284 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECrS JOURNAL. 



^Septembeb, 



Yearly .50,000 cubic yards of charcoal, and turns eut 8,000 tons of 

 iron ill a piud year. Japy, brothers are the directors. 



The Jletallurjfic Society of V'ierzon is another company ; has 

 engines of 300-horse power, 9 high furnaces, 11 puililliiig lioarths, 

 12 balling wires, 30 refinery fires, 1 reverberating oven, 1 steam- 

 hammer +,000lb. weight, and 5 rolling presses. 



The cotton-mills of Messrs. Seilliere, at Senones, in the Vosges, 

 were set up in 1801, and then employed 8,500 spindles. They have 

 now several establishments, and employ 516 people in the spinning 

 department, 550 in the power-loom department, 8C in the bleachery, 

 altogether 1,007. They use as moving power, water-wheels of 

 14.2-horse power, 3 steam-engines, 1 turbine of 50-horse power, 

 and 1 of 30-horse power. They have 20,500 spindles, and 600 

 looms, and work up yearly 650,000 lb. of cotton into yarn. This 

 factory does not seem to have had the success anticipated, as for a 

 long time it suffered from want of jiower, the water-power being 

 at first only 50-horse power; but they have now greater resources. 

 Tlie spinner, who in 1830 earned only 1 franc a-day, now earns 

 from 2 to 8^ frances per day. 



The firm of Nicholas Schlumberger, at Guebwiller, in the High 

 Rhine, is that of one of the great cotton lords of France. The 

 mill was founded in ISIO. The firm spin cotton, linen, hemp, 

 i-iimbed wool, and silk waste, and have likewise a factory for 

 making spinning machinery. They have above 2,000 work-people, 

 with 55,000 spindles, and work up 800,0001b. of cotton yearly into 

 yarn, and 550 tons of metal, besides 1,000 tons of coal. 



The firm of ilahieu-Delangre have cotton-mills at Armentieres, 

 in the North, and employ 1,342 work-people. 



The firm of Scrive, brothers, of Lille, spin and weave flax. 

 They employ 550 people. M. Scrive Labbe introduced the flax- 

 weaving machinery into France. 



Messrs. Cohin and Co, at Rallepot-les-Fi-event, have a flax-mill 

 with 600 work-people, and 10,330 spindles. 



M. Lemaitre-Demeestere has a flax-mill at Ilalluin, in the North, 

 and em])Ioys 000 or 700 people. 



'I'he firm of Messrs Berte'ohe, Chesnon, and Co. dates from 1806, 

 and has establishments at Sedan and Paris, for cloths, cassimeres, 

 t^c. They turn over above 300,000/. yearly, and ship to the United 

 States, Peru, Chili, Brazil, Mexico, Spain, Belgium, Russia, and 

 even England. 



These will give some idea of the large French establishments of 

 various kinds, and although we may pride ourselves on having 

 larger ones, we cannot help seeing we have powerful rivals. 



M''e were very much pleased with the show. It does the greatest 

 credit to the manufacturers of France, and gives the most gratify- 

 ing ])roofs of their progress. It may be most usefully studied by 

 Englishmen. In every article of taste the French are beyond us, 

 though we are making way upon them; and it is likely that if we 

 liad a show ourselves, a higher class of productions %vould be 

 brought forward, and would receive greater encouragement. The 

 metal manufticturers exhibit many creditable works — not models, 

 but working h)comotives, stationary engines, and tool machines. 

 We do not consider the French go beyond us, or come up to us, 

 but they show an earnest rivalry, and are certainly getting ahead. 

 Even Englishmen are at first struck by this truly great show; but 

 a careful examination modifies the first opinion of exclusive excel- 

 lence, and afl"ordsthe strongest ground for believing that a London 

 Exposition would far surpass that at Paris. 



To the establishment of a show of English productions our at- 

 tention was long since turned; and we are the more convinced of 

 its necessity, and of the propriety of taking some immediate step. 

 AV'e have, however, no faith in the scheme put forward by the 

 Society of Arts, because we think that society is wholly unable to 

 carry it out, and an abortive attempt would ha\ e the most mis- 

 chievous results. We consider that an Exposition should originate 

 with the manufacturers, and be managed by them. 



An Exposition, in all its attributions, is well calculated to en- 

 courage industry. The reports of the shire-committees on the 

 state of trade, and of those who have done the most service to 

 trade and agriculture, would have very good results. In France, 

 most establishments exhibiting state how many men they employ, 

 the extent of their works, and the value of their produce. These 

 are not things that can be kept secret in England; the statistics of 

 each iron-work or cotton-mill are accessible to rivals, though they 

 are not well known by the public. The opportunity that is pre- 

 sented of ascertaining the comparative condition of each branch 

 of industry is invaluable, and many would be greatly stimulated 

 were their existence or capabilities fully known. 



In France, a classified catalogue shows the number of exhibitors 

 in each department, and some of them we will enumerate. There 

 are 22 exhibitors of steel, 81 of iron, 518 of machines, 152 of 



apparatus for heating, distilling, and drying, 120 of watchmaking, 

 133 of husbandry implements, 138 of what are called instruments 

 of precision, and 123 of tools. Other exhibitors to be noticed are, 

 6 of slates, 11 of bitumen, 2 of anthracite, 13 of geograjdiical ar- 

 ticles, 73 of colours and varnishes, 3 of razor strops, 20 of daguer- 

 reotyping, 7 of ink, 5 of goffering, 3 of gutta percha, 15 of water- 

 proofing, 183 of musical instruments, 12 of letters in relief, 23 of 

 marbles, 15 of mosaics and incrustations, 114 of paper-works, 10 of 

 pasteboard-works, 15 of i)aper-hanging, 33 of stays, 35 of per- 

 fumery, IS of wooden shoes. These will show the varied character 

 of the exhibition, and what a speciatit-J there is for some articles 

 looked upon as inconsiderable. 



( To h? continued) 



THE PUBLIC WORKS OF ENGLAND. 



No. IV. — Docks. 



Necessilas mater artuim. These most useful establishments were, ia 

 many iastances, the last adopted iu the most important commercial towns. 

 The reason is that the most important towns were established in favoured 

 situations where the absolute necessity for docks was the latest felt. Dry 

 docks, for the mere purpose of constructing vessels, are, of course, of very 

 ancient date, and are to he found everywhere ; but wet docks, for the pur- 

 pose of giving vessels when arrived at their destination a safe receptacle and 

 easy means of loading and unloading, are of singularly recent date. The 

 Mediterranean, in its tideless waters, stood in comparatively little need of 

 such convenience. Thus when Venice, Genoa, Leghorn, Marseilles, were 

 totally without docks, some of the towns on the Baltic, of much less com- 

 mercial importance, possessed docks of excellent construction. Ou the 

 same principle in our own country, London was anticipated by many second- 

 rate seaports. Liverpool, at a time when it bore a very low rank amongst 

 our commercial towns, first established the dock system in Great Britain. 

 In those days no one could ever have dreamt of the North American trade. 

 Liverpool owed nothing to its near position. The advantage of its pro.'simity 

 to America was an after-accident. The energy probably of a few private in- 

 dividuals, instituted a scheme which totally altered the commercial balance 

 of the empire. To some accidents of private conduct is due in like manner 

 the arrangement and position of most of our great emporiums, for whatever 

 celebrated — whether for art, industry, commerce, or education. 



The shifting of the sands in the .Mersey, however, and other disadvantages 

 of the harbour, rendered docks more necessary at Liverpool than in most 

 other places. Tlie first Act for this purpose in Liverpool was obtained in 

 1708. The management was invested in the Corporation for a term of 21 

 years. That body gave 4 acres of land, and were authorised to borrow 6000/. 

 The old dock was thus constructed, covering an area of somewhat morethaa 

 3i acres. In 1717 the term was extended hy 16 years, and the Corporalioa 

 empowered to borrow an additional 4000/. In 1737 a new Act gave a fur. 

 ther prolongation of the term, an additional dock permitted to be con- 

 structed, and a new power given of borrowing GOOD/. By 1761 another dock 

 was wanted, and 25,000/. more was permitted to be borrowed. In 1784 

 tno more docks were granted, and the power of borrowing 70,000/. In 

 1799 two more docks and a further loan of 120,000/. were authorised. The 

 Corporation contributed the necessary ground. The aggregate sums thus 

 authorised amount to 231,000/. for seven docks. The dock dues, which in 

 1724 amounted to 810/. lis. Crf., reached above 10,000/. in 1790, and above 

 100,000/. in 1818. The number of vessels, which in 1760 was 1245, reached 

 10,000 in 1824. 



The area covered by these docks varies, from the first, or " old" dock, 

 which, as we have stated, occupies 3J acres to the Queen's Dock, which 

 covers about 11 acres. Besides the docks, there are six basins, covering 

 from 2 to 4 acres each. The construction of most of the docks, especially 

 that called the Prince's Dock, is of the most solid description. The offices 

 are splendid, cast-iron sheds are built round it, and a spacious parade runs 

 along one side. 



More recently the Brunswick and Birkenhead Docks have been built. Of 

 the latter the fortunes are not yet developed ; the vicissitudes of this under- 

 taking have hitherto been considerable. They are designed upon the most 

 magnificent scale, and may probably have to wait some years until the 

 inevitable expansion of British commerce under an increasing population, 

 and the blessings of free trade, may call into use the vast area and superb 

 appliances which they otfcr to the merchant and the shipmaster. 



The next in order of time were the Hull Old Docks, which were com- 

 menced in 1774, on the site of the old fortifications. The area of dock, 

 quay, &c., is above 30 acres ; that of the dock itself, 10 acres. Rennie, the 

 engineer, had many difficulties to encounter in the loose nature of the soil. 

 The first di edging machine ever employed in England was constructed by 

 him for the use of these docks. This was one of the most profitable un- 

 dertakings of the kind in the hands of shareholders, the docks at Liverpool, 

 like those at Bristol, being the property of the Corporation. The original 

 numher of shares was 120 ; that number has since been increased to nearly 

 200. In 1803, previous to the increase, the dividend was no less than 



