296 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



fOoToanr. 



other rnyal equipaq:es drive and turn round when the sovereign 

 goes to parliament. Here we see on the east side, the hirge bay 

 window and range of upper windows of the Royal (iallcry, and 

 part of the south side of the court, where the windows on the 

 principal floor belong to the office of the Lord Great ('liamberlain. 

 The archway through wliich the carriages pass from the porch 

 beneath the Victoria Tower is quite in a corner, at the south- 

 west angle of the court. The architecture of the court is good, 

 but not at all remarkable, except on the west or gallery-side of it, 

 where the two archways below (one of them leading into the 

 (;hancellor's Court) the small octagonal staircase turret, the oriel 

 window with solid wall in the compartment between the but- 

 tresses on each side of it, bnd\en only by arched and s])layed 

 panels, containing royal armonial bearings, form, together with the 

 range of lofty windows above (those in the upper jiart of that 

 side of the gallery), form a sufficiently picturesque and picpiant com- 

 bination, — such as can hardly fail to captivate the admirers of the 

 (dden time. ^Vliat the other elevations of the court, which are 

 not shown in the view, may be, the description does not inform us. 

 To say the truth, the descriptive letter-press is exceedingly meagre, 

 dry, and bald ; and has, besides, the disadvantage of consisting 

 only of detached scraps. 



Plate III., the elevation of the royal portal or entrance-porch 

 in the lower part of the Victoria Tower, exhibits, on a tolerably 

 adequate scale, the exceedingly rich details of that part of the 

 structure ; in the character of whose open arch we fancy we re- 

 cognise a resemblance to that of the beautiful Erpingham Gate at 

 Norwich. Satisfactory as it is in other respects, the print hardly 

 does justice to the structure itself; for it conveys no idea of the 

 strikingly-fine effect produced by an 0])en arch of sucli magnitude 

 (50 feet high to its apex), on the exterior of a building. The plate 

 being a mere outline one, the picturesque contrast of light and 

 shade is quite lost ; therefore, although it is not likely that any 

 one will actually make such a mistake as to suppose that the arch 

 itself is filled-up by the lesser arch and gate seen on the further 

 plane of the elevation, it would have been better had that plane 

 been entirely, though slightly, shaded — because then the opening 

 of the arch would have been distinctly defined. There will, we 

 hope, be a section of this porch drawn to the same scale as the ele- 

 vation ; and we also desiderate a fully detailed plan, to show the 

 groining of its vault. 



However interesting and excellent the materials for it furnished 

 by Mr. Barry may be, the publication does not seem to have 

 been jdanned with much judgment or foresight. The separate 

 " History" of the Palace of \Vestminster is by Jlr. H. T. Hyde ; 

 but who is the general editor, or who writes the descriptive por- 

 tion of the letter-press is not said,— it is certainly nothing to 

 boast of. As to wliat calls itself " Introduction," that might, in 

 our opinion, very well have been spared, for it strikes us as being 

 in wretchedly bad taste — a tissue of vulgar bombastic common- 

 place, and puff. 



Since the above was put into the printer's hands, we have seen 

 Part II., which came out only a very few days after Part I., and 

 which gives us thiee more plates. The first of them exhibits to 

 us in perspective a portion of the exterior — viz., the "■ South- 

 Wing Towers" of the principal or east front; yet, although care- 

 fully done by a very competent architectural draughtsman (Mr. J. 

 Jolnison), and although we cannot but commend the diligence be- 

 stowed upon the drawing, the engraving is not altogether satisfac- 

 tory. What has been alleged by some against the building itself, 

 makes itself here felt; for the multiplicity of the details and en- 

 richment spread over every part, is such as to occasion no small 

 degree of confusion and indistinctness. This is especially the 

 case with regard to the upper part — the towers and the roof, 

 where the different forms and surfaces do not define themselves at 

 all clearly. More decided general effect as to light and shade, and 

 greater vigour of touch, are required. In fact, the ordinary mode 

 of lithography — that here em])loyed — is hardly capable of doing 

 justice to such a subject, for it shows poor and flat in comparison 

 with that improved method in which the whites, as they are tech- 

 nically termed, are printed ; therefore, after being now accustomed 

 to that more energetic and pictorial mode of lithography, we feel 

 dissatisfied with the one here practised. With the next plate — 

 the Interior of the Rojal Porch — we are made to feel very much 

 so ; for whether it be that the impression we have got is a defec- 

 tive one, it is particularly feeble and tame, and most of all so in 

 those parts which require some of the deepest touches of shadow. 

 While there is little or no truth as to the general effect of light 

 in such a situation, the shafts and mouldings of the second or 



smaller, immediately inclosing tlie third and smallest arch, are 

 scarcely defined at all below, on tlie side which is in the shadow. 

 It may also be objected that this subject shows us very little more 

 than what is seen in Plate III. beyond the open arch in the 

 elevation of the exterior of the porch, the view being confined 

 merely to that east side, without showing anything of the vaulted 

 roof, or of the flight of steps on the north side leading up to the 

 royal entrance into the building ; which is consequently not even 

 so much as indicated, although it might very easily have been so 

 by just reducing the scale a trifle, and bringing a little more of 

 the interior into view. This jjlate moreover confirms what we 

 have said as to the injudiciousness of numbering the subjects ac- 

 cording to the order in which they happen to be published, since 

 this view is partly identical in subject with Plate III., accordingly 

 ought to have immediately followed it ; instead of which, Plate 

 IV. is altogether different in subject — one, besides, which interrupts 

 the natural sequence of the subjects, for all tlie respective views 

 of the exterior ouglit to come together, and follow each other in 

 some regular order ; yet no such arrangement can now he adopted, 

 except by disregarding the numerical order of the plates, and 

 thereby giving the letter-press the appearance of being strangely 

 shuflled-up. Plate VI., however, does really follow Plate V. with 

 great propriety ; it showing on a larger scale the statues of the 

 three popular Saints, Andrew, George, and Patrick, in the niches 

 over the gate leading to the royal court. Whether they are 

 worthy of having a plate devoted to them is a different matter : 

 as mere arcliitectural accessories, they may be privileged to pass 

 muster without criticism ; but if they challenge admiration on 

 their own account as works of art, they are not likely to obtain 

 it — at least, not as here represented, which is but in a very so- 

 so-ish manner. 



A General Sheet Table for Facilitating the Calculation of Earth- 

 works for Railways, Canals, S;c. By Francis Bashfortii, M.A., 

 Fellow of St. John's College, Cambridge. — Chain of 100 Feet. 



Mr. Bashforth's previously-published table of earthworks was 

 calculated to a chain of (jli feet. He has now extended the 

 utility of his labours by calculating the present table for a chain 

 of 100 feet : the method of applying the figures remaining the 

 same as before. As we have already reviewed at length Mr. 

 Bashforth's system, which is distinctly and peculiarly his own, and 

 have had occasion to decry an attempt to rob him of his inde- 

 feisible right and property in his own labours, it is not necessary 

 now to speak further, either in the way of explanation or com- 

 mendation. In the present table the proportional parts, instead 

 of being contained on a separate card, are printed beside the in- 

 tegral numbers. By this arrangement space and trouble are 

 saved, and all the information which is usually requisite is con- 

 densed and jiresented at one view. We are afraid to say much 

 in praise of the improvements which the author has effected in 

 the calculation of earthworks, lest our observations should pro-, 

 voke the cupidity of some literary burglar : property in tables of 

 earthworks is found to be so insecure, that the only safe way of 

 retaining it seems to be by concealing it. 



Incitements to Stnrlies of Steam and the Steam-Engine ; or. Prac- 

 tical Facts relative thereto Properlg Appropriated. By ^\'. Temple- 

 ton, R.N. Woolwich. London : John Williams, 1848. 



The object of this little book is to diffuse information on marine 

 engineering, particularly to enable persons to prepare for the exa- 

 minations for engineers in the navy. Of course, such a work will 

 be equally useful for engineers in the commercial steam service. 

 We think it likely to be very serviceable for those classes to whom 

 it is addressed, and we therefore recommend it to our readers who 

 feel an interest in the subjects to which it refers. 



Mr. Templeton suggests as one of the uses of this little book, 

 that although it is "not professedly instructive for the higher 

 branches of the profession, it may be found available as a ready 

 prompter, for refreshing the memory on points of practice. By 

 keeping up the standard of attainments among working-men, we 

 think Mr. Temi>leton will do some good. 



