176 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[ApRit, 



which, when acquainted with the facts, your sense of justice to all parties 

 will induce you to withdraw. I allude particularly to the imputation of their 

 harinj? allowed boilers to be put into their ship Severn, the nialconstruction 

 of whicli caused that vessel to take lire. I have frequently denied and dis- 

 proved not only her having caught fire from any fault of the boiler furnaces, 

 iut her having caught fire at all, that I am surprised at Mr. Ma^queen's lilind 

 and pertinacious repitilion of a purely malicious an invention. I have, how- 

 ever no wish to make your columns the field of contention upon a subject, 

 that in the opinion of all unbiassed readers of our correspondence, has long 

 been set at rest, and therefore content myself with referring you to my letter 

 upon this subject to .\Ir. Macqueen, in Herapath's Railway Journal of the 

 16th instant. 



Relying on your impartiality, I am. Sir, 



Your obedient Servant, 



John Croome. 



Bristol Iron Works, 



March 29, 1844. 



PROC£EOINaS OF SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. 



INSTITUTE OF CIVIL ENGINEERS. 

 Ajiril 2. — The President in the chair. 

 The discussion on ihe subject of slips in cuttings and embankments of rail- 

 ways was renevied, and extended to such a Ienf;th as to prevent any pnpcrs 

 from being read. Some observations were 'made by Sir H. T. De la Beche. 

 the Rev. Mr. C'lutterbuck, ami several members, on the geological features of 

 the slips, whether occurring naturally in cliffs, as at the back of the Isle of 

 Wight, or in the artificial cuttings of railways. It was contended, that, in 

 both cases, the reduction of the loner and softer beds to the state of mud. by 

 percolated water, rendered them incapable of bearing the weight of the super- 

 incumbent strata, and that the mass, when saturated, slid down by its o«n 

 Tavity ; but that slips in raiUvay work, were accelerated by the vibration 

 caused by the passage of the trains. The vibration of the air from the dis- 

 charge of a gun, had been known to cause an avalanche ; and the cases were 

 almost analogous. More attention both to surface and bottom drainage of Ihe 

 slopes was much insisted upon ; and it was urged, that the back drains, so 

 close to the top of the cuttings, were prejudicial ; that in the dry season the 

 bottoms cracked, the rain found its way tbrtugh, and it hail been frequently 

 noticed that the slips commenced at a few feet below the level of these drains. 

 The dry shafts which had been sunk in the slopes of the Eastern Counties Rail- 

 way, by Mr. Braithwaite, with the concurrence of Sir H. T. De la Beche, were 

 instanced as successful in rendering wet and treacherous strata comparatively 

 dry and secure. A section was exhibited of the embankment at Hanwell, on 

 the Great M'estern Railway ; this e.nbankment, which was of gravel, was .54 

 feet high ; it was laid in a marshy valley traversed by the river Brent ; the 

 London clay, Ujion which it was laid, inclined towards the river, and at 

 one of the numerous fissures with whicli that stratum abounds, a subsidence 

 occurred squeezing up at the same time on the lower side to as great an ex- 

 tent as ihe embankment sunk, which was stated to be nearly as much in one 

 year as the entire mass of the embankment. This subsidence w.is stopped 

 by loading the foot of the slope, and thus restoring equilibrium, and it was 

 stated to be at present quite secure. It was urged that, in the earthwork of 

 canals, where there was no vibration, the slips g'nerally occurred in ihe first 

 few months after the formation of the em'jankments ; but that, on railways, 

 they occurred quite as frequently after the lapse of several years. It ap- 

 peared, therefore, that much was due to vibration. 



ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS. 



April 15.— W. TrrE, V.P., in ihe Chair. 

 A paper was read by ley, the Honorary .Secretary, giving "An 



analysis of a IVurk o , Pr : 1 1<: ' ' lmji ed to the Institute by M. G. Abtl 

 Blouet, of Faris. The con, deratio.i of the subject of Penitentiaries having 

 of late occupied the public mind in France, the Government, in 1636, com- 

 missioned M. de Beaumont and M. de Tocqueville to proceed to America, for 

 the purpose of inquiring into the general working of the Penitentiary system 

 in that country, who on their return made a report which met with a favour- 

 able reception by the public. Subsequently, the Minister of the Interior 

 Cjmmissioned M. Demelz to visit America, to make himself acquainted wiih 

 the moral results, obtained in the United Slates, from the system, since the 

 visit of M. de Beaumont and M. de Tocqueville, and M. Blouet accompanied 

 him, charged to study the archittctnral part of the question, that is to s;iy, 

 the advantages or inc.mviences of the arrangement of the Principal Ame- 

 rican Penitentiaries ; their condition with respect to discipline, and more 

 especially with reference to the expense incurred in their construction ; with 

 a view to the ultimate adoption of a molified general system tliroughoi t 

 France for such structures. M. Blouet subsejuently visited England, S«it- 



zerland, Rome, and most of the departmental prisons in France. It is well 

 known that in America there are two different systems in operation, known 

 respectively as that of Auburn and Ibat of Pliiladel[)hia. M. Blouet gave at 

 considerable lengih his reasons for preferring the last-mentioned syslem. and 

 combatted ihe objections that have been made to it. The design parlicubirly 

 described, and illustrated with drawings, was the result of M. Blouei's stu- 

 dies for a prison with solitary confinement, by means of s)iacious cells, for 

 58.5 prisoners, (in his opinion the maximum number of the popiilati<m of a 

 prison,) with the requ'site offices an<i appurtenances, houses for the governor, 

 inspector, chaplains, and other inferior officers, together with yar is for exer- 

 cise, &c., wherein the prisoners are constantly under the supervi>ion of the 

 governor and turnkeys, and so arranged as to afford the means of walking 

 one hour in the day to each prisoner. From a central inspection station, the 

 governor has a view of all the doors of the cells, the galleries, the turnkeys' 

 rooms, yardf, and indeed all the points where he may wish to exercise a 

 supervision. 



LIST OF NEW PATENTS. 



fFrom Messrs. Robertson^s List.) 



GRANTED IN ENGLAND FROM MARCH 30, TO APRIL 24, 1844. 



Six Months allowed for Enrolment, unless otherwise expressed. 



Jolin Robert Dicltsee, of Old ComptOD Street, Soho Squara, artist, for " Improvements 

 in ttie nianufattiire ot mosaics." — Alarcli 3U. 



William Crosskitl, of the Iron Works, Beverley, for " Improvements In machinTy for 

 making wtieels lor carriages." — March 311. 



Henry Clayton, of Upper Park Place, Dorset Square, Regent's Park, plumber an'l n>a- 

 chlnist, for *' Improvements in the manufacture of tiles, drain pipes, or tubes and brii ks." 

 — Warcll aO. 



John Bigg7, of the borough of Leicester, manufacturer, and Richard Harris, the younger, 

 of Leicester, aforesaid, manufacturer, for " Improvements in the manufacture of looped, 

 woven, and elastic fabrics." — March 311. 



Leonard Bostwick, of Fen Court, Feochurch Street, London, merchant, for '* Certain 

 improvements in machinery or apparatus for sewing all kinds of cloth or other materials.." 

 —April 2. 



William Stace, of Berwick, Sussex, farmer, and Philip Vatlance, of the same pl.nce, 

 farmer, for ** Improvements in applying p wer for (irawing or workini; ploughs dud other 

 implements and carriages used for agricultural purposes." — April 2. 



John Parsons, of Sehvond Ter'ace, Brompton, gentleman, for "Certain improvements 

 in machinery or apparatus for cleansing or sweeping chimnitys and tiues." — April 2. 



James Murdoch, of Staple's Inn, London, mechanical draughtsman, for "Certain im- 

 proved apparatus and processes for preparing the Pbormlum tenax, or New Zealand tlax, 

 so as to render it applicable to various useful purposes." (Being a communicaoon.j — 

 April 2. 



Frederick Brown, of Luton, Bedford, ironmonger, for ** Improvements in stoves." — 

 Apiil 10. 



James Murray, of Gamkirk Coal Company. Scotland, for "A new method of usine ;ind 

 applying ariificial gas made from coal, oil, or other substances, for lighting and venu it- 

 ing caverns, pits, or mines, or other pits where minerals or metals are worked or exiiMCt- 

 ed." — April 10; four months. 



Richard Barber, of Hotel Street. Leicester, confectioner, for " Improvements in a])pa(a- 

 tus for giving quick rotary motioi to mops and such like instruments." — April lu. 



John Aitken, of Surrey Square, for '* Improvements in water machines, or engines and 

 steam-engines, and the mode of traction on, or in canals or other waters or Wiiya." — 

 April 10. 



George William Lenox, and John Jones, of Billiter Square. London, merchaiits for 

 " Improvements in the manufacture of sheaves and shells for blocks, and of bolt rinys or 

 washers, for the purposes of shipwrights and engineers." — April 10. 



James Kennedy, of the firm of Bury, Curtis, and Kennedy, of Liverpool, engineer, and 

 Thomas Vernon, of the same place, iron ship-builder, lor "Certain improvements in the 

 building or construction of iron and other vessels for navigation on water"— Apiil 16. 



John Lawson, of Leeds, engineer, and Thomas Robinson, of the same place, flax- 

 dresser, for "Certain improvements in r.achinery for heckling, dressing, combing, and 

 cleaning flax, wool. silk, and other tibrous substances," — April Ifi. 



Edgar Heale, o( Brixton, gentl' man, for " Certain improvements in the construc'ion of 

 carriages for the conveyance of pnssent;ers on roads and railways." — April 18. 



Donald Grant, of Greenwich, e?q.. for ' Improvements applicable to the ventilation of 

 apartments in which gas and oilier combustible matters are consumed by ignition." — 

 April 18. 



John Bailey Denton, of Gray's Inn Square, land-agent, for " Improvements in ma- 

 chinery for moulding or shaping clay and other plastic substances, for draining and oiher 

 purpose?." — April 18. 



James Murdoch, of Staple's Inn, roochaDical draughtsman and civil engineer, for " Cer- 

 tain improvemenls in the construction of vessels for holding aSrated liquids, and in Iho 

 means tor introducing such liquids into the said vessels, and retaining ibeni ibeieili." 

 (Being a cominuiucalion.) — April 18. 



John Smith, ot Bradford, Vork, worsted spinner, for " Improvements in machinery for 

 tentering and stretching cloths or fabrics."— April 18. 



Richard Roberts, of the Globe Works, Manchester, engineer, for " Certain improve- 

 ments in machinery or apparatis, for the preparaliim of cotton and wool, and also for 

 spinning and doubling cotton, silk, wool, and other tibrous substances." — April lo. 



Joseph Woods, of Barge Yard Chambers, Bucklersbury. gentleman, for " Improvements 

 in regulating the power and velocity of machines tor communicating power.*- Being a 

 communication.) — April 18. 



M'illiam Hodson, ol New King Street, Klngston-upon-HuIl, estate agent, for a machine 

 for " JIaking and compressing bricks, tiles, square pavers, and ornamental bric-s." — 

 April 18. 



Henry Frearson, of Arno Vale, Nottingham, lace manufacturer, for " Improvements in 

 the manufacture of warp fabrics."— April 1;3. 



Peter Lear, of Boston. Sufl'olk, of the State of Massachusetts, America, gentleman, for 

 " Certain new and useful improvemenls in machinery for propelling vessels through the 

 water." — April .3. 



William Taylor, of Birmingham, door spring manufacturer, for " Improvemen s in the 

 niantifacture ol axle pulleys, and in pegs or pins for hanging hats or other garments."— 

 April 24. 



^ Bene Allaire, of Charlotte Street, Fitzroy Square, dyer and cleaner, for " Improvement* 

 a cleansing gentlemen's garments." — April 24. 



