interest seems to prompt them to mislead. That the shores of New South Shetland are extremely productive of fish, the cargoes of skins and blubber which have arrived, sufficiently evince; and the statements of the crews how ever much to be mistrusted, are certainly corroborative of the generally received opinion, viz. that New South Shetland is a part of an Antarctic Continent.

It is stated, that the interior of the land has been traversed for some considerable distance, and all accounts agree as to its wide extent. The shores are said to be extremely dangerous, and many vessels, (particularly Americans) we understand, have been lost here during fogs, which are very prevalent.

We are favoured with the perusal of a private letter from New South Shetland, written by Lieut. G. F. Airey, R. N. dated on board the George, New Plymouth, 3d January, 1821, but in what latitude or longitude this place is situate, the account does not state.

The writer says, "When I left home, I did not think an opportunity would offer of writing an account of New South Shetland, but more ships are here than was expected, when we left England. A London cutter sails to-morrow, whose Captain has kindly offered to forward this to Liverpool.

"We arrived after a short passage of ten weeks, at the Falkland Islands, in hopes of killing oxen in abundance, but were much disappointed. They were too wild to allow any one to come near them; so that we were obliged to put up with about a hundred and forty wild geese, and one wild boar. We left Falkland, on the 25th of November, and made this detestable place, on the 1st of December.

"We have not seen the moonlight or a star since we

came here, and scarcely know the difference between noon and night, for clouds and fog. The sun is only two hours down out of the twenty-four; (this being the summer season,) but snow never leaves this place, even at midsummer.

"At our first making the land, we came in a boat to look for a harbour among the rocks, (as it is nothing but rocks,) and in going out again to the ship, it came on a thick fog, and we lost ourselves, and very nearly for ever. We got among the breakers, the boat was upset, rolled over three times, and dashed us against the rocks. Our escape was most miraculous and providential, which all the men in the boat, (eight beside myself,) acknowledged when we got safe on shore, and spontaneously returned thanks to God upon our knees for his kind mercy towards us; so you may judge how we were, when a sailor thinks of his Maker.

"The weather is as cold as you have it at Christmas. The seals are not so plentiful as was represented at Liverpool, we must therefore put up with a moderate quantity; we have now about nine thousand seal skins, and I am still in hopes of obtaining about two thousand weekly.

"Walking one day upon a mountain, I saw the ribs and head bones of a whale lying in the snow. It is a matter of very great surprise how the animal should get here, I do not apprehend the spot was ever trodden upon by human feet before."

G. F. AIREY.

In the early part of the present month (May,) the above ship, George, arrived at Cork with a cargo of eighteen thousand skins, having by a dreadful squall and hurri

cane, and a succession of bad weather, lost all her anchors, cables, and ground tackle, and for her own safety, was obliged to put to sea, leaving Lieutenant Airey, (the writer of the above) behind in a cutter, who had gone to a Bay to the westward.

The return of Captain Basil Hall, (now engaged upon a survey of New South Shetland,) is shortly expected, and we hope to be able to lay before our readers an early and authentic account of this important discovery.

Nobel Inventions.

Snowden's Leaf collecting Machine.

A machine of rather a novel description, has been recently constructed by Mr. Snowden of Oxford-street, for the service of His Majesty, to be employed in the Park and grounds of Hampton Court. Its principal object, is to collect dead leaves from off the lawns, with very great expedition. It moves upon a pair of large wheels, and is drawn by a single horse. The apparatus consists of a large cylindrical tub, about five feet in diameter, and seven feet long, which swings upon an axle, and is open at top in order to receive the leaves as they are collected. The collectors are hollow iron scoops or scrapers, attached to bars extending across the machine from two iron hoops, which work round the cylindrical receiver, and, as they revolve, scrape the ground, collect the leaves together, lift them up, and turn them over into the tub. The collectors or scoops are made of many distinct pieces set in rows, with springs behind each, by which any part of the scraper is enabled

to give way, should it come in contact with a stone, in a manner similar to the rake bars of a hay-making machine. The hoops carrying the scrapers, are lowered and adjusted to meet the ground, by having their pivots supported in a lever attached to the carriage, upon which it is adjusted by means of a circular rack and pinion. The scrapers are carried round as the carriage moves forward, by means of a spur-wheel, upon the nave of one of the carriage wheels which takes into a cog-wheel upon the axis of the scraper frame. This apparatus is designed beside clearing parks and lawns of dead leaves, to remove snow from the walks, to scrape and clean roads, and for several other useful purposes.

Apparatus for Condensing the Vapour from Gas-burners.

MR. RICHARDSON of Upper East Smithfield, has invented an apparatus, for the purpose of receiving and condensing the vapour emitted from gas-burners, which effectually remedies the inconvenience generally experienced by the smoke and other corrosive exhalations depositing themselves upon goods, particularly in shop windows.

Over the burner, (which branches out as a scroll from a standard pillar,) is suspended a bell-glass or funnel, connected to a bent return pipe. The vapour from the burner rising up into this inverted ball-glass is there collected, and thence passes up through the bent part of the return pipe, where it becomes condensed. The water thus produced, falls down through the standard pillar

into a reservoir below; where a discharge pipe is fixed that conducts the condensation away in any direction which may be most convenient. The gas-pipe rises up through the reservoir, and within the standard pillar, leaving a space around it for the condensed vapour to pass. The branch carrying the burner, is connected to the standard pillar by a joint, which enables both it and the return-pipe, to be moved round horizontally.

Apparatus for Propelling Ships of War.

CAPTAIN BURTON, of His Majesty's Navy, has invented, an apparatus by which ships of war may be propelled in a calm; and also, by means of the said machinery, to work the ship's pumps,-the operating agents are paddle-wheels. He states that there are three circumstances, in which the application of the machinery about to be described, will be found advantageous; first, in propelling the vessel when she is becalmed, or on a lee shore, by applying the men at the capstans, as the power for working the paddles. Second, in working the chainpumps, by the application of the men alone to the capstans. Thirdly, in the application of the paddle-wheels, as a power to work the chain pumps, when the ship is under sail, and in a leaky state.

A horizontal shaft of iron reaches across the vessel, and at each end of the shaft on the outside of the ship, is fixed a cast-iron frame. In this frame, are eight mortices to receive iron arms to carry the flat boards or paddles. These arms are fixed into the mortices by keys or otherwise, as may be most convenient for unshipping, and the