214 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



[June, 



the other branch goes in the manner I explained to the earth. Thus, sup- 

 posing the electricity really to find its way through the earth, it enters the 

 corresponding branch at the distant apparatus, and passes into the wire 

 which makes coils around the magnets, returning to the battery by the con- 

 ducting wire, and producing the same divergence of the magnetic needles in 

 botb galvanometers, and indeed in as many, and wherever situated, as the 

 electric fluid encounters in its course. When the handle is in the position 

 of repose, the ends of the conducting wire and branch wire to the earth, are 

 always in contact, forming a bridge for the electricity to pass from one to 

 the other ; but when the handle is turned the bridge is broken, and the wires 

 are pressed in contact with pins connected to the battery poles ; upon re- 

 storing the handle the battery is disconnected, and the bridge restored for 

 the passage of the electricity from the other end. By reversing the move- 

 ment of the handles the previous contacts with the batten- are also reversed, 

 the current passes in a contrary direction, and the needles change their devi- 

 ation. 



The simple signals are given by the movements of the needles either 

 singly or combined ; if both converge upwards A is meant, if downwards 

 the stop. These signals are the same as in Professor Wheatstone's diagram, 

 the remaining signals are additional. The left hand needle moving to the 

 left gives E, to the right I ; the other needle gives and U ; both pointing 

 parallel W and Y. The consonants most in use are given by two movements 

 of the needles, and those very rarely required, such as J, Q, X, Z, by three 

 movements. C is used for K. 



The following is a reduced diagram of the dial now in use upon the Great 

 Western Railway, between Paddington and Slough. It has been proved to be 

 capable of giving the twenty-six letters, numbers and various conventional 

 signals at the rate of thirty per minute, it is worked by two handles in the 

 centre between the two needles. 



Tm; Patent Street-cleansing Machine of which we gave a detailed 

 account In our April Dumber, has continued in daily operation in Regent- 

 street. All parties express themselves perfectly satisfied with its perform- 

 ance, and anxious to see it generally introduced. A public company is now 

 forming for working the machine in the metropolis and its vicinity. 



METROPOLITAN BUILDING ACT. 



We refrained last month from offering any opinion on the Bill now be- 

 fore the House of Commons, entitled "A Bill for the better regulating 

 the Buildings of the Metropolitan Districts, and to provide for the 

 drainage thereof," in consequence of not having had sufficient time to 

 peruse it with that attention which such an important Bill requires. 

 We have since carefully perused the whole of the Bill, and maturely 

 considered it clause by clause, and we cannot do otherwise than at 

 once pronounce it the most monstrous interference with public conve- 

 nience and private rights, which was ever attempted by members 

 of the English legislature, and if it be allowed to pass in its present 

 state, we sav fearlessly that it will be a disgrace to the architectural 

 profession, for we understand that the Bill is the production of some 

 half-dozen architects, to whom it was submitted to draw a new Bill to 

 supersede the present Building Act. 



This Bill appears to have been studiously framed to see how far the 

 builder might be trammelled with expence, difficulties, fines and 

 penalties; it not only contemplates enormous additional costs in the 

 erection of buildings, but also taxes them with exorbitant fees to be 

 paid to district surveyors, and a new fangled board to be called offi- 

 cial referees, together with numerous other charges which we must 

 submit in detail as we proceed with an analysis of the Bill. We shall 

 not follow the Bill exactly in the order as the clauses stand, for they 

 do not appear to be properly connected, but must connect them in 

 such a manner as appears most desirable for the purpose of a proper 

 understanding of the Bill. The number of the clause we have placed 

 at the commencement of the observations, and those words within 

 parenthesis, in italics, we propose to introduce, instead of the words 

 previous. 



4. The Bill proposes to extend the present district of the Building 

 Act to the suburbs of the metropolis, and will comprise the following 

 additional districts: — Fulham, Kensington, Hampstead, Hornsey, 

 Stoke Xewington, Stratford, Poplar, and Bromley, in Middlesex; 

 in Ket,t, Woolwich, Charlton, Greenwich, Deptford, Lee, Lewisham, 

 and Plumstead ; in Surrey, Wandsworth, TootiDg, Streathani, 

 Clapbam, and Battersea. 



119. The magistrates to appoint the new surveyors, as heretofore, 

 but the surveyors must not be less than thirty years of age; the present 

 district surveyors to retain their present appointments. 



15. There are to be three official referees to he appointed by the 

 Secretary of State for the Home Department, for the purpose of de- 

 termining the questions directed to be referred to them, and the 

 determination of any two of such referees shall be binding on all par- 

 ties; and if the parties agree, may be referred to one of such referees 

 only, whose decision shall be binding in all respects. 



It proposes to alter the present method of rating the size of the 

 buildings, and instead of allowing the superficial contents of the build- 

 ing of dwelling houses, to regulate the rate, thev are to be governed 

 by the heights of the walls and the number of stories they contain, 

 which part of the Bill, with some alteration, will be far superior to 

 the present absurd system of ascertaining the rate by the plan. 



5 and 6. There are to be eight rates of buildings, and the floors of 

 all buildings are to be counted from the foundation inclusively, but 

 exclusively of the rooms in the roof (if any), and the height, except 

 in 5th and 7th rates, shall be measured from the surface of the lowest 

 or first floor to the top of the wall or parapet of any one of the fronts 

 thereof. 



Here we must decidedly object to the rooms in the roofs of dwelling 

 houses being excluded in the clauses, as it will keep up the present 

 very equivocal mode of building by introducing curb roofs, which 

 are nothing more than an evasion of the present art. We therefore 

 propose that the rate of dwelling houses should include the rooms in 

 the roof, and that an additional story, and a few feet in height, be 

 added to each of the four following clauses; the alterations we propose 

 are in italics. 



7. First Rate. — Dwellings containing more than four (five) floors, and 

 fifty-seven (sijty) feet high and not seventy [eighty) feet, and other build- 

 ings, not dwellings higher than 40ft. and not 50ft. 



8. Second Rate. — Dwellings containing more than four (five) floors, and 

 forty-seven (fifty-three) feet high, and not fifty-seven (sixty) feet, and other 

 buildings 30ft. high and not 40ft. 



9. Third Rate. — Dwellings containing three or four (five) floors, and 

 thirty-three (forty) feet high, and under forty-seven (fifty-three) feet, and 

 also every dwelling of a lower height with more than three (four) floors, and 

 other buildings higher than 22ft. and not exceeding 30ft. 



10. Fourth Rate. — Dwellings not having more than three (four) floors, 

 and less than thirty-three (forty) feet, and other buildings not higher than 

 22 ft. 



11. Fifth Rate. — Every budding not a dwelling, brewery, distillery, 



