1840] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



93 



within the portico and on each side of it would have iniinoved the wliole, — 

 have mitigated tlie too temjile-like character of the one, and tlie too prison- 

 like aspect of the other ? This is what lie does not care to inform us ; neither 

 docs he afford the least clue as to what he considers a more harmonious 

 combination, hy referring to something else as an example of it. Tlie most 

 therefore, that we can say in his excuse is, tliat he is kept in countenance h 

 a great many others who seem to think that the mere expression of praise or 

 blame is sutBcient for architectural criticism. 



This last remark applies far more strongly than we could wish to the AU- 

 gemeine Bauzeitung, where of the various IniikUngs that have been repre- 

 sented and described, scarcely one has had any comments made upon it. Yet 

 this suppression of criticism can hardly have been occasioned by overstrained 

 delicacy, because several would have afforded opportunity for descanting 

 upon the merits of theii' design. Among these arc the liuclihiindler Borse at 

 Leipsic, erected by Geutebriich, the architect of t'lie Augustcum, 1834-6 ; and 

 Dr. Iliirtel's house in the same city, by Waldeiuar Ilcrrmaun of Dresden. 

 Both are in a rich Italian style ; and of the two the latter has somewhat the 

 superiority as to extent of facade, its front being 112 feet (English), in lengthy 

 while that of the other is 108. Besides which it has very much the air of a 

 public building, as there is only a principal floor with an open Corinthian 

 loggia of five intercolninns, above the ground-floor or basement, while the 

 loggia itself is decorated with compartments in fresco. As far as style and 

 beauty of external architecture go, there is scarcely a private mansion in all 

 London that can compete with it, certainly not one of recent date ; for even 

 Sutherland House is but a very plain and frigi<l piece of design in compari- 

 son ; and both Norfolk House in St. James's Square, and Ikickingham House , 

 Pall Mall, are absolutely homely. To say the truth, it may fairly^challcnge 

 almost any one of our Clubliouses, — at least of those already erected, — for 

 we must not as yet include the Reform Club, whose facade promises to eclipse 

 all its neighbours. M'e call attention to this example all the more, because 

 we have nothing similar at home : on the contrary, so far from any stimulus 

 having been given of late years to architectural display in the town residences 

 of our nobility and persons of fortune, it w ould rather seem that the trumpery 

 show and flaring tawdriness of the Terraces in the Regent's I'avk, and other 

 barrack-like ranges of buildings of that class, have brought the system into 

 disrepute ; and it certainly must be acknowledged that the plain and perfectly 

 unassuming brick fronts of houses far more costly and spacious than those 

 just alluded to, have a far more aristocratic look than the others, whose 

 grandeur is nothing more than overgrown littleness, and meanness tricked 

 out in the coarsest finery : truly they may be described as the very Brumma- 

 gem of arcliitecture. 



PROCEEDINGS OF SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. 



ROYAL SOCIETY. 



Dec. 19. — Major Sabine, R.A. V.l\, in the chair-. 



A paper was read, entitled, 



" An Account of Experiments made vith the view of asccrlainivij the Pos- 

 sibility of obtainini/ a Spar/i before the Circuit of the Voltaic Battenj is Com- 

 plefed,"'hy J. P. Gassiot, Esq. 



The author of this paper adverts to the fact, of a spark invariably appear, 

 ing when the circuit of the voltaic battery is completed ; an eli'cct which Dr 

 Faraday has shown can be easily produced, even with a single series, lie 

 then refers to the experiments of Jfr. Children, Sir llumiiliry Davy, and Prof. 

 Daiiiell, recorded iu the Pliilosophical Transactions ; in which experiments, 

 when more powerful and extended series were used, the spark was obtained 

 before contact took place. In order to ascertain, not only the fact of a spark 

 being obtained, but also the distance through which it may be passed, the 

 author had an instrument prepared, which he denominates a Micrometer 

 Electrometer, and by which an appreciable space of one five-thousandth of an 

 inch could be measured with great accuracy. He dcscrilics this instrument ; 

 and relates several experiments which he made vitli a view to test the cor- 

 rectness of its action. He first prepared 160, and then 3'20 series of the con- 

 stant battery, in half-pint porcelain cells, excited with solutions of sulphate 

 of copper and muriate of soda ; but although the effects, after the contact 

 had been completed, were exceedingly brilliant, not the sUghtest spark could 

 be obtained. He was equally unsuccessful with a water battery of 150 .«cries, 

 each series being placed in a quart glass vessel : and also with a water battery 

 belonging to Prof. Daniell, consisting of 1,020 series; but when a Leydcn 



tattery of nine jars >vas intrgiluKetl into the circuit of the latter, sparks passsU 



to the extent, in one instance, of six five-thousandths of an inch. The author 

 mentions his having been present at the experiment of Prof. Daniell, on the 

 16th of February, 183'J, when that gentleman had 70 scries of his large con- 

 stant battery in action ; and having been witness of the powerful eli'ects ob- 

 tained by tills apparatus, he was induced to prepare 100 scries of precisely 

 the same dimensions, anil similarly placed: but although this powerful appa- 

 ratus was used under e\ery advantage, and the other cft'ects produced were 

 iu every respect in accordance with the extent of the elements employed, 

 still no spark could be obtained, until the circuit was completed ; citeii n single 

 fold of a silk handkerchief, or a piece of dry tissue paper, was sufficient to 

 insulate the power of a battery, which, after the circuit had been once com- 

 pleted, fused titanium, and heated 16 feet 4 inches of No. 20 platinum wire. 

 The author then describes a series of experiments made with induced cur- 

 rents. 1,220 iron wires, each insulated by resin, were bent into the form of 

 a horse-shoe. A primary wire of 115 feet, and a secondary of 2,268 feet, 

 were wound round the iron wires. With this arrangeiueut he obtained a 

 direct spark (through the secondary current), sufficient to pierce paper, to 

 charge a Leydcn jar, &c. Several forms of apparatus employed by the author 

 are next described, and also a series of 10,000 of Jacubone's piles. With 

 this arrangement he charged a ijcyden battery to a considerable degree of in- 

 tensity, and obtained direct sparks of three-fiftieths of an inch in length. He 

 ultimately succeeded in obtaining chemical decompositions of a solution of 

 iodine and potassium : the iodine appearing at the end composed of the black 

 oxide of manganese. 



Jan. 9. — J. M'. Lubbock, Esq., V.P. and Treasurer, in the chair. 



A paper was read, entitled, 



" On the Const met ion and Use of Single Jchromatic Eye-Pieces, and their 

 Superiority to the Double Eye-Piece of Huyyhens." By the Kev. J. B. Reade, 

 M.A. 



The author obsen-es, that experience has shown it to be impracticable to 

 make a telescope even approach to aehroiuatism by employing the same 

 oliject-glass witli an astronomical, as with a tcrrcstial eye-piece ; for if the 

 focus of the blue rays from the object-glass be tlu-own forwards, as it must 

 be, in order to make it impinge upon the focus of the blue rays upon the 

 terrestrial eye-glass, then there will be produced a great orer-correction for 

 the astronomical e>e-glass, and tiice versa. Hence it ajipcars that the appli- 

 cation of lluygheuian cyc-picces to refracting telescopes are incom]iatible 

 with the conditions of achromatism throughout the entire range of niagni- 

 fyiug power : and that, in reflecting telescopes, they arc incompclcut to cor- 

 rect dispersion, because tlncy arc not iu themselves achromatic. These de- 

 fects the author iirojioscs wholly to obviate by sulistitutiiig, for the lluyghe- 

 uian eye-]iicces, single achromatic lenses of corresponding magnifying jiowcr, 

 consisting of the well-known combination of the crown, and its correcting 

 flint lens, having their adjacent surfaces cemented together ; thus avoiding 

 internal reflections, and enabling them to act as a single lens. The achro- 

 matic eye-])ieces which he uses were made by Messrs. TuUy &. Ross, and are , 

 of the description usually termed single cemented triples. 



" Meteorological Observations made between October, 1837, and .Ijirit, 

 1839, at Alten in Finmnrken. By Mr. S. H. Thomas, Chief Mining Agent 

 at the Alten Copper Works ; presented by J. K. Crowe, Esq., H. B M. Consul 

 at Finmaiken ; coniinnuieated by Major E, Sabine, R. A. V. P. This memoir 

 consists of tables of daily observations on the barometer and thermometer, 

 taken at 9 a.m., 2 p.m., and 9 r.M., with remarks on the state of the weather 

 at Kaafjord, in lat. 69' 58' 3" N., and long. 23° 43' 10" E. of Paris. 



J. \\'hatmau, Juu„ Esq., was elected a Fellow. 



ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS. 



Jan. 20. — Edward Bloue, V.P., in the Chair. 



A paper was read, 



" On tlie History of Cra'co-Uussian Ecclesiastical Architecture." By Ilerr 

 Hallmann, architect, from Hanover. 



Before examining the existing Russian chmches, the author thought it 

 necessary to take a hasty glance at the origin and history of Christianity in 

 Russia, or what amounts to the same thing, at the histoty of those churches. 

 One of the first Christians in Russia was the Princess Olga, who caused her- 

 self to be baptized at Constantinople iu the year 964 ; but the era of Chris- 

 tianity in Russia did not eommcuce before the reign of Vladimir the Great. 

 The fi'rst church which he caused to be built was that of Cherson, and, a year 

 afterwards, be ordered the construction of the Cbiu-ch of St. Basil, which 

 was, as well as the other, of wood. He sent an embassy into Italy, Arabia, 

 and to Constantinople, to exanime the various rcUgions, for the M'cstcrn and 

 Eastern cluirches were already separated from each other ; ami rriuce Vladi- 

 mir, embracing the Greek religion, ordered the baptism of the wliole of bis 

 people, and was the first to coniniencc destroying the ancient idols. Vladimir 

 built the church of the tithe at Kief; and it is said that, at tlie time of his 

 death, there were already 500 cluu-chcs at Kief. Prince Yaroslaf turned his 

 attention still more than Vladimir to the construction of religious edifices ; 

 he founded the churches of St. Sopliia, at Kief, and another, of the same 

 name, at Novogorod : — they exist, iu part, to this day. He also erected the 

 convents of St. George and St. Irene. In 1075 was liuUt the celebrated con- 

 vent of f etchersky, i)t Kief, since wliich time the Pu«iau nietroiiglitaus re- 



