58-14.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



175 



Cranmer and his Biblp, David I. King of Scntland administering justice^ 

 and St. Patrick before the Kings and Princes of Tara. His wish to illustrate 

 the union of the several countries is a laudable one, but he should have 

 selecte<l events in which each has a common interest, not the transactions of 

 local chiefs of no constitutional import. Mr. Allan's commemoration of 

 Robert Fitzwalter is a very proper idea, and we are surprised that no one on 

 this occasion has thought of Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, to whom, 

 and not to Henry III., we owe the institution of the representative system — 

 The design of No. 29 is bad.— Some of the carving in Messrs. Colling and 

 Vincent's, No. 8f', is good, but it Is ineffective as a whole. No, 33, by the 

 same artists is a superior work, with pood applications of tracery.— No. 34, 

 by R. B. Boyle, of Dublin, Is in a mixed modern style. 



No. 36, by Samuel Nixon, is too much in the painted window style of Sir 

 Joshua Reynolds. The subjects of his No. 37, show a proper appreciation of 

 history, but we do rot approve the efiect of a dozen panels of sculpture. The 

 life of Alfred the Great, to whom many of our institutions are attributed, is a 

 proper subject, as the first flotilla defeating a Danish squadron, trial by jury, 

 tlie assembly of the M'itan. His carved «ork «e like. 



No. 39, by William Steel, is poor. He is more successful with his chisej 

 than his pencil. — Thomas Drew has sent in the most wretched work in the 

 room. No, 43.— Tlie effect of the niches and statues in No. 44, by Henry 

 Ringham, is not In our opinion tavourable, — Mr. Samuel Pratt certainly 

 makes the most favourable figure among the contributors. We have approved 

 of his No. 9, and we must express approbation of his No. 45, though we 

 could wish for something still better. 



The carving, No. 46, by W. S. Williams, is bad. Stephen Prebble Is the 

 ingenious individual who introduces Lycurgus as a representative of Eng- 

 lish legislators, whether as a satire we know not. It Is a pity he had not 

 room for Draco. No. 49, by Benjamin Baker, is out of style. The effect of 

 No. 51, by John Lees, is poor; so is that of No. 52, by W. S. Williams. 



John Black has chancemedleyed the Hanoverian Sovereigns, Church and 

 Slate, St. George and the Dragon, Fame, Britannia and Peace. This would 

 have done for St. Paul's 30 years ago, but we hope such absurdities are now 

 exploded. — James T. White has an idea still more exquisite. No. 54. His or- 

 naments are portraits of members of the late and present ministry — we should 

 suggest in addition those of the future ministry.— Peter Cummins has an ill- 

 conceived collection of Swords of state, Stars and Garters, Coronets, Britannia, 

 and Magna Charta — No. .57. is also in the allegorical style, having Wisdom, 

 Prince Albert, Virtue, Power. Magna Ghana, and Moderation. Why Is 

 Ptttic/ileft out? 



The stained glass affords the nest series of designs and specimens. We 

 are sorry that we cannot speak most favourably of the specimens of painted 

 glass e.Khibited, too many of them are smudgy. We should recommend Hay 

 on colour to these gentlemen, as a useful study.— No. 58, by John Summers, 

 is very bad. — No. 59, by Ward and Nixon, Is in a purple key, and Is well 

 carried out. — C. E. Gwilt owns No. 60, which is In a crimson key. It is a 

 good piece of colouring. No. 61, by Spence and Co., of Liverpool, is too 

 confused, though the idea is good. No. 62, by Charles Clutterbuck, is a good 

 work of its class. Daniel Higgins owns No. 63. The figures are bad, and 

 the shields relating to Henry VIII. show want of research and poverty of 

 idea. — No. 64. is seemingly unfinished.— Ballantine and Allan, of Edinburgh, 

 have sent in No. 66, which shows much instruction and a laudable desire to 

 produce a goo<I work, but the colouring is jatchy and the tone wants en- 

 semble — No. 67, is a superior work, by Cobbett and Son, well carried out. — 

 No. 68, is also a work of high class. It is by W. Warrington, and the 

 general tone is well attended to. — The design by James Warrington, No. 69, 

 is fair. — The design by Henry Pether, No. 70, shows a want of conception. — 

 No. 71, by Edward Curbould and Georpe Hoadley, has a good efl'ect, but It 

 opens the question whether pictures should be attempted on glass. The 

 subject, though one of historical interest, conveys a national reflection, and 

 should be avoided. It represents Edward I. entering Westminster after 

 having vanquished the Welsh in 1282— No. 72. by Edward Baillie, is good, 

 though we doubt the efl'ect of the medallions. — We are afraid No. 73, by 

 Cobbett and Son, is too picturelibe, while we certainly deprecate the com- 

 partment with Prince Albert in the robes of the Order of the Garter, intro- 

 duced upon an equality with the sovereign. The battle of Bosworth and 

 the triumph of the usurper Henry VII., Is not quite complimentary to the 

 legislative body. — No. 74, by J. A. Gibbs, is glittering, but no more.— The 

 design, No. 75. by Messrs. Chance, Brothers, and Co., wants tone ; and the 

 introduction of bishops, warriors, judges, statesmen. Piety, Valour, Justice, 

 &c., is in bad tnste, as is the introduction of Prince Albert's arms, unless he 

 is brought in as a member of the Commission of the Fine Arts. — No. 76, 

 by Thomas Wilmshurst, has good drapery, but there is a want of ensemble 

 in the composition. — No. 77, by John G. Crace, is not in colours, and is de- 

 voteil to a religious subject offensive to the majority of the inhabitants of 

 the English empire. A piece of stained glass we must notice is the intro- 

 liuciion of Duke Ernest the Pious of Brunswick, ancestor of the Queen and 

 Prince Albert, but having nothing to do, w* presume, with the Houses of 

 Lords and Commons. 



Having gone through the stained glass, we come to numerous and varied 

 specimens of decoration, the whole of which we cannot enumerate. 



No. 78, Is a very fine design, by Richard Popplewell Pullan, which we 

 regret we cannot notice in detail. It shows much study, much labnur, and a 

 firm hand. — The frieze, by the same artist. No. 79, is very gorgeous. — No 81, 

 by R. A. Harrison, in the style of the ninth century, is in a good tone. — 

 Richard Prosser, C.E., of Birmingham, has realized the idea suggested by 

 us just now; and in a design for ornamental pavement, No. 82, has repre- 

 sented the arms of the Commissioners of Fine Arts. We now beg to suggest 

 those of Messrs. Grissell and Peto, the contractors, and Mr. Bellamy, house- 

 keeper to the Commons. Another design for a pavement, No. 83, by J. 

 Bowron, is poor and complicated. 



In No. 85, designs for inlaid flooring, by Austin and Rammell ; the mate- 

 r'al is good, but the design poor. The series of drawings, marked No. 89, by 

 Owen Jones, are most laborious. One of them, a tremendous cartoon, ex- 

 hibits a plan for all the pavements of (Se Palace. We do not, however, like 

 the designs so well as many we have seen by Mr. Jones. 



The materials proposed for the several pavements we regret we have not 

 time now to notice. 



Specimens of metal casting, by Messrs. Bramah and Co., are very fine. — 

 Henry Pether has a design for a pavement, No. 92, very poor.— A similar 

 design, by Thomas Jago, No. 93, is not well conceived. — The design for a 

 cast iron gate, by Messrs. Paterson and Son, No. 94, is poor and out of 

 style. — The specimens of iron and brass castings, by Messenger and Sons, 

 exhibit a high degree of skill. We do not, however, think any castings here 

 come up to the Berlin work. — Messrs. Elkington have show n some favourable 

 examples of electro-bronzing, gilding, &c. 



The castings exh bited are too numerous for us to specify, but we may 

 repeat we do not think they are so good as they might be. 



The inlaid, tesselated and encaustic tiles of various kinds seem good as 

 materials. 



A number of s|iecimens of fresco, encaustic, tempera, and various deco- 

 rative paintings come next, by Crace, .Simpson, Moxon, Sang, Collman, 

 Bohn, &c. These are mostly in modern styles, and can only be regarded as 

 specimens of manipulation and material if and not as designs appropriate to 

 the Houses of Parliament. On the sla rcase are some good cartoons. 



Next month we shall enter more fully into an examination of some of the 

 articles, at which we have only just had time to take a rapid glance. 



.Several railways are to be opened in May. On the 1st, ihe Bricklayer's 

 A rm<; branch to the Croydon and Dover Railway will be opened, also the 

 extension of the Bristol and Exeter Railway, which will be completed the 

 whole distance, forming a direct communication of 200 miles from London to 

 Exeter ; the Norwich and Yarmouth Railway, and the Liverpool and Derby 

 junction line. 



The disaster which lately occurred at the Bricklayer's Arms station of the 

 Croydon and Dover railway, by the falling of the roof, was occasioned by 

 too great exertions being made by the contractors in proceeding with the 

 works, and lajing the lioarding and slating, before the framing was com- 

 pletely fixed. Although the iron work appears to he very light, the roof has 

 been proved in the presence of General Pasley and others, to bear a breaking 

 weight of 621b. jier f ot -uper. double the pressure a roof is ever likely to be 

 submitieii to. Notw jilisnnding the extent ot damage, the whole of the 

 works ot the station have been completed, and will be ready for the opening 

 on the first of May ; we hope in the next Journal to be able to give a drawing 

 oi the roof. 



Newcastle-ox-Tyne — The church of the Hospital cf St. Mary, Newcastle- 

 on-Tyne. laiely used as a grammar school, has be^n pulled down by order of 

 Ihe corporation. It was founded in the reign of Henry 11., by Aselack of 

 Killin;.howe, or Killingworth. Brand, the historian. 17SS, says, "The grand 

 eastern v^indow', now entirely built up, contained in its painted or stained 

 glass an image of the Virgin Mary with her child on her knees, and that the 

 present floor covered a pavement of Dutch tiles of different colours laid 

 lozenge-wise. Mr. John Dobson, architect, prepared a fine plan for its com- 

 plete restoration ; the whole of the antiquity lovers are sore at the unac- 

 countable and unwarrantable proceedings of the Council in pulling it down 

 as it is not contemplated to erect any building upon the site. 



Mr. Bain has had an opporlunity of practically testing the capabilities of 

 his electric printing telegraph, described by us in ihe Journal Vol. VI. pp 284 

 and 3U0. It has been fi.\ed at the terminus of the S;julh Western Railway at 

 Nine E'ms, and the station at Wimbledon, a distance of six miles, at each of 

 these places is a similar apparatus, as show n at p. ^i)0. and a communication 

 formed between them by a single wire through which the electric fluid is 

 conveyed. By the aiti of the apparatus a printed correspondence may fje kept 

 up between the two stations. 



The w hole of the works of Trafalgar Square, excepting the steps round the 

 Nelson ccdumn, are complete!', and will be opened in course of a few days. 



SEVERN STEAM BOILERS. 



Sir, — I have had my attention only just called to your revievf in a recent 

 number, of Mr. Macqueen's pamphlet on thesulgect of the Royal Mail Steam 

 Packet Company, and from it I perceive that you have inadvertently been led 

 to adopt that gentleman's unsupported and oft refuted statements, and in 

 consequence to pursue a course of argument, in reference to the directors 



