rate of wages consequent upon the greater cost of living in London, together with the working of the Trades Unions there, having almost succeeded in driving shipbuilding away from the Thames.

Docks and Harbours.-The extension of dock and harbour accommodation is perhaps the best possible sign of the prosperity of any nation, as it naturally indicates a demand for increased facilities for its external trade. Judged from this standard, the great mineral producing districts of South Wales bear testimony to the prosperity of this land; new docks are in course of construction at Newport and Cardiff; a second dock is about to be commenced at Llanelly; and the new harbour works at Pautcaul have recently been completed and opened. At Liverpool the new corn dock, which has been constructed on the site of the old Waterloo Dock, was opened on 4th July. On Friday the 9th June, the River Wear Commissioners opened their new docks, eleven acres in extent, by running in a fine steamer of 2,000 tons burden, and other large vessels were subsequently passed in, shortly after low water, showing what deep-water accommodation would be afforded at high water. At Blyth considerable improvements have been effected in the harbour by dredging operations, which have been going on for some months; the dredgers have now been placed over the bar in the entrance channel, with the view of facilitating the dispatch of vessels at neap tides.

A magnificent hydraulic-lift graving-dock, upon Mr. Edwin Clark's patent, is now under construction for the Indian Government, for the port of Bombay. It is intended principally for docking the East India transport vessels, and the pontoon provided for this purpose covers more than three-quarters of an acre in area. Another smaller dock of the same description is also about to be constructed for a company, who propose its erection at Jamaica, where accommodation of that sort is at present sadly wanted.

The Egyptian Government has recently signed a contract with an English company for the construction of important works in the harbour of Alexandria, comprising a breakwater, a mole, a line of quay, and a dry dock of sufficient dimensions to accommodate the largest class of vessels.

Railways.-The most important works recently undertaken in connection with railway extension in England are certainly those of the Midland Railway, between Bedford and London, which terminate at St. Pancras, close to the King's Cross Terminus of the Great Northern. It will be remembered that until recently the Midland Railway had its approach to the metropolis over the Great Northern line from Hitchin, at which point it was connected with the latter by a branch from Bedford. Starting from Bedford, the new line passes through Luton, St. Alban's, Hendon, and

Kentish Town to the Euston Road, a distance of about fifty miles. Along the last section of about 6 miles the line is laid with four sets of rails, by which means the passenger and goods traffic will be kept distinct; and along the whole distance from Bedford sufficient land has been taken up to admit of the same number of rails being laid all the way. It is, however, the immediate entrance to London, and the terminal works, which demand the chief notice. The entrance into the terminus is on a high level, and advantage has been taken of this in the construction of works connected with the coal traffic, which is likely to become a very large source of income to the company. Beneath the viaduct on which the railway runs, use has been made of the space afforded for storeage accommodation, the construction of stabling, &c., and the arches fronting the road have been fitted up as shops for the purpose of letting. In order to join the Metropolitan Railway it has been necessary also to construct a low-level line, which, running partly in cuttings and partly in tunnels, passes under the main line near the terminus, and runs into the Metropolitan at its King's Cross station. This line was opened for traffic on 13th July last, and it is expected that the main line will be opened in the course of October. The terminus consists of one huge span, in the shape of a pointed arch, no less than 240 feet wide, 100 feet high, and 700 feet long, covering altogether rather more than four acres of ground.

The Brecon and Merthyr Railway has at length been opened as far as the town of Merthyr Tydfil, and a junction for minerals and goods traffic has been made with the Taff Vale Railway. The Bala and Dolgelly line has also been formally opened. This line is in continuation of that between Bala and Corwen, and will form the nearest route from Liverpool, Chester, Manchester, &c., to Merionethshire, Carnarvonshire, and part of Cardiganshire.

The great engineering works in connection with the enlargement and improvement of Lime Street station at Liverpool, are being pushed forward. The immense roof, in one span, will stretch across the station to the width of 214 feet, its height will be 75 feet, and length 385 feet.

The Queensferry branch of the North British railway system has recently been opened throughout for passengers.

In India the Bhore Ghaut section of the Great Indian Peninsula Railway was reopened in sound and perfect condition on the 30th June.

The Eastern and Western sections of the Pacific Railway in America have been brought within 900 miles of each other, and it is expected that the whole will be opened for through traffic from New York to San Francisco on the 4th July next.

On the continent we have to note the opening of the Voltri

and Savona section of the Genoa and Nice Railway, which has been carried almost entirely through rock; there being in the 18 miles of its course no less than thirty-nine tunnels, the longest of which is 3,920 feet. The railway from Foggia to Candela was also opened to the public on 4th May last.

Bridges, &c.-The viaduct which has for some time past been in course of construction over the Solway Firth, as a part of the Solway Junction Railway, was practically completed on the 27th June. The bridge over the Dee at Kirkcudbright was formally opened on the 9th July.

A light roadway bridge, chiefly for foot-passengers and for the accommodation of visitors, is now being erected just below the Niagara Falls, the clear distance between the centres of towers being 1,268 feet. A commencement has also been made for the construction of a trussed girder-bridge, with three spans, across the Mississippi river at St. Louis, where it is about 1,500 feet wide.

The new suspension-bridge across the Moldau, at Prague, was formally opened in person by the Emperor Franz Joseph, on 21st June. The length between abutments is 820 feet, which is divided into one centre span and two half-spans.

The Mont Cenis Tunnel had, up to 21st August last, been driven 8,647 mètres, leaving 3,573 mètres yet to be completed, and it is thought that the tunnel will certainly be opened in 1870.

The subway under the Chicago river, which is now more than half completed, points to a method of crossing rivers with an extensive navigation hitherto but little adopted, but the advantages of which are gradually becoming better appreciated. This tunnel, which is an experimental one, will connect the east and west sides of Washington Street; and should it be found successful, the bridge communication between the main streets in Chicago will gradually be superseded by this form of crossing. The drift under the river Indus at Attock, in the East Indies, was completed in June last, and it has now been determined to complete the tunnel as a means of communication across the river at that point.

Water Supply, Drainage, &c.-The works for providing an additional supply of water for St. Andrew's were formally opened on 5th June. The supply now obtained will, it is expected, be more than sufficient to meet the wants of the city for fifty years to The new waterworks at Paisley are making good progress, and it is expected that the Rowbank water will be flowing to Paisley before the end of September.

come.

The first instalment of the drainage works at Douglas, Isle of Man, has been finished, consisting of a main intercepting sewer running along the shore, and an outfall sewer emptying itself into the bay.

Telegraphs. The cable for the Anglo-Mediterranean Telegraph Company is expected to be laid by the middle of September. As soon as this portion is completed, the Company intends to commence the construction of the Anglo-Indian line.

A concession for the privilege of laying a telegraphic cable between France and America was, on 6th July last, adjudicated to Baron Emile d'Erlanger and Mr. Julius Reuter, for twenty years, by the French Government. The order for the cable has already been given to the Telegraph Construction and Maintenance Company, who are advertising for coals for the Great Eastern,' which is to be brought into requisition for laying the cable.

Miscellaneous. Amongst miscellaneous metropolitan improvements may be noted the opening of the first portion of the Holborn Valley works, on 25th June; the rapid approach towards completion of the great central Metropolitan Meat Market at Smithfield; and the acceptance of a tender for the extension of the Thames Embankment from the eastern boundary of the Temple precincts to the west abutment of Blackfriars Bridge.

On 30th July the foundation stone was laid of a lighthouse to be erected on Scurdyness, near Montrose. The height of the tower will be 100 feet, and its diameter 23 ft. 2 in. at the base, and 15 ft. 10 in. at the top.

The Havre Maritime Exhibition, which opened in June last, and was originally intended for the display of objects of special interest to the naval architect, marine engineer, or shipowner, turned out to be in no great degree different from other exhibitions in the miscellaneous character of its exhibits. Coming, however, so soon after the great Paris Exhibition of last year, the show at Havre indicated no distinctive progress either in invention or manufacture.

Mechanical.-Perhaps the most important branch of mechanical engineering at the present day, is that devoted to the construction of agricultural implements, which are now being largely exported to the continent, Egypt, and India. Amongst recent improvements in other branches may be briefly noticed Messrs. Deas and Rapier's switch-boxes and indicators, which exhibit a full danger-signal for the least opening of the switches. A mowing-machine, by Mr. G. M. Gerrard, presents several new features of improvement, which space, however, will not allow of being further noticed here. A steam road-hammer has recently been patented by Messrs. Gore and Green, which is intended to supersede rollers for the purpose of consolidating road surfaces. A new rock-boring machine, by Captain Penrice, by the use of which the employment of powder is obviated; it attacks the whole gallery at once, and operating by means of cutters with bevelled edges, it acts in such a way as to disintegrate the rock by a series of blows. A locomotive cotton

press, by Messrs. Appleby, Brothers, is likely to supply a want long felt, and will no doubt be fully appreciated, as soon as known, in all cotton-growing districts.

7. GEOLOGY AND PALEONTOLOGY.

(Including the Proceedings of the Geological Society.) THE volume of the Palæontographical Society's publication for 1867 has been issued during the quarter. It contains portions of five memoirs, namely: (1) the first part of Mr. Binney's monograph of the structure of Fossil Plants found in the Carboniferous strata, including a description of the genus Calamodendron, being the plant of which we have casts of the pith in the well-known Calamites. (2) The second part of the Liassic portion of Dr. Duncan's supplement to the original monograph of the Fossil Corals, containing the conclusion of the description of Corals from the zones of Ammonites angulatus, A. planorbis, &c.; and descriptions of those from the Lower and Middle Lias. (3) The second instalment of Dr. Wright's monograph of the Cretaceous Echinodermata. (4) The Cephalaspide of the Old Red Sandstone, by Mr. Lankester. (5) another portion of the apparently interminable description of Felis spelaa, by Messrs. Boyd Dawkins and W. A. Sanford.

And

Mr. Busk's long-expected memoir on the Elephant remains of the Zebbug cavern, in the Island of Malta, has at length been published in the Transactions of the Zoological Society.'* The examination of these remains was commenced by the late Dr. Falconer, whose notes Mr. Busk has included in his memoir. Dr. Falconer had in conversations, and in speeches made at the meetings of the Geological Society, aroused great interest in this cave by stating that it had yielded abundant evidence of the previous existence of a pigmy elephant on the Island of Malta, which he proposed to call Elephas Melitensis; but, stranger still, Mr. Busk has discovered in the collection under description remains of a second and still smaller species, which he proposes to name E. Falconeri. The former of these is computed to have been about 4 ft. 3 in. to 4 ft. 6 in. in height, and the latter not to have exceeded from 2 to 3 feet. When we remember that an average full-grown Indian or African elephant has a height of about 9 feet, the diminutive size of these fossil forms is something remarkable.

An exhaustive account of the Volcanoes of the Hawaiian Islands, with a history of their various eruptions, has just been published by Mr. W. T. Brigham in the Memoirs of the Boston Society of

* Vol vi., part 5.