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SCOTS MAGAZINE,

AND

Edinburgh Literary Miscellany,

FOR JANUARY 1812.

With a View of the Railway from Kilmarnock to the Harbour of Troon.

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Monthly Memoranda in Nat. History.. 7
Varieties, Literary and Miscellaneous. ib.
Observations on Life and Manners..

From the Italian..........................
Chronological Account of Remarkable
Occurrences during the year 1811.. 11
On a certain species of Inhospitality.. 15

Page

SCOTTISH REVIEW.
Travels in the Island of Iceland, dur-
ing the Summer of the year 1810.
By Sir George Steuart Mackenzie,
Bart. F. R. S. Edinburgh............ 4S
New Works published in Edinburgh 55
Literary Intelligence......... ........
POETRY.

ib.

Fourteen prudential Maxims, written
by George Buchanan, the famous
Scots Historian and Poet, for the
benefit of his pupil King James..... 55
Stanzas on the death of Dr John Ley-
den.............................

PROCEEDINGS OF PARLIAMENT.

Proceedings of the Wernerian Society 16 House of Lords..............

Memoirs of the late Dr Robert Whytt,
Professor of Medicine in the Univer-
sity of Edinburgh..................... 17
Remarks on the Prejudices entertain-

ed against the House of Stuart..... 21 The Observer. No. XXIII............ 22 Account of Syrian Churches recently

found in the heart of Syria. From Buchanan's Christian Researches... 25 Critical Remarks, by Mr Fux, on the most eminent Greek Poets. From Letters appended to Trotter's Memoirs of Fox..........

30

Notices of Distinguished French Ladies
-Madame de Deffant- Madame
Geoffrin-Madame Necker .....
......... 33

Character of the late Lord Newton... 36
Table exhibiting the present State of
Roads, Bridges, and Harbours, car-
rying on or completed, in the High-
lands of Scotland. From the last
Report presented to the House of
Commons..

of Commotis..

57

HISTORICAL AFFAIRS.
East Indies Capture of Batavia...... 60
United States--Adjustment of the Af-
fair of the Chesapeake and Leopard
—Correspondence between Mr Fos-
ter and Mr Monroe........................................ 64
Spain and Portugal........................................
France.......

South America.....

ib.

68

Naval Intelligence-Loss of the St
George, Hero, and Defence......... ib.
Domestic Intelligence.-The King...~70
Another Murder of a whole Family... ib.
Ireland Alleged Conspiracy........
SCOTTISH CHRONICLE.

72

...

73

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High Court of Justiciary............................
Riots in Edinburgh................
Appointments.....
Births....
Marriages....
Deaths......

Stocks and Markets......

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THE

Scots Magazine,

AND

EDINBURGH LITERARY MISCELLANY,

FOR JANUARY 1812.

Description of the Railway from
Kilmarnock to the Harbour of

Troon.

HERE is no part of Scotland, Twhere improvement is carried

therefore, how great must be the advantage of forming a communication between these two points.

This very important improvement has been undertaken by a single individual, the present Duke of Port

land. It is computed, that it will cost upwards of £40,000. The mode of constructing it is thus described by Mr Aiton.

"The road is to be double, or two distinct roads of four feet in width each, and laid four feet distance from each other, one road to the other, so as not only to with frequent communications from the admit of carriages going both ways, but to allow one carriage to pass another, when both are travelling in one direction. The distance between the two rail roads or courses, being the same as the width of each, a horse may travel in the middle space, with a wheel on the inner range of each of the roads.

on with greater activity, than in the western counties. In our Number for May 1807, we gave a map and description of the important canal forming between Glasgow and Ardrossan. By the favour of Mr Aiton, we now exbibit a view of the Rail-road between Kilmarnock and the Troon; an operation on a smaller scale, indeed, but still likely to prove highly beneficial. It is also worthy of notice, as being the first undertaking of that nature, of any magnitude at least, which has been executed in Scotland. Kilmarnock and the country around it, form the most populous and flourishing part of Ayrshire. The only disadvantage under which they labour is that of distance from the sea. Ten miles, however, from Kilmarnock, lies the Troon, which is capable of becoming, and will soon be rendered, one of the best har-"The iron rails are 9 feet in length, and bqurs in Ayrshire. It is obvious, 40 lbs. in weight each, Their horizontal

"The total rise of the ground, from the Troon harbour to the town of Kilmarnock, is 80 or 84 feet, which is equally divided over the whole course of the road, so as to form it into an inclined plane, having a dewhich is less than one sixteenth of an inch, clivity of nearly eight feet, every mile, in each yard.

base

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base, on which the carriage wheels run, is
4 inches in breadth, and the ledge or para-
pet, rising perpendicular in the inner side
of the rail, is also about 4 inches in height,
raised in the centre, and declining at both
ends of each rail, to add to its strength.
The rails are something broader at both
ends, to make them lie more solid on the
blocks. They are not laid on sleepers of
wood; but on solid blocks of stone, from 9
to 12 inches iu thickness. and generally
more than a foot square, in base and sur-
face. The ground, on which these blocks
are laid, is heat solid, and the stones are
also beat down, after being laid, so as to
give them all the solidity possible, The
iron rails are bedded level on the blocks,
and a hole about an inch and a quarter dia-
meter, in the centre of each, six inches deep,
is filled with a plug of oak; and a square
niche being formed in the centre, at both
ends of each of the rails, about half an inch
on each side above, and something narrow-
er below, and when the ends of two of
these rails are put together, the niches in
each of the two rails, form one hole about
an inch in length, and more than half an
inch in breadth, contracting a little below;
and these being placed over the plug of

wood, in the centre of the block of stone,
a nail is fixed into it, the head of which
exactly fills up the hole in the ends of the
two rails, and the holes and heads of the
nails being broader above than below, they
keep the rails solid and firm on their beds.
The space of 4 feet between the rails is

filled with road metal for the horse, to
near the top of the ledges of the rails, and
the outside to the sole of the rails."

width is to be from 35 to 60 feet. The harbour when finished, will afford 10 feet water at all times of the tide; it will admit merchant vessels constantly, and ships of war at high water. The expence amounts to 50 or L. 60,000, so that these two undertakings together, will not fall short of L. 100,000.

Proceedings of the Highland So

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ciety of Scotland.

HE Secretary submitted to the Meeting, the proceedings of the Directors since the General Meeting in July last, and the premiums adjudged by them for the year 1811, for bringing waste lands into tillage in different districts of the country, raising green crops in these parts where that beneficial system has hitherto been but little introduced, meliorating the breed of cattle, and to ploughmen for improvement in ploughing, and to the authors of essays on a variety of subjects: when the Meeting confirmed the proceedings of the Directors, authorised payment of the premiums to a larger amount than on any former occasion, and directed them to be afterwards published with the names of the preferred competitors. It appearing from the reports, that great attention had been given by the Conveners and resident members of the Society, This, however, is not the only to the cattle and ploughing compebenefit, which the Duke of Portlandtitions, the last of which, in partiis conferring upon Ayrshire. The cular, continued to excite much eTroon possesses many natural re- mulation and improvement among quisites, by which it is qualified to the ploughmen; the Meeting voted become an excellent harbour. By its thanks to Sir John Campbell, the great operations which the Duke Sir H. Darymple Hamilton, Sir J. has now undertaken, it will soon be M. Riddell, and Sir J. Macgregor rendered one of the first in Scotland. Murray, Barts.; Mr Garden CampA pier is building, which will ex- bell of Troup, Colonel Duff of Fettend 500 feet into the sea, which teresso, Mr Miller of Glenlee, Mr will be 30 feet high, 13 of them Denistoun of Colgrain, and Mr under water, and 17 above. The Maxwell of Aros, for the attention

It is understood that when the railway is finished, a horse going from Kilmarnock will be able to draw upon it from 10 to 12 tons and from 8 to 10 in the contrary direction.

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paid by them as Conveners, to these competitions. The Meeting remitted the Essays for which premiums had been voted last year to their Committee on publications, in or der that they may be published with previous approved papers in a 4th volume of the Society's transactions.

Mr Macdonald the Treasurer, now stated to the Society the situation of its Funds, its Income, and Expenditure last year, an accurate state of which had been prepared by Mr Wilson, the Society's Auditor of Accounts. The Meeting was gratified to find, from the improved state of their funds, that they were enabled gradually to increase the sum allowed annually for promoting the objects of the institution by Premiums, and which was voted accordingly. The Meeting at same time expressed their acknowledgments to Mr Wilson, the Auditor, for the perspicuous and correct view of the Society's Funds brought forward by him, on the table.

Mr Tait, Convener of the Committee, appointed for carrying through an Equalization and Uniformity of Weights and Measures in Scotland, stated, that in consequence of the resolution of the General Meeting in July last, the original report of the Committee then approved, had been transmitted to all the Counties in Scotland; and communicated to the Convention of Royal Burghs; that almost the whole of the Counties had already approved of the Society's having taken up this important object, and in order to co-operate with the Society, had requested landed gentlemen of their number to attend to its progress at Edinburgh. That in November last, these Gentlemen from the several Counties, and some Members of Royal Burghs, had a

Meeting with the Society's Committee, when a set of suggestions, as to the proper mode of proceedings drawn up by that Committee, was submitted to consideration. A General Committee was then named for prosecuting the object of an Equalization of Weights and Measures, which had since communicated with the Chambers of Commerce of Edinburgh and Glasgow, and Merchant Company of Leith, and received the sentiments of these Commercial Bodies. That as there were various points connected with the subject, which required investigation, these had been referred to several Sub-Committees, and Professor Playfair, of Edinburgh, had handsomely agreed to give his aid as to the best mode of constructing and checking the standards. That when these Sub-Committees had completed their inquiries, it was proposed to make up one General Report, which if ready, it would be proper to circulate to the Counties, previous to 30th of April, and to other Publie Bodies who have an interest in this matter,

The Meeting unanimously approved of the steps hitherto taken in the business, and recommended to the Committee to continue their exertions, until the desirable object of an Equalization of Weights and Measures shall be carried into effect; and authorised the Committee, when the report is ready, to circulate it to the Counties and Public Bodies for Consideration.

The Society, on considering the report of a Committee, upon the merits of an enlarged Treatise on the origin, qualities, and cultivation of Moss Earth, with directions for converting it into Manure, recently published by Mr William Aiton, Strathaven, Ayrshire, dedicated by permission to the Society, voted a sum of Thirty Guineas to

Mr

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