The length of Tube Bridge which they have in hand here is only 120
feet, about 1/4 of the whole length: and at present they are only busy
on the bottom part of it: but it is a prodigious thing. I shall be
anxious about it. Then we went to other works of the Fosters' at
King's Wynford, where they have blast furnaces: and here after seeing
all other usual things we saw the furnaces tapped. In this district
the Fosters work the 10-yard coal in a way different from any body
else: they work out the upper half of its thickness and then leave the
ground to fall in: after a year or two this ground becomes so hard as
to make a good safe roof, and then they work away the other half: thus
they avoid much of the danger and difficulty of working the thick bed
all at once. The ventilation of these mines scarcely ever requires
fires, and then only what they call "lamps," those little fire-places
which are used for giving light at night. (In the Northumberland and
Durham pits, they constantly have immense roaring fires to make a
draught.) Then we came home through Dudley.
* * * * *
During his stay in Russia, there was a great desire manifested by the
astronomers and scientific men of Russia that he should be presented
to the Emperor.
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