us.

the spaces between the compartments can be made available for holding the liquid fuel, and each tank as it was emptied, filled with water, so that the trim would remain nearly unaltered however prolonged her cruise might be. There may be other advantages which do not occur to us at this moment, but to avail ourselves of those we have enumerated, it is clear that we must have the means of using the fuel, and this is precisely what Mr. Richardson offers The grate, which the Duke of Somerset and so many of the notabilities of our navy assembled to inspect, presents an appearance similar to the letter M. The upper portion of the centre of the letter is occupied by the porous material through which the vapour passes. This material may be charcoal, bathbrick, hearthstone, pumice stone, coke, or any similar substance. Beneath this flows the petroleum, which is admitted through a pipe, so that the supply can be regulated or be cut off in an instant by turning the stopcock, which of itself is an important advantage in case of an accident to the machinery or the boiler. The space between the legs of the letter, if we may so speak, is filled with boiling water, the use of which is that it prevents the iron from becoming red-hot, as the petroleum gives nearly as much heat below as above the flame, and keeps it at the proper temperature for vapourising. The oil itself, as will be perceived, does not take fire until it is converted into vapour by the heat, when it rises through the porous material and ignites the instant flame is applied; continuing to burn until the whole of the oil is consumed. To obviate the danger which would attend the confinement of the vapour, that portion which rises in excess of that which can be burnt is conducted into what is termed the vapour chamber, which is situated at the back of the grate, and escapes through a perforated pipe; a waste of material for which we see no good reason, and which will probably be remedied by the construction of boilers especially adapted for the grate, though, as the Duke of Somerset remarked, he could hold out no hope of any change in the form of the boiler at present. If no objections to the use of the grate are discovered in the course of the experiments to which it is to be subjected, we may conclude that it will not be long before we shall have an opportunity of seeing how it answers on board ship. The Lords of the Admiralty are favourably impressed by the performance of the model grate, and have applied to Mr. Richardson for drawings from which they can cause one to be constructed on a large scale. In addition to the serious advantages claimed for the petroleum, there are minor ones which are not to be despised, such, for instance, as the cleanliness with which it can be used; there will be no reason why the boiler-room should not be as clean as the captain's cabin.

Objections have been made to the use of mineral oils, based on the ground of the danger of their taking fire spontaneously under certain circumstances, of their explosive qualities, &c. Now if these objections were well-founded, they would furnish strong reasons

against their use on land, and infinitely stronger against their employment on board ship. We have heard naval men express themselves strongly against its introduction into the navy on these grounds alone, apart from any other considerations. What, they ask, would be the effect of a red hot shot or shell penetrating one of the tanks containing the liquid fuel? and they answer the query by assuming that an immediate explosion would follow, and the inevitable destruction of the vessel by fire. It might be answered that a red hot shot or shell entering one of the coal bunkers would certainly ignite the coals and produce a similar result, less the explosion. The truth, however, is, that petroleum is not capable of being ignited by this cause. We have repeatedly plunged pieces of lighted wood into the liquid, and they have been extinguished instantly without setting fire to the fluid. Crude petroleum is a dense fluid having some resemblance to treacle in appearance. It adınits of several degrees of refinement, in the course of which any dangerous properties it possesses are removed from it with one of its constituent parts, which is sold under another name, and used for various purposes in connection with the Arts. It must not be supposed, however, that when deprived of this dangerous spirit it will not burn, the lamps we use which are fed by it furnish a proof to the contrary, but to burn, the flame must have a supply of oxygen, just the same as any other. In the condition in which it is proposed to burn it on board ship, it would, on being heated to a certain point, give off a vapour, which if it collected in a confined space would take fire and explode on contact with flame precisely as gas does. Its use therefore will require care, but with a class of men so intelligent as our engineers are, we may rely on that care being taken as a matter of course.

At a time when we were engaged in warfare the question of cost would have no consideration whatever, attention would only be shown to the efficiency of our navy for combative purposes; but at other times the case is different, and peace being the rule, it becomes necessary to make a comparison on this point between petroleum and coal. At the present time, the advantage under this head would appear to be with the latter, but there are so many drawbacks to be taken into account, that even in the case of the navy, it will be found that appearances are deceptive, although it cannot, as in the case of merchant steamers, recover any portion of the first cost by the gain of stowage room.

It is quite clear that the question of cost will depend on the supply, and that it would not be safe to make any important changes based on the present price of petroleum, unless the supply was as unlimited as coal, and an increased demand for it could be met as readily as in the case of that fuel. The question therefore is, is the supply practically unlimited? we think it is. It is estimated that the oil districts of America, at present known, comprise fully 63,000 square miles. The oil wells of Pennsylvania are to

all appearance inexhaustible, and the quantity obtained from some of them appears almost fabulous; as much as one thousand barrels per day we are told. The accumulation of barrels is such that the railway seems to make no impression on the huge collection, though it is constantly engaged in carrying them off, and indeed does so in such numbers that it is calculated that the railway which carries them to the port of shipment, some fifty miles in length, will be entirely paid for in a few years by the conveyance of oil alone. But we are not dependent on America for a supply of this substance, it is found in nearly every country, and probably exists in all. In some of our possessions it exists in such abundance that it exudes from the soil; in the case of Trinidad, for example, it is said to be so plentiful that a company formed for the purpose of importing it, profess to be able to deliver it in this country at £7 per ton, and we are told that the Flintshire mineral oils can be sold at one-third of the price of the American, a statement which is to some extent borne out by the fact that the importations from America have almost ceased. What quantity can be obtained within the United Kingdom remains to be seen, certainly it will be very large. Many a bog in Ireland which has been hitherto regarded as a mere store of fuel for the peasantry, may provẽ a spring of incalculable wealth to the proprietor when wells have been sunk. Another source of supply exists in our coal-bearing districts. Long ago it was estimated that two-and-a-half millions of tons of coal were wasted annually at the Northumberland and Durham pits alone. In Derbyshire about one-sixth of the coal dug out is left in the colliery as unfit for sale. All these vast accumulations are now available, and in the hands of chemists will yield enormous quantities of mineral oil. We think, therefore, that the demand for the navy and for steamships generally is not likely to raise the price to any extravagant height, nor beyond the point at which it will compare favourably with coal, though in this we differ from some who have considered the question, and who are inclined to put faith in reports like that of Dr. Fisher, who summed up as the result of his experiments that at the present prices of coal and petroleum, the cost of using petroleum would be ten times greater than coal.

In the case of merchant steamers and transports, there would be a set off against the greater cost of the petroleum in the gain of stowage room. It is assumed that one ton of mineral oil is equal to four-and-a-half times that weight of coal; consequently, if this be so, and we think it will be found that the proportion is even more favourable to the oil, we have the space previously occupied by three-and-a-half tons of coal at our disposal, to which may be added the space occupied by the coal dust which is not burnt, and which one of the speakers at the meeting at the United Service Institution estimated to be one-fifth of the entire quantity taken on board.

If petroleum is adopted as steam fuel at present, it will be solely on account of its merits as compared with coal, but there will come a time, which may be more or less distant than pessimists assert, when our coal will be exhausted and we shall be obliged to adopt. the use of a substitute as a necessity. The estimated take from our coal-fields annually is 90,000,000 tons, and it is very evident that this cannot be continued for an unlimited period.

THE CAMPAIGN OF 1805, AND THE BATTLE OF
AUSTERLITZ.

BY LIEUTENANT A. STEINMETZ, the Queen's Own Light Infantry.

The campaign of 1805 was remarkable for its plan, its march of concentration, its manoeuvring marches, and its battles. The plan was to operate in the valley of the Danube with one hundred and eighty thousand men, and to profit by numerical superiority in reaching the rear of the enemy.

It

Previous to its advance, "the Grand Army of England," as it was called in contemplation of the invasion of England, was established on the coasts of the Channel, from Brest to Holland. was ordered to proceed by forced marches to the Rhine, thence to the Danube, on the banks of which river it arrived in fifteen days. This march of concentration was remarkable for its promptitude, and the care which was taken to conceal it from the enemy. The result was accomplished by a series of demonstrations; the whole camp of Boulogne was actually in the boats which were to convey it to the ships-the Emperor's horses were already embarked-when the order was issued to turn "to the right-about" and proceed to the Rhine.

But the best organisation to be given to an army entering upon a campaign, will be always perhaps a serious problem, on account of the difficulty experienced in maintaining it in its integrity, in the midst of the events of war, and the incessant detachments which they more or less render necessary. The Grand Army of Boulogne was a striking proof of the fact. It seemed that its perfect organization would secure it from all possible vicissitudes. The centre under Soult, the right under Davoust, the left under Ney, the reserve under Lannes, presented a regular and formidable array of thirteen divisions of infantry, without counting those of the Guard and the Grenadiers. Besides, the corps of Bernadotte and Marmont, detached on the right, and that of Augereau, detached on the left, were disposable to operate on the flanks. But what happened? By the time they crossed the Danube at Donauwörth, everything was inverted. Ney, who was at first reinforced with five divisions, was reduced to two. The whole

array was dislocated, part on the right, part on the left, so that this beautiful order became useless.

The Austrians were to operate with one hundred thousand men in Italy, forty thousand in the Tyrol, and ninety thousand in the valley of the Danube, where they were to be joined by the Russian Army. The Austrian General Mack, with his ninety thousand men, operated on the Inn, invaded Bavaria, and took up his position near Ulm. This march was rather adventurous; for not only was Bavaria not an ally of Austria, but her enemy and the faithful ally of France.

The French Army debouched by Metz, Strasburg, Spires, facing the principal communications which connect the Rhine with the Danube, that is, at the Maine, the Necker, &c., and entered upon foreign territory in columns of march, concentrating at Stutgard. As it was necessary to mask the movements, orders were given to the advanced guard and the cavalry of reserve, under the command of Murat, to make a demonstration on the Black Forest, to take the Austrians in flank, if found at the sources of the Danube, and cut them off from the reinforcements arriving from Austria.

This demonstration was well executed and succeeded in deceiving Mack, who accordingly concentrated his forces in the environs of Ulm, Stokah, and Memmingen.

The result was that the Austrian's position became critical. The French army advanced upon him-not directly, but obliquely, refusing its right, and concentrated in the environs of Louisburg. Some knowledge of the valley of the Danube is required to understand the disposition of the French army. That river runs from West to East in that direction, bathing Ulm. On the North of this town is Esslach; on the south Memmingen; five leagues to the east, on the river is Gunzburg; one league from Gunzburg is Donauwörth; four leagues further is Neuburg; and finally, Ingolstadt, six leagues from Neuburg. At Donauwörth, the Danube receives a confluent, the Lach; Munich is at the south of Donauwörth.

Ney received orders to advance upon Gunzburg; three other corps were directed upon Donauwörth, three on Neuberg, and the eighth upon Ingolstadt-thus presenting a front of march equal to twenty leagues in extent-without the slightest probability of meeting with a check or reverse. For it was evident, that if Ney was attacked, he would file off as far as Donauwörth; if, on the contrary, the enemy should advance upon Donauwörth, he would be taken in flank by the divisions which occupied Gunz. burg and Neuburg.

It speaks well for the discipline of the advance, when we state that each corps-d'armée arrived at its post in accurate succession -namely, on the 5th of October at Gunzburg, on the 6th at Donauwörth, on the 7th at Neuburg, on the 8th at Ingoldstadt.