1847.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



63 



has constructed 70 locomotives, and 90 are now in hand, for the lines of 

 South Germany, Switzerland, Hanover, Prussia, &c. If the makinj; of 

 turn-tables, liridges, and other structural parts of railways, be taken into 

 account, the activity of these two establishments may be easily calculated. 

 Occupyins, jointly, 1300 workmen, and producins; 2,000,000 fl. (£350,000) 

 of work a-year, they may vie with any establishment in Belgium or 

 England. Ten years ago, any such plan would have been considered in 

 Germany quite impracticable and chimerical. 



Jl/. Riigentles, the painter, who has travelled twelve years in different 

 parts of Simlh America, the Brazils, &c., has brought back a collection of 

 about .SOOO sketches, some of large size. The views of Americ:in cities, 

 and tlieir chief buildings, with architectural details thereof, will be the 

 move interesting, as plans of the ancient structures erected by the Jesuits, 

 and even the new public buildings of these infant commonwealths, are not 

 suOicienlly known. 



Inlerriijition to the great Water-Works at Hamburg. — These important 

 works ha\e come to a standstill, by the burghessen council having refused 

 a supplementary grant of some 500,000 marks. This, after millicjus have 

 been already expended, seems a strange manner of doing business. It is 

 said, however, that the citizens of Hamburg never conteuiplaled the erec- 

 tion of such stupendous show-buildings ; besides, yielding to private in- 

 terests, and other paltry practises, are also objected !o. 



Great Scientific Prizes in France. — Our French neighbours regret, very 

 justly, the falling into disuse of those prix ilecemiau.r, instituted by Napo- 

 leon, towards which, uot merely moneary graspingness, but legitimate 

 emulation, were once aspiring. Still, the prizes proposed every year for 

 the advancement of science are greater in France than in any other coun- 

 try. We I'eport on the present occasion one of the Prizes of Argentciiil — ■ 

 viz., " Is ihe intervention of water, in the state of combinaliori, necessary 

 for effecting chemical reaction between acids and their bases?" This im- 

 portant queslion has been treated by M. Fr^niy in his interesting memoir 

 " On the Hydrates." It has been completely refuted, by the experiments 

 of this philosopher, that all anhydrous acids (i.e. those deprived of water) 

 cannot combine with bases; which signifies that they have lost their qual- 

 ity of acids. He then proves that the carbonic, sulphuric, sulphurous, 

 phosphoric, and other acids, combine very well, in their anhydrous state 

 with bases. And it is only those compounds which are both acids 

 and bases in their turn, which require the existence of water for display- 

 ing their chemical affinities or attraction. 



The A'ch; Great Prussian Line. — The Berlin government have definitely 

 decided on a direct line to Koenigsberg, Avhich will be begun next spring. 

 It is said that this resolution has been hastened by that of the Russian 

 authorities, who intend to construct a line from the Interior to the Prussian 

 frontiers. 



Frost-Phenomena at Rome. — The present severe winter has imparled to 

 the capital of the artistic world a strange appearau' e : the palaces of the 

 Emperors, the Coloseum, triumphal arches, and temples, are covered vpith 

 a thick coat of ice, and the wide plain of Latium, from the mountains up 

 to the Mediterranean, is covered with a crust of snow, which even the mid- 

 day rays of the sun are unable to melt, 



Impraciicabilittj of Continental Railways in the Wititer Season. — All 

 the lines in the north of Germany have been, more or less, interrupted by 

 the late severe frosts ; as, for instance, the Berlin and Sile«ian, as well as 

 the Berlin and Hamburg, which had been only opened a few days pre 

 vious to being thus obstructed. On the frontiers of the Mark and Silesia, 

 where the line has been carried through the forests of the Lausnitz, a com- 

 pany of sixteen or twenty travellers had to remain a whole night on the 

 rails, on which the engines had been frozen in ; and in the village of 

 Kohlfurth there were, at one time, six trains stuck fast, so that no others 

 could proceed, although three lines cross each other at this point. The 

 mails and passengers were obliged to be couveyed on sledges. 



Destruction of a high-road near the Rhine by an Earthquake. — A most 

 extraordinary phenomenon, caused by ihe upheaving of the earth (similar 

 to those which sometimes occur in South America, &c.), has lately taken 

 place at Unkel, on the banks of the Khine. In this neighbourhood, there 

 exists a quarry of basalt, from which the stone is taken for the high-road. 

 Between this basalt stratum and the Rhine a large plain extends, through 

 which pasii-s the high road. This plain has now been converted into a 

 mount, and the road thrown up 100 feet into the air. The locality resem- 

 bles a place blown up by the bursting of a mine Some minutes before 

 the eruption look place, a terrible roaring was heard, like tho approach of 

 a hurricane, which caused the mail-drivers, who were passing at the time, 

 to hasten away. This, however, was not heeded by a carter, whose ve- 

 hicle, with a Iliad of 5,000 kilogrammes, was rolled like a pebble, lifted up 

 in the air, aud then buried 100 feet beneaih the ruins of the falling rocks. 

 To the north of the basalt stratum extends a vineyard, on a high elevation 

 of ground : this mountain was ripped asunder, at the same time that the 

 plain was upheaved. The appearance of the spot is altogether extraordi- 

 nary and curious. 



Naples. — Two new churches, of good style, have been lately erected 

 here, likewise two large public fountains, with antique figures and has- 

 relievos. Broad footpaths have been laid in the most frequented streets, 

 as far as Posilippo, and the square before the church of St. Francisco 

 macadamised, which hitherto has been very uncomfortable to the public. 

 High- walled, broad quays line the shore, up to the Villa of St. Lucia; 



— still, landscape admirers say, that the former rocks and pravel, binding 

 the sea were more picturesque. An artesian well is being dug in the gar- 

 dens of the Palazzo Reale, and huge iron gates are being erected, on the 

 grand pedestals of which the two bronze horses, presented hither from St. 

 Petersburg, are to be plaeed. A large heap of splendid gold coins of the 

 oldest period of Roman history, have been discovered at Pompeii, which 

 has tilled our antiquarians with extasy. 



An Italian Model Railicay.—TUe line between Lucca and Pisa has been 

 lately opened, and the communication between the two cities takes place 

 four times a day, and on holidays— as those set forth for the recreation of 

 the humbler classes— five times a-day. The line was constructed under 

 the direction of M, Dohlnieyer, a (ierman engineer, and is built in a very 

 workmanlike, sterling manner. Even the carriages of the last class are 

 covered, and the sides protected by leather curtains— if such be necessary 

 in that Ausonian climate. The prices are not higher than on the other 

 Italian lines, and the road passes through all the luxuriant olive grores of 

 the Lucchese. A person is now able, during one day's stay at Livorno, 

 to pass a few hours at Lucca, and also at Pisa, and return in the evenin" 

 to Civita Vecchia ;— a/orcei/ way of travelling, it is true, but one in ac'^ 

 cordance with the rapid progress of our times. A steam communication 

 between Livorno and Corsica has existed for some time past ; and another 



with Elba is projected. The line to Florence progresses very slowly 



which, however, is rather creditable to the Tuscan government, as the rural 

 communities raise some objections to the intersection of their communal 

 roads, and which the grand duke does not wish to cut through in an arbi- 

 trary manner. 



Gold Mines on the Coast of Guinea. — The attempt to regularly work 

 these famous mines has often been tried, but without any beneficial result; 

 most probably arising from the climateric condition of the country ; with 

 which, however, our present hygisci^tic knowledge is more likely to cope 

 successfully. The Dutch Government has now formed a new and sys- 

 tematic plan, and a person connected with the Colonial Office has visited 

 Freyburg, for the purpose of engaging the most skilful miners. This has 

 been eflfected, and the whole mining colony will immediately start for its 

 destination. 



Governmental Chemistry in Bararia. — A society has been formed at 

 Munich for the dissemination (not d'd-fusion) of useful knowledge, under 

 the presidency of the royal heir to the throne. The first work published 

 by this society is a " Handbook of Chemistry," by Runge. A most novel 

 plan has been adopted in this work — namely, to put chemical solutions and 

 compounds, in natura, upon slips of paper, which, exhibiting all the va- 

 riety of chemical colours, and being pasted beside the text, afford to the 

 incipient chemist, and such as have no laboratory at their command, the 

 very substance described and ddated upon, before his eyes; and which, in 

 many cases, shows traces of crystallization, &c. The book exhibits, 

 thereby, a very pleasing and varied appearance, and is, moreover, written 

 with tliat simplicity and system, as to be intelligible to the capacity of 

 every intellectual person — a merit more unusual than is generally sup- 

 posed. 



J. L Y. 



NOTES OF THE MONTH. 



The Hall at Hampton Court Palace, known as Wolsey's Hall, has been 

 re-opened to the pulilic; having undergone a series of embellishments by 

 Mr. Willeinent, which contribute to make it one of the grandest in Europe. 

 The large windows, thirteen in number, on the north and south sides of 

 the ball, have been filled with new stained glass, harmonizing with the 

 noble windows at the east and west extremities. The compartmeuts of 

 the east and west windows are occupied by the arms of Henry VIII. and 

 those of his house. The subjects of the thirteen new windows now added 

 by Mr. Willement are the armorial pedigrees of the six wives of Henry 

 VIII., alternating with the eight heraldic badges of the monarch — the 

 Tudor rose, the fleur-de-lis, the portcullis, the red dragon, &c., within 

 separate wreaths of foliage. 



The Globe states that tbe Commissioners of Woods and Forests have re- 

 solved on carrying into effect the long -projected improvements in the 

 vicinity of Buckingham Palace. In the course of tlie ensuing summer, 

 various buildings, nearly opposite the equerries' entrance, are to be razed 

 with the ground ; and shortly after Midsummer, it is rumoured, Charlotte- 

 street Chapel is to be taken down. 



Mr. Dyce has been commissioned to paint, on Ihe walls of the staircase 

 at Osborne House, in fresco, on a large scale, an historical, or rather poeti- 

 cal, subject — " Neptune yielding to Britannia the Sovereignty of the Seas." 

 The finished study for the picture has been submitted lo Her Majesty and 

 Prince Albert ; who have expressed their satisfaction by ordering its im- 

 mediate execution. 



Cases have arrived in Athens containing the collection of casts taken 

 from the has reliefs of the Parthenon, now in London— aud which the Bri- 

 tish Government has presented to the Athenian Museum. These works 

 of Art have heen temporarily deposited in an ancient Turkish mosque ; 

 and will, in a few days, be ready for the admission of the public. 



Royal Steam Navy. — It is in contemplation to appoint an additional comp- 

 troller of the steam machinery of the Royal Navy, and Captain Elise will have 



