The Sun.
London, England, 1851-03-03 00:00:00

FINAL BEAT,

Messrs. awltnt stroke), Hale, Sillifant, Brownlow,
Biggs (cox ... 1
Messrs. Hill (stroke), Palmer, Rogers, Sandilands,
Reid (cox). . ... 2
These boats siso made a very spirited race, Hill's boat
maintaining the lead to the Cherwell, when the others
pulled up, passed them, and won with difficulty by a
length.

MISS LAURA ADDISON.
This distinguished young artist is now performing in
Edinburgh, with triumphant success. The following
critique upon htr first appearance in that city is from
the Daily Mail:— _

"THEATRE LOYAL—Mr. Murray seems to have now
fairly entered upon the grand campaign leading to the
finale of his theatrical management; and, if the begin-
ning afford any true indication of the end, what will
the climax be? The accomplished Miss Laura Addison
has been honotred with the distinguished position of
leader, and great will need to be the genius of those who
follow, that their lustre and their reputation be not
dimmed by the radiance of the guiding star,' even
when the curtain falls. This lady made her first
appearance in Edinburgh for the last few years on
Monday evenint, and her reception was as enthusiastic
es might satisfi the most sanguine wishes she or her
friends could ervertain. The play was the tragedy of
The Bridal, in which Miss Addison played the part of
Evudne. Her cEposition of feeling was intensely touch-
ing. With all the truthfulness reality itself could ex-
hibit did she poirtray the trust, attachment, and resig-
nation of captured affection. Her deportment towards
Melantius was tine to nature. His frown at first she
scorned—his bared, threats, despised; but, overborne
by power and conscious wrong, she melted into meek
i.ibrilission, vowed at his feet to slay the king, and
took the fatal dagger from his hand. She did all
with an exactitude that defied criticism. The last
scene of all—her release of Melantius from
prison, and he! expiation—was too great to per-
mit the spectstirs to restrain the most vehement
marks of approbation. Throughout Miss Addison ex-
hibited genius which The Bridal had not parts to evoke.
She was admirab:y supported by Mr. Glover, of Glas-
gow, as Melantits, the brother; and Mr. Powrie, as
Amintor, the bridegroom. The Bridal, we observe, is
to be repeated to-night. Warm—nay, enthusiastic—
though Miss Addson's reception was in Glasgow, and
highly though Mr. Glover is esteemed among his fellow-
citizens as an artist and a gentleman, last night's recep-
tion and estimation of both exceeded anything that their
antecedents warranted us in expecting."
We understand that Miss Addison has accepted an
engagement at the Haymarket Theatre, where she will
appear on Thursday next in Sheridan Knowles' play
entitled The Wife.

INSTITUTIGN OF CIVIL ENGINEERS.
On Tuesday, Feb. 25, the paper road was "A De-
scription of the Loyal Border Bridge,' erected over the
River Tweed, on the line of the York, Newcastle, and
Berwick Railway,' by Mr. G. B. Bruce, M. Inst. C.E.;
Wm. Cubitt, Esq., President, in the chair.
This viaduct, the total length of which was 2 160
feet., and the extreme height 129 feet, consisted of
twenty-eight semi-circular arches, each 61 feet 6 inches
span; and the whole constructed of stone, with the ex-
ception of the innsr part of the arches, which was of
brick laid in cemert. It was divided into two parts by
a central abutment, which enabled the land arches to be
completed, and, along with a temporary timber bridge,
to be brought into use for public traffic, before the cona-
pletion of the river arches, which necessarily occupied
a considerable period in execution, owing partly to ver).
substantial coffer-dams having been requisite fur the
river piers, but principally to its having been thought
advisable to pile the foundations of most of those piers,
as the bed of the river was liable to be scoured away by
the rapid stream. The piles, both of the coffer-dame
and of the foundations, were mostly of American elm,

as it was found that the heads of the Memel piles re-
quired to be frequently cut off and re-hooped, when
driven by Nasmyth's steam pile-driver, which was almost
entirely used, both on account of expedition and of eco-
nomy; for it was proved, that whilst the hand ram only
gave one blow in tour minutes, the steam pile-driver
gave sixty blows in one minute, and that the cost of the
former was two shillings per lineal foot, whereas that of
the latter was very little more than ono shilling per
lineal foot. It was also remarked, that the force was
more advantageously employed in the case of the steam
pile-driver, as, on account of the rum being heavier and
the fall less, the piles were not so frequently split.
The piers had an ashlar facing, and were filled in with
well grouted rubble, having occasional through courses
of ashlar, and an ashlar tie in the centre of their width
from top to bottom. Great care was taken in the pre-
paration of the mortar and the grout, used in this work,
and after a variety of experiments, the plan finally
adopted was—in the case of setting lime for ashlar—to
grind quicklime dry by itself, in a common mill, and
then to mix it with coarse sharp sand, screened out of
gravel taken from the bed of the river, in the proportion
wofastharleseo of sand tdoryo,neanodfaqlounicgklime; this was then put
under cover until required. Limweithtoitbwe
aussgedrofuonrdgrsolaugt
from an iron furnace, then gravel from the river was
mixed with it without being screened, the proportions
being quick lime one—slay three-quarters—and gravel
two and a quarter. The mortar when used had absorbed
a sufficient quantity of moisture from the atmosphere
and the band, to prevent its being too hot for use, and
yet, as it had not being previously mixed with water,
and wrought into a paste, it retained its original setting
power. This mortar required to be used very soft, and
the stones to be veil wetted, and us the sand was very
coarse, thick joints were necessary, but in a few weeks
it set as hard as Roman cement. All the lime used in
this work was from the mountain limestone of the
Scremersten and Lowich districts of Northumberland.
The centres, which were stated to have been of pecu-
liar construction, were supported entirely from the piers,
so as to prevent any accident happening, if the scaffold-
ing was injured, either by the heavy floods of ice to
which the river Tweed is subject in winter, or from the
vibration caused by passing trains; as when the idea
was first entertained of having a temporary bridge, the
intention was merely to add to the contractors' scaffold-
ing, and to make it serve for both purposes. This in-
tention was, however, abandoned, and an entirely sepa-
rate timber bridge was erected, on the east side of the
stone bridge, at a cost of 14,3401.

The total cost of the " Royal Border Bridge" was
120,0001., and of the whole contract, one mile in length,
in which it was comprised, 207,0001., including an em-
bankment, which had to be made entirely from side
cutting, and which contained probably 760,000 cubic
yards.
Some valuable and interesting experiments and ob-
servations were given on the velocity and regimen of the
river Tweed, and the results compared with the theories
generally laid down relative to runtd.;g waters, by
Buat and Eytelwein; and it appeared, that although
both approximated closely to actual experiment, Bust's
formula gave the best result.