THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



73 



one or two of tlie proposal ivltorations which have occupied the attention of 

 the council during the past year. It has been suggested that the annual 

 election of the council should he conducted in a somewhat diflerent manner 

 from that at present pursued. That a greater number than that constituting 

 the council should be nominated, and that each person at the annual general 

 meeting instead of, as at present, erasing one name and substituting another, 

 erase as many names as the number on the ballotting list exceeds the consti- 

 tuted number of the council. It has also been suggested whether it may not 

 be for the advantage of tlie institution, that the council should be increased 

 by the addition of two mcmbeis ; that as frequently some of its most dis- 

 tinguished members are inevitably prevented by professional engagements 

 from attending the ordinary meetings, the council should be enlarged to as 

 great an extent as may be consistent with the true interests of the institution. 



Hffviiers. — The council have frequently experienced difficulty in deciding 

 on the qualifications for admission into the class of members. It is a peculiar 

 feature in your institution that the class of members should consist of those 

 strictly engaged in the practice of the civil engineer. The objects of the civil 

 engineer are defined by your charter, and the council, considering that the 

 success and permanency of the institution must depend in a great measure 

 on the care exercised in admission into this class, have repeatedly considered 

 this subject with the view of presenting some definite rules for the guidance of 

 themselves and others. It has appeared that they will be aided in this diffi- 

 cult task by adhering as much as possible to the: two following conditions ; 

 either : — 



He shall have been regularly educated as a civil engineer according to the 

 usual routine of pupilage, and have had subsequent employment for at 

 least five years in responsible situations as resident or otherwise in some of 

 the branches defined by the charter as constituting the profession of a civil 

 engineer ; or, he shall have practised on his own account in the profession of 

 a civil engineer for five years, and have acquired considerable eminence 

 therein. 



It is thought that the first condition will include those who by regular edix- 

 cation have done their utmost towards themselves for the profession, and that 

 their subsequent employment in responsible situations will be a guarantee 

 that they have availed themselves of the opportunities which they may have 

 enjoyed. 



In the earlier days of the science of the civil engineer such a condition 

 would have been inapplicable; then the force of native genius sufficed to 

 place the individual in that position of professional eminence which com- 

 menced with a Brindley and a Smeaton, and was in our own time exemplified 

 in a Rennie and a Telford. To such, of whom there are many illustrious 

 examples amongst us, the second condition is strictly applicable. 



Transactions. — Since the dose of the last session the second vtdunie of 

 the Transactions has been published. The council regret that the volume 

 should have been delayed so long beyond the expected time, but tlicy would 

 remind the meeting that the preparation of a volume coittaining 23 highly- 

 executed plates, is a w^ork of no ordinary difficulty, and that a delay in any 

 part will of necessity preclude the publication of the volume. The danger of 

 delay, when a whole volume is to be published at once, has led the council to 

 consider whether it would not be for the interest of the institution to publish 

 in parts of volumes, and from time to time, as they can be prepared, such 

 communications as are destined to occupy a place in the Transactions. The 

 advantages resulting to all parties from sucli an arrangement would, it is 

 conceived, be great ; delay in the publication of a body of communications, 

 by reason of the incompleteness of one of them, would be entirely avoided, 

 authors would surely gladly avail tliemselves of this method of tnnismitting 

 papers to the world, since all the mt'rit due to priority of claim would then be 

 undoubtedly secured to them. 



Minutes of Procet'dings. — Should, however, the succeeding council con- 

 sider the propriety of adopting some plan similar to the above, for tin- 

 publication of the Transactions, the council would urge the importance of 

 adhering to the publication of the minutes of proceedings. In these are re- 

 corded many communications of partial and transient interest, whidi would 

 be comparatively of little value unless published at the time. By these the 

 public is at once brought into immediate contact with the institution, the 

 labours of authors can be extensively made known, their merit in the priority 

 of invention and discovery secured as a matter of history, and their opinions 

 canvassed almost as soon as promulgated by many competent judges, who are 

 iniable to attend the meetings. 



Telford Premiums. — At the close of the preceding session the council 

 issued a list of subjects to adequate communications, on which they would 

 award Telford premiums. The following commiuiications were received : — 

 A most elaborate anil beautiful set of drawings of the Shield at the Thames 

 Timnel, from Mr. Brmiel, and two sets of drawings of Huddart's rope ma- 

 chinery, the one from Mr. Birch, the other from Mr. Dempsey. The merits 

 of this celebrated shield, and its value as a means of executing works similar 

 to the Thames Tunnel, are so well known, that it were superfluous here to 

 insist upon the benefits which Mr. Brunei has, by the invention of it, conferred 

 on the civil engineer. The council, feeling that this communication and the 

 invention of the shield were entitled to a high mark of approbation, deter- 

 mined on presenting Mr. Brunei with a silver medal, accompanied by a suit- 

 able record of the sense entertained of the benefit conferred by him on the 

 practice of the civil engineer. Feeling also that the beauty of the drawings 

 fully merited some mark of approbation, they determined on presenting the 

 draughtman, Mr. Pinchback, with a bronze medal in testimony thereof. 



The communications by Mr. Dempsey and Mr. Birch on Huddart's Rope 

 Machinery, likewise called for some special mark of approbation on the part 

 of the council. The liberality of Mr. Cotton, the intimate friend of the late 

 Captain Huddart, proprietor of the machinery, iu throwing open to the insti- 



tution the works at Limehouse, is fresh in the recollection of most present ; 

 with that same liberality he at once acccdeil to the wish of the council, to 

 allow any person to attend and make drawings of this celebrated Rope Ma- 

 chinery for the institution. Two young men availed themselves of this libe- 

 rality, and with great perseverance measured and took drawings of this ela- 

 borate machinery, and the results of their industry are the two beautiful sets 

 of drawings, accompanied by suitable manuscript accounts, presented by them 

 to tlie institution. Of the accuracy of these drawings Mr. Cotton and Mv. Ro- 

 berts have spoken in high terms ; of their merits as mechanical drawings the 

 institution has had ample opportunity of judging. The council felt that to have 

 attempted to distinguish betwixt the merits of these two communications would 

 have been both difficult and invidious, they have therefore awarded a Telford 

 medal in silver, accompanied by books to the value of five guineas, both to 

 Mr. Birch and Mr. Dempsey. 



The council have already spoken of the liberality with which Mr. Cotton 

 ha<l responded to the wishes of the institution ; his liberality stopped not, 

 however, here, but he has promised to supply to the institution that account 

 and history of this machinery of his late distinguished friend, which he alone 

 has the power of doing. 



(In the other subjects then issued the council have not yet received any 

 communications of great merit. They have, however, the pleasure of being 

 able to announce that your associate Mr. Jones has made considerable pro- 

 gress with an account of the Westminster sew^age, that your associate Mr. 

 .Tohnson has promised some drawings and models connected with the Break- 

 water, ami your member Mr. Oldham a communication on the means which 

 he has adopted for warming and ventilation at the Bank of England. On 

 the nature and properties of steam considered in reference to its application as 

 a moving power, and on the ratio betwixt the velocity, load, and power of 

 locomotive engines on railways, no communication to which a premium could 

 with propriety l)e adjudged has yet been received. The subjects on which no 

 communication deserving a premium has been received, have consequently 

 l)een issued with others for the present session. 



But though the council received no communication in which the subject of 

 steam was treated in the wide and comprehensive manner which was desired, 

 they deemed worthy of premiums the following communications on parts of 

 this great subject. On the effective Pressure of Steam in the Cornish Con- 

 ilcnsing Engines, by yotu' member, Thomas Wicksteed. On the expansive 

 Action of Steam in the Cylinder of some of the Cornish Condensing Engines, 

 by W. .7 . Henwood ; and on the E vaporation of Water in the Boilers of Steam 

 Engines, by yoiu- member, Josiali Parkes. To each of these the council have 

 awarded a silver medal. 



The communication by Mr. Wicksteed is of great value, as containing the 

 only recorded experiment in whicii the water raised was actually weighed. It 

 will be in the recollection of most present, that this is the second communica- 

 tion from Mr. Wicksteed on the same subject. The two are valuable additions 

 to our knowledge on the subject. The water raised was weighed and measured. 

 The weights raised in the stamping machinery were also accurately ascertained, 

 and a comparison instituted between the duly of the single engine in raising 

 water, and of the double-acting and crank engines in working stamps. 



The communication by Mr. Henwood is remarkable for the extreme 

 minuteness of detail with which the observations wei'e conducted, the com- 

 munication consists of two parts; the one, on the quantity of steam employed 

 and the mode of its distiihution on the working stroke, the other on the duty 

 performed with a given (juantity of fuel, t'nder the former the indicator is 

 accurately described, and the evidence furnished by the diagrams explained. 

 Under the latter is exhibited one of the most valuable specimens of detailed 

 obseiTations on record. It is a peculiar feature in the system pursued by Mr. 

 Henwood, that he never interfered with the ordinary working of the engine; 

 he obsei-ves with accuracy what is going on. Thus his paper is a record of 

 observation in the highest sense of the term. It is of importance to practical 

 men to keep in mind a distinction which has been often insisted on betwixt 

 observation and experiment. In the ibrmer, the phenomena which are going 

 on are noted as they go on, the circumstances under whii-li they occin- being 

 untouched ; in the latter, the phenomena are produced for the purpose of the 

 experiment. The former consequently requires great care in referring effects 

 to their proper causes, the latter in guarding against the results being influ- 

 enced by the circumstances necessary for the production of the phenomena. 

 The two are distinct, each requires their respective talents, the former would 

 lead a Newton to the law of gravitation, and guide a Smeaton in the construc- 

 tion of an Edystone ; the latter a Watt and a Black to a knowledge of the pro- 

 perties of steam ; the two combined would guide a Davy to the cousti'uction 

 of a safety -lamp. 



In the communication of your member Mr. Paikes, we have an instance of 

 both these methods combined ; he observed what was going on under parti- 

 cular circumstances of evaporation, and then, having altered the circumstances, 

 recorded the results of these experiments. The researches of this author led 

 him to push slow combustion to its utmost limits. It would be foreign to the 

 object of this report to trespass on the time of this meeting, further than to 

 remark that the contents of this paper w ill furnish many most useful hints to 

 the practical engineer in the management of the fires of his steam boilers, and 

 to the theorist some imjiortant facts towards a true theory of combustion. 



The council have also awarded a silver medal to the communications of 

 your associate, Lieut. Denison, on the Strength of American Timber, and of 

 your member, Mr. Bromah, on the strength of cast iron. Each of these com- 

 munications must be viewed as valuable additions to our knowledge. The 

 series of experiments by I.ieut. Denison was undertaken by that highly talented 

 officer, when stationed abroad, with a view of establishing some proportion 

 betwixt the str ngth of difTerenl kinds of American timber, and of affording a 

 means of ccmparing it with European. It is a peculiar feature in these 



