The Sun.
London, England, 1833-10-28 00:00:00

STEAM CARRIAGES.

The steam carriage of Sir Charles Dance, which was to
have made a journey to Birmingham last week, carrying
as passengers Mr. Telford, engineer, and several other
scientific persons connected with the Holyhe Id road, has
been delayed by the absence of one of the gentlemen deeply
interested in the success of the undertaking, as well as by
the necessity of making arrangements on the road, and
providing adequate supplies of water and fuel at stated dis-
tances. The preparations will, however, be complete to-
day, and the carriage will, we understand, leave town at
a very early hour to-morrow morning. Coke and water
will be in readiness at intervals of five miles, and horses
are prepared to assist the machine in ascending one or two
of the steep hills, where much new gravel has recently
been placed on the road. It is not, however, believed
that those services will be necessary. They are provided
merely by way of precaution, and in order that there may
he no delay which will prevent the carriage from reaching
Birmingham by daylight.
To-morrow Mr. Hancock starts his new carriage,
Autopsy (a Greek compound, which may be slid to signify
ocular demonstration), to run between Finsbury-square
and Pentonville. Mr. Hancock is said to have got rid of
the great drawback on steam locomotion—the Clinkers,
Dr. Church's carriage, of which we gave some description
last year, is now completed, and the shares of the com-
pany being filled up it will be immediately brought into
operation. The machine of Sir Charles Dance and others
is, as we have already stated, a mere drag for the carriage
containing the passengers. Dr. Church has, however, but
one carriage for both machinery and passengers, and it will
convey fifty person. inside and out with the greatest ease.
The wheels are six inches broad in the tire, and eight feet
in diameter, and the spokes are so constructed as to operate
like springs to the whole machine—that is, to give and
take according to the inequalities of the road. The boiler
consists of a series of double tubes, one within the other,
placed round the fireplace, and the draught is produced
by a fanner, worked by the engine. The furnace consumes
its own smoke. The carriages of Church are to work
between Birmingham and London, and also between
Birmingham, Manchester, and Liverpool. The practica-
bility of travelling by means of locomotive engines on
turnpike roads seems now established beyond question;
and the only consideration remaining is that of the
comparative expense. On this subject Macerone, one of
the steam carriage proprietors, has made some calculations,
which, although very imperfect, and founded in some items
on erroneous information, may yet lead those who pay
attention to such questions to something like an accurate
conclusion :

Calculation as to the relative expenses of horse and steam
power, for locomotion, on 100 miles of common road
per day, for the 313 working days in the year :
HORSE POWER. X S. STEAM POWER. X S.
Outlay for three coaches 600 011 Outlay for three steam-

Outlay for 100 h0r5e5...3,300 01 carriages
Wear and tear of ditto, Wear and tear of ditto 100 0
per annum 5OO 0 Fuel*, half a bushel per
Keep, shoeing, attend- mile, at 6d. per bushel 391 3
ance, and harness at Duty—exempted by Act
151. a day, for 100 of Parliament
horses 4,693 0 Turnpikes, at 2d. per
Duty to Government,at mile 255 10
30. per mile, i. e. 255. Expenses of coke, water
per day, for 313 days 391 0 stations, attendants,
Turnpikes, at 2d. a mile 255 10 &c. &c 5OO 0
--
£9,941 10 £3,216 15
Two coachmen and two Two steerers and two

0 0

guards at 6s. per day stokers, at 6s. a day
each 375 1 each 375 1

£10,316 II £3,721 16
Difference per annum, in favour of steam, in 100 miles,
6,595/.

The outlay for the horses and coaches, as well as the
wear and tear, is much exaggerated on the side of the
common carriages, and much under.rated on the side of
steam carriages in this estimate. Indeed the latter is as
yet, in a great measure, to be determined by experiment.
The item of wages to coachmen and guards must be alto-
gether left out, as they in no instance receive anything
except the sums contributed for attention and civility by
the passengers.

* This is at the London retail price of coke. In Binning.
ham, Manchester, &c., the price is less than one-half ; so that
it would cost only lid. per mile.

A GERMAN PRODIGY.—I had a visit lately
of a young man who was just from Heidelberg ; I
think he cou'd not be much above nineteen. He assured
me in perfea earnest that his opinions were all made up,
and that, as he knew what he was about, he was deter-
mined henceforward to read as little as possible, and to
endeavour to develop his views of human life, unaided,
by his own observations on society, without suffering
himself to be diverted or hindered by the talk, the books,
or the pamphlets of others. That's a glorious beginning !
When a man starts from zero, his progress must needs be
striking !--Mrs. Austin's Characteristics of Goethe.
• THE WORSTED STUFF TRADE AND THE
FACTORY SYSTEM.—We inserted in our last publication, a
long paragraph, stating that the export trade of Norwich,
in the articles of candets, stuffs, damasks, &c., has been
reduced from 1,200,000/. a year to 100,0001.—that York-
shire has, in some way, contrived to abstract the trade
from Norwich and London—that great efforts are making
to regain it—and that the immense sum of 2,400/. has
been subscribed by the Corporation of Norwich and others,
aided by the citizens of London, for the erection of spinning
mills in Norwich, to regain their lost trade ! As to the
transference of the stuff trade from Norwich to the West
Riding of Yorkshire, it was owing to our cheap fuel, our
fine waterfalls, and the large capitals of this district ; and
it is palpably ridiculous to talk of subscription mills, for
the purpose of regaining that trade—and such subscrip-
tions-2,4001. to build mills, and fill them with ma-
chinery ! when it is not uncommon, in Yorkshire, to
expend from 10,0001. to 20,000/. upon one mill ! But
what will the declaimers against the factory system say to
all this ? Factories which, we have been so often told
within the last two years are the curse of Yorkshire, are
to be made the blessing of Norfolk ! If the sages to whom
we refer are to be believed, the factories produce all sorts
of misery here—but there they are to give food to the
12,000 paupers, and to relieve the citizens from the parish
burdens by which they are oppressed. At Norwich, it
seems, they have imbibed the notion, whether true or
false, that manufacturers, who give employment to hun-
dreds and thousands of men, women, and children, and
enable them to support their families in comfort by their
own industry, are entitled to the public respect and
gratitude.• It was said, some time ago, that Mr. Michael
Thomas Sadler bad received an invitation to offer himself
as one of the representatives fur Norwich. It is much to
be regretted that so enlightened a statesman did not
become member for that city. By the aid of his counsel
the wants of the 12,000 paupers would, no doubt, have
been supplied witheut factory labour, and peradventure
without any labour at all.- That, however, is new past ;
bot as Mr. Richard Qastler has been later), corresponding
with his friend Mr. John Foster, from same hall in the
county of Norfolk, we recommend him to strip over to
Norwich. and is am
o people us mac City, Dy
one of his lectures against the mill tyrants, of the dangers
by which they are menaced? in being reduced to the con-
dition of the wretched iroiabitants of Bradford. —Leeds
Mercury.