1S40.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



87 



Alexander, Adrian and Antinous are naked, and wore made ideal gods, 

 they like the statue of Pompey, seem to have a mystic life, there is a 

 very language in those cold, stem, and colourless stones, which breathes 

 an air of truth and creates on our minds more interest than their names 

 in tlie pages of history. The statue of Napoleon,* by Canova, is 

 naked, and is an apotheosis; it is confessedly, grand, imperial, and 

 collossal ; it has immortalized the hero, as well as the artist, and when 

 we consider that Canova and Gibson were the first to set so good an 

 example to their country, we must say that their statues will ever 

 stand pre-eminent over the barbarous objects which disfigure some of 

 our public monuments. 



We would ask is there a person capable of reflecting who has paced 

 the vast sculpture gallery at Versailles, and not smiled at the absurd 

 dresses of some of tlie marble effigies ; in days gone by they were ad- 

 mired, and the persons they represented were doubtless, much venerated, 

 but alas ! how changed, they now excite our contempt, and we feel in- 

 clined to laugh outright at their antiquated costumes. The time will 

 come, and it is not far distant, when the vagaries of our sculptors will 

 share the same fate, and become also objects of ridicule. It is an 

 opinion held by some artists that all monuments should have the figures 

 executed in the style of dress of the period in which they were erected, 

 but we feel sorry to observe that it is only interested and inferior 

 artists who advocate this opinion, and it is because they find that to 

 model drapery and the naked proportions is excessively difficult, and 

 often beyond their capacity, they are therefore contented to please the 

 ignorant multitude, who for the most part, like the cobbler could only 

 criticise the sole of the shoe in the picture of Apelles, for which reason 

 persist in perpetuating the fame of our generals and admirals in all 

 the glorious absurdity of modem tailory — epaulets and cocked hats, 

 boots and spurs. Of what possible consequence can it be to us that 

 antiquarians should discover in after times that pig-tails were com- 

 monly worn in the reign of George the Third ? and moreover, that it 

 was a most singular custom with their ancestors to represent great 

 warriors in a mutilated state, having only one arm, and sometimes 

 wooden legs. This they would conjecture was done to bring to the 

 recollection of the public that they had lost their limbs in the service 

 of their country. Lest the time may arrive when even the name of a 

 Nelson should be blotted out of the page of history, we would recom- 

 mend that his amputated arm be placed by his side, to convince future 

 ages that he was once a perfect being, and furthermore to satisfy the 

 public who ever crave after monstrosities,!" the arms and legs of his 

 brave comrades might be piled up in a group as monumental trophies 

 of their valour ! Non eadera miraniur ! ! 



Felagrio. 



RoTne, January 18, 1840. 



Side View. 



DIOGENES'S SELF-ACTING GROUND-ROPE APPARATUS, 



FOR TAKING UP THE ROPE. 



Front View. 



* This fine statue of Napoleon is in the possession of his Grace the Duke of 

 Wellington, at Apsley-house.— Ed. 



t We liavri ilogmrilical proofs tliat the French have outyeneralleil us in 

 sculptural atrocities, for in the triumphal arcli of Napoleon at Marseilles, 

 there are poodle-Jogs, and a whole legion of amputated urms and legs.^ 



REFERENCE TO THE LETTERS. 



Claws or holder for the rope. 



Bar for forcmg open the claws, in order to liberate the rope, or pre- 

 vious to taking hold of it. 



Lower part of claw s, which works against the bar B. 



Small wheel (ixcd upon fore axle of carriage to elevate the fork. 



Lever over which the wheel D passes, and forces it down. 



Fork fixed on the same axle as the lever just mentioned ; but by being 

 on the opposite side, it is raised as the lever is depressed; it is 

 pulled down again by a spring It is to raise the rope to the level 

 of the claws ; were the claws fixed lower, they would catch against 

 the pullies. It should be observed that the fork is not raised until 

 the claws have passed it. The rope is liberated hy a similar bar, 

 only the fork for lifting up the rope is omitted. 



THE EPICYCLOIDAL STEAM ENGINE. 



[We have given this communication at the request of some of our 

 readers, although it is not new, as we stated in our notice to corres- 

 pondents. The motion will be found described in the second volume 

 of Gregory's Mechanics, and the author there states that it was intro- 

 duced in an engine erected at Bermondsey. It may be seen as we 

 before stated at the Saw Mills in the Arsenal at Woolwich.] — Ed. 



Sir — I am happy to communicate my improvement Jon'^the steam 

 engine. 



In all engines now employed the motion of the piston rod is com- 

 municated by a connecting rod to the crank. This rod, by the nature 

 of the motion always works obliquely. The obliquity of action is 

 certainly objectionable, as it evidently occasions a loss of power. 



