With regard to the policy of employing one or other of these modes upon public lines of railway, we must, however, in candour,-and we think so much due to our readers,-state, that we entirely concur with Messrs. Stephenson and Locke in opinion, "That in considering the long chain of connected power of the stationary engines, given out by so many machines, with the continual crossings of the trains from one line to the other, and subject to the government of no fewer than 150 men, whose individual attention is all requisite to preserve the communication between two of the most important towns in the kingdom. We cannot but express our decided conviction, that a system which necessarily involves, by a single accident, the stoppages of the whole, is totally unfitted for a public railway.

Mr. Walker virtually expresses the same opinion, when he says, "The probability of accident, upon any particular part of the system, is, I think, less with the stationary, than with the locomotive, but, in the former, the effects of an accident extend to the whole line, whereas, in the latter, they are confined to the particular engine and its train, unless they happen to obstruct the way, and prevent others from passing. The one system is like a number of short unconnected chains; the other resembles a chain, extending from Liverpool to Manchester, the failure of one link of which would derange the whole.

These comparisons refer, more particularly, to public railways, and to lines of road nearly level; on private railways, for the conveyance of goods or minerals alone, and where the inclination is too great for the application of locomotive engines, these estimates will be extremely useful, in calculating the expenses attendant upon each particular system. We have previously given

the formula for calculating the power required to work planes, either by fixed engines, or self-acting by the power of gravity; and, in the Appendix, we give (note Q) a Table of the wear of ropes upon several planes, which will still further assist the reader in making the necessary calculations.

Art. 3.- Modern Lines of Railway, with Fixed and Locomotive Engines, compared.

Although locomotive engines have been much improved, and altered, since the above comparison was made, we have deemed it advisable to present these estimates to the public, as shewing the cost of fixed engines, compared with locomotive engines, of a certain construction, and such as produces a more economical result, than by the improved modern engines; they are, therefore, the description of engine, which ought more properly to be placed in contrast with fixed engines, than the locomotive engines, constructed more with a view to rapidity of transit, than economy.

For although the modern engines, are infinitely better adapted for the conveyance of passengers and goods, at a quick rate of speed, yet they are much more expensive than the old engines. This is shewn, in comparing the cost of haulage, by the Killingworth engines, and the engines upon the Liverpool and Manchester railway; the former being accomplished at the cost of less than d. per ton, per mile, while the other is above d. per ton, per mile; this is partly, but not entirely, attributable to the latter not being furnished with a complete load at each trip. We, therefore, think, these estimates may be useful, as shewing the cost of working locomotive engines, adapted solely to situations exclu

sively used for the conveyance of coals, or heavy goods, and not for passengers; and as such, are properly placed in contrast with fixed engines.

And, we would add, that the result of the estimates of the locomotive power, taking the average of the two, are fully borne out by the practical result on the Killingworth railway; and, if we take the average of the fixed engines, in like manner, we will find that, in point of economy, there is little difference between the two modes.

When, however, we consider that a system of fixed engines, precludes the conveyance of passengers, it is, therefore, almost unnecessary to say that it is quite inapplicable to public railways; and, consequently, the comparison can only exist upon private railways, where passengers cannot be conveyed.

We may, likewise, place these systems, in contrast with each other, in the charges made for conveying coals, where both of them are in use. In Chap. IX., § 4, Art. 8, we have given the cost of conveying coals, by locomotive engines, upon the Stanhope and Tyne, and other railways in the North of England. We have been favoured with the cost of conveying coals along the Durham and Sunderland railway, which is entirely worked by fixed engines. In (note R, Appendix), we have given a section of this railway. The charges for conveying coals, not including finding waggons, or filling the coals into the waggons, but including every other expense of transit, is 3d. per chaldron, per mile, for conveyance, and 3d. per chaldron for emptying the coals into the vessels at the shipping places. Each chaldron consists of 53 cwt.; therefore, the cost of conveyance, or haulage, is 1·13d. per ton, per mile, which is precisely the same as the charges for locomotive power

upon the Stanhope and Tyne railway; the charges upon the Clarence railway, with locomotive engines, being 875d. per ton per mile.

We see, therefore, that where economy of transit is the only object, and especially upon lines of railway exclusively employed for the conveyance of minerals; there is no very great difference between locomotive power, and fixed engines; except that the employment of the latter, as the motive power, precludes the conveyance of passengers, as a source of revenue.

CHAPTER XI.

TURNPIKE ROADS.

THE resistance of carriages upon turnpike or common roads has, of late years, been very much diminished, by covering the surface with materials broken into smaller pieces than formerly, thereby forming a much smoother surface; and experience has shewn that such a surface is much more easily kept in repair, than the rough uneven roads previously in existence. The public are indebted to Mr. McAdam, for the introduction of this system, of breaking the stones smaller than they had previously been done; but the late Mr. Telford, who was engineer to government, in forming and improving the Holyhead line of road, has contributed more largely than any other person to our stock of information on road making, and the principles requisite for their construction, and which may be all summed up in one simple rule, viz. "that a good foundation is the first requisite."

It is not, however, our intention to enter into either the principles or practice of road making; the reader, who is desirous of doing so, will obtain all the requisite information by consulting Sir H. Parnell's work on this particular subject, and the reports of Mr. Telford on the Holyhead line of road. sent to the reader such facts, as will shew the resistance of the carriages, and cost of conveyance upon turnpike roads; and to compare their capabilities, with other modes of internal communication.

Our object being, to pre