I8J7.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECrS JOURNAL. 



37 



for those once gloomy abodes of the victims of Dionysiiis are now 

 flourisliing with the Uixurious vegetation of the pomegr.inate and the 

 orange, and are watered by the transparent streams which still flow 

 a.ong the ancient channels ; and the spot where the infamous Verres 

 incarcerated not only Syracusaiis, but Roman citizens, is now termed 

 " // Paradiso." In this Latomia is the church of San Nicolo ; under 

 which is a chamber excavated from the rock, 04 ft. Gin. long, 2i! ft. 

 6 in. wide ; and from the remains of a water-duct at one end it was 

 probably used as a reservoir. 



I must not pass by tlie curious cavern called the ear cf Dionysius, 

 which is about 1 TO feet in depth, 35 feet in width, and GO feet in 

 height. It is stated that Dionysius constructed this cavern on acous- 

 tic principles, for the pur|>ose of overhearing the conversation of the 

 l)risoners confined williin its walls. There is beyoiul doubt a wonder- 

 ful power of conveying and increasing sound in this curious vault; 

 but an examination of it, including the somewhat hazaidous ascent 

 wilh ropes and pullies to the cavity near the top, impressed us with 

 the notion that this power, as is the case with most echoes, is more to 

 be ascribed to accident than to art. 



Neapolis was also adorned by a colossal statue of Apollo Temenites, 

 which stood proudly pre-eminent on a rising ground, and was pre- 

 served, says Cicero, by its magnilude, from the sacrilegious grasp of 

 Verres. Suetonius states, that it was contemplated by the emperor 

 Tiberius to place it in the library which he had built, or restored, in 

 honour of Augustus; but that he was prevented by the Deity in a 

 vision. 



The ruins of the Temple of Jupiter Olyrapius are situate on a gentle 

 eminence on the right bank of the An.ipus, overlooking the great port. 

 Portions of the shalts of two Doric columns alone remain standing ; 

 but I am rather doubtful whether these are in the original position. It 

 is to be much ri-gretted, that so little is left o( this temple, which, in 

 its original slate, was described as the richest monument in Syracuse. 

 In its adytum was placed the famous stalue of Jupiter, esteemed one 

 of the three* most noble representations of that deity ever produced, 

 and from which Dionysius stripped otf the golden mantle, replacing it 

 with one of Wool, accompanying his robbery with the impudeiit apo- 

 logy, that gold was too iieavy in summer and too cold in winter for 

 the king of the gods, but that wool was adapted for both seasons. 



I believe 1 have now generally, though 1 fear very imperfectly, de- 

 scribed the principal remains of the four quarters of the ancient city ; 

 and I will trespass for a few minutes longer only upon the attention of 

 the meeting, by making some short observations upon the suburbs and 

 outworks. 



Epij.o!(e,so celebrated in the sieges of Syracuse, is to the westward 

 of Neapolis, on a spot (as its name imports) commanding the whole 

 city. It was inclosed by Dionysius within tliose remarkable fortifica- 

 tions and walls said to have been constructed by him in the incredible 

 sboit space of twenty days, and upon which he employed GU,UOO 

 workmen and 6,00U yoke of oxen. 



It was also defended by a fort, which, according to Fazello, vvfas 

 called by the Greeks Labdalo, but Mr. Hughes is of opinion (judging 

 from the descriptions of Tliucydides and DioJuras) that Labdalo was 

 considerably lower in the discent, and that the fort in question was 

 the celebrated Hexapylon, a work co istructed with extraordinary mili- 

 tary skill and art. Mr. Cockerell (and I cannot appeal to a higher 

 authority in these matters) states that he considers the remains of this 

 fortress to be the most admirable specimen of ancient military archi- 

 tecture he had ever met with in all his extensive travels. 



The principal entrance is admirably constructed for defence, with 

 flank Walls, from which the assailants were exposed to the attack of 

 the defenders. Some of the walls are of solid masonry, 12 feet in 

 thickness. Others, of that species of construction termed Emplectoii,'\ 

 are iilteen feet thick. At two of the angles of the walls are square 

 towers of solid masonry, and there are several remains of fusses, 2o to 

 3U feet deep, cut in the solid rock, and defending the accessible ap- 

 proaches to the castles. In one part is a subterranean passage, nine 

 feet wide and twelve feet high, leading in an inclined plane from the 

 castle to the fosse, probably for the use of cav.rlry; and in other parts 

 of the walls are small openings, about two feet in height, and sufficient 

 to allow a man to creep through, by which the sorties were probably 

 made. 



The suburb of EpipoIjE was terminated by a second almost impreg- 

 nable fortress, called Euryale, mentioned particularly by Livy in his 

 account of the siege of Syracuse, by Marcellus. In the 17ih century 

 the village of Belvedere was built on this spot, but no vestige of it 

 now remains. 



The river Anapus, so much vaunted by the poets and historians of 



* One, in ihe Roman capital, from MacedoLia; a second atPontus; and the third at 

 Syracuse. — Cic. iu Vtr.. li, lib. iv. 

 t Plin. Nat. Hist., lib. 36, c. 22. 



old, is now a small stream, and its banks covered with lofty reeds and 

 aquatic plants, growing so luxuriantlv as almost to impede our pro- 

 gress in a small boat. We contrived, however, to reach the beautiful 

 fountain of Cyane, a natural b.isin of about .'iO feet in diameter, and 

 celebrated by the poets as the spot where Pluto made his descent 

 with Proserpine. We here saw the elegmt Papvrus pi mt growing ia 

 great perfection, and it is said to be the only spot in Europe where 

 this rare plant flourishes. 



It has been remarked that there is no ancient example of anv state 

 so circumscribed in t'^rritory, extending so far and wide its influence, 

 as Syracuse. In military fame she was equal to Lacedsmon, and con- 

 tested successfully with the Athenians for naval pre-eminence! Her 

 laws excited the admiration of Aristotle. The great Tlieban bard 

 sung the victories of her conquerors in the games of Greece. From 

 her power emanated the colonies of Acroe, C.ismenae, and C imarina. 

 Her resources were so great, that Gelo offered to assist the Grecian 

 states in their armament against the Persians with 28,000 troops and 

 200 Tnrcnus, and, in addition, to supply provisions for the entire 

 army of Greece, during the continuance of the war; and the perfec- 

 tion she had attained in the line arts was such as to soften tlie hitherto 

 rigid habits of her Roman conquerors, to reline thtir taste, and to ex- 

 cite and ensure their clemency. 



Fazello tells us that her skill in worksof gold, silver, and embroidery, 

 was proverbial ! The extent and magnificence of her buildings we 

 have already adverted to. The superb medallions of Philistides sulti- 

 ciently testify the superiority she had attained in the numismatic 

 art ; and of tlie extent of her sculptural embellishments we mav f'oriii 

 some idea from the remark of Cicero, that the Syracusans lost more 

 statues by the rapacity of Verres than they did men by the victories of 

 Marcellus. 



The indefatigable Capodieci* presents us with a glorious list of 

 warriors, statesmen, poets, philosophers, and men of science, whom he 

 claims for Syracuse ; and proud indeed must that city be which could 

 produce Agathocles and Dionysius as commanders! Philistus as an 

 historian! the poet Theocritus, and, greater by far than all these, hec 

 own Archimedes ! 



I trust this feeble attempt to describe the ancient Syracuse, will be 

 excused, witli all its imperfections; and most amply shall I be repaid 

 i( the interest of this meeting has been in the least degree promoted 

 by a short account of that city, where the friendship of Damon and 

 Pythias was fostered, and whose inhabitants derived their greatest 

 pleasure in listening to the verses of Euripides! 



* Tlie compiler of forty Ibtio voluaies on the antiquities of his native city. 



INSTITUTION OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS. 



A second meeting of the promoters for establishing a national " Institu- 

 tion of Jlechanical Engineers " was held at the Qiieeu's Hotel, Birminfc- 

 han), on AVeduesday evening, the 27th ult., when it was at onre resolved 

 to establish the lustitiitioo. The meeting was attrnded by Mr. George 

 Stephenson and about 70 other gentlemen. The object id establishing the 

 Institution was explaioeJ by Mr. McConnell. It is to enable mechanics 

 and engineers engaged in the various manufacturing and railway establish- 

 ments of the country to meet and correspond. The early progress of tlie 

 Institution haviug Lieen brielly sketched by Mr. McCouuell,and the formal 

 resolutions adopted for conducting it, — 



The President elect (Mr. Stf.phenson) addressed the members at some 

 length, adverting to the difiicuhies he had encountered in his own early 

 career, when, without education, assistance, or apprenticeship, and in the 

 face of a vast amount of prejudice, he had succeeded iu battling his way, 

 until success crowned his exertions. He enjoined perseverance as essential 

 to a joung engineer, pointed out the folly of at'empting impossibilities, for 

 there was, he said, a law which governed mechanics, as everything else ; 

 lliere was a point to which mechanical skill coufd he carried, and no 

 further. Mr. Siephensoa concbided by observing that he should aid this 

 rising Institution by every means in his power. The council, and other 

 officers were afterwards appointed, and a general meeting of the membtrs 

 is to be held quarterly. A dinner afterwards took place; and iu the 

 course of some observations during the after sederunt, jMr. Stephenson 

 said — " I liave worked my way, but I have worked as hard as any man 

 in the world, and I have overcome obstacles which it falls to the lot of 

 hut few men to encounter. 1 haie known the day when my sou was a 

 child, that after my daily labour was at an end, 1 have gone home to my 

 sin;;le room and cleaned clocks and watches, iu order that 1 might be en- 

 ahli-d to put my child to school. I had felt loo acutely myself ihe loss of 

 an education not to be fully sensible of how much advantage one would 

 he to him. I may say, too, perhaps, without being deemed egotistical, 

 that I have mixed with a greater variety of society than, perhaps, any 

 man living. I have dined in mines, for 1 was once a miner; and I have 

 dined with kings and queens, and with all grades of nobility ; and have 

 seen enough to inspire me with the hope that ni) esertious have not bceu 

 without their beneficial results — that uiy labour has not been in vaia." 



