180 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[May, 



style, could be peculiarly applicable to "civil architecture " generally, 

 as the heading of the section led us to expect. It is a view of the 

 matter, which while it has hardly been touched upon at all, affords a 

 very wide field for remarks and critical inquiry ; we are willing there- 

 fore to hope that Mr. Pugin will now pursue it much further, and give 

 us an entire volume or separate essay upon that particular subject. 

 We would further hint to him that his criticism partakes too much of 

 mere assertion and opinion ; and he, is withal, apt to bestow too much 

 notice on downright paltrinesses which no one pretends to defend, or 

 on minor defects. He complains for instance, that the kitchen court 

 of Lambeth Palace, into which, it seems, he accidentally found his 

 way, is not at all in keeping with the external elevations, the architect 

 having there laid aside "his gothic domino ;" whereas, in our opiuion, 

 it would have been far more to the purpose to examine the " gothic 

 domino" itself, which most egregiously disappointed us when we first 

 beheld it, for it is exceedingly pale, — passably enough correct, hut 

 deplorably spiritless and insipid. 



We would further advise Mr. Pugin in future to give us less ding- 

 dong about Catholicism and Protestantism. It looks as if the professed 

 subject was made a mere "stalking horse" to something else: for 

 aught we know, it may be all very good policy lor himself, but hardly 

 for his book. If he really expects to gain converts to his own creed, 

 by any thing he can say in its favour, he must have as good a conceit 

 of himself as the Quaker who undertook a journey to Rome, in the 

 hope of converting the Pope. In his zeal for Catholicism, Mr. Pugin 

 may be very sincere, but the world will not give him credit for being 

 perfectly disinterested; therefore, it might be more discreet in him 

 not to challenge in the manner he does, inquiry into his motives. 

 There is besides no occasion for his going out of his direct and proper 

 course, because that affords ample matter — more than he has on this 

 occasion given consideration to. Wc shall always be happy to meet 

 Mr. Pugin as an architectural writer ; as a polemical one we can spare 

 him, nor will all his pomp of words gain him one convert among 

 Protestants, to " the the trumperies and mummeries " which he 

 identifies with christian architecture, and with Christianity itself. 



Instruction in Draining for the use of Elementary Schools. By 



Butler Williams, C.E., F.G.S., &c. 

 A Manual for Teaching Model Draining from Solid Forms, combined 



toiih a Popular viae of Perspective. Bv Butlek Williams, C.E., 



F.G.S., &c. London : .Mm W. Parker. 



We have not space to enter into any lengthened notice of these 

 works in the present journal, we can only now state, from a hasty glance 

 at both volumes, that they appear to have been compiled with consi- 

 derable care, and that much attention has been bestowed to render the 

 teaching of drawing less irksome than is usually practised. 



ROE'S IMPROVED PUMP. 



English Patents for 1842. By Andrew Pritchard, M.R.I. London: 

 Whittaker and Co. 



This useful work contains an alphabetical list of all the Patents, 

 amounting to 7u8 ( .', granted in England during the last year; there is 

 also a classified index, and a concise account of the Law of Patents in 

 Belgium. 



Ancient Irish Pavement Tiles. By Thomas Oldham, A.B., F.G.S.S, 

 L. & D., Dublin : John Robertson. 



Wc have already noticed a work on Encaustic Tiles taken from 

 examples in England, to this work the one before us forms an excel- 

 lent companion, it contains no less than 32 patterns of tiles after the 

 originals in Ireland, existing in St. Patrick's Cathedral, and Howtb, 

 Mellifont, and Newton Abbey.-. Mr. Oldham, in his introductory 

 remarks, informs us that there are three distinct kinds of Irish speci- 

 mens— 1st, Impressed; 2nd, Encaustic ; and 3d, Tiles in Relief. 



Tuknpike Road through the Potteries.— This contract is let to Messrs. 

 Bowers ami Mondy, at about £2.500. The competition was so clute that 

 other partus were within fifteen pounds. 



The improvement consists in that part of the pump called the stuf- 

 fing box, rendering such a box of no utility, and introducing in its 

 stead a joint composed of leather, or any other flexible substance, 

 such as indian rubber, cloth, webbing, &c. The material employed is 

 cupped sufficiently large to allow the lever of the pump working the 

 piston without any tension whatever taking place. 



The joint, it will be perceived from 



the diagram, is fixed upon the side of 



the pump barrel, so that when a head 

 is placed on the pump, the head forms 

 an air vessel, and it becomes a powerful 

 fire engine without any extra expense. 



A, the leather cup shown on section; 



B, the handle passing though it ; C, C, 

 the part bv which the joint is secured 

 to the pump barrel. For deep wells 

 this is an invaluable invention, as it is 

 impossible that any leakage can take 

 place; and all acquainted with the com- 

 mon lift pump will at once see the im- 

 portance of the improvement. By it, 

 also, much labour is overcome, as in 

 the old method in a very short time 

 the rod works a large space in the 

 packing, and much of the water flows 

 back into the well, which, by the new 

 method, is safely brought to the surface. 



A further important improvement is, that friction is by this means 

 removed. Instead of the piston rod being screwed up tightly in the 

 tow, &c, the rod works quite easily in the joint. One of these fire 

 pumps we are informed has been fixed at St. James's Palace and 

 another at the House of Commons. 



DREDGING MACHINE. 



Sir. — Perhaps you will allow me to make the following observations in 

 your Journal with reference to a letter upon Dredging in your last number, 

 by a person signing himself W. C. And which I think you will more readily 

 do, as it appears to me you have yourself inadvertently misunderstood the 

 improvement intended to be described by W. C. — 



You state in your editorial remarks, that " in this new process, a lateral 

 " sweep or circular motion is given to the ladder or bucket frame which 

 " sw ings upon its upper extremity as a centre, and in its action imitates 

 " that of a scythe in mowing, &c.;" whereas, / do not understand from W. 

 C's. description that the bucket frame has any such motion witli regard to 

 the dredging machine, but that the whole engine moves radially ; the length 

 of the head rope (perhaps one or two hundred yards) being radius, and its 

 anchor the centre of motion. — If I correctly understand W. C's. description, 

 I have to observe that this is no new process at all, that this method was 

 adopted at least 23 years ago by Mr. Cubitt (one of the vice presidents of 

 the Institution of C. E.) in dredging a cut of considerable extent in the 

 Ipswich river, 1 and since that time in a new and more complete dredging 

 engine for the Norwich Navigation. The latter machine having been for 

 some time past under my management, I can vouch for the excellence of 

 its working, and I flatter myself that if \V. C. had ever seen such an engine 

 he would not have said that tne civil engineer has made " no advancement 

 in the working of the machine," a well arranged dredging machine being 



1 Whether this method was first introduced bf this gei.tlem.iu or not I 

 do not know. 



