18-15.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



63 



It is time I should speak of the Great Western line projected from Sailing or Portorllng- 

 ton (with a highly Influential proprietary). proposlnR to go the whole way to Galway, this 

 ilrcumsennce should doubtless entitle them to public support. Nolwithslnndinn all I 

 have said in favour of the ttullingar and .Mhlone company, and hinlily as I a|)prove of 

 their line, still I would ihrow all those advantages overboard for the one faet that they go 

 all ihe way to (j.ilway, theit line from I'urtnrlington would he short, not I believe more 

 than 70 miles In length, nod they cerUiiily have this In their favour, that they will give to 

 the entire province ofConnaught the advantage of conimunlcatingwlth the southern ports 

 as well a< the eastern, when the projected railways In the south shall he, as there ii every 

 probability they will be, canipleted. Should Iheo this Influential company malie satisfac- 

 lory arrangements with the Grind Canal Company, somewhat similar to that made by the 

 rival company with the Iloyai Canal, I think they will be entitled to public support, hut I 

 cannot but observe the Interest of the country st large will be more benelitled liy these 

 two parties coalescing and completing together the luic I have just mentioned, and as It 

 must be evident that to open a communication between the west and south nnist be of 

 the greatest consequence to both— there is a line for a railway which passing through a 

 most populous country would be an eicedlngly paying line, and therefore I hupe that lids 

 Influential company, the Great Western, will take It up, I mean the «n« line of country 

 left by the southern or Cashel line without a railway, joining the Cashel trunk line some- 

 where near Italhdowney, and passing by or near tho populous towns of Koscrea and I'ar. 

 sonslown, then crossing the Shannon at Jlelechford (where the government works are so 

 grand), between the rising town of Portunma and the Important town of Uana^-her near to 

 Kyreport, and so meeting the projected line to Galway somewhere between Longhrea and 

 Balllnasioe. This line can be projected along a most level country, following in a prent 

 measure the course of the river Bres. and in the report allufled to, by fifr. Bernard Mullens 

 to the Grand Canal Company, wl'l be fouTuI a most favourable opinion, given by that cele- 

 brated engineer Nr. Rilialiy, on the very subject, for it is there stated that he laid out a 

 line of canal from the main trunk of the Grand Canal near Shannon Harbour lu Port- 

 ariington, a distance of 10 miles, without a lock, and pointing out the grsat advant.ige 

 which this communication would bestow, being far preferable to the proposed extension 

 from Mount Mellick to Rosclen ; perhaps, then, with such an opitnon and such levels It 

 might be more valuable to take the railway from Parsonstown, along that level line to 

 Shannon Harbour or Banagher, and at an exceeditigly cheap rate a railway could be made 

 In the direction of the Grand Canal to Balllnasioe, and thus we should gain a quick com- 

 munication for that cattle market and the Galway district with the south, and at an ex- 

 ceedingly cheap rate ; it Is well to observe, that though the river is broad here still there 

 Is a fine new bridge just built at Banagher, and as time Is not very valuable in those parts 

 at present, the delay would be but trifling to take the railway carriages across the present 

 bridge with horses, and thereby save the enormous expense and inconvenience of another 

 bridge across the shannon; this, again, would be another brunch line under 6U miles In 

 length, which woidd give to the county of Galway and province of Coimaught the advan. 

 tage of two railways, and thereby opening a communicivtion both with the southern and 

 eastern ports, and also tontribute to keep down the rate of travelling, as the directors of 

 the southern line, to which this would be a branch, would be naturally interested io getting 

 as mucli trade as possible to their line, and both these lines would not be more than the 

 wants ol such an extent of country (one-third of Ireland), would require. 



Hoping, therefore, tiiat you will excuse the hurried nature of this cummunicatlou, and 

 that it may have the etfect which I know you have so much at heart, of uniting all these 

 partiei In the one object of making the line across Ireland complete, 

 I remain, with much respect. 



Yours faithfully, 



OLIVER BYRNE. 



PROFESSORSHIP OF ENGINEERING. 

 It will be seen by a notice elsewhere thnt there is a vacancy in the 

 Professorship of Engineering at University Colli'ge. We take this 

 opportunity of calling upon engineers of standing, to take care 

 that the appointment is atloquately fille,'!. For the honour of 

 the profession it is incumbent this should be done, for there is an 

 evident disposition on the part of public authorities to refer ques- 

 tions of importance, to the professors at the colleges. We trust to the 

 spirit of the engineers to see that they are adequately represented on 

 this occasion, and that nii;n of eminence and competence will come 

 forward to fill such au honourable appointment. 



INSTITUTION OP CIVIL ENGINEERS. 

 There has been a considerable stir made among the Members of 

 this valuable Institution, relative to the annual election of Officers ; 

 heretofore the offices of President and Vice-Presidents were filleil by 

 the same persons year after year ; in fact they were considered as 

 officers in perpetuity, though nominally elected annually. The same 

 might be said with regard to many members of the Council who have 

 held their position for many years, to the exclusion of some of the 

 most eminent of the profession. There is no doubt that this exclusive 

 system was carried beyond its proper limit, which has ultimately led 

 to the change in the present year. We cannot say that we altogether 

 admire the manner the change has been brought about, because there 

 appears to have been a regular set made at the eminent President 

 who had filled the chair so honourably and efficiently for many 

 years. We do not object to a change in the system being made, but 

 we object to the manner in which it has been done; we should have 

 preferred its being carried out more radically, and that the whole of 

 the Vice-Presidents and thosi' of the Council who have held their seats 

 for many years should have submitted to the change, for it now ap- 

 pears, as if certain parties, in order to r('tain their own posilions in the 

 Council, determined to sacrifice the President. We do not say that this 

 •was the fact, but judging from the whole proceedings, many per- 

 son» we have no doubt, will look at it in that light. An inroad has 

 been partially made, and in consequence, some members, etuinent in 

 the profession bavo been admitted on the Council ; we must say that 



we should like to liave seen them Vice Presidents, not that we have 

 any objection to the scientific qualities of those who now fulfill that 

 Office, but we desire to see the same spirit carried out with them as 

 with the President. 



At the annual election Mr. Walker was again elected to fulfill the 

 important office of President, but finding that the election was op- 

 posed by a powerful minority, he, in order to prevent any dissension 

 in the Institution, very honourably resigned his post. At a subsequent 

 election Sir John Uennie was elected President for the ensuing year. 



Now that the elections are over for the present year, we sincerely 

 trust that the members will come forward and testify their iipproba- 

 tion of Mr. Walker's conduct in the chair during the manv ye.irs he 

 has so ably occupied it. The following are the officers for the ensuing 

 year; new members of the Council are in italics. 



President — Sir John Ramie. 



Vice Presidents — William Cubitt, Joshua Field, James M. Rcndell, 

 and James Simpson. 



Council — Francis Giles, George Lowe, Joseph Miller, William C. 

 Mylne, Robert Sibley, John Taylor, Jsambard K. JJniuet, Baijamin 

 (Jtibitt, Joseph Locke, and Robert Skp/mison. 



Associates — Thomai GrisftU and jlndreiv Murray. 



THE SOCIKTY OF AIITS. 

 On Tnesilay evening, 28lh ult., a Conversazione on a scale of great brilli.ancy 

 and S[ilen(liiur, was IieM at the Society of Arts, in the Ailelplii, muler the 

 dhvctlon of tlic Vicc-Prosiilents, by whom the carils of invil.ition wcie issued, 

 and under the immediate arrangement of Mr. Whishaw, the indefatigable 

 wcrctary of the institution. To lender the meeting as agreeable as possible 

 to llie numerous ladies and gentlemen present, a vast number of works of art, 

 rare books of engraving.'^, specimens of natural history, and artificial pro- 

 ductions, was exposed en the walls and tables; and, in addition, a number of 

 models, &c., was c.vhibited. The rooms were well lit up for tlie occasion, so 

 that the celebrated paintings by Barry were seen to great advantage. Ue- 

 Iresliments were served with the greatest liberality, and music lent iis aid to 

 the entertainment, Ijy llie introduction of a grand pianoforte fitted with the 

 eolian and performed by M. Benedict. Amongst the coni[iany was the 

 native of New Zealand wlio is in ibis country to be educated, be is a sturdy 

 well-built young man, wiili a good-nalured cast of countenance, but without 

 much intellcclual developement. He uas in his native costume, and was one 

 of the lions of the night. The company continued to arrive till nearly 11 

 o'clock, at which time the whole of the spacious rooms of the Society were 

 thronged to excess ; there could liot have been less than 1000 visitors during 

 the evening. The lonvcrsnzinne was on the whole better th.m such ihings 

 usually are ; there was more to amuse, and more to be seen, than is generally 

 the case on such occasions. If the .Society continues the same liljerality in 

 their proceedings which have been already exhdjited this season, it cannot fail 

 gaining back that ascendancy among the scientific societies which it main- 

 tained so honourably for many years. 



The Great Britain. — This vessel has at length been launched on the wide 

 ocean. She left Bristol on the 2tth ult., at 7 o'clock, a.m , and after encoun- 

 tering a very severe gale olf Land's-end, which the papers tell us she wea- 

 theretl wonderfully well, in fact scarcely any other steamer they say could 

 hitve withstood the lury of the elemenls, arrived at Blackwall on the '2(ith 

 ult., about 4 o'clock, where she is now moored for public exhibilion, this we 

 consider is a sad example for a public company to adopt. We have not had 

 time to visit the vessel since her arrival, we must iherefore postpone the par- 

 ticulars until next month's Journal appears. We were unable, although kindly 

 invited, to attend the trial trip at Bristol. In the published particulars of 

 it, we could not help observing the difficulty there appeared to be in 

 keeping up the number of strokes to any regularity, we strongly suspected 

 the cause was fur want of steam, ,as we stated would be the ease when wo 

 analysed the boilers in our .Tournal (Vol. V. 1812, p. 357, and Vol. VI. 18-13, 

 p. 7!),) upon making enquiries ol an eminent engineer who was on board at 

 the time of the trial we find that was the fact, notwithstanding that lour ad- 

 ditional fires were lighted the sleam could not be kept up sufhcieiitly for Ihe 

 engines, otherwise there would have been a greater uniformity in their work- 

 ing and a greater velocity otitained. Tlie engi.;es, our informant stales, 

 worked admirably. We must direct the special attention of engineers to our 

 previous remarks just referred to. 



South Devon R.\iLWAr. — The lenders for twenty. four engines — si-\teen of 

 4.^-inch cylinder, or about -1.^ h. p., and eight of Vi h. p. — were received In the early part 

 of the week, at Kxeter, by Mr. Urunel, ami the authorities of the South Devon Hallway, 

 which Is to be worked on the atmospheric ]irinclple. The contracts were taken by Bout- 

 ton and Watt and Messrs. llenule— the amount, from 40,000/. to 60,000(. Th« principal 

 Cornish engineers and founders were lu atteudaace. 



