they were able to converse freely, and suffered no pain.

James Crow being sworn, said-I am an engineer, and was employed to work the Archimedes engine. I was in the engine-room, standing by the handle next the boiler when the accident occurred. James M Millan and another man, I believe, were in the engine-room at the time. I saw M'Millan, but I did not see the other man. M-Millan was standing by the other handle, which was farthest from the boiler on my left hand. There was enough water in the boiler.

What was the first notice you had of anything?-Nothing, till the boiler burst. What was the effect upon you and the other men in the engine-room ?—The room was filled with steam. I ran aft underneath the cabin. It was not the regular way, but the door was fastened, and I got out that way between the wheels and up into the after-cabin. M'Millan was in before me; he did not go through the wheels, but across the shafts.

Did you ever anticipitate any mischief arising ?-No; I saw too much weight put upon the valve.

Which valve?—The one the spindle stands on.

Who put that weight on?-I lent a hand to put it on myself. It was when we were coming from Margate to London. It was done by Mr. Smith's orders. The extra weight put on was a spanner, a piece of pipe and a small piece of lead. 1 cannot tell what was ths exact weight of the piece of pipe. It might be about 16lbs. or 18 lbs. weight; it was under 20lbs. The valves all worked properly. I never saw any defect in them.

Was the extra weight on, on this particular day?-Oh no, I don't think it was.

Did you imagine the placing of these extra weights on the valve had strained the boiler?-No, I should not think it would strain them.

Was there any discussion as to the propriety of putting on these weights?— None at all.

Was Mr. Rennie aware of it ?-No, he was not on board. The boilers and engine were under Mr. Rennie's care; Mr. Smith had nothing to do with them. The extra weight of 15 lb. or 181b. was not on the day of the explosion, but the ordinary weight of 28 lb. was on. Mr. Rennie was not on board on the voyage from London to Margate, and could have no knowledge of the extra weight. The 281b. weight was put on originally, and remained on always. I saw the weight put on the spindle, and Mr. Rennie was aware of its

being on. In coming up from Margate, the extra weight of 161b. or 181b. was taken off, but the 28 lb. weight remained in.

Mr. Espin begged the Coroner to ask if the witness knew at what power the engines were working?

Witness. At near about 6 lbs. ; between 5 lbs. and 6lbs.

Coroner. Then there was 25 lb., and say 6lbs., making 34 lbs.

Mr. Espin. That would make it about 6 lbs. to the inch.

In answer to the Coroner, the witness said he had no further information to give.

Alexander Frazer, who was lying in the next berth, was next examined, but nothing of importance was elicited.

Upon the return of the Coroner and Jury to the inn,

Mr. Field was examined.-He stated that he resided at Lambeth, and was an engineer. Was not connected with the Company to which the Archimedes belonged, but had been requested to make an inspection of the boiler of that vessel. He found the boiler was of the ordinary low-pressure kind, generally used by steam-boats upon the river. The top of the boiler had been lifted by the pressure of the steam, the crown of it had been distorted, and by that means the safety valve had been stopped from acting, and the spindle jammed, which prevented them acting, to which cause he attributed the accident. He did not see any steam gauges when he made the inspection; unless, therefore, the safety valves acted, the pressure of the steam could not be known. A good engineer might have known from the opening of the cocks, but every man could not. The engineers, in consequence of the jamming, were not able to know the strength of the steam, and that was the reason of the accident. He thought that the holders were not suffi ciently strong to bear the pressure he found upon them. If the boiler had been well tied and bound, however, it would have been of sufficient strength.

Mr. Rennie was then examined, and stated that the boiler was intended to bear 61b. to the inch. No extra weight was intended to be put on them in this voyage. Steam guages were made, and it was intended to have put them on. They were making experiments previous to handing the vessel over to the owner.

By the Coroner.-You had not time to put on these guages?-No.

But it was your intention to have done so?—Yes.

Poplar Institution, East India-road. Tuesday, June 18, R. Ogilvie, Esq., on Natural History.

Islington and Pentonville Philo-Scientific Society, Prospect-House, White-Lion-street. Thursday, June 18, General Meeting, and a Discussion. At eight o'clock.

Mutual Instruction Society, 16, Great Tower street, Monday, June 17, Mr. Hotine, on Botany. At eight o'clock.

Westminster Literary and Scientific Institution, 6 and 7, Great Smith-street. Thursday, June 20, John Laurens Bicknell, F.R.S., on Magna Charta. At half-past eight o'clock.

ANSWERS TO QUERIES.

"E. G. A." can purchase the ink and other requisites for the purpose of lithography, in George-yard, Lombard-street.

To prevent Mould in Ink.-" J. J." One grain of corrosive sublimate, or three drops of kreosole to a pint of ink, will prevent mould.

"W. P. Gurney's short hand is generally considered the best.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

A. Z.-If we were in possession of the information he requires, we should be happy to communicate it, although, as we have before stated, medical science does not come within the scope of this work. It is said that the tooth-ache has been cured by perforations separating the nerves from the diseased part; but the nervous system is so extremely complicated, that little can be expected, and litlle is obtained by operations of this nature. Erasmus Darwin, in his Zoonomia," mentions a case of tic douloureux, which was not relieved after the separation of several nerves by incisions. To cure the toothache without extracting the tooth, is unquestion ably a problem worthy of consideration, not only as a boon to the sufferers, but as a means of possessing what Dr. Johnson would call "the potentiality of accumulating more wealth than avarice could desire."

O. P.-The problem of "A. Z." cannot be solved by pure geometry.

J. J.-Spirits of wine will prevent ink from freez ing, and probably from moulding.

M. E. The best substance for razor strops, is an oxide of iron, obtained by exposing the sulphate of iron to a strong heat. It is sold at the watchmaker's tool shops under the denomination of “red stuff." The finest is of a bright red colour, and the rough is a dark grey, or bluish black; this sort is proper for sharpening knives and coarse instruments; but care must be taken to reduce it to a fine powder, as the rough sort is very hard.

A Correspondent.-The problem, or rather the chimera of perpetual motion, has no reference to the durability of the materials of which the machine is composed. The postulatum is a principle by which one body shall transfer to another, more momentum than it possesses itself. The two cases mentioned by our correspondent, would both be considered perpetual motion, notwithstanding the evaporation in the one, and the wearing in the other.

We must apologize to several correspondents for deferring till next week the insertion or notice of their letters.

LONDON MECHANICS INSTITUTIONPRESIDENT-George Birkbeck, Esq., Esq., M.D,

ESTABLISHED 1823.

VICE-PRESIDENTS.

Henry Clutterbuck, Esq., M. D.
William Ewart, Esq.

George Grote, Esq., M. P.

Right Hon. Sir Robert Wilmot Horton,
Bart., &c.

LECTURES to be delivered during the Quarter, commencing June the 5th, 1839:

W. E. Hickson, Esq., on Education, and the moral influences attainable by means of Vocal Music, with illustrations by a class of Juvenile Singers: Dr. Cantor, on Education, especially with reference to Female Rducation: B. R. Hay. don, on Fuseli and his Works-on the Bones, and on the Muscles, illustrated by a Living Model: B. Sears, Esq., on the Writings of Charles Dickens: W. Rider, Esq., on Perspective: W. H. Stoker, Esq., on Music: R. Addams, Esq., on Chemistry: J.Tennant, Esq., F. G. S., on Gems and Ornamental Stones used in Jewellery, their composition, locality, mode of working, and means of distinguishing them from composition: W. H. Darker, jun., Esq., on the Properties of Light, particularly its Polarization, and the Hydro-Oxygen Light as applied to Optical purposes: E. Cowper, Esq., on the Pottery and Porcelain Manufacture: J. C. Bowles, Esq., on Lithography: R. A. Ogilvie, Esq., on Electricity. A Prospectus, giving full particulars, may be obtained at the Institution, No. 29, Southamptonbuildings, Chancery-lane.

June 5, 1839.

ANDREW M'FARLANE, Sec.

London: Printed at "THE CITY PRESS," 1, Long Lane, Aldersgate, by D. A. DOUDNEY (to whom all communications for the Editor must be addressed, postage paid); published every Saturday, by G. BERGER, Holywell-street, Strand: and may be had of all Booksellers and Newsmen in Town and Country.

MR. HAMPTON'S PARACHUTE

DESCENT.

(See engraving, front page.)

IT is in the recollection of most of our readers, that a safe descent in a parachute was effected by Mr. Hampton, at Cheltenham last year (Oct. 3). The height of the balloon when the parachute was disengaged, was estimated by Mr. Hampton at one mile and three quarters; but as he had no instrument to assist his observation, and judged only by the apparent magnitude of objects beneath, it is possible that this may be far from the truth. Mr. Hampton affirms, that the time occupied in his descent on that occasion, was twelve minutes and four seconds; and considering the small resisting surface of the parachute (16 feet diameter) compared with the weight appended to it, he could not have quitted the balloon at a lesser altitude than he has stated, if he has accurately reported the time of the descent.

On Thursday, June 13, Mr. Hampton made another ascent in his balloon (the Albion) from the Stadium, at Chelsea, and effected a safe descent in his parachute. The weather being unfavourable, and the locality in every respect ill chosen and inconvenient, the ascent did not take place till near half-past eight, when, yielding to the clamour of the assembled company, the truly "intrepid æronaut" quitted his native element with the determination of descending, alive or dead, in that most dangerous of all conveyances, the parachute. Two ballast bags of sand were attached to the bottom of the basket or car in which the traveller rode (or rather few); but not wishing to ascend to any considerable height upon this occasion, Mr. Hampton did not detach them till after he had quitted the balloon. A very few minutes after the departure of the vehicle, ponderous in appearance, but in reality "lighter than air," from the Stadium (Cremorne House), the parachute, with Mr. Hampton, was seen to separate from the balloon, and descend with great rapidity till it disappeared behind some trees. A messenger was instantly sent off in the direction of the balloon, and in about ten minutes returned with the very gratifying intelligence that Mr. Hampton had effected a safe descent at Wallam-green. The basket in descending struck against the roof of a house (the last but one of the Stamford villas, as represented in the engraving), and then descended into the garden behind the house, the car falling on one side of the wall, and the para. chute on the other. The car struck against the wall with so much violence, as to cause

some injury to Mr. Hampton; but, we are happy to state, it is not of a serious nature; and it is his intention shortly to repeat the experiment when he can find a convenient place for the purpose. Some alarm was created by the falling of the sand bags, which many persons mistook for the traveller himself. Papers in the form of diminutive newspapers were thrown out of the car, and caused a good deal of amusement. Amongst other facetious matter, there is an article headed "Trade," in which the reader is informed that "silk is at this moment getting up very much; so are cordages, netting, India rubber, varnish, and various goods appertaining to aerostation. Gas is likewise very progressively on the rise, but will be much lower ere long. Sand is falling rapidly."

Mr. Hampton's parachute, though exceedingly simple in its construction, seems better adapted to the purpose for which it is intended, than any that have been hi therto tried. It is 16 feet in diameter, and in the shape of an umbrella; 16 radii or ribs, made of pieces of whalebone, riveted together, extend from the centre to the circumference; they are supported by 16 stays of bamboo, disposed in the same manner as the brass wires in a common umbrella. It is covered with gingham, and from the circumference descends a curtain two yards in breadth. The whole surface is covered with a net, to which 16 cords are attached; there are also 16 cords fastened to the ends of the whalebone ribs. It is closed while ascending, and extended by means of a tackle in the centre, before it is detached from the balloon. A single cord conveyed through a brass tube, serves to suspend the parachute to the balloon, and operate the disjunction when required. Mr. Hampton has a peculiar contrivance (which he does not wish to be divulged at present) for liberating the gas from the balloon immediately after the separation. Upon the last descent, the balloon fell in the garden of Mr. Pocock, not many hundred feet from the spot where the parachute descended. It has been rumoured that Mr. Pocock had unhandsomely detained the balloon; we are happy to state, upon the authority of Mr. Hampton, that so far from that being true, he has experienced the utmost civility and kindness from Mr. Pocock. Mr. Hampton is about to construct several models of different forms of parachutes; when they are completed, our readers shall be informed of the result of the experiments.

Fig, 3 is a stone wall, on which the parachute struck, with the basket thrown on one side; Fig 2, the balloon, with the gas escaping, as represented in engraving.