44 



MISCELLANEA. 



[1854. 



Rook Dam to Lockport. Next year the canal in its best condition, will 

 be throQgsil witli the products of the boundless, enterprising west. A 

 slight intorruptian would be mischief — a total oue, destruction to 

 interests too exteiisive and momentous to be perilled for an honi-. The 

 welfare of the city of New York, JNew England, this entire State, and 

 the Tast West ; the prosperity of our own city, and the solvency of the 

 Treasury of our State, the credit of its stock, its faith and honoui', 

 depend on enough being done and done in- time to arrest a catastrophe, 

 whic'a Tfe are forced, against our own hopes of prosperity, to admit is 

 like to happen. The remedy. is within reach, and there should ie no 

 hesitation in making the application." 



It is an ill wind that blovTS nobody any good. — What, if a stoppage 

 of the navigation of the Erie Canal should bring into unexpected activity 

 the Grand Trunk, the Great Western and the Ontario, Simcoe, and 

 Huron Railroads ? What, if Hamilton, Colliugwood Harbour, and 

 Toronto, should share much of the carrying trade which has hitherto 

 passed through Bufltilo, and the vast gran.aries of the Great V/est dis- 

 burden themselves through the natural outlet to (hat region, the valley 

 of tlie St. Lawrence, until the gentle stimulus of " Free Navigation?" 



Materials for Pai3cr="mal5 ingo 



In our present number we publish two articles on "Materials for 

 Paper-making." The growing importance of this subject is attracting 

 general attention in the United Kingdom, and has already secured a 

 small corner in the public mind, by the recent increase in price of 

 many newspapers and periodicals, solely on account of the scarcity of 

 materials for making paper. 



As is always the case, whenever any \indue pressure is felt among 

 the gi-eat manufacturing interests, arising from any dearth in the sup- 

 ply of raw materials, numerous attempts are made to relieve the want 

 by the introduction and adoption of new sources of supply or of appro- 

 priate substitutes. For centuries past, by far the greater part of the 

 paper consumed has been made from rags. There is, however, every 

 reason to believe that a considerable supply has been manufactured 

 from other kinds of fibrous matter. The natives of China mamrfactui-e 

 the greatest part of their paper from the inner bark of the bamboo and 

 various other ti-ess. No inconsiderable portion of their common wrap- 

 ping paper is made from rice straw. 



The best materials for this manufacture are unquestionably linen, 

 cotton, and hempen rags. Tliey are the best, because they are as yet 

 the cheapest. It is, however, a question not yet solved, whether they 

 are artistically best adapted for making paper. For many years paper 

 has been made from hop-bines, wood-shavings, straw, plantain, the 

 inner bark of trees, and even from cow-dung, as will be seen by refer- 

 ence to page 32 of this Journal. Among the list of patents recently 

 published in the Canada Oazeite, is one for the manufacture of paper 

 from Cudweed or Everlasting. We have good reason to believe that 

 the search for p.aper-making materials is very assiduously pursued 

 iu Canada West. We had recently an opportunity of examining a raw 

 material from the banks of the St. Clair, which appeared, from its fi- 

 brous nature, to give fair promise of successful application. The new 

 material can be obtained iu vast quantities, and without much labour 

 or expense. No paper has yet been made from it, but wo understand, 

 that Frederick Widdcr, Esq., Chief Commissioner of the Canada Com- 

 pany, has made arrangements for procui-ing a supply of the fibre, and 

 placing it in the hands of competent persons to examine its fitness for 

 the important manufacture it is desirable to promote. 



We may here remind orir readers that many varieties of fibre are 

 found to be well adapted for the manufacture of paper, and, indeed 

 superior to rags : but their commercial value for other purposes does 



not admit of their application, or tlie expense of preparing the pulp from 

 (hem pi-ecludes their adoption. If we suppose that the question of 

 fibre is satisfactorily answered, the next question involves the prepara- 

 tion of the pulp ; at what price can the fibre be converted into pulp ? 

 We are indebted to a friend for a suggestion which we hope will arrest 

 the attention of those who have the opportunity and means to engage 

 in this useful and highly intijresting search after raw material for paper 

 man;ifacture. Why not make paper froTu bass-wood logs? ' very one 

 is familiar with the fibrous character not only of the bark but of the 

 body of tlie tree itself. Partially decayed bass-wood logs may be pro- 

 cured to any extent in our forests, and they furnish a fibre of great 

 tenacity, and comparative freedom from those impurities wliich it is 

 necessary to abstract before a good sample of paper can be raauufac- 

 tured. 



Ke%v TToi-Ji Iiidusti'ial JElxIiibition. 



We are indebted to the politeness of Mr. W. Antrobus Holwell, Com- 

 missioner from Canada to the Exhibition at New York, for the Special 

 Report of Mr. Dilke, which was presented to the House of Cotumons by 

 command of her Majesty, February G, 1854. Tliat portion of Mr. 

 Dilke's Report which comjjrehends the Reports on Clats 8 and 10, wa.s 

 ■\vritten altogether by Sir. Holweil, and in our opinion constitutes by 

 far the most important portion of the whole. The Report having 

 arrived at the moment of our going to press, we are compelled to re- 

 serve further notice until our next issue. 



Misccllauea* " 



Theory of Glaciers^ — Shadow of the Moon — Weight of the Earth — Dis- 

 covery of Iron-Stone in Ireland and. England — Canadian Shipping — 

 The Copyright — Distribution of Public Documents in the XJnittd 

 States — Metallic Wealth of the Ifnitcd States. 



Professor Forbes' work on " Norway and its Glaciers," completely 

 established his theory of the growth and march of these stupendous 

 moving masses of ice, as explained in his foimer works. 



The leading facts on Vifhich that theory was then established are as 

 follows : — 1. That the downward motion of the ice from the mountains 

 towards the valleys, is a continuous and regular motion, going on 

 night and day without starts or stops. 2. That it occurs in ■winter as 

 well as in summer, though less in amount. 3. That it varies at all 

 times, with the temperature, being less in cold than in hot weather. 



4. That rain and melted snow tend to accelerate the glacier motion. 



5. That the centre of the glacier moves faster than the sides, as is the 

 case in a river. 6. The surface of the glacier moves faster than the 

 bottom, also as iu a river. 7. That the glacier moves faster (other 

 things being supjjosed alihc) en steep inclinations. 8. The motion of a 

 glacier is not prevented, nor its contijiuity hindered, by contractions 

 of a rocky channel in which it moves, nor by the inequalities of its 

 bed. 9. The crevasses are for the most part formed annually. — the 

 old ones disappearing by the collapse of the ice during and after the 

 hot season. The theory of motion, deduced from the facts above 

 referred to, is thus given by Professor Forbes : — 



" That a glacier is a plastic mass impelled by gi-avity, having 

 tenacity sufiicient to mould itself upon the obstacles which it encoun- 

 ters, and to permit one portion to slide past another without fracture, 

 except when the forces are so violent as to produce discontinuity iu 

 the form of a crevasse, or more generally of a bruised condition of the 

 mass so acted on ; — that, in consequence, the m.otion of such a mass 

 oa a great scale resembles that of a river, allowance being made for 

 almost incomparable greater viscosity, — hence the retardaddn of the 

 sides and bottom. Finally, that diminution of temperatm-e, diminish- 

 ing the plasticitj' of the ice and also the hydrostatic pressure of the 

 water which fills every pore in summer, retards its motion, whilst 

 warmth and wet produce a contrary effect. These are the opinions 

 which I laid down in 1842, and which ten years' experience and con- 

 sideration have only tended to coniirm." 



The dark shadow of the Moon sweeping through the aii- dm-ing a 



