I5S 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[Mat 



were 10 ft-et in thickness. The pointed arch was no longer used, and the 

 defences of towers and gateways were unnecessary : the passage was 

 made more convenient, and the roadway approaclied a liorizoulal line, in 

 consequence of the substiluliou of vehicles for the pack-horse for the transit 

 of merchandise. 



At the commencement of the eijjhieenth century we Dnd evidences of an 

 atleinpl to improve the liridges throughout Ensland, but there is no account 

 (if any principles by which the engineer could be directed, nor are there 

 any names upon record to whom such constructions were particularly en- 

 trusted ; what had been done in Italy dues not seem to have found many 

 imitators here, and tliuugh Newton had discovered the principles upon 

 whicli mechauical science was baseii, it was long before the equdibriuin of 

 the arch occupied the consideration of practical men. Ur. Huoke had, 

 however, drawn attention to the ligure which a heavy chain or rope as- 

 sume* when suspended at the two ends, and shown the properties of the 

 lulenariii : but it was not then applied to tlie coustrurtiun of bridges." 



The exemplifications of the lar£;er bridges of modern times will be 

 found very useful, as tliey include details of every important Work. 

 Ill most cases tlie cunstrnetion of the coffer-dams, centering and 

 auxilinry works is fully shown. Copious extracts are also given from 

 the specifications, particularly valuable in illustration of the work- 

 manship. The railway bridges give so many examples that a very 

 good instance is shown of the enlarged field of practice in the present 

 day. This affords Mr. Cresy the opportunity of describing skew 

 bridges. 



Cast iron bridges form a section of thPinseWes, and are followed by 

 Euspension bridges, both of which are amply illustrated. 



T/ie Ancient World, or Picturesque Skelchea of Creation. By D. T. 

 Ansted, M.A., F.R.S., F.G.S., Professor of Geology in King's 

 College. London: Van Voorst, 1847 ; Svo. pp. 408; woodcuts. 



Some years ago, the readers of French literature were entertained 

 by an iibridged version in that language of a work bearing the truly 

 oriental rhyming title, "Takhlis ulabriz fi talkhisi Bariz" — Tlie purifi- 

 cation of gold fa tie description of Paris. The author was a young 

 student, the Sheikh Refaa, sent to France by the Pasha of Egypt to 

 complete his education. The original work wes published at the 

 Arabic press of Boulaq, in Egypt. 



The Sheikh Refaa, though a Mussulman, resided in Paris, for the 

 purpose of learning the philosophy of the Christians. Impressed 

 with the wonders of European civilisation and the magnificence 

 of the city in which his education was completed, he became 

 anxious to overcome the prejudices entertained by his country- 

 men against the arts, sciences, and institutions of the Franks. The 

 chief difficulty which he experienced w;is in reconciling the New- 

 tonian system of astronomy with that of the Koran. He remarks 

 that the former is altogether irreconcileable witli the account given 

 in the books accounted sacred by the Christian as well as the 

 Koran; and that the orthodox of both creeds vfill have to exercise 

 great caution in reading the modern scientific treatises ; for they are 

 written with such logical precision and mathematical accuracy, that 

 nothing but the strongest faith is proof against their conclusions. 



Here was the testimony of a sensible man, whose reason drew him 

 one way and his prejudices another. This state of incertitude was 

 not, however, peculiar to him. A great continental mathemalician 

 thought it necessary to preface his investigations with an apology 

 for the discrepancies which did violence to his faith, and made 

 an excuse which meant, as far as any meaning can be attached to it, 

 that he did nut see any way of escaping the conclusiuns of modern 

 science; but if he must assent to them, it was against his will. The 

 thunders of the Popes (who, until the present, have always preferred 

 dogmas to proofs) have frequently produced recantations, expressed 

 in a similar spirit, 



A numerous and zealous sect existed in onr own country not many 

 years since, who denounced the doctrines of Newton as blasphemous, 

 and attributed to the credeuce they had obtained the temporal cala- 

 mities of tlie country. Maay half-taught enthusiasts have attempted 

 refutations of the Principia, — and with perfect success, if it be a 

 sufficient criterion of success that no one has replied to them. Even 

 witliin the last twelvemontiis, the Quixotic attempt to enter the lists 

 with Newton, Lagrmge, and Llaplace, has been renewed by a Mr. 

 Isaac Frost: wliose chivalry we should have deemed soineuhat too 

 late for the times, had we nut road the reviews of his essay. These 

 convinced us of that whicli otlierwise we should have deemed im- 

 possible — that Mr. Frost might yet find disciples. It is diiricult to 

 decide whether he or his reviewers display the most ludicrous igno- 

 rance of the subject with which they imagine themselves acquainted. 

 Why should Mr. Frost despair ? — Johanna Southcote was eminently 

 successful in her day, and even now has followers. ' , 



Geology is in the same predicament as astronomy — it is unanswer- 

 able, but heterodox. It is true, that various disputants have ap- 

 peared, and among them those of whose education better results 

 might have been antiiM|)alpd. For example, the Dean of York pub- 

 lished long letters in the Times, in which he demolished geology to 

 his own perfect satisfaction. Had he kept to the question of hetero- 

 doxy, he would have been inex|mgnjble — cuique in sua arte crtdtndum 

 est. But when he descended from the mountain to the plain, — when 

 he iittempted to discuss mechanical principles, he admitted the rights 

 of hum in reasoning and put himself upon a level with his opponents. 

 This was the fatal error of his tactics. He illustrated the motion of 

 planets by the whirling of a pail of water — it was but too evident 

 that he had tried the experiment, and been made giddy by it. He 

 treated of the congelation of igneous vapours — and in language which 

 plainly indicated that he had incautiously exposed himself to their 

 fumes. The good doctor's zeal was worthy of :i better cause. An 

 excellent theological library was turned into a bad laboratory, and 

 the Schoolmen and the Fathers viete displaced by crucibles and the 

 three mechanical powers. 



The philosophers of this school seem to forget that the simple 

 denial of the theories of modern geology is not sufficient ; if they 

 reject these, they must substitute others. A vast number of natural 

 appearances have been recorded — the skeletons, exuvia, and vestiges 

 of bv-gone races of animals, — the traces of violent disturbances of 

 the materials of the earth, — and those ancient records to which the 

 Pyramids are ephemeral gossip, are written in so large and legible 

 characters that it seems impossible to dispute their meaning. If, 

 then, the interpretation given by geologists be rejected, have they 

 not a right to demand that a better be supplied ! You dispute — say 

 they — our explanation of the facts; the facts themselves cannot be 

 disputed; — how then do you explain them? 



To this question no reply has been even attempted. But lest the 

 student of geology should feel himself in the same anomolous position 

 as the Sheikh Refaa with regard to astronomv, let him be assured that 

 neither science need, in reality, offend his scruples. The subject has 

 been so hotly debated that, at the risk of appearing to discuss topics 

 not strictly within our province, we will endeavour to show how the dis- 

 crepancies in question may be reconciled without resorting to sceptic- 

 ism. The view which we take may be best explained by an illustra- 

 tion. .Suppose that an eminent writer on the laws of commerce and 

 navigation were in the course of his writings to make incidentally a 

 mistake respecting the construction of steamers or sailing vessels; — 

 would that mistake invalidate the whole of his treatise? A wise 

 reader would discriminate between the two kinds of knowledge, and 

 allow that his author might be thoroughly versed in political and 

 financial economy, and yet be ignorant of engineering and ship- 

 building. In the same manner, when David speaks of the " round 

 world" being made "so fast that it cannot be moved," ;ire his aspira- 

 tions of thanksgiving the less worthy of reverence because he erred 

 in thinking the world a flat circle instead of a spheroid, and was 

 ignorant that the spot where he indited was moving with a velocity 

 which the swiftest arrow never attained ? 



What would be thought of the wisdom of a judge who opposed 

 trial by jury because the Jews had no such institution, — who adopted 

 the severe penal code of the forty yeais' sojourners in the wilder- 

 ness, — and passed sentence of death where subsequent experience 

 has proved a milder punishment to be more efficacious? Could an 

 English mariner adopt the rules of seamanship practised when Paul 

 navigated the Archipelago; — or a farmer adhere to the Levitical 

 rules fur fallow lands ; — or an architect imitate the construction of the 

 temple of Solomon? Must modern physicians adopt Hezekiah's 

 plaister of figs, or astronomers prefer his sun-dial to their own chro- 

 nometers? Must we disbelieve in the existence of America, and 

 suppose Gades the extremity of the world, because the geographical 

 knowledge of the inspired writers was imperfect? JIust England 

 imitate " the freest nation on earth," (the United States) and sanction 

 slavery because it is recognized in the Pentateuch ? Such, indeed, is 

 our absurd position, if we suppose that their commission extended to 

 purely secular objects; if, in other words (for the whole of the recent 

 confusion on the subject may be referred to this) the same respect be 

 demanded for their incidental remarks as for their primary doc- 

 trines. 



Can anything be more unreasonable than this? Men of every creed 

 admit that when the Queen appoints Royal Commissioners for a par- 

 tieul.ir investigation, their authority does not extend beyond the ob- 

 jects of their commission : and yet those who carry out the analogy 

 in matters of higher import, are reviled for impiety, blasphemy, and 

 scepticism! 



One more observ;ition on the question as it affects geology, and we 

 dismiss tlie subject. The Mosaic account of the creation, like that 



