198 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



LJULY, 



Ea. Given tlie height of tlio emhankraent, 20 feet ; sj)ecific 

 gravity of material =; ri (water bein;,' unity): to determine 

 the base D E of the triangle D K 1? ; also the whole width of 

 bottom, when it has a horizontal surface A B at top, 3 feet wide. 



« = !•*; B D =: « ; . ■ . B E = '^( ,.'^) 20 = 1 6-8 feet required ; 

 therefore, the whole width K E = 56-i. 



THE CIVIL 



SURVEYORS AND THE MILITARY 

 SURVEYORS. 



The Surveyors' Association is proceeding vigorously in its de- 

 fence of the professional rights against the government usurpation, 

 though we Aery much wish that they had taken tins course at an 

 earlier period, for we long since pointed out to them tlie course 

 of invasion wiiich tlie military employees of the government were 

 carrying on against the public. Among the late allies of the go- 

 vernment jobbers is our contemporary, tlie Atlicnn'Hm, usually 

 among the foremost advocates of sound and enlightened policy ; 

 and we have no other means of accounting for the remarks contained 

 in tlie number of the nth June, than i>y the supposition that its 

 svmpathy in the cause of sanitary reform has been taken advan- 

 tage of by some of the jobbers, to foist on the editor a mis-state- 

 ment of the case. It is by alarming the sanitary reformers that 

 the jobl)ers hope to hide their own designs, representing that there 

 is an attempt to prevent the sanitary plans from being carried out 

 in the most efficient manner ; whereas the same issue is pleaded 

 against them. The AthencEum cannot be e.\pected in its literary 

 capacity to take part in all the details tif engineering questions, and 

 it is quite excusable that it should give way to the assumptions of 

 the military engineers. We do, liowever, hope that the editor 

 vnW re-consider the case, and not give the weight of his advocacy 

 to a course of policy wliicli is eminently calculated to retard the 

 progress of sanitary reform. 



At the present day, there is .in assumption on the part of tlie 

 government functionaries, that it is tlie government which has 

 effected the great sanitary reforms already made, and that none 

 but government functionaries can carry them out ; whereas, the 

 whole statement i-i utterly untrue. The great improvements in 

 sewage were made by the exertions of members of tlie engineering 

 profession, before the government had an)' share in the adminis- 

 tration; and the plans now being carried out are those emanating 

 from the officers of the old commissions. Wliat the government is 

 answerable for, is — first, neglect, in allowing the old irresponsible 

 commissions to exist; and second, usurpation, in assuming the ad- 

 ministration of the sewers to a new set of irresponsible commis- 

 sioners, instead of establisliiug representative commissioners. 

 The government parties make a great fuss about the new era of 

 sanitary reform, with which they have as much to do as a cuckoo 

 has with the construction of a sparrow's nest; the new era of 

 sanitary reform, and tlie new lights on se.iage engineering, having 

 emanated not from government, but from Messrs. Roe and 

 Phillips, who originated the present clieap and eiHcient plans, and 

 carrie<l tliem into practical execution. So, similarly, the plans for 

 the supply of water by constant service did not emanate from 

 the government, but from the hydraulic engineers. Hitherto, all 

 that has l)eeu done in sanitary engineering, as in every other de- 

 partment of engineering, which has been done efficiently, has 

 been done by the civil engineers, and not by the government en- 

 gineers ; and it never can be done efficiently except l)y tlie civil 

 engineers. For this reason alone, we should view with jealousy 

 any attempt to supersede the civil engineers. 



The Athena'nm has given faitli to the assumption that the 

 military engineers have a superiority in tlieir professional 

 capacity, whereas the issue is not whether they lia\e a superiority, 

 but whether they have an equality. AV'herever the military en- 

 gineers have been put to the test, they are found most inefficient ; 

 their engineering works in Canaihi and the colonies are far from 

 credital)le to tliem, (u- satisfactory to the nation ; tlieir volume of 

 scientific papers is jirincipally the proiluction of civilians, or on 

 civil works; and their surveys hitherto, altliough they cannot be 

 subjected to any rigid test, have nevertlieless been attended with 

 .serious disapjiointments. In the engineering world, the military 

 engineeis have no professional standing or reputation. 



The Athciueuiii does not seem to lie aware tliat we have in 

 London, engineers competent 'to conduct a trigonometrical survey, 

 which involves the nicest points of astronomy, and requires all 



the resources of matlieniatical analysis,' — when a reference to the 

 Institution of Civil Engineers is quite sufficient to sliow the 

 mathematical capabilities of its members ; and if the Atlietueutn 

 had adverted to the evidence as to this, given from time to time in 

 its own columns, it would not have luid any difficulty in saying 

 who were competent to conduct the survey. If, however, the 

 military engineers are under a slur in their professional capacity, 

 it must be recollected that such as they are, they are not the 

 parties who carry out all the details of the survey, which are done 

 by the body of privates, many of whom are got from hedge-schools 

 in Ireland. If the Atheiiaum had been aware of this, it would not 

 have spoken of the inferior attainments and little e.xperience of a 

 great many of tlie lower surveyors — the worst of \vhom are, we 

 believe, some of the best men of the government corps, who leave 

 it as soon as they learn something, and set up for themselves. 

 Even ill the operations which are going on, hardly an officer 

 is to be seen in the streets, but the duty is left to the privates. 

 Mr. Bidder, Mr. Gregory, Mr. Simnis, Mr. Barlow, or Mr. Buck, 

 is not needed to perform the lower operations of a survey, which 

 will certainly be iis well performed by the repudiated surveyors as 

 by the government corporals and privates. AVitli regard to Mr. 

 Edwin Chadwick's statement, that one of the associated surveyors 

 was five years ago a journeyman carpenter, we cannot see what 

 that has to do with the question, unless he states how many 

 of the assistants on the government survey were journeymen 

 bricklayers or clodhoppers five years ago, or what impediment 

 his own former occupations are to his proficiency in sanitary 

 science. 



We join issue as to the competency of tlie government en- 

 gineers, and as to their merits in comparison with the civil 

 engineers. We join issue, likewise, on the point of cheapness. 

 Mr. Chadwi(d\ knows very well, that in any comparison of^ cost, 

 the general charges of the body of militar)' engineers must be 

 added to the special estimates. If he were not trving to uphold a 

 job, he would not ipiil)ble upon it. ^Ve are, however, most sur- 

 prised, that after the declaration in the House of Commons, the 

 government ha^e determined to put tlie country to an expense for 

 this military survey, while the progress of the ordnance survey 

 will be impetled. 



The Atkeno'iim has been likewise misled upon the point that 

 the case of the surveyors has been decided by a competent and 

 impartial court ; whereas, the decision as yet has been an ap- 

 proval of Mr. Edwin Chadwick's scheme, by Mr. Edwin Chad- 

 wick's own board, — and this is what the associated surveyors are 

 trying to upset ; for they consider, in common with the great 

 body of the profession, that they have not yet got '" a hearing," 

 and they are now " trying for a hearing," in which we hope they 

 will be supported by the AtheiKFiim, which would not, we believe, 

 have countenanced Mr. Edwin Cliadwick's plans if it had been 

 informed of the whole truth of the case. 



The ^4//ie»ff»)» b(ddly says, that "as the nation builds its own 

 ships, bores its own cannon, and does all things else which can be 

 done with its own workmen, why should it not make its own 

 surveys?" AVe answer, tliat tlie government has .ships and ma- 

 chinery made elsewhere, cannon cast elsewhere, and many other 

 things made elsewhere ; and that, on the other hand, w hatever is 

 done by the government, is neither done well nor cheaply. The 

 ordnance works, tlie dockyards, the post-office, and the mint, 

 %vould be a disgrace to any merchant or partnership or joint-stock 

 company. In the present case, the military surveyoi-s have quite 

 enough to do in the north of England, where they are wanted to 

 finish Ihe ordnance ((((-survey. 



Import and Erjiiirl of Melals. — It appears from the return of the imports 

 and exports of leaJ, copper, tin, and zinc, ordered by the House of Com- 

 mons, that the total quaiitiiy of lead ore imported was 507 tons, of which 

 400 tons were from France, unci tlie remainder principally from New South 

 Wales. Pig and sliect lead imported amounted to 3,932 Ions, of which 210 

 tons only were retained for home consumption — the rest being reexported. 

 Of Briti'ihlead llicrewere exported 8,25!) tons, of which France took 1,705 

 tons; Uussia, 1,754 tons; East Indies, 1,055 ton- ; and Holland, SOU tons. 

 — The total quantity of foreign copper ore imported was 41,490 tons, of 

 which 23,831 tons were from Cuba— the quantity of fine copper contained 

 therein being 8,920 tons. The quantity of metallic copper imported was 

 513 tons; retained for home consumplion, 70 tons. The quantity of copper 

 exported was 15,142 tons. — The total quantity of tin imported was 1,165 

 tons, of which 101 tons were retained for home consumption ; and the ex- 

 ports were 1,741 tons Uritisli, and 547 foreign. — The total quantity of zinc 

 imported was 12,709 tons; and exported 88ij tons British, and 334G tons 

 foreign. 



