Feb. ,1, 1SG7.] 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



31 



detects other forms which, from their branched and 

 slender, threadlike character, he is disposed to 

 regard as the mycelium of fungi. There are objects 

 of which Mr. Gill writes, "in placing some of this 

 honey in water, in about three weeks very beautiful 



Fig. 24. 



Fig. 25. 



masses of elongated cells are formed from groups of 

 these objects. Each of the cells has divisions with 

 four or more granules in each. The cells after 

 breaking up, the granules being free in the water, 

 have a slight movement, and appear in every re- 

 spect to be like the parent bodies in a gradual state 

 of development. These objects have a great resem- 

 blance to some of the Desmidiacese. The colours 

 vary from deep golden to pale yellow, some of 

 them having a faint rose tint." Eor our own part, 

 we must confess that we can find in all the sketches 

 submitted to us far greater affinities with pollen 

 grains than any unicellular algse. 



AMIDST THE RUINS. 



WE take it for granted that every person, 

 though resident in far-off countries, has by 

 this time heard or read of the late fire at the Crystal 

 Palace. Two-thirds of the stately edifice fortunately 

 remain uninjured ; but the North Transept, or that 

 portion of the building which was usually desig- 

 nated " the tropical end of the Palace," must be 

 numbered amongst the things that were. 



It is sad to contemplate the destruction of unique 

 and costly works of art, very many of which are 

 beyond the power of money, or even human skill, to 

 reproduce ; quite as pitiful is it to see trees, shrubs, 

 and flowers, that were brought from tropical coun- 

 tries, at an incalculable outlay of capital and labour, 

 reduced to dust and ashes ; yet I assert without 

 fear of contradiction that it is ten times more 

 harrowing to gaze upon the black and cindered 

 remains of all sorts of living things, which we know 

 were roasted alive, like human martyrs were wont 

 to be, chained to stakes, or so securely fastened into 

 cages of iron as to forbid the faintest chance of 

 escape from the greedy flames. 



Thoughts akin to these passed through my mind 

 as I wandered, with saddened heart, over the ruins 

 of the tropical department, a short time after its 

 ever-to-be-lamented destruction. It may interest 

 you, courteous reader, to follow me in fancy, as I 

 briefly recount my stroll amidst the ruins. 



It will be as well, perhaps, in the first place to 



recall to your remembrance that the Crystal Palace 

 building, above the basement floor, consists of a 

 central nave, two side aisles, two large galleries, 

 three transepts, and two wings; that it is con- 

 structed principally of iron and glass. "We must 

 except in this general statement a considerable 

 portion of the west front, which is made up of 

 wood panelling. The extreme length of the building 

 is 1,608 feet : add to this the wings, each 574 feet, 

 and the colonnade, which is 720 feet, and we get as 

 the total length of the palace 3,476 feet, or, in round 

 numbers, nearly three-quarters of a mile. It is 

 rather startling to think so large a piece of ground, 

 should be completely covered in by a roof of glass. 



If all the columns employed in the building 

 and wings, were laid end to end in a straight 

 line, the distance covered would be sixteen miles 

 and a quarter. The weight of iron used in the 

 main building and wings, amounts to the incredible 

 quantity of 9,611 tons, 17 cwt., 1 quarter. 



The superficial quantity of glass used in this 

 monster edifice is 25 acres, and its weight 500 

 tons. If the panes were laid side by side, they 

 would extend a distance of 4S miles ; if end to end, 

 •242 miles. The bolts and rivets weigh 175 tons, 

 1 cwt., 1 quarter; and the nails employed for a 

 variety of purposes 103 tons, 6 cwt. All this is 

 apart from the colonnade, which has a superficial 

 area of 15,500 feet, and has in its construction 60 

 tons of iron and 30,000 superficial feet of glass. 



The plan practised for raising the temperature of 

 this mammoth building is by using hot water. The 

 pipes for the conveyance of the hot water, run in all 

 directions underneath the floor of the building and 

 wings ; these pipes, if arranged in a straight line, 

 would reach to a distance of more than 50 miles, 

 and the heated fluid flowing from and returniug 

 again into the boilers, travels one mile and three 

 quarters. When all the fountains are playing, 

 11,78S jets are in operation, throwing 120,000 gallons 

 of water per minute. A single grand display of the 

 fountains consumes 6,000,000 gallons of water. The 

 towers at each end of the Palace, built by Mr. Brunei 

 for the purpose of raising the tanks for the supply 

 of the fountains, contain 800 tons of iron in their 

 substance ; the tanks are calculated to hold 357,675 

 gallons of water. The engine-power required to do 

 all the work is that of 320 horses. 



Having refreshed our memories with this brief 

 summary of statistics, we will quit the grand central 

 nave and enter a door beneath the large screen that 

 shuts off the tropical end from the rest of the build- 

 ing. On our left, we first notice scattered masses 

 of coloured arabesque and mosaic work, splintered 

 columns and damaged walls — all that remains 

 whereby we can recognize the once splendid 

 Alhambra, the Hall of the Abencerrages, the Court 

 of Lions, and Tribunal of Justice. 

 As we scramble about over broken mouldings, and 



