1845.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



13 



COLONNA AND COCKERELL. 



Sir — Professor Cockerell's strangi" rl^ipsocly about Colonna in one 

 of liis late lectures, has no doubt excited the curiosity of otliers as 

 well as myself in regard to a newly found out wortliy whose name 

 has been hardly heard of at all among us, although his writings ar^" 

 now all at once held up to us for admiration, as calculated to inspire 

 with an ardent enthusiasm for the study of architecture. I have 

 therefore turned to Milizia to ascertain whit sort of character he 

 gives liim ; and as the article is exceedingly short, and expressive 

 enough, 1 here transcribe the whole of it from the English translation 

 of his "Lives of Celebrated Architects." 



"Freiicesco Colonna neither merits the title of an architect, or (nor) 

 a writer on the subject of architecture. It is true he composed a 

 large book, which, althcugli compared by his commentator to that of 

 Vitruvius, is loo full of absurdities to be read with patience. As well 

 might the term ' architectural' bo applied to the writing of Ariosto, 

 Tasso, or any work of fancy." 



Nagler does not treat Masser Francesco more ceremoniously, for he 

 briefly calls him "ein viel verlachter Mann," — a man who has been 

 very much laughed at, and no wonder if he wrote such monstrous and 

 extravagant stulV as that which your Correspondent " Common Sense" 

 described. 



If the Professor thought that he might indulge in rliodomontade 

 before students, with impunity, lie is perhaps by this time of a diffe- 

 rent opinion, and has found out that for addressing a mixed auditory 

 like his a little discretion is required. He may think himself well off 

 if he does not obtain the sobriquet of Colonna Cockerell. Literary 

 studies are no doubt highly becoming in an architect, yet unless they 

 are directed to sometbing better than the poring over obsolete 

 crotchety writers, minute inquiries into tlie text of Vitruvius, and 

 other matters which besides being of no practical value whatever are 

 most wearisome and stale, — they arc neither valuable nor interesting. 

 Fur my part, I am inclined to think that inquiries relative to what 

 belongs to the mere archaeology of architecture might very well be de- 

 ferred till a later period of professional education, when the student 

 shall have qualified himself for taking up the history of architecture 

 by having learnt the elements of tiie art, and the leading forms and 

 characteristics of the styles whose history and development he may 

 then explore. There is a most excellent Essay entitled "Outlines 

 and Characteristics of Styles," in Part III. of Weale's Quarterly 

 Papers, which enters more fully and intelligently into the rationale of 

 the Greek and Roman orders, than any thing else I have met with on 

 the same subject, which hackneyed as it is, is there treated with very 

 great freshness. The writer seems to know exactly both what ought 

 to be chiefly urged at the outset upon the student's attention, and how 

 to communicate instruction interestingly, without formal dryness on 

 the one hand, and without rhetorical " magnificition" and mystifying 

 of the subject, on the other. Wliereas some writers, and perhaps 

 some lecturers too, seem to be not so much solicitous of convincing 

 us of the merits of architecture or of particular styles in it, as deter- 

 mined to bully us into admiration. Many of them, besides, show 

 very bad taste and any thing but tact, in puffing architecture in such 

 an outrageously pompous and silly way that any one would suppose 

 that it had got a very bad character, and needed witnesses to come 

 lorward and clear it. 



I remain, &c., 



P. Hill. 

 P.S. In my former Note, page 7'J, Kci.uap should have been printed 

 Kti/um, and Koi^ooi, Koi/iaoi, 



Ei,E(rrRic Clocks.— Extract of a letter from Mr. Fiiilalson, of Loughton 

 Hall, in the Polyltchnic Review : — "Mr. Brain has succeeded lo admiration 

 in working electric clocks by the currents of the earth. On the 28lli of 

 August he set up a small clock in my drawing-room, the pendulum of which 

 is in the hall and both instmmenls in a voltaic circuit as follows :— On the 

 N.K. side of my house two zinc plates, a foot square, are sunk in a hole, and 

 susj ended to a wire : this is passed through the house, to the pendulum first 

 and then the clock. On the S.E. side of the house, at a<listance of about 40 

 yards, a hole was dug four feet deep, and two sacks of common coke buried 

 in it ; among ilie coke another wire was secured, and passed in at the drawing 

 room window, and joined lo the former wire at the clock. The ball of tin- 

 pendulum weighs nine pounds, but it was moved cnerguilcally, and has ever 

 since contlnueil lo do su with the self-same energy. The time is lo perfectinu 

 and the cost of ihe motive foiver was only Is. 6</. There are but three little 

 wheels in the dock, and neither weight3 nor spring ; so there is nothing' to 

 be wound tp." 



STEAM NAVIGATION. 



The Samson .Stpam Krioati-.— This fimernment War Steamer recently 

 made a trial of tier eiigiiies, wiiiist at tier moorings in tlie East India Doclfs, in ttiv pre- 

 sence of llio Government engineers and several naval and scientific gentlemen. Tlie en. 

 ginea \vere constructed I)y Messrs. Uennie, and we can safely say tiiat we never saw en- 

 Kines of such a magnitude more beautifully Hnlstied in every respect, and tliat ivorlled 

 lietter. Tliey are of llio direct action principle, tile two are of tlie nominal collective 

 powert.f 450 tiorses, tint by tile indicator card her etfectivc power proves to be nearer 

 di)ubie tilat power. The metliod of reversing the valves to go a-head or a stern appeared 

 to us to be quite new, as far as regards Maiine engines, ollhouith we believe somewhat 

 tlie same principle, is adopted, in Locomotive engines; in addition to the usual tccentrlc 

 on the shaft for working the valves, there Is another eccentric fixed on the side ol it with 

 nri arm demltting, at the lower citremity of this arm there is a small cog or pinion wheel 

 wliich is embraced by an endless chain nearly horizontal, this endless chain also passes 

 over a corresponding pinion wheel supported by a vibrating standard, and turned by a 

 capstan lever; when it is desired to alter the motion of the engines, a man turns the cap- 

 Blan with the pinion, whicli causes the endless chiiin to draw" towards it the coirespond. 

 ing pinion attaclied to llie eccentric rod before described, and thereby reverse the motion 

 of the valves. The operation is performed by one man in less than half a minute. The 

 following are the dimensions of the engines : cylinder HOj inch diameter, length of stroke 

 ."lit. loin., number of strokes per minute 18. The bailers are upon the line principle, 

 there are four of tliein, each with four fires, tlley are placed in pairs athwart ship and 

 back to b.ick, and occupy a space of 2fi lect in width and L'O feet in length, the grate sur- 

 face is 254 feet super., and tile total healing surface 4800 feet; each boiler is furnished 

 with distinct steam valves, so that any one can be used without interfering with the other 

 if it be required to work only part of them. The paddle wheels are :'7 feet diameter and 

 y feet over the float. — The total weight of the machinery is 'ift'i tons. 



TiiR Herne .Steami-.u — a very successful alteration has just been made 

 upon this iron-built steamer for the purpose of increasing her accommodation by length. 

 enini,' her bow 15 feet. This has not only given greater space fur the fore cabin passen- 

 gers, but it has also greatly increased her speed. The trials made last month In the pre- 

 sence of the Directors of tlie Company to whom the vessel belongs and several gentlemen 

 was most satisfactory, and showed that in the ensuing season she will be a match for the 

 fastest steamers on the river Thames. She performed the trip from Blackwall to Heme 

 Bay in three hours and 45 minutes. The credit of this alteration is due, we believe, con- 

 jointly to Messrs. Uitchburn and Mair, the builders of the vessel, and IMessrs. Boulton, 

 Watt and Co., the constructors of the engines. 



The Osdim:.— a new iron vessel recently built by Messrs. Miller, Raven- 

 hill, and Co., has been making some astonishing trips as to speed, although the power of 

 her engines are only 50 horses, she performed a trip from Blackwall to Dover in 5 hours 

 .HI minutes, and broughtover an express from Boulogne to Folkstone in 1 hour 55 minutes, 

 and another express from Dover to Boulogne, against tide, in 2 hours 10 minutes. 



Lai sen of the Tfrriblf. War Steamer. — This magnificent war steara- 

 vcssel, the largest ever built for the Royal Navy, was launched on Februarys, at Deptford. 

 Slie was designed by Mr. Oliver Lang, master-shipwright at Woolwich, and has been 

 built on a principle introduced by him, of such a valuable nature, that she would actually 

 swim if launched with her ribs only put together, they are so accurately fitted and well 

 joined to each other. The Uoyal Albert, of I'JO guns, building at Woolwich, is put toge- 

 ther on the same principle, and now has assumed a most magnificent form, being at pre- 

 sent nearly all framed, and well worthy of being visited. She is 700 tons larger iu dimen- 

 sions of tonnage tlian tlie Trafalgar. The following is a correct detail of the dimensions 

 ot the Terrible war steam-vessel : — 



Ft. In. 

 Length from the fore part of the figure-head to the alt part of the taifrail 241) 



Length between the perpendiculars ;i2t> 



Length of the keel for tonnage \\\(\ loi 



Breadth extreme 42 *» 



Breadth for tonnage .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 42 



Breadth moulded 41 2 



Depth in hold 27 4 



Burden 1,847 7-94 tons. 



A Mo.NSTER Bell. — The restoration of York Minster is now completed, and 



furnishes another illustration, if any were wanting, of the architectural skill and celerity 

 in execution of the present age. It will be remembered, that in the year 1830 a religious 

 fanatic, named Alartin, set fire to ttie Minster, upon wtlich occasion nearly the whole of 

 the interior of the choir was destioyed. Shortly after its restoration a second (accidental) 

 fire in the belfry destroyed the nave. The whole is again entirely restored to its pristine 

 beauty under Jlr. Sydney Smirks, at a cost of nearly 9U,000L, which sum was raised by 

 subscription. A separate fund has also Iteen subscribed for a beli, which in vastness ex- 

 ceeds anythingof the kind hitherto attempted in thiscountiy. Some idea may be formed 

 of its size, when we state that it weighs nearly 13 tons, and with the stock 16 tons, and is 

 U feet 6 inches in height; the clapper, which is of ivrought iron, weighs 4 cwt. The belt 

 was cast by Messrs. Mears, who prepared 17 tons of metal, and ran it in seven minutes 

 and a half; it took 14 days cooling before it could be uncovered, and is one of the most 

 perfect specimens of gigantic casting known. It is to be rung witli two wheels, 14 feet 

 diameter each, and will require 12 men to ring it. So great an interest has been excited 

 about this bell that the committee, after much solicitation, have determined upon its ex- 

 hibition in London, where it is to remain a short time. It has been removed to the 

 Baker-street Bazaar, where the public will have an opportunity of seeing this gigantic 

 specimen of art. 



The Thames Tunnel Surpasseo. — The following account is from a letter 

 from Marseilles in the DiJbats :—" There has been long known, or believed to exist, at 

 Marseilles, a tunnel or submarine passage, passing from the ancient Abbey of SI. Vic- 

 toire, running under the arm of the sea, which is covered with ships, and coming out un- 

 der a tower of Fort St. Nicholas. Many projects for exploring this passage have been 

 entertained, but hitherto no one has been found sufiiciently bold to persevere in it. M. 

 Joyiand, of the Ponts-et-Chaussees, and M. Matayras, an architect, have however not only 

 undertaken, but accomplished this task. Accompanied by some friends and a number of 

 labourers, they went, a few days ago, to the Abbey, and descended the numerous steps 

 that led to the entrance of the passage. Here they were the first day stopped by heaps of 

 the ruins of the Abbey. Two days afterwards, however, they were able to clear their way 

 to the other end, and came out at Fort St. Nicholas, after working two hours and 20 

 minutes. The structure, which is considered to be Roman, is in such excellent condition 

 that in order to put it into complete repair a cost of no more than 500,000f. will be re- 

 quired; but a mucll larger outlay will be wanted to render it serviceable for modern pur- 

 poses. This tunnel is deemed much finer than that of London, being formed of one single 

 vault of fiO feet span, and one-tourth longer." 



Petrifying Ammal Soustancfs. — At the Aeatlemie ties Scicuccs, at Paris, a 

 communication read announced that the Abbe Baldacconi, conservator of the liluseum of 

 Natural History of Sienna, has uiscovered a means of petrifying animal substances. The 

 process consists in the immersion of the substance to be hardened, for a long time, in a 

 strongly.charged solution of twelve parts of bichloruret of mercury, and one or two parts 

 of hydrochloruret of ammonia. By tills process the natural colour of the object is pre | 

 served, which is not the case if the bichloruret of mercury be used alone. With the Utte 

 announcing this fact, was forwarded the liver of k dog presei ved, retaUiing its natural form 

 aud colour. 



