1843.] THE GARDENERS CHRONICLE. 671 
ing with considerable expedition, and already have loop- | way. Cows were lowing in rear of the house to be milked ; 
holes been jformed in the different angles of the building, | and calves were clamorous for their allowance of what the 
under the inspection of the Royal Engineers, To the | cows were to give. The gates that crossed the road at vari- 
north-east of the building a platform is in course of erec- | ous places, keeping vagrant pigs and cattle asunder, were 
tion, which will command a long range of country, and it kept to their posts by old ropes and stones, which had to be 
is supposed will be surmounted with a swivel gun, of con- | rolled away ere they could be opened, and rolled back again 
siderable calibre. ere the pigs could be restrained from accompanying the 
Se eee et visitors to the front of the castle ; and even then, a sharp 
SCOTLAND. admonition over the snout was requisite to make them re- 
Edinburgh.—The Northern Star of last weekZcontains | member they were pigs. The dogs, which were ready to 
an account of the present state of Chartism in Scotland, | bite them on the ears, or to bark at the refractory cows 
from the pen of Mr. Hill (late editor of the paper), who | and calves, or at strangers like us, until told to be quiet, 
has just been making a tour in this country. ‘ The | were lying on the dunghills that lay on the roadside ; and 
general complaint,” he says, ‘‘ which met me in almost | those who bade them be quiet were leaning idly on the hay 
every town was, ‘ That agitation is dead ;’ the enthusiasm waggon or the stone wall, doing nothing more than 
of the people seems to have greatly gone down everywhere, making us think they were looking at us, and us only. 
Great demonstrations, expensive and numerous proces- | On being spoken to, one came and opened a gate to allow 
sions, and flags, banners, music, and hurraing noises, are | us entrance to the front of the castle, and another went 
y no means so plentiful; it is even difficult to get the | the back way to carry our compliments to the inmates, 
people out to hear lectures. They seem tired of lecturing, | and our request to be admitted to the interior. The front 
and tired of the agitation altogether.’’—The estimates for | showed us the windows partly built up, and the roof 
, the execution of the works for the improvement of the wholly carried away. It may have been a pleasant house, 
7 
Caledonian Canal show the differences which sometimes | it occupies a fine situation, and is surrounded by groun 
occur in the calculations of contractors. Only four tenders which, if it has not been, might be made, one of the finest 
were givenin. The respective amounts were, in round | pleasure parks in the world; but at all times the house 
numbers, as follows :—Lowest, 134,000Z.; second lowest, | must have been plain, A red-painted door, made to fit 
136,000/.; third lowest, 223,000/. ; highest, 230,0004. | its place by a great portion of the doorway being built up 
It seems that the second lowest offer has been accepted. | to fit it, being opened to us from the inside, we entered 
—An old man, named Allan Mair, 84 years of age, was | and found the main portion of the building entirely 
found guilty of the murder of his wife, at the Stirling | cleared of its partitions and party-walls. It was all open 
Court of Justiciary. It was attempted to prove that he | above; and what had once been the dining-100m, parlour, 
was insane in regard to his conduct towards bis wife, | and library floors, was now a flower-garden. During the 
though his reason in other respects might not be affected. | time the house was occupied by the O’Connor family, 
The Jury, however, unanimously found him Guilty, and | who rented it from the Marquess Wellesley, it was burnt, 
Lord Moncrieff passed sentence of death.—Colonel Wil- | save in the wing towards the rear, where the present inha- 
liam Nicol Burns, the second son of the poet, has lately | bitants now live. To this wing we proceeded, and the 
returned to Dumfries, after an absence in India of 34 years, | young lady who kindly led the way, on taking us to what is 
St. Andrews.—The proceedings of several meetings | now a comfortably-furnished parlour, told us the common 
and conferences have been published in reference to a | belief was, that in this room the Duke of Wellington and 
minute of the Senate, stating ‘that Sir D. Brewster, | the other members of the Mornington family were born. 
Principal of the United College, has, by his signature of a | There was a spacious bow-window looking out upon 
public deed, laid on the table of the General Assembly of | the garden and farmyard, which occupied ground slopiug 
the Church of Scotland, seceded from the Established | from this to a streamlet. below, distant 100 or 200 yards. 
Church, and has since joined himself with those who haye | Inside the room was a large circular recess, now shelved 
openly and officially declared their hostility to that Esta- | round, the shelves filled with articles of ornament and use 
blishment, and their determination to overturn it.” After | —glass, china, and such like. his recess is quite large 
& correspondence with the Chancellor of the University, | enough to have held a large bed ; and, as we were told, did 
and the adoption of a memorial to the Secretary of State, | hold the family couch of the Countess of Mornington, and 
the University met a committee of the Presbytery of St. subsequently that of the mother of Feargys O’Connor. 
Andrews, for the purpose of holding a mutual conference | When about to leave Trim on this visit, 1 put a few ques- 
in reference to the case. The meeting was unanimously | tions to an old gentleman who stood by the doorway of 
of opinion that they ought in no way to interfere with the | the hotel, such as ‘* How far to Dangan Castle?” “Who 
proceedings of the Presbytery, but: should leave them to | lives there now?” and so on. He told me that he was a 
follow their own course. tailor, still carried on business in Trim, and had made 
Hamilion.—Great festivities have taken place in this | clothes for the young Wellesleys when boys. ‘He made 
neighbourhood in honour of the first visit of the Princess clothes for the Hon. Arthur Wellesley, now Duke’ of 
Marie of Baden, Marchioness of Douglas, to Hamilton | Wellington, when a boy. He also did work for him when 
Palace. The road from Douglas Mills to the’ palace he was the Hon. Captain Wellesley, and came to Trim on 
(about 18 miles) was lined by the Duke of Hamilton’s | the recruiting service. He remembered, “as distinctly as 
tenants—some from as far as thirty miles off—chiefly | if it had been yesterday,’’ when the cory oration of Trim 
farmers on horseback, who fell in after the open carriage, | elected this young officer to be one of their members in 
-in which were the bride and bridegroom. ‘The procession | the Irish Parliament, when it was alleged that he had not 
was headed by a troop of cavalry, and when a salute of | attained his majority. On that occasion the nurse who 
cannon from Chatelherault announced its entrance into | attended at his birth was brought into the Court-house at 
-the park, it was joined by a body of tenantry on foot, who | Trim, and he remembered sais her, “as plainly as if it 
followed the horsemen to the palace. On the balcony | had happened but yesterday,” put on the witnesses’ table 
stood the Duke and Duchess of Hamilton, the Countess | 22d sworn, and she proved that that very day one-and- 
of Lincoln, and the Countess of Dunmore, with several | twenty years she saw the Hon. Arthur Wellesley born at 
gentlemen. His Grace descended the steps to hand the | Dangan Castle.—Morning Chronicle. : 
Marchioness up to the balcony, and her appearance there, Imperishable Bread.—On the 13th inst., in the Mayor’s 
with that of the Marquis, was hailed with the heartiest | Private room, at the Town-hall, Liverpool, a box of bread 
cheers. After this, about 1600 persons, consisting of the | WS Opened which was packed at Rio Janeiro nearly two 
Duke’s tenantry, the yeomanry cavalry, and many gen- | Y€@"s ago, and proved as sound, sweet, and in all respects 
tlemen of the county, sat down to a cold collation in three | 28 800d as on the day when it was inclosed. This bread 
large buildings fitted up for the occasion. In the Riding | 18 Manufactured of a mixture in certain proportions of 
House the Duke of Hamilton presided; in the second | ‘i¢e-meal and wheat-flour. The coarsest quality of flour 
room the Marquis of Douglas, and in the third Sir Nor- |-™ay be used, and will produce bread not inferior to that 
man Lockhart, with Mr. Magee at a supplementary table. of the finest description by the ordinary method. It was 
The tenantry were placed at the tables in clans, each clan stated that it is also extremely nutritious, very beneficia! 
wearing a different and appropriate device, and dis- | t° the system, and a certain anti-scorbutic. Some of j 
tinguished by a banner of itsown. The magistrates and | "28 eaten by the Mayor, who pronounced it excellent, in 
town council dined together in the town-hall of Hamilton, which opinion he was joined by all present. It was 
under the presidency of Colonel Richardson, asserted by M. Alzard, the discoverer of the process, that 
eee would keep two centuries CROSS UC 
7 he Jacquard Loom.—A Lyons journal states that 
Siliscellancous. M. Mirlavecas silk Sennataney of that city, bas applied 
Wellington’s Birthplace.—Having visited some of the | the principles of the Jacquard loom to musical instruments, 
remarkable ruins around Trim, the chief of which is | His first trial has been on the accordion. A card is used 
avast pile called John’s Castle, we hired a car, and at | to vary the tunes as it is used in the weaving to change 
six in the evening drove off to Dangan Castle, four miles | the pattern, M. Mirlaveau has, it is added, devoted five 
south or south-east. Arrived at the margin of the years and much expense to this invention. 
domain, we entered a narrow avenue by an iron gate, The Electrical Eel.—Two fine specimens of this sin- 
which was opened by a woman whose house was one of | gular animal arrived last week at the Adelaide Gallery, 
two or three low thatched huts. There were no trees | brought by the brig Romance, from Para, in South Ame- 
shading the avenue, but a high thorn. hedge, bushy, | rica, where they were caught in one of the tributary 
wild, and lofty, skirted it on either side. When we | streams of the Amazon. They are each about two feet 
had proceeded 300 or 400 yards, the park, that had once | six inches in length, and appear to be male and female, 
been finely wooded, but which, like a bald head, with a | judging from the difference of colour, one of them being 
tree here, and two or three there, and a few more, | nearly the same throughout, with the exception of the 
Stunted and denuded of their ornamental branches, | abdomen, while the other is studded with spots. They 
ner | have been purchased by the proprietor of the Adelaide 
eso mag ly wooded, now so shabbily | Gallery, and will have their powers tested as soon as they 
bare, opened upon our view. The road went towards | have recovered from the effects of their sea voyage. 
the left, and again wheeled to the right. On the brow of | Three of them were shipped, but the largest died on the 
a gentle slope stood the castle, like a huge ill-shaped | voyage during a gale of wind. 
barn; gray, treeless, shelterless, and in most parts roof- Form of Ships.—An important paper on the form of 
less. Broken cars and waggons, and ploughs that were idle | ships was read at the recent meeting of the British Asso- 
becauseit was summer, and harrows idle as the ploughs, lay | ciation, which attracted a great deal of attention. The 
atrewn about, and told of people who were as idle as any | report which was only given in an abridged form, for the 
of them, else they would have had them put tidily out of the | mass of papers and drawings would fill volumes, is formed 
= 
on a series of experiments extending over five ye 
which were perseveringly conducted by the late Sir James 
Robison, of Edinburgh, and Mr. Johu Scott Russell 3 and 
for this purpose grants, amounting to nearly 1000¢., have 
been made at different times by the British Associations 
It would becupy too much space to notice even the nature 
of the experiments, and the various plans adopted for arriv- 
ing at the form of ships best adapted to go through the 
water with least resistance, combining at the same time the 
qualities of a good sea-going boat. The general results alone 
can be given, and these are of the most startling kind to 
those ship-builders who conceive the old plan of constriigs 
tion, of having a round head and a fine run aft, to be best 
adapted for encountering a rough sea. One great object 
to be accomplished was to avoid the formation of a head- 
wave, which resists the progress of a vessel as effectually 
as if it were so much deeper immersed in water. This, it 
was found, would be best effected by increasing the length 
of the ship, for length seems to be an essential requisite, 
The shortest length for a boat required to move through 
the water with a velocity of seventeen miles an bour was 
found to be 205 feet, and the shape of the water-line, or 
of that part of the ship which floats on the surface of the 
water, is thus calculated :—The fore part of such a vessel, 
from the widest midship section, must be 120 feet, snd be 
tapered off to a fine point, like a Thames wherry. The 
alterpart must be 85 feet; and the form more rounded, 
though still terminating in a sharp point. Mr. Russell 
said that when old seamen and ship builders saw this plan 
they were positive that such a vessel could not live in a 
rough sea, as it was directly opposed to ‘all their notions 
of ship-building, the cod’s-head and mackarel-tail form 
being the one they had always preferred. Experi. 
ments, however, were made on a large as well as on 
a small scale, with a view to test the qualities of the dif+ 
ferently-shaped vessels, some of the experiments being 
made on ships of 2,000 tons burden. The resultr proved 
that the plan now recommended is far superior to the best 
of the old forms of ships, and that, as compared with the 
cod’s-head and mackarel-tail construction, the advantage, 
when moving at the rate of seven miles an hour, was more 
than double, or, in other words, the resistance to the 
motion through the water, was as 52 to 129; and the 
advantage of the new form was found to increase with the 
increase of speed. As sea-going boats, those of the 
pointed shape were found far superior, for they not only 
shipped less water, but were less agitated by the motion of 
the waves-—which fact was ascertained after a series of 
expetiments, also conducted at the expense of the British 
Association. The bottom of the vessel being of the sathe 
shape as the waves, they conceive that it moves through 
them without being so much tossed about as it would bei 
the undulations of the water were not corresponding with 
the vessel moving through it. Be the cause, however, 
what it may, the results of these experiments were so con- 
clusive, that the ship-builders on the Clyde, where they 
were carried on, have in a great measure overcome their 
partiality to the cod’s-head and mackerel-tail form, and 
have adopted the principles of construction which these 
experiments have proved to be the best. The practical 
effect of these experiments is, that there are at this time 
20 first-class steamers constructed of the sharp-pointed 
form which surpass in speed, and in other requisites of a 
sea-boat, all thosepreviously constructed on other models. 
The Paviour’s Dog.—Everyone will remember the 
fireman’s dog, which for many years was the constant 
attendant at a fire, let the distance have been ever so great, 
Another instance, equally extraordinary, of the devoted- 
ness of ove of the canine species, to ane‘her occupation, 
may be daily witnessed in the neighbotrhood of the 
Borough. The commissioners of pavements of\the eastern 
division of Southwark have a number of men constantly 
employed in the parishes of Bermondsey, St. Joan’s, St, 
Olave’s, &c., and wherever they are will be seen a brown 
terrier running about the works they are engaged on, and 
never leaving till they leave. No one knows where he 
comes from, where he sleeps, or how he obtains his food, 
except what he gets from the men, whose strange com- 
panion he has thus been for no less than eight years. He 
goes regularly to the stone-yard near the Greenwich Rail- 
way about five in the morning in summer, but later in 
winter, and waits tillthe men go to their work. Butifhe 
should have missed them in any way, he proceeds over the 
district till he meets with them, and then takes his station by 
a barrow. No other dog dares approach the spot, ora 
biped the clothes of the men. When the labour is over 
he goes away, but no one knows where. As a matter of 
cougse, he is a great favourite among the men, and from 
Mr. Hall, the superintendent, having made his peculiari- 
ties known, he has become much noticed.— Post, 
A New River,—Lieut. Christopher, of the Indian Navy, 
who was despatched from Aden upon a survey of the coast 
of Africa, by Capt. Haines, has succeeded in discovering 
a large river to the northward of the river Jub, which he 
entered and traced for 130 miles. As he advanced, he 
found it increase in width and depth, and according to the 
report of the natives, @ civil and cblig ng race, it continued 
to do for the next 400 miles. The river is described to 
be from 200 to 200 feet wide, and 60 feet deep, a clear 
meandering stream, with banks in a high state of cultiva- 
tion, yielding all kinds of grain, which are abundant and 
cheap. Lieutenant Christopher has named his discovery 
the ‘* Haines River.” 
Hydro-Eleciric Machine.—A few days ago there wag 
a private exhibition of Armstrong’s Hydro-Electric Ma= 
chine, at the Polytechnic Institution, the powers of which 
far exceed anything ever before shown. Previous to the 
experiments, the lecturer, Mr. Backhoffner, gave a suc- 
cinct account of the accidental discovery, in 1840, by a 
workman at Newcastle,—that, when a common stam 
