1847.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



iG3 



Canina of Rome. — M. C'anina is one of the most active and, we may 

 say, most sterling literary cliaracters of niodera Rome. Scarcely has he 

 brought out his great worU on general architecture, than '' Le IJasiliche 

 Christiane di Koma" (a work of older (Kite) appears in a second edition. 

 It is hardly credible how such a performance — 145 copper-plale engrav- 

 ings and lt)2 pages of text, in folio— could be completed in so short a 

 period. At the same time, Cavaliere t'anina lias published a second edi- 

 tion of " Foro Romano," and has nearly completed a dcscriptiiin of all the 

 Etruscan antijuities, which either have been discovered ou lioiuau ground 

 or are preserved in its museums. And, therefore, while others are fumb- 

 ling and xhulil:rin^- how and what to produce, this man grasps at once at 

 everything worthy about him — verifying the old a\iom, (lucUre sapcre. The 

 " Basiliche," moreover, are a work of great practical usage, roulaining a 

 mass of artistic and professional information and hints, which it would, no 

 doubt, have taken most other men years to liud out and collect. The text 

 dwells mostly on the statement and elucidation of facts, which none but u 

 practical architect of 1\1. Canina's stamp could give due justice to — lie, 

 who has passed all his life amongst the graudeous remains of Rome, and 

 has searched for and studied those traditions and rules of construction, 

 which have been current there for many centuries past. M'e trust these 

 few hints will suliice to fix attention to the deep study and research of this 

 last production of the Roman uichitetlu. 



Polytechnics in Austria. — The emperor of Austria has ordered the es- 

 tablishment of polytechnic inslilutions, at the charge of the state, at Linz, 

 Briinn, Laybach, and luspruck. They will comprise the usual course of 

 a three years' (mostly gratuitous) tuition, and be jirovided with chemical 

 laboratories, polytechnic and industrial collections, libraries, &:c. By this 

 addition, each of the chief county towns will have its central polytechnic 

 institution ; while agricultural schools, which are now to be established 

 throughout the kingdom, will serve as the necessary complement of na- 

 tional education. 



Berlin Society for the Improreinent of the Worldng Classes. — "When 

 the great Industrial Exhibition of 1841 had led the minds of Prussian 

 philanthropists and statesmen towards this subject, the experience in the 

 mechanism of such huge associations was so little developed, that a great 

 many obstacles presented themselves, which are now, happily, overcome. 

 Last month, a general meeting look place, when the statutes of the So- 

 ciety were confirmed by the home secretary of stale. The main difficulty 

 hinged in the wish of the committee to establish branch Societies through- 

 out the country, which would have made them a kind of coms/ionding 

 society. This has been so changed, that these branches will be uncon- 

 nected with the central body at Berlin. 



Hall of Liberty, in Bavaria. — This structure, whose name {Befreyungs 

 Halle) we seem to have truly rendered and translated, is now occupying 

 the chisel of Schwanthaler. Four of the splendid cycle of Victory sta- 

 tues, before noticed (ante p. 34), which have to adorn the Hall, are already 

 modelled, and will be reproduced in marble by other artists, as their num- 

 ber will amount in all lo thirty-two. It has likewise been previously 

 mentioned that they will stand on a continuous circular stjlobale, every 

 two holding a shield, &c. It has become known, of late, that the original 

 idea of forming a wreath as it were of statues, placed within the expanse 

 of an immense rotunda, belongs to King Ludwig himself. The relievos 

 of the metopes, for the Hall, in marble, are also nearly completed, as are 

 likewise the four statues for the gable of the building, whicii will repre- 

 sent the four tribes of the Bavarian nation. Another work of M. Schwan- 

 thaler is now completed — namely, the shield of Heracles ; it is cast in 

 bronze and gilt. The original is destined for the Emperor of Austria, and 

 four copies for other sovereigns. 



A new Theatre at Vienna. — The foundation of a grand new theatre near 

 the KcirnthmerThor, at Vienna, has been laid. The theatre is to bear the 

 name of the National Theatre, and is to be fitted up on a scale of great 

 magnificence. It is to be finished in two jears. 



Railway in Switzerland. — The project for a railway running from the 

 Mediterranean, through Switzerland, to the North of (iermany includes 

 two gigantic works of art, that by most of those who have been consulted 

 are deemed impossible of execution. These are the piercing of iMount 

 Lukmanier (the Locus DIagnus o! tlie ancients), to gain access from the 

 Valley of the Tessin to the Valley of the Rhine — and that of the Alps for 

 t the line which will link Sardinia with France in the portion comprehended 

 between Oulx and Modane. The engineer Ricci, however, to whom the 

 Sardinian government has intrusted the work, and whom the Swiss and 

 Bavarian government have adopted for their respective shares in the un- 

 dertaking, after a careful study of the ground is of opinion that the boring 

 of these granite masses is practicable ; and has invented a mechanical 

 apparatus for the excavation of the huge tunnels, which has been approved 

 by the Committee of Public Works, and is to be put into immediate ope- 

 ration. 



India. — The Ganges Canal, on which £20,000 annually has hitherto 

 been grudgingly bestowed, is now to be proceeded with at the rate of 

 £250,000 a year; it will be completed by 1851. It will irrigate 8,000,000 

 of acres now comparatively barren, and save 2,000,000 of people from the 

 periodical visitations of famine. Another canal, leading from the Sutlej, 

 30 miles into the Bhultee country, is being surveyed. 



NOTES OF THE MONTH. 



The \cw House of Lords — Jlr. Barry has given us what may be called 

 the first instalment of the new Palace at Westminster, in the opening of 

 the House of Lords. Of this building we have engravings in preparation, 

 which we expect shortly to lay before our readers, when we shall proceed 

 to give a description of this great work. In the meantime, we may say 

 that it has been received with much applause, and is considered as justi- 

 fying the time, labour, and money expended upon it. It is one of the most 

 superb halls in the world, becoming its purpose of the throne and seat of 

 empire of the most powerful and most wealthy nation in ancieiit or 

 modern times. 



Army and Niwy Club. — There were 09 designs sent in for competition 

 for the New Club Room. We understand that during the last month the 

 members of the club were regularly besieged with canvassers for favour ; 

 such a practice is highly disgraceful to a profession like that of architec- 

 ture, and ought to be denounced at the Institute as most dishonourable — 

 but will the Institute stir in the all'air? Mr. Tattersal is the successful 

 competitor fur the first premium, and Messrs. Fowler and Fisk for the 

 second premium. The designs will be exhibited to the public by tickets, to 

 be obtained of the secretary, until Thursday, (jth inst. 



The great engineering achievement of the last month is the opening of 

 the Birkenhead docks, which was celebrated by a sumptuous ceremonial. 



It seems now to be decided that the railway from Calcutta to the Upper 

 Provinces of India is to be guaranteed by the Covernment. 



Tlie Great Western steamer has been sold to the Royal Mail Steam 

 Packet Company for 25,000/., exclusive of her plate. 



In the course of the last month, the new entrance of the British Museum 

 was thrown open to the public. It is on a large scale. 



It is understood that Barry has executed for the Baron de Goldsmid a 

 grand ballroom, which no stranger has yet seen, and the opening of which 

 will be one of the attractions of tlie season. It is said to be one of the best 

 pitces of decoration in this way yet executed, and to be in the most mag- 

 nificent style — worthy of the great capitalist and the great architect. 



Hoyal Botanic Gardens. — The winter garden of the Royal Botanic Society 

 in the Regent's Park, which is nearly an acre of garden under glass, has, 

 during the spring, assumed a picturesque appearance, and has been so suc- 

 cessful, that with the reduction of the price of glass, this kind of construction 

 is likely to exteu. At the present moment, however, we have only the 

 Regent's Park specimen by Decimus Burton, and Marnock, to set against 

 the large winter gardens at St. Petersburgh and Berlin. 



Kew (hardens. — The great palm-house at Kew, by Decimus Burton, is 

 getting ou. The ground part constitutes a hot air vault or chamber, over 

 which is laid an acre of grating, on which the tubs and pots containing the 

 plants are placed. The design is grand and novel. 



A vole has been carried through the House of Commons for the comple- 

 tion of the base of the Nelson columu. 



The foundations of Aliss Bnrdett Coutls's church in Westminster have 

 been laid. 



Among the novel suggestions for the improvement of architecture lately 

 promulgated, is one from New Jerusalem by Mr. D'Israeli, who says in 

 liis"Tancred" — "What is wanted in architecture, as in so many things, is — 

 a man. Shall we find a refuge in a committee of taste t Escape from the 

 mediocrity of one to the mediocrity of many ! We only multiply our feeble- 

 ness, and aggravate our deficiencies. But one suggestion might be made. 

 No profession in England has done its duty until it has furnished its 

 viclini. The pure administration of justice dates from the deposition of 

 Macclesfield. Even our boasted navy never achieved a great victory until 

 we shot an admiral. .Suppose an architect were hanged .' Terror has its 

 inspiration as well as competition." — The suggestion is novel, but we must 

 leave the profession to decide on its practicability. Perhaps, next time, 

 Couingsby will suggest who is to be the first victim. 



Obituary. — It is with deep regret that we have to record the death of 

 Mr. Charles Holtzapfifel, of Chariag-cross, aged 41, whicli took place on 

 the llth ult. His works on " Turning and Manipulation," we spoke of 

 at the time they were published, as most valuable books, and we repeat 

 they are such that no engineer's library ought to be without. Mr. Holt- 

 zapfl'el was a member of the Council of the Institution of Civil Engineers, 

 and chairman of the Committee of Mechanics at the Society of Arts, and 

 stood pre-eminent as a mechanician of inventive ingenuity. 



Copper Ore.. — M. Dufrenoy presented to the Academy of Sciences, in 

 the name of iMessrs. Rivot and Phillips, engineers, a paper relative to a 

 new mode of operating on copper ore. It consists of a precipitation of 

 the copper by iron, and applies principally to the sulphuretted ores. 



Water Test. — M. Dupasquier communicated to the Academy of 

 Sciences, a new mode of testing water, in order to ascertain the quantity 

 of organic matter held in solution. He puts into a glass globe from one 

 to two ounces of water, to which he adds a few drops of a solution of 

 chloruret of gold, sufficient to give it a slight yellow tinge. He then boils 

 the water. If it contains only the ordinary quantity of organic matter of 

 potable water, the yellow tinge remains as it was, even if the ebullition be 

 prolonged. If, on the contrary, the quantity of organic matter be in ex- 

 cess, the water becomes first brown, and then assumes a violet tint, which 

 announces the decomposition of a salt of gold by the organic matter. By 



