a constant noise from the operations of the several working models, and of the number of persons who are talking, a person whispering to one, is distinctly heard by his friend at the opposite side in front of the other shield.

The effect in looking down from this gallery upon the several things in constant motion, is quite enchanting, and we do not hesitate to say, that if we had seen nothing else in England besides the Adelaide Gallery and the Polytechnic Institution, we should have thought ourselves amply repaid for our voyage from India to England.

There can be nothing conceived more interesting to persons like ourselves, who having from an early age been taught to believe that next to our duty of thankfulness and praise to our God and Creator, that it is the duty of every man to do all that he can to make all mankind happy; we were early instructed that the man who devoted his energies to the works of science and of art deserved well of his fellow men. To us then brought up in India for scientific pursuits, and longing ardently to acquire practical information, connected with modern improvements, more particularly with naval architecture, steam engines, steam boats, and steam navigation, these two Galleries of practical science seemed to us to embrace all that we had come over to England to make ourselves acquainted with, and it was with gratitude to the original projectors of these insti

tutions that we gazed upon the soul exciting scene before us, we thought of the enchantments as related in the Arabian nights entertainments, and they faded away into nothingness compared with what we then saw. Here within this limited space were miniature steam ships, with every possible variety of improved machinery, gliding upon the water; here were exhibited all and every description of paddle wheels for propelling them through the water. There was a ship upon the stays ready to be launched upon the removal of the dog shores; here was every possible variety of lock gates for entrances to wet docks, calculated to open with facility and to resist the pressure of a great weight of water when the ship was in dock; here you could learn how safely to descend into the sea with different contrivances and here you were taught how you might best ascend intɔ the air in a Balloon. Here the scientific man for hours and days may acquire valuable information and here the man in quest of pleasure and amusement may day after day gaze upon pleasing inventions and beautiful models of a light nature to please the eye whilst his ear would be charmed with good music.

It is not our intention to describe all we saw at the Polytechnic, or to follow any particular rule or order with them, but we must point out a few of those things which most delighted us. We should speak first of models; steam boats, life boats, &c.

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invented by Captain George Smith, R. N. a temporary rudder fitted with chain rings, a lower mast fitted with iron fishes to preserve it if wounded or injured, paddle wheels fitted with grooved and cogged wheels for the application of manual labour at the capstan and winches in case of accident to the steam engine or to be used before the steam can be got up, an alarum to be used on board steam vessels in a fog, the gong or bell to be constantly kept striking by the machinery, a life boat formed of the upper section of the paddle box of steam vessels, the ends are made with two air tight cases or tanks, and the model is intended to shew the practicability of every steam vessel carrying two large boats for the purpose of saving the lives of the passengers and crew in the event of the vessel being burnt, wrecked, or sunk by coming in collision with other vessels. The model is fitted to shew an easy method of getting the boats into the water when required, this plan has been adopted and fitted to Her Majesty's steam vessels Carron and Firefly and to the Pacific company's vessels, Chili and Peru, and ordered for those of the Royal Mail company and of the Niger expedition; there are also plans of his for propelling steam vessels by propellers in the shape of feathered wheels astern the vessels, instead of having paddle wheels at the side; all these things look very pretty in models, and many persons think if they perform correctly

upon these small scales they must answer, but the fact is otherwise. It is from its great weight absolutely necessary to have the boiler and steam engine near the centre of all vessels and the great awkwardness about having wheels astern is that a very large shaft is required to pass from the engine to the stern in order to have the power of giving motion to the wheels, which is very inconvenient, inasmuch as it interferes with the internal arrangements of the vessel, and there is always danger of the shaft becoming out of order; it also gives a great tremor to the stern of the ship, and is very likely to strain that part. We know it is very desirable to keep the wheels out of the way of shot in action but we think much consideration is required before it is decided to abandon the present paddle wheels, as they can and do propel ships through the water under all the action of rough sea, contrary winds and powerful tides. Look at the extraordinary quick passages made by the Great Western and the British Queen and more recently by Mr. Cunard's Halifax Mail packets. We hope these new fangled things will be well tried before our good old wellworking paddle wheels are laid by.

The safety boats over the paddle wheels is a most important improvement, and every steam vessel should be obliged to have them, as they are no inconvenience and are beautifully arranged for quickly being lowered for use.

There is a Lecture Room capable of containing five hundred persons and in the course of the day the following different lectures are delivered ; Electro-Magnetic and Electrical demonstration, Coining Press and Electro-Magnetic Motive Machine, Aerostation, in which balloons are inflated and liberated. Chemical Lecture, Electrical Lecture, and Microscope, also on the Electrotype, method of protecting ships from Lightning and several other branches of Natural Philosophy, and all this recollect for one shilling only.

The Electrotype is the most extraordinary discovery of modern days. A copper plate engraving of a finished picture, that has taken an artist months to complete, can here by chemical solutions and an electric shock produce a duplicate plate so exact that the print taken from the one or the other cannot be distinguished. A wax impression of a seal can in a few hours be so admirably taken in copper by the Electrotype that impressions exactly resembling the wax impression may be produced without any person telling the copy from the original. Every stamp or any raised figure may be copied exactly. It is an important discovery, but it is a very dangerous one. All stamps to deeds can be produced exactly like the Government ones, the raised embossed Queen's head intended as the Government postage stamp, we have heard, is about to be withdrawn, irom the ease with which any body can