May I, 1891.] THE TRGFSOAL AIQRtCyLTURISr. 775 
at a Btandstill, and no steam generated only to be 
blown away in a elirieking howl from the safety 
valve. Driver Dennison was oiling the human 
machine which is his, as he turned to welcome us 
aboard. Bob, the fireman, was oiling Engine 769, 
and we had the engine to ourselves tor a moment. 
Its weight saved it. But time was now up. The 
“ board ” fell, somewhere in the rear of the train 
the guard whistled, and wi(h a sharp toot and then 
a long call from the whisth , we were on our way 
up the tunnel. Bob had pulkd the fuel lever and 
touched the steam cocks, and as he threw in 
three or four shovelsful of coals, showed ua the 
fire box suddenly become a raging furnace of white 
flame. Yet as we came into the daylight the smoke 
stack gave no sign of smoke. A long line of .steam 
trailed behind us, and it rvas pointed out that 
even when she was being coaled no smoke came 
from the engine funnel. Here is the smoke nuisance 
solved, so far as railways are concerned, thought I. 
We had now settled down for the run. We were 
going up hill — something like one in 110, 1 believe — 
and the load, sevculeea coaches, was a heavy one, 
Another coach and we would have had to come on 
with a pilot, as is the case with this train all the 
summer months. 
# if # 
AI TOP SPEED. 
A little steam was blowing off and we seemed 
to whistle under archways and station roofs in our 
speed. Away as far as I could see as I leaned, out 
of the cab, were a number of platelayers, their day’s 
work done, going homo. They were on the up 
lino, an.,1 wlien there was still a long distance between 
us and them the cUiver pulled the whistle coid. 
They stepped aside with pleasing promptness, and 
almost at once I caught a glimpse of their brown 
upturned faces as wa powdered past. “ Wo did 
that bit at over sixty,” said my mentor. Only 
“ Surfaceman ” could sing the praises of such an 
exhilarating whirl of life inspiring haste as that I 
Yet one had time for contrasts. In the height of 
our fastest pace a country cburch with its white 
headstones, each with its wreaths and 11 ,wers of 
remembrance, was for a moment in sight. Who 
could have failed to think that for all our rattle 
and rush and roar, for all our “ ever toiling up 
the climbing wave,” there was the terminus ? Still 
even there it may be pleasant to think we have 
been one of the first to do seventy miles in an 
hour and a half on a liquid fuel express. We 
were nearing the end. A murky haze ahead and 
the lessening of the distance between the stations 
betokened an approach to London, whose lights 
were now beginning to ehov/. Away down iu the 
country there was an impression of stillness. The 
stations, the roads, the fields looked quiet. Wo 
were the only noisy object in sight. Even the 
woodman as we passed stopped his chopping to 
gaze at us in the still of the evening air. 
ALMOST HOME. 
Now people appeared thickly on the stations. The 
roads had become streets, and wero brisk with 
traflio. We went by suburban trains laden with 
folk. London was around us. We had had a 
clear run. Only once did a signal stand out 
against us, and at once the fuel was shut off 
and the train began to slow. But it was only for 
a moment. Even in the crowded ways about the 
suburbs cur course was indicated by green lights, 
and only outsido Liverpool Street itself did the 
red show. We came to a fu I stop, shut off 
steam and fuel, aud waited. The effect of shutting 
off the fuel was wonderful, reducing the lire at 
pace to merely a bright glow. ” She’s down,’’ 
said Bob, as the signal dropped and we glided 
into Liverpool Street ahead of time, with the 
black of the fire bars showing in the box — engine- 
men will appreciate that after an express run — 
and no steam being wasted at the valve. It only 
remains for me to add ihat the system has 
already begun to affect the ooai supply. Mr. 
H.dden’s agents, Taite and Carlton, are fitting it 
up on South American engines, and there it means 
all dilfeience between very cheep liquid fuel at 
their own doors and English coal imported at 
£3 per Ion. —Daily Graphic, Match 4th. 
THE ANCIENT CINNAMON EEGION. 
At the meeting cf the Koyal Geographical Society 
on Monday Iasi, an interestiDg paptr was read by Dc‘ 
H, Schliehter, on “ Ptolemy’s Topography of Eastern 
Equatorial Atrica.” The object or the author was to 
rliow that Claudius Ptolemy, one of the must famous 
of aiicifcirt geograpliers, who flourished at Alesaudna 
atiout 160 B c,, knew and mapped out the position not 
only of ilie coast of Africa as far, and even farther, 
Boutli as Zanzibar, but also, with tolerable .accuracy, 
indicated the position of the great lakes of Eastern 
Equatorial Africa. In how far Ptoluny’s topography 
Wits correct need not now bo inquired into ; but, in the 
courteof the discussion it was pointed out that Ptolemy 
placed the '‘cinnamon country” of the ancients 
{liegio cinnamonif era) bo the south-east of the Victoria 
Nyaiiza, whereas the country known to the ancients 
as the ni 3 'rrh and cinuamon region was placed by' them 
along the south coast ot the Gulf of Aden, aud the, 
littoral south <4 Capo Guardafui. In connection with 
this c-tatement it may be pointed out that there is 
evidence for the assumption that the ciunamoa known 
to the aucieats was the Ohiuese cassia; while it is 
praciioally certain that long after Ceylon was visited 
by European trading-vessels no ciiuiamon was pro- 
duced in that island. The question whether in classic 
times cinnamon, or cassia, really did grow in Eastern 
Africa has frtquently occupied the attention of phar- 
macologists; but the balance of opinion appears 
to incline to the belief that the catsia of Chins, 
along with other products of the far East, were carried 
to the ports on the Picad Sea and the north-east coast 
of Africa by ludian traders, aud there taken possession 
of by the Plnnuioiaue (and after the decay of Tyre by 
the Egyp'ians), who carried them further towards 
Alexandria aud other Mediterranesn ports, but were, 
of course, careful not to divulge the trade secret of 
the origin of the valuable spice, lii modern times 
neither cinnamon nor cassia has been produced anj'- 
where in Africa on a commercial scale. — Chemist ami 
Druggist. 
[And yet, cinnamon is almost the only product 
loft to ua to which we thought we could safely 
apply the term ‘‘indigenous’'; we have the wild 
cinnamon tree in our jungles. Wo shall want to 
hear what Dr. Trimen has to say iu answer to 
Df. Schlichter.— Ed, T. -l.| 
. 
Opals of a finer quality than those of Mc-.vico have 
been discovered near Moscow, in the Stale of Wash, 
ington, U. S , close to the Idaho Railway. They 
were found by some labourers while digging a well 
in a wheat field, the mother rook being a basalt 
wacke. Opal is an amoiphous hydrated silioe, and 
is deposited from water. The finest specimens of 
the gem or precious opal come from Hungary, but 
those of Mexico are very fine. The fire cpal of 
Zimapau, in Mexico, is transparent and cf a deep' 
led, being coloured by oxide tfiron. Small veins 
of opal have been found iu several parts of the 
United States, — Globe, 
