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THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



[Sept. 



I'niveritily Calhge. — Tlie classes of Engineering ami Architecture at Uni- 

 versity College liave been rendered ninre complete by tbe recent appoint- 

 ment of Eaton Ilodgkinson, Esq., as Professor on tlie Strength of Materials, 

 and on Machinery. The lectnres to be given by this competent experimen- 

 talist will include important results not previously given, and the theory will 

 be illustrated by a description of a great number of original experiments 

 upon most of the materials used in construction, such as cast and wrought 

 iron, building stones, timber, &e., and the results of which have not been 

 published. The distribution of prizes occurred on the 1st of July, Sir II. 

 De la Beche being in the chair. First year's course : — Fine Art : Charles 

 Poland, 1st prize and 1st certificate; T. Watts, 2nd prize and 2nd certificate. 

 Science — Construction : 11. Darbisbire, 1st. prize and 1st certificate ; Charles 

 Poland, 2nd prize and 2nd certificate ; T. Watts, 3rd certificate. Second 

 Year's course: — Fine Art: W. Tame, 1st prize and 1st certificate ; G. 13. 

 Smith, 2iid prize and 2nd certificate; J. W. McKenzie, 3rd certificate. 

 Science— Construction : G. P. Boyce. 1st. prize and 1st certificate; W. Tarne, 

 2nd prize and 2nd certificate ; G. B. Smith, 3rd certificate. 



The Royal Italian Opera. Covent Garden, has now closed, and the results 

 of the season, while we hope they have given every encouragement to the 

 lessee, have fully responded to tbe exertions of the architect. The arrange- 

 ments for hearing, seeing, ventilation, and accommodation have been per- 

 fect, and have given a good example of the progress of comfort in public 

 buildings. 



Kexn Gardens. — The works at these gardens are proceeding, and Sir Wil- 

 liam Hooker seems determined to carry out a botanic garden, ■ hich shall be 

 the finest establishment in the world. The grand palm-bouse is in a forward 

 state, so far as the frame-work is concerned, hut we doubt whiiher the house 

 vtill be in a fair state for opening before 1849. A small museum has been 

 built, as a Museum of Economic Botany, which will in time rival the Mu- 

 seum of Economic Geology. 



T/ie New Parliament is now filled up. It includes many parties connected 

 witti the railwav interest. Mr. Robert Stephenson and Mr. Locke represent 

 the engineers; Mr. W. Cuhitt and Mr. S. M. Peto, the railway contractors. 

 What may be the political merits of these new members we do not know, 

 hut as practical men they will not be without their value. 



Damp Jfalls. — Dr. Murray recommends when damp walls proceed from 

 deliquescence, in the case of muriate of soda, &c. in intimate combination 

 with sand in the mortar, it is only necessary to wash the wall with a strong 

 solution of alum. This converts the deliquescent salt into an efHorescent 

 one, and the cure is complete. Or alum may be added to the plaster in the 

 first instance. 



Portable Cannon. — The American papers make mention of a new sort of 

 cannon, invented by a Mr. Fitzgerald, v^hich is ao constructed that it may be 

 carried by band or on horseback over mountains, forests, or marshes, where 

 an ordinary cannon would be altogether useless. It consists of a series of 

 circular perforated plates of tbe best wrought iron, } to J inch thick, with 

 well planished faces, which are arranged in contact, and are connected 

 together by wrought iron rods or bolts, passing through hole.s near the 

 ]ieriphery ; the bolts having strong heads at one cad, and a screw nut at the 

 other, whereby tbe plates are held firmly together. Several of the plates at 

 the breach are, of course, solid, and without the hole in the centre. The 

 series being thus connected, they are bored and polished inside, and turned 

 off to the proper shape outside. While this cannon is stronger than those 

 of common cast iron, it can readily he dissected, and each section may be 

 shouldered by either pedestrian or equestrian artillerists, and when required, 

 the parts may be put together and secured ready for action in ten minutes. 



A Wire Suspension Bridge is now erecting over the Ohio, which will be 

 the largest structure of the kind in the world, having a span of upwards of 

 1,000 feet, whereas that of Fribourg is but of 800 feet. 



J Railway Club for engineers, architects, parliamentary agents, and soli- 

 citors, is proposed to be established in the vicinity of the Houses of Parlia- 

 ment. 



The Revue du Havre states that a young chemist of that town has invented 

 a system of lights for ports and coasts, consisting of a thick globe of glass, in 

 which is enclosed a preparation giving a light like that of the moon, and the 

 cost of which for one year will not exceed a franc. 



Improvements in Gun-Cotton. — Mr. Coathupe recently forwarded to the 

 Chemical Society two specimens of gun-cotton, with a view to illustrate the 

 greatly increased explosive eflects that are to he derived from a subsequent 

 immersion of tbe gun-colton, when properly prepared in the ordinary way, in 

 a saturated solution of chlorate of potash. " Having experimented with 

 solutions of nitrate of ammonia, nitrate of potash, nitrate of soda, bichromate 

 of potash, &c., for the purpose of increasing the explosive properties of this 

 interesting substance, 1 can afiirm that none of the results will bear the 

 slightest comparison with those obtained from the solution of chlorate of 

 potash, either in rapidity of ignition, or in intensity of flame. Tbe process 

 adopted for preparing the enclosed specimens was as follows — viz. : into a 

 mixture of equal measures of strong nitrous acid, and of oil of vitroil, spec, 

 grav. 1-8-1.5, the cotton was immersed and stirred with a glass rod during 

 about three minutes, it was then well washed in many waters and dried ; a 

 jmrtion of it was then soaked for a few minutes in a saturated solution of 

 chlorate of potash, well squeezed and dried." 



New Fulminating Powder. — M Sobrero in a paper to the Academic des 

 Sciences, Vans, described v^hat be calls mannite nilriiiue ; viz., tbe sub- 

 stance called niannite obtained from manna, honey, 6CC,, and treated by 

 nitric acid. The mannite nitriiiue or fulminating mannile, explodes under 

 the blow of the hammer with the same violence as fulminating mercury, 

 and produces in its decomposition sufticient heat to ignite gunpowder. Al. 

 Sobrero has prepared capsules in which, instead of fulminating mercury, 

 is placed a little nitric niannite crystallized in alcohol, and discharged a 

 fowling-piece with them several times with the same certainly as with the 

 ordinary capsules. 



LIST OF NE^V PATENTS. 



GRANTEn IN ENGLAND FROM JULY 24, TO AVGUST 23, 1847, 



Six Months allowed for Enrolment, unless otherwise eocpressed. 



John Piatt, of Oldham, Lancashire, and Thomas Palmer, of the same place, for " cer. 

 tain Improvements in machinery or apparatus for making cards, also for preparing and 

 spinning cotton and other fibrous materials, and for preparing and dressing yam, and 

 weaving the same.'*— Sealed July 24. 



Charles De Bergue, of Arthur-street, West, City, for *' Improvements in buffing and 

 traction apparatus, and in springs for railway and other carriages.*'— July 26. 



Alfred Ceal, of Aldgate, manufacturer, and Henry Bear, of New-road, manufacturer, for 

 " Improvements in the manufacture of tobacco."— July L'S. 



Edward Hyan, of Park-place, Bays water, Middlesex, for " Improvements in consuming 

 tbe smolce aud economizing the fuel of steam-engines, breweries, and manufactories 

 generally." — July 28. 



James Morison, of Paisley, shawl manufacturer, for " Improvements in applying power 

 in propelling or moving carriages, and in giving motion to machinery." — July 211. 



Joseph Paul, of Thorp Abbott's-hall, Norfolk, farmer, for "Improvements io cutting 

 or forming drains in land, and for raising subsoils to the surface of land." — July 29. 



Francis Starr, of Warwick, for "anew jet for the delivery of water and other fluids, 

 which he styles the * Protean Jet.' "—July 211. 



William Baines, of Norwich, inspector of railways, for " Improvements in the manu- 

 facture of parts of railways, and in tbe bearings of machinery, and in apparatus used in 

 constructing railways " — July 29. 



Alfred Vincent Newton, of 6G, Chancery-lane, mechanical draughtsman, for "an Im- 

 proved kiln, or oven, for firing porcelain aud other similar ware." — July 29- 



WiUiam Phillips Parker, of 48, Lime-street, City, gentleman, for " on Improved OKide 

 of manufacturing cigars." — July 29. 



George Withereli, of New York, America, for " Improvements in manufacturing or 

 working iron for various useful purposes." — July 29. 



Stopford Thomas Jones, of Stamford-street, Surrey, for " Improvements in steam- 

 engines, and in machinery for propelling vessels." — July 29. 



John Hastie, of Greenock, Scotland, engineer, for "Improvements in the application 

 of steam power to turn certain kinds of mills or machines with a continuous rotnry 

 motion."— July 29. 



Hector Sandeman, of TuUock Bleachfield, in the county of Perth, bleacher, for "cer- 

 tain Improvements in the materials and processes employed in dressing, cleaning, scour- 

 ing, and bleaching certain textile fabrics, and the materials of which such fabrics are 

 composed." — July 31. 



Theodore Fletcher, of BirmlHpham, brass-founder, for ** an Improved manufacture of 

 speculums for various purposes."- August 3. 



John Vule, of Sanchlehall-street, in the city of Glasgow, practical engineer, for "cer- 

 tain Improvements io railway chairs used on railways, and in fixing the same.,' — Aug. 3. 

 Joseph Bourne, of Derby Pottery, in the county of Derbv, for " Improvements In the 

 construction of kilns for burning stone ware and brown ware." — Aug 4. 



Arthur Boyle, of Birmingham, umbrella-frame maker, for " Improvements in the ma- 

 nufacture of buttons."- Aug. 4. 



William Broadbeut, of Manchester, for " Improvements in the manufacture of paper." 

 —Aug. 5. 



James Simister, of Birmingham, manufacturer, for " Improvements in the manufactare 

 of slays and belts."— Aug. .'>. 



Thomas Blrchall, of Ribbleton, in the county of Lancaster, for " Improvements In 

 folding newspapers, and other papers."- Aug. 5. 



Benjamin Bailey, of Leicester, machine.maker, for " Improvements in the manufacture 

 of knitted fabrics."— August G. 



Edward William Eaton, of New Windsor, Berks, bachelor of medicine, for " certain 

 Improved machinery for preventing accidents on railways."— August 19. 



Osborne Reynolds, of Dedham, Essex, clerk, for " Improvements in making hop-poles, 

 bundles, fencing ropes, baskets, or wicker-work, and other similar articles." — August 19. 

 \\'illinm Bacon, of Bury, in the county of Lancaster, engineer, for "certain Improve- 

 ments in steam-engines."— August 19. 



William Eaton, of Camherwell, Surrey, engineer, for "certain Improvements in raising 

 water and other liquids from one level to another."- August 19. 



Orlando Brothers, of Blackburn, in the county of Lancaster, for " certain Improve, 

 ments in the method of manufacturing retorts, and In the machinery or apparatus ton- 

 netted therewith."— August 19. 



Archibald Tarries, of Preston, in the county of Lancaster, gentleman, for " Improve- 

 ments in propelling carriages on common roads.'* — August 19. 



Francois Augustus Renard of 40 Rue du Bocher, Paris, merchant, for " Improvements 

 in preserving and colouring wood."— August 19. 



James Webster, of Sneinton, In the county of Nottingham, engineer, for " an atmo- 

 spheric buffer, to be applied to carriages and other vehicles travelling on railways." — 

 August 19. 



Aime Boura, of Rathbone-place, Middlesex, dyer and scourer, for " Improvements in 

 extracting colouring matters."— August 19. 



AlexHnder Speid Liringstone. of No. 7, Bridge-place, Lewishara. Kent, civil engineer, 

 for " certain Improvements in the construction of locomotive engines intended to be used 

 on railways."— August 21. 



Thomas Dawson Pruday, of the Freemason's Tavern, Great Queen-street, Middlesex, 

 cook, for " certain Improvements in apparatus for reducing vegetable and other sub- 

 stances to amall particles."— August 23. 



