THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



29 



The Government Ims Intely ptircliasinl in England two iron steam boats — the 

 Tnkermaun and the Newka. The first is intended to ply between Constantinople and 

 Odessa. It arrived at Odessa on the 9th of this month, having peribrmed the voyage 

 from London in 38 days. The Alexandria steamboat, wliioli ought to have arrived 

 here on Monday, is not here. To-day it ought to set out on its return to Lubeck. 

 We learn hero "tliat it has been compelled by a storm at sea to put into Ballischport. — 

 Hainhunjh papvr. 



Vienita. — Tlie church of St. Stephen's is to be wholly repaired, and we are happy 

 totinJthe Vienna ArchUnctnralJournal contradiet the report current in Germany 

 that part of the spire was to betaken d(>wn on account of the inclination in the upper 

 part being 3 deg. 3 rain. This we believe was caused in the siege by the Turks, and we 

 believe is no nmre productive of danger than the settling of Salisbury spire, or the 

 vibration of our Montnuent. The Town House, at Prague, as interesting as a work of 

 art as it is from its historical associations, is also to be fully restored and beautilied 

 The Emperor Ferdinand has at his own cost repaired the romantic castle of Karlsteiu 

 in Biphemia, one of the bestworks of tlie Cintpie cento ; and instead of being used 

 as a powder magazine, it is to be converted into a museum or national Valhalla, like 

 that at Munich. 



Bi-iihji' at Preshnrg. — The engineers have chosen the locality for the perma- 

 next stone bridge over" the Daixube at Presbiu-g, which is to form part of the Vienna 

 and Raaber railway. 



Engineering Prizes in Hungary, — The recent devastation of the city of Pesth by 

 inimdation has caused the public spirited Count George Andrassy, to ofl'er munificent 

 prizes for the best treatises on the history of these overflows of the Danube, and the 

 Mieans of averting them, and with a generosity worthy of their donor, tliey are thrown 

 open to foreign competition. 



Texas. — A company lias been formed to establish a road for waggons, and to carry 

 on trade from Galveston Island through Chihuahwa to Montery on the upper part 

 of the Gulf of Califoruiii. — New Orleans paper. 



Egiipiiaii Dv4k. — M. Mongel, a French engineer, has arrived at Alexandria. The 

 pacha has sent for liim to confide to his care the consti-uction of the repairing dock 

 which Sahir Eft'endi commenced, but could not finish. M. Mongel's reputation 

 leaves no doubt of his success. The viceroy has granted him 30,000 francs a year, 

 and 2,000 for his lodging. If, as he has promised, M. Mongel terminates this work 

 before three years, he is to have besides a gratuity of 60,000 francs. 



Versailles TValerworks. — The king has appointed a Commission of engineers to 

 inspect the waterworks at Marly, and to draw up plans for the better supply of 

 Versailles with water. — GalignuJii's Messenger. 



St>$pertsion Bridges, dmstantinople. — A French painter and architect, M. Hector 

 Korean, has drawn up the plan of a suspension-bridge, which is to open a new com- 

 munication between Constantinople and Galata. It is to have several suspensions, 

 and that of ihe centre is to bo sufficiently high to admit of the jiassage of the largest 

 vessels. Tlie principle advantage of the construction will be to concilinte the naval 

 movements with the public circulation. The plan, wliich is a sort of revival of that 

 conceived by Michael Angclo for the same spot, is to be presented to the Sultan. 



French Mail Coaches.— A decree has been issued authorising the Minister of 

 Finance to pay 400.000 francs, or £16^000, for the establi-shment of the new mail 

 coaches on the great roads of France. — Moniteitr. 



Quicksilrer Mine. — We are informed by Mr. Cooper, that in boring near this place 

 through the soft sttme upon which this region of country is based, his auger, at the 

 distance of several hundred feet from the surface, dropped into a lake of quicksilver, 

 fourteen feet and some inches deep. — Marengo Ala. Gazette. 



Paris. — The clearing away of the small houses surromiding the fine Tower of Saint 

 Jacques la Boucherio appears to have been suspended. On the site of one of the 

 porches of the church a reservoir is now forming for supplying the inhabitant of the 

 adjacent quarters with filtered water. — In consequence of the frost nearly all kind, 

 of masonry work has been suspended at Paris, and more than 15,000 workmen are, 

 now out of employment in the capital. — Galignani. 



Calais. — It is in contemplation to erect a new light.house at Calais, 200 feet high 

 in the room of the Tour du Guet, whicli stiiuds only 120 feet above the level of the 

 sea. Tlie precise spot of the new buibhng is not yet decided upon, but a commis- 

 sion has been appointed to select the most eligible position. 



The Journal (h C'herbimrg announces that the Minister of War intended to call for 

 a credit of 10,000,000f. for the completion of the fortifications of Cherbourg and the 

 establishment of a new powder magazine. 



Greece. — Tlie king has laid the foundation of a monument to Marco Bozzaris, at 

 Missolonghi. — Times. 



French F'ortificatiom. — There are 121 fortified places in France, of which 21 are 

 of the first class, 18 of the second, and 52 of the third. — Times. 



Dutch Engineers. — The minister of the colonies, at the request of the governor- 

 general of the French Indies, has published in the Staals Courant an invitation to 

 the young officers of the Waterstaat who are unmarried, and if possible not above 20 

 years of age, to be employed in the colonial possessions, whither they will bo sent, 

 and in the first three years with salaries of 2 to 300 florins per month (20/. to 30/.), 

 exclusive of other emoluments. — Times. 



Australia. — The estimates of colonial expenditure for the year 1839 are, for roads, 

 bridges, and streets, 25,070/. 2s. 6d. 



The King of Bavaria has received, as a present from the Emperor of Russia, a 

 vase of malacliite, of extraordinary beauty and size, being twelve feet high with the 

 pedestal. 



Professional Press in Russia The government publishes the following : — Mining 



Journal, Engineering Memoirs, and Journal of Ways of Communication (roadw and 

 bridges). There is besides a Gazette of the Arts, published 18 times a year, with 

 100 engravings. Most of these are in French or German. — Journal des Debuts. 



Sleep on Railroads. — The following notice of an invention of accommodation " to 

 sleep," as if at home, while travelling on railroads, appears in a recent number of the 

 Baltimore American: — " The introduction of the newly-iuvented sleeping cars on our 

 railroads makes that kind of travelling almost perfect — all that is wanting now is a 

 dining car. The sleeping cars will soun be placed on the railroad between this and 

 Philadelphia, so that travellers leaving here in the seven o'clock train may go to 

 sleep in this city, and not be disturbed till they reach Philadelphia. These cars are 

 fifty feet in length, and the seats, which are sideways, can, by a simple movement, be 

 converted into berths; iu each car forty-eight passengers can be accommodated with 

 berths." 



ANTIQUITIES. 



Carthage. — Sir Grenvllle Temple has employed six months in executing exca- 

 vations in the neighbourhood of the site of Carthage, and his labours have been 

 rewarded by a variety of interesting discoveries. In the ruins of the temple Juno 

 Cielestis, at Ganath, the protecting divinity of Carthage, he found about 700 coins, 

 ditferent articles of glass, and earthenware utensils. But the most remarkable and 

 unexpected of kis discoveries lias been that of a vflla on tlie sea shore, and fifteen feet 

 under ground. Eight chambers have been entirely cleared, and their form and deco- 

 rations prove that the house belonged to some distinguished personage. The walls 

 are painted, and the vestibule is paved in superb mosaic, iu the same style as those of 

 Pompeii and Herculaueum, and representing a variety of objects, such as marine 

 divinities of both sexes, fishes of difterent species, marine plants, a vessel with women 

 dancing an the deck, and surrounded by martial admirers, lions, horses, leopards, 

 tigers, zebras, bears, gazelles, herons, and other birds. In the dillerent chambera 

 were found several human skeletons, supposed to be the remains of warriors killed 

 during the storming of the villa. In another house Sir Grenville Temple has also 

 discovered various interesting mosaics, representing gladiators combating wild animals 

 in the arena, with the name of each combatant written over his head. In another 

 part are represented horse-races and men breaking in young horses. — Gulignani's 

 Messenger. 



A Roman Mosaic Pavement. — It will be remembered that Dr. Allnatt publishetl a 

 statement a few weeks since, which appeared in most of the public journals, of some 

 ancient reHcs nhich had been discovered at Pangbouni, Berks, by the labourers 

 employed on the Great Western Railway, and which were supposed to be of Roman 

 origin. This supposition has received within the last few days further confirmation 

 by the exhumation of an almost perfect floor of tessellated pavement, situated in a 

 beautiful valley near the Thames, about two miles from the scene of the former dis- 

 covery. It is conjectured to have been the floor in the chamber of a Roman villa. 

 The pavement is formed of " quarries," or the small, irregularly square, detached 

 tesserje, so characteristic of Greek and Roman manufacture, and the figures are of the 

 most elaborate and beautiful design. The ornamental portion, constituting the centre 

 of the floor, is eight feet square, of four tUstinct colours, ^dz., red, gray, brown, and 

 white. The colour appears to be formed of a species of fire-hardened cement laid 

 upon the surface of the tesserfe, for it is superficial, and does not pervade its whole 

 structure. The discovery has excited much interest : a great many persons from 

 distant parts of the country, artists, and scientific gentlemen, having visited the spot; 

 they ai*e unanimous in declaring the floor to be a beautiful and interesting specimen 

 of ancient art. The site of the house (or, as some imagine it to have been, a military 

 tent) can bo traced with tolerable accuracy by the lines of mortar, charcoal, and 

 flints, used iu the foundation. Two human skeletons were lying exterior to the walls, 

 near one of which a Roman coin was found, and by the side of the other a curious 

 species of broadsword, which antiquarians suppose to be identical with that used by 

 the auxiliary legions. Orders have been given by Mr. Brunei, the engineer, for th» 

 whole to be preserved entire. — Times. — [It is with great regret tliat we have since 

 learned that Mr. Brunei has directed this interesting relic to be broken up. Messrs. 

 Grissel and Peto, however, have had a drawing made, which is intended to be litho- 

 graphed. We are sorry to see this disrespect for objects which are of universal 

 interest to every man of education and refinement. Such deeds of barbaiisui have 

 been but too frequent, and geologists have repeatedly complained of the ravages 

 which have been committed through the negligence of the engineers. Very little 

 expense would have restored tliis pavement, and it would have formed an interest- 

 ing object iu the waiting-room of the station. We do not see, indeed, why museums 

 should not be formed at every station, illustrative of the geology of the line. — 

 Editor C. E. & A. Jour.] 



Irish Canoes. — A short time ago, when the water was drawn ofl", for the purpose of 

 deepening a part of Lough Reavy, nearest the discharge pipes, three old cauoes, of 

 very antique appearance and construction, being apparently hollowed out of a single 

 tree, were discovered imbedded in the mud. One has been conveyed to Lord Down- 

 shire's seat at Hillsborough; another is at Castlc-Ward, the seat of the Bangor 

 family; and the thu-d is iu the possession of Lord Roden at Tullymore. 



The fine remains of the abbey of Saviguy, near Mortain, iu Normandy, have just 

 been purchased by M. do Caumont, the well-known antiquarian, arid will llius be 

 preserved to the country. — Galignani. 



MISCELLANEA. 



Zincography. — The Baltimore American states, that a method has been invented of 

 drawing on zinc, said to be very superior in effect to lithography. The mode of pre- 

 paring the metal so as to fit it for the purpose is said to be a secret unknown but to 

 one person in the country. In the process of stamping, a delicate pink tint is 

 conveyed to the paper, by which the engraving is made to assume the appearance of 

 drawing ou chalk. 



Sculpture. The Duke of Devonshire, who was so liberal a patron of Canova has, 



during his present sojourn in Italy, added several fine productions of Ihe chisel of 

 Thorwalsden, Marches!, and other living artists, to his already large and valuable 

 collection of marbles. 



Brighton Pavilion. — In the storm on the 2ud instant, at a quarter before twelve, 

 a flash of lightning struck the pinnacle over the nortli gateway of the grotuuls, and 

 carried a portion of it away, and shattered several panes of stained glass. — Mornimj 



Post. 



Cheap Repairs. — A society has been formed at Paris for preserving and describing 

 tlie French historical monuments of the middle ages. The economical laboius of this 

 patriotic associaliim are well worth the attention of such as may be struggUng to 

 resist the havoc of time and man. In their accounts, which we have before us, we 

 find that with a sum of only 08/. they congratulate themselves upon having, in six 

 montlis, repaired the churches of the Lot and Auvergue. those nf Moutrezor, St. Louis, 

 (hi Pre, and Beaulieu, the Chateau of Langoais, the Priory of Morlaiige, the tombs of 

 Oirou, and stained glass of Ponl-Audemer. 



T7ie tolls of the Audover and Basingstoke turnpike have been let at an increase of 

 upwards of two hundred pounds per annum, in consequence of the additional travel 

 ling through Andover, occasionetl by the partial opening of the Londou aad South- 

 aroptou Railway.— JK»i^* Judepmdent, 



