The Sun.
London, England, 1849-10-03 00:00:00

LITERATURE

HISTORY OF THE MENAI BRIDGE. By

W Fairbairn, C E
W. C.E.

In this work Mr. Fairbairn has endeavoured to
show that the idea of the present tubular bridge over
the Menai Straits was entirely his own. Although
Mr. Stephenson had proposed to suspend a series of
tubes by chains over the strait, Mr. Fairbairn placed
no reliance on their intrinsic strength, but employed
them simply as a substitute for the ordinary plat-
forms used in other suspension-bridges, in order that
their rigidity might in some degree check the undu-
lations inseparable from suspension bridges, which
render them, unfit for railway purposes. It was not
until Mr. Fairbairn had convinced Mr. Stephenson
and others, by practical experiments, that the aid of
chains was needless, that they decided on erecting
the present form of bridge. When Mr. Stephenson
first spoke to him on the subject, in April, 1845, Mr.
Fairbairn at once objected to Mr. Stephenson's plan,
observing that he saw no reason why a rigid tube could
could not be constructed in such a manner as to sup-
port itself unaided by chains, because " he always
thought that in the combination of two bodies, the
one of a perfectly rigid, and the other of a flexible
nature, there was a principle of weakness, for the
vibration to which the one would be subjected would
call into operation forces whose constant action upon
the rivets and fastenings of the other, could not but
tend to loosen them, and thus, by a slow but sure
agency, to break up the bridge." This difference of
opinion induced Mr. Stephenson to call in the aid of
Mr. Hodgkinson, a scientific gentleman, versed in the
theory of bridge-construction, &c. He, however,
was of the same opinion as Mr. Stephenson, closing
his report with " if it be determined to erect a bridge of
tubes over the Menai Straits, I would beg torecommend
that suspension chains be employed as an auxiliary."
These suggestions were accordingly conveyed to the
directors in Mr. Stephenson's report. Time has,
however, proved that Mr. Fairbairn's conclusions
were right ' • but it required upwards of two years to
discover a form of tube capable of stretching with
safety across so wide a span. Although supporting
chains were ultimately dispensed with, Mr. Stephen-
son had as much to do with the design and construc-
tion of the present form of tube as Mr. Fairbairn, and
as chief engineer, would be most responsible for its
success ; still Mr. Fairbairn has a right to a share of
the applause so justly due to those who conceived and
carried out this great triumph of engineering skill.
After the report had been delivered to the company,
many and various experiments were carried on by Mr.
Fairbairn, both according to his own fancy and at the
suggestion of Mr. Stephenson, which are minutely
and clearly explained at great length in this work.
A great deal of the correspondence is, however, both
uninteresting and superfluous for the general reader,
having reference solely to private misunderstandings
and contentions; nevertheless, the history of the va-
rious successes and disasters attending his experi-
ments, during a period of upwards of two years,
cannot but be interesting and useful to scientific
readers. Mr. Fairbairn gives a detailed and com-
opolentoeephaif
ostnoryto otteitrubnulltairmabtreidegoemspleftrioomn, their
nfiirnsgt
particulars of their construction and the means by
which they are raised. The work concludes with
several chapters on the construction of cylinders, the
tension of iron plates, bars and rivets, with formulas
for the construction f tubular bridges, &c., explained
in a very clear and scientific manner. It is, besides,
illustrated by a series of well-finished descriptive en-
gravings, representing the various portions of the
tubes, their uses and adaptations ; and is, on the
whole, the most complete treatise—indeed the only
one—on tubular bridges that has yet come under our
notice.

THE MAGAZINES.
BLACKWOOD.
Sir Bulwer Lytton bas here, in the October num-
ber of Blackwood, brought his charming story of the
" Caxtons " to a conclusion. Delighted as we are
with the admirable completion of a work so admir-
ably commenced and so admirably sustained through-
out, we cannot witness the close of an effusion which
has so long been our favourite without some feelings
of sincere disappointment. It is not, however, in
this place that we shall pause to express any opinion
of the fiction " as a whole"—deserving as it does so
eminently more than a mere casual reference—on the
contrary, we shall content ourselves with remarking
that in the 104th chapter we have found another
of those exquisite touches of nature which
cause the tears to " rise from the heart
and gather to the eyes." Pleasantest among
the pleasant contributions that follow is the critical,
gossipping, garrulous paper on the " Diary of
Samuel Pepys," as edited by Lord Braybrooke.
Sam is sketched ofT cleverly by the reviewer, who
thoroughly appreciates both the excellence of his
writings and the littlenesses of his character. Speak-
ing of the naval actions referred to by Pepys in his
inimitable Diary, Blackwood has the following most
excellent remarks—and we have a peculiar pleasure
in transcribing them, seeing that they illustrate very
emphatically the truth of the assertion made by us
some months since in our review of Mr. Macaulay's
" History of England," namely, that he so grossly
misrepresents , the character of King James the
Second, as to entitle himself rather to be considered
as an eloquent partizan than as an accurate annalist.
"The first engagement," says the writer in Black-
wood," was glorious for England. The Duke of York,
afterwards James 11., commanded in person: he en-
countered tho Dutch fleet off Harwich, and defeated it
after a stubborn engagement. Eighteen of their finest
vessels were taken, and the ship of the Admiral (Op-
dam) blown into the air. Mr. Macaulay, in his late
published 'History of England,' has not deigned even
to notice this engagement—a remarkable omission, the
reason of which it is foreign to our purpose to inquire.
This much we may be allowed to say, that no historian
who intends to form an accurate estimate of the cha-
racter of James 11., or to compile a complete register
of his deeds, can justly accomplish his task without
giving that unfortunate monarch duo credit for his con-
duct and intrepidity, in one of the most important and
successful naval actions which stands recorded in our
annals."
Nothing in English history, indeed, is more indisput-
able than that the rise of our navy to supremacy is attri-
butable in a very great measure to the skilful reforms,
and, as is sufficiently shown in the above engagement,
to the heroic bravery of the Duke of York, after-
wards King James 11., a man whom Mr. Macaulay
has distorted into a sort of impossible monstrosity.
" The English Mail Coach ; or the Glory of Motion,"
is—most infelicitously and inappropriately—" slow"
and heavy ; and the " Green Hand" is still most
incorrigibly protracted. " Lynmouth Revisited," on
the contrary, has a charm about it as agreeable as
what might have been anticipated from the graceful
pencil of the Sketcher. Two very smart, and not
only smart, but tart contributions have reference to
political questions just now of considerable importance
—one entitled " What his Revolutionising Germany
attained ?" the other a proposal of a remedy for the
" Civil Revolution in the CaLadas," to which we shall
endeavour to make allusion elsewhere in our columns,
time and opportunity permitting. Besides the articles
already referred to, we must not omit to mention an
admirable essay on " Physical Geography," well
worthy of the pages of Maga. We yearn for No-
vember—when we may witness Christopher Re-
divivus.

COLBURN'S NEW MONTHLY.
This is one of the best numbers of the New
Monthly that has appeared for some time, and its
contents are in many instances of permanent value.
Among the more important papers are " Wild
Sports of the Falklands," by Captain Mackinnon,
R.N., in which the Falkland Islands are vindicated
from the aspersions which have been cast upon them by
interested persons, and shown to be rich in numerous
herds of eattle, fertile, possessed of excellent harbours,
healthy, and with a climate somewhat resembling
that of Devonshire or Cornwall. The discovery of
the gold regions of California will increase immensely
the importance of these islands, and the day is per-
haps not far distant when the Falklands will become
the regular place of rendezvous for all ships going to
or coming from California by way of Cape Horn.
Justice is likewise done in this number of the New
Monthly to another British colony, which has,
ever since its foundation, been unjustly
libelled and consequently neglected—we mean
Western Australia. " The Canning River and
its Settlers," by J. W. F. Blundell, Esq., is an able
vindication of the present claims of this much neg-
lected settlement, and is worthy the attentive consi-
deration of all who propose to emigrate. Dudley
Costello, who takes as his foundation the well-known
passage in Pepys' Diary in which the jealousy of Mrs.
Pepys is described so quaintly, and which ends with
the tongs adventure, has elaborated the adventures of
Samuel Pepys on that eventful day into a most
amusing tale, which he entitles "An Evening with
Knipp." The idea is excellent, and it is excellently
carried out. We hope that Mr. Dudley Costello will
set some more of the Pepysian gems after the same
fashion. florace Smith's " Posthumous Memoir of
Myself," Mr. Skene's " Spirit of Change in Southern
Europe," and " Soapey Sponge's Sporting Tour' are
continued.