32

NOTES AND NOTICES.

Sir John Herschell arrived in safety at the Cape of Good Hope on the 16th of January last. The Athenæum, which was the first to announce this interesting event to the British public, states thatSir John had landed all his instruments in good order, and was "in hopes that, before their summer months are over, he shall have commenced his astronomical observations."

Accident to Mr. Roberts' Steam Carriage.-We regret to state that, yesterday afternoon, as this carriage was proceeding along Oxford-road, Manchester, on another experimental trip, the engine suddenly exploded, when, opposite to All Saints' Church. Happily no lives were lost, but one of the engineers was very much scalded, and a passenger in the street was carried from his legs by the force of the steam, and his head coming in contact with a lamp-post, was seriously injured. The front of the shop of Messrs. Barons, druggists, was completely blown away; and the windows of several of the houses and shops in the neighbourhood were much shattered. The carriage was almost destroyed, and its remnants were conveyed back to the manufactory of the owners by four strong cart horses.-Liverpool Chronicle April 5. After travelling about a mile and a quarter, it was found that the pumps of the engine did not work with their customary facility, and that the water in the boiler had become rather low. The engine was consequently stopped as early as possible, in order to prevent the possibility of accident from the tubes being overheated; but, as it subsequently appeared, this precaution was not adopted quite in time. The boiler was then directed to be refilled with water, which was supplied from an adjoining pond, and the fire was also re-kindled, After these necessary precautions, Mr. Roberts directed the carriage to be turned, and soon after twelve o'clock it commenced its journey_home, carrying from forty to fifty individuals. It proceeded at a fair speed until it arrived near the corner of Rusholme-lane, where some of the boiler's tubes gave way, and the steam having in consequence reached the fire-box, blew part of the grate down to the ground with a loud explosion. The cokes in the grate were immediately scattered with considerable violence, and broke several panes of glass in the shop window of Mr. Baron, Mr. Ridgway, and Mr. Greaves. Mr. Ridgway was injured in his face by a portion of the coke striking him, as also a man and boy, who had been hanging on the back part of the carriage. None of these -parties, we are happy to say, sustained any injury worth particular notice; and not one of the persons in or near the carriage was hurt.-Manchester Times, April 5.

We are glad to observe a very rapid increase in the number of suburban cemeteries; for, assuredly, to a country in so high a state of civilisation as ours, it is a subject of sore reproach, that the pernicious practice of burying within the walls should have endured so long. Besides the Metropolitan Cemetery, near Westbourne-green, there have been ten others established within the last eight years for different country towns; and Mr. Carden, to whom the honour belongs of having taken the lead in this matter, and persevered in it with a rare spirit of zeal and determination, is now engaged in organising a second Metropolitan Cemetery, to be called the Great Western," from the site chosen for it being in the vicinity of the Parks and Kensington Gardens. We can hardly imagine a spot better fitted for an establishment of this kind than the ground selected for this new cemetery-indeed, we had no idea there was any thing so suitable within so short a distance of town; it forms part of the western face of Notting-hill, is beautifully undulated, well wooded and watered, and perfectly secluded.

Amidst the nearly universal prevalence of the absurd error, that wages are not subject to the general laws of demand and supply, it is cheering to find an instance, in Glasgow, of the recognition, by the workmen, of the principle that the number of labourers is one of the chief elements in settling the price of labour. By the evidence of a large Glasgow manufacturer, given before a Parliamentary Committee last session, it appears that the spinners in that town have applied part of their funds towards paying the emigration expenses of some of their class, and have in this way got rid of one-eighth of their number.-Character, Objects and Effects, of Trades' Unions.

Mr. John Lewthwaite, of Rotherhithe, has pro] posed to make use of harpoons charged with prussic acid, for the speedier destruction of whales. The Ann Elizabeth, of London, Capt. Kendrew, took out, on her last whaling voyage to the South Seas, half a dozen harpoons constructed on this plan by Mr. Lewthwaite, for the purpose of trial. In a letter which has been received from Capt. Kendrew, he states that he had made one experiment, but that the fish was only "paralysed for a few mi nutes"-owing, it was presumed, to the poison being in two small a quantity. He had several bottles of highly-concentrated acid with him, however, and ineant to try the effect of administering it in larger doses.

J. F. (St. Albans) overlooked, but in our next.

Mr. Rudolph Ackermann, the eminent printseller in the Strand, died on the 30th March last. He was born at Schneeberg, in Saxony, in 1764, and was brought up to the trade of a coach-maker. He came in early life to London, where he pursued for some time the occupation of a carriagedraftsman, which led to an acquaintance with artists, and to his ultimately embarking in the printselling business. For enterprise and liberality, as a publisher, Mr. Ackermann had few equals. He was the first to introduce the art of lithogra phy into this country, and published the first of those splendid Annuals, which have, during the last ten years, furnished so lucrative a source of employment to our artists. We have heard that he was also the inventor of some useful improvements in the art to which he was brought up; or, more properly speaking, of a carriage on a new construction, which did not obtain from the trade that attention which it deserved.

The steam-carriages (Russel's) are now running hourly betwixt Glasgow and Paisley. They have not yet generally made the trips so quickly as we anticipated, which is chiefly to be attributed to the inexperience of the engineers and other causes, though, it is to be hoped, time and practice will fully obviate them.-Scotsman. We shall be glad to receive from Mr. Russel, or our correspondent Mr. Whitelaw, some account of these carriages.

An Embryo Engineer seems to have been misled by the title of the "Gallery" he speaks of, which, though styled National," is altogether a private speculation; he should apply to the proprietors.

We shall be glad to receive a continuation of Brackstone's very useful papers, at his convenience. The other branch of inquiry alluded to in his private note is, we think, already sufficiently attended to by other periodicals.

Communications received from M. S.- Mr." Baker-J. H.-S. S.-Mr. Mackinnon.

LONDON: Published by M. SALMON, at the Mechanics' Magazine Office, No. 6, Peterborough Court, between 135 and 136, Fleet-street. Agent for the American Edition, Mr. O. RICH, 12, Red Lion square. Sold by G. G. BENNIS, 55, Rue Neuve, Saint Augustin, Paris.

M. SALMON, Printer, Fleet-street.

34

THE ART OF BREWING-OX-MILL USED IN THE BREWERIES OF VIENNA.

Of the treatises published under the superintendence of the Useful Knowledge Society, one of the very best was that on the Art of Brewing," by Mr. David Booth; but owing (we believe) to some misunderstanding between the author and the Society, it was left in an incomplete state-two parts only, instead of four, having received the Society's imprimatur. Mr. Booth has, under these circumstances, been induced to give Parts III. and IV. to the world through another medium,* and however much he may, by so doing, have offended the Society, there is no person who is in possession of, and has profited by the preceding portion of his labours, but must feel much obliged to him for the con. tinuation.

The information supplied by these supplementary Parts is all of a very useful and necessary description, and much of it perfectly new to the British public. Part III. contains chapters on the quantity of fermentable matter obtainable from a given weight of malted barley, and the proportion which it bears to the specific gravity of the worts-on the dif ferent methods of procuring fermentable extracts on the cooling of worts-on the several modes of fermenting worts→ and on the strength of fermented liquors -with a table, showing the pounds of dry extract in a hundred gallons of any wort, corresponding to its gravity. Part IV. is appropriated to brewing in foreign countries, and treats of the art as prac tised at Munich, Prague, Vienna, Berlin, Brussels, Louvaine, &c. Mr. Booth states, that "for the greater portion of the information in this chapter he is indebted to the manuscript and oral communications of two German brewers (from Vienna and Munich), who have been, and now are, visiting the principal, towns of Europe, for the laudable purpose of acquiring information concerning their business."

From the latter part-being that which contains the most novel information-we shall make a few extracts.

And first as to the Bavarian beer,

The Art of Brewing. Parts III, and IV. By David Booth. To which is added, an Appendix concerning Burton Ale. London: F. J. Mason. 8vo. 1834. pp. 56.

66

which, when in prime condition, is as bright as wine, and contains so much carbonic acid, that it is in that respect similar to champagne."

"The beer throughout all Bavaria is nearly of the same strength; usually between 3 and 3 barrels to a quarter of malt. It is made wholly from malted barley and hops; and all sold at an uniform rate, which is fixed by law, every year, according to the price of barley; so that there is but one kind of malt-liquor for all classes, from the prince to the peasant. The rate for the present year is 16s. per barrel. The beer pays no duty; but the malt must be ground at a public mill, where an impost is levied, amounting to about half of its original value. The malt is screened before carrying it to the mill; and being generally cut with stones, it is also previously damped, in order to prevent the loss by dust. This operation is performed by sprinkling with a watering pan, at the same time frequently turning the heap till it has been well mixed with about two gallons of water to the quarter; and then leaving it to soak for nine or ten hours, that the moisture may penetrate to the centre of each grain. When the malt is to be bruised with rollers, this damping is not considered necessary." P. 25.

*

"Great care is requisite in having the store casks very clean and sweet before fill. ing them, lest they should communicate a disagreeable flavour to the beer. In two towns this is effected, after they are well washed, by smoking them with burning sulphur; but in the rest of Bavaria it is done by lining them with pitch. The fol lowing the manner by which this is effected at Munich: The store-casks, in which the beer is cleansed, are previously pitched every time for summer beer, and once a year for winter beer. Pitching is

35

practised in this way-one end of the cask is taken out, and two English pounds of pitch for every barrel of its contents, if the pitching has only to be renewed (but double that quantity if for the first time), is set fire to on the bottom of the cask, and made to burn until the whole has become perfectly fluid. This being done, the fire is extinguished, by putting in the head of the cask, and driving the hoops close; and then the cask is rolled about and turned in every direction, so that the pitch may be spread over every part of the inner surface, which it will thereby cover with a crust of oneeighth of an inch thick. This crust is apt to crack and blister, which causes the necessity of re-pitching every season. The professed object of this manipulation is cleanliness; but it doubtless communicates 'a peculiar flavour to the beer, which, however, is liked, and consequently required, by the customers of those brewers."-p. 29.

"The brewers of this city (Augsburg) wash their coolers with great care, scrubbing them every week with Dutch rushes-the stalks of the equisetum hyemale; but, notwithstanding this apparent regard to cleanliness, they have one practice which we, in this country, should not venture to imitate. Like the rest of their countrymen, they pitch their store-vats; but instead of waiting until the plaster is cold, they cleanse the fermented worts into the vats while the pitch is smoking and burning hot. It is this which gives the peculiar flavour by which the Augsburg beer is distinguished from that of all the rest of Bavaria."-p. 31.

The beer next in continental repute to the Bavarian is that of Prague.

"The city of Prague has been famed for

36

its breweries from time immemorial. These constitute the chief support of a great proportion of its inhabitants; and the beer, next to that of Bavaria, is accounted to be the best in Germany. The mode of brewing is very similar to that which is practised at Munich. The brewers in the city draw one hundred gallons of beer from the quarter of malt, while those of the suburbs make ten to twelve gallons more; and, notwithstanding, the beer of the latter has a more agreeable taste than that of the former."-p. 31.

In treating of the method of brewing at Vienna, Mr. Booth gives the following description of a species of tread-mill, by means of which oxen are employed to drive the mill-stones and rollers (for bruising the malt), which though "little, if at all, known in this country," he thinks deserving of more extensive publicity, "believing that it would prove a cheap and convenient power in certain situations." We copy also, by permission of Mr. Booth, the engravings to which the description refers: