IS45.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



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down HI " nionslrositios," trim as tlipy are to tli« le^tlietic spirit at 

 least of till' pure anliqiio. Tin' Bavjriuii likn the Parisian cilifice 

 may iiiciir tli'- ri>|iroacli of not beintj perfectly liomogeiieous, inasmuch 

 as the strict temple form anil character are kept ui) only for the ex- 

 terior, wliicli aeenrilingly iloes not imlieate lieforehand the style anil 

 embellislMiients of the interior, wliicli is a spleniliil hall, instead of a 

 uieie «//<;, vvithont other lipht than what is admitted from the en- 

 trance door, or else <.litained liy a considerable part of tlie plan being 

 left iinroiifed. At any rale, however, the inconsistency, if sncli it be, 

 is on the right side; it is not of a kind to cause disappoinlnient by 

 the most disaggreeable disparity Ix'tween exterior and interior which 

 takes place, when the lalter falls altogether short of the promise made 

 by the furmer. Or if nothing less than thorough consistenov bi)(li 

 within and without will satisfy us, what are we tu say to the Temple 

 Church, whose interior emhcliishments~(|ni(e as much of "boudoir" 

 character, by-the-hy, as those of the Madeleine, although in a very 

 ditlerent fashion, — do not at nil harmonize with the severe and some- 

 what sullen asjiect of the outside ? 



IIAKBOURS OF REKUGE. 



The following observations on the Report of llie Commissioners 

 appointed bv Her Majesty to survey and examine a part of our coast, 

 for the purpose of determining alterations suitable for Harbours of 

 Refuge, will be acceptable at a time when public attention is strongly 

 directed to the important subject. 



It has been suggested that an inquiry should be made as to qualifi- 

 cations of certain of the honourable gentlemen who comprised that 

 commission ; by this means it would be ascertained that some of them 

 had not any experience in the matter confided to them, and those wlio 

 had, in some important instances failed in their attempts to accom- 

 plish the object sought. 



It is quite obvious, and now admitted by many scientific and intelli- 

 gent men, that a knowledge of the construction and improvement of 

 harbours, (I confine the remarks to bars, &c., at the entrance to har- 

 bours: as the interior parts offer comparatively little difficulty) cannot 

 be obtained but by practice, hence the repeated failures in theoretical 

 science as applicable to this subject; lu'nce the cause of our unpro- 

 tected coasts remaining un]irovided with safety haibonrs. The Downs, 

 Dover and Dungeness harbours offer incontrovertible proof of these 

 facts, and of the want of correct information on the part of those who 

 have had the management of harbours. The parts of the coast here 

 alluded to have a prior claim to the establishment of refuge harbours, 

 and on the east coast Orfordness, Lowestoft and Yarmouth call for 

 the immediate attention of the legislature. 



It has also been stated by a recent writer, "that many hundreds of 

 thousands of pounds have been expended on Dover harbour in fntil- 

 kss attempts to keep its entrance free from bar." On the importance 

 of a good harbour as Dover, especially in time of war, Sir Walter 

 Raleigh wrote to Queen Elizabeth in IS'JO, at which period, according 

 to the records of that ancient town, there was a greater depth of water 

 at the entrance of the harbour than there is at present. In the report 

 of Her Majesty's Commission of 1810, (and shortlv after an expendi- 

 ture of about i40,00'J,) it was stated, that "the harbour has been con- 

 sidered inaccessible at ti::ies for several weeks together. It should 

 be observed, that the sluices, although eflicacious to a certain extent, 

 (we have no proof of this,) are not capable of removing the obstruc- 

 tion altogether, the force of the water which at its exit from the cul- 

 verts is great, (so it was at Lowestoft, and yet that scheme was a 

 failure,) loses its impetus as it spreads over a large surface, and forces 

 the shingle to a snia/i dintance where it forms a bank:" certainly it 

 does, and so it does the same at Bow creek in the Thames, and atlhe 

 disemboguing point of all harbours, rivers, or creeks throughout the 

 world where soil is held in suspension by the water, and therefore all 

 expenditure to increase or produce a scouring power is ustless and 

 injurious. 



More than 20 years prior to the sentence being placed on record by 

 the commissioners, I had satisfactorily developed this important fact 

 to many intelligent men, and it has been known to those who have 

 continued to pursue the path of error. If candour had led to the ad- 

 mission of the common fallacy, and the adoption of that course which 

 will eventually prevail, this would have prevented the loss of many 

 valuable sliips and cargoes, many hmdridi of human lives, and all the 

 miseries entailed on the numerous families consequently left destitute. 

 I have been favoured with a copy of the Commissioners' Report, 

 dated August 7, 1S4-1, and accord with the opinion of Sir W. Svmonds 

 "that the mass of evidence was in favour of Dungeness;" for that 



place I gave a plan for a Harbour of Refuge, and endeavoured in my 

 evidence to sustain the eligibility of the site and plan. This plan does 

 not appear in the Report. 



I do hope that the Government will pause ere thev commence sucli 

 a work as is proposed for environing Dover Bay. The building out 

 a pier from Clieeseman's Head will arrest the ebb tide in its western 

 progress, and cause that part of the bay to fill up rapidly, and it will 

 injare in the same ratio the entrance to the present harbour so essen- 

 tial for the welfare of the town. In a short time after the proposed 

 western part of the pier shall be extended into deep water, the beach 

 eastward of the present piers may be expected to be drawn into the 

 sea, and place the buildings thereon in imminent danger. 



The Commisioners ;dso recommend improvement at the entrance to 

 Harwich Harbour. I cannot understand how this is to be elVected ; 

 the cause of the loss of the only good entrance into this, one of the 

 finest harbours in the world, is not understood; the channel referred 

 to, which was between I.anguard Fort and the Alter, was filled up by 

 a similar cause to that by which many ancient harbours have been. 



Willi much respect for the intelligence of the Harbour Commis- 

 sioners, I am of an opinion that they should have been assisted in the 

 investigation by some merchantmen long accustomed to harbours, in 

 justice to the great problem, and of the honour of science, and the real 

 question "What are the only means or plan that will accomplish the 

 long sought for object, viz., the forming an eligible and adequate 

 Harbour of Refuge, free of ingress and egress at all times, and under 

 all circumstances of wind and weather." (?) The answer is only to be 

 obtained by a committee of the House of Commons, where the subject 

 would be impartially investigated : and in place of interested parties 

 sitting as judges on their own procedure, they should be required to 

 account for the enormous sums that have been /ntttlessly expended. 

 Those who sit on such an enquiry have an opportunity of obtaining a 

 knowledge of that which has caused others u long, arduous, and ex- 

 pensive attention. 



I will conclude by stating that the plan now proposed relative to 

 Dover, a harbour with a double entrance without an artificial scouring 

 power, was, in the principle and plan, a suggestion of my own. 



HiiNKY Baubett. 



REMEDY FOR FRAUDULENT COJIPETITIONS. 



Were they reckoned up, the number of Competition designs and 

 drawings that have been made for Churches and Chapels alone, during 

 the last ten years, would be quite startling. Taking them as an average 

 computation — and it is but a very moderate one — for that period, twenty 

 competitions per annum, with twenty-five sets of six drawings sent in 

 to each, amount to no fewer than 'f/iirly-thousaiid drawings only 

 for buildings of that class. Pi-o6table work for — the manufacturers 

 of drawing paper, and capital exercise for architects! One is really 

 puzzled to know what becomes of such a vast number of drawings, for 

 they cannot, like old picture-canvasses, be made to serve for fresh 

 subjects. 



The tax to which architects are thus subjected, is a most onerous 

 one, and quite peculiar to their profession. It is true, it is incurred 

 voluntarily, — if that can be said to be voluntary which, though they 

 feel it to be oppressive, men submit to out of sheer necessity, and be- 

 cause they have no other alternative than that of submitting to it, or 

 foregoing the chances of obtaining practice. Formerly competitions 

 were of rare occurrence, and were to be regarded as exceptions to the 

 usual course of practice, but they have now grown up into a system 

 which the profession cannot eitlier direct, or resist, but in which all 

 must join save the few who have suiricient private practice to enable 

 them to relinquish the toils and struggles of competition to others less 

 fortunate than themselves. According to the actual system and ex- 

 tent of competition, it is not merely the casual interests of a few indi- 

 viduals that are concerned, but those of an entire profession ; and so 

 loudly do the abuses and malpractices which are perpetually com- 

 plained of, call fur correction, that if it be found that the profession 

 are really unable to help themselves, it becomes a question whether 

 they ought not to apply to the legislature for some protective eiiact- 

 nients against fraudulent competitions. Air.ong other measures, it 

 might perhaps operate as a wholesome check, were it made impera- 

 tive that in every competition by public advertisement, the names of 

 all the committee should be given cither in the advertisement itself 

 or in the programme of instructions furnished to the architects ; and 

 that the whole of the competitors should be entitled to demand au 

 inspection of the chosen design. 



If building-committees chuse to appoint their own architects, or 

 even to apply privately to two- or three individuals to send them ia 



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