THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[March, 



Carbonic acid, when it passes from the liquid to the solid state, without 

 being dispersed in the form of snow, constitutes a very beautiful substance, 

 transparent like crystal, so that for some time I doubted whether the tube 

 that contained it was empty or full; »nd I was even obliged, in order to as- 

 certain the presence of a solid body, to melt a portion of it. Solid carbonic 

 acid exerts a pressure of 6 atmospheres, which proves how readily liquid car- 

 bonic acid ought to become solid when allowed to escape into the free air. 



Oxide of chlorine is a beautiful, orange-red, very friable, crystalline sub- 

 stance. It exhibits no trace of explosive power. 



Proto.ride of nitrogen is one of the gases which L had formerly condensed. 

 I have seen in the journals that M. Natterer has repeated my experiments 

 with a compression-pump, and that he has obtained the liquid in the open 

 air. I have likewise condensed it to a liquid by means of my pump, but I 

 have moreover solidified it by means of the cold bath. It then forms a beau- 

 tiful transparent or colourless crystalline body, but in this state the pressure 

 of its vapour does not amount to that of 1 atmosphere ; and this result is 

 confirmed by another experiment, in which, having opened a vessel contain- 

 ing this liquid, a portion evaporated, cooled the remainder, but did not solidify 

 it. The cold produced by this evaporation is very intense, which was proved 

 by placing the tube and its contents in a bath of solid carbonic acid and 

 a;tber in the air. This bath, which instantly freezes mercury, behaved like 

 a vessel filled with hot liquor, and immediately caused the protoxide of nitro- 

 gen to boil violently. It is therefore my intention to employ the liquid prot- 

 oxide of nitrogen for some new experiments on hydrogen, oxygen, and nitro- 

 gen ; for on placing a bath of this liquid protoxide in the receiver of an air- 

 pump, and expelling the air and the gas, we are able to place the bath of the 

 protoxide relatively to that of the carbonic acid in vacuo, in the same rela- 

 tion that the two baths observe in the air. 



Cyanogen freezes, as was already proved by Bussy. 



Perfectly pure and dry ammonia may be obtained as a transparent, crys- 

 talline white substance, heavier than liquid ammonia, and diffusing very 

 little odour, from the weak tension of its vapour at this temperature. 



Arseniuretted hijdrogm and chlorine do not pass from the liquid to the 

 solid state. 



Alcohol becomes thick like cold oil, but does not crystallize any more than 

 caoutchene, camphene and oil of turpentine, but these bodies become viscid. 



Binoxide of nitrogen and ojcide of carbon did not exhibit the least sign of 

 liquefaction at the lowest temperature, and at a pressure of 30 to 35 atmo- 

 spheres. 



While making these general observations, I have determined several num- 

 bers relative to the poiut of fusion of these various gases and their tension at 

 different temperatures. The numbers will be given in the memoir which I 

 am preparing on this subject, and in which I hope to have something new to 

 say respecting the state which oxygen, nitrogen or hydrogen may affect in 

 passing to the liquid state. Will this latter body present itself in the me- 

 tallic form, as you think ? Will nitrogen prove to be a metal, or retain its 

 place among the non-metallic bodies? This, experience will show. — Ann. 

 de Chim. et de Pligs., Jan. 1845, — Translated for the Chemical Gazette." 



THE CAMBRIDGE CAMDEN SOCIETY. 

 Nov. 7. — The President in the Chair. 



A paper on " Architectural Drawing considered as the handmaid to the 

 study of Ecclesiology," was read by the Rev. Philip Freeman, M.A., Chair- 

 man of the Committee. He commenced by insisting on the value of a know- 

 ledge of mouldings ; and explained the method of drawing their outlines in 

 section or elevation. He then proceeded to propose a nomenclature for the 

 science of mouldings, referring to the ingenious work of Professor Willis 

 (who was present), on the subject. The latter part of the paper was devoted 

 to an examination of Hogarth's propositions with respect to beauty. Mr. 

 Freeman then applied these principles to the pheno.nena of the various styles 

 of mouldings, and showed that the Decorated forms answered all Hogarth's 

 for the highest beauty and grace. Whence he concluded that this might be 

 regarded as another argument in justification of the Society's principle that 

 Decorated was the most perfect style of church architecture. 

 Nov. 28. — The President in the Chair. 



A paper was read by Rev. F. W. Collison, M. A., Fellow of St. 

 John's college, on the History of Altars. He adduced passages from ancient 

 writers in chronological order which mentioned the material of the altar ; 

 showing that stone and wood had been simultaneously used in most ages of 

 the Church ; and proving that Bingham is, on more than one occasion, wrong 

 in inferring from particular passages that wood was the more common mate- 

 rial. Examples were enumerated of altars in wood, stone, gold, silver, and 

 even in earth ; and much interesting information about ancient churches was 

 contained in the extracts which were quoted. Mr. CoUison next showed 

 that Ridley's injunction for breaking down altars could not be binding upon 

 other dioceses. He sketched the history of the disputes respecting altars 

 from that time to the accession of William of Orange, assigning each order 

 or counter-order bearing on the subject to its right place. He established 

 that stone altars(if ornaments of the church), were distinctly enjoined by the 

 last enactment of the Church, at the revision in 16G2 ; by which the Rubric 

 enforcing the use of lueh ornaments of the Ministers as were in use in the 



second year of King Edward VI., was strengthened by the remarkable addi- 

 tion of the words " ornaments of the church." No one could deny that a 

 stone altar was such an ornament in the year referred to ; and this Rubric of 

 1662 is the only authoritative standard of the Church, repealing absolutely 

 any intervening canons, precedents or injunctions. 



DECORATIVE ART SOCIETY. 



On Wednesday, the 12th ult., an introductory paper was read by Mr. 

 Vicary, " On the Physiology of Timber Trees considered with reference to 

 Manufacturing Purposes." He commenced with a notice of the few govern ■ 

 ment and private collections of specimens of timber in this country, and ex- 

 pressed his regret that in almost every case no scientific arrangement had 

 been attempted, whereby a study of the varieties of timber could be pro- 

 moted. He contrasted in a forcible manner the attention devoted in our 

 national museums to stuffed birds, &e., with the almost total neglect of a 

 useful classification of timber, although entering as it does so largely into 

 our every day comforts and conveniences. 



The growth of trees and the capillary action of the sap, &c., the formation 

 of knots and the consequent weakness wherever they occur, were next 

 noticed, as also the effect of pruning or lopping at a wrong season, thereby 

 generating what is usually termed dry rot. 



The patent processes of Mr. Payne were introduced, exhibiting a series of 

 experiments, his modes of preserving timber from decay and rendering it in- 

 combustible, also of hardening any English woods and dyeing them of various 

 colours, so as to make them available for the purposes of the cabinet maker. 



The paper was illustrated by upwards of 200 specimens of difftrent woods, 

 English and Foreign, sound and in various stages of decay. 



ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS. 

 January 13, 1845. — George Smith, Esq., V.P., in the Chair. 



The Institute opened their proceedings for the first time, this evening, in 

 their new rooms, which are far more convenient than the old apartments. 

 They are upon the same premises. 



It was announced that the King of Prussia had purchased the whole of 

 the drawings and papers of Schinkel, the eminent German architect. 



Mr. DoN.\LDSON read a paper " On the History of Architecture," the first 

 part of which was given in last month's Journal, and a continuaion in the 

 present number. 



January 27. — H. E. Kendall, Esq., V.P., in the Chair. 



Mr. PoYNTER read a paper " On the Domestic Architecture of France dur- 

 ing the middle ages, relating principally to the 15M and 16/A centuries." The 

 high roofs which were affected in that country in civil as in ecclesiastical 

 architecture, have rendered the dormer window one of the most striking fea- 

 tures of the domestic style, from the 13th century down to the present day, 

 and in the stone buildings of the period of the Gothic Jiamboyarit, it became 

 the object of the richest and most elaborate decoration, of which one of the 

 most conspicuous examples is at the Palais de Justice, at Rouen. The 

 tourelle overhanging the angles of the domestic edifices of the middle ages, 

 especially in town buildings occupying the corners of streets, is another pe- 

 culiar feature of the French style. Many are still remaining in different 

 quarters of Paris, some still preserving the high conical roof, and metal 

 finials with which they invariably terminated. The fafade of the Hotel de 

 Sens, in that city, one of the very few relics of the larger town houses of 

 the middle ages, is flanked with two of these tourelles. In England they 

 are never seen, but may be traced in Scotland with some other indications of 

 the French alUance with that country. 



During the 15th and 16th centuries, a very large proportion of the street 

 architecture of France was of timber, richly carved and decorated in a 

 variety of ways. In the 15th century brick began to mingle in the facades, 

 fining up the intervals between the timbers, and the use of bricks of different 

 colours, disposed in patterns, contributed greatly to decorative effect. This 

 style of building was especially prevalent in the Bourbonnais. Glazed tiles 

 were introduced for the same purpose, and when plaster was used, which 

 was very commonly, it was sometimes ornamented by patterns sunk in and 

 filled with coloured mastic. To harmonize with the coloured surfaces, the 

 carved timbers were painted and even gilt. 



The renaissance introduced a new style of decoration long before it ma- 

 terially altered the principles of the distribution and construction of buildings 

 of the domestic class. The transition from the Gothic to the Italian, in 

 France, operated in a manner differing materially from the Elizabethan or 

 Anglo-ltahan, on our side the channel — its peculiar feature is the composi- 

 tion of Gothic forms with Italian details, a principle carried out with great 

 ingenuity, and with extraordinary skill in execution. The works of the re- 

 naissance are for the most part valuable as works of art. Under Jean Goujon, 

 tie French school of sculpture, (which had maintained a high standard of 

 CJinparison throughout the middle ages, even from the 10th century,) be- 

 came one of the most graceful and refined in the whole circle of modern art. 



Down to the period of Louis XIV., the most magnificent domestic edifices 

 were built with little attention to convenience. Customs now confined to 

 the lowest clasi subsiited among those distinguished \>j wealth and rank, 



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