate, we have omitted ihis second drawing; 

 it contams nothing material which is not shown by the 

 iigures we have given. 



X. On Rail Roads. By a Correspondent. 

 To Mr. Tilloch. 



SiK, As the proposed railway from Sanquhar to Dum- 

 fries has been of late the subject of some conversation, it 

 is hoped the following short account of that useful inveu- 

 tion will not be unacceptable to some of your readers. 

 I am, sir. 



Your most obedient servant, 



Dumfries^July 5, 1811. X. Y. Z. 



Rail-wavs are roads of very easy inclination, having cast- 

 iron rails, on which waggons, with wheels adapted to those 

 rails, move. 



These rails are usually about three feet long, and are rested 

 at each end on stone, wood, or cast-iron. 



The ori.gin of this invention may be traced back to the 

 year 1680. About that period, coal came to be snbstiuited 

 for wood as fuel in London and other places. The conse- 

 quent consumption of Newcastle coal became so consider- 

 able, that the difficulty and expense of maintaining a great 

 number of hordes employed to convey the coals from the 

 pits to the ves';eli, and the cost of maintaining the roads, 

 gave rise to the introduction of waggon- londs, or wooden 

 rail- ways. On these rail-ways, a horse could draw a wag- 

 D 2 goa 



