IH45.1 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



237 



Trantlalion of a teller addressed by requesi to the Chambre de Commerce, 

 May 22, 1843. 



"Some months back I proniiscd you lliat on my next visit to France 

 I would examine tlie plans propospcl fur llie improvement of tlie S<ine. 

 I liave in consequence examined tlie river from Havre to Rouen, and 

 also different plans fur its improvement. 1 have also questioued a 

 great number of pilots and seamen well acquainted with the pecu- 

 liarities of the river. 



" It may be observed that the river Seine from Villequier to Rouen, 

 is a deep river navigation fit to float merchant ships of large size, 

 there being not less than from thirteen feet to thirty feet depth of 

 water ; but b>'tvveen Villequier and Taucarville, some serious ditiicul- 

 ties exist as to the navigation; because the navigable channel is con- 

 ilantlv changing from side to side, and also the depth of water fre- 

 quently varies so that the pilots recpiire to be always examining the 

 channel so as to know where the deep water exists. 



"Below TancarviUe point on the north shore, and Cap U Roque on 

 the south, down to Havre is a wide estuary, which offers at high 

 tide a tolerable depth of water for navigation, but this lower seclioii 

 of the river estuary is not to be submitted to consideration at present, 

 althoiigb it offers to the engineer engaged in the amelioration of river 

 navigation a highly interesting tield of inquiry: it is only the im- 

 provement of that part of the navigation of the river Seine, between 

 Viilequier and TancarviUe, which 1 shall now venture to offer a very 

 few and liniitted observations on, and which may be observed is the 

 most difficult part of the river Seine to navigate. 



"It appears to me that the principal object would he tojfx and 

 render ptrmantnl tlie rirer and tidal channel of the Seine ietwttn l-'iltt- 

 quier and TancarviUe point, and toobtaiuan additional deptliof water, 

 but this I do frankly confess is a serious work, and requires much con- 

 sideration ; but then on the other hand looking at the great and suc- 

 cessful improvements which have be-en made on many of the tidal 

 rivers of Great Britain and Ireland, namely, the Clyde, the Shannon, 

 the Boyne, &c. &c., and the many hundreds of thousands of pounds 

 which have been expended upon them, whereby those rivers have 

 been greatly improved in their navigation. Is it not an object of na- 

 tional importance to France, and also to its capital to improve the 

 navigation of the river Seine, so that not only French ships, but also 

 those of all the nations in the world may be able to pass up, into, and 

 through one of the most fertile and populous districts of France ? It 

 may again be asked is it not remarkable tiiat nothing has as yet been 

 done to improve the navigation of the river Seine? and that it is at 

 this moment as formed by nature, while so many noble ex.imples of 

 river improvements have b-'en achii-ved in other countries ; this again 

 is still more lo be wondered at consiiieriuf; that since llie application 

 of the steam engine to maritime afl'aiis, that navigable rivers have be- 

 come more valuable for commercial purposes th in oanais, and a case 

 can even be mentioned where a river navigatiou has succissfully com- 

 peted with a railway in carrying both goo. Is ..iid passengers. 



"/ do ihink it quite mithtn l/ie puwtr of Ihe engineers lo comtruct 

 tBOrks both on the north and kouth sides of the river Seine, which shall 

 lender the nac/gable channct not only permanent but also increase its 

 dtpth lelicten TancarviUe and yukqitier, and it is on this section of 

 the rivi r S-.-ine which I would reeommeud works to be tirst constrnct- 

 ed. These works should consist o( longiludinal rubble stone dykes, 

 and perhaps some short jetties, which desiription of works have 

 been found to have been successful elsewhere in improving several 

 tidal river navigations — but 1 am nut prepared at present to state in 

 detail the dim' nsions of those works; but I beg leave to observe that 

 all these river works should be so coijslrucled, and of such forms as 

 not to interfere with the tidal 6ow upwards inui ihe river Seine. My 

 opinion is that if the channel be deepen.'d between TancarviUe and 

 Vill^-quier, that not only will the B.irre be rubbed of a portion of its 

 dangers, but more tidal water will How up the river Siine, which is 

 generally the great principle to impiuce th: navigation if all tidal rivers, 

 therefore no works should be constructed ichich woUd iiUeifere toith 

 the tidal ftoic upwards. 



"1 should recommend a working plan upon a large scale to be made 

 of the river Seine between TancarviUe and Vi!le(iuier, with transverse 

 sections at every three hundred meters ajiart, slievviug Ibe depth of 

 water and the velocities ol the tidal and river cuirents during spring 

 and neap tides: also borings should be made along the lines of the 

 proposed longiludinal d.kes, which it has been (jropos. d should be 

 erected on the r!L;lit and left sides of the river, in order as belure 

 m. nliout-d, (o tix and deepen the cliannel ol the uavii'ation. 



•• Wiieu the longitudinal dykes shah liave been constructed adjacent 

 to the Uanli cal eil ihe Traverse, 1 do say that a steam dredging in i- 

 chin- v\ould be found useful in reuiomig that obst .cle to the naviga- 

 tion, besi4es i am satisfied that any ileepening »hich shall be made at 

 'lie Tiaversc to improve the liavij^ation so as to allow ships to pass 



freelv up and down, will not lessen the depth of water in the harbour 

 of Rouen. 



"1 am impressed with a deep conviction that a very great improve- 

 meitt can be ijfected on tliis part of the navigation of the ri vtr Seine, and 

 that there is not within the whole French empire a work so justly 

 deserving the immediate altentiuuof tin' government as the improve- 

 ment of the river Seine, and I sincerely hope that your great and im- 

 portant river navigation may receive' all that attention as to its im- 

 provement which it so juslly merits and deserves, as it is one of na- 

 tures great arteries, designed for the extension of the trade and com- 

 merce of France." 



Rouen, May, 1845. 



REVIEWrS. 



Geolosy a» a Branch of Education. By D. T. Ansted, M.A., F.R.S. 

 Fellow of Jesns College, Cambridge; Professur of Geology in King's 

 College, London ; Vice-Secretary of the Geological Society. Lon- 

 don : Van Voorst, 1, Paternoster Row. pp. 143, lOmo. 

 In proportion as the science of Geology lias advanced in systematic 

 exactness, its accuracy has been mure and more loudly impugned. In 

 this respect the early history of geology resembles iliat of all other 

 sciences. They too liave, e.ich in turn as it progressed from birth to 

 maturity, been the subject of dispute and persecution. The science 

 of astronomy had no sooner bt gun to develoue itself logically and free 

 from the crudities of vague speculation, than it was sapiently disco- 

 vered to be subversive of religion and murality! The imprisonment of 

 Galileo could not, however, subvert the glorious scheme of the heavenly 

 mechanism which he rt vealed ; nor, still later, conhl the writings of a 

 sect which became more conspicuous for its zeal than knowledge 

 prevail against the splendid investigatiens of Newton and Laplace. 

 While the efforts of the foolish religionists are now forgotten, iJie 

 Principia and Mrchaniqne Celeste will continue to the end of lime the 

 noblest uionumeuts id' human intellect. Men have now discovered 

 that the object of redgion is not to teach astronomy — they rpill find 

 that religion does not inculcate any particular scheme of Geology. 



And, alter all. Geology is a science ot facts. It is true that certain 

 rocks are filled with remains of plants and animals; it is true that 

 the earth is not made up of one material, but of several ; it is true 

 that these material are arranged in a certain order. These truths are 

 not speculative — not even arguable — they are mailers of eyisight. 

 Men may dispute about the Mosaic meaning of the word "day," tliey 

 may write letters to newspapers about it, but they have only to go 

 into a coal-pit or a railway cutting, and they must do one of two 

 things — give up either their polemical notions or the evidence of their 

 senses,^ 



At no time could the work before us come more opportunely than 

 at the present. The name of its author is a sufficient guarantee that 

 it is philosophical and trustworthy. Without professing to teach a 

 profound and varied science iu a pocket volume, it gives a fair and 

 accurate outline of the science, and is presented in that inviting furiu 

 which will induce many to acquaint themselves with the hading facts 

 of geology who have hitherto been content to remain in ignorance of 

 its |irinciples, because deterred by the size of the larger treatises or 

 disgusted bv theshallownens of the elementary writings on this science. 

 The present work just hits the medium between the heaviness of an 

 elaborate quarto and the superficial ostentation of penuy-a-week 

 philosophy. 



Professor Ansted has very conveniently divided his work into three 

 parts — J5tscn/i(it'e Gto/ogy, a description of the inateri ds of wliicll 

 the earth is composed ; Practical Geology, an account of the purposes 

 to which a knowledge of descripiive geology in ly be appded ; and 

 Physical Gco/oify, or a statement of the various theories accounting 

 fur the phenomena recorded by descriptive geology. 



We have selected from the first part of the work, for its interest to 

 the engineer the following extract, giving an account of 



The Countries and Districts possessing Coal Measures. 

 The Coal meaimres must be consideied with reference to the variuui, dis- 

 tricrii in which their vast value and importance are cliietly felt. The great 

 North of England or Newcastle coal licld, is partly covered up by the Slag- 

 nesiau Ihuestoiie in Durham, and i» worked through this bed. it contains 

 atfout thirty seams of coal (whose total thickness is about ten yard») alter- 

 nating with shale and sandstone, and greatly disturbed hy fauUs and dykes. 



' Some ot these mse.icrtfK lliiiik the Mosaic "day" means tiveiiLy luur liuars;— it \va» 

 nut nil the " fourth ilay" ihut the nnn «m» ^et in the tiraiiini-.il ! I The ivarcl " day" has 

 t>een constantly used in all ancient and inudent lani{Ua{{ek tj Aitfnil'y uu indelJUtte period. 

 6tf< the liook \ii l>anici es,'ei.iaily. 



