mates, however carefully drawn up, usually fall below the mark, we shall assume that the necessary expenditure would amount to £60,000. It may be calculated that the whole of the work would be completed in four years, thus dividing the whole outlay into four quarterly instalments of £15,000 each.

Before proceeding further, let us endeavour to classify, even imperfectly, the population of the island, on the members of which some impost must be levied to carry this measure into execution. We begin with the fúndholders. They may object to the new harbour altogether, as conferring on them no immediate or personal benefit. Let us, then, dispassionately, without prejudice, and solely with a view to elicit truth, examine the validity of their presumed objection. First: If the general resources of the island decay, the number of persons, requiring parochial relief, will be augmented, and consequently the taxes raised for the maintenance of the hospital will be increased, and that increase must come out of the pockets of the fundholders; therefore, they have a direct interest in keeping down the number of unemployed poor, and consequently, are personally and deeply interested in the success of a measure which tends to reduce the parochial rates. Secondly: By reason of the sub-division of property in this island, the fundholder of this generation knows that, unless he has only one child, his family will gradually descend in the scale of wealth, provided they have nothing to depend upon but their inheritance. We have looked over the tax lists for the last fifty years, and from them it is clear to demonstration, that there has been a continual interchange of wealth and poverty, some families rising, others falling, according to the number of brothers and sisters. It would be easy to give examples, but that might appear invidious; nor is it necessary, for every Guernseyman knows the fact. Is it not, then, the bounden duty of every father, who now lives in opulence on his dividends, to look beyond the present to the future, and, for the sake of his children and grandchildren, if not for that of the public, cheerfully to contribute his proportion to a public work which must ultimately give bread to his posterity?

We proceed to the merchants. Their benefit is too obvious to require muoh comment. Their vessels, instead of lying in an open roadstead, straining their ropes, and wearing away their tackle, with the chance of parting from their anchors, and being wrecked by a south-east gale, would be received in a safe and commodious harbour. Moreover, we have been assured by highly competent shipwrights, that it is impossible, in the existing pier, to repair efficiently the bottom of a vessel, and since that is the case, a single ship lost for want of proper examination and necessary labour would vastly exceed the proportion of the tax about to be levied on any individual shipowner.

Let us now look to the interests of the tradesmen. It is obvious that nearly the whole expenditure would consist of the wages of labour, all of which would find themselves in the pockets of the tradesmen every Saturday night. If, on the assumption we have made, £15,000 were annually appropriated for this purpose, it would be constantly circulating from hand to hand, and money, as Lord Bacon says, is like manure, it is of no value unless it is spread. And here the merchant would again be benefitted during the progress of the work, for the retail dealer would require additional supplies from the wholesale importer, on which the latter would realize his profit as well as the former. Nor would the wheelwright or the blacksmith be forgotten, for it is obvious that carts and machinery would form very material articles in the prosecution of the work. In short, every man who lives by trade, from the wealthiest shipowner to the poorest artizan, would be directly advantaged during the building of the pier, and that too, be it observed, in many cases, to a much larger extent than his quota of the tax,-brewers, bakers, and spirit dealers in particular.

As to the rural population, they might not feel the benefit during the four years so much as the townspeople: but still, they would reap the advantage in the sale of their commodities; for the labourers, being constantly employed, would be able to purchase more meat and vegetables. But when the work was completed, their interests would be permanently secured by the increased traffic, and the larger arrival of visitors, many of whom are deterred from coming twice to Guernsey for want of a suitable landing accommodation, particularly ladies and infirm gentlemen. Besides this consideration, they would have every facility for placing their cattle on board vessels going to England, quite free from the danger now incurred by slinging them from the crane on the north pier.

In reference to the community at large, it is quite clear that the impôt would be considerably augmented during the progress of the work, which augmentation would, of course, operate as a reduction of the estimated expenditure.

Having now attempted to show that all classes of society, to wit, the fundholder, the merchant, the tradesmen, and the farmer, would be permanently benefitted by this undertaking, and that the three last would derive immediate profit out of the wages of labour, distributed every week, we shall now proceed to consider the best mode of raising the funds, say sixty thousand pounds.

It is proposed by some gentlemen to levy a small duty on coals; others recommend a tax on wines. For our parts, we object entirely to any tax on commodities, for, if the principle be once introduced into the island, it is impossible to say where it will cease. Of this we have sufficient proof in the existing impôt on spirituous liquors, which, originally granted for a limited period, and for a specific object, may now be considered as a permanent tax. We decidedly oppose every species whatsoever of indirect taxation, such as the excise and customs, for example, which obtain in England, because they must, in all cases, ultimately fall on the consumer; for if any article be taxed, it is clear that the seller of that article will add the amount of the tax to the cost of production. Neither, in reference to the proposed new harbour, do we think it just to levy one farthing either on the insular or the foreign shipping, before the work is completed, on the same principle that no tenant is bound to pay rent before he is in possession of the premises leased to him. We extend the same argument to passengers arriving by the steam boats or sailing vessels.

Assuming, what no one we apprehend can deny, that a new harbour is a strictly national object, in which all the inhabitants of the bailiwick are deeply interested, we deem it proper that the whole expense of its construction should be defrayed by a general tax, levied by the States. And this view of the subject brings us to a most important question propounded by one of our correspondents in our February number, which refers to the proportions of tax now levied on the town and country; the former paying one-third, by the existing law; and the latter, two-thirds. After having maturely weighed this point, and collected the opinions of many of the most intelligent persons in the island, we have arrived at a clear conviction of the necessity of changing the present system. We must obey the spirit of the age, and adapt our institutions to the altered condition of society. The taxable property of the town may be estimated, in round numbers, at one hundred and fifty thousand quarters; and that of the nine country parishes, at fifty-five thousand quarters: the relative ratio being thus nearly in the proportion of three to one. Maintaining, as we do, that all the national expenditure should be assessed on the property of the nation, we consider that the time has now arrived to alter our mode of taxation, and place two-thirds of the burden on the town, and only onethird on the country. But equally firm is our conviction that, if this change takes place, the town ought to have more votes in the States than it has at present,

and the country fewer; for, which ever part of the community sustains the greater load of taxes, that party are justly entitled to have the greater share of influence in voting the supplies. To effect this reform, no plan appears to us so compact, so judicious, and so free from valid objection, as the one recommended by our talented correspondent, who published his sentiments in our February number, and to which we refer our readers.

When it is considered that the wealth of Guernsey exceeds four millions sterling, it is really a national reproach to have continued so long with an insufficient harbour, narrow quays, and no landing place. Are the people really scared at the idea of expending the paltry sum of sixty thousand pounds, which can readily be borrowed at three per cent., and every farthing of which would be spent in the island, and give an active and immediate stimulus to local trade? Ten years agone, Captain Deschamps calculated that forty thousand persons landed annually in Guernsey, and we believe that the number may now be computed at sixty thousand; if there were a pier constructed in deep water, which admitted steam boats to lay alongside, and thus did away with the present necessity of boats, every passenger would willingly pay a shilling for the accommodation, and thus, from this single source, an annual revenue of three thousand pounds would be raised. Moreover, when the Southampton railway is completed, it is evident that many persons will visit that town, who are now deterred on account of its distance from the metropolis, and some of them would, no doubt, take a trip to the Channel Islands; from which circumstances we may fairly conclude, coupled with the new steam vessels now on the station, that the visitors to Guernsey will progressively increase.

It should also be considered that vessels, consigned to Guernsey with coals, would accept a lower freight than they now do, if there was a safe and commodious harbour, and a certainty of not being neaped. It is well known that some of the Insurance Clubs in the North will not allow their ships to come here at all, and the sole objection springs out of the badness of our pier. Nor is this argument limited to the coal trade, for every commodity, which enters the island, would be reduced in price, if freight was lowered, and that would certainly be the case if a new harbour were constructed. It is equally certain that many vessels would run here for shelter, which is now denied to them.

On a former occasion, we urged our public authorities to petition his Majesty's government to allow the poulage and other fiscal remains of feudalism, to be appropriated to the public exigencies of the island. We cannot think that so reasonable a request would be denied, and were it conceded, the whole amount might be applied to the harbour. But whether any portion of the necessary funds could thus be obtained or not, is matter of secondary importance: the grand point is to decide that there shall be a harbour commenced forthwith, and the money can be easily obtained in this wealthy island. Earnestly do we hope that the attention of the public will not be diverted from this most important undertaking, in the success of which every member of the community has a permanent interest. It is gratifying to know that the Chamber of Commerce has warmly adopted the opinions of the inhabitants, and we trust that these gentlemen will persevere in their laudable exertions, until the desired object be completed.

LECTURES AT THE GUERNSEY MECHANICS' INSTITUTION.

ON COMBUSTION.

AMONGST the varied phenomena, said Mr. Ollivier, which are constantly occurring around us, there is perhaps none more wonderful in itself, nor more interesting on account of its utility, than combustion. And yet this phenomenon appears to be very much disregarded, at least by the bulk of mankind. Very erroneous ideas are generally entertained respecting this really wonderful process. It is, indeed, rather discreditable to the age in which we live, that notwithstanding all the brilliant discoveries of modern times, relative to combustion, and the boast that the school-master is abroad; that vast numbers are as ignorant of the effects resulting from this process, as the inhabitants of those savage countries who have not been favoured with the light of science. It is indeed lamentable that the phenomena of nature should be viewed with so much apathy and indifference. Dr. Ure appropriately remarks: “A few happy rhymes or musical periods, though conveying sentiments both trite and trivial, will enamour the hearts and kindle the fancies of the million; while the optical revelations of Newton, and the electrochemical magic of Davy, are either neglected altogether, or scanned with frigid tranquillity. The process of combustion has a high claim to our notice, not only from its constant occurrence and great utility, but also from its forming a part of nature's volume, which so strikingly displays the exquisite skill and infinite intelligence of its great Author."

I do not pretend in this lecture to explain the process of combustion; I shall only state facts relative to it. For it must be remarked, that the nature of combustion is yet but very imperfectly understood. Many different theories have been framed, at various times, in order to account for this phenomenon, but they have all been found fallacious, and incapable of explaining satisfactorily all cases of combustion. There is no phenomenon in nature by which the attention of philosophers has been more engaged, nor which has perplexed them more to account for, than this very common operation: nor are their efforts likely to prove successful till the nature of light, heat, and electricity, are better understood. One of the principal difficulties attending the explanation of this process, is the accounting for the evolution of heat and light, and the ascertaining the sources from which they are derived, whether from the combustible body, or from the air, or from both. For we must be aware that, during ordinary combustion, both the air and the combustible body are concerned, as the latter will not burn without the former. Although we cannot at present explain how the heat and light are produced, yet there are many interesting facts relative to combustion, the examination of which demands our serious consideration. In this lecture, I shall keep these in view, facts, rather than the description of those numerous theories of combustion which have been propounded at various periods, and successively exploded; being convinced that the description of such subjects, to a mixed audience, would be as tedious as it would be unprofitable. Indeed, a lecture room is not a place well suited for the dissemination of the abstruse speculations of chemical philosophers. It is not favourable to that concentration of thought necessary for their comprehension. I shall attempt, therefore, principally to remove some of the most prevailing prejudices respecting combustion.

It is a popular opinion, that the destruction of the combustible body is a necessary consequence of its undergoing combustion, and that when bodies are burned they are destroyed. But the science of chemistry teaches us the error, and demonstrates the fallacy, of such a conclusion. The beautiful and conclusive experiments

of modern chemistry prove that the destruction of the most minute particle of matter is utterly impossible. Its form, however, may be changed and its combinations varied, but its annihilation is beyond the power of man. This assertion will no doubt, to the common mind, appear at variance with common sense, and every-day observation; and judging from appearances, the cursory observer will be apt to draw a very different conclusion. Probably he will reason thus: How can a candle, or other combustible, burn and not be destroyed? Have we not palpable evidence that this is the case? Does not the candle disappear gradually, till scarcely a vestige of it remains?

But the man of science observes the phenomena of nature very differently. Where the superficial observer can discover nothing but apparent waste and destruction, he detects the process of ceaseless renovation. He beholds new substances continually forming; new compounds, like the fabled Phoenix of old, springing from this very decomposition and decay. He sees the elemental particles, of which the combustible is composed, converted into aeriform bodies, which are not the less useful than the original body, in the great laboratory of nature. Not content with judging from appearances, he examines nature by experiment, and pries into her most secret operations.

It is rather a difficult matter to give a good definition of combustion, at least one which can be applied to every case of combustion. It has been defined as the operation of fire upon any inflammable substance, by which it smokes, flames, and is reduced to ashes. Dr. Ure describes it as the disengagement of heat and light, which accompanies chemical combination. Sir Humphrey Davy describes it to be the general result of the actions of any substances possessed of strong chemical attractions, or different electrical relations, and that it takes place in all cases in which an intense and violent motion is communicated to the corpuscles or minute atoms of bodies. And by another chemist, simply as the result of intense chemical action. On these definitions I offer no remarks: when the subject of combustion has been duly investigated, we shall be better enabled to judge what kind of definition is most proper. When a stone or a brick is heated, it undergoes no change, except an augmentation of temperature; and when left to itself, it soon cools again and becomes as at first. But with combustible bodies the case is very different. When heated to a certain degree in the open air, they suddenly become much hotter of themselves, continue for a considerable time intensely hot, sending out a copious stream of caloric and light to the surrounding bodies. This emission, after a certain period, begins to diminish, and at last ceases altogether. The combustibles appear to be consumed, or, to speak more correctly, are converted into substances altogether new, and which frequently are not apparent to the senses. Thus, when charcoal is kept for some time at the temperature of about 800°, it kindles, becomes intensely hot, and continues to emit light and heat for a long time. When the combustion ceases, the charcoal has all disappeared, except an inconsiderable residuum of ashes; being almost entirely converted into carbonic acid gas, which makes its escape, unless the experiment be conducted in proper vessels. It is this change of properties, and apparent loss of substance, together with the rapid emission of light and heat, which constitute the process, usually termed combustion.

In the examination of these phenomena we have, therefore, two things to consider; first, the change which the body undergoes; and, secondly, the emission of light and heat.

“When bodies are burnt," says Berthollet, "none of their principles are destroyed; they had previously formed together one kind of compound, and they now separate from each other at the high temperature to which they are exposed,