Star.
London, England, 1811-07-11 00:00:00

SCIENCES AND ARTS.

The discovery of the magnetised-needle produced
a revolution in commerce ; the use of honey gave
way to that of sugar, the use of woad to that of in..
digo. The progress of chemistry is operating at this
moment a revolution in an inverse direction : it has
arrived at the extraction of sugar from the grape, the
maple, and the beet-root : woad, 'which had enriched
Languedoc, and part of Italy, but which was unable
in the infancy of art, to support the competition with
indigo, resumes the superiority in its turn ; chemistry
at this day :sxtracti from it a residuum which gives it
over indigo the advantage of price and of quality.
All the branches of science and of art are advancing
in improvement.

In the improvement of the roads the distances are
lessened. It has been computed that Turin has al-
ready been brought 36 hours nearer Paris, 24 hours
by the passage of Mont Cenis, and 12 hours more by
the new road of Maurienne. His Majesty has decreed
the establishment of a new road from Paris to Cham-
berry by Tourness. This road, by avoiding the,
1 mountains, will be shorter by eight •hours. In this
PUBLIC WORKS. manner *
Turin will be brought nearer to Paris by 44
Great works have been undertaken within the last
hours, which is almost half the distance.
ten years, and are advancing every year with new
Milan is by the road of Simplon brought nearer
zeal, and a new increase of means. In 1810, 138
, Paris by more than a march of 50 hours, if the pre-
millions were appropriated for these works; 155 mil-1 sent road is compared with that which existed ten
lions are appropria:ed in 1811. (Here there is a ta-1
years ago.
ble, shcNsing the different sums appropriated to each
Bayonne and Spain have been brought nearer to
branch, such as toads, bridges, &c.)
Paris by 18 hours, by the road which has been made'
In the must of Wars, of expences required by im-
through the sandy plains between. Bourdeaux and
mense at mies, by the creation and organisation of nu- I Bayonne.
nierous fleets, the sacrifices which the Imperial Treas
Mayence and Germany.have been brought 12 hours
sury has made for the public works are such, that
A nearer, by the road which has been made in the sands
they surpass in a single year all that was emplo)eu
`from Mayence to Metz. Hamburgh will be nearer
on them under the cld government forone generation. by more than sixty hours in the course of the next
• POItTIrICATIONS. 1 year, by the road made across the sands of Maestricht
Great part of these expences his for its object the 1 to Wesel, and from that to Hamburgh ;'and this will
creation of new strong places ; these are labours en- be the first example in history of eighty leagues of
Igaged in for the benefit of fatureitimes, in order to i wads made in the course of twrTears. Ten sets. of
consolidate and fortify the empire.—(Here several 1 workmen are employed ; and before the end of the
I works in the 'reset; at Antwerp, Cadsaad, &c. Arel year 1811, much more than half of it will be finished.
enumerated:)
• • (Amsterdam will be brought twelve hours nearer Pa-
Inl
1810 and 181 l more than eight millions were I tis b the road through the sands of Antwerp to Am-
expended on the forts of the Scheldt ; it was natural t swim*, a which they are labouring at many points.
to bestow great labour upon a point which will ever New roads are opened from Spezia to Parma, from
be the objet of the jdalottry and the fears of our na.
horence to Rimini, and from Nice to Genoa.
two enemies. 411 the Councils-Gedkrai 'of thidePanizentc rival
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one another in zeal to second the intentions of the
Sovereign, and every where roads are opening to es-
tablish communications between the different points
in the departments.
The construction of a great number of bridges is
begun. Those of Bordeaux, Rouen, Avignon upon
the Rhone, of Turin on the Po, are the most remark.
able. Those at Bordeaux and Rouen, as well as that
over the Durance, which was finished last year, were
considered as impr• sible. A great ,number of other
bridges are also finished.

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