1840.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



31 



iiuiterial to make a good iiiuMle-clani. Clay liy itself is subject to great 

 rlianges, according to "the alternations of heat ami cohl, drought and moisture. 

 In very ilry weatirer, and when exposed for a time to the inlluenec of tlie sun, 

 all moisture will lie extracted; and the clay will invarialdy crack and separate 

 into a nmnher of irregular fragments, which will never afterwards unite so as 

 to form an adhesive water-tight sulist.ancc. The ililhculty of compressing 

 clay, when placeil in a dam of any considcrahlc depth, into a solid mass with- 

 out ImUows has heen already noticed. If in addition to this olijection we 

 consider the immense weight and i)ressure of clay so coniju'csscd against the 

 jiiles forming the sides of the dam, and the consecpient strain on the piles, 

 wliicli ought only to he employed in resisting the pressure of the water from 

 without, we shall see sufficient reason to decide, on these as well as on othej- 

 grounds, ag.ainst the in-actice of puddling entirely with clay. From the very 

 iiest information which can he hrought to hear on tins s\dijeet, namely, that 

 derived from long and w.itehful ex]ierience, accom)ianied hy the knowledge 

 that he has himself, as a contractor, lost large sums of money on account of 

 too great a faith iu clay jinddlcs, the writer is enabled to speak very positively 

 on tlie nature of this material, and in achlitiou to the ohjections .already ad- 

 vanced begs to add his own personal observations of the fact that puddles 

 composed entirely of clay have usually bulged, given way, ami been foinid in- 

 ap.alile of keeping out the water wUcji of considerable dci)tli, and that in 

 ^nv ease a puddle with an admixture of gravel, chalk, and sand will make a 

 jafer water-tight dam than clay alone. 



The fourth division treats on the value of concrete as a substitute 

 for stoiie or timber in foundations, and describes the various qualities 

 of lime and sand, and their proportions in which they inicfht to be used. 

 The author has given some remarks on the defective construction of 

 jiart of Gloucester Bridge, from tlie settlement id' the wing wall on the 

 Gloucester side which is fractured from its base to tlie top of the 

 parapet, where, he states, there is an opening nearly three inches 

 wide. We rather suspect that some other settlements have escaped 

 the eye of Mr. Huglies, when we were at (iloucester about two years 

 since, we observed some fractures over the arch which had been stopped 

 up with cement, and instead of the wing walls only having gone down, 

 we consider that the abutment on the (iloucester side has also gone 

 down, or is forced a trifle from its perpendicular position in consa- 

 ipienoe of the giving way of the wing walls, i.nd has caused the settle- 

 ments we liave named. 



Mr. Hughes next explains the causes of settlements in the wing and 

 abutment walls of bridges by using for the backing a |)uddle of clay ; 

 he observes, that the cracks and iissures which attend the drying of 

 clay, when much ex|H)sed, are so exceedingly dangerous, as atlbrding 

 lodgement for water to press against the w all, that there is every reason 

 to expect, at some time or other, fractures and dangerous settlements 

 in walls which have been thus backed. We have heard of several in- 

 stances of bridges constructed on railways, where the abutments and 

 wing walls have been forced out of their places, although built with 

 a considerable batter, to nearly perpendicular, owing to the backing of 

 clay having swelled through additional moisture. Where it is re- 

 quisite to build retaining walls in clay cuttings, it is nece.ssary if the 

 strata have any dip to build the upper retaining wall thicker than the 

 hiwer one, and also to give the slopes of cuttings on the upper sicU' a 

 greater deolivitv than the lower one, as the clay is naturally inclined 

 to slip on its bed. 



In the concluding portion of the paper Mr. Hughes has made some 

 very able connnents on the principal clauses of a contract deed whicli 

 the contractor is required to sign ; but as we have already so copiously 

 extracted from the paper, we must, in justice to the publislier, resist 

 intruding any farther. With his remarks oii the various clauses we fully 

 concur, and we trust that it will not be long before a more equitable 

 spirit breathes through tlie conditions of a contract. We feel con- 

 vinced that it is the only way to obtain opulent and respectable con- 

 tractors to undertake large works, the present stringent clauses throw- 

 ing the whole on\is of the construction on the contractor, and removing 

 all responsibility from the engineer, is a premium for ignorant ]ire- 

 tenders to enter the profession, many of whom, probably, have obtained 

 a line theinetical education, and are abie to make very pretty draw- 

 ings, which they fancy entitle them to the initials C. K. at the end of 

 their names, but wliich are very far from assuring a sound knowledge 

 of construction. 



Before we close onr remarks we must allude to the "getting up of 

 the work," the first volume contains 1 10 engravings beantifulTy exe- 

 cuted, and posiessing considerable merit in jioint of construction, and 

 as examples of bridge building. The letterpress contains 5 papers, No. 

 I. Theory of Bridges, by Mr. Ilann ; II. Transl.itions from Gauthey ; 

 III. Theoretical and Practical papers, by Professor Moscley ; IV.'A 

 series of papers on the Fonnd.itions of Bridges, by Mr. T. Hughes ; 

 V. Account of Hutcheson Bridge at Glasgow, by Lawrence Hill, 

 Esq., and the Specification by Mr. Robert Stevenson, of Edinburgh. 

 Most of these papers, as they appeared in numbers, we had eccasion to 



speak of witli the highest )iraise, and we feei much pleasure in tiiuling 

 that the concluding |)art of the first volume is quite equal to the former. 

 We have no hesitation in saying that it will be one of the most 

 valuable publications which the profession can wish to possess. 



Henfh's Pictitrt^qiic ./in una I for 1840: Wiiuhur Cag/le. and its En - 

 riioiisi, hy Lkitch Kitcmik, Esq., loilh Fifteen Engra rings. Lon- 

 don : Longman and (Jo. 



We recommended the preceding volume of this annual, as eontain- 

 ing among other illustrations of Versailles, several highly linisln-d 

 architectural interiors, — a class of subjects all the more welcome, be- 

 cause, although exceedingly interesting, they are very rarely treated 

 by the pencil; ami the two views of the kiiiil here given, ntiinely, of 

 St. George's Hall and tin- Waterloo Galler}', only cause us to regret 

 that there should be none of any of the other apartments; not even 

 one of the corridor, ov any portion of it, to convey some idea of its 

 architectuiMl character, it certainly was not ow ing to want of subjects 

 that the choir of St. (ieorge's Chapel — the architecture of whicli, by 

 the by, is sadly disfigured by the barbarous design of the pointed win- 

 dow over the altar, which looks just like Carpenter's Gothic ; — was 

 selected as one of the three interiors; while the subject is very well 

 known, having been given inPync's Royal Residencus, and other lutli- 

 licatioiis. We certainly would very gladly have exchanged it fur 

 something else. We pass over the other engravings, because although 

 manv are executed witli great spirit and ability, they are chiefly of 

 scenery in dift'erent parts of the Park, and are connected only nmotely 

 with the Castle, which is removed farther olV than we could wish. Yet 

 although architectural subjects generally may not be so jjopular as 

 landscape scenery, we should imagine that like ourselves, most other 

 persons would not have been <lispleased had tliere been a majority of 

 the former class, on this occasion. We sliould have been grateful l(i<i, 

 liad the editor in some degree supjdied this deficiency by treating at 

 great length of Windsor Castle as it really is at the present ilay, and 

 entered into some more exact description of the jirincipal apartnieul-^ 

 their architecture ;uid decorations. However, as description (jf that 

 kind does not appear to be by any means the editor's forte, there is 

 less reason to regret that he has been so exceedingly sparing of it. It 

 appears, however, from what is here said that we are likely to obtain 

 a full architectural account of Windsor, it being stated — upon snlli- 

 cient authority, we presume, that Sir Jeliery Wyattville himscdf is 

 now preparing a series of drawings and other materials for the pur- 

 pose. 



Tlie view of the Ruins at Virginia Water after a drawing by Hard- 

 ing, is one of the most attractive of the landscape subjects, ipiite a 

 poetical scene in itself — and one of which we have never behire met 

 within any representation; and tlumgh the same cannot be said of the 

 view of the Fishing Temple and Lake, that is a very (diarming conqio- 

 sition bv the same tasteful artist, and admirably engraved. Most un- 

 doubtedly we should have been better gratilied ha<l the illustrations 

 been confined entirely to the Castle itself, and to the newer portions 

 of the edifice ; but we must also admit th;it tlio proprietor had to con- 

 sult the taste of tin' purchasers (jf Annuals. We hope, In.uever, lli.it 

 he will yet bring out some graphic ]mblicalion expressly devoted to 

 that cla.ss of subjects — namely, architeotural interiors, of which Ver- 

 sailles and Windsor have furnished some specimens. 



Mnnoir of a Mtclimiic, king a Skitc/i of the Life of Timothj C/ei.rlon, 



ivritlen hi/ himself, logellier with JMiseelleimonti Papers. Boston, 



United States; (i. VV. Light, 18311. 



This, although )iiiblishej at the same time by a dill'erent author, is 

 a kind of American version of the Hints to Mechanics, by Mr. Claxton, 

 but although derived from nearly the same sources, is not quite so 

 interesting. Boston, like Edinburgh, has dubbed itself an Athens, lias 

 the same mania for lionizing, and the same want of philosophers for 

 their academic groves. In this emergency they have laid hold of Mr. 

 Claxton, and although they might find a mure majestic lion, a more 

 useful one thev will not easily discover. Like the works of Franklin, 

 it is a ])laiii, practic.d maniud of advice to the working classes, which 

 instructs in the best way, thtit of example. 



It says nincli for the literary ajipetite of Boston that they can devour 

 such a work, and it says still more for them that, knowing how thin- 

 skinned their couiitrymen generally are, that they slioulJ have allowed 

 Mr. Claxton to give free vent to some of his old country prejudices, 

 which we know go so greatly against the grain. 



