R A G RAG 



p re generally narrow. The principal public buildings are seaport town. Milet, or Melida, in the chief of the little 



the Hotel de Y.He, vhnc the chief magistrate resides, isles subject to Kagusa, and it i fertile in oranges, le- 



i-hedral, and MHIII- <f the churches. The see of mom, and good wine. The circumjacent islands are 

 Jtflgus;i is archicp^eopal with six MiH'rngum. The highly beautified both by nature mid art. An earth- 

 principal iiiaiiuf'ae' ni - of the town are ilk and cotton quake which happened here, in '077. destroyed nearly 



and some ships are occasionally built. The Ha- fj'OOO souls. Population about 10,000. K. long. 18* 



have many country houses at Gravosa, another 1 1' 55" ; S. lat. 42 36' 30". 



RAILWAY. 



Rnilwny. By the term KAIMVAY is understood a road formed by 

 *_^-t_ t laying distinct tracks of timber, iron, or stone, for 

 wheel carriages. In the construction of railways, 

 stone is more particularly applicable to common road*, 

 and the use of timber is now almost laid aside, while 

 iron is very generally employed. 



Railway When we consider the great proportion of labour 



and canal which is unavoidably spent in the carriage of the neces- 

 saries and conveniences of civilized life in all its varied 

 commuted. f orms wc at once see t h e importance of every measure 

 tending to facilitate and improve commercial intercourse. 

 All are aware of the benefit which Great Britain has de- 

 rived from her inland navigation ; such, however, are the 

 difficulties and expence of canal operations, that another 

 substitute for the common road has long been sought 

 after by the public. The attention of the engineer has 

 accordingly been of late much directed to the construc- 

 tion of railways; a mode of communication which will be 

 found more simple and economical in all its details than 

 the canal. Perhaps this cannot be better shown than by 

 a general comparison of the work performed under simi- 

 lar circumstances, by both modes of traffic. Indepen- 

 dently of the difficulties so often experienced in procur- 

 ing a full and regular supply of water, the expence of a 

 canal, calculated for boats of about thirty tons bur- 

 den, may, at a rough estimate, be taken at the rate of 

 from L.GOOO to L.yOOO per mile ; while a railway with 

 two sets of iron tracks, capable of working with three 

 tons, may be estimated at from L.3000 to L..5000 per 

 mile. These sums might respectively be quoted in a 

 still greater disproportion in favour of the railway sys- 

 tem ; but we deem it sufficient in this place to say, that, 

 iu similar situations, it will in no case exceed one-half 

 the expence of the navigable canal. In contrasting the 

 utility of these modes of conveyance, we may assume, 

 that the great object aimed at in both is to avoid the 

 effects of friction on the undulating line of draught 

 of the common road. When a more perfect system of 

 interior communication came first to be sought after, it 

 was extremely natural to have recourse to the deepen- 

 ing of rivers, and afterwards to the artificial canal ; a 

 roaditay, if we may be allowed the expression, which 

 is equally removed from the asperities of the highway, 

 and the adver.-.e currents of the river. The canal has, 

 notwithstanding, the disadvantages of a resisting me- 

 dium to contend with, acting against the draught in 

 the inverse ratio of the velocity of the boat. 



The speed of canal carriage must always be limited 

 by the destruction which rapid motion occasions to the 

 banks. In this respect railways have great advantages 

 over canals ; for where the rails are strong, and the 

 waggons light, the rapidity of conveyance may be con- 

 ceived to keep pace with the impelling power of steam. 

 The value of the economy of time is measured and 

 proved by the vast exertions used, and sums expended 

 in Britain to accommodate the public, and the ample 

 harvest reaped by those who best fulfil its wishes in this 



respect In this commercial country the economy of Railway. 

 iimc. and power is felt to be the same thing; and the 

 numerous carriages established in England to convey 

 goods at tp'td, shows that the value of rapid conveyance 

 is not confined to passengers alone. From the obstacles 

 above mentioned, then, however managed or improved, 

 we can never much increase the present rate of motion 

 on canals, which must ever form a SLOW mode of con- 

 veyance, independently of its other disadvantages. 



The facility with which temporary railways may be 

 laid for short distances from manufactories, granaries, 

 and other works, to communicate with great public 

 lines of railway in their neighbourhood, is another ad- 

 vantage belonging to the railway system ; for the ex- 

 pence of a canal branch would, in almost all cases, be 

 much greater than any temporary or private object 

 could repay ; while branch railways would, when in 

 general use, become readily saleable after the local ob- 

 ject was obtained, and the principal expence incurred 

 would, in many situations, be merely that of laying and 

 forming them into a road. When branch rail ways are 

 connected with canals, much labour is lost in loading 

 and unloading, besides damage occasioned by these 

 operations to the articles conveyed. Canals capable of 

 floating sea-borne vessels must always afford great fa- 

 cilities to commerce, and promote the improvement of 

 the districts through which they pass; but it may be 

 doubted whether, from the limits to a supply of water 

 in almost all situations, and the impossibility of pro- 

 curing it in many, their great original cost, damage 

 to adjoining lands, and interruption to the communi- 

 cations of property on their opposite brinks, are not ob- 

 jections of a paramount nature, which lead us to con- 

 clude that they cannot compete with railways in con- 

 venience, economy, and remuneration for the capital 

 embarked in their construction. The general intro- 

 duction of steam vessels in the coasting trade will 

 render many of the present ship canals less useful in 

 proportion as their breadth and size of locks are inca- 

 pable O F receiving steam vessels constructed for the 

 open sea. Railways, again, will benefit by every im- 

 provement in the use of the steam engine, may be 

 used in all situations where any mode of conveyance 

 is possible, and in practice give about double the dis- 

 patch of canal conveyance, without increasing the 

 M'orking power. Indeed, the anticipation of a speedy 

 adoption and general use of steam conveyance on 

 railways of iron and stone, would seem at present far 

 more natural, and likely to be soon realised, than 

 was imagined but a very few years ago, owing to the 

 projected revolution now going on by the use of steam 

 in the coasting trade. 



Under all circumstances, it is found that a horse 

 works only with about three times the load upon a ca- 

 nal that he does upon a well-constructed level railway, 

 which is now sought alter as the highest improvement 

 of which the interior communication of a country is 



7 



