1844.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



245 



the taste and (alent conspicuously displayeJ. Tliey have much pleasure in 

 presenting to each artist a copy of the letter in which Sir Robert Smirke 

 conveys to them the results of his most disinterested and patient examination 

 of the several drawings, 

 (Copy.) 52, Qiiten Anne Street, 



February 16«/, ISM. 



Gentlemen,— I have felt great difficulty in fulfilling the promise made at 

 your request to point out to your notice those designs given for the intended 

 Chapels at the Nonhead Cemetery which are, in my judgment best enlilled 

 to the two premiums proposed to be awarded ; but 1 have examined ihem 

 carefully, and with an earnest desire to make a just selection. 



Sixty-five artists have employed themselves upon this competition for your 

 favour, and have submitted to you more than four hundred drawings prepareil 

 for the occasion ; a very large proportion of this number shewing a high 

 degree of talent, and made with great care and labour. I hope I have given 

 to each of these drawings the consideration that was due to them, and after 

 weighing every circumstance connected with the designs and the objects of 

 the Directors in regard to the work, I beg leave to say, that I am of opinion 

 the author of the design numbered 10, (comprising thirteen drawings) is en- 

 titled to the first premium, and the author of that numbered 55, (comprising 

 fifteen drawings) to the second premium. 



Your Secretary informed me that you were desirous I should also select for 

 your notice any three other designs which might appear to me specially de- 

 serving of your approbation ; I trust, however, you will excuse me in declin- 

 ing to do this, for there are so many others which are excellent and well- 

 considered designs, that I should feel much reluctance in offering any farther 

 opinion upon the comparatve merits of the artists wlio made them. 



I regret exceedingly to know that so much talent, zeal, and industry can 

 have no other reward upon this occasion than the well-deserved expression 

 of your sense of their merits, with which I am persuaded you will favuur 

 them. I remain, Gentlemen, 



Your very faithful Servant, 

 To the Directors of (Signed) Robert Smirke. 



The London Cemetery Company, 



The architect of the design No. IG, was Mr. Tliomas Little, of 

 Northumberhtnd Street, New Road. 



The architect of the design No. 55, was Mr. Brakspeare, a gentle- 

 man brought up in Mr. Barry's office. 



The Directors, in order to test still further the impartiality of the 

 decision, formed an exhibition of the designs, in tiieir office at Bridge 

 Street, which was open to general inspection for two days, and gave 

 much satisfaction to the competing artists. 



Mr. Little was instructed to take the necessary steps for carrying 

 his design into execution, provided the amount did not exceed the 

 estimate which he had reported, and we are gratified to hear that the 

 amount of the accepted tender by Mr. Winsland, is below his esti- 

 mate, and that the works are proceeding. 



We have given the above details, as we consider it a fair example 

 of the manner in which competition designs should be treated. 



PROCEEDINGS OF SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. 



INSTITUTE OF CIVIL ENGINEERS. 

 THE PRESIDENT'S CONVERSAZIONE. 



The annual conversazione given by Mr. Walker, the president, took 

 place on Friday and Saturday, June 7th and 8th, and when the at- 

 tendance was even more numerous than on former occasions. About 

 300 gentlemen were present on Friday, but on Saturday the assem- 

 blage was much more brilliant, comprising the most distinguished per- 

 sons for rank in science or the fine arts in this country. The worthy 

 host, attended by Mr. Manby, the secretary of the institution, received 

 the visitors on their arrival, and directed their attention to the objects 

 most worthy of notice. Our limits will not permit us to enumerate 

 all the very beautiful and curious things exhibited at this reunion ; we, 

 however, particularly noticed some very good busts by Mr. S. E. Jones, 

 one of Major Blakeney, the other of Mr. Manby, the secretary, both of 

 which were remarkable for their spirit, their good taste, and their 

 striking similitude to the originals; there were some busts of much 

 merit by the same rising artist in the different rooms; as also a very 

 beautiful, and at the same time simple sketch, made at Strathfieldsaye, 

 of his Grace the Duke of Wellington, on horseback, by E. H. Bailey, 

 which was much admired ; some bronzes from the collections of Mr. 

 F. Hodgson, M.P., Mr. Deville, and Mr. Grissell, were in the rooms, as 

 also wood carvings from Rogers, Pratt, and Vincent ; a very beautiful 

 engraving of the Duke of Beaufort's dog, by T. Landseer, from a re- 



cent picture of his brother Edwin's, aud a Maltese dog by the same 

 clever ^irtists. Scanlan had several excellent sketches ol scenes in 

 domestic life ; the best was an episode from the history of the White- 

 boy in Ireland, an aftecting picture now being engraved by Brown. A 

 collection of rings intended to illustrate the most remarkable events 

 in Grecian history, formed of beautifully carved heads of the ancient 

 Greek philosophers and poets, attracted much attention, as did also 

 some natural flowers coated with metal by the electro-deposit, after 

 Elkington and Co.'s process, and some by the simple electrotype itself 

 from Captain Ibbetson. The principal saloon was illuminated by an 

 elegantly cut-glass chandelier from Apsley Pellatt's. The eJiefs d'ceiwre 

 of the evening, however, were a bust of Lorenzo de Medici, by Michael 

 Angelo, belonging to Mr. Dennys, remarkable for the stern expression 

 of the countenance, and the bold freedom of its style, and a choice 

 painting by Demier, supposed to be a likeness of his mother, the most 

 exquisite thing in its way that we have ever seen ; some very good 

 models of animals, &c., in terra cotta, were exhibited by B. Sangio- 

 vanni, the Neapolitan, of whose works we have often had occasion to 

 speak favourably ; Mr. Dunn, of the Chinese Museum, contributed 

 some very beautiful things, one of them being a cameo, presented to 

 him when in China, by Howqua, and other Hong merchants, valued in 

 that country at 4,U0U/. Advancing further in the rooms, we found 

 some chronometers from Dent and Frodsham ; and also a machine for 

 tracing ellipses, by Mr. Farey, a gentleman well known in the scienti- 

 fic world. 



In the model-room, which was lighted by two gas chandeliers, on 

 Faraday's principle, were various models of steam-engines, by the 

 Earl of Dundonald, G. Rennie, Maudslay and Field, Boulton aud Watt, 

 and Borrie, and in the centre of the room was a full sized model of 

 Greener's harpoon gun. Around the room were arranged models uf 

 various light-houses; a Russian camel for lifting large vessels over 

 sand-banks ; and some interesting models from the Admiralty ; Brem- 

 ner's apparatus for building harbours in deep and rough water ; models 

 of various forms of screw propellers (from Rennie, Smith, Galloway, 

 and Grantham); Mitchell's screw-pile lighthouse and battery, pro- 

 posed for the Goodwin-sands; Bush's caisson, and a compass of his, 

 intended for the Royal yacht; a model to show the principle of the 

 atmospheric railway from Mr. Vignoles ; Prosser's timber railway, 

 carriage, and locomotive, with guide-wheels for traversing very sharp 

 curves ; Barlow's hollow iron keys for fastening the rails in the chairs ; 

 Wood's soft metal bearings for railway axles; agricultural imple- 

 ments from Cottam ; models of London-bridge with its cofferdams, 

 and part of the centering of Stoneleigli Abbey-bridge, and of Scotney 

 Castle, the latter by Mr. Dighton ; a model of the Dover terminus, by 

 Mr. Salter; a pair of finely turned candelabra, made of slate from Mr. 

 G. K. Pollock's pant-draining quarries near Bangor, North Wales; 

 curious specimens of what can be done with that material. The walls 

 of this room had a very beautiful appearance given to them by some 

 specimens from Mr. Ponsonby, of Regent Circus, Piccadilly, of Mr. 

 Albano's patent Cannabic architectural ornaments, highly gilt and 

 burnished ; they were very much admired. 



In the lower rooms were the heavier models of machinery, consist- 

 ing of Bunnett and Corpe's concentric ring engine, Bodmer's breaks 

 for preventing injury to heavy machinery, and many other interesting 

 and ingenious specimens, which want of space alone prevents us from 

 noticing. 



The rooms were exceedingly crowded, but among the distinguished 

 visitors present we particularly recognized the Marquis of Northamp- 

 ton ; the Earls of Lincoln, Devon, Dundonald, and Lovelace ; Lords 

 Blayney and Courteney ; Mr. Baron Parke and Mr. Baron Rolfe ; the 

 Bishop of Lichfield ; his Excellency Ali Efl'endi, the Turkish Am- 

 bassador, and suite ; Sirs R. Peel, G. Murray, H. Douglas, G. Clerk, 

 and B.Martin; Major-Generals Monteith and Pasley ; Colonels Ma- 

 berly, Sykes, Jackson, Herbert, and Sloane ; Lieutenant-Colonels 

 Spottiswoode, Sabine, Alderton and Wells ; the Lord Mayor and Mr. 

 Sherritf Moon : and among the distinguished foreign visitors Meer 

 Jaffir Ali Khan, Hoof Oolah Khan, Mohammed Allee, fromSurat; 

 Counts Lopez, Gola, and de Rosen ; Barons de Linden and de Ger- 

 lache ; Messieurs Horace Vernet, Baugniet, Godesharle, Siemens, 

 Strateneus, Bindewalde, Vanzeller, Mex, and Hebeler ; Professors 

 Brand, Wheatstone, Hosking, Ansted, Faraday, Willis, aud Barlow ; 

 and almost every eminent artist, architect, aud man of science now in 

 London. 



PORTUMNA BRIDGE.— SHANNON. 



" Description of a Bridge across the river Shannon at Portumna." Front 

 the Minutes of Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Feb. 27, 

 1844." By Thomas Rhodes, M. Inst. C. E. 



This paper describes a bridge which has been erected across the river 



