186 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[May, 



them t'l the back ol" tho glusj. But the lew principal colours to be 

 presently mentioned, are all labt colours, -wliicli do not run except the 

 yellow, Which nuist therefore be laid on the opposite side. After colouring, 

 tfie artist proceeds to bring out the lighter clfects by liiking off' the colcur 

 in the proper place, ■with a goose quill cnt like a pen v ithoiit a slit, by 

 working this upon the glass, he removes the colour from the parts where 

 the lights should be the strongest ; such as the hair, eyes, the reflection of 

 bright surfaces and light parts of draperies. The blank pen may be 

 employed cither to make the lights by lines, or hatches and dots, as is 

 most suitable to the subject. 



By the metallic preparations now laid upon it, the glass is made ready 

 lor being fired, in order to lix and bring out the proper colours. The 

 furnace or kiln best adapted for this purpose, is similar to that used by 

 enamellers. — [See En.\mel, and the Glaze-kiln, under Poitery.] It con- 

 sists of a muffle or arch of fire-clay or pottciy, so set o^cr a fireplace, and 

 so surrounded by flues, as to receive a very considerable heat within, in 

 the most equable and regular manner ; otherwise some parts of the glass 

 will be melted ; while, on others, the superficial film of colours will 

 remain unvllrified. The mouth of the muflle, and the entry for intro- 

 ducing fuel to the tire, should be on opposite sides, to prevent as much as 

 possible the admission of dust into the muffle, whose mouth should be 

 closed with double folding-doors of iron, furnished with small peep-holes, 

 to allow the artist to watch the progress of tlie staining, and to withdraw 

 small trial slips of glass, painted with the principal tints used in the 

 picture. 



The muffle must be made of very refractory fire-clay, flat at its bottom, 

 and only Ii or 6 inches high, with such an arched top as may make the 

 roof strong, and so close on all sides as to exclude entirely the smoke and 

 flam*. On the bottom of the muffle a smooth bed of sifted lime, freed 

 liom water, about half an inch thick, must be prepared for receiving the 

 pane of glass. Sometimes several plates of glass arc laid over each other 

 ■with a layer of dry pulvenilent lime between each. The fiic is now 

 lighted, and most gradually raised, lest the glass should be broken ; and 

 alter it has attained to its full heat, it must be kept up for 3 or 4 hours, 

 more cr less, according to the indications of the trial slips ; the yello-w 

 colour being principally watched, as it is found to be the best criterion of 

 ihe state of the others. \\'hen the colours are properly burnt in, the fire 

 i| suffered to die a-n^ay, so as to anneal the glass. 



The description of an Artesian well, at Mortlake, is interesting, but 

 it appears to tis that it should be received with some caution as an 

 example, for it seems by no means satisfactory as a geneial rule that 

 water would he found in the .soft chalk. 



Autesun Wills. — The following account of a successful operation of 

 ihis kind, lately perfoi-mcd at Mortlake, in Surrey, deserves to be recorded. 

 The spot at which this undertaking was begun, is within 100 feet of the 

 Thames. In the first instance, an auger, seven inches in diameter, was 

 used in penetrating 20 feet of superficial detritus, and 200 fi'ct of London 

 clay. An iron tube, 6 inches in diameter, was then driven into the 

 opening, to dam out the land-springs and the percolation from the river. 

 A 4-inch anger was next introduced through the iron tube, and the boring 

 ■was continued until, the London clay having been perforated to the depth 

 «f 240 feet, the sands of the plastic clay were reached, and water of the 

 softest and purest nature was obtained ; but the supply was not sufficient, 

 and it did not reach the surface. The work was proceeded with ac- 

 cordingly i and after 55 feet of alternating beds of sand and clay had 

 been penetrated, the chalk was touched upon. A second tube, Al inches in 

 diameter, was then driven into the chalk, to stop out the wa'ter of the 

 plastic sands ; and through this tube an anger, 3^ inches in diameter, was 

 introduced, and worked down through 35 feel of hard chalk, abounding 

 with flints. To this succeeded a bed of soft chalk, into which the instru- 

 ment suddenly penetrated to the depth of la feet. On the auger being 

 withdra-wn, water gradually rose to the surface and overflowed. The 

 expense of the work did not exceed 3t)0/. The general summary of the 

 strata penetrated is as follows : — Gravel, 20 fec\ ; London clay, 250 ; 

 plastic sands and clavs, 55 ; hard chalk with flints, 35 ; soft chalk, 15 ;= 

 375 feet. 



We cannot leave this work without again expressing our opinion of 

 its general utility. Executed as it is under the guidance of one man, it 

 mtist necessarily partake of tlie defects of his limited experience ; but 

 in all those departments which may be considered Dr. Ure's own, the 

 matter possesses more than average merit. The chemical portions are 

 tssentiuUy good, but in many of the technical parts a want of acquaint- 

 ance willi the latest processes is observable. In our own branches we 

 have before remarked on this deliciencv, and of course the same 

 observation extends to many arts and manufactures beyond the limits 

 of ou r ciitical sphere. Thus, the article on button making is ex- 

 tremely erroneous, and in that on black dyes we find no mention of 

 the French processes, although it is notorious that there is a marked 

 Uiflerence between their method and oia own. Generally we think 

 that the Doctor might have paid more attention to the French and 

 German Encyclopedias of Trades, from which many interesting illus- 

 trations might have been obtained. As the fust work of its class in 

 the field, however, it possesses merits peculiarly its own, and a right of 

 extmption from blame, where one ha'; done so well ; and it may be 

 consulted usefully by all, fts containing a iobss of inforcjation nowher? 



Britinh Critic and Theological Review. — No, M. 



Do not let our readers be startled by this title, or imagine that we are 

 going to fdifu them by a theological disquisition ; no, we merely call 

 their attention to the last number, because it contains two architectnial 

 papers, which might, but for our doing so, quite escape their notice. 

 One of them is entitled " Interior Decorations of English Churches," 

 the other is a review of " Pugin's Contrasts ;" and it is to this latter 

 that we shall confine our remarks, not having as yet perused the first 

 one, except in a very hurried manner. Whether Wclby Pngiii will 

 think proper to bring out a pamphlet in reply to this article, as lie did 

 in answer to — or, rather, by way of attempt at answering — certain 

 Strictures upon his book in Frasei; remains to he seen. But the re- 

 viewer certainly does not spare Mrs. Candour Pugin, as he has been 

 styled in some other publication ; the most he does is to throw him a 

 sop by praising his drawings, which, he says, " exhibit an exquisite 

 taste, and confirm us in our previous opinion, that Mr. Pugin is the first 

 Gothic architect of the age." It is difficult to make out whether this 

 be intended as ironical or not : yet, if it be actually intended as praise, 

 it puzzles us still more, for coarser scratches than are the plates to the 

 " contrasts" can hardly be imagined ; while, as every one at all acquainted 

 with the style must admit, no little of the character and charm of 

 Gothic architecture depends upon the beautiful forms and execution of 

 the details. It is, besides, cliiefly with respect to detail and decoiation 

 — in which he is said to be unsparing — that Mr. P. has much pretension 

 to the name of architect; — at least, we have not seen any designs, or heard 

 of his having ever done any thing, except in mere fittings up. We do 

 not say that he is capable of achieving nothing more, but merely mean 

 that there is no evidence to show that he is fairly entitled to the praise 

 of being " the first Gothic architect of the .age," since, had he executed 

 any thing which would sanction it, it would hardly remain a secret ; 

 unless Mr. Pugin's buildings are to be classed among those things 

 whose fate it is " to be," as some one has observed, " exceedingly famous, 

 yet little known." A little farther on he gets another sop, where it is 

 said, " Homer was blind, and Mr. Pugin cannot argue ;" — it might have 

 been added, nor can he spell. The reviewer lias pointed out his pecu- 

 liar mode of spelling Windsor on one of his plates, and in anotlier he 

 has converted Mr. Brayley into Mr. Bragley, wiiich howe er maypassas 

 one of those unaccountable intentional blunders people are apt to fall 

 into. The principle upon which Mr. P. planned his " Contrasts"i3 well 

 exposed, and shown to be one by which any person may make goodany 

 argument, merely by bringing forward all that makes for it and taking 

 no notice of the ugly facts that make against it. 



" Of the remaining ' Contrasts,' " says the reviewer, " we will only ask 

 whether it is fair to compare acommon cast-iron pump with a handsome 

 stone conduit, or Sir .lohn Soane"s house with the work of any sensible 

 architect of any age or country r" That last remark touches us to the 

 very quick, for it puts iis quite out of conceit with the "house. No. i!i, 

 Lincoln's-inn Fields ;" which, belonging as it does, or is fancied to do, 

 to the public, is the house of every Englishman. 



However, we will venture to prescribe the article to our readers, 

 who mav wash it down either with " 17?). Port," or " Ag. pura." 



Penny Ci/clopadia : Article, " London." 



The 7-ith part of this publication descrve.s to be pointed out by ns 

 to our readers, as containing, under the head of " London," an able 

 though brief architecUiral review of the principal buildings in the 

 metropolis; accompanying which there is an excellent tabic of them, 

 arranged chronologically in centuries, with the respective dates and 

 architects' names, and furtlicr remarks on them in a separate column. 

 Such an architectural synopsi.s is a quite novel and no less happy 

 idea ; and it is so exceedingly useful for reference, that we have no 

 doubt the same plan will be henceforth adopted in other works. Such 

 a table ought, in fact, iinariably to accompany the Guide Book of 

 any city, if merely to serve as an index, pointing out at a glance all 

 the buildings most worlhy of note, aiul the architects by wTiora they 

 were erected. 



The table we are iiow speaking of does not profess to be a complete 

 list of all the public edifices in tlie melropolis, but merely of such as 

 have j)rcfension to rank as works of architecture ; whereas in tlie 

 other case, a great many would have been included whicli possess no 

 architectural interest whatever. It is, as we have said, divided into 

 centuiies, beginning with the seventeenth; and of the seventy-three 

 buildings mentioned in it, no fewer than lifty-lhrce have been erected 

 in the course of the last thirty years, or from ISOS to 1838 ; a tolerably 

 striking proof how much more than at any former period has been 

 done ill our own time, especially if we further lake into account 

 street architecture and general improvements. As a specimen, we 

 shall esU'^ict tlus table :— 



