at there are at present 2000
miles of railway in France, besides as much more which is to be
completed in four years. Portugal is only just beginning to think of
iron routes: a few wakeful people are trying to impress that backward
land with a sense of the advantages of rapid locomotion; and it is
shewn that, by a simple system of railways, Lisbon would be placed at
sixteen hours' distance from Madrid, forty-three from Paris,
fifty-three from Brussels, and fifty-seven from London. Would it not
be a comfort to be able to run away from the north-east monsoon, which
has so long afflicted us, to the orange groves on the banks of the
Tagus, in about two days and a half? A telegraph is about to
be carried from the Austrian States over the Splugen into
Switzerland--the Alps, it would appear, being no bar to the
thought-flasher. There is a project, too, for a regular and universal
dispatch of telegraph messages from all parts of the world. A mail and
telegraph route from the Mississippi across to San Francisco is talked
about. The proposer considers that post-houses might be erected at
every twenty miles across the American continent, in which companies
of twenty men of the United States' army might be stationed, to
protect and facilitate the intercommunication; news would then find
its way across in six or seven days. Should this scheme fail to be
realised, the Americans may content themselves with having nearly
11,000 miles of railway already open, and another 11,000 in progress.

A beginning is made towards the abolition of the duty on foreign books
imported. Government have consented that certain learned societies,
and a number of scientific individuals, shall receive, duty free, such
scientific publications as may be sent to them from abroad.
Considering that the whole amount realised by the present customs'
charge is only L.8000, it is easy to believe that the authorities will
shortly have to abolish it altogether. Another question in which books
are concerned, is the dispute that has been going on for some time
among the fraternity of booksellers, as to whether a retailer shall be
allowed to sell books for any price he pleases, or not. Whether
'free-trade' or 'monopoly' is to prevail, will depend on the decision
of the arbitrators who have been chosen. Leaving out all the rest of
the kingdom, there are nearly 1000 booksellers in London; so the
subject is an important one. This number affords a notable datum for
comparis