1 847.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECrS JOURNAL. 



175 



are huns together, at right angles to each other, quite in a corner, and (hat 

 an obscure one — so much, too, below the eye, that tliey cannot be inspected 

 without stooping ; and the one and the other is so full of elaborate detail, 

 that if once assumed, the stooping posture is likely to be prolonged to 

 vpeariness. No. 119'J, "Design for the Decoration of the Old Billiard- 

 looni at Stapleford Hall," (J. Dwyer), would have been all the better, 

 had the figures introduced in it been omitted— unless the artist had employed 

 some one more aufait'ia figure-drawing than himself, to put them in : but 

 in his own department he is admirable. The other subject, No. 1213, (L. 

 W. Collman), which is simply styled " View of a Library," represents a 

 room which has lately been decorated in a highly recherche manner by Mr. 

 CuUmau himself, whose taste seems to be far more refined than that of 

 Sang. This drawing has the advantage over the other in having no figures ; 

 though we would at any time readily tolerate poorly drawn figures, for the 

 sake of similar subjects — which, being apartments in private residences, 

 cannot be generally seen, or even known of, except they are portrayed by 

 the pencil. Right glad, therefore, should we have been to see here a 

 drawing of the Bali-room which Mr. Barry has just fitted up at St. John's 

 Wood Lodge, for Sir Isaac Goldsmid, and which is reported to be a fine 

 specimen of the Cinque-cento style. Of that style there is a specimen here, 

 viz.: No. 1202, "Ceiling by Fietro Perugino, in the Sala di Combio at 

 Perugia," (D. Wyatt), — an exquisite drawing, that requires to be looked 

 at as closely as the illuminiated arabesque and borders of some precious 

 manuscript— yet here hung where it is hardly observable. A somewhat 

 similar fate attends No. 1233 (.J. Thomas), a composition for a magnificent 

 chimney-piece, forming, unlike those of these degenerate days, a stately 

 mass of sculpture. 



Churches — both old and new — form the great mass of architectural sub- 

 jects; nor do they display much variety, or attempt at originality — for they 

 all all'ect to adhere most literally to the media;val character, and to mediaeval 

 ideas, as if tlie aim was to resist all further progress in art. At any rate, 

 so many subjects, all of the same kind, gives a great sameness to this part 

 of the Exhibition, — the appearance of much greater sameness than there 

 perhaps really is ; because, where so many drawings are so much alike in 

 their general subject, one eliaces the recollection of another ; — with which 

 remark we will bid adieu to our own subject, if not finally — as may prove 

 the case — at all events for the present. 



THE TUSCAN " MAREMME"— AND THEIR IMPROVEMENTS. 



These, geologically speaking, recent abodes of, or uplieavings from 

 out, the ocean, have of late claimed much of public attention, and 

 many interesting memoirs have been published thereon, in the Trans- 

 actions of the Academia dei Georgiofili, and elsewhere. The most 

 characteristic of the Maremme is the north-west part on the sea 

 shore, where the river Cecina, descending from the hills of Volterra, 

 reaches the Mediterranean. Those, as well as the Piombino Ma- 

 remme, were once Sienese territory, and remained deserted and most 

 unwholesome for centuries past. The lower Maremme were still 

 more so — also for the reason, because there are no large swamps 

 north of the lake of Piombino. Beyond that lake and the promon- 

 tory of PopulonitE, the land assumes a less frightful character, and the 

 awful devastation decreases gradually if we pass the Cecina. The 

 tier of mountains, which south of Leghorn extends close to the sea 

 (the Monte nero), encompasses tlie fl.it sea-shore lands, as by a semi- 

 arc ; and the river Cecina descends, bifurcate, into the sea ; along the 

 coast, water stagnates in numerous bogs, while the more depressed 

 parts are filled with forests. The land of the Maremine belongs, 

 mostly, to a small number of proprietors. It is here where the great- 

 est improvements have taken place. Government having made the 

 necessary arrangements with them, the land was divided into saccule 

 (1 = 0,300 square metres), the forest, or rather shrubbery, cut down, 

 and the land put under cultivation. The worst part of the sea-shore 

 was to be drained and dried by government itself. The dense forest, 

 mostly covered with underwood, and completely in its primeval state, 

 and which, on the slightly inclined terrain, had greatly contributed 

 towards the embogueing of the land, — was cut down. The soil which 

 thus was made to appear, proved to be mostly alluvial earth, resting 

 on a stratum of grit, rich in fossil shells — and has already yielded the 

 finest crops of wheat and maize. Drains of all sizes have completed 

 the work of dessication. 



Somewhat ditferently the long seam on the sea shore was to be 

 treated — but here, an elevation of the terrain was to be effected, 



which was done by using the slime and silt of the Cecina; an expe- 

 dient which has yielded triumphant results in the Valley of the Clii- 

 ana and elsewhere.* On this seam, the forest has not only 7iot been 

 cut down, but even completed by systematic plantations, for opposing 

 a barrier to the sweeping of the sea breeze. A number of vicinal 

 ways have been opened — all to converge into the splendid Via Ma- 

 remma, a line of road undertaken at the especial command of the 

 Grand Duke of Tuscany. It traverses these swamps in their whole 

 extent, and abuts at one side at Leghorn, and on the other extends to 

 Florence and Siena— and tlie Roman road by the southern valleys of 

 Tuscany. The air, most deleterious hitherto, has, on account of the 

 many drains, dykes, and other hydraulic works, of the ra.my fires 

 and other domestic operations, improved most wonderfully, and will, 

 no doubt, improve still more. The projected railway from Leghorn 

 to Civita Vecchia will greatly increase the importance of these new 

 lands. 



The products of the Maremme, hitherto of little value for want of 

 communication, consist of timber for construction, charcoal, potash, 

 iron, sulphur, borax, alum, &c.; and the number of ships employed on 

 the coast increases rapidly. The harbours of this coast, however, are 

 in a deplorable condition, as there are none of any importance be- 

 tween Leghorn and Civita Vecchia. That of Piombino is full of 

 sand and slime, but it would be possible to correct it. The embou- 

 chure of the swainp of Castiglione della Descaja, hitherto merely 

 used for small coasting vessels, could, no doubt, be also improved. 

 The southern part of the Maremme has three small haibours — Ta- 

 lamone, famous in antiquity, now blocked up with sand and slime, 

 with the pestiferous air resulting therefrom, and Port Ercole. Morn 

 important is Port St. Stef.mo, founded by fishermen on account of its 

 healthy situation, wliich, by the aid of a few judicious constructions, 

 could become very important. The improving of these sea-outlets 

 would much increase the industrial resources of the Maremme, whose 

 mineral riches may be shortly adverted to. The iron stands in the 

 first rank, but the making of borax in the hills of Volterra is also of 

 great importance. Timber of all kinds also abounds, as the forests of 

 the crown alone extend over 1U,OUO hectares. The clearing of 

 the terrain began here at the end of the last century — first, with the 

 nearer hills, then the slopes of the Appennines. The destruction of 

 these forests was soon followed by great calamities, here and else- 

 where. In that of Pratovechio, government has made, of late, great 

 improvements, and during tivu years, 1,200 hectares have been planted 

 with different sorts of pines. Being placed at a distance of three 

 yards from each other, 3,(J00,U0U trees have been planted, which, in 

 40 years, will yield 1.3,000,000 trees fit for construction. 



A few observations on the geological character of the Maremme 

 may best conclude tins paper. It cannot be doubted, that it was the 

 alluvium poured forth Irom the rivers, which has filled up the gulpU 

 which once occupied this place. This, however, was again modified 

 by the reaction of the sea, v/hich formed on the alluvium various 

 dykes and elevations, and thus shaped the whole surface of the land. 

 V. Fossoinbroni, an author of note, says that this took place in the 

 first centuries of the Christian era — to prove which, he cites the 

 Peutinger tables, &c. Against this, M. Salvagnoti asserts, that along 

 the whole sea shore, in parts quite close to it, there is a dyke of sea 

 sand (at times one mile broad), on which the remains of a Roman 

 roa.l have been found, which is the Via Aurelia, built lUO years B.C. ; 

 that parts of it, going in the direction of Rome, have been used for 

 making the new road, &c., in IS2G. These latter are forcible facts, 

 and prove — that the formation of the Maremme, albeit recent, stiil 

 precedes the Christian era. Hence it follows, that the alluvium of 

 the rivers formed that land, and that for draining the swamps, which 

 are the remnants of old gulplis of the sea, the means hitherto em- 

 ployed have been the right ones. 



We need scarcely state, that the above remarks will be useful not 

 only in reference to the bog lands of Ireland and Scotland, but still 

 more to many of our distant colonies. 



J. L Y. 



* The geological neutralization, if we may s.iy so, of extensive sand lands iviih the ad- 

 jacent bogs and swamps, as is the case iu the Mont Braniifdburg, as well as near Sidney, 

 New South Wales, has been hitherto quite overlooked. Ily plating two substances, quite 

 unproductive by tiiumseives, in such close juxta-posiLion, nature Seems to have urged men 

 to make them reciprocally available. 



There has been a great contest this month about the ventilatiou of the 

 House of Lords, Dr. Faraday having lectured at the Koyal lustitutiou in 

 praise of iMr. Barry's plan, and Dr. Keid having lectured in answer at 

 VViiiis's Rooms, and m defence of himself. 



