diffusing its blessings among the other classes; and the excellent principle which it adopted of vesting no property or privileges in those who paid a sum by way of admission money, but extending an equal share in its management and advantages to yearly subscribers, has been strictly acted upon by the founders of the new Institution.. At the last meeting of the Mechanics' Institution...at Newcastle, which was very numerously attended, a valuable paper on Historical Architecture, by Mr. Dobson, was read by one of the Secretaries, which excited great approbation. The thanks of the meeting were voted to Mr. D., and a hope expressed that he would make it the first of a series of papers on similar subjects. NORWICH.-At this place a neeting was held a few months ago, and attended by the most respectable inhabitants of all sects and parties, in order to found a Mechanics' Institution. The zeal and information displayed there, leave no doubt whatever of the plan succeeding. Dr. Yelloly stated to the meeting, that the rules of the London Institution had been communicated by Dr. Birkbeck. NOTTINGHAM.-A society, for the discussion of literary and scientific subjects, has recently been established in the town of Nottingham. The Rev. R. W. Almond, M. A. is the President of the new Institution, and a highly respectable committee have undertaken the management for the ensuing year. PORTSMOUTH.-Means are being adopted for erecting a Mechanics' Institution in this place, and a communication has been received from them by the Committee of the London Mechan. ics' Institution announcing this intention. PRESTONHOLM, LANARKSHIRE. -An Institution on the plan of that at the Glasgow Gas Work, has been formed by the workmen at the Flax Mills of Mr. John Craig, at that place. Mr. Craig deserves the greatest credit for the encouragement which he has afforded to his men, RENTON, DUMBARTONSHIRE.—In this village, a Literary Society has existed for rather more than a year, at which questions of any kind are propos.. ed and debated by the members. RICHMOND.-An Institution has been formed at this place, in the North Riding of Yorkshire, under the patronage of Lord Dundas, and John Hutton, Esq. of Marske, the High-Sheriff of the County. A meeting of the inhabitants friendly to the design, was held on the 28th Feb. last, at which a series of resolutions were passed, forming the outline of the Institution. It is determined in the first instance to confine the project to a library and reading-room, the annual subscription to which is fixed at eight shillings, and the officers are to be chosen by and from the subscribers at large, without distinction. (See No. LXVI. p. 128, Vol. III. of our Magazine.) ROSS, HEREFORDSHIRE.-A communication has been received by the Committee of the London Mechanics' Institution, announcing the intention of forming an Institution of the same kind here. ROTHERHAM.- A meeting of the mechanics of this place and its neighbourhood, was held on Monday the 28th February last, for the purpose of establishing a Mechanics' Institution. Resolutions were passed for the purpose of founding a library and obtaining such models and apparatus as the funds of the society will permit. SHEFFIELD.-A Mechanics and Apprentices' Library was instituted in this city, in December 1823, and opened in the February following, under the able and zealous superintendence of Mr. Montgomery, a name well known in the literary world, and held in deserved hon our by philanthropists. The rules appear to us most excellent. In the workmen is vested the property, in shares of 5s. each, paid at first, and they afterwards pay 6s. a year; they form the class of proprietors; the others, the honorary members, present gifts in money and books, and may, if chosen by the body at large, fill the offices, but have no share in the property. The committee may consist entirely of proprietors; and must have two-thirds from that body. Apprentices have the use of the books for 4s. yearly. The librarian is to attend daily, and have the care of the property; he is therefore paid: perhaps this might be rendered unnecessary, by adopting some of the judicious regulations established at Liverpool, and exchanging the books once a week. Every donor of a book must write his name in it, as a kind of check; and a rule has been made, as we understand, after a very thorough and somewhat earnest discussion, giving an appeal against the admission of books to the ministers of the different denominations who are subscribers; this rule has, however, never yet been acted upon. Members lose the benefits of the society, if in the workhouse or in prison; but are restored when liberated without payment of their arrears. Of this admirable Institution there are now 360 members; of whom 310 are proprietors, and the numbers of these increase daily. There are 1400 volumes, including some most liberal donations; all collected in nine months; and 30 apprentices receive the benefits of the society on the terms already stated. A Library and Philosophical Society has long flourished at Sheffield, and it now reckons 350 members, almost all manufacturers and tradesmen. Lectures are occasionally given in it, and we rejoice to hear, that there is an arrangement in agitation for admitting the workmen to the benefit of these as soon as the new premises are ready. It is related, as an interesting anecdote for the encouragement of this design: “We have in our employment a common cutler, who found leisure, in a bad time of trade, to amuse himself with entymology, and who has made great progress in arranging a collection of insects for our museum. Another youth, in an obscure station, is preparing specimens of our Flora for the same. Ingenious mechanical models have been repeatedly brought before us by persons from whom little beyond ordinary handicraft could have been expected.” SPITALFIELDS-A Mechanics' Institution is about to be formed in this place under the auspices of Dr. Birkbeck. Several enlightened individuals, taking into consideration the distance of this part of the town from the central Institution in Southampton Buildings, and also the dense population by which it is inhabited, comprehending at least 20,000 workmen, conceived the idea of communicating scientific instruction to them, by the establishment of one of those admirable Institutions, which seem destined to effect a complete revolution in the sentiments and habits of the operative mechanics of this country. With a view of ascertaining the probability of success in this laudable un dertaking, diligent inquiries have been made among the masters and journeymen in the silk trade, and the result of these inquiries was so satisfactory, that the gentlemen who had so kindly inter ested themselves in the business, felt no hesitation in determining to attempt the accomplishment of their design. As a preliminary step, it was, however, considered advisable, that a few lectures should be delivered to the mechanics of Spittalfields, previous to the final arrangements for establishing the Institution, in order that they might be better acquainted with the principles upon which it was to be conducted, and the advantages to be derived from its establishment. For this purpose, a request was made to Mr. Partington, of the London Institution, that he would have the kindness to deliver the introductory lectures, with which request he immediately complied; and the enlightened and philanthropic President of the London Mechanics' Institution, Dr. Birkbeck, having also consented, at the solicitation of the promoters of the plan, to elucidate its nature and objects by an opening address, it was finally determined that the preliminary address of the worthy Doctor, and Mr. Partington's first lecture, should be delivered on Thursday, 10th March, at Gibraltar Chapel, in ChurchStreet, Spitalfields. The chapel, which will contain about 800 persons, and the use of which had been kindly granted by the Rev. Mr. Brown, was crowded to excess at an early hour, and the entrance of Dr. Birkbeck, accompanied by the gentlemen who have so indefatigably exerted themselves on this occasion, was greeted with loud applause. As soon as silence was obtained, the learned Doctor commenced his introductory address, at the conclusion of which, Mr. Partington delivered his lecture. Both address and lecture were received with the greatest applause; so that there is little reason to doubt of the success of the undertaking. WIGAN, LANCASHIRE.-An Institution has been formed here on the plan of that which has been found so useful at the Glasgow Gas Work, with this difference, however, that instead of being applicable only to a particular work, it is open to the mechanics of the town and neighbourhood. Published every Saturday, by W. R. M'PHUN, 155, Trongate, Glasgow. CURLL, PRINTER. d IMPROVED METHOD OF PAVING STREETS. To the Editor of the ་ ་ " be a nuisance too great to be long endured by the inhabitants. Conceiving, then, that the public will very soon be convinced that nothing but a stable material will answer for the road-ways in the metropolis, I shall dismiss the consideration of M'Adam's plan, and, without further preface, describe the mode by which I propose to remedy existing evils, and to form a road that shall be stable, durable, clean, and prevent that astounding noise which is is so extremely annoying, not only to strangers, but to the inhabitants themselves.. In fig. 1, a plan or horizontal view is given of a portion of paving for a public street of the kind which I am suggesting. Fig. 2, is a ver tical section of crossways; a, a, a, a, is an oblong stones. These blocks may be of any wind of wood that would answer for that she luch purpose, though I should prefer larch fir, as that is less likely to decay than most other woods, and is more tough and diffi day when the road was first laiding the place of the ordinary paving down., My engagements having been in the agricultural line, and in the northern part of this island, I have not had that opportunity of exhibiting my plans in operation in the metropolis, which I now intend to do at an early period.cult to be split or torn asunder, and The method of making roads when kept damp, as it naturally adopted by Mr. M Adam, is un- would be while in the earth, would dam, is un questionably excellent in its way, last for ages. The dimensions of and well calculated for open situa- these wooden blocks might be about tions; but in the narrow streets of eight inches square then top London, and other large towns, surface, and about eighteen inces where the traffic is incessant, and high; their form, as seen in th all descriptions of carriages are con- section, fig. 2, should be slightly stantly rolling over the road in tapering from a little below the nearly the same tracts, the wear middle downwards, for the purpose and tear is excessive, and far be of fitting solidly into the recesses of yond any thing generally contemthe iron box, and also slightly taperplated, consequently, the mud in winter, and dust in summer, will " ing upwards from the same part, as shown in the section, for the pur pose of allowing gravel or broken stones to be introduced between the wooden blocks when fixed, in order to wedge and confine the blocks firmly, and prevent them from being shaken or displaced by the carriages as they pass over. The iron boxes may be about four feet and a half by two feet and a half on their superfices, and about eight inches deep, or any other dimension that circumstances may render convenient. The bed or foundation of the road being prepared by rolling, ramming, or otherwise, so as to be perfectly solid, and as level as possible; as many of these boxes are to be laid down as will cover the road, and which are to be made as secure as may be, on the sides, to prevent them from being pushed from their situations, into the recesses of the iron boxes; the blocks of wood previously prepared, and all of one length, are to be introduced, the length-ways of the grain, in a perpendicular direction. When they are thus placed, their surfaces being all level, gravel, broken stones, or hard rubbish are to be rammed in between the wooden blocks, and the road will be formed ready for immediate use, in such a firm manner, that neither time, nor the heaviest weights which may pass over it, will in any degree alter its level, or destroy the materials of which it is composed. The advantages of this plan for paving the streets, are: 1st. That being laid on an iron floor, and the blocks forming right angles on all sides, the whole would be so completely packed, that there could be no possibility of its being shifted or deranged, as the common carriage-way is subject to, and which makes it so very imperfect. 2d. Should any portions of it require to be raised at any time to get to the water or gas pipes, a thing which daily occurs, it could be laid down again precisely in the same manner as it was taken up; whereas in breaking the common road-ways on the M'Adamize plan, the materials cannot again be laid so as to connect or assimilate with the rest, from which it has been broken. 3d. It is evident that there would be much less waste on wood set on end, as above described, than on the hardest whin or granite, if exposed to the same wear. I made the experiment many years ago in a pavement upon my father's premises. Our stones frequently sunk, and for experiment, I cut some pieces of wood according to the size required, and introduced them in place of the stone, set on end in the same manner I have already described, with wood planks at the bottom, and after a lapse of twentyfive years, I observed that the granite has undergone more wear than the wood, the latter of which now stands more prominent and flush than any other part of the causeway that surrounds it. raised some of the wooden blocks, expecting them to have undergone considerable decay, but was surprised on finding that the wood was quite as fresh as on the day it was laid. I 4th. As there is less waste on the wood than on the granite, there will of course be less mud or dirt in wet weather, and less dust in dry. 5th. The wood being laid on a complete level between the footways, there would not only be much more accommodation for all carriages, but the streets would also be rendered capable of being washed in the most complete manner, by discharging from the fire plugs as often as necessary a quantity of water, which from the level of the paving would be enabled to flow over its surface, and carry with it |