1841.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



437 



ROADS AND CANALS IN INDIA. 



TiiR progress of internal communication in Bengal is devolope;! at great 

 length in a report niaile in tlie mi. nth of August last to the Government au- 

 thor ties Ijy the military boaril, which, besides containing an account of what 

 has been done during the official year ending April. 1811. gives a general 

 review for the past twenty years. In this review we find the Grand Turk- 

 road from Calcntta, described as the main artery of commimication tlirough- 

 out Bengal and llindostan, e-\tendingto a length of770 miles, wilha general 

 breadth of thirty feet, increased in some places to forty. It has already 

 3,402 briilges of various e.Ktent of opening, has cost, exclusively of convict 

 labour, 1 228,000 rupees, and is likely to cost 10 lacs more during the three 

 years required for its completion. The road from Pooree to Bissenpore, 

 which connects Orissa with Bengal, and which is commonly known as the 

 Ju'"^ermath road, is held to be of the next importance, and has cost aljont 

 Is'dSts. or at the rite of 5,41.5r. the mile. The expense of the road from 

 Calcutta to Kishnagur is estimated at 2.700,000r., or 4,736r, the mile f i r the 

 seventy miles. The road from Sylhet to Gowhatty, the capiial of Assam, 

 across the Cassia hills, uasin aciive prrpavalinn, and in this line of communi- 

 cation the two torrents of the Bur-panee and the Boga-panee are to be 

 spanned with suspension-bridges. The Deccan road from Mirzapore to Jub- 

 bulporc. a distance of 239 miles, and commenced in 1824, had been completed 

 lately ; its cost in the 15 years, exclusive of the labour of convicts, hnd beai 

 8 lacs of rupees. Another road, small in point of expen^.e. but of groat im- 

 portance, was also in progress from the eastern frontier of Bengal, through 

 C'aehar. and across the Muniporc hills to the limits of the Burmese empire. 

 Besides these roads, which are stated to be the most prominent, a variety cf 

 districts roads have added greatly to the local conveniences of the peop'e, 

 and have proportionatelv occupied attention. The total outlay lor all the 

 roads to which allusion is made has been 57,34.223r,, and from'«l-.:ch there 

 is no return, A ti.U on a road is nnknonn. 



The canals w hich fringe the eastern part of the city of Calcutta, and con- 

 nected with '.he Isamuttee river, are of the highest importancj to the welfare 

 of the citv. as the produce of all the eastirn districts is thus brought to it 

 with little or no risk. These have cost in the whole about IfU lacs of rupees, 

 ■which now includes the erection of five suspen.sion bridges. To improve 

 Tolly's Niillah. seven suspension bridges have been tlirown across it at acost 

 of 179.381r. The canals west of the Jumna have been repaired at an e.ipense 

 of l,.56fc),500r,, which, with a further outlay on the Dooab Canal, west of the 

 Jumna.of .579,1 G4r,, makes, with other expenditure, a total outlay of 4,963, 288r. 

 in constructing and repairing canals in the presidency. The canals are very 

 productive of revenue, for the tolls on those in the vicinity of Calcutta are 

 said to yield on an average 121,800i-. a year, while the annual average charge 

 for their maintenance appears to be about 4o,000 rupees. Hence it is argued, 

 that the Government cannot do better than lay out funds for their extension 

 and improvement. In reference to these can.als it is remarked, that while 

 the toll remained at the vale of one rupee the 100 mauds, the proceeds were 

 ]2G,000r., but when the Government liberally reduced the levy by one-half, 

 Ihey fell in the succeeding year to about 60,0d0r, This fall, it was'ultimately 

 discovered, arose mainly from the corruption of the native collectors, which 

 had been so far remedied by close observance, that in the last year (1.840) the 

 collection again rose to 122,000r., showing that the state receives the same 

 return as when the import was double its present amount. The canals east 

 andwest of the Jumna exhibit the most gratifying results, not only in respect 

 of the means they supply to the agricultural community for the irrigation of 

 upwards of 100,000 acres of land, but indirect money returns. The sum ex- 

 pended on the canals w es! of the Jumna by the British Government has been 

 l,566,500r,, and the annual amount levied as water rent is 2.58.82(ir.. or more 

 than 16* per cent. While the outlay has therefore been in the whole 1.5i 

 lacs of rupees, the returns up to the end of the year 1840 had been 2U lacs". 

 In restoring the Dooab Canal, the cost to the government was 5 lacs and 

 80,000r. Tlie direct return in rupees up to the end of 1840 has been 3 lacs 

 and 13,000r. At the end of the oflicial year, the whole sum expended by the 

 Government had been reimbursed to the public coffers, and an annual income 

 of 6,00'Jt, might be expended for the future. The tolls on the Nuddea river 

 produce a clear annual surplus of one lac and 12.000r. And now adverting 

 more particularly to what has been done during the official year of 1840, we 

 find that in the department of canals the Government has sanctioned an out- 

 lay of 23.000r. for deepening a canal in the Hedgelee district for the express 

 object of facilitating the transportation of salt. The other expenses in con- 

 nexion with canals have been incurred partly in reference to those near Cal- 

 cutta, and partly to those on the east and west of the Jumna. The former 

 appear to have cost in necessary repairs a sum of about 14.000r. independently 

 of an iron suspension bridge at Ooltadanga. over the Circular Canal, amount- 

 ing to 12.000r. On the Dooab Canal has been expenderl 71.300r, in the con- 

 struction of aqueducts, h ilh the view to the further extension of the benefits 

 of irrigation. The total amount of money expended in canals during the 

 year under consideration was2,57,S13r. ; the returns 4,69, 197r., being a clear 

 profit of 2.11,384r. The new roads were progressing steadily, tlie road 

 from Burdwar to Benares is completed, as far as regards earth work, to its 

 full height and width. On this undertaking there had been an outlay of 

 6,00,000r„ and it will require an equal outlay to complete it. The road from 

 Patua to Gya would have the benefit of a grant of 70,000r., .and for the road 

 to Darjech ng a revised estimate of 28,000r, Hould be appropriated. The 

 proposed road from Agra to Bombay had been negatived from the fact of the 

 enormous expense it would entail. The total outlay in public wo ks for that 

 period was 9,B9,686r,, which produced a return of 4.69, 197r., thus leaving 

 5,00,489r, as the dillerence between expenditure and return. On this the In- 

 dia journals remark that it is an expenditure of less than one per cent, on the 

 land revenues of these provinces, and that ho;\ever much the public may be 

 grateful for these improvements, it exhibits much niggardness as compared 

 with the revenue the Government authorities derives from the territory of 

 vhich they are the uselul and necessary embellishment. — Times. 



COMMUNICATION FROM THE ATLANTIC TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN, 

 ACROSS THE ISTHMUS OF DARIE.M, OR PANAMA. 



A project has been started for forming a road or railway communication 

 from Chagres to Panama, which probably will not exceed in length 42 miles, 

 and over a gross ascent between the two oceans of about 500 feet. It is 

 proposed to be constructed on the surface, (that is, without a tunnel) thereby 

 the danger arising from earthquakes will be much lessened. 



It is stated that by this route, and using steam navigation across the Atlan- 

 tic and Pacific oceans, the passage from England to the colonics of New Zea- 

 land, Van Dieman's Land, and to .\ustralia generally, may be reduced from 

 Ave months to ten weeks, and also that the passage from England to the 

 coast of Chili and Peru, would be reduced to 35 or 40 days. The advantages 

 of a road or way across the isthmus will be very great, not only to England 

 but to the whole of Europe and America. Steam packets will shortly be 

 established between England and the Atlantic shore of the Isthmus ; steam 

 boats are already working along the coast of Chili and Peru, and there is 

 little doubt that a coiiijilete steam navigation will be effected within a short 

 time from Panama to New Zealand and other British colonies in New South 

 Wales. 



It only remains, therefore, (to render this route perfect) to construct a 

 road or railway across the neck of land, and to show that every facility would 

 be atl'orded by the government of New Granada, in the execution of such a 

 work, that Congress is willing to grant extensive privileges on those parties 

 undertaking the project. 



Pile-driving M-\chine. — .\n ingenious machine for driving a double 

 row of piles, has recently been imported from the United States. It was 

 built at Utiea, and has the national name " Brother Jonathan" inscribed on 

 it. It is now in operation at Smith's timber wharf, Pedlar's Acre, where it 

 can be seen driving the piles for the causeway and abutment on the Surrey side 

 of the New Hungerford Market Bridge, now in progress. The rams or "mon- 

 keys "are elevated to a height of 35 feet or thereabouts, along grooves in 

 perpendicular ladders, similar to the ordinary machine, by means of a loco- 

 motive steam engine of 10-horse power, fixed on a platform, on which the 

 whole of the machinery is jilaced. The power of the blow given by each of 

 these hammers exceeds 600 tons, and drives a pile of 27 feet long, and as 

 thick as the thickest piles used in embankments and for coffer-dams, nearly 

 its whole length into the earth in about eight minutes, or perhaps less. It 

 drives two piles at the same time. A circular horizontal saw is worked by 

 the engine, which, in a few seconds, cuts the tops of the piles even, and 

 enables the trucks, or small wheels on which the platform is supported, to 

 come forward as fast as the piles are driven, and cut them even at the top; 

 The power of this machine is astounding, and requires to be seen to be fully 

 estimated. It is an important applicatiou of steam power, likely to produce 

 verv- beneficial results in public works, iu the formation of sea b,anks, and in 

 all operations on a large scale where rapidity of execution and precision are 

 required. The machine was used in America for driving piles for railways ; 

 and travelled by its own power upwards of 200 miles, driving piles, and mak- 

 ing its own road through swamps and districts heretofore impervious. It is 

 patented in this country, and also in the United States. The machine has, 

 moreover, the power of drawing piles out of the earth as quickly as it drives 

 them in, and can be applied to the raising of blocks of stones, and all heavy 

 weights that require an extraordinary pow-er. It is almost indispensable for 

 all persons immediately connected with engineering and science to see it. 

 We hope next mouth to be able to give drawings and a description of the 

 machine. 



REPORT FROM THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON FINE ARTS. 



The report of the above committee, together with the minutes of evidence 

 taken by them, have been printed by order of the late House of Commons. 

 Amongst the witnesses examined were Mr. C. Barry and Sir Martin A. Shee. 



We shall now proceed to give an abstract. 



The committee commence by stating, that although the then approaching 

 dissolution compelled them to conclude their inquiry somewhat abruptly, 

 still they have obtained the opinions of stme distinguished professors and 

 admirers of art, who are unanimously of opinion that so important and na- 

 tional a work as the erection of the two Houses of Parliament afi'ords an op- 

 portunity which ought not to Le neglected of encouraging not only the higher 

 but every subordinate branch of fine art in this country. In this opinion the 

 committee state their entire concurrence, supported as it is by witnesses of 

 extensive information, and by artists of the highest ability. The committee, 

 however, in recommending that measures should be taken without delay to 

 encourage the fine arts, by employing them in the decoration of the new 

 Houses of Parliament, desire to express their decided opinion, that, to accom- 

 plish this object successfully, it is absolutely requisite that a plan should pre- 

 viously be determined upon, and that as soon as practicable, in order that the 



