course, without drainage, natural or artificial irrigation would be injurious. A smart discussion has recently been carried on, whether drains should cross the slope angularly, or follow the natural fall in equi-distant lines. There can be no doubt as to the necessity for tapping sand or peat pots, or other natural and free receivers of water, when surrounded by tenacious clays. Up and down drains will generally do this, but where they do not, lateral branches may be added. Although close and shallow drains may make the land appear somewhat more dry during winter, the crops on the deeply drained | land show a superiority in the summer. As so dense a fluid as liquified manure will filter deeply (five feet) through the heaviest clays, and flow from the pipes in streams, I hope we shall never again hear the too common assertion that "water won't go through our soils."

As it is highly important to concentrate great power with little weight, I have adopted Mr. Barran's Patent Cupped Boiler, which presenting a much larger area of fire-box surface to the water, economises fuel, by a much more rapid generation of steam. I have no doubt we shall soon find it applied to locomotives; the one I have is the first that has been issued-I have proved it to 270lbs. per inch, and shall work it at from 100lbs. to 140lbs. To appreciate the great advantage of steam over horse power, we must reflect that an express engine weighing thirty-eight tons, represents the power of 1000 real horses, which would weigh 750 tons. It is gratifying to me to be able to state that my engine driver is one of my farm labourers, who works the engine, irrigation pumps, and other machinery, perfectly to my satisfaction. The fact is, all the men on the farm soon get used to the steam, and you may easiliy select one or more with a particular pride in its management. A forge hammer, anvil, vice, tongs, flat and round files, &c., are a necessity of the situation -so you make a blacksmith, as well as an engine driver.

We can many of us remember that nearly all our great inventions have had to struggle into public favour against an amazing force of custom or prejudice; steam power, gas, steam travelling by land and sea, and the electric telegraph, were all declared impossibilities and absurdities; even now, fifty years have not sufficed to impress upon the agricultural mind the great economic fact that steam is cheaper and more profitable and available than horse power.

There is a great advantage in prejudice or attachment to old and tried customs, but it becomes hurtful when it blinds us to the superiority of novel excellence.

In conclusion, permit me to say, that a dense, prosperous, and increasing population, spread over a limited and unextendable area, demands and will necessitate a more expensive and productive practice in agriculture than is now generally adopted: the investiture of more knowledge, capital, skill, and progression, both on the part of the landlord and tenant, has become a necessity of our times. Our labourers must be educated somehow; our country blacksmiths must become engineers, capable at any rate of comprehending and repairing the defects ›i our engines.

I place before you the model of a steam cultivator, which I think is about to introduce a new economy in British agriculture. I have become as it were a parent to it against my inclination. Mr. Romaine, the intelligent inventor, was consigned to me by the Agricultural Department of the Canadian government, who had a high opinion of it. After trying in vain to interest some of our implement makers in this invention, I found that it would be lost to agriculture, unless I advanced the necessary funds for its manufacture, and for the securing of the various patents. On public grounds, I did this, and happy I am to say that its success promises all that the inventor anticipated. If, with the assistance of a pair of horses and us. worth of coke, we can effectually comminute and cultivate ten acres per day, we may bid farewell to the whole tribe of tormentors, scarifiers, grubbers, harrows, broadshares and clod-crushers, that consume, through our horses, so much of the food of this country. If it does not supersede the plough, it will limit its operations, When once the steam cultivator is shown to answer, no doubt many others will appear and I venture to predict, that within seven years, steam will become the grand motive cultivating power. I also exhibit drawings of Mr. Usher's steam-plough; great credit is due to that gentleman, and I trust and believe it will answer his expectations, and be a great agricultural economy, on level land. You will perceive by the models and drawings, that each of these implements may be compared to a steamVessel on land instead of water. The internal steam- Mighty and restless steam, which is forcing its way power causes the paddles or wheel-cultivators to revolve into every village, and disturbing rural placidity, will against the earth, and the resistance offered by the latter awaken and command reflection, and develop intelligent to the power exerted, causes the machine to be propelled. action. The walls of our village schools (where we have You will also see, that Mr. Romaine's machine will if any) will soon exhibit for the precocious aspirant to steam required, deposit the seed and roll the land at one and management, diagrams of the mechanical intellectuality the same time. These may be called dry-weather imple-of that universal agitator; and here I may observe, in my own parish, with an area of 5,000 acres and a popu Every heavy-land farmer will easily appreciate the ad-lation of 1,500, all that was raised, until recently, for vantage of being able to complete his cultivation during education, was 157. a-year. We must follow our Scotch the long and bright days, when the land works and ad- friends at a respectful distance in this respect, for, there mixes well. Steam, which never tires, will enable him to every farmery protrudes its shaft as a sign of the intellect do this; and he will no longer be pained by seeing his developed by that wise law, which afore-time compelled the exhausted horses brought home at two or three o'clock heritor or landowner to educate the people on his property, in the day, deferring his cultivation until the rains and had thus fixed in their breasts that love of knowledge, and fogs of November convert his aluminous clays into for which our "cannie" friends are so distinguished. Landputty or birdlime. owners have now no excuse for want of capital; eager and intelligent companies, duly legalised, will cheerfully effect, with their subscribed capitals, every agricultural improvement, in a manner advantageous alike to the landlord, tenant, and nation at large. Happy indeed is it, that such operations promote the national tranquillity by employment, and create new consumers for the increased produce, both of agriculture and manufactures.

ments.

If these machines answer, I see no reason why they should not be made sufficiently powerful to do thirty or forty acres, or even 100 acres per day. I have no doubt that we shall see on our land what we now see on the wide ocean, monstrous moving volcanoes, rendered by science useful and subservient to man, each representing the powers of some thousands of horses, which we shall feed with coals instead of corn. Adieu, then, to small fields and narrow lanes.

I would state, that Mr. Romaine's engine, when not cultivating, will be available for driving the thrashing machine, mill-stones, irrigating pumps, chaff and turnip cutters, cake-breakers, &c., requisite on most improved farms. It is also intended to work a reaper at harvest.

But before all the improvements necessitated by our altered condition, can take place, there must be a thorough reform of our present absurd, clumsy, dilatory, and costly mode of transferring land. I really believe it would benefit gentlemen of the law, for now (and I speak practically in this matter) a man of business avoids land, except as a permanent investment, or if he does purchase,

takes especial care to avoid a separation from it as long as possible. I purchased the other day three acres of land that intersected my fields, and was highly amused at the production of as many parchments and documents, as, when spread out, would cover the great charity dinner table at the London Tavern. After travelling back seventy-five years to trace the enclosure or kidnapping of this piece from a heath, it traced the death of the parties, their wills, their successors' wills, three or four mortgages several times transferred, and a mass of writing out of which any clever lawyer could, I should think, extract fifty objections. Apply the same principle to our funded, and every other description of property, and we should come to a dead fix, like the Irish encumbered estates. Like those, the very absurdity of the evil will, I fancy, some day work its cure. It certainly keeps down the price of land, by greatly diminishing the competition for it.

If, as I believe, such meetings as these tend to reflection, comparison, and amendment, for the general welfare, Iretire from you, satisfied with having contributed my mite towards the good cause of agricultural improvement.

DISCUSSION,

Mr. VARLEY wished, as a great deal had been said in the paper about deodorizers, to ask whether Mr. Mechi had ever employed a preparation of chloride of zinc. He asked the question, because zinc was highly deleterious and poisonous, whilst iron was not so.

Mr. MECHI had not done so, though he had tried a

great many deodorizers. He had used sulphuric acid, and had thrown two or three carboys into his tank at a time; but he found the best deodorizer to be composed of water, combined with the jet of steam.

would ask that gentleman whether he had ever turned his attention to silica in solution as an agricultural agent. He believed that a silicate of soda was not difficult to be obtained, and might be of great use.

Mr. MECHI was aware that Mr. Payne and Professor Way had found silica in a solid condition in Surrey. He believed, however, it could not well be used in solution, as, when exposed to the atmosphere, it soon became solid.

Mr. COOPER believed that a silicate of soda was now being prepared by submitting it to a temperature of 300 or 400 degrees, which would not become solid by exposure to the atmosphere.

Mr. WARREN might mention that a silicate of soda was now prepared for calico manufacturers, which did not require a high temperature, as warm water readily dissolved it. It was used for the purposes for which cowdung was formerly employed. At one time, in order to prepare calico for the dye-tub, it was usual to pass it through a mixture of cow-dung and water. It was found, however, that by the use of the silicate of soda the mordaunts were prevented running, and the calico took the dye better. He did not know its exact price. It must be cheap, in consequence of its having superseded the use of cow-dung.

Mr. DAVIS had hoped that some of their agricultural friends would have risen and tried to pull Mr. Mechi's balance sheet to pieces; but as they had not done 80, he would make a few remarks on a very important subject alluded had not brought certain papers with him, which would to by that gentleman-irrigation. He regretted that he have fully confirmed Mr. Mechi's views with regard to its importance, as proved by a gentleman in the West of Scotland who had followed the example of Mr. Kennedy, The CHAIRMAN, whilst they were on the subject of of Ayr, who Mr. Mechi would acknowledge to be the first deodorizers, might be allowed to relate an anecdote rela-person who had extensively resorted to irrigation. The tive to what had taken place at Annerley. They might gentleman he alluded to only commenced operations in all have observed, near the Annerley station of the Brighton February. He possessed thirty acres of land, and he Railway, a large, handsome brick building, that Wallowed 2lbs. of cake per day to each of his beasts, the Industrial School of the East Surrey Union. In that establishment nearly all the work was performed by chil dren, who, instead of growing up 'paupers, were trained in habits of industry, by which they might become useful members of society. There were altogether about 1,000 persons in the establishment, and every kind of matter was collected in the tank, thence to be distributed over the land as liquid manure. He did not exactly recollect the extent of the land, but more matter was collected than was required, and the overflow was allowed to run away. This caused a nuisance in the neighbourhood, and the London and Brighton Railway Company threatened the Guardians with an action, in consequence of the matter flowing by their line. They accordingly set to work to devise means to get rid of the nuisance, and they placed at the bottom of the tank a bed of peat charcoal; over this they placed a covering of perforated wood, through which the sewerage water percolated, whilst the solid matter was retained. The result was that the water came out so pure, that an official friend of his-one, indeed, who had recommended the trial, saw a pic-nic party help themselves to water from the stream which ran from the

and lb. to his sheep. He had fifty head of horned stock, and two hundred and one sheep; and after charging ten per cent. on the cost of his pipes and machinery, interest on his outlay for stock, the rent of the land, and every other expense, he found that he had made a very handsome profit. The experiment was made by a landlord, because no one would take land in the West of Scotland for the purpose, though in his opinion it should always be left to the tenant to develope the resources of the land, the owner only receiving a rent for it. Well, if that gentleman's stock were now to be sold off, he would be in a position by which he would clear a profit of 41. 17s. per acre, or nearly 1507. on thirty acres of land. He was sure that agriculturists generally knew very little of the great value of proper irrigation of the land. Mr. Kennedy began his operations with only five acres of land, and he had now 140; and though it was but poor land, he fattened six beasts and eight sheep to the acre, and his stock, if sold off, would produce 12.000. Mr. Kennedy had two roups or sales a year, at which he sold about 200 head of cattle and 400 or 500 sheep, all at a remunerative price. He considered they were deeply indebted to Mr. Mechi for his experiments and bringing Mr. MECHI would remind them that though the smell this matter forward; and it was only a few days ago he of the water would be taken out by the means stated, the had told some Kentish farmers that they did not mind valuable manurial properties would still be retained; and spending money to come up to London to look at fat the party were therefore drinking water which would pro-beasts, whilst it would be much more profitable for them bably have been more beneficial to them in another way. to inquire how they were fattened. He believed that if Before he used the steam-jet in his tank, if there was the Mr. Mechi had made a profit, he had made it by irrigaslightest fissure between the planks with which his tank tion alone, and he could assure them the example was was covered, the putrid mass could be smelt at a distance well worth copying. of 100 or 200 yards; but by just throwing a little waste steam into the tank the vapour was cooked, and the smell entirely destroyed.

tank.

Mr. COOPER had heard with great interest that portion of Mr. Mechi's paper in which he mentioned the necessity of a good supply of silica to preserve the wheat; and he

The CHAIRMAN might be allowed to call attention to the success which had attended the efforts of a poor man, with a village allotment of only 10 poles, or the sixteenth part of an acre. He was an omnibus-driver, employed from 8 o'clock in the morning until 10 at night; and the only time he had to cultivate his ground, was before he

solid food,-that it was not suited for the pores of their roots. However impalpable the powder applied, it was found the solid food was not suited for plants. The only way that plants derived their means of sustenance was from oxygen gas; the leaves took in the gas from the air, and the agriculturist must supply the oxygen to the roots, and the only true and sensible plan was by diluted manure. Then, as regarded another important pointthe extent of dilution,-there was a very easy explanation on chemical principles. The land, when in its red condition, contained iron-and if they did not sufficiently reduce their manure it would convert the land into a blue condition, when it became poisonous to the plants. But if large masses of decaying matter were extensively diluted, the oxygen in the water, as it were, burnt the decaying matter, and converted it into a useful and valuable manure; therefore, the more they diluted it the more valuable it became. The object, then, of washing drains was not to carry away the soil, but to clear it from foreign matters, and to render it valuable for agricultural purposes. If they filtered it through the land, no matter how badly the water was put in, it would come out clear. All philosophy urged them thus to study the habits and condition of the soil before applying their manure. It was most important that 1 lb. of liquid manure should produce 1 lb. of wheat-and with proper management it would, no doubt, do so. There was another point on which he wished to make a few observations: Mr. Mechi had got over the ridicule and abuse with which he had been ori

commenced his labours of a morning. He was not a skilled man, but he had used liquid manure to his ground, not perhaps quite so much diluted as it ought to be, and the result had been that he produced green vegetables sufficient for his family, consisting of himself, wife, and eight children, throughout the year, and potatoes for all but six weeks, when they had an abundant supply of the other vegetables, so that even in his rude way this man was producing at the rate of sufficient vegetable food for 100 persons per acre. He felt great interest in that part of Mr. Mechi's address in which he spoke of the necessity of educating the labourers; because he felt that they could never successfully apply improved processes either to manufactures or agriculture unless they improved the education of the people. He could scarcely have imagined that there could have been a parish in the kingdom, where the people had an opportunity of observing Mr. Mechi's energy and improvements, without being fully alive to the necessity of improving the education of the labourers. He would take the liberty, now that he had found the defect was about to be removed, to suggest to Mr. Mechi to endeavour to form a connection between his own farm and the school. In some parts of the country, where the children were being educated in the theory of agriculture, they were allowed to work upon neighbouring farms, where they gave the greatest satisfaction. Farmers who were at first opposed to the experiment, were now not only reconciled to it, but were anxious to obtain the services of the children. Mr. COLE, C.B., wished to say a few words on the sub-ginally assailed, but he had lately opened up a new vein ject of education. Mr. Mechi had said that in his parish in the same great mine, and he must be content to be only 151. a year had been given towards the education of again abused for proposing to reduce agriculture to a the children. Now he should like to call his attention to mere manufacturing process. He had shown that, by the the success which had attended an experiment of the application of horse or manual power to the plough, only Dean of Hereford, with an agricultural school, in the a certain force could be obtained, whilst a great additional parish of King Somborne, which had become self-sup- force could be procured from coal. But put them on an porting, as he thought similar success might attend a equality, and the question arose, was it cheaper to burn a similar experiment in Essex. Of course capital must be pound of flesh or a pound of coal to obtain their force-for, in found in the first instance to start these schools, but he the case of the flesh, there must be the exhaustion attendant believed they might afterwards be made self-supporting. on the labour, whilst, in the coal, they knew how it was There were one or two other points in Mr. Mechi's paper destroyed. As a pound of coal was cheaper, then, than a worthy of notice. That gentleman said there need be pound of flesh, they would see the advantage of the "no excuse for want of capital." He agreed with him former over the latter, whilst at the same time the carbon that there need be no want of capital; but the great ob- produced by the burning of the coal was larger than that jection private companies had to contend with in raising engendered by the burning of the pound of flesh. The money was the unlimited liability which rendered one application of steam to the plough would no doubt be of man's property liable for all the debts of a company. If great importance in preparing and percolating the ground, that could be got rid of, there would be no difficulty in and in what had recently been done by Mr. Mechi and obtaining capital; and he was glad to see by their Jour-others they had seen the advantage of science combined nal that the Council of the Society of Arts, having felt the pressure of the law, were about to take it into their consideration; for, if unlimited liability were got rid of, he believed there was no speculation in which great companies could so freely and profitably engage as in promoting improvements in agriculture. He would only refer to the success which had attended the efforts to get rid of "chaff-wax" and other expensive forms as regarded the patent laws, to express a hope that Mr. Mechi's account of the number of papers required to transfer a little bit of land would sink deep into the minds of those who read it, and make such an effect that shortly we should get a simple way of transferring land, as easily as 1001. stock, or any other commodity of interchange.

Dr. LYON PLAYFAIR begged to be allowed to bring back the attention of the meeting to the subject really before them. They all knew that Mr. Mechi had long been engaged in experiments in agriculture, some of which had no doubt failed. There was not a philosopher who had not failed one hundred times over in his expements, and who counted his failures as so many triumphs, because he was thereby made acquainted with the laws of nature and the path which he must avoid. Mr. Mechi

had asked nature, by his experiments, several questions which she had refused to answer, but on the question of irrigation he had received a simple and natural answer. They had known long since that plants could not take

There

with practice-for hitherto they had had too much
science without practice. In this respect he looked
upon the Agricultural Society as having done very
little for the improvement of agriculture.
had been no education to render the science available-
the scientific men had had no practice, and the practical
men no science. If they educated the people and made
them understand the advantages of these improvements,
they might depend upon it they would live to see the
time when they would obtain a bloodless victory, so that
the extended domains of Queen Victoria would produce
abundance of food for a population which he hoped would
be greatly increased.

Mr. C. H. SMITH would just make one remark relative to the balance-sheet of Mr. Mechi, and what had been said relative to the cost of silex as too expensive for general use. He hoped that no such consideration would prevent gentlemen like Mr. Mechi from experimenting with any article, as all experience proved that, as the demand for an article rose, new processes of preparation were discovered, and the cost was lessened.

The Secretary announced that an Extraordinary Meeting would be held on Monday, the 19th inst., at SEVEN o'clock, p.m. precisely, for the purpose of resuming the discussion "On the Consumption of Smoke," when it was hoped that

attention would chiefly be directed to the difficulties which the furnaces employed in various trades and manufactures imposed to the application of this plan, and how far these difficulties might be overcome.

Also, that at the meeting of Wednesday next, the 21st inst, Mr. Horace Green would read a paper "On Pettitt's Fisheries Guano."

adorning their persons: the introduction of some of these
eferences in this place will not be inappropriate.
A pearl dealer at Shauking (an ancient city between
Hangchau and Ningpo) was commissioned by the Em-
press (202 B.C.) to procure a pearl three inches in cir-
cumference, which he succeeded in obtaining, and for
which he was paid 500 pieces of silver (1500 dols.);
whereupon an envious princess secretly managed, by
offering a larger reward, to procure one from the same
person an inch larger. The reigning Emperor, a century
before our era, sent a messenger to the sea to purchase
circumference. At a later period one was brought to
Court as large as a plum; these were doubtless imported
from India. It is stated that about this period there
were some pearls in possession of the Emperor so lustrous
as to be visible at a third of a mile distant; and one-a
perfect Koh-i-noor--the size of a man's fist, was so bril-
liant, as to be visible in the dark at the distance of three
miles! It was found in Yangchau, in the province of
Kiangsú.

Also, that the Council had determined to hold an Exhibition of Recent Specimens of Chromo-Moon Pearls," the largest of which was two inches in Lithography and Colour Printing, when the specimens of "Naturselbstdruck," from Vienna, would be shown. This Exhibition would be opened to the public on Thursday, the 29th inst. The private view will take place on the evening of Wednesday, the 28th inst., for which a card of admission, to admit himself and lady, will be sent to each member.

PEARLS AND PEARL-MAKING IN CHINA.

BY D. T. MACGOWAN, M.D.
COMMUNICATED BY H. E. JOHN BOWRING, LL.D., II. B. M.
PLENIPOTENTIARY IN CHINA.

Goethe, whose claims to distinction in the scientific world have been imperfectly appreciated, owing to his greater poetic renown (himself a discoverer), attributes discoveries to the age rather than to individuals, thereby detracting more credit from the cultivators of science than many will be willing to concede; for, besides simultaneity of inventions and discoveries, there are not a few of widely different dates which have been identical and independent. The method of producing pearls artificially, as well also as the art of manufacturing spurious ones, afford instances among many that might be adduced from the annals of science and art in illustration of this fact. A history, embracing re-discoveries and simultaneous ones, including inventions pertaining to the same category, would present a curious and instructive chapter in the records of the human race, while it would show that the domain of knowledge has oftener than is generally supposed been explored in the same direction, and with like success, by different persons (both contemporaneous and otherwise), who are equally entitled to the credit of originality.

too,

Priority in the mere discovery of pearls is an honour which none will contend for, as it required neither genius nor sagacity. Mankind could not have indulged long in molluscous food without meeting with these animal gems. In the " Shúking," one of the most ancient books of China, it is stated that pearls were sent to Court as tribute, from an adjacent state, now forming the N.E. portion of the province of Kiangsú. The earliest of dictionaries compiled by Duke Chau (the inventor of the compass) eleven centuries before our era, enumerates pearls as one of the precious productions of Shensi. They, have been obtained in most abundance from the river Hwai, Nganhwin; but this much admired ornament has been found in all parts of Eastern Asia, from the Himalayas to the Pacific, and from Manchuria to the Straits, being in requisition for the decoration of shoes, girdles, earrings, necklaces, and head-dresses, and for the embellishment of popular divinities. There may now be seen at the Buddhist island of Puto a golden image of the Goddess of Mercy, the gift of the Emperor Kanghi, about five inches high, the trunk of which, when exposed, displays a large lustrous pearl, the pearl whence she ascended to the skies. The frequent mention of pearls in Chinese history shows the value set upon them by the Imperial Court, and by all who were ambitious of

Allusion is made to the destruction, by fire, of a Jewish temple, about 140 years before our era, in which pearls were so profusely employed in making screens or curtains, that for ages afterwards these gems might be found in the ruins! An interesting archaeological fact.

Pearls of various sizes were frequently brought to court from Amoy, whither they came from Ceylon. One of these, sent as a tribute, possessed such extraordinary splendour as to illuminate a room: but its brilliancy totally disappeared at the close of three years after its reception-a curious and well attested instance of intermolocular change.

Analogous instances of pearls undergoing decomposition might be adduced, particularly in cases where light has been excluded, and they have been exposed to moisture. It is probably in consequence of their perishable nature that none of these oriental gems have been discovered by Layard or Botta in disinterring the palaces of Assyria.

Mingtí, a monarch of the early part of the tenth century, celebrated for his extravagance, had such a profusion of pearls ornamenting his canopy, the trappings of his horses and chariot, and decorating his person and the persons of his nobles, that the road was often strewn with the gems which the gorgeous cortege dropped in its train.

A singular anecdote is recorded of an embassy bringing tribute from Chulien (the name, probably, of a Malayan state) in the reign of Jingtsung, A.D. 1023. The embassy petitioned for permission to practice a custom of their country, in their expected audience with the Emperor, called "Scattering in the Palace." It was conceded. One of their number approached the side of the imperial hall, where he knelt, and holding up a golden charger in the form of a lotus, which contained a large number of assorted pearls, he scattered the contents on the floor in front of the Emperor, according to the most respectful custom of his native land. The attendants swept up above ten liang (nearly a pound) of pearls, which the Emperor divided amongst his officers. somewhat similar display of oriental magnificence was exhibited in the preceding reign, by an einbassy from the state whose kings called Shih lo chay in tó ló, and whose ambassador was Pah tó lí. The tribute-bearers brought a letter written with gold, a cap, and a garment composed of strings of pearls, and also 105 liang of pearls of various sizes.

A

Manchuria seems to have contributed to supply the Court of Peking with these coveted ornaments, ere its hardy adventurers subjugated to their sway the blackhaired race. We find when they had fought their way from vassalage to independence, and were dictating terms of peace to the Chinese government, that one of the conditions was the interchange of the most valuable product ons of each country. They proposed that the Chinese should make them presents annually of 10,000 taels of gold, 100,000 taels of silver, 100,000 pieces