rying on of this Journal. Nor can we refrain from indulging the hope, that, if these various objects be prosecuted in an honest, independent, and manly spirit, it will operate most beneficially on those who are embraced in our solicitude and efforts. The tide of reformation has already set in with no common force, and no scheme must be left untried to remove every barrier to its onward, inward progress, till its healing, purifying waters, shall reach every youth throughout the length and breadth of the land. Our work is but commenced. We have no common duty to perform. We have not only to care for our youth themselves, but we have to awaken society at large in their behalf. Nor can we believe that our labour shall be in vain. Success is certain. We anticipate the day when our young men, as they take the precedence in the body politic, will take the precedence of every other class in intellectual and moral excellence. Their reformation will, like some purifying fire, work up through the whole ascending scale of society; their regeneration will be felt at the very extremities of the social system; it will pervade the community, and prove the precursor of that golden age when truth shall be triumphant, and righteousness universal.

YOUNG MEN :-It is your interest we have at heart. Will you refuse to listen to our friendly counsels? Our advice, then, is this—be men of principle. Let your whole life be regulated by the simple question-WHAT IS RIGHT? Keep to this in all the relations, engagements, and business of life. And if you make this the great governing principle of action, you will seldom if ever be at a loss to determine what course to pursue. It is a principle which admits of universal application. What is right to-day will be right to-morrow-right for ever. Then, having resolved to follow only what is right, your aim in life will be truly elevated. It is indeed of prime importance that you should set before yourselves a high standard of character, and determine to reach it. Resolution is omnipotent. If you are resolved to excel, you are sure to succeed. It is in aiming at excellence, that excellence is attained. Having placed before you some suitable and commanding object, the very effort to reach it will go far to mould your whole character. In such a pursuit you are not likely to be diverted by the pleasures of sense or the fascinations of the world. And according to the object in view, will be its influence. If in itself it be great and good, then you yourselves will partake its greatness and its goodness;-if pure, its influence will be to purify your affections,-if grand, to dignify your powers,-if elevated, to exalt your character. Lay hold, then, of great principles-aim at great excellence. The principles which you now imbibe, and the habits which you now form, will remain with you through life-for ever. These will be the dying dress of the soul,-these the vestments in which it will appear amid the retributions of the final day. Of what infinite moment, then, are religious principles and religious habits! Whatever other qualities you possess, these are chief. It is Christian piety which will give to your character a dignity more than princely, and a loveliness surpassing every earthly form. It will impress on you the image of God, and fit you for the perfected society of heaven!

REMARKS ON ILLUMINATION.

GAS BURNERS.

IN entering on this part of our subject, it is necessary to consider in the first place the nature of the combustible of which we are making use, as it differs materially from any which we have yet described. The great difference between gas and any liquid or solid combustion, consists in the much larger proportion of hydrogen which it contains, which, however, differs in almost every specimen of gas which we examine.

We shall still regard our fuel as consisting of two ingredients,—one gaseous, and the other solid,-notwithstanding the gaseous appearance of the whole mass. We do this because we consider that the coal-gas, though consisting, in the first instance, of hydrogen and carbon vapour, is so far decomposed before it can be burnt, that the carbon can only be regarded as a number of infinitely small solid particles. In proof of this we will bring forward one or two facts.

First, It is a well-known fact, that coal-gas is decomposed (solid) carbon being deposited, and hydrogen given out) at a temperature considerably below that which is necessary for its inflammation. We have abundant evidence of this, in the circumstance that in the part of the retorts in which gas is manufactured, unoccupied by coal, but still heated, and over which the gas passes, there is always a deposit of solid carbon, known by the name of coal-gas, carbon, or charcoal.

Secondly, We may prove that it exists in this state in a gas flame, by simply taking some means of cooling it. Thus, if we hold a cold substance in a gas flame, it is immediately coated with lamp black or solid carbon. If the gas were not decomposed, simply cooling it would only have the effect of allowing a certain portion of gas to escape unconsumed, and could not possibly reduce the carbon to the solid form; but, being already decomposed by the heat requisite for its inflammation, the carbon exists in the solid form in the flame, and only requires a reduction of temperature to appear as soot.

The difference in the quality of gas depends upon a variety of circumstances; partly on the coal from which it is made,-partly on the heat employed; too great a heat reducing a large quantity of carbon in the mouth of the retort, thus increasing the proportion of hydrogen. For our present purpose, however, it is only necessary to remember that all gas contains a larger proportion of hydrogen than oil, and consequently requires a less supply of air to prevent its smoking; the smallest quantity capable of effecting this being the best and

most economical.

If gas be burned from a jet consisting of but one hole, of course it is liable to the same objections as the first oil-lamp which we mentioned, with this difference, that the outside of the three flames (that in which the want of luminosity is caused, by having too much`air) is much

larger than in the oil-lamp: the size of the internal portion, containing unburned gas, is of course dependent on the size of the jet, and can be almost done away with, by making it extremely small,-the size of the whole flame, and the quantity of light, being all diminished in proportion.

One of the first improvements on this single jet burner, was what is termed a bat's-wing burner, consisting of a tube, the top of which is rounded, and has an extremely fine slit cut longitudinally through it to the depth of about an eighth of an inch. Gas, when ignited at such a burner, forms a large flat flame, in which the air has free access to both sides, and, from its extreme thinness, the internal portion of unburned gas almost disappears; it, however, uses a large quantity of gas, and has a considerable portion of outside non-luminous flame. Various other methods have been resorted to, in order to give gas flames this flat shape amongst the most common, we may mention that of placing two jets opposite one another, in such a position that the streams of gas issuing from them shall cross one another close to the top of the burner; the consequence of which is, that neither stream keeps its own direction, but both are united into a flat flame at right angles to the jets. All these burners, though useful for out-door purposes, are quite unfit to be used in the house.

The most common form of burner now in use, for in-door purposes, is the Argand,-in principle the same as the Argand oil-lamp. It consists of two concentric tubes, united together by a ring of metal placed at top and bottom, which is of such a width as to fill up the space between the tubes. The top ring is perforated with a number of very fine holes, placed at such distances from one another that the little jets of gas all unite to form one solid ring of flame,—a stream of air of course playing up the centre, as well as on the outside of it. A chimney is always used with this burner, which keeps the flame steady, and produces a more regular current of air. The precise nature of this flame is of course dependent on the size of the jets; in general, these are much too large and too far apart, so that they form an agglomeration of flames, each possessed of all the faults of the old jet.

Nothing much was, for a long time, done in the way of altering these burners; but, about the time solar lamps were introduced, people, without considering the difference of the combustible, thought that what was good for one flame must be good for another, and introduced a variety of oxydators, all, more or less, on the principle of that used in the solar lamp. The effect of these is of course to create a much larger draught of air into the flame, and thereby to increase a defect already but too visible in an Argand burner. If we examine the flame from an Argand burner with a chimney over it, we find that for about half an inch from the burner, there is a blue flame giving little or no light, that all the luminosity is in the upper part of the flame. The cause of this is, that near the burner it has the greatest supply of air, and at that part the combustion of the carbon is too rapid. Now, if we put on an oxydator which brings the current of air directly into the

flame, a very much larger portion, as might naturally be expected, is rendered blue, the length of the whole flame being also much diminished. It is true, that quite the upper part of the flame appears more luminous, owing to the greater heat igniting the carbon more strongly; but its diminished length renders it necessary to turn on a much larger quantity of gas, in order to get really the same amount of light: so that the various patents which were taken out for more perfect combustion of gas,-the advertisements of which were so often headed, "Important to Gas Consumers,"-if they had had their proper title, would have been called, "Patents for consuming a Large Quantity of Gas." That this is true may be easily shown, by partly filling up the bottom of the chimney, and the centre of an Argand burner; when it will be found that the blue flame near the burner becomes luminous, the whole flame increasing so much in length that it becomes necessary to turn off a portion of the gas.

Some time ago a contrivance was introduced, in which the fact which we have just mentioned was made use of, to diminish the consumption of gas. This is figured in the margin, and consists of a common Argand burner a, with its chimney b, supported on a gallery c; about two inches below the burner is screwed on a circular plate of metal d, turned up on its edges, and carrying a second chimney e. Now, it is obvious that, before any air can get to the flame, it must come down between the two chimnies, the draught caused by the flame in the inside being enough to cause this downward current; at the same time, as soon as the inner chimney gets hot, it has a tendency to cause an upward current between itself and the outer one: the inner current is, however, the strongest, but the supply of air is of course much diminished. Great objections were made to these burners by some people,

on account of the loss of light caused by having two chimnies. This, however, in practice, is very small.

The shadowless burners, lastly introduced, are a great improvement on the old Argand. In these the burner consists simply of a piece of metal tube about three-tenths of an inch in diameter, turned round so as to form a ring, the upper surface of which is drilled with fine holes. In selecting gas-lamps, two things should be chiefly attended to,-first, the construction of the burner; secondly, its place in the chimney.

The best burners are those in which the holes are smallest and closest together. The best place for them is about an inch and a half up the chimney, as the flame is there quite protected from draughts, and the supply of air is also of course not so great.

In our next, we shall describe the Boccius light, and the other latest improvements in gas-lamps.

SKETCHES OF ENGLISH SCENERY.-No. I.

ST. ALBAN'S AND ITS ABBEY.

HE reflection, that even amid all the alterations and improvements which are taking place around us, there still remain some localities where the venerable memorials of our forefathers are preserved untouched by the destroying fingers of innovation, is pleasing not only to the mere antiquary, but also to the man of taste and feeling. Among these localities we may place Saint Alban's and its vicinity-so rich in historical as well as in antiquarian reminiscences. This town was formerly called Verulam, from the river on which it is situated; but its name was subsequently changed to Saint Alban's, in honour of Alban, the English protomartyr. It is placed on the summit of a low hill, gently sloping down to the clear waters of the Ver, and is surrounded by a very fertile and picturesque country. The town is neat, although ancient ; and possesses many curious remains of former times. But the chief ornament of the place is its magnificent abbey, which is seen from