In making a deep cut for the Durham railroad, in England, in the year 1845, five stumps of trees, apparently of the palm kind, were discovered, which excited the attention of the learned and the curious. The spot was visited soon after, by a Committee of the British Association, during its next meeting, as has been noticed in the first volume of our magazine, in the letter from Mr. Schoolcraft. The cut which we now insert has been furnished us by him, and gives a correct idea of the position of those remarkable remains. The best

preserved and most interesting of them has been covered with a wooden box, and kept closed, by a persou residing near the place, who exhibits it for a small sum. One of the most striking facts in this case is, that a row of stumps are found in their natural situation, on the original surface of the earth.

Explanation of the Cut.-b, c, d, shows the three upper strata cut through in the section for the railroad. The two lower of these are horizontal, and the upper forms a hill, the height of which may be imagined by observing the diminutive appearance of the trees on the summit. g, is a lower vein, (we believe clay ;) and f, g, another, from beneath, penetrating all the superior strata, and presenting one of those phenomena difficult to account for. a, is the lowest stratum of all. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, (at the bottom of the section), show the situation of the five stumps of trees in it, on one level, and at nearly equal distances except the last. The scale just below shows the dimensions of all the parts, and shows the section to be about 100 feet in depth.

The larger figures, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, mark the same stumps, presented in the same order, at a nearer view, and of such size that their forms may be distinctly seen, while a scale of inches below shows their sizes.

The remains of plants, as well as of animals, are found in most parts of the world, buried at different depths, and sometimess imbedded in rocks. Recent examinations have led to many theories to account for the phenomena, and the subject is highly interesting.

There are many places where the surface of the ground has been raised, in different parts of our country; and it is a good habit to direct our attention to this subject in our daily walks. Along the banks of rivers and brooks it is generally easy to account for an accumulation of soil in some places, and for its removal in others. Two simple facts are

sufficient to direct us far in our enquiries: 1st, the different degrees of power of flowing water, at different rates of velocity; and 2d the manner in which substances carried away by it are deposited, when its motion is checked or stopped. Rocks of considerable size may be borne to a distance by a a rushing stream, especially if on a declivity, or forming parts of a barrier, which dams the water until it rises and bursts through. So when a pond or lake is suddenly drawn off, by the deepening of its outlet, extensive and astonishing effects are sometimes produced by the immense power of the descending flood. To estimate such a power, some knowledge of hydrostatics and hydrawlics is necessary for but few persons are fully aware of the tremendous pressure of deep water, even in small quantities.

A pond on a hill in Vermont burst its side a few years since, and caused a scene of frightful devastation in a few minutes, making a channel in the earth which will never be obliterated; and the deluge in the White Hills of New Hampshire in 1826, in the course of an hour, tore the ancient forests from the mountains, with the earth and loose rocks, and swept them into the vallies below, swelled the streams to a thousand times their proper size, and changed the face of nature for twenty miles along their banks.

The more rapid and large the current, the larger and heavier the particles of earth or pieces of stone it is able to carry, and the greater the quantity of matter it may transport in a given time. So, when the velocity begins to subside, the heaviest objects first sink, and afterwards the lighter in succession. Where we find stones, gravel, sand, &c., lying in a corresponding succession, we may therefore presume, that they have been formed by a single inundation. But it often happens that heavy substances are found lying upon beds composed of lighter ones, and we are obliged to suppose more than

one flood, and sometimes, from particu lar indications, currents from different directions.

The rains are continually effecting slow but extensive changes in all parts of the world; while frost, melting snows and winds exert more or less influence in different places. The operations of animals, birds and insects, and the growth and decay of vegetables sometimes have had considerable local influence.

Judgment is often required, to form an opinion of the period of a change in the surface. On the banks of the Mississip pi immense alterations have occurred in a day: such as would not be made in a century in some other places.

Fare of the Boa Constrictor.

The boa is harmless to man, unless his path is crossed, when a speedy retreat is advisable. A friend of mine, in Samarang, once kept one of these monsters as a pet, and used to let him crawl all over the garden; it measured exactly nineteen. feet. It was regularly fed twice a month, namely, on the 1st and 15th. On the first day of the month, a moderate sized goat was put into his house. The animal would scream, poor and exhibit every symptom of extreme terror, but was not kept long in suspense; for the snake, after eyeing his victim keenly, would spring on it with the rapidity of thought, coil three times round the body, and in an instant, every bone in the goat's skin was broken. The next process was to stretch the carcass to as great a length as he could before uncoiling himself then to lick it all over; and he commenced his feast by succeeding, after some severe exertion, in getting the goat's head within his mouth. In the course of twenty minutes the whole animal was swallowed. The snake would then lie down, and remain perfectly dormant for three or four days. His lunch, (as I may call it,) on the 15th of the month, used to consist of a duck. snake was given, in 1815, to Lord Amherst, on his return from China, and reached the Cape in safety. There it was overfed, to gratify the curious visiters, and died in consequence before the ship reached St. Helena.-Davidson s Trade and Travel in the Far West.

This

London Markets.

From Vinchon's Report on the Markets of England, Belgium, Holland and Germany, published in Paris in 1846. The city markets are six in number: -Newgate, Smithfield, Leadenhall, Billingsgate, Farringdon, and Honey-lane.

Newgate market, which is but a short distance from Smithfield cattle market, is the principal one for the sale of meat. The enormous joints of beef suspended in the shops, the innumerable sheep, calves and pigs, which daily load the stalls, are a subject of astonishment to the foreigner who visits this market; for it is well known that in England meat constitutes the principal article of consumption; the eye accustomed to dwell on the masses of vegetables every where displayed in our own markets cannot see without wonder these vast exhibitions, as remarkable for the quantity as for the beauty of the meat exposed for sale. This feeling of surprise would be still more lively, if Newgate market were constructed with such regularity as to display at one view the abundant provision made for daily consumption: but such is not the case. Newgate market is nothing more than a badly arranged assemblage of shops of different sizes, opening on courts or passages which appear to have been covered in after they were formed. The market has in fact been enlarged at various times by additions of the adjoining property; space, air, and light are all wanting. We noticed in the shops that the blocks on which the meat is cut up are very low; being only between two and three feet high. This is accounted for by the custom of cutting up the meat in the shops, an operation which with us is performed in the *abbattoirs. We can readily understand that if higher tables were used, the more important parts of the animal would be out of the butcher's reach.

The slaughter-houses are in the neighborhood of Newgate market, to which they form an appendage. These are in buildings in the narrow streets or lanes which abound in this part of the city, and generally consist of a single room or cov. ered court, divided into two parts by a slight partition; the one side serving as a stall for the animals which are slaughtered in the other. These slaughterhouses are furnished with the necessary apparatus for suspending the slaughtered

ers.

animals, but every thing is rude and behind the age, and the contents and the intestines are washed down into the sewIn these confined slaughter houses, however, a considerable amount of business is transacted; for whilst Newgate market receives a portion of its supplies from different parts of England, it is also the principal place for the sale of meat furnished by the cattle brought to Smithfield market.

We took advantage of our visit to this locality, to witness the English mode of slaughtering oxen. In France, after the animal is secured by a rope, by which his head is fixed low and immoveably, he is stunned by a blow which throws him down, when the carotid artery is easily severed. The blood flows freely from the wound, and the animal dies from exhaustion. By this mode the blow of the iron mallet simply produces a concussion of the brain, sometimes accompanied by a rupture of the spinal marrow but it is in general insufficient of itself to cause death. On the contrary, on the English plan, the animal is not bled until life is extinct.

In the preparation of their meat, there are two other particulars in which the English butchers differ from the French. In the first place they do not inflate the animal, as in England, this would be considered fraudulent and liable to severe punishment: besides, when the ox has been hung up, opened, and skinned, the external parts of the meat are washed with cold water, and wiped with linen cloths.

Leadenhall market is not constructed with greater regularity than Newgate market. With the exception of some parts which are better arranged, the mar ket is also a labyrinth of lanes and covered courts, where the different articles are exposed for sale in shops or upon stalls badly suited with regard to air and light. Leadenhall is principally a market for the sale of poultry and game, but butter and eggs, meat and leather are also sold there, forming in reality four distinct markets. There is no place set apart for the purpose of killing poultry, which appears to be brought into the market dead. The sale of leather is carried on in two small buildings, united by an iron bridge thrown over the passage which separates them, and they are constructed on the same plan as our hay

market. The coarse hides are laid out on the ground floor, under a shed open on all sides; the finer hides and skins are contained in warehouses on the floor above. In the adjoining houses surrounding one of these buildings, private warehouses and counting-houses have been established, all connected with this particular trade, which seems to have its focus in this spot. Only a small stock of the article is kept in these warehouses; and so far from the whole of the leather trade being carried on here, the mode of transacting business in Leadenhall market seems to be somewhat analogous to that practised in our Rue Mauconseil. We may add that the leather trade does not retain undisputed possession of the locality, where both raw and cured hides are exposed for sale. It is stated that this exposure, so little in accordance with atmospheric salubrity, has compelled the East India Company to build up the windows of one of the façades of their hall. This, however, is but one effect of corporation monopoly, which, keeping in view the profit arising from a vested privilege, has no sympathy with the complaints of the inhabitants of the locality.

A short distance from the Leadenhall street is the Billingsgate fish-market, of ancient fame. Situated on the banks of the Thames, it receives the fish brought in by the numerous fishing-boats. This market, which appears to be at least partially built on piles, is held in shabby wooden buildings, and has a very decid ed air of confusion and disorder. It is difficult to comprehend how an establishment so confined and so badly arranged can suffice for the requirements of a very extensive trade. The wholesale business is transacted under the common sheds, where a very active movement is kept up during the morning, and the retail trade is carried on in the open shops on each side the narrow passages which run from Lower Thames street to the Thames. In these shops, which have nothing showy to recommend them, we have seen such an abundance of salmon as we had previously no conception of. But the fish-market, properly so called, extends over the whole of that part of the river corresponding to the market on shore the ships laden with salt-fish, and the various fishing vessels, press forward to the foot of the piles; and there, on ship-board, is conducted the sale of oys

ters, which is effected through the agency of measurers, who perform their duties by proxy. There are morning measurers and day measurers; the former measure the oysters which are conveyed from the boats in carts before the open-. ing of the market; the latter begin their work on board as soon as the clock strikes. It appears to us that the employment of oyster-measurers constitutes a species of office the utility of which is not commensurate with the expenses entailed upon the buyers.

Farringdon market, built for the sale of vegetables, fruit, and meat, consists of a court, surrounded on three sides by covered galleries, nearly of the same size and plan as those of the market of St. Germain, in Paris. In the court has recently been erected a small gallery for the stowage of fruits. The hollow columns which support this erection also serve as pipes for the conveyanc of rain water from the roof. This market, which was formerly held in Farringdon street, has gained nothing by its removal. The government, desirous of securing an improvement which would be a great public convenience, consented to furnish the funds required for the erection of the new market. By this advance it would be entitled to collect a moiety of the proceeds; but as the expenses attending repairs and management have hitherto absorbed the revenue, the sacrifice has as yet received no recompense. It seems to have ben a mistake to count upon the rent of the shops in the covered galleries. These shops, which are especially adapted for butchers, for the most part remain empty, although well calculated. to withdraw from the over crowded Newgate market a portion of its business. But centralisation has an attraction which it is difficult to overcome. So long as Newgate market continues to be the principal place for the sale of meat, dealers and consumers will continue to flock there; and they will prefer the inconvenient stalls of that market to the more comfortable shops provided in other localities. Notwithstanding all that has been said, Farringdon market is the only one in the city which has any claim to consideration as a building; the erections which compose it are regular, and have a very satisfactory architectural appearance.

But that which is especially open to

remark, and is a subject of surprise to every stranger visiting London, is the existence of the Smithfield cattle market in the heart of one of the most populous quarters of the city, and at the junction of so many narrow thoroughfares. This market is held twice a week, in a large, irregular space, which has been enlarged at various periods, and opened in many directions to the general traffic. On Monday are sold the cattle intended for slaughter, such as oxen, cows, calves, sheep, and lambs; on Friday, to these are added horses and swine. The arrangement of this market is far from affording the conveniences of our markets at Sceaux and Poissy: the oxen are se cured by ropes in a very bad state, and when they are sold, they are conducted to another part of the market, where they are marked, under the superintendence of the purchasers The calves and sheep are confined in pens, about six feet square, formed of thick bars; and what appeared to us very awkward, was the necessity of pushing through the animals, to pass from one pen to another.

Improvements in Blacksmithing.

The Scientific American says, sawing heated iron is not known or thought of by blacksmiths; and when several forks or branches are to be formed from one stock, even if the branches are required to remain, eventually, nearly in contact, and parallel to each other, the usual method is to split the end of the iron with an awkward cold iron chisel, thereby deforming the edge of each, after which they are brought together as well as may be, usually retaining a roughness of form, if not a deficiency of size and strength, near the juncture of the branches. Instead of this tedious process, the iron, when heated, may be put into a vice, and the ends slit, with a suitable saw, which would save much labor in hammering and filing. A saw for this purpose should be made thicker at the edge than at the back, and with uniform teeth, about one twelfth of an inch apart. The saw, when used, must be often dipped in water to prevent its becoming too much heated. There is also a method of sawing or cutting hardened steel, which is not so generally known as it should be.

A circular piece of common thin iron plate or sheet iron, being adjusted to a

lathe, or by other means put into a violent rotary motion, will readily cut off a file, a cutting tool, or tempered steel spring, without drawing or reducing the temper. There is much mystery in the wonderful effect of this buzz, and its cutting property is attributed to electricity. It answers a very convenient purpose, however, when the shape and form of the articles are required to be altered without affecting their temper. It furnishes a convenient method for cutting teeth of large saws, but is objectionable on account of the newly cut surface being left so hard that they cannot be readily filed by a common file. Connected with the subject of 'mysterious effects,' it may be stated that a bar of iron of almost any size, may be instantly sundered while hot, by the simple application of a piece of common brimstone. Knowledge of this fact will be useful when some piece of iron work is to be severed, but which, as is sometimes the case, is so constructed and situated that no ordinary chisel or cutting tool can be brought to apply. Holes may be instantly perforated through bars or plates of heated iron, by the application of pointed pieces of brimThis phenomenon is curious, although it seldom affords practical utility.

stone.

Philo-Italian Society.

A society bearing this name has been formed in London, under promising auspices. A spirited meeting has been held in Brighton, England, at which the celebrated Signor Ciocci, a sufferer from the inquisition, was present. Rev. William Chalmers, said: In Italy, the Bible, if not a sealed book, is padlocked by the priest, and books teaching the Protestant faith are not allowed to be circulated. Bibles are now rotting in the custom house. If, then, we were really to have access to Italy, it would appear that it must be mainly through those Italians whom Providence brought to our shores; and the return of those instructed by this society would sow a seed which would never die, and of which we could not tell how the harvest might issue. It was expected that the society would shortly be connected with the Foreigners' Evangelical Society, recently formed in London, for the purpose of concentrating, under one common management, the religious wants of the Germans, French, Italians and Spaniards."