MAGAZINE OF SCIENCE AND ART. 
1S9 
INTERNAL COMMUNICATION. 
The heading is enough to deter the most 
conscientious reader. Can any thing new 
he said on this subject 1 Have not rail¬ 
ways, tramways, plank roads, and macad¬ 
amized roads been discussed in every 
variety of form, and reported on by all 
sorts of committees, and all grades of 
officials, until the country is utterly weary 
of the whole matter ? We fear, too, that 
the public is getting very disgusted to find 
that it has to pay the sum of £40,000 per 
annum, for the excess of interest over the 
net receipts, on the two lines of railways 
that have been completed. The more so, 
that it is difficult to see the advantage that 
has been gained by the expenditure of up¬ 
wards of one million sterling. We are not 
able to point to one of the resources of the 
colony that it lias developed hitherto, and 
to enable it to do so, the promoters ask for 
additional capital, to the amount of some 
hundreds of thousands of pounds. 
Our enterprising neighbour, Victoria, 
attaches so much importance to this mode 
of opening up the interior, that she con¬ 
templates, without dismay,.the expenditure 
of eight millions sterling in the necessary 
works. This is a flight far beyond the 
ambition of our boldest financier, and we 
consider that our fellow colonists may be 
congratulated on our comparatively modest 
aims. 
In order to enter on this subject, with 
proper information as to the views of the 
best authorities now in the colony, we have 
perused carefully the following papers. 
The Governor-General’s two able 'and ela¬ 
borate papers, read before the Philosophi¬ 
cal Society, which we have reprinted in 
this periodical. A paper by Mr. F. T. 
Peppercome, on the same subject, in our 
September issue. The Report of the Select 
Committee of the Legislative Council, ap¬ 
pointed to consider the most advisable 
plan for seeming the formation of the 
Great Trunk lines of Railway ; and a Re¬ 
port on the Internal Communications of 
New South Wales, by Captain Martindale, 
R.E., Chief Commissioner of Railways. 
This is an admirable paper, and although 
our space is so circumscribed, we reprint 
it at length in our present number. 
We have also noticed the complaints 
made by the Postmaster-General, as to the 
state of the roads, in his Report on the 
post-office ; and in every speech .delivered 
No. 7. Dec. 1857. - 
in the Assembly, or in public meetings of 
the citizens, we hear constant re-iteration 
of the same grievance. 
Every body says “ something must be 
done,” and all the authorities we have con¬ 
sulted see nothing else than an extension 
of railways, to merge, after a few more miles 
are traversed, into tramways, or macada¬ 
mized roads. The expense at which this 
will have to be accomplished is enormous. 
The railway for locomotives is estimated to 
cost about £12,000 per mile, and the tram¬ 
way, or macadamized road, about £4,000 
per mile in construction, and each will re¬ 
quire a large annual sum to keep it in 
order. 
We firmly believe that this country, 
with its small population, cannot afford 
this large expenditure. We direct earnest 
attention to the paper by Professor Pell, 
reprinted in our last issue, which has re¬ 
ceived such ample corroboration since it 
was written. The fact is, we must find 
some cheaper mode of transport for goods 
and passengers than those that have hitherto 
been suggested. 
We believe we could devise a cheap form 
of railway, and we are bold enough to ex- 
plain our plan. We are prepared for de¬ 
rision. We expect it. The “ constituted 
authorities” and the professionally edu¬ 
cated engineer have too much at stake in 
retaining things as they are. An expendi¬ 
ture of millions is not to be lightly relin¬ 
quished, no matter how they are screwed 
fromagroaningpopulation; not to mention 
the audacious intrusion of a profane step 
within the mysteries of a learned pro¬ 
fession. 
However, we shall give as plain a de¬ 
scription as we oan of the form of road we 
should recommend, and leave any person 
who feels interested to make the necessary 
experiments, should he think it worth while. 
The idea was suggested to us in the fol¬ 
lowing manner. Our readers, have, no 
doubt, seen in the toy shops (a place by 
the way wliere they may obtain many a 
lesson in practical mechanics*) the figure 
of a horse suspended on his hind legs, and 
kept in equilibrium by a heavy weight 
which hangs below the point of support. 
We propose to apply this principle to a 
railway. 
* There is a fine opening for a sneer here, e.g., “ TT« 
don’t get our knowledge of mechanics from the toy¬ 
shops.” C. E. 
