318 Miscellaneous. [May, 



ed paper containing black/writing that had stood for many years uninjured 

 and placing itbetween two clean copperplates, allowed a current of acidulat- 

 ed water to pass through. In a minute or two the whole writing disappear- 

 ed, and could not be restored by the prussiate; although where the colour of 

 the ink was merely discharged by acid, the usual effect was manifest. The 

 native ink being carbonaceous remained uninjured throughout ; and where 

 even a slight proportion of this ingredient was mixed with the English ink, 

 the removal was so far prevented. This circumstance presents a ready 

 mode of obviating such accidents for the future, for the present is not, it 

 appears, the first occasion of the kind. A poor native pilgrim took some 

 notes to Jagannath in a small copper roll kept on his person for safety. 

 After the customary period of bathing in the sea, he returned, and found 

 his notes effaced, nor would the bank at that time make them good to the 

 unfortunate holder. 



The preventive alluded to is simply to mix Bengali or Indian ink, half 

 and half, with the English metallic ink. I have long been in the habit of 

 doing so for the labels of mineral cabinets, where it is known that pyrites 

 and other substances frequently obliterate the traces of common writing 

 ink. J. P. Sec. 



4. — Suspension Bridge at Fribourg in Switzerland. 



[Having alluded in the last number to this surprising work on the authority of 

 private descriptions just received from relatives in Switzerland, we imagine our 

 Engineer friends in this country (so many of whom we are proud to reckon 

 among our readers) will be curious to hear more of it. We therefore hasten to 

 extract the following account from Jameson's Edin. Phil. Journal*. — Ed. J 



The town of Fribourg is built on the left bank of the Sarine. Both sides of 

 this small stream are very steep ; and rise to the height of about 220f feet 

 above its bed ; and travellers coming from Berne to Fribourg were formerly 

 obliged to descend the hill, in order to reach a small wooden bridge which 

 crosses the river, and immediately after by a steep ascent of about 2 )0 feet to 

 reach the top of the opposite bank before coming to the centre of the town. 

 The passage through Fribourg thus occupied nearly an hour ; but the case is 

 changed since the erection of the new suspension bridge. 



These difficulties and delays were long considered the unavoidable conse- 

 quence of the local situation of the town, until some bold spirits conceived the 

 idea of uniting, by means of a suspension bridge, the steep banks of the Sarine. 

 It was necessary that the bridge should pass over a great part of the town itself* 

 and the scheme was considered completely Utopian ; yet certain of success, the 

 authorities and some active citizens determined to submit the measure to the 

 consideration of engineers of different districts. Various designs were accordingly 

 offered, and the government of the canton gave the preference to that of M- 

 Challey, of Lyons, whose plan has since been executed under his immediate 

 superintendence. 



The gateways at either end of the bridge are of Doric architecture, and are 

 about 65 feet in height. The tops of their arches are about 42 feet above the 

 roadway, and the arches have a span of 20 feet. The masonry of the gate is 46 



* We take this opportunity of correcting a few errors in our observations on the 

 Roof of St. Peter's Church in the Fort. 



1. The central vault had not opened in the vertex from end to end, but only a. 

 little towards the east end. We remembered having seen it apparently cracked, but 

 this was merely from the knocking away of the Gothic moulding to examine its 

 state — Its firm condition should have been an additional argument against condemn- 

 ing it. 



2. The present groined roof of the nave has not a flat roof above it, this is con- 

 fined to the side aisles. 



3. We understand that the additional expence to Government has been only 

 about one-third. We alluded however only to the roof, in supposing that the cost 

 had been " doubled or tripled." — Ed. 



t All the measurements have been reduced from French to English agreeable to< 

 the ratios given in the Annuaire du Bureau des Longitudes. 



