YEAR-BOOK OF FACTS. 



glettonital an& llstkl gifts. 



GREAT WORKS OF 1860. 



The Great Eastern steam-ship left Southampton on June 17th, for 

 New York, which she reached on the 28th, after a passage of Hi 

 days. Her average rate of speed was about 300 miles per day ; the 

 maximum attained was 14i knots an hour. Her return voyage is 

 thus described in the London Review: — "With all the disadvan- 

 tages of improper trim, with the drawback of the long rank vegetation 

 clinging to her keel, with engines stiff and new to their work, with 

 engineers to a great extent unacquainted with the powers and 

 working of the machiner}', the great ship made a run from New 

 York to Milford of 2980 knots, after allowing for difference of time 

 of the longitude, at an average speed of 13 '9, or within a mere 

 fraction of 11 knots an hour. The total consumption of coals was 

 2744 tons, or rather less than one ton per knot run,— a remarkably 

 small quantity when the enormous tonnage of the vessel is taken 

 into account." 



The Warrior, the first iron- plated steam-frigate in the possession 

 of Great Britain, was launched on Dec. 29, 18(30 ; this is the largest 

 man-of-war ever built, and more than 1500 tons larger than the 

 largest vessel in the world, after the Great Eastern. The Warrior 

 was minutely described in the Ycar-Book of Facts, 1S60, pp. 11 — 13. 

 (See also pp. 33 — 36 of the present volume.) 



The French iron-plated steam-ship La Gloire is afloat, and an 

 excellent description, with a faithful sketch of her, conveying a 

 correct idea of the profile of the ship, will be found in the Mechanics' 

 Maijazine, Dec. 28, 1860. (See also pp. 36 — 40 of the present 

 Year- Booh.) 



The Great Victoria Railway Bridge, Canada, has been opened by 

 the Prince of Wales. An admirable description of this stupendous 

 work, based upon Mr. James Hodges's published account of its con- 

 struction, will be found in the Builder, Oct. 20, 1860. 



THE OXFORD UNIVERSITY MOSEUJI. 

 (See the Vignette.) 

 This picturesque edifice has been opened, and was appropriated to 

 a grand soiree during the meeting of the British Association at Ox- 

 ford in July last. The purpose of the Museumis to supply, " for 

 mutual aid and easy interchange of reference and comparison, a 

 common habitation under one roof" of the natural and experimental 



