18 Jo.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



S7I 



drapery cornice ;* tlie only objection being fliat a rocess so fitted np 

 would be more in charncter for a dr.iwing-room ort)(nidoir than fortlie 

 Morning-Uoom of a Club-Hoiiso ; so we will dismiss tliut idea, and 

 abide by tlie one sbown in our plan, viz., a single mirror, and that the 

 only one in the room, — for we would not have tliose over the cliiinney 

 pieces, where a panel with sculpture in bold relievo would show so 

 much better, and better suit the general cliaraeter of the room. 



There are other reforms besides those of plan which we covdd 

 wish to make in this room of the "Conservative," since, to say the 

 truth, there are many things about it that are quite irreconcilable 

 with any principles of taste, and which might just as well have been 

 otherwise, they being entirely matters of choice and not of necessity. 

 What strikes us as a disagreeable inconsistency and a departure from 

 tlie costume of the stvle is the mixture of colours and materials in the 

 parts composing the order. Scagliola columns are placed on a wain- 

 scot stylobate; tlius what if not marble, looks like marble, rests upon 

 a less solid material. The small order that decorates the door (en- 

 gaged columns grouped with half pilasters on each side of them), 

 aitlers from the larger order in having its entablature of oak as well 

 as the pedestals; nor is there any distinction of colour between the 

 door itself and the entablature over it, — which we take to be a fault, 

 inasmuch as now treated, the uniformity of colour which seems to 

 liave been intended for the whole of the composition, is disturbed by 

 tliat of the columns. These last, again, though of the same order, viz., 

 (an Italian Ionic), as the larger ones in the room do not agree with 

 tliem, for whereas the latter are in imitation of Sienna marble, with 

 white bases and capitals, those of the door are of porphyry with bronze 

 capitals and bases. Considered by themselves, they present some- 

 tliing singularly pleasing — a chaste and harmonious combin.ition of 

 colours, the bronze being of a uniform clear hue, inclining to a mellow 

 golden tint; but then as regards the room those columns are mere 

 patches in it, both colours nquiring to be extended to some other 

 parts; nor is the matter mended by the door being so placed as not to 

 be distinctly marked out by its situation as a feature to be treated as 

 prononcc as possible — which would have been the case bad it been at 

 the end of the room (in the centre, of course,) instead of being on one 

 sick of it. It is, further, a question with us whether it would nut h.iva 

 been adviseable to bronze the door itself of the same hue as the bronz- 

 ing of the capitals, so as to obtain some mass of that colour. Whether 

 that were done or not, there was an excellent opportunity for carrying 

 out the porphyry and bronze, by making the two chimney-pieces to 

 accord with the columns of the door — of porphyry colour with bronze 

 mouldings and ornaments, the stoves, &c. being also of bronze. Had 

 that been done, a balance as to colouring would have been produced, 

 and the present disagreeable spottiness avoided. Instead of which the 

 diimney-pieces are either of black or very dark marble — in our opinion 

 the very worst colour imaginable for such a purpose, we having as 



treat an aversion to a black chimney-piece as Goethe had to a white 

 oor. When such is its colour, a chimney-piece cannot possibly con- 

 tribute any thing to tlie cheerfulness or decoration of a room. Black 

 is not the colour for any sort of ornamental dressings to an aperture, 

 no more for those of a fireplace than for those of a window, or 

 the cornice of a room. Accordingly, the chimney-pieces show not only 

 as two spots quite distinct in colour from everything else in the room, 

 but as two very dismal ones — sombre, triste, and almost funereal. 

 There is a good deal for criticism in the other apartments of the Con- 

 lervalive, — such as pillars with Hack marbk bases, chimney-pieces of 

 most ugly colour and design in themselves, and quite out of character 

 with the style of the room where they are introduced (viz. the Library). 

 But we confine our remarks to that portion of the plan which is shown 

 in our engraving, where it will be seen that the entrance loggia is some- 

 what altered, it being thrown into the form of a curve in order so fir, to 

 correspond with the window in the other end-compartment of the 

 front, on the ground floor. Another variation is suggested at a, by 

 which, instead of being shut up from the central Hall A, as a small 

 waiting room, it would be an open recess corresponding with the open 

 lobby A, between the entrance hall and the inner one. In order to ex- 

 du ie the back court from sight, the window in a is supposed to be 

 entirely of painted glass, and would accordingly, in that situation, 

 produce a brilliant eflect as soon as the door between the outer hall 

 and lobby was opened ; to say nothing of the greater extent of vista 

 in that dwection, so obtained. 



* Though, ds far as we are aivai 

 large mirrors on the side of a roor 

 like those of the windows, for, if i 

 of a room are attended with an a 

 the room ht^ a long one, in which ( 



looked at fro( 



as i^eafly as possibli^ 



nd,- 



!, it has never been done, we think that when there an 

 opposite to the windows they might have draperiei 

 F showy mateiial and colours, draperies along one sidt 

 /kward effect, espetially if theie are many windows o 

 ise it is u^uat to consider the appearance it makes wliei 

 s it is desirable that one side should balance the olbe 



DREDGE'S SUSPENSION BRIDGE. 



Sin — I was very much surprised when the August number of your 

 Journal was put into my hands, by reading the " Jitmarks un the Ma- 

 thtmutical Principks of Mr. Dredge's Suspevaion Bridge, by F. Baslt- 

 /orlh, B.ji., Ftlhm of St. John's "Colkge, Cambridge, and Member of 

 the Cambridge Philosophical Society." 1 read it a second and a third 

 time, before I could believe a Cambridge min had so committed him- 

 self, and now sit down to reply. The principal part of these remarks 

 tends to "e.rpost" a treatise written by Mr. W. Turnbull, which was 

 first publisheil by Mr. Weale, in IS 41. Now with this demonstration 

 whether it be good, or bad, I had nothing irhaterer to do, nor did I see 

 the treatise until after it was published excepting for a few minutes 

 in the author's hands when he callid to ask me to give him a drawing 

 and specification of some bridge, I had erected, or was erecting, wliicli 

 I did, and it was published with his demonstration, but because it was, 

 I do not feel bound to support my position by the style of reasoning 

 adopted by Mr. Turnbull, but even if I were, and the treatise so bad 

 as Mr. Bashforth represents, (though I will shew presently it is not 

 so), his college l^arning should have taught him that an erroneous 

 argument proves nothing but the inability of the disputant, and that 

 it is by correct ri'asoning alone we can point out the trulli, or demon- 

 strate the fallacy of the subject which provokes the inquiry. But to 

 exonerate myself from all responsibility of Turubull's treatise, here is 

 part of his preface. 



" The circumstances whicli led to the composition of the following 

 pages may be briefly stated thus. Early in the spring of the present 

 year (ISll), John Macneil, Esq., an engineer of high professional 

 standing, proposed to me, by way of a problem : to trace the principle 

 which induced Mr. Dredge to adopt the tapering chain and oblique 

 rods, and to prove mathematically that the principle thus adopted is 

 strictly in accortlance with the maxims of accurate mechanics." 



"The MS. thus completed was laid before Mr. Weale, of the Archi- 

 tectural Library, High Holborn, who expressed a wish to purchase it 

 forthwith, provided Mr. Dredge, who was then in London, would un- 

 dert.ike to furnish a drawing and example, illustrative of some bridge 

 either erected, or in course of erection." 



" I accordingly waited on Mr. Dredge, who accompanied me to the 

 publisher, and generously offered to supply whatever might be re- 

 quired either in the shape of drawings, specifications, or estimates, and 

 in accordance with this otTer, the contract, specification of material 

 used, and an isometric drawing of the bridge across the river Leven, 

 at Balloeh Ferry, in Dumbartonshire, which are appended to this 

 Essay have been supplied." 



W. T. 



I do not know, nor do I wish to inquire the reason Mr. Bashforth 

 has for taking short sentences, and even parts of sentences from de- 

 tached papers, placing them in juxtaposition, and thereby showing a 

 very diftijrent meaning from that which when the context comes to be 

 considered, they were intended to convey, here is a specimen — "It is 

 to me a matter of surprise that there has been no exposure of what 

 Mr. Dredge calls his 'system mathematically demonstrated, shewing 

 by the most searching investigation the true principles of the novel 

 and economical invention I!" 



Now this quotation puts the authorship, or at least the responsibi- 

 lity of the essay upon myself ; but when the whole sentence is read, 

 which is merely a foot note to some detached papers, it will show a 

 different meaning. It should have been "Mr. Weale is about publish- 

 ing Mr. Dredge's system, mathematically demonstrated, showing, by 

 the most searching investigation the true principle of novel, and 

 economical invention." And this mas printed when I frst heard of the 

 treatise being nritten. "\ have merely compared quotation and leave 

 the world to judge." 



I will now, even at the risk of some mathematical censure, say a 

 few words in support of Turubull's demonstration. The principle 

 objection taken by Mr. Bashforth is that of assuming " that we may 

 attach one end of a supporting rod to the platform, and the other eud 

 to some convenient point just above, quite independently of the main 

 chain," or in short, that the author really imagined that the chains of 

 my bridge would maintain a straight Hue, even when the subsidiary 

 forces were attached, was there ever anything so absurd, no person 

 with the least knowledge of mechanics could make such a blunder, 

 nor did Mr. Turnbull. For in page IV. we have 



"If this individual bar be considered as a straight inflexible line, 

 the principles of calculation are identical with those of a lever when 

 sustained in equilibro by a single force applied at the remote ex- 

 tremity, and acting in the direction of the sustaining bar. But when 



3 6* 



