1847.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



29 



in General," on the same plan as the Camdeo and Sha es.fare Societies 

 have already done so successfully, and which, it appear is to be followed 

 by another, to be called the Hackluyt Society. 



For myself, I shall be liappy to contribute towards any subscription 

 which may be made to carry out such a measure ; and I have no doubt I 

 could, among my friends, obtain several names and subscriptions, iu addi- 

 tion to my own. I am. Sir, your obedient servant, 



A Reader of your Journal from the Commencement. 



Lewes, Dec. 24, 1S46. 



P.S. — If my suggestion is considered practicable, I will communicate 

 ■with you again. I have the tirst volume of " Farey on the Steam En- 

 gine :" can you inform me if the second volume is likely soon to be pub' 

 lished ? 



*,* We may probably reply to this letter hereafter. 



NOTES ON FOREIGN WORKS. 



Transactions of the Archceological Instilule of Rome. — The volume o 

 the proceedings of this Society, just published, again proves the richness 

 of antiquarian relics, and likewise an increased activity of the Society, 

 under the auspices of the present Pope. The first memoir contains Pro- 

 fessor Ulrich's travels in Greece, from Atheus to Chalkis, Anthedon, Aulis, 

 and Oropos — places scarcely yet explored by any antiquarian. Amongst 

 the monuments discovered is a bronze tablet, with a marsian inscription, 

 found at Rapino, and, most probably, the only relic of the kind extant. 

 Another tablet of lead, with a Grecian imprecation, is interesting to the 

 searchers of linguistic and religious antiquity. — The celebrated archi- 

 tect, L. Canina, has contributed a paper on a round pedestal in the Lateran, 

 with emblems of Vulcan upon it. — The most attractive paper, however, is 

 that of M. Welker, on the portrait of Sophocles. M. W. has compared 

 the splendid statue in the Lateran, found at Terracina, where the poet is 

 represented in a proud, nay triumphing attitude — with that of the Mosaic 

 pavement lately found at Kbin. — Two double entaglios of Sophocles and 

 Euripides, from the collection of M. Torlonia at Rome, were exhibited. 

 The configuration of the two heads is very characteristic, — Sophocles hand- 

 somer, quieter, of great regularity and harmony of form of head, approach- 

 ing the ideal ascribed by the ancients to Jupiter; while that of Euripides 

 is more shrewd, active, and bustling. 



The great picture of Garo/olo, at Rome, representing the descent from 

 the cross, a huge canvas, comprising seven figures of life-size, has been 

 hitherto in a very precarious condition, on account of the wood, ou which 

 it was stretched, having become rotten, if not decomposed. M. Radice, 

 its present owner, knowing the great artistic value ot this historical pic- 

 ture, engaged the famous restorer, JVI. Bunosi, to transfer the canvas to 

 another substratum. This has been done so successfully, that M. Over- 

 beck has expressed his perfect coincidence and approbation. 



Railway from Naples to the Rotnan Frontier. — The Neapolitan govern- 

 ment have granted to M. Falcon de Cimier the concession to construct a 

 railway from either Capua, Ceprano, or Fondi, direct to the Roman fron- 

 tiers ; but under this condition — that the newly discovered system of 

 Jouffroy be tried on the line. This system, which is said to afford greater 

 security to travellers, and a saving of expense, will first be tried on a space 

 of two miles ; a commission is then to decide whether it be advisable to 

 employ it on the entire line. 



Railways and Coal Mines in Bohemia. — Austria boasts of having con- 

 structed the first railway on the continent of Europe, namely, the Budweis 

 and Linz line, commenced in 182.^, although merely worked by horse 

 power. Another from Prague to the coal mines of Lahna, a length of 

 30,210 cubits, was begun in 1826. It was at tirst intended that th:s line 

 should extend to Pilsen, and thus form a junction with the Bavarian 

 States' lines. The Lahna coal mines now supply fifteen manufactories 

 with 15,000 tons of coal monthly ; but as this coal yields a superior kind 

 of coke, which could he advantageously used on the Great North Line 

 (whose engines have hitherto burnt wood), these new branch lines will be 

 of great commercial value to the whole country. 



The Erection of the Terminus oj the Paris and Lyons Railway, at the 

 former ciiy, excites much controversy among our French contemporaries. 

 The right bank of the Seine was originally fixed upon, but the subsequent 

 underhand doings of certain land proprietors, who desired it near the 

 Boulevard Mazas, seems to have balanced the decision in their favour. 

 Now, the Place de la Bastille seems likely to suit all requirements. The 

 interests of the whole line, and the immense capital which has to flow 

 through it, demands that the terminus should be as near as possible to the 

 centre of .he commercial and banking activity of Paris. 



The New Opera House at Vienna. — The present building near the Kiirt- 

 nerthor, is one of those insignificant edifices erected under the late 

 Emperor. This having become too palpable, the plan for a new one has 

 been devised. Tlie hvo gates of Carinthia will be pulled down, and re- 

 placed by one in a monumental style ; the ramparts on this side of the 

 city demolished, and the limits of the city extended ; by which alterations, 

 snflicient space for a splendid new Opera House will be gained. As the 

 lease of the present theatre, however, does not expire for two years, the 

 operations will not commence until that time. 



Irrigation of Algeria.— The French Minister of woods and public works 

 has nominated a commission, chosen from among the general staff of sur- 

 veyors of roads and bridges, to examine the plans and projects sent to 

 Paris from Africa. for the barrage of the rivers of Africa. These plans 

 have been made ou the spot, by another commission, which is surveying 

 Algeria for that purpose. The first plans of irrigation will be executed 

 on the waters of the plain of Mitidja. 



The- Guildhall, Lourain, Belgium. — By a curious accident, t!ie name of 

 the builder (hitherto unknown) of this splendid structure has been dis- 

 covered, by one of the keepers of the archives at the Guildhall. His name 

 was Matheeus de Layens, master mason of the city of Louvain. While 

 occupied on this task, for thirty years, he received four sols (half-pence) 

 per day in summer, and three sols in winter; and when this immortal work 

 was completed, the municipality gave him a recompense of five Peters ami 

 ten sols I 



City Embellishments in Austria.— The imperial building court council- 

 lor, M. Springer, has undertaken the rebuilding of the facade of the 

 Altstadt guildhall, at Prague, which will be adorned by six bronze statues 

 of Bohemian monarchs, sculptured by M. Marx. The corporation have 

 voted a sum of 80,000 florins (equivalent to £20,000 English) for that pur- 

 pose. 



Restoration of the Ulm Afjnsfer.— Amongst the most important monaf 

 ments which the grandeous art-taste and generous piety of a great a.<^e. 

 hijs left to its not always grateful successors, the Ulm Minster oc'cupies°a 

 considerable place. It covers au area of 58,000 square feet, and is not 

 surpassed by any raediasval cathedral. Coin and Speyer excepted. Its 

 naves, complete as they are, are of gigantic proportions, the principal one 

 being 141 feet in height, and the four lateral ones 70J feet; the choir 90 

 feet. The spire, had it been completed according to the plans of the ori- 

 ginal architect, Mathew Boblinger, would have overlooked even that of 

 Coin, as it was planned at a height of 475 feet (Rhenish), while the latter 

 was to be 474 feet. The spires of Freyburg, St. Stephen at Vienna, and 

 even Strasburg, are all of a lesser height. Thus, what is related by tra- 

 dition may well he true— namely, that the Ulm burghers, at whose expense 

 this edifice was raised, said then, that they wanted to erect a case for the 

 Strasburg Minster. This gigantic building was begun in 1377, the names 

 of the architects being Heinrich and Michel (most probably only their 

 Christian names). When Mathias Boblinger took charge of it, from 1480 

 to about 1490, the building had proceeded as far as the platform. A 

 subsidence of this stupendous mass was subsequently apprehended, and 

 Boblinger was compelled to fly from Ulm ; Bunkhard and Engelberger de 

 Hornberg being then appointed architects. They underrau the spire with 

 such tremendous walls, that professional men say any height can be raised 

 thereon. The building was not subsequently proceeded with, if we except 

 those graceful columns erected by Lienhart Aeltlin (1502-1507), by which 

 the lateral naves are divided. Want of funds — and still more, the ap- 

 proach of the Reformation, prevented every further endeavour to complete 

 it. Thus it remained until 1844, when the tendency to restore the medie- 

 val monuments of Germany — already manifested in that of the dome of 

 Coin— reached also the inhabitants of Ulm. The completion of the spire 

 is certainly, up to the present time, a subject of mere wish and desire; 

 but that of the central nave (only inferior to that of Ciiln by 20 feet) is 

 more easily to be achieved. The projected lateral pillars, which support 

 the central nave and the still unfinished turrets, are yet wanting. The 

 completion of the two easterly turrets would at once impart to the whole a 

 more perfect appearance. If all this be done— as it has already been 

 begun — then the huge spire could be attempted, the expense of which, 

 albeit large, would be only one-third of the cost of the completion of the 

 dome of Coin, calculated at five millions of dollars (at four shillings). The 

 works are under the sole direction of the city architect, M. Thran, whose 

 energy is generally praised and appreciated. 



Great New's Hall at Berlin. — M. G. Julius has just completed the erec- 

 tion of the above establishment, in which the periodicals of all nations and 

 countries, and of every branch of human knowledge and on every subject, 

 are to be met with. Situated in the very centre of the town, its success is 

 almost sure. [A similar place does not exist in London.] 



Raffaelle an Architectural Author. — If some persons are astonished to 

 hear that Raflaelle, whom they supposed hitherto the painter of Cartoons 

 and Madonnas, was also the completor of St. Peter's dome, at Rome, they 

 wdl be still more surprised to understand that he was also an author, and 

 this on a professional subject. His " Report to Leo X. on the preservation 

 of the antiquities of Rome," is a jewel of delicate yet deep thought; but 

 it is the ouly thing which the divine painter ever put to paper, his mind 

 manifesting itself in a dill'erent sphere. 



The Boldest Enterprise of the Age is, certainly, the draining of the 

 Zuider-Zee in Holland, the expense of which is calculated at 61 millions 

 of florins (10 millions sterling). The plan is ready, and embraces a gi- 

 gantic dyke to protect the new land against the force of the Baltic Sea — a 

 maritime canal, accessible at all times of the tide, to connect the sea with 

 Amsterdam. No plan, except to form a railway over one of the passes of 

 the St. Ciothard, can be compared with the above. 



Acoustics of Theatres and other Public Auditory Buildings. — It has been 

 tried in some of the recent constructions of theatres in France, to provide 

 spaces in the body of the walls and pilasters, for increasing the acoustic 

 character of the building. The rationale of this scheme is quite correct — 

 it agrees with the theory of sound, lately brought before the French Insti- 



