404 
A STOVE FOR HEATING CARRIAGES. 
ment«, unless at exlioibitant prices, until it is 
ascertained wliat will be the result of the ad- 
jouined nieetinn at Romney on the 12th 
January. 1 very much fear tliat the same 
pattern of rail, wliich 1 put out in the middle 
of September last at 81. per ton, wall not now 
be contracted for under lo/. per ton, but I 
will do my best to screw them down to the 
lowest price. Notwithstanding the present 
high price, I have every reason to believe 
that prices will be still higher in the spring ; 
for since 1 wrote to you, 1 have traversed the 
whole iron region, visiting every establish- 
ment of any importance, and every where I 
found an activity and bustle which 1 never 
before witnessed during my long experience 
in this businf'ss. Every establishment is full, 
to excess, of orders, and the greatest exertions 
are makinir, day and night, to execute them. 
The Pacha of Egypt’s order for about 5,000 
tons for the railway across the Isthmus of 
Suez, is about one-halfcompleted ; but others 
pour in from France, (there are two recently 
from that country lor about 6,000 tons,) from 
Germany, Belgium, America, and every part 
of this country, in a way to astonish even the 
most enthusiastic friends of the railway system. 
Besides this demand for railway iron, the con- 
sumption of other kinds of iron fully keeps 
pace with it. This country being in a more 
prosperous condition, and every branch of 
trade, cotton, silk, wool, flax, hemp, tin, lead, 
copper, &c., being more flourishing, than at 
any period since the termination of the 
Napoleon wars ; it is reasonable to suppose, 
and such is the fact, that iron, which is the 
foundation upon which the arts of civilized 
life rests, should be in great demand, when all 
other branches of industry flourish. Hence 
the demand for domestic consumption for 
ordinary purposes is very great, which, when 
added to the demand for foreign countries, 
and railway purposes, you may easily imagine 
will readily account for the present prices, 
and the prospect of still higher in the spring, 
unless war or some other calamity should 
ensue to check the brilliant progress of civi- 
lization arising from the long continuance of 
peace. 
POTATOE BEER. 
A professor of chemistry at Prague has suc- 
ceeded in producing a very excellent kind of 
beer from potatoes, dear as wine, pleasant to 
the taste, and strong. 
A WALKING-STICK. 
A walking-stick, recently presented to Mr. 
Sopwith, surveyor, of this town, contains, in 
the dimensions of an ordinary cane, the fol- 
lowing materials .'—Two inkstands, pens, 
penknife, ivory folder, Lucifer-matches, sealing 
wax, and wafers, a wafer-stamp, wax-taper, 
several sheets of post letter-paper and card - 
paper, a complete and highly-finished set of 
drawing-instruments, ivory rule and scales, 
lead and hair pencils, Indian-rubber, Indian- 
ink, a thermometer, and a beautiful and well- 
poised magnetic compass; the whole so 
arranged as to admit any instrument being 
used with facility . — Newcastle Paper. 
NEW CARIlIAGE-WARMEIl. 
Ur. M'Williams, of this city, has taken 
out a patent for a stove for heating carriages 
of all kinds, which is one of the most valua- 
ble inventions which has ever been made. 
It is remarkable in its structure, and may be 
sold for 6 or 8 dollars; and it consumes the 
most inconsiderable quantity of coal. The 
advantages of such a stove are almost too obvi- 
ous to be mentioned. Faking up very little 
room, they may be fitted to the tioitom of 
gigs or chaises, and of every variety of car- 
riage, and are particularly well adapted to 
railroad-cars. 'I'he expense of fuel is not 
above Scents for 100 miles travelling, at the 
ordinary rate. It is only necessary to make 
this invention known, to secure its introduc- 
tion very generally. For a trifling expense, 
a stage-driver may novv be as comfortably 
situated on his box, as by the by-room fire 
and the pleasure of sleigh-riding may be en- 
hanced a hundredfold. This stove is now 
used in the cars of the Baltimore and Wash- 
ington Railroad, and gives entire satisfaction. 
The passengers are kept warm during the 
whole journey, and are never annoyed by 
smoke, the stove being air-tight. - Washing- 
ton Mirror. 
PLOUGH BY STEAM. 
Some experiments were lately tried at Red 
Moss, near Bolton, in the presence of Mr. 
Handley, M. P. for Lincolnshire, Mr. Chap- 
man, M. P. for Westmeath, and other gentle- 
men interested in agriculture, with a new and 
very powerful steam-plough, constructed by 
Mr. Heathcote, M. P. Tiverton. About 6 
acres of raw moss were turned up in a few 
hours, in the most extraordinary style, — sods 
18 inches in breadth, and 9 inches in thick- 
ness, being cut from the furrow, and com- 
pletely reversed in position, the upper surface 
of the sod being placed exactly where the 
lower surface had been before. * * * The 
plough of Mr. Heathcote, though a very pow- 
erful machine, appears to us to be rnuch too 
complex and costly for common agricultural 
purposes; though we have little doubt that 
it might be used not only with efl'ect, but with 
advantage, in reclaiming large portions of moss 
land, such, for instance, as the bogs of Ire- 
land. Indeed, it is the opinion of Mr. Heath- 
cote himself, that it would not at present an- 
swer to employ it in reclaiming a smaller por- 
tion of bog than 1,500 or 2,000 acres, though 
it may probably be cheapened and simplified 
so as to make it ultimately useful on a smaller 
scale.— Literpoo/ Paper. 
RAILROADS IN THE UNITED 
STATES. 
It is estimated, on good authority, that at 
this time the railroads in the United States, 
either actually under contract or in progress 
of being surveyed, amount to more than 3000 
I 
