S9^ Notice regarding Railways. 
quantity of metal to be equally strong, and present a much 
broader bearing surface for the wheel. This has been accom- 
plished by Mr Birkinshaw, of the Bedlington Iron-works, who 
has obtained a patent for those broad topped rails. The pecu- 
liar shape is given them in the rolling of the metal, by means 
of grooves cut in the rollers, corresponding with the requisite 
breadth, and depth, and curvature of the proposed rail. Mr Birk- 
inshaw recommends his rails to be eighteen feet in length. We 
have seen one of these patent rails at Sir John Hope’s colliery; 
and it certainly forms the most perfect iron-rail which has hither- 
to been contrived ; combining very simply and ingeniously in 
its form, qualities of lightness, strength, and durability. 
It is twelve feet long, two inches broad along the top, and * 
about half an inch along the bottom, and still thinner between. 
It rests on sleepers at every three feet, and at those places the 
rail is two inches deep ; while, in the middle point, between the 
sleepers, it is three inches deep. All these inequalities, we be- 
lieve, are performed on the metal, by means of the rollers ; and 
this circumstance is well deserving of attention, as it may obvi- 
ously be applied not only to the formation of railways, but to 
a variety of other arts. The moulding and shaping of metal 
in this way is quite a new attempt in the iron-manufacture, and 
it is not easy to say how far such an invention may yet be car- 
ried by the skill of British artists.” 
We have frequently had an opportunity of observing these 
rails, and agree entirely in the above description and opinion 
of their utility, and should regret to think, that the oxyda- 
tion of malleable iron should prevent this improvement from 
being of that utility it otherwise would. On this subject we 
may also, in the mean time, recommend to the attention of our 
readers a very ingenious letter written on the subject of Railways, 
lately published in this city, being a series of papers of great 
merit, which originally appeared in the Scotsman newspaper. 
The author’s views on the subject of friction are in general 
sound, but they only apply to the friction of the axles of the 
carriages. The rolling of the wheels along the way is quite a 
different sort of action, and may possibly modify considerably the 
results. But, on this subject, we can state from authority, that 
some experiments are now in progress by the Glasgow and Edin* 
