1840.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL^ 



211 



EARL DE GREY'S CONVERZATIONE. 



On Tlmrsday evening the 21st nit., Earl De Grey opened his house in 

 St. James's Square, for the reception of the Royal Institute of British Arclii- 

 tects, of which Society his Lordship is the President. In addition to the 

 members of tlie Institute, the splendid suite of apartments was crowded by a 

 numerous and brilliant assemlily of the patrons and professors of every branch 

 of the arts and sciences, among whom we noticed the ilarquis of Lansdowne, 

 Lord Stuart de Rothesay, Lord Bughersh, Sir Edward Cust, Mr. Gaily Knight, 

 and Mr. Rogers, Sir Martin Shee, Sir Richard Westmacott, Su: Francis Chan- 

 trv. Sir David Wilkie, Mr. Martin, Mr. Copley Fielding. Sir Gardner Wilkin- 

 son', Sir Henry Ellis, Sir Frederick Madden, Mr. Walker, Mr. Brunei, Mr. 

 Bab'bage, Mr.AlIan Cunningham, &c. &c. Her Grace the Duchess of North- 

 umberland and a select party of ladies of rank were also present. The atten- 

 tion of the visitors was attracted by a display of works of art from the port- 

 folios of Mr. Stanfield, Mr. Joseph Xash, and other artists of eminence, and 

 bv some beautiful specimens of the Daguerrotype and electrotype. 



MR. WALKER'S CONVERZATIONE. 



On Wednesday evening the 27th ultimo, Mr. Walker, the President of the 

 Institution of Civil Engineers, invited a large number of scientific gentlemen 

 to a converzatioue held at liis house in Great George-street, the rooms were 

 crowded at an early hour of the evening, we have not witnessed so large an 

 assembly of the scientific and literati during the season. The company were 

 entertained by a display of numerous works of art, drawings and models of 

 new inventions, a few of which we shall just take a glance at. The portfolios 

 of drawings by Scanuell, Tomkins, Landseer, and Lake Price were much ad- 

 mired, so also the elaborate work on the .\lhambra by Owen Jones. There 

 was exhibited an excellent specimen of electrotype taken from an engranng 

 of BjTon, the original engraving was shown from wliich the electrotype was 

 produced, the first is in relief, and for the purjiose of taking off impressions, 

 a seconil electrotype is obUged to be taken oft' from the first, which brings 

 this last impression to the same appearance as the original plate ; tliere were 

 ,ilso shown two impressions, one taken from the original plate, and the other 

 from the second electrotype, both of them were so much alike, that it was 

 with dilRculty any difference could be detected.— There was a fine representa- 

 tion in stained glass of Mary Queen of Scots and Knox, by Messrs. Hoadley 

 and Oldfield. — In the model room was exhibited a beautiful set of 8 models 

 of Mr. Brunei's block machinery at Portsmouth, showing the different opera- 

 tions the block passed through from the square block of wood to its com- 

 pletion. — Mr. Rennie's trapeziod paddle-wheel attracted considerable notice, 

 likewise the beautiful models of Mr. Samuel Seaward's marine atmospheric 

 steam-engines, also his sUde valves by which the eduction valve is opened 

 before the induction valve, thereby allowing a better and more rapid escape 

 of the steam to the condenser, and producing a better vacuum ; his brine 

 detector which exhibits the quantity of salt with which water in marine 

 boilers is impregnated, is of great advantage to the engineer, by the aid of 

 which he is enabled to judge the proper times it is necessary to bloiu off, for 

 the purpose of cleansing the boilers of the salts which are deposited at the 

 bottom, which if not attended to, very soon destroys the metal. — Another 

 very ingenious model was that of Mr. Davison's refrigerator, lately constructed 

 at Messrs. Truman's brewery, a vertical cylinder which contains several tubes, 

 is filled with a stream of cold water, constantly flowing through it, which sur- 

 rounds the tubes ; there is also a blast of cold air forced through the interior 

 of the tubes by the aid of a fan blower — the hot liquor is admitted into an 

 open chamber on the top of the cylinder and allowed to gradually overfow 

 the tubes which project above the bottom of the open chamber, and trickle 

 down the interior side of the tubes, thus it is cooled by the combined 

 operation of cold water coming in contact with the outside of the tubes, and 

 the cold blast up the centre of their interior, by the time the hot liquor has 

 arrived at the bottom, it is sufficiently cooled to be conveyed into the work- 

 ing tuns. — There was a model of Messrs. Maudslays and Field's double cylin- 

 der steam-engine, described in a late number of the Journal. — Mr. Milne's 

 hydrostatic gas regulator, by the aid of wluch the hghts are always kept at one 

 height and intensity. — The patent omnibus, if we may judge correctly by the 

 model, appears to be a cumbersome machine, and likely to monopolize the 

 whole of the streets in the city, if many are to he introduced. — There were 

 likewise several models of machines and apparatus connected with railways 

 and steam navigation, by Mr. Curtis, Mr. Cottam, Mr. England, Mr. Greener, 

 and others. — A very neat letter balance by Professor WilUs attracted notice. 

 — Some specimens of drawing paper made by Mr. Hanson's patent machinery 

 were exhibited, by which drawing paper may be had in unlimited lengths and 

 hi any width up to 4 feet, and also of any degree of fineness or quality. — Mr. 

 Bielefeld's Papier-Mache ornaments, particularly a Corinthian capital, were 

 objects worthy of notice. — Some specimens of bricks and tiles, made by 

 Bakewell's press, showed the superiority of bricks made by this machine over 

 those of the ordinary kind. Besides what we have aheady enumerated, there 

 were objects of considerable interest distributed through all the rooms, not 

 forgetthig the beautiful models and drawings of works in progress under the 

 directions of Mr. Walker in all parts of the kingdom. 



We can tiuly say that we never saw a party more satisfied than the one of 



this evening, with the judicious combination of social and scicntilic arrange- 

 ments, and the select, yet abundant materials for intellectual, as \veU as 

 hospitable entertainment provided by the worthy President. 



Among the numerous distinguished individuals present, we recognized 

 Earl de Crev, the President of the Institute of British Architects, Lord Wes- 

 tern, Lord Lowther, Lord Blavntvre, Sir Roljert Peel, Sir Henry Parnel, Sir 

 John Renuie, Sir Duncan M'Dougal, Sir John Rae Reid, Sir George Murray, 

 Sir John Scott Lillic, Sir W. Pearson, Sir H. Ellis, Sir W. Burnett, Sir W. 

 Riddell, Sir James Duke, Sir Hesketh Fleetwood, Sir John Barrow, Sir 

 Da\id Wilkie, Sir Peter Laurie, Mr. Hodges, M.P., Mr. Handley, M.P., 

 Mr. Baines, M.P., Mr. Pease, M.P., Professor Wilhs, Mr. Bahbage, Major 

 Anderson, Col. Colby, Col. Paisley, Col. Thompson, Dr. Reid, Dr. Field, 

 Dr. Roget, Sergeants Spankie and Ailaras, Mr. Barry, Mr. Tite, Mr. Hard- 

 wicke, Mr. Blorc, Mr. Basevi, Mr. Donaldson, Mr. Fonier, Mr. Kendall, Mr, 

 Stephanoff, Mr. Landseer, Mr. Stone, and a great number of architects, 

 artists, and most of the members of the Institution of Civil Engineers, 



NOTES OF THE MONTH. 



The Royal Exchange competition has been decided in favour of Mr. Tite, 

 so that we' suppose the works will now go on. Mr. Cockerel! his competitor 

 is exhibiting a model of his design in the Old Jem-y.— Mr. Barry, as if he 

 were not satisfied with providing for the legislature, has now been engaged 

 in making designs for the new Courts of Law, proposed to be erected in the 

 square of Lincoln's Inn Fields, the expenses to be mainly defrayed from the 

 Suitor's Fund. This plan has received the approbation of the lawyers, and 

 will doubtless be carried into effect, giving the architect the opportunity of 

 adding another colossal building to the architectural contributions of the 

 \ ictoria era. — The area in Trafalgar-square is now a scene of activity, the 

 footpath which connects the Strand with Cockspur-street, has been brought 

 considerablv nearer to the Wiitehall side, thus adding a large space to the 

 former enclosure, whicli we trust will be laid out so as to agree in character 

 with the National Gallery, to which it might be made to give a greater ap- 

 pearance of elevation. — A diminished grant has been taken for the buildings 

 of the British Museum, so that they must linger on in the old style. 



In addition to the information wiiich we conveyed last month about the 

 Daguerreotype, we may mention that the attempt to produce permanent en- 

 gra\ings so "as to admit of impressions being taken, has perfectly succeeded. 



.\niong the men of science, whose loss we have sustained may be mention, 

 ed Poisson, the eminent French mathematician, and Sir Roliert Seppings. — 

 Sir Robert was surveyor to the navy for neariy fifty years, during which time 

 he was the means of introducing many improvements into the navy, worthy 

 of his own invention, as the circular bow and stern, the system of diagonal 

 bracing, of scarfing short pieces, of making frigate timber applicable to line 

 lof battle ships, and the use of the iron knees.— Mr. Whitwell, the architect 

 of the unfortunate Brunswick Theatre, also died recently, but as we hope to 

 attain some particulars respecting him, we shall defer any farther notice of 

 his services.— -We may mention among the professional losses, and as a very 

 severe one, the unfortunate destruction of a great part of York Minster by 

 fire, arising from carelessness. We feel pretty siure however that this national 

 monument will be restored. 



Durability of Iron Boats. — The question of the durability of iron 

 vessels, of their little liabihty to accident, and of the ease with which damage 

 done to them may be repaired, appears to he very clearly proved from the 

 experience which has already been obtained on these points ; and this is no 

 little, for there are boats built by Mr. Laird in both Nortli and South Ame- 

 rica — in all parts of India and on the Euphrates and the Indus — in Egypt, 

 on the Nile — and in the Mediterraneau^on the Vistula, on the Shannon, and 

 on the Thames. One of these boats on the Savannah has been constantly at 

 work for these last six years without any repair ; which is a great test, if we 

 consider the frequent constant caulkings required to preserve a timber-built 

 ship. There is also a steam-yacht built of iron, the Glow-worm, the property 

 of Ashetou Smith, Esq. This vessel has made the passage from Bristol to 

 Carnarvon, a distance of 210 miles, in 18 hours. In the report to the House 

 of Commons on steaAi-vessel accidents, we find the foUovving stated of the 

 Garryowen, one of these vessels : — " We went ashore about two cables' length 

 to the eastward of the pier (Kilrush), and struck very heavy for the first 

 hour. The ground under our weather-bilge was rather soft clay, covered 

 with shingle and loose stones, some of them pretty large. Under our inside, 

 or lee-bilge, the ground was very hard, being a footpath .at low water. I 

 was greatly afraid she would be very much injured by it in her bottom, but 

 I am happy to say she has not received any injuiy ; in fact, her bottom is as 

 perfect and as good, as on the day she left Liverpool— not a single rivet 

 started, nor a rivet-iicad flown off. If an oak vessel, with the cargo I had 

 on deck, was to go on shore where the Garryowen did, and get such a ham- 

 mering, they would have a difl'erent story to tell. * * Out 

 of 27 vessel's that got ashore that night, the Garryowen is the only one that 

 is not damaged more or less." Colonel Chesney, the commander of the Eu- 

 phrates expedition, writes thus of the iron vessels which were employed on 

 that service : — " It is but right to tell you that the iron vessels constructed 

 by you far exceeded my expectations, as well as those of the naval officers 

 employed in the late expedition, who would one and all beat testimony any- 



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