1796-] 
abut againft each other, and to fupport 
any incumbent ftruéture, by means of 
wrought-iron bars, and wrought or catt- 
iron braces affixed to their fides, and 
pafling horizontaliy between ribs compofed 
of the faid caft-iron blocks. The inven- 
tion, confcquently, confifts in applying 
iron, or other metailic compefitions, to the 
purpele of conitruéting arches, upon the 
fame principle as ftone is now employed, 
by a fubdivition into blocks eafily portable, 
anfwering to the keyftones of a common 
arch, which being brought to bear on 
éach other, gives them all the farmnefs of 
the felid fone-arch, whilt, by the great 
vacuities In the blocks, and their refpec- 
tive diftances in their lateral pofation, the 
arch becomes infiaitely lighter than that of 
fone, and, by the tenacity of the metal, 
the parts are fo intimately conneéted, that 
the accurate calculatton of the extrados 
and intrados, fo neceflary ir ftone-arches 
of magnitude, is rendered of much leis 
confequence. The block of caft-iron 1s 
five feet in depth, four inches in thick- 
nefs, having three arms, and making 
a part of a circle or ellipfis: the middle 
arm is two feet in length, and the other 
twy) are In proportion. On each fide of 
the arms are grooves (# of an inch deep, 
and three anches broad) for the purpofe 
of receiving malleable or ‘bar-iron; and in 
each arm are two belt-holes. The blocks 
being! united with each other in ribs, and 
the ribs connected and fupported laterally 
Ly hollow tubes fix feet tong, and four 
inches in diameter, the whole becomes 
one mafs, having the property of key- 
ftones cramped together, 
Tae blocks and tubes above fpecified, 
have been ufed in the conftruétion of the 
arch of the great bridge lately erected by 
My. Burden acrofs the river Wear, at 
Wrearmouth, near Sunderland, The arch 
of that bridge.is-a fegment of a circle, 
New Patents. a Public Funds. 
653 
whefe chord or fpan is 236 feet, its verfed 
fine or height 34 feet, and its breadth 32 
feet, confifting of fix ribs. Of this won- 
derful and beautiful ftructure, we propofe 
to give an engraved reprefentation in our 
next Magazine. : 
[Our readers are defired to obferve, that, in 
our notice of this bridge, in page 541 of the laft 
Magazine, the figures in our reprefentation of a 
block of caft-iron, ufed as an arch-ftone, ought 
to have been five feet deep by three feet wide at 
top. ‘The reprefentation could not fail, how- 
ever, to iliuflrate the principle of Mr. Burdon’s 
invention. ] 
COFFINS. 
Mr. Gaspaient AuGHTIE, of Cheape 
fide, filed a patent, on the zoth of July, 
for making coffins in fuch manner that 
they cannot be cut, broke, or by any 
means opened, thereby preventing the 
ftealing of dead bodies. He conftruéts his 
coffins of any kind of wood. The fides 
without faw-curfs. He then fafiens, by 
means of fcrews, nails, or rivets, in the 
infade, flat plates, and angle plates made 
fot fteel, iron, or other metal, by which 
the fides and bottom are firmiy bound to- 
gether. The top is faftened down by 
means of feveral Co ible {prings, which let 
and faften themfelves into metal boxes 
fixed’ at the top of the fides; and, alfo, by 
means of fcrews of a particular confiruc- 
tion, which pats into and through plates 
of iron that are affixed to the upper edge 
of the fides, and to the circumference of tlie 
lid. The particular conftruétion of the 
{crews 1s in the head of them, which is 
formed of oppofitive bevels, fonre of two 
and ethers of four bevels, and, therefore, 
can only be turned one way, and no in- 
ftrument can take hold of them fo as to 
turn them back again ; they are, moreover, 
to be {crewed into fockets, with their heads 
below the furface of the lid, and the hole 
filled with wood the fame aé the coffin. 
LEE SE ET EOS 
PB ea 
“FP UGN 1D) &. 
Stock Exchange, September 24, 1796. 
‘T BERE has been confiderable fluétua- 
tion inthe price of Stocks, fince our 
jaft. They fell with alarming rapidity 
till the retreat of Jourdan was announced 
on the 7th. This circumftance had fuf- 
Hcient influence to raife the confols 23 per 
cent. Since that period, however, they 
have been wavering, and appear now to 
‘be again on the decline. 
Bank Stock, fhut. 
5 PER CENT. ANN. on the 26th of 
faft month, were at §8—fell till 6th of 
prefent to 823—the next day rofe to 84— 
and are this day (24th) at $4}. 
4 PER CENT.CONS. fhut. 
3 PER GENT. Cons. on the 26th of 
laf month, were at 573—fell to 6th of | 
prefent to 547—rofe the next day to 57—> 
and are this day (24th) at 57%. . 
OMNIUM, 11 percent. difcount. 
$ PER CENT. EXCHEQUER BILLS, 
81 difcount. : 
INDIA BONDS, at g. 
4Q2a 
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