106 Chronicles of Science. [Jan., 



de Ceinture, the circular line to connect all the Paris termini, and 

 its continuation to the Champ de Mars, for the purposes of the 

 Exhibition next year, is now in hand, and presents many features 

 of interest. A curious and ingenious method of enlarging the post- 

 office carriages has been adopted by the Lyons Eailway Company. 

 Two vans are connected together by a strong junction of leather, 

 arranged bellows-fashion, so that it expands and contracts with the 

 movements of the buffers, and forms a safe means of communication 

 between the two carriages. 



A remarkable work is now in progress at the Place de l'Europe, 

 in Paris. From that point, which is some 170 feet square, six 

 roads, each 50 feet wide, diverge symmetrically, under which com- 

 plication of thoroughfares the Chemin de Fer de l'Ouest passes 

 through three openings, two of which are square, with spans of 98 

 feet 6 inches, and 82 feet respectively, and the remaining one skew, 

 with a clear opening of 98 feet 6 inches, and a span of 102 feet. 



In September last the opening took place of the section of the 

 Madrid, Saragossa, and Alicante Eailway, between Yenta di Car- 

 denas and Andujar, across the Sierra Morena, which was the only 

 piece of line unfinished on the great route from Irun to Cadiz. 



The Railways in Algeria conceded to the Lyons and the 

 Mediterranean Eailway Company are now actively in progress. 

 The principal works being constructed at the present time are the 

 prolongation of the Algiers and Blidah Eailway to the valley of 

 the Chetif, the Oran and Eelizane Eailway by Saint Denis-du-Sig, 

 and the line from Phillippeville to Constant ine. 



From the last annual report on the Mont Cenis Tunnel, it 

 appears that up to the end of last June the progress made at the 

 Modane, or French side, amounted to 2,321 metres, of which 2,031 

 metres were completely finished. At Bardoneche, on the Italian 

 side, the tunnelling was found to extend to 3,470 metres, of which 

 2,533 were finished. On the French side, the quartz rock had 

 been met with at the exact spot anticipated by the geologists and 

 engineers, and was not expected to extend beyond the 400 metres 

 originally suggested. On the other hand, the work at the Italian 

 end is reported to have made more rapid progress, in consequence 

 of the softer character of the material to be passed through. The 

 total length to be excavated is 12,220 metres, or about 1\ miles. 



In London, the works of the Metroj>olitan District Eailway 

 continue to make satisfactory progress, although they have been 

 greatly impeded, owing to the numerous difficulties which beset the 

 construction of an underground line through the metropolis. In 

 laying out such a line, not only have the levels of various streets 

 passed under to be considered, but also those of the sewers, these 

 latter often giving considerable trouble. At all points numbers of 

 gas and water mains had to be dealt with, whilst at numerous 



