1849.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



185 



of the driving-wlieel, provided a given relative proportion existed between 

 the cubic content of the cylinder and the circumference of the driving- 

 wheel, and that large wheels reduced the wear and tear. 



The long disposed of question of the stability of the long boiler engines 

 was again cursorily touched on and disposed of. 



The diminution of the wear and tear of the sides of the brasses of the 

 engines, having the driving-wheels behind, and the greatest weight upon the 

 extremities, leaving a comparatively light load on the centre wheels, was ad- 

 duced as a proof of their stability, an engine of that kind having run 

 twentv-five thousand miles without anyapprecialile lateral wear; whereas an 

 ordinary engine on the same railway, had worn away a thickness of a quarter 

 of an inch whilst running the same distance. 



A paper was read, describing "A kind of Permanent Way, which had 

 been somewhat extensively laid down on the Lancashire and Yorkshire and 

 other Raihvays, in the north of England." By Mr. Hawkshaw, M. Inst. C.E. 

 The principle was that of a bridge rail, weighing seventy-five pounds per 

 yard, placed upon continuous longitudinal timber bearing, and the novelty 

 consisted in having at each joint a malleable iron plate chair, with a projec- 

 tion on the upper surface, fitting witliin the interior of the rail, and the 

 flanches, which were fourteen inches long by eight inches wide, and half-an- 

 inch in thickness, attached to the rail by rivets in such a manner as to fix 

 them firmly together, and yet to allow for the expansion and contraction 

 caused by the variations of temperature. The details of the arrangement 

 were very simple and complete, and it appeared to succeed perfectly, as in 

 an extent of twenty miles of railway so laid, over which numerous heavy 

 trains had ran daily, at considerable speed, for the last year, only three 

 rivet-heads were found to have been knocked off when recently examined. 



May 15. — The discussion on Mr. Hawkshaw's paper was continued 

 throughout this evening. 



Some interesting observations were made on the actual destruction of the 

 cast-iron chairs and double-headed rails, and the advantages that would re- 

 sult from the more general substitution of continuous longitudinal limber 

 bearings for the present transverse sleepers and cast-iron chairs. The gra- 

 dual ameliorations that had taken place in the forms and strengths of the 

 bridge rails and their various fastenings were discussed ; and it was contended 

 that the hollow bridge rail was more durable than any other, that the upper 

 surface was more compressed in rolling, and that the system of connecting 

 the end, whether by rivetting to a plate, or by holts and nuts, made a better 

 and more even joint, and therefore produced a more level surface for the 

 engines and carriages to run upon. The duration of the timber was de- 

 clared to be such, that a second set of bridge rails bad been laid down on 

 the longitudinal timbers, whereas the cross sleepers had never been able to 

 hear that. This, however, it was asserted, arose principally from common 

 timber being used for the transverse sleepers, whilst the best kind, well 

 creosoted, was used for the longitudinal bearers. 



The systems of inserting a piece of hard wood between the rail and the 

 main timber, as on the Great Western Railway, was much approved, as was 

 also the plan of side transoms halved into the main timbers, as it enabled a 

 better system of drainage to be employed than had been usual with that 

 kind of permanent way. 



The new systems tried by Mr. Samuels on the Eastern Counties Railway, 

 and of which several models were exhibited and described, received much 

 commendation, particularly the plan for dispensing with the joint chairs and 

 uniting the ends of the rails by two side pieces, or fishes, of cast-iron, bolted 

 through and to each other, so as to render that part quite equal in strength 

 to the body of the rail. The question of the roeajis of allowing for the 

 contraction and expansion of a line of securely-fastened rails was dis- 

 cussed, as was the creeping or advancing motion of rails in the direction of 

 the traffic. 



The general opinion seemed to be decidedly in favour of the longitudinal 

 bearing, although it was admitted that many of the transverse-sleeper rail- 

 ways — for instance, such as had been laid on the plans of Cubitt and of 

 Hawkshaw — were so good that it was not to be presumed they would be 

 removed to make way for the longitudinal system. 



May 22. — Mr. Field, the President of the Institution, held bis Annual 

 Conversazione on Tuesday evening. May 22nd, at the rooms of the Institu- 

 tion. The President was well supported in doing the honours of the 

 evening by the vice-presidents and members of council, and by Mr. C. 

 Manby, the secretary, whose general arrangements, and selection and distri- 

 bution of the works of art and the models, claim the highest praise. 



From such a large collection we can only particularise a few, and we must 

 give the place of honour to the works of art. On the walls were the por- 

 traits of the celebrated engineers, Locke, Brunei, Fairhairn, and Mr. Isam- 

 bard Brunei, by Grant, Hornby, and Patten. Around the walls and on the 

 tables were beautiful specimens of the pencils of Etty, Haghe, Lee, Fahey, 

 Scanlan, Pitt, Wood, Boxall, Richmond, jutsum, Forrester, and many others. 



Mr. Thomas contributed a beautiful marble chimney-piece, intended for 

 Mr. Peto, and a statuette of Ariel commanding the storm. Mr. Behnes, also 

 sent an excellent bust of Mr. C. Barry. Mr. Deighton's model of the 

 Kneller Hall Training School was an excellent specimen of Mr. Mair's archi- 

 tectural skill and taste. Among the principal of Salter's models were, Mr. 

 Fowler's New Holland Pier, and his Girder Bridge over the Trent ; Mr. Jee's 

 Dinting Vale Viaduct; Captain Moorsom's Viaduct on the Waterford Rail- 

 way i Mr. G. Edwards' Bridge over the Waveney ; Mr. Grainger's Bridge 



over the Calder ; Mr. Stephenson's Tubular Bridge over the Menai Strait^ ; 

 and of the Bishop's Rock Pile Lighthouse, erecting in a most perilous 

 position, by Messrs. Walten and Biirges. Cochranc's Sawing-Macbine ex- 

 cited great attention ; as did Giirdon's Cata-Dioptric arrangement, and Wil- 

 kins's Fimrth Orrler Dioptric Light Apparatus. 



The Earl of Kosse contributed the model of his maiinificent Telescope, as 

 did Mr. Cowper those of his own, Mr. Lassels's, and Mr. Nasmyth's method 

 of mounting Equatorial instruments. 



The Electric Telegraph Company had a fine collection of working instru- 

 ments, and Messrs. Brett and Little contributed a series of theirs. 



Mr. Strode's self-igniting gas burner, and Mr. Biddell's self-regulating 

 gas-burner, were both much admired. 



Messrs. Adams exhibited a complete series of improvements in railway 

 carriages, permanent way, &c. ; and Messrs. Johnson and Cammell an 

 equally complete assortment of steel springs, files, &c. 



Mr. Roberts had a beautiful collection of models and working instru- 

 ments, exhit)iting his usual talent of invention and beauty of execuiion. 



Messrs. Mitchell had a series of models of the various applications and 

 mode of using the screw- pile and mooring. Very complete models wire 

 also shown, by Mr. Woods, of Clements' sugar-refinery, and of a rotative 

 tlynamometer. 



Messrs. James Wall and Co., sent two curious models of an ensine with 

 an oscillating cylinder, made by Murdock in 1785, and of a locomotive 

 engine, by the same ingenious man, prior to 1784. 



Messrs'. Ransome and May exhibited some shavings of cast-iron, cut by 

 tools of immensp power, from railway wheels. 



Messrs. Maudslay sent a model of a large gun, intended to be loaded and 

 sponged by the hreech ; and a method of feathering paddles. 



Messrs. Seaward and Co.. contributed a series of models of plans for 

 raising stern propellers; and Messrs Chubb also sent a beautiful specimen 

 of an iron chest, very superior in workmanship and design. 



ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS. 



April 30.— T. Bellamy, Esq., V.P., in the Chair. 



The first part of a paper by Mr. J. W. Papworth, '^On some Features nf 

 tlie Connection beficeen the Architectnre and Chronohyy of Egypt, vith an 

 account of a work by M. J. B. Le Sueur, 'On the Chronoloyy of Egypt illus- 

 trated by its Monuments'- — to which the medal of the Institute of France 

 was awarded in 18i7"— was read. 



Recalling the traditionary origin and the literary, philosophical, and reli- 

 gious obligations of the Greeks to Egypt, the author proposed to consider 

 the debt of architecture owing to the Greek translation of Egyptian skill : — 

 for this purpose the first step would he to consider how the dates of monu- 

 ments generally were fixed ; next the monuments themselves would be de- 

 scribed and dated ; then their characteristic features could be placed in 

 tables, from which his deductions would be drawn. He took as his text the 

 opinions of Barry and of Jomard, " that the monuments alluded to are of 

 ■very remote antiquity, or during the most flourishing period of the arts in 

 Egypt ; the general resemblance of the fluted columns to those of the Gre- 

 cian-Doric order is manifest; and, in addition to many other remarkable in- 

 dications in the Egyptian temple, clearly point to Egypt as the source tf 

 both Greek and Roman architecture." Slightly running through the stages 

 of discovery and arrangement, the author mentioned Mr. Wathen's book as 

 one in which his forlhcoming deductions were most decidedly contemned ; 

 and adding a notice of the scope and value of Mr. Sharpe's last work, pro- 

 ceeded to give some account of the great work of Le Sueur, beautifully 

 printed with moveable hiernylyphic type — Ihe first, and a splendid first, child 

 of the Republican Government Printing-Oflice. It contains, above all other 

 matters, the interesting translation and adaptation of the great chronologic 

 Canon of the Museum of Turin, in hieratic writing, formerly of very con- 

 siderable extent, — and which, if perfect, might have set at rest the qucestio 

 vexata of Manetho's Dynasties, for it is not divided into such portions, but 

 into eras. 



The dates of Le Sueur, which give 5000 B.C. to the pyramid builders, ap- 

 pear extraordinary to those who with many English savans consider that 

 1800 is quite remote enough. In accordance with the more moderate dates, 

 a table was exhibited which showed the succession of the kings about to be 

 named ; and the author proceeded to show that the monumental history of 

 his art on one hand proved the table. — while the table, on the other, ac- 

 counted for the works. The Proto-Doric theory of ChampoUion, supported 

 by Jomard, Rosellini, and Wilkinson, was mentioned as having incurred 

 niuch ridicule ; and the theory of Lepsius, as to an Asiatic influence on 

 Egyptian art, was disowned by the author, — who proceeded, on the state- 

 ments subsequently made by Lepsius, to divide Egyptian architecture into at 

 least four classes or orders systematically arranged ; the third and fourth, 

 being imitative of nature, formed one division, — while the other was com- 

 posed of the first and second classes, illustrated by dated examples (from 

 Ghizeh, Karnak, and Quorneh for one period of art, and from Benihassan, 

 Karnak, Dair el Bahri, Medinet Aboo, Eleuthyias, Kalabshe, Amada, and 

 Samneh), whence the peculiar and geometric characteristics of the first divi- 

 sion were drawn and put into juxtaposition. 



A discussion on this part of the paper being very probable, Mr. Papworth 



25 



