The Sun.
London, England, 1839-01-19 00:00:00

CONCERT ALA

TRAUSS.

TO THE DIRECTORS OF THE
"She success o'i the Promenarb.: Concerts at the English Opera House GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY.
'lid as, it seems, called another party of musicians into the field. Yester- GENTLENIEN,—WheiI I undertook the task of reporting
1:1, at the Q'aeen's Concert 'Rooms, Hanover-square, a series corn- upon the Great Westcro Railway, knowing the nature of the
enced, undw the management of Mr. Schaileh a, a member of the band inquiry, I had prepared mvself to expect that my opinions
.0 f Mr. Strauss, which perforated in London with so much applause dux_
would be severely scrutinized by your engineer, and by the
tnitgedthe last season. The room, although by no means crowded, exhi. .
public ; and- I had determined to submit to such criticisms with
a very fair show of most respectable, and, indeed, fashionable com- ;, ,
Patsy, The pieces played were precisely of such character as those Mr. iiuG resignation, come from whatever quarter they might.
With your body, however, it is different ; it is, in my opinion,
Strauss's orchestra had been accustomed to play, such as the " Philo-
melen Valse," " Fortuna Galop " " Dunois Quadrille," La Rosa Valse,., I imperative on me to see—which lem sure will meet your con-
&c. &c., to which were added,Auber's Overture to Masanicllo, and that eurrence—thet the conclusions drown by you from my Report,
of Mozart to Giovanni, with a " Grand Polonaise," neatly and taste. should be strictly correct, and those only wileh are warranted
fully executed on the piiano-forte, by Mr. C. Miller. The Valses by the opinions therein expressed, or by the experiments
!_ndoot Quadrilles were played with correctness, and went very therein detailed.
'SDI hly ;we cannot say, however, that the various points of the A copy of your Report reached me yesterday ; generally
.4et'eral compositions were given with the character and finish we heard the conclusions drawn from my report, are therein fairly,
..lin, parted to them "..iy the band of M. Strauss, but were rather more in clearly, and impartially stated ; but there is one part in which
tee style of the performers at the Promenade Concerts. The peculiar
you have been led into an erroneous conclusion, by contracting
beauty of the tirst-mentioned party erase from their having practised
ivith each other entirely dissimilar experiments, and a hieh it
incessantly tnether for a long period of time; and when Mr. Sahel.
Ilehn's band have become more accustomed to each other, if patronised appears to me to be due to the Shareholders, to the Public,
by the public at large, we make no doubt they will attain nearly to the and to my own charecter, that I should set right.
name perfection as the orchestra of Strauss. We have only to add, You detail
an experiment, personally witnessed by your-
that as these concerts tate place in the day time, they cannot be con- s selves, with the North Star engine, after being improved by
:stdered as starting in opposition to the concerts now giving nightly at s Mr. Brunel ; where that engine took from Maidenhead and
the English Opera House.
back, a train of carriages loaded to 43 tons, at an average
speed of 38 miles an hour, and the consumption of coke being
.951bs. per ton per mile. This you contrast with a consump-
tion of 2.751b5., as shown by some of my experiments.
tThe consumption of 2.75ib5. was, however, derived, from
an experiment, where the load was only 16 tons, which it is quite
preposterous to contrast vr:!li a load of 43 tons; fortunately we
have in my report the data afforded for making a correct
comparison. In table, page 17, you will find a set of experi-
ments (the third) by the North Star Engine, detailed, shew-
ing a 'owl of 4.161 tons, conveyed at the average rate of 3.88
miles an hour. the consumption of colic being 1.091b5. per ton
per mile. Mr. Brunel states the improved performance of
this engine at 40 tons, taken forty miles an hour, with a con-
sumption of .9!bs. per temper mile, Comparing these expe-
riments with each other, we have the following results of the
performance of that engine before and after being improved :
Load in Speed in Coke per
Tons. Miles per Ton pe
Hour. Mile.
38. .951bs.
40. .90

NE MUSICAL MENT.
At Schallehn's concW ert Testerday, aINSTR newly neU invented German instru-
!bent was introduced in the band, we believe for the first time in this
country,
although it has been used in the military bands in Germany
for some time past. It l,'
brass , a bass instrument, manufactured wholly of
, of so great compadis that we understood its lowest note is below
that of the double bass, The tone is of a combining quality, mellow
and exceedingly p.wrerful, but can be played pianissimo. Its effect as
baUs even in :
military • s 'stringed band, is remarkably fine; but as a bass to
Y music,, we should think it will prove far superior to anything
hitherto introd aced. It is wholly void of the occasionally disagreeablecrash
I"the trombone, is double the power of the serpent, and far exceeds the
Pheicleide in quality of tone, and in its capability of sustaining a note.
lor_ his superieority arises from its having no open keys, the notes being
med by yentas or valves, of which there are eight, governed by four
clever
b_evrs or keys. The Instrument was brought to this country by Mr.
'en the eminent instrument maker of Charing cross, and is played by a
Musician of the Guards, named Standen.

Director's
Experiments 43.
Mr. Bruel's 4O.

Mean 41.5

9 25

- -
Mr. Wood's Experiments 41.65 38.8 1.09
After the above remarkable similarity of effect it is unne-
cessary for me to say a single word, as to that part of your re-
port, wherein you state " That if I had witnessed the recent
performance of the engines I would unquestionably have
changed my opinion. It would, indeed, have been a grievous
waste of money, time, and labour, if these experiments could
have been "blown to the winds" "by the " knocking off the
end of a pipe." The preceding remarkable coincidence of
performance, elicited by different experimentalists, and at a
different period, is the strongest possible proof of their value
and importance.

I ben you will also allow me this opportunity of more
clearly bringing before you and the public, an expo-
sition of my opinions, as regards the atmosperic resist-
ance ; which your Chairman stated to be " too startling
to be true, or at any rate to be implicitly received without fur-
ther investigation."
The experiments on Atmospheric Resistance were brought
forward Merely to show that at higher rates of speed the at-
mosphere had considerable influence on the resistance of rail-
way trains; and I expected that I had in my report (which it
was my undoubted intention to do) clearly explained that no
standard of the amount of resistance could be drawn
.from the
experiments adduced. That my opinion on these experiments
may not be misunderstood, I beg you will allow me to quote
that portion of the appendix which relates to this subject.
After giving the Formulte alluded to in page 48 of my re-
port, I state—

" In these Formulas the resistance of the atmosphere to
railway trains is assumed as being proportional to the square
of the velocity ; this has not yet, however, been ascertained by
experiment with sufficient accuracy to be adopted as a standard
of resistance. The figure, outline, and frontage opposed by
railway trains consisting of a different number and description
of carriages, are so various, and the circumstances effecting the
resistance so complicated, that until experiments more varied
than the preceding are made, no fixed standard of resistance
can be safely assumed. For these reasons, therefore, I
have not at this time entered- upon calculations founded
upon these Formulae to determine the values of F.
and A. on the relative amount of the friction pro-
perly so called, and that part of the resistance which arises
from the effect of the atmosphere. It is my intention to pursue
the subject further, with railway trains composed of a different
number of carriages, and of all the varieties which are used
in practice; and it does appear to me that until experiments
are made on all the varieties of trains, no practically useful
conclusions of the precise amount of atmospheric; resistance
can be drawn. These experiments are extremely valuable, as
part of a series to accomplish this object ; then great
utility in the present inquiry, is unquestionably as eorroborat-
ting to a certain extent the results determined by the experi-
ments with the engines; viz. that at high rates of speed the
atmospheric resistance to railway trains is much greater than
has been generally supposed.

I am, Gentlemen,
Your obedient servant,
Killingwortb, Jan. 14. RICHARD WOOD.

COURT CIRCULAR.

The Queen honoured Covent-garden Theatre with hor pre-
sence last evening. Her Majesty arrived at the theatre at a
quarter before eight o'clock, attended by the Countess of
Charlemont, Hon. Miss Spring Rice. and the Hon. Miss
Paget ' • the other Ladies and the Gentlemen of her Majesty's
suite fallowing in two of the Royal carriages.
Her Majesty walked in the garden of the Palace yesterday
morning.

The Princess Sophia Matilda visited her Majesty yesterday
at the new Palace. Her Royal Highness also visited the
Duchess of Kent.

Viscount Melbourne had en audience yesterday of her
Majesty.
Mr. W. C. Ross had the honour of submitting to her Ma-
jesty the portraits of Lady Howard de Walden and three
children.

The Duke of Cambridge transacted business yesterday at
the office of the Commander of the Forces, in the Horse Guards.
A Cabinet Council was held at the official residence of Vis-
count Melbourne, in Downing-street, yesterday afternoon. It
was attended by Viscount Melbourne, the Lord Chancellor,
Marquis of Lansdowne, Viscount Duncannon, Lord John Rus-
sell, Viscount Palmerston, Lord Glenelg, the Chancellor of the
Exchequer, Earl of Minto, Sir John Hobhouse, Lori' Holland,
Mr. Poulett Thomson, and Viscount Howick. The Council
sat two hours.

The Attorney-General had an interview with Lord John
Russell yesterday, at the Homc-office.
Despatches were sent off last evening from the Colonial-office
for Sir John Colborne, G. C. 8., Governor of the Canadas ;
and for Sir George Arthur, Lieutenant-Governor of Upper
Canada.

FASHIONABLE INTELLIGENCE.

ARRIVALS.

The Ladies Greville, in Eaton-place ; the Rev. Frederick
Leicester, and the Dowager Lady de Tablet, in Sussex-
place, Regent's Park, from their seat, in Cheshire; the
Duke of Dorset, in Harley-street, From Drayton House,
Northamptonshire; Lord George Hill, at Farrance's Hotel,
Belgrave-street, from East Hempstead, the seat of the Mar-
quis of Downshire ; Mr. and Lady Anne Murray, at Thomas's
Hotel, from the North ; Lord Saltoun, in Cumberland-street,
from a tour; Andrew Berkeley Drummond, Esq. and Lady
Elizabeth, from a visit to the Duke of Rutland, at Belvoir
Castle; Captain and Lady Annabella Ramsden, in Cavendish-
square, from Yorkshire.