1852.] MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE. S3 



iinioiigsl fiiinicvs promotes n knowleJgc of favming, ami wlien it is woU for their dangerous condition ; while practical liliowlcdge and cxjiefi- 



knowii lliat this is so, ne aro rallier surprised that farmoi's associations enco from the mines will offer to science the elements for experiment 



are not more favorably considered by tlio generality of farmers than and calculation. Thus rellecting on each other, and proceeding hand 



they are in some places at present. At the formation of the East O-vford in hand, they will bring to liglit abetter and more secure morlo for 



Association, Mr. Alexander, wlio was subsequently appointed its Pre- working our dangerous mines. Science, thus led by practical know- 



sident, delivered an admirable address on the benefit of Farmers ledge, enabled M. Jars, the French academician, to discover the laws 



Associations. — Colonist. of the natural ventilation of mines, and then- dangerous condition at 



„ . . , „ , .,,-.- , certain seasons. So led. Sir Humphrey Davy and Mr. G. Stevenson 



„, . , ^ ., * '^»^'"'^"»' t-vhibition. discovered the safety-lamp ; and so led, Professor Bischoff, of Bonn, 



The Annual E.xhibition of the Provmcial Agricultural Association, detected bi-carburetted hydrogen in some of the continental mines 



will be held in Toronto, on llio 3lst, SSrid, 23rd, and Sltli of Septem- that rendered the safety-lamp in them an instrument of danger It 



ber. E.vtensive arrangements have been made to ensure a display of ^^s this which discovered that the same safety-lamp became a source 



the produce and industry of the country, commensurate with the of explosion in the hands of the miner, wlien iiassing throu'di an 



extraordinary increase in its population and wealth, since the last explosive atmosphere of more than 3 ft. a second. It was this combi- 



Exhibition held iu this city four years .ago. nation of .science and practical knowledge that has given to the mines 



Tlio Local Committee iu their address to the Citizens of Toronto their various means of ventilation — the furnace, the fan, the ventilating- 



express their confident expectation that the Ontario, Sinicoc and Lake pump, the elevated chimney, and the steam-jet. It is tliis which has 



Huron Railroad will be opened, and the Locomotive in operation as enabled us to penetrate nearly 2000 foot into the bowels of the earth, 



far as Bradford, by Uio time '■ xcd for the fair. A very largo number through quicksands and feeders of water, some of them 0000 gallons 



of visitors from all parts of Canada an<l the United States is looked per minute, and to extract tliorefrom the minerals so important" to the 



for, and (for the purpose of aftbrding every facility to strangers to individual man and to the country. It is this combination that is the 



procure suitable accomodation) the Local Committee have announced iiope of the future. 



tlicir inlenlion to keep a record of all Houses of entertainineiit in the a national society for the miners, inspired by humanity and bo 



city and Eiiviron.s, as also the extent of accommodation each possesses inlluenced and guided, cannot but be productive of the most beneficial 



ai,d the charges for the same. results.— J/raMi^/ Journal. 



Premiums to be aAvarded by the Provincial Agricultural 7JaiZiM!/«a(;sKcs.— The length of railway open at the end of 1851 was 



Association. G890 miles; end of 1850, GC21 miles; and end of 18-19, 6032 miles— 



For Afjricultural liciwHs of Counties in Uppor Canada, for showing an increase in mileage in 1851 over 1850 of 2C0 miles, and end 



1 853. Open 'to general competilion. "' 1^=^° "^"^ ^^'^'^ °^ ^§9 miles. 



For the best County Reiiort, (Wellington and rassengcrs.— The number of passengers conveyed on railways in 



Hastings excepted,) . - - - -£20 the United Kingdom for the half-year ending the 31st Dec, 1851, was 



2nd Do - - - - - - - 15 47,509,392 ; for the corresponding period of 1850, 41,087,919 ; and for 



3i-d Do- 10 00 the corresponding period of 1849, 35,073,072 — showing an increase in 



,ltli Do- - - - - - -500 the half-year ending the 31st Dec, 1851, over the corresponding period 



These Reports, in addition to the usual information required in 1850 of G,421,473 passengers, and for the half-year ending the 3Ist 



respecting the condition of Agricultural Societies witliiu their range, ^ec, 1850, over the corresponding period of 1849 of 6,014,247 passcn- 



should describe the various soils of the County; modes of Fanning; S'^i'''' 



value of land ; amount ol tillage and average of crops ; breeds (jf live Accidents. — In the half year ending the 31st December, the number 

 stock ; implements and machines in use ; metliods of jireserviiig and of persons killed was 113, and 264 injured. There were 8 passengers 

 applying manures ; sketch of past progress, with suggestions for future killed and 113 injure I, fi'om causes beyond tlieir own control ; 9 pas- 

 improvement. The manufacturing and commercial condition and sengers were killed and 14 injured, owing to their own misconduct or 

 capabilities of the County should likewise be stated, together with any want of caution ; 30 servants of companions or of contractors were 

 other facts that would illustrate its past history or |iresent condition. killed and 17 injured, from causes beyond their own control ; 32 

 All statistical information should be condensed as much as possible, servants of companies or of contractors were killed and 11 injured, 

 and when practicable, put into a tabulated form. The main object of owing to their own misconduct or want of caution ; 33 tre.sp.TSseis and 

 each report should be to afford any intelligent stranger that might read other persons, neither passengers nor servants of the companies, were 

 it, aconci.se, yet an a(fcy«ate?_y ij-Ky/yu? view of the Agricultural condition killed and 9 injured, by crossing or walking on railways. There was 

 and Industrial pursuits oi \\\Q County. While all unnecessary j^articulais one suicide, 



are to be avoided in ihe preparation of these Reports, completeness shoMldi The Gold Melds of Australia.— T ho Victoria gold fields still enTbsa 



as much as possible be kept in view. the chief attention of fortune-hunters, and really the outmovings ap'pear 



The Rejiorts must be sent in to the Secretary of the Board of to be immense. In five months— say, from Cctober, 1851, to th» 



Agriculture, accompanied by a scaled note containing the name and beginning of March, 1852— the Victoria dig:'ings yielded the enormous 



adilicss of the writer, on or before the 1st of AprU, 1853 ; and no repoit amount of 053,270 ounces of gold, which is valued at £2,319,108103,, 



will be received after that date. Such reports as obtain premiums will or nearly $10,000,000, 



become the iireiierty of the Board. — Aqriculturist. mi, t> n .. > „ .^ rp ,,.„ v • „i • i, i i i j 



' ' •' ■' The Batnurst and 1 uron diggings, which have been longer and raoro 



extensively woiked than those of Victoria, have yielded up to March 



F O R E I (S- NT . nearly 1,000,000 ounces of gold ; the actual exports to Marcli 20 being 



1,125,317 ounces. These diggings yield as plentiful as ever, and new 



Accidents in Mines.— 'Not less than 0000 of our fellow-creatures localities, abounding in rich deposits, are being met with in abundance. 



liave been destroj-ed in the mines during the last ten years. Some of In Van Dieman's Land gold has been discovered, but we h.avo little 



them have been shattered to pieces in the mine — projected against the more than the announcoraout. Large parties had gone out in different 



sides of this terrible ])iece of ordnance ; while others, out of its iinme- directions, with the view of prospecting. 



diate range, in another part of the workings, have been instantly a,„i:,i;^, t„ T?.,„i..„ri ;.,(!,» „;„ „ „ icon* loii n 



1 1 .1 ^ 1 ,. f ., *=* 1 - rA.T ■*^ btattstics, — In England, in the six years 1839 to 1844 the avera^'O 



poisoned by the gaseous productions of the explosion. Others, again, „,.,u„,. „,„,.,.;„,i „„,,„„ii„ ,„oc i r ik ;„ „,.„ mnnnn 



{ , ■', 1 ■ ,1 1 n <■ <i ■ 1 1 r 11 number married annually was 1,54b in every 100,000 persons, com - 



have been drowned in the depth of the mine, and some have fallen , „„„ , r ,„„„, „,.„„„,.t: ,,,„ „t n,^ „„,.„„ . „i i t ^\ , 7 i ■ /■ 



, 1 1 J. i 11 1 ■ 1 i 1 ,1 1 -1 1 1 posed ot equal proportions 01 the sexes ; whilst the greatest deviation 



many hund ed feet and been bruised to death, while many have been ,^ ^^^^^^ f,.„J,„ ^j^^ .j^ ^^,^^ „,,, ^j ^'„j -^ ^j^j^^.J^ j 



drtr'o d ' " ' ""'^ ""'""' '"'"' ^^'^"'"^ ^'^ y^'"'^- "^^''^ ^"'"-^ ^'"S"la>- uniformity was remarked in the 



'' . number of persons married at different ages, in the proportion of men 



At this juncture, as if guided by a special Providence, a strong and ^t one age with females at another .ige, and even between the condi- 



national society is ])reparing to make this subject its peculiar care. jions of persons marrying, viz. :— bachelors with sjuusters, bachelors 



Practical and scientific men, as if anticipating jts increased necessity, ^,,ith widows, widowers with .spinsters, and widowers with widows, 



held a preliminary meeting in Westminster, on Wednesday, last week, xhe proportions are shown by tables to differ in a very slight degree 



to form a Society for the jireservation of life from explosion and other in several successive years, and at different periods of age. Other 



accidents in mines. It was there resolved tliat a society having these ]nnds of observations may be i)ointed out, in which the action of the 



objects in view, sliould have its seat in London, and its ramifications will is observed to be in such strict accordance with a general law, 



in every mining district. - that calculation, though it might be at fault in a few cases, would be 



AVe have the names of some of the first practical and scientific men almost absolutely correct in predicting the results iu a large pojiula- 



of the day, as well as of Members of Parliament, who are prep i red to tion. The crimes of which persons are accused vary in their nature 



support this Society. In London wo have a concentration of the according to the age and sex ; but during the twenty years in which 



science of Europe, and the influeuoo aud the power of the kingdom, they were rcgistoreJ in France, and during which the number accused 



that will truder tu the miucs all human moans aud ajipliauces suites! was about eijual to that of tho d atlis of luak'S ri'giritcrcJ iu Paris, the 



