148 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[Mat, 



patterns kept ready-made in cement for forwarding to all places for 

 indiscriminate use — alike on the roofs of the low gate-lodgo and that 

 of the lofty mansion. 



" The chimney-pieces which were constructed in the ancient build- 

 ings are not less interesting examples of simple construction and bold 

 design. Fig. 15 is one from a kitchen at Kilmallock Abbey, and 

 selected as au example of bold and simple arrangement of common 

 materials. 



' ■^^^ 



M 



" Fig. 16, from Kilmallock domestic edifices ; being of the ordinary 

 limestone of the locality. 



Fig. 16. — ChiniDey. 



"The accompanying woodcut (Fig. 17), introduces us to another 

 mode in which ancient builders applied stone different to what is 

 attempted at the present day ; it represents a portion of an abbey 

 tower in the county cf Mayo, constructed with the Moyne stone. 

 The gable shown on the side of the tower is formed by an increase 

 in thickness of the walling of about six inches, and on the 



outline of the gable a semi- 

 circular channel is formed 

 with carefully walled stone ; 

 on this the ends of the slates 

 rested, and instead of having 

 lead, now usually employed, 

 or plaster, to prevent the 

 water from getting between 

 the wall and the end of the 

 abutting roof, the water was 

 allowed to find its way into 

 the channel, or gutter, which 

 the slates or other covering 

 overlapped — a mode of 

 construction both ingenious 

 and novel." P. 135. 



"We should not so fre- 

 quently meet with that re- 

 prehensible system so com- 

 mon at the present day, and 



Fig. 17. — Gable stone channel. 



which SO strongly displays the absence of right feeling of con 

 struction, viz., a very common practice of constructing Gothic 

 details, more particularly mullioned windows in wood ; and so 

 purely does this practice display the meagre imitation of the models 

 cf Gothic architecture, rather than the right feeling for design, 

 and an appreciation of the principles which should influence 

 it, that in Gothic edifices mullioned windows and traceried lights are 

 actually made with perishable wood, or with cast-iron, in both cases 

 deceptively prepared to imitate the toolings of the stone-work, and 

 which, to heighten still fucthcrthe deception, are painted and covered 



with stone-dust; this is to be more or less met with through all parts 

 of Ireland. 



"Such was not the practice in any one building of the past ages, or 

 their interesting remains would not now abound ; and how different 

 was the practice of ancient builders, the simple woodcuts of a window, 

 an exterior and interior view, (Figs. 18& 19) here given, will display. 



Figs. 18 and 19.— Window with stone mullions. 



"Here is a common window selected as an example of the simpli- 

 city and soundness of constructive arrangement : here nothing but 

 stone is employed; the larger arch constructed to relieve the mul- 

 lioned divisions at once explains its purpose; the builders evidently 

 imbued with right principles, knew what they wished to effect, and 

 seeing around them flat bedded rocks suited to etlect their purpose, 

 have fashioned, with a pleasing form, the three pointed heads out of 

 three separate stones selected from among those which were used for 

 the other portion of the work." P. 13G. 



In the third part of his work Mr. Wilkinson treats of the geology 

 of each county of Ireland separately, with very valuable observations 

 on the durability of the building materials abounding in each, the cost, 

 in each, of slate, lime, bricks, &c., and instances are adduced from 

 ancient structun s for the purpose of comparing the durability of dif- 

 ferent kinds of stone. At the end of the book are tables of the strength 

 of the limestones, slates, and sandstones of various Irish quarries, with 

 remarks on the mineral character of each substance. The experiments 

 appear to have been made very carefully, but are so entirely of a 

 practical nature that detailed extracts from this part of the work 

 would possess no value, we must therefore recommend our readers to 

 the work itself. 



In conclusion, this work is evidently the production of a careful ob- 

 server, well acquainted with the subject he has undertaken, and capa- 

 ble of explaining his views in perspicuous language. A book of this 

 nature will not probably attract very great general interest, but it con- 

 tributes its fair quota of information, and is written in an unassuming 

 style, utterly free from the tone of affectation and self-complacency 

 by which architectural works are too frequently disgraced. 



HALLETTE'S ATMOSPHEBIC RAILWAY. 



(With an Engraving, see Plate XII.) 



A pamphlet has appeared at Paris giving an account of the system 

 of atmospheric propulsion invented by M. Hallette. The pamphlet 

 commences with a history of atmospheric railways, and gives several 

 extracts from the Moniteur Induslriel, explaining the invention of M. 

 Hallette and comparing it with that of Messrs. Clegg and Samuda. 

 The following translation of some extracts from this pamphlet will no 

 doubt be interesting, as the original not being published will not be 

 very generally accessible. 



The annexed account of the history of the invention is in the usual 

 self-laudatory style which makes French treatises on practical science 

 so amusing to the English reader. 



"The idea of making the rarefaction of air in a cylinder produce 

 motion is by no means recent ; it is French, — we owe it to Papin. It 

 is as well to state that his claim to this honour is not disputed even 

 by foreigners. In a lecture delivered bv the English professor Vig- 

 nulles before the Cornwall Polytechnic Society, and reported in the 

 Mining Journal of Nov. 1842, there is the following expression : " It 

 is now nearly two centuries since a philosopherof great genius, Papin, 

 conceived the idea of producing motion by atmospheric pressure.' 



"The first useful application of the idea appears to have been sug- 

 gested by the Danish engineer Medhurst, who, in 1810, proposed to 

 transport letters and merchandize in a tunnel containing a road of iron 

 or stone. Another project was that of travelling from London to 

 Brighton in a tube. Failure and ridicule did justice to that idea. 



"Medhurst perceiving the serious objection to placing travellers in 

 the body of an air-pump, now made the first step towards the solntion 



