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THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



[March, 



were present. 'When the Queen presides over the meetings of her ministers 

 in person at Windsor, it not (infrequently happens 'hat information on a 

 particular subject may he reauired from the departments in London ; and 

 hitherto, when this lias been the case, it of course became necessary to send 

 an express to town to obtain what was called for, before the business could 

 satisfactorily proceed. Now it. in most cases, will be procured while the 

 council is sitting, and. indeed, in the course of four or five minutes, which 

 before would have caused a delay of as many hours- This will not only be of 

 use on great occasions, but in a common way its every-day value will be con- 

 siderable. During the session of parliament, for instance, on every question 

 of interest her Majesty can learn the division, or the progress made in a 

 debate, one moment after the house has divided, or any particular orator has 

 risen to speak or resumed his seat. Thus, a more rapid communication be- 

 tween the sovereign and her ministers fur the time being will be established 

 than has ever been known or thought of before. — Mirror. 



The Birmingham Town Hall Organ has undergone great altera'ions. 

 These consist of certain new arrangements and adaptations, founded on an 

 extensive survey of the great organs both in Germany and Holland ; and will 

 have the effect of greatly increasing the powerfulness, and variety of this 

 splendid instrument, the recent improvemenls having caused an addition oi 

 about 1200 pipes. The height of the case is 54 feet, and 40 feet wide, and, 

 contains about 4000 pipes. The circumference of the CCCC metal pipe is 

 5 feet 3 inches ; the largest wood pipe (ihe CCCC) is 12 feet in circumference, 

 and its interior measurement is 224 cubic feet. The organ contains G3 real 

 stops, six copulas, and has four sets of keys; the fourth is the combination 

 or solo organ, upon which (by an ingenious contrivance) can be played any 

 stop or steps out of the swell or choir, without interfering with their pre- 

 vious arrangement. There are several stops peculiar to this organ, and 

 which are not to be found in any other; amongst them is the grand ophi- 

 tltide, invented by Mr. Hill, which is distinguished by its immense power and 

 richness of tone. The posaune is built on a large scale, and is uy far the 

 most powerful ever made. By coupling the pedals with the keys, 87 pipes 

 are made to speak with each pedal. The bellows contain 300 square feet of 

 surface, and upwards of 3 tons weight upon them is required to give the ne- 

 cessary pres lire. The machinery of the organ is so very extensive, that the 

 trackers, if placed in one line, would measure more than 5 miles. 



Nankin and its Porcelain Works. — Numerous, as you may conceive, have 

 been the pilgrimages made to the far-famed " Pvrcelain Tower," for the first 

 time in inspecting any of the monuments renommit of this country, no dis- 

 appointment has been experienced, while comparing what actually is. with 

 What the legends of the book-makers in China describe to be. It is, indeed, 

 a most elegant and singular structure, as remarkable for its correct propor- 

 tions as for the rare material of which it is partially composed. I sr.y par- 

 tially, because the mass of building is not of porcelain, but is composed of 

 common brick, with a facing and lining of beautiful white glazed porcelain 

 bricks o r slabs, fixed into the masonry by means of deep keys or shoulders, 

 cast like a half T. on the brick. Its form is octagonal, and running up each 

 ol the angles is a moulding of large tiles of very fine els 

 coloured red and green alternately ; round each story runs a high balustrade 

 formed of green porcelain, upon which lour arched dourwaysopen, set to the 

 four cardinal points, the arches being elegantly turned with large glazed 

 tiles, cast in all imaginable fancies of design and variegation of colour 

 representing wild beasts, demons, deities, mi osiers, Sec. It appears to I e a 

 " sight" amongst the Chinese themselves, for there are priests er bonzes 

 attached to the building to ktcp it in order, who cam their consideration by 

 ' tiling to the visitors lithographed elevations of the tower, with descrip- 

 tions attached, and who seem to have the duty entrusted to them of illumi- 

 natii g it on gala occasions. This is effected by means of lanterns made of 

 thin oyster shells, used in lieu of window glass by the Chinese, which are 

 placed at each of the eight angles on every story, and the effect of whose 

 subdued light on the highly reflective surlace of the tower must be most 

 striking and beautiful.— Bombay Spectator. 



Florence — The Duomo. — The grand Duke has given orders that the " Gran 

 Duon.o'' ot Florence shall be completed under the direction of the Imperial 

 Academy. The dome was begun to be built in 1296, by Arnolfo di Lapo. 

 In the works now to be commenced, the materials to be employed are marbles 

 from the quarries of the two mountains Seravezza and Altissimo, in some 



respects more beautiful than those of Carrara, and 'hey are those which 



Al eh el Angelo made use of. 



THE VARIATION OF THE COMPASS. 



Observations made at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, 



G. B. Airy, Astronomer Roval. 



LIST OF NEW PATENTS. 



6RANTED IN ENGLAND FROM JANUARY 31, TO FEBRUARY 25, 1843. 



Six Mont/is allowed/or Enrolment, unless otherwise expressed. 



George Benjamin Thorneycroft, of Wolverhampton, ironmaster, for " im- 

 provements in furnaces used for the manufacture of iron, and also in the 

 mode of manufacturing iron."— Sealed Jan. 31. 



William Maugham, of Newport-street, Lambeth, chemist, for "an improve- 

 ment in preparing aerated water." — Jan. 31. 



William Barnard Boddy, of Saint Mary, Newington, surgeon, for " im- 

 provements in apparatus arid means for opening, shutting, and fastening 

 every description of sliding and lifting window sashes, windows, and window 

 shutters." — Jan. 31. 



William Robinson Shaw, of Leeds, engineer, for " improvements in feeding 

 or sujiplying steam boilers with water." — Jan. 31. 



Samnel Kirk, of Staly-bridge, Lancaster, cotton spinner, for " improve- 

 ments in machinery or apparatus for preparing cotton and other fibrous sub- 

 stances for spinning." — Jan. 31. 



Charles Hancock, of Grosvenor-plaee, artist, for " an improved means of 

 dyeing or staining cotton, woollen, silk, and other fabrics, and rendering them 

 repellent of waters and moisture." — Jan. 31. 



Charles Clark, of Great Winchester-street, London, merchant, for an " im. 

 proved pyro-hydro pneumatic apparatus, or means of generating, purifying, 

 and condensing steam and ether vapours, and of extracting from vegetable 

 substances the soluble portions thereof as also the application of parts of the 

 said apparatus to other heating, evaporating and distilling purposes." — Jan. 31 . 

 James Clark, of Glasgow, power-loom cloth manufacturer, for " an im- 

 proved mode of manufacturing certain descriptions of cloths." — Feb, 1 . 



John Hill, of Manchester, machine-maker, for " improvements in or appli- 

 cable to looms for weaving carpets and various other fabrics in which rased 

 loops or a raised pile constitute the face or the figure of the fabric." — Feb. 11. 

 Robert Hicks, of Old Burlington-street, surgeon, for " improvements in 

 apparatus for impregnating liguuh with gases." — Feh, 11. 



Joseph Morgan, of Manchester, manufacturer of patent candle-making 

 machines, for "( i., the manufacture of candles." — Feb. 11. 



Jonathan Badger, of Sheffield, carpenter and builder, for " improvements 

 in the construction of beds! tads for invalids." — Feb. 11. 



Christopher Nickels, of York-road, Lambeth, gentleman, for " improve- 

 ments in the manufacture of fabrics made by lace machinery." — Feb. 11. 



Thomas Ensor. of Milbome Port, glove manufacturer, for " improvements 

 in the manufacture of leather gloves." — Feb. 11. 



Henry Du Bochet, of South Mall, Ireland, piano-forte tuner, for " <i new 

 method of making pianofortes." — Feb. 11. 



Thomas Wolverstan, of Salisbury, iron founder, for " improvement! in a.i!e- 

 trees and axletree boxes." — Feb. 11. 



Alfred Brewer, of Surrey-place, Old Kent-road, wire-weaver and felt 

 manufacturer, for " improvements in machinery for manufacturing paper." 

 (A communication.) — Feb. 11. 



George Ebenezer Doudney and Edward Phillips Doudney, of Mile-end, 

 Portsea, candle manufacturers, for " improvements in the manufacture of dip 

 and mould candles." — Feb. 17. 



James Boydell, jun., of Oak Farm Iron Works, near Dudley, ironmaster, 

 for " improvements in apparatus for retaining the wheels of carriage) in the 

 event of an axis breaking, or othenvise." — Feb. 17. 



Henry Ross, of Leicester, worsted manufacturer, for " improvements in 

 combing and drawing wool, and other fibrous substances." — Feb. 17. 



Charles Brook, of Meltbam Mills, York, cotton spinner, for "improvements 

 in the apparatus used for purifying gas." — Feb. 17. 



William Newton, of Chancery-lane, civil engineer, for " an improved sys- 

 tem of working coal mines and quarries of stone, marble, and slate, which 

 may also he applied to the making of tunnel borings, or to other purposes of 

 the like kind." (A communication.) — Feb. 20. 



John Kymcr, of Pontardalaw, South Wales, coal proprietor, and Thomas 

 Hodgson Leighton, of Llanclly, Carmarthen, chemist, for " improvements 

 applicable to the burning anthracite or stone coal, and other fuel, for the pur- 

 pose of obtaining heat." — Feb. 21. 



Joseph Crannis and Robert Kemp, both of Southwark, furriers, for " im- 



. • in wood paring." — Feb. 21. 

 Benjamin Brunton Blackwell, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, gentleman, and 

 William Norris, of the city of Exeter, civil engineer, for " an improvement in 

 coating iron nails, screws, nuts, bolts, and other articles made of iron with 

 certain other metals." — Feb. 21. 



Lawrence Holker Potts, of Greenwich, doctor of medicine, for " new or 

 improved methods of conveying goods, passengers, or intelligence." — Feb. 21. 



Henry Clarke, of Drogheda, linen merchant, for " improvements in ma- 

 chinery for lapping and folding all descriptions of woven textures and surface 

 fabrics."— Feb. 23. 



Francis Ronbiliic Conder, of Highgate, Middlesex, engineer, for " im- 

 provements in the cutting and shaping of wood, and in the machinery for that 

 purpose." (A communication.) — Feb. 23. 



John Haggerston Leathes, of Norwich, gentleman, and William 

 Kirrage, of the same place, asphalte manufacturer, for " improvements in 

 coffins."— Feb. 25, 



