ers and swivels; the second, two 24pounders and swivels; the third, two 60pounders and four carronades, 48-pounders; the fourth, two 32-pounders and swivels; the fifth, two 60-pounders and swivels; and the sixth, one 24-pounder and swivels.

There then follow 9 steamers, chiefly employed as passage-vessels in the Swedish lakes, and amongst the islands, each of which can carry one 18 or 12-pounder, with swivels. Their size varies from 250 to 395 tons.

Besides these, we find a numerous list of vessels, employed as passage-boats or tug vessels, and in other ways, which carry one 6, 9, 12, or 18-pounder each, as the case may be. The smaller fry, consisting of about nine little steamers, from 12 to 250 tons burden, are armed for the most part with swivels and smallarms. The array of these vessels, however on paper, as they appear in the printed return before us, produces a certain sort of formidable appearance, which a narrower inspection will soon neutralize and destroy. All the engineers employed on board these Swedish steamers are foreigners, and no English engineers are engaged at present.

At Gottenburgh there is only one vessel, the Götha Elf, of 80 tons' burden, 72 feet in length, and 19 in breadth, worked by Swedish engineers, and incapable of carrying any armament. It is employed in towing craft in the river and vessels out to sea. The Consul, Mr. H. T. Liddell, further informs us, that at Malmö, an out-port of the district, there are two steamers, one of 70, and the other of 20-horses power, plying between that port, Copenhagen, and Lubeck. About 700 chaldrons of coal have been already imported this year into Malmö. Two post-office steamers are sent to Ystad to convey the mails during the season over to Greifsvald. He does not believe that Sweden has any armed steam-vessel.

In a memorandum made last year, the Consul finds noted, that Sweden possesses 16 steamers, with an aggregate of 2,000-horses power, and 14 of less than 16-horses power each. Some of the Swedish steamers on the lakes burn wood; but the import duty on coals having been taken off in consequence of the English duties on the export, the consumption of them will,

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no doubt, increase in steam voyages. In that part of the country (Gottenburgh) coals are about as cheap as wood, and sometimes quite so.

99

The

The same gentleman, who had stated in his return from Gottenburgh, "that at Carlscrona, the station of the navy, there were, perhaps, a few steam-tugs, informs us, in the account transmitted of the ports of Ystad and Carlscrona, that there is at the latter place one vessel (the Thor) belonging to the Royal Navy, and armed with 2 guns, 72pounders, mortars, and 6 guns, 18pounders. There are also 2 post-office steamers, which are not armed. Thor is in dock, unemployed. Consul is not informed as to the capability of the post-office steam-boats to carry guns, for it appears that no calculation has been made of the tonnage of the vessels in question. All these steamers were built in Sweden, their machinery is Swedish, and their engineers natives of that country. Two out of the four post-office packets are not employed.

The

Át Ystad there are only 2 post-office packets, neither of which is capable of carrying any armament.

NORWAY.-There are at the port of Christiana ten vessels of 375, 250, 325, 500, 475, 150, 100, 62, and 75 tons burden respectively. They were chiefly British built, but the dimensions are not given. Their power varies from 20 to 120-horses, and all are worked by native engineers. The North Cape, of 500 tons, is mentioned as capable of carrying an armament of eight carronades and two mortars, 60 lbs. The Consul, Mr. J. R. Crowe, states, in his column of "remarks," that the first three or four years Englishmen were employed on board the boats built in London, but that they have of late years been superseded by Swedes and Norwegians, brought up under the English engineers previously employed. They cannot repair their machinery in Norway, but the boats are necessarily sent to England whenever any alterations or repairs are required. The Prince Gustaf, of 325 tons, was over here last autumn, and had repairs to the extent of 5,000l. to 6,000l. Five of these boats belong to the Norwegian Government, and are employed in the conveyance of the mails. Only one of them, the North

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Cape, has been built for an armed steamer. The other five belong to private persons, and are employed on different stations as passenger boats. The Jernbarden, an iron vessel of 62 tons, was brought over in pieces from Scotland, and plies in the Miösen lake, 50 miles inland.

RUSSIA.-No return has been re

ceived

from Petersburgh__ or Riga. Return from Liebau, nil. The Consul, at Odessa, reports 25 steamers, 12 of which are of from 400 to 510 tons, and 5 belonging to the admiralty of 824 tons each. The whole were built in London, with the exception of six, which were built at Odessa and Nicolayof.

PRUSSIA. Two of small tonnage, "only fit for passengers and for tuging."

HAMBURGH.-Three of from 520 to 560 tons; and four smaller vessels. One built in London, two in Glasgow, the rest at Hamburgh, Bremer, and Bremerhaven.

LUBECK.-Four of 820, 750, 414, and 70 tons. All but the last, London built.

BREMEN.-Seven of from 82 to 289 tons. Three home built; two London; one Dublin; one French.

SPAIN.-Cadiz owns 6; one of which is of 600 tons; another of 500; the rest from 40 to 210. The first two are seagoing steamers, employed in the conveyance of passengers and goods from Cadiz to Marseilles. Engineers, all English.

Corunna has, or rather had, one of 162 tons. "This steamer," says the Consul, Mr. Baker, "is the only one within my consulship, and is now laid up and for sale, in consequence of not meeting with any success. She was purchased with the view of running between Corunna and Ferrol, but did not defray her expenses. This is to be attributed to the Spanish character, as persons prefer going to Ferrol in a sail-boat for sixpence, to paying eighteen-pence by the steamer, although they could by the latter conveyance be certain of a two hours' passage; while in the sailing vessels they are often seven and eight hours out."

The Balearic Islands boast of one steamer, the Majorquin, of 400 tons, which trades between Palma and Majorca and Barcelona,

and "is allowed a yearly gratification by the Spanish Government to take in the mails." English engineers.

PORTUGAL.-Lisbon has one steamer, of 420 tons, armed with four long 12-pounders; another of 370 tons, and six of lesser dimensions. Native engineers chiefly.

Oporto owns 2, of 302 and 300 tons. AUSTRIA.-There is an Austrian Lloyd's Steam Navigation Company, which owns 14 vessels of a very respectable description. Two are of 550 tons, and seven of from 300 to 470 tons; and all except three are armed with from 8 to 12-pounders each. The engineers of five are English; the rest foreign.

The Government has two vessels at Venice, the Marie Ann, of 643 tons, which carries eight brass 12-pounders, and four 1lb. swivel guns; and the Vulcano, of 687 tons, which carries two 16-inch chambers guns, and four 12-pounders.

SARDINIA. In the Government mail service there is one vessel employed, of 550 tons, carrying one gun of 80 lbs., four of 30 lbs., and two of 12 lbs. ; and two others, of 300 tons, carrying four 12-pounders each. Besides these there are six steamers, of from 200 to 450 tons, belonging to Genoa. At Cagliari there are three steamers, of 600, 320, and 300 tons. The whole of these vessels are worked by English engineers.

A steamer, of upwards of 600 tons, is stated to be at present building in Genoa, to be called the Malfalano. 66 Engines, British manufacture."

TUSCANY.-To Leghorn belong the Leopoldo Secundo of 354 tons, and Maria Antonietta of 375. They were originally the property of a company in Tuscany, the principal shareholders in which were English, but they are now owned by a French Company, at Marseilles, although they still continue to navigate under Tuscan colours. There is a third vessel at the same port, the Lombardo, of 540 tons, but she is laid up at present pending the result of a law-suit respecting her. She is intended to run between Genoa and Spain. There is a fourth vessel called the Toscano, formerly the Napoleon, but of 87 tons only. Engineers all English.

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water.

Description of Engraving.

A, the air-pump and its valves as usual. B, the atmospheric cylinder through which all the condensing water passes on its way to the condenser, and by means of which atmospheric pressure is given to the beam.

C, the valve by which the water enters the atmospheric cylinder.

D, the valve through which the water enters the condenser; these two valves are moved by the eccentric rod.

E, a small valve, opening only outwards, to clear the cylinder of any water that may be forced past the piston.

Mode of Working.

On the first movement to the top, the cylinder is cleared of air or water and below the piston it is filled with water. As soon as the piston reaches the top, the valve to the cold-water cistern C is closed, and so the atmosphere is cut off, and the valve to the condenser D is opened, consequently the water in the cylinder falls into the condenser. The piston is brought down without any resistance, for it moves in a vacuum in consequence of the water by gravitation making its way into the condenser, and as the cylinder is air-tight, there is a vacuum above the piston as perfect as can be formed. Now, when the valve to the condenser closes, which it does on the arrival of the piston at the bottom, and the valve to the water opens, the piston is immediately subject to the pressure of the atmosphere against the vacuum above it. This we may estimate at the power of 14 lbs. per square inch of the piston. The power of the additional cylinder being the pressure of the atmosphere on a surface and for a space equal to the bulk of the condensing water, and the resistance to the discharge of the same quantity of water by the air-pump

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being the pressure of the atmosphere, less the pressure of the vapour below the bucket of the air pump, there will be a power gained, which may be estimated as equal to the load of the air-pump and the friction in working, and where the vacuum in the condenser is not good it will be beyond these. Suppose the area of the air-pump 300 square inches, the stroke 3 feet, one foot against the atmosphere, the vacuum in the condenser 12 lbs., and the revolutions 25 per minute, the load, including the weight of water, will be equal to 101,250 lbs., raised 1 foot per minute, while the power of the atmospheric cylinder, 100 square inches will be 105,000 lbs. per minute.

The atmospheric cylinder may be placed on the rod of the air-pump, the boiler pump, or the cold-water pump, or it may be attached to the beam in any position by a piston rod, and it may yield atmospheric pressure each single stroke or each alternate stroke.

66

THE CRANK-REPLY TO A LOOKER ON." Sir,-Your correspondent, "A Locker On," has undoubtedly put the question at issue in the true point of view, and narrowed the discussion very properly to the only question in dispute. If the second question he has put (see p. 54) can be answered in the affirmative, then I do agree with him, that the mathematicians have not fairly met the question. Nor have the advocates for a loss of power until now made the proper objection. In my opinion the friction connected with the machinery excepted, does not extend outside the engine-house, and the error your correspondent has made, if he supposes it does, is this, that he does not sufficiently distinguish the impulse communicated to the crank by the piston-rod, from the impulse given out by the crank by its action on the machinery outside the engine-house.

This distinction is sufficiently manifest, if we consider the case of a crank on the axle of a water-wheel. In this case your correspondent will not contend that, by such an arrangement of working the machinery from that crank, there would be any loss of power caused thereby, however inconvenient such a mode of arrangement would be. Now as your correspondent admits (leaving out of view the friction within the walls of the