BIRDS TRAINED FOR AEROSTATION. 
403 
In these first lessons, all long, or other than 
short, vowels are excluded, so tlia,t when a 
child has once learned the sound ot' a vowel 
or letter; it continues the same (a very few 
anomalies excepted) through the book. 
1 remain. Sir, 
Your most obedient servant, 
Saxula. 
AERIAL LOCOMOTION. 
Sir, — I was amused with an idea of one of 
your correspondents, that birds might be 
trained for aerostation; and as 1 have since 
1826 had various thoughts on locomotion by 
mechanical means, 1 beg leave to lay before 
your readers my ideas on locomotive-balloons, 
in the first place, ihe form of body should 
resemble that of a fish ofgreat velocity— salmon 
or boneita. Next, I would have in the cen- 
tre of the body a fan-blast, or bellows, the vent 
being at the tail ; and beneath the belly a 
stage should be hung by copper rods, on 
which the winch to act on the fan-blast should 
be fixed. At the tail end 1 would have a 
large fan, to act as a rudder ; and on each 
side of the body a sort of fi'n, to regulate the 
rising and falling, acted on by strings or cords 
held by the person at the tail-fan. It is not 
necessary to go to great altitudes ; therefore 
1 propose that the gas to fill the body should 
be only in sufficient quantity to render the 
whole mass of the same specific weight as the 
atmosphere, or a trifle less — then by working 
the fan, moliotj would result. To progress, a 
nearly fair wind should be blowing, as this 
mode of transit can only resemble the com- 
pound forces of a river and a boat crossing, 
which produce diagonal motion ; hence I con- 
sider the solution of the problem more curious 
than useful. 
I had an idea of propelling vessels in a near- 
ly similar manner, but have given it up for 
one more original, and perhaps better, as it 
will not require any sort of direct action of 
machinery on the water. The result will 
have all the appearance of a common sailer ; 
and fora vessel of war, all will be entirely out 
of the reach of shot; steam or other power 
will, of course, be required as usual. 
I am, &c. 
Kenans. 
April 30,1836. 
BRITISH IRON TRADE. 
[Extract of a letter from Mr. Gerard Ralston 
to the Editor of the American Railroad 
Journal.^ 
In my last letter you will recollect I men- 
tioned that the following advances in price 
had taken place in common (Welch) bars, 
viz. 
On 25th August the price at 
New port and Cardiff was 
per ton 5/. lOs. 
On that day the manufacturers 
advanced the price lOs. 
September l2th they advanced 
it again lOs, 
October 2d 10s. 
December 1st I2s. 6d. 
21. 2s. 6d. 
71. I2s.6d. 
I'hus you see there has been a further ad- 
vance of 12s.6d. per toii since my letter lo you. 
But the price of 71. 12-^. 6d., as fixed by the 
meeting of Welch iron-masters at Romney, 
on the Istinst., is not observed bysorne of the 
leading houses, who refuse to sell under 8/. 
per too, and others decline oiders at all, for 
the present, alleging that their engagements 
are already so heavy, and the prospects of the 
trade are such, that they prefer to confine them- 
selves to the execution ot orders on hand, and 
thus enable them to take advantage of in- 
creased prices in the spring. The meeting 
at Romney adjourned to assemble again on the 
l2th January next, when it is confidently ex- 
pected the price of 8f. will not only be gene- 
rally confirmed, but that a further advance of 
10s.* 1 he iron market is in a most extraordi- 
nary state; the demand is fargi-eater than the 
supply, which it is impossible to increase 
immediately, owing to the inability to obtain 
competent workmen to mine the coal, iron- 
stone, and limestone, and to manufacture 
them into iron when procured. Aid cannot 
be expected from the lead, copper, tin, and 
other manufacturers of metals, which would 
be practicable if these branches were in a 
depressed state ; but so far from this being the 
case, these trades are in nearly asflourishing 
a condition as the iron trade. Hiijierto the 
iron masters always considered themselves 
fortunate, ifthey could getthrough the winter 
without a decline in prices. Now, in the month 
of December, the effoit of the most judicious 
among them is to prevent too frequent and too 
great advances of price, which they deprecate, 
lest consumption should be checked; and 
also, what they fear more than any thingelse, 
the workmen should combine, and ‘ strike’ for 
higher wages, 
You may inquii’e what effect has been 
produced on railway iron. 1 can answer, 
by quoting my own experience. I have with- 
in a week received an order for a very large 
quantity (so large that I have not revealed it 
to any one lest it should affect the market,) of 
railway iron from America. I have issued 
my circulars to all the houses in this line, and 
I find a most wonderful alteration in the tone 
of their communications ; formerly they were 
all eagerness to give an answer by return of 
mail, and they manifested the greatest an- 
xiety to secure the whole order, or as much 
ofit as possible. Now, some of them decline 
making tenders altogether, owing to t he magni- 
tude of engagements on hand ; others, rather 
than break off connexions, mention such 
high prices for very small parts of the total 
quantity wanted, that they think they will 
not be accepted. A decided indisposition is 
manifested to come under any further engage- 
* The present price (June 6thJ of British 
bar-iron is 12^. per ton. -Ed. M. M. 
