304 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[November, 



chapel is a new arrangement of tlie details of tlie pointed style, but it ap- 

 pears to us to be rather out of character with the remaining portions. 



A Brief Suney of Physicnl and Fossil Geoloyy. By Frederick John 

 Francis. London: Ilatchard, 1839. 



This small work is a republication of two lectures delivered at Literary Insti- 

 tutions, and therefore well adapted for popular circulation. The object of 

 such a pei-formance almost places it out of the range of criticism, particularly, 

 whereas in this instance, the work seems carefully compiled. 



LITERARY NOTICES. 



Mr. Standish Motte, the Parliamentarj- Barrister, has published at the 

 request of the Aborigines Protection Society, a system of registration for the 

 Aborigines of our Colonies, which, although it recommends engineers to he 

 sent out to the colonies, hardly comes within our province ; we can say, 

 however, that it contains many profound and original views. 



Mr. ^^'vLD, the Geographer, in addition to his national wo»k on the Cam- 

 paigns of the English Armies in the Peninsula, has recently published several 

 authentic Maps and Plans of the Seat of War in the East, 



Mr. Tyas is about to publish a cheap Map of England in shilling sheets, 

 from the graver of Mr. Jobbins, and on the scale of a third of an inch to a 

 mile. From the specimen it seems likely to prove a useful work. 



The new Catalogue of Mr. \\'eale contains the most copious list yet pub- 

 lished of works on engineering and architecture. 



NOTES OF THE MONTH. 



M'lTH the rage for promenade concerts, it is scarcely surprising that archi- 

 tecture should have been a little affected with the mania. The Princess's 

 Theatre in Oxford Street, has been opened at present for concerts ; it is a 

 gorgeous building in the style of the revival ; finished by Mr. Thomas Marsh 

 Nelson ; tlie original design, we believe, being by Mr. Duncan. The ground in 

 Leicester Square, next to the Zoological Society, is being cleared preparatory to 

 a building for promenade concerts. — The Adelphi Theatre has had a new 

 front put on, we believe from the designs of Mr. Beasley. It is a novelty 

 admissible in such a style of decoration, but the pilasters of the lower arch 

 have been unfortunately contracted, from the interference of a neighbour 

 who possesses a right of way. — Oxford Street is being improved by the erec- 

 tion of several new shops on a large scale. — The Architectural Society com- 

 menced its pioceedings on Tuesday the 3rd. — Mr. Baily has just finished two 

 statues, one of Sir Thomas Brisbane, for New South Wales, and a statue of a 

 distinguished Irish judge for Dublin. — The foundation has been laid of the 

 new Collegiate School at Livcrjiool. — The British Museum has received seve- 

 ral accessions to its Egyptian collections ; a fine colossal head has been erected 

 over the doorway, which produces a fine effect. — Considerable stir is being 

 made as to the formation of new railways, but we fear that the Standing 

 Orders will jirevent their making much way this Session. Among others we 

 mention, the London and Manchester,- the Cambridge and Norwich, through 

 Thetford, the Lincoln and Nottingham, the Devon and Cornwall lines, the 

 Edinburgh hnes, one from Mr. JIarshall's Slate Quanies to Ulverstou. 



ON TIDE GAUGES. 



Sir. — In your October number you have, somewhat incautiously, 

 given insertion to a letter most injurious to my character, signed 

 " Jurnes Jnglis, London," on the subject of my new Tide Gauge, a de- 

 scription of which was communicated to the Royal Society by the Rev. 

 Professor Whewell, of Cambridge, and printed in their Transactions 

 for 1338. 



Divested of those portions of it which, being merely ornamental, 

 may be safely passed over without remark, Mr. Inglis's letter contains 

 an assertion and an implication, to each of which I must give a se- 

 parate reply. It is asserkd, that in answer to various letters which 

 I had addressed to Mr. Mitchell, I received from him a description 

 and drawings of his machine, by the aid of which my own was 

 constructed. In reply to this assertion, I beg to state, distinctly 

 and simply, that I never had the slightest correspondence or com- 

 municntioii with Mr. Mitchell in my life, either directly or indi- 

 rectly, and challenge either him or his friend, Mr. Inglis, to produce 

 one scrap or syllable of any letter of mine in evidence of such coires- 

 pondence. 1 may also add that I never saw any drawing or descrip- 

 tion of Mr. Mitchell's tide gauge, and that I have not, at this moment, 

 the least idea of its principle. 



The implicalioH contained in the letter of Mr. Inglis is, that as my 

 tide gauge was merely a copy taken from that of Mr. Mitchell, with 



little or no claim either to originality or improvement, it was not only 

 su|ierfluous but unjust that any description of that machine should 

 liave been permitted to apnear, with my name attached to it, in the 

 Transactions of the Royal .Society. On this latter point I cannot do 

 better than transcribe the document itself which was the immediate 

 occasion of my communicating that description to the public. This 

 document was a letter addressed by Major J. B. Jervis, to the Hydro- 

 grapher to the Admiralty, Captain Beaufort, R.N., and by him enclosed 

 to me, with the following note : — 



" Admiralty, Feb. 23, 1838. 



" Mv DEAR Sir — The enclosed note is from the Engineer Officer who has 

 been appointed to succeed the present Surveyor General of India. — Do me 

 the favour to read it, and tell me how far you can assist us, and when. 



" Yours verj- truly, 



' " F. Beaufort." 



(Note enclosed.) 



"To Capt. F. Beaufort. — My dear Sir — I rejoice to say that I have 

 found the Court of Directors disposed to give the fullest effect to om- wishes 

 in respect of the registry of the Tides, throughout the whole line of coast of 

 India, and wherever their authority extends. I stated my own views to the 

 Chairman, Sir James Carnac, to Mr. Melville, and other influential persons, 

 and fully explained to them that unless the thing were well done, it were far 

 better let alone ; whereupon they directed the dispatch and instructions which 

 they had already prepared for the Governor General and Bombay Govern- 

 ment to be withheld, and empowered me to arrange with Mr. Whewell, Mr. 

 Lubbock, and yourself, to propose any course of proceeding and measures we 

 thought advisable, and point out the requisite apparatus. With such a mag- 

 nificent carte blanche, with such superior co-adjutors, it would indeed be a 

 reproach to be either su])ine or unsuccessful. Mr. Whewell heartily con- 

 curred with us on the importance of having the Tides registered with a far 

 greater degree of precision, and at shorter intervals, at several additional 

 points on the shores of India, Arabia, Persia, the Eastern Islands, and China ; 

 and was of opinion that at such stations exact meteorological observations 

 should also be made contemporaneously, and these punctually and promptly 

 transmitted home in duplicate eveiy mouth, to the Admiralty, to the India 

 House, and to the Royal Society. Although Mr. Mitchell's Tide Guage, 

 erected at Sheerness appears to Mr. Wliewell to answer sufficiently well for 

 the subordinate stations, he laid great stress on the necessity of something 

 far superior to this, for those stations where it was intended to have more 

 precise and frequent measurements. He spoke to me in terms of high praise, 

 as did also Ca))tain Washington, of Mr. Bunt's ajiparatus, but said that he 

 much regi'etted that it had not been puWished, although he had been in 

 treaty with the inventor to give it to the pubUc with a complete description." 



" It is the chief object of this epistle to move you to write to Mr. B. 



to publish his descriptions and drawings. Do let me urge you to use all your 

 influence with him in so good a cause, — and if he would permit a working 

 model to be made under his own eye, it would greatly assist the native arti- 

 ficers of India and expedite the construction of the several tide gauges. The 

 Directors would readily defray the expense of such model. 



" Y'ours, sincerely, 



" J. B. Jervis." 



In compliance with this earnest solicitation, I immediately prepared 

 and forwarded to Professor Whewell drawings and a description of my 

 tide-gauge, which were soon afterwards inserted in the Transactions of 

 the Royal Society. In doing so, I acted in opposition to the advice 

 of some of my scientific friends, who thought that I was entitled to 

 secure to myself the fruits of so much labour and study. A few months 

 afterwards I was requested to superintend the construction of two 

 machines, similar to my own, for the East India Directors, agreeably 

 to the tenor of Major Jervis's letter, already quoted ; with which re- 

 quest I also complied without hesitation. "These machines were com- 

 pleted and intrusted to the care of two scientific officers in the 

 Company's service, Lieuts. Elliott and Ludlow; who, after visiting 

 Bristol for the purpose of inspecting my original tide-gauge, sailed 

 with the two new machines for India in February last. From one of 

 these gentlemen (Lieut. Elliott, who had, I think, seen Mr. Mitchell's 

 tide-gauge,) I have received several letters, in all of which he speaks 

 of my machine in terms of the highest commendation. 



Immediately on the appearance of Mr. Inglis's letter, I inserted a 

 reply to it in several of the Bristol newspapers, and sent a copy of ray 

 reply to Professor Whewell, from whom I received the following note : 



" Trinity College, Cambridge, Oct. 9, 1840. 



" Mv DEAR Sir — I have received your shp of the Bristol Standard, and 

 am full of astonishment at the mahgnant absurdity of Mr. Inglis. Even on 

 his own letter his conduct has this character ; for no amount of correspon- 

 dence with Mr. Mitchell could have deprived your machine of its vast supe- 

 riority." "I am glad you have replied to him so calmly. Captain 



Beaufort's and Major Jerris's letters must satisfy every body, and do you 

 justice." 



