choux, the Mongols, and people from Mandchourie, in China; the other consists only of native Chinese. The first are taken by banners, and are called banner troops, the others have a green standard, and are called troops of the green standard. The first are kept in garrison in the most important parts of the empire, the others do duty in the interior. The first comprises 266,000 men. "There has been nothing published respecting the population of Turkestan and Thibet. In the last named country, there are 3,000 men, regular troops; the number of irregular troops is not known. At Kaschgar, in Turkestan, there are 500 native soldiers. The garrisons of the cities are formed of Chinese, but they are not numerous, and come from the government of Gan Su. EARLY HISTORY OF RUSSIA. THE early history of Russia is wrapped in great obscurity, and in great measure, cannot at this day be separated from the absolute fable which surrounds it. The present time, however, is one in which a great deal of attention is paid in Russia to literature and literary affairs; and, in consequence, whatever information is attainable will probably soon come to light. The following, which is translated from a St. Petersburgh journal, [the Northern Bee,] shows that the research of the Russian literati is extending to the examination of the archives of southern and western Europe. "A very important historical work has just been published in St. Petersburgh, by order of the emperor, under the direction of M. de Tourguénief, counsellor of state. This learned antiquarian, who is now in Paris, has been for many years engaged in France, Italy, England, and Germany, in searching in their archives and libraries for documents relative to the intercourse of the Russian sovereigns with the principal states of Europe. The large and remarkable work which is the result of M. de Tourguénief's indefatigable labors, is entitled: Historica Russia monumenta, ex antiquis exterarum gentium archivis et bibliothecis deprompta, ab A. J. Turgenievo, concilior. st. act, et equ. The first volume, which has just been published in Latin and Russian, contains a great number of letters, bulls, and papers, addressed by the popes to the grand-dukes and czars of Russia. These documents were copied from the secret archives of the Vatican, which were thrown open to M. D. Tourguénief, by the kindness of his holiness the pope. WORKING UNDER ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE. A PARIS journal gives the following account of a method invented by a French engineer for excluding water from wells and pits, where it may be necessary for laying foundations, or other operations, where the expense of pumping would be expensive or impracticable. It is the substance of a memoir recently addressed to the French Academy of Sciences, which, it is stated, has attracted the attention of philosophers and engineers, and even of physiologists. "This paper contains a description of a new, very ingenious and powerful method of exhausting, or rather of driving back waters, which often present such serious obstacles in boring for wells or mines, and he beside mentions the very singular effects sometimes made upon men by a powerful atmospheric pressure. "Heretofore, in order to get rid of water, which sometimes pours in abundantly upon this sort of works, it has been customary to employ pumps, set in motion by steam or some other power; but the insufficiency of this method can be imagined when the source of these waters happens to be a neighboring river, above the point where the boring is going on. The river must be dried up, so to speak, in order that the work may be prosecuted. "In such a case, M. Triger proposes to throw back the water by means of a powerful compression of air in the well itself, which has previously been hermetically sealed. Instead of taking away the water, M. Triger throws it back towards its source, by pressure. "The undertaking seems bold; but it appears, however, to have been conducted with perfect success, and even without very great difficulties. The idea is a simple one in itself, and the execution of it is altogether practicable. The following are some of the places where M. Triger's operations have been carried on, and some circumstances are related which attended them. "From Doue,' he says, '(the department of Maine et Loire,) to Niort, (department of the Lower Loire,) extends a coal region, well known to miners and geologists. In 1811, M. Cordier made it the subject of a memoir; and later, Messrs. Elie de Beaumont, and Dufreynoy have also studied this region, and have traced it on the geological map of France. "The thorough study which we made of this territory having demonstrated to us that it was necessary to cross from eighteen to twenty metres of moving sands before reaching the coal region, we were obliged, in order to overcome a similar difficulty, to think of some other methods besides those generally employed in the mines. This difficulty had been considered by all the miners in the country as so entirely insurmountable, that all the portion of the basin which extends over the Loire, though very well known for ages, had remained untouched. Indeed, to attempt by means of ordinary draining to penetrate these sands, the more movable in consequence of their being in direct com munication with the waters of the Loire, was nothing less than to endeavor to fix a well in the river; it was to try to drain the river itself. Not being able, then, to draw off the waters, we formed the idea of throwing them back. Success fully crowned our endeavors.' "The apparatus of M. Triger is composed of a cylinder of plate iron, which he forces into the well. This cylinder, having been hermetically sealed, and provided with valves, air is thrown into it by means of a steam machine, to a pressure of more than three atmospheres ; the workmen penetrate afterward into the well by a mechanism analogous to that employed by M. Tabarie, (of Montpellier,) in those beautiful experiments which have been made in Paris, in rooms filled with condensed air for patients with diseases of the lungs. The water thrown back by the pressure of the air leaves the well dry, and gives room for the works to be carried on. "As applied to boring, the method of M. Triger will undoubtedly offer several useful applications. It is to be regretted that it is only in vague terms that he recommends the use of it to naval engineers, and those employed in bridges and causeways; we do not see, for example, what advantage can be drawn from it in consolidating the bridge of Tours, which is particularly mentioned by M. Triger. It is known that the injuries in the bridge of Tours have been caused by the large hollows which have been formed under the gratings of the piles in the masses of several united piles. How can the iron pipe, so successfully employed in digging a well or mine, serve to introduce lime and stone under the platform of the pile of a bridge, but little below the level of it? The memoir presented to the Academy leaves many doubts in this respect. There are, also, some in regard to the apparatus of compressed air, for great works in masonry, which are built in a river or on the sea. Because it has been found practicable to maintain a pressure of three and a half atmospheres in a narrow iron cylinder introduced into beds of movable sand, it does not follow, that it would be possible to maintain the same pressure in a cylinder sufficiently large to enclose the pile of a bridge, the sluice of a floating basin, &c. We may be allowed to think, until we have more ample explanations, that the invention of M. Triger, which is, however, very curious, will not effect any changes in the methods at present followed, in the very difficult execution of these difficult operations. "As to the effects observed by the author on the workmen, who were subjected to this strong pressure of the air, and to himself, they are equally vague, and display so much fancy, that it would seem that new experiments on this interesting subject of physiology are still called for." PUBLIC DEBT OF SPAIN. THE following statement has been prepared and published by Robert C. Wyllie, Esq. of the London committee of Spanish bondholders, for the information of the bondholders, from documents sent by Don Pedro Surra y Rull, Minister of Finance of Spain. The real de vellon is equal to five cents. No. I. Table of the whole Debt of Spain up to the 27th October, 1841. Debt not liquidated. R. de vellon. 2,291,893,479 257,319,387 Loan of 1834, and conversion of the old debt, 5 per ct. 169,929,696 66 3,398,593,920 278.268,188 60,000,000 12,000,000 3,748,862,108 Capital. 594,458,460 1,454,248,200 Passive, 3,000,000 600,000 Interests, 189,529,696 Deferred debt, After deducting the bonds belonging to the govern ment in London. Created in Paris in 1832. No. II. National Properties of Spain applicable to the Extinction of her Debt. Table showing the Sale, Valuation, and Yearly Revenue of the National Properties on hand at the end of May, 1841, of the Ancient Resources of the Sinking Fund, of Estates and Sequestrations, of Mines, and of the Property of the Secular Clergy. No. III.—Table showing the Sums in the Paper of the Public Debt, cancelled by the Sales of National Properties, and the redemption of the "Censos," to the end of May, 1841. No. IV. — Table showing Debts due on account of the Sales of National Properties to No. V. Estimate of Paper of the Public Debt likely to be cancelled in 1842. ROBERT C. WYLLIE, Member of the Spanish Committee. * Besides the 2,090,000,000 reales remaining still to be added, when exact particulars are ascertained, it is to be observed that no mention is made of the national properties in the colonies, which are considered to be of great value. From the result of what sales have already been effected, Í consider it fair to believe that these 3,135,000,000 worth of properties will fetch by sale at least double, or say 6,270,000,000, a value which will absorb an immense mass of paper at the present reduced price of Spanish bonds of all denominations. ROBERT C. WYLLIE, Member of the Spanish Committee. January 27, 1842. |