266 



CANADIAN SATUKNIiE.— SILKWORMS. 



[1855. 



earth, light, and air, the incorporate imagj of some iileal harmony ; 

 we are struck, moreover, by an objective alherence to nature, and the 

 utmost faitliiulness of a i^ositive locality, its picturesque and vege- 

 tative physiognomy. It is as if the Athenians, the Spartans, arose 

 anew from their resting-place of ages, — as if a battle was again to be 

 fought on tlioso spots so intimately represented in the Eleusian groves', 

 once the place of sacred initiation. Such appreciation led to the desire 

 of having these productions of art exhibited in the best possible man- 

 ner, and an especial saloon has been appropriated to them in the 

 new Pinakotheca, at Munich. The architect, M. Voit, being intrusted 

 with its construction, has erected a gallerj', where the light coming 

 from above strikes only the pictures, the visitor viewing them from the 

 shade of a covered hall, which occupies the middle portion of the room. 

 By this arrangement, the paintings are brought out in a very striking 

 illumination, imparting to them that mysterious sentiment, under 

 which, without doubt, most works of art ought to be viewed. 



Progress of Melbourne — Australia. 



A view of the commerce, revenue, and rise, of Melbourne, is unlike 

 the commercial growth of a rising city, and rather resembles youth 

 starting up ata bound to the full maturit}' of manhood,; its population, 

 which in 1836 was 224 persons, having reached in 1853, 250,000. Its 

 exports, which iu 1838 amounted to 21,000Z., reached in 1850 to 

 1,042,000Z., in 1852 amouuted to 7,451, 540^., and in 1853 swelled to 

 9,080,574Z. ; while the increase of imports in the same year was equally 

 striking, advancing from 71,000A in 1838, to 754,000Z. iu 1850, to 

 4,067,742?. in 1852, and to 15,842,637?. in 1853. The revenue 

 of the colony is also very remarkable — in 1850 it amounted to 

 261, 32U., in 1851 it was 379,824?. in 1852 it reached to 1,576,- 

 801?., and, in 1853, it swelled to 3,202,249?. A large part of 

 these amounts was obtained from the sale of Crown lands, and 

 the licenses to dig for gold yielded, in 1853, 660,838?., the 

 present reduced rate being 1?. per month, or 8?. for the year. The 

 total produce of gold for 1853 was nearly 129 tons, valued, at 4?. per 

 oz., 12,361,368?., being upwards of 1,000,000?. a month; but, as we 

 learn from the most recent advices, that the amount of gold shipped 

 from Victoria, in the first nine months of 1854, amouuted to 1,653,999 

 ozs., against 1,831,468 ozs. shipped during the first nine months of 

 1853, some decline will be observable during the last year. This is 

 attribvited, partly to the fact that a large part of the population has 

 settled down to ordinary industrial, particularly agricultural pursuits, 

 but still the average weekly produce in October last was about 40,000 

 ounces. — Min. Jotir. 



Tlie Gi-eal lYIinucsota Copper Miiie« 



The Lake Superior Ilining Ncics furnishes the subjoined summary 

 account of the monster mine, known as the Minnesota : — 



" The greatest depth attained in this mine is 380 feet. The main 

 shaft or piston that works the pumps is here about 300 feet long. The 

 lowest depth attained at the south vein is 166 feet. Silver is inter- 

 spersed in all the copper of this mine, and in some others on this 

 range. When any fine specimens of silver do make their appearance 

 in verges, or in any other collection, they are generally secured by the 

 miners. The amount of copper shipped from this mine during the 

 season of navigation was 1,543,407 pounds, net weight, being over 771 

 tons, worth over $300,000. The product for the month of December 

 is over 77 tons. Three hundred and ninety men are required to carry 

 on this vast operation. It requires a supply of over 20,000 pounds of 

 candles for this mine during six months. There are about forty 

 buildings clustered around this mine, and making a respectable village, 

 for they have their Catholic and Protestant churches, their school-house, 

 warehouse, and doctor's office. It is one of the mines that give cha- 

 racter to this country, for upon its success depends the confidence 

 of all stocldiolders in copper mines ; and it will maintain that place 

 until some others shall show an equal success, and share that respon- 

 sibility with the Minnesota and Cliff mines." 



Miucrs and tUeir Privations. 



The census of 1851 presents many curious facts relating to mining 

 industry. It appears that in Great Britain this class of the population 

 numbered as follows : — 



Production in 1S51 about 



Coal miners 216,366 52,000,000 tons of ore. 



Iron miners 27,098 2,250,000 " 



Lead miners 21,617 65,000 " 



Copper miners 18,468 11,000 " 



Tin miners 12,912 9,000 " 



This population, in a great measure, exists in mines which are dis- 

 tinguished from the workshops of other operatives by the peculiarities 

 of the temperature, pressure, moisture, and composition of the air, 

 of the gases, and miasmata which prevail in thefii, by the absence of 

 sunlight, and by the mode of lighting, quite as much as the motions 

 and working positions of the men dift'er from those belonging to any 

 other occupation. The average age of miners living varies from 25-7 

 years in the case of tin. miners, to 28-9 amongst lead miners, being a 

 difference of about three years, but this is accounted for by the tin 

 miners commencing work at 10^ j'ears of age, the lead miners not till 

 above thirteen years, on the average. These are the extremes of age, 

 within which, on an average, each of the five classes of miners begin 

 work. Iron miners are the unhealthiest of all; for, notwithstanding 

 that the men do not commence work till about 13 or 14 years of age, 

 their sj)an of labour only reaches 25'4 yeai-s, which is 2} years below 

 the average time in which a miner wears out. The machine lasts but 

 27-7 years, whilst 42-3 years are got out of the agricultural labourer. 

 In other words, the lives of the miners, in addition to excessive sickness 

 and diminished strength, are shortened by an amount equivalent to 

 more than half their working life. 



L-isfliteulug of Labour in Mines — tlie Slam Macliine* 



The '• Man Machine" is an apparatuscontrived for thepurpose of saving 

 miners time and labour in ascending and descending to and from their 

 work. One hundred men can be elevated or lowered together from as 

 many different depths of the mine (in a perpendicular shaft) by this 

 simple contrivance. The single acting man machine consists of a strong 

 rod of wood or iron, extending the whole depth of the shaft, to which 

 are fixed platforms about 4 feet by 2J- feet at intervals of ten feet. 

 There are corresponding platforms fixed at the same distances to the 

 sides of the shaft. The rod has a reciprocating motion up and down of 

 ten feet, communicated to it by the crank of a water-wheel or steam- 

 engine. Now, a person stepping on the rod when it is about to go up, 

 and off it on to the side platform when it is about to go down, and re- 

 peating the operation at every stroke of the rod, would arrive without 

 effort at the top. One man can be on each platform at a time. In 

 the double machine there are two rods, which move up and doAvn alter- 

 nately ; and, therefore, double the speed of the ascent. 



Tlie Canadian Journal — New Series» 



The members of the Canadian Institute and the subscribers to this 

 Journal are aware that the first number of the Canadian Journal was 

 issued in August, 3852. Each yearly volume was thus made to ter- 

 minate at a period found by experience to be extremely inconvenient 

 in relation to the Society's financial arrangements ; and it has long 

 been thought desirable, that an effort should be made tO' connect the 

 financial year of the Institute with that of its Journal. This step 

 has not hitherto been taken, as it appeared to the Council that the 

 prospects of the Society were such as would warrant the issue in a short 

 period of a NEW SERIES, with such changes in size, form and 

 arrangement, as would adapt it to to the rapid growth and strength of 

 the Canadian Institute. It is now thought that the time has arrived 

 for effecting this change, and it is therefore proposed to continue the 

 monthly issues of the present volume to December 1855; and in Jan- 

 uary 1856 to issue the first number of a NEW SERIES. Further 

 information on this subject will be published when the necessary 

 details have been determined. 



Canadian Satui'nine. — Silldrorms* 



In the April number of the Canadian Journal of last year (vol. ii. 

 page 212) we published a short paper by Thomas Cottle, M.D., of 

 Woodstock, C. W. " On some of the Canadian Saturnire, and sugges- 

 tions on the possibility of using their silk for textile purposes."* We 

 are glad to find in the correspondence of M. Jerome Nicklfes with " The 

 American Journal of Science and Art," dated December 30th, 1854; 

 that the French " Zoological Society for Acclimation and Domestica- 



* Read before the Canadian Institute March 11th, 1854. 



