The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-01-29 00:00:00

Mr. Batcheldor swears, that omitting all consideration of
the time passed on Sunday in the prison, my time averages
three and a half or four hours daily, within the walls. Hence
he supposes me to be twenty-one or twenty-four hours in-
carcerated. He however adds,-1 have no data on which I
found my judgment.
Now let us enquire, gentlemen, how this time has been
passed, between August 1839, and August 1840: for there is
distinct evidence before you, to shew its employment, day by
day, during that particular period.
Mr. Batcheldor, jun. received instruction one hour daily,
never more than two hours, he says, until he quitting, a poor
Frenchman came to give me instruction, and his visits ex-
tended from one hour to three hours daily. One or other of
• these parties engaged my attention, one hour and a half daily,
or nine hours in the week.

My mathematical papers—sworn to have been prepared in
the prison, including all the details and calculations needful
to a Benefit, or as it should have been called, a Loan So-
ciety ; all the calculations needful to the establishment of a
Life Insurance Office ; and also of an Annuity Society, em-
bracing every branch of that business ; and, in fact, compris-
ing all the calculations needful for a more extended plan,
than that prepared for the government, by Mr. Finlayson,
the celebrated .actuary ; all were (of course without books
and tables of reference) prepared in the gaol. " They occu-
pied much prison time." Now gentlemen, suppose we say
that one hour daily was thus taken from my legitimate duties,
that will account for six hours in the week.

WORKING LOCOMOTIVES EXPANSIVELY,—The Liverpool
and Manchester Railway, always the most forward in im-
provements, have been working their engines for about four
months expansively. It is said that the saving of fuel has
been reduced in the ratio of 45 to 25, or of 9 to 5 ; that is,
about 441 per cent. The Great Western, the next most en-
terprising railway in the kingdom, talk also of introducing it.
We have no doubt whatever but that it is an excellent plan,
though heretofore considered applicable to fixed engines only.
The principle is obvious. In all reciprocating machinery
there is necessarily a great loss of power, from the quantity
of matter to be put in motion and destroyed at every half
stroke of the engine. If, therefore, the steam can be par-
tially cut off during the stroke, so that the effective power of
steam saved shall compensate for this constant generation of
momentum at every half stroke, it will evidently be a saving
of so much power and so much expense. No doubt this can
be done very well in fixed engines, because they always work
at nearly the same speed. In locomotives, however, there
is a difference, on account of the velocities, and, consequent-
ly, the momenta generated being very unequal. We have
not gone into the mathematical investigation, but it appears
to us that if the compensation is perfect at one velocity it
will not be so at another, because the forces to be compen-
sated will not be the same, and, therefore, at whatever velo-
city the compensation is complete, it will be over-compen-
sated at a loss, and under at a higher velocity. This, how-
ever, should not deter parties from introducing it. In sta-
tionary engines the steam is cut off from one-third to two-
thirds stroke, and on the Liverpool and Manchester about
one-third, we understand, is cut off. The subject is deser-
ving of attentive prosecution.—Railway Magazine.

It would seem that another and shorter line of Railway
between London and the North of England is projected.
The Government Commissioner, Professor Barlow, who has
been accompanied by Mr. Amsinck, has returned to town
from his tour of inspection' with Mr. Gibbs, the civil en-
gineer, of the, line to the North over the level country 9f
Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire.

GREAT NORTH OF ENGLAND RAILWAY.—On the opening
of that portion of the Great North of England Railway from
Darlington to York, the trains consisted of between 300 and
400 waggons, each having about fifty-three cwt. of coal, and
extending about one mile in length. The largest pieces of
coal were one marked " Pease's St. Helen's New Winning,"
which contained about forty-four cubic feet of coal, and
weighed nearly thirty cwt.; and another piece about thirty
cwt. ; and another piece about thirty cubic feet, and weighed
about twenty cwt. The trains were about seven hours in
performing the journey to York, including stoppages.—New-
castle Journal.

RAILWAY TRAFFIC RETURNS.
YORK AND NORTH MIDLAND RAILWAY
[Length of line, 23 miles.]
For the week ending January 18
Receipts .
Passengers

LONDON AND GREENWICH RAILWAY
[Length of line, 3i miles.]
For the week ending January 21
Receipts

Passengers