FARMERS' REGISTER-STEAM POWER FOR HUSBANDRY. 



837 



nuisances to tho public; that they Avill become a 

 speeilier and cheaper mode of conveyance than 

 carriages drawn bj' horses," — it is sufficient to say 

 that, in the njonth of September last. Sir Charles 

 Dance's carriage, exclusive ol'stoppages, ran down 

 to Brighton in five hours and a ([uarter, carrying 

 fifteen persons, and the Ibilowing day it returned 

 in lour hours and fitty-nine minutes, without any 

 failure of the machiner)', and passing on the road 

 two of the Hght coaches which had started half an 

 hour before it. In October, the success of this trip 

 was farther corroborated by the same carriages 

 plying tor hire between Wellington Street, Strand, 

 .and Greenwich, running about 250 miles during 

 that time, through crowds of spectator, and con- 

 veying uj)wards of 386 passengers, without acci- 

 dent or impediment of any kind whatever; and, in 

 November, that journey was made in the same car- 

 riage, upon the mail-coach line of the Holjdiead 

 Road, which enabled a commitee of experienced 

 engineers, with the practical and circumspect Tel- 

 ford at their head, to re])ort, "that there can be no 

 doubt that, with a well constructed engine, a steam- 

 carriage conveyance between London and Bir- 

 mingham, at a velocity unattainable by horses, and 

 limited only by safety, may be maintained, and 

 that it is their conviction that such a project may 

 be undertaken with great advantage to the public." 



It is unnecessary to mention the various and 

 successful exhibitions made by Mr. Handcock's 

 steam-carriage, during the six weeks which it plied 

 for hire during the last autumn, between the city 

 and Paddington, and by Colonel Macerone's, du- 

 ring the nearly 2000 miles of trips which it has 

 made. We are speaking of a principle, not of 

 the particular merits of the various engines, nor 

 of relative performances. It is sufficient, theretbre, 

 to say that so satisfied are the engineers, and sci- 

 entific individuals who have taken the trouble to 

 make themselves pnxctically acquainted with the 

 subject of the practicability and importance of this 

 mode of steam communication, that companies to 

 introduce it upon tramways are now Ibrming for 

 ^'London, Birmingham, and Holyhead," and 

 ^'London Bristol, and Plymouth." The former is 

 already so far advanced, that notice has been 

 given to Parliament lor leave to bring in a bill. 

 Several, other companies are in agitation. In 

 Scotland also, steam-carriages are shortly to be in- 

 troduced at Edinburgh, Glasgow, A berdeen, Dun- 

 dee, fcc. 



These statements have been made to show that 

 we are warranted by facts forholding that thepoioer 

 of inanimate locomotion is completely gained, and 

 that no physical difficulties any longer exist to post- 

 pone its introduction. With regard to the economy 

 of the substitution, though little definitely can be 

 said from the data tarnished by working machi- 

 nery, which has been altered and patched up times 

 without number, still the disbursements made in 

 running the three principal steam-carriages, as de- 

 tailed in the Journal of Steam Transport, show 

 the most favorable case. The outlay and return 

 upon Mr. Handcock's steam omnibus for the six 

 weeks which it plied for hire, showed a clear gain 

 of nearly cent, per cent.; whilst Colonel Macerone, 

 from the expense incuired in Avorkinghis can-iage 

 in trips taken collectively, amounting to about 2000 

 miles, calculates that even a higher profit will arise 

 upon the capital emploj'ed. VVhen it is consider- 

 ed that a tramway of granite can be laid down at 



comparatively a trifling expense to a railway of 

 iron; tliat the tear and wear of machinery upon it 

 will only be oue-thirdgreaterthanthe other, whilst 

 (he charge for maintenance ol'road will ibr years, 

 fi'om the solidity and durability of the material, 

 amount to nothing, it is perhaps not too much to 

 say, afler reducing fiu-es a lialf, and accelerating 

 speed to an extent limited alone by salety, that a 

 clear profit of not less than £50 per cent, will 

 arise upon the capital embarked in steam convey- 

 ance. ****** 



But though difficulties exist in the minds of ag- 

 riculturists, who have not turned their attention to 

 the subject, as to the possibility of extending steam 

 to husbandry purposes, no difficulties exist in the 

 opinions of many eminent machinists who have 

 turned their attention to it. We have had conver- 

 sations with several patentees, Avho have each as- 

 sured us, that there are no practical difficulties in 

 the case, provided there was any inducement for 

 them to direct their skill to such a species of ma- 

 chinery. Mr. Phillips' getomic apparatus, the 

 model of which we have seen, though far from 

 being a perfect machine, is yet sufficient to show 

 that a little farther simplification is all that is re- 

 quired to render it such. We are happy to say, 

 that in our notions respecting steam-ploughing, 

 whether as regards its practicability or importance, 

 we are corroborated by a Fifeshire farmer, who, in 

 a letter of the date 24th December, 1833, pubhshed 

 in the Fife Hertild, remaks, "that at present, when 

 the ingenuity of man is upon the stretch to devise 

 means to abridge human labor, and add to the 

 comforts and intelligence of redundant and still in- 

 creasing population — when, by our absurd laws, 

 the manufacturer is under the necessity of giving 

 an extravagant price for the first necessaries of 

 life — when industry is fettered, and the growing 

 resources of the country are circumscribed, our 

 tenantry wasting their time and means, and crouch- 

 ing under the power of their proprietors, on ac- 

 count of acorn monopoly, I wonder it never struck 

 some of our agriculturists that they might, like 

 manufacturers, endeavor to under-sell their neigh- 

 bors, and drive them out of the market. I know 

 it will be said, that it is impossible — but what I am 

 going to suggest, is a farther extension of machine- 

 ry, to assist us in keeping ourselves a-head of our 

 neighbors, and that is the application of steam to 

 the working of [^loughs. At present, it requires 

 nearly the half of the product of a farm to pay the 

 necessary expenses, and a great part of that goes 

 to the keeping of horses, harness, &c. Now, if the 

 farmer could get a steam-engine to Avork his 

 ploughs, harroAvs, and rollers — thrash and shear 

 his corn — cast his drains, and rid his land of large 

 stones, he would be able to pay his present rent, 

 although there AA^cre no corn-laAvs, and grain one- 

 third cheaper than it is." 



We have gone into all this detail, not because 

 Ave advocate the application of steam to general lo- 

 comotive purposes, merely from the loA-e of change, 

 without any other reason than that change is the 

 order of the day. No, but because there are nu- 

 merous Aveighty, and Avhat ouglit to be imperative 

 reasons, tor the agricultural classes giA'ing this mat- 

 ter their deep and serious attention. From the 

 whole course of events, no man can be so blind as 

 not to perceive, that upon the subject of the corn 

 laAvs, the agricultural and manufacturing classes 

 are about lo come siiortly into a fearful collision. 



