THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[JlTLT, 



his spacious suite of rooms. On the former evening about 300 persons at- 

 tended, and on the latter a brilliant company assembled, comprising the 

 most distinguished persons for rank in science or the fine arts, who all ap- 

 peared to feel the hospitality and attention of the worthy host, who attended 

 by Mr. Manby, the Secretary of the Institution, received the visitors on ar- 

 riving, and directed their attention to the numerous models and works of 

 art. The upper room was lighted by gas chandeliers, the burners of which 

 were enclosed in glass globes, on Professor Faraday's ventilating principle, 

 (ante p. 106.) 



Soon after 9 o'clock on Saturday Evening, H. R. H. Prince Albert arrived, 

 attended by Sir E. Bowater. The President escorted his distinguished guest 

 through the principal rooms, explaining all the objects of note, and then, as 

 H. R. Highness appeared so much interested as to intend seeing every thing, 

 the Secretary attended to afford any explanation which might be needed. 

 H. R. Highness, who has recently become an honorary member of the In- 

 stitution of Civil Engineers, remained nearly an hour in the rooms, and won 

 the good feeling of all, by his affability ; on leaving, he expressed himself 

 highly gratified by the reception he had experienced from the President and 

 his guests. 



The Duke of Wellington arrived immediately aft ;r H. R. Highness' de- 

 parture, and went the circuit of the rooms, making his usual prompt and sa- 

 gacious remarks. 



Among the distinguished visitors we noticed particularly the Dukes of 

 Wellington and Buccleuch, the Marquis of Northampton, the Earls of Devou, 

 Lincoln and Courtenay, Lords Lovelace, Blayney, Lonther and Blantvr, ; 

 Hon. C. Wood, M.P., Hon. W. B. Baring, M.P., and numerous members of 

 Parliament, Engineers, Architects and Professors, and several eminent fo- 

 reigners. 



Our limits will not permit us to notice everything, but we must select a 

 few of the most interesting objects. In the principal room was a marble 

 group by Bailey, of great simplicity and beauty, some good sketches by 

 Stanfield, Oliver, Stephanoff, Harding, and Kendrick. Scanlan contributed 

 some sporting and military subjects in his usual happy style ; some fine 

 bronzes from Deville's collection ; and in all the rooms were to be seen some 

 exquisite specimens of wood carving from Rogers of Great Newport Street. 

 The Bank machine for weighing sovereigns, invented by Mr. Cotton, the 

 governor of the Bank of England ; its action was explained by Mr. \V. 

 Miller, who has charge of it at the Bank : its delicacy and precision appeared 

 to be fully appreciated. Casts of figures and busts by Bailey, Park and 

 Behncs. Two busts of Mr. Field the eminent engineer and Mr. Davison, of 

 Belfast, by Mr. Jones, were particularly noticed, on account of their faithful 

 similitude to the originals, as well as the artistical feeling they exhibited. 

 It is to be regretted that Mr. Jones does not convert his engineer's office in 

 Cannon Row into a studio, and adopt the career of sculptor and modeller, 

 which he has so auspiciously commenced, and for wbich his versatility of 

 talent appears so peculiarly to have fitted bim. The Duke of Wellington 

 with his usual discernment, made many enquiries about the artist, and ap- 

 peared much struck on learning that be «as an amateur. There was an ex- 

 cellent medallion of Sir Isambard Brunei, by Warrington ; Salter contributed 

 some architectural models. Mr. Dent's chronometers, and Professor Wheat- 

 stone's galvanic engine occupied the room immediately preceding that in 

 which the mechanical models were placed ; and here we can scarcely pretend 

 to particularise from " I'embarras de richesses." The splendid model of the 

 Great Britain iron steam ship, 320 feet long, now building at Bristol, occu- 

 pied the centre table; around it were grouped Cooke's electro telegraph at 

 work, conveying messages ; Whitwoith's street sweeping machine ; Palmer's 

 corrugated cast iron roofs for ship building sheds ; Tweeddale brick and tile 

 machines; Renuie's beautiful boat the Mermaid; Clark's miser for sinking 

 wells ; the Jacquard loom worked and explained, in his usual able manner, 

 by Mr. Cowper; Fairbairn's models of marine steam engines; a planing ma- 

 chine by the Butterley Iron Company, cutting Iron with Mr. Babbage's in- 

 genious tool-holders; Mr. Smith's (Deanston) mule jenny, for cotton spin- 

 ning; tools from Mr. Holtzapffel; models of bridges from Mr. Green of 

 Newcastle, and Mr. Coulthard; an ingenious but simple model for mea- 

 suring water on a large scale by Albano, adopted at Lombardy ; cases of 

 specimens of Minton's beautiful encaustic tiles. We cannot enumerate 

 more although scarcely half through our list. 



ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS. 



On the Principles of Architecture as laid down by Vitruvius. 



Bt W. W. Pocock, B.A., &c, Associate. 



Abstract of a Paper read March 6, 1843. 



Vitrcvius begins his first chapter by considering architecture as a 

 science, embracing theoretical and practical knowledge, to the latter nf 

 which he devotes the last part of his 1st, and the whole of bis 2nd, 7th, 

 and 8th books. In his 2nd chapter he treats of it as an art of design, or the 

 ratiocinatio artis, as he elsewhere calls it, and lays down the principles by 

 which every architectural composition should be tested, and in the 3rd he 

 adverts to the opus or mechanical execution of the design. 



The 2nd chapter, wbich forms the immediate subject of this paper, has 



been a stumbling-block to commentators and translators more perhaps than 

 any other part of his writings. Barbaro, Scamozzi, Philander, Poleni, Perrault, 

 Orsini, Jean Martin, Newton, and Gwilt, have all fallen into errors more or 

 less gross in their comments and translations. Nor is this to be wondered 

 at, considering the ambiguity of his style arising from the abstract manner 

 in which he treats his subject, and the little knowledge we possess of the 

 terms of art and modes of study of the ancients. The principles of compo- 

 sition which he would have us ever keep in mind in the formation of a 

 design are six — ordination, disposition, eurithm, symmetry, decor, and 

 distribution. 



Ordination he defines as " the adjustment of the sizes of the several parts 

 to their uses, and to the general scale of the building " — " Ordinatio est 

 modica membrorum operis, commoditas separatim, uuiversajque propor- 

 tions ad sommetriam comparatio." 



Perrault and Newton have quite altered this part of the text of their 

 author, tbe former confessedly and without authority; whilst Martin, 

 Galiani, Sir H. Wotton and others have been at a loss to comprehend what 

 ordinatio meant, though it evidently stands for that principle of our art 

 which teaches us to give to the parts of our designs their appropriate size; 

 for instance, to the several apartments sufficient area for the purposes to 

 which they are dedicated, without making them disproportionately large for 

 the rest of the structure; it requires us to give to our doorways, corridors, 

 stairs, &c, sufficient width for the number of persons likely to frequent them ; 

 to our windows size sufficient for the due supply of light ; to our supports 

 sufficient but not excessive thickness or strength, ice. Sec. 



Disposition, or SiaBc is, he defines as " a convenient collocation of the 

 parts, and a desirable effect in the composition (putting together) of the work 

 with respect to quality." As then ordination proportions their sizes, so 

 disposition arranges them with reference both to their use (apta collocatio), 

 and the general effect of the composition. 



Eurithm, Vitruvius says it is " a sightly appearance, and a suitable look iu 

 the composing of members, (t, e. forming them out of their simple elements,) 

 and is secured when the members are of a height suitable to their width, and 

 of a breadth proportioned to their length, and, in short, when all things ac- 

 cord to their own proportion;" omnia respondeant suae symmetric. "So 

 symmetry," he adds, " is a proper concord of the members of the work itself, 

 and the accordance of any given one of the several parts to the appearance 

 of the general form." 



Eurithm then regards tbe ratios or relations of the dimensions of any 

 single member, and symmetry the relations of one member to another, or of 

 any given dimension of one member to the corresponding dimension of 

 another. Proportion is therefore of two kinds according to Vitruvius, viz. : 

 euritbraic and symmetric — a distinction lost sight of by all bis annotators. 

 The former exists between the height of a column and its diameter ; the 

 latter between the height of the column and the height of the entablature, 

 and also between the diameter of the column and the width of the inter- 

 column. Eurithmic proportion obtains between the width and height of a 

 door or of a window, symmetric between the door as a whole and tbe window 

 as a whole, and between the widths and the heights respectively. 



Decor-consistency or propriety, he defines as " a correct aspect of a work 

 composed of parts, approved with reference to precedent or authority, and is 

 threefold, as it relates to statio (8efio tksixo) custom or nature. The first 

 translated " station," " circumstance," " stanza," " abitazione," " situation 

 d'tin-lieu," " etat des chases," " statuo," by Newton, Gwilt, Barbaro, Orsini, 

 Martin, Perrault and Galiani respectively is exemplified, when temples to 

 Minerva, Mars, Hercules, Sec, are executed in tbe Doric order as suited to 

 their stern attributes, and shrines to Flora, Venus, &c, in the Corinthian 

 style to accord with the tender and delicate natures of these latter divinities. 

 Conventional propriety, be says, forbids the infringement of usages approved 

 in all ages, for instance the introduction of triglyphs into any other order 

 but the Doric, or of Dcntilo into this. 



Distribution, his sixth and last principle, he explains as " an advantageous 

 dispensation of the materials and site, and a careful and rational regard to 

 economy." As a further explication of his meaning, he adds the Greek 

 term oncoro/im as a translation of distribute, a word more nearly equivalent 

 to " stewardship," than to any other expression in our language. From this 

 we may understand that it is the province of architecture under this aspect 

 to furnish all the requisite parts of the design without lavish expenditure, 

 but in such manner and measure as may be best afforded by the circum- 

 stances of the case. 



These then are the principles of architectural composition which Vitruvius 

 lays down. Ordination, by which the parts are made of a size appropriate 

 to their use; disposition, by which they are placed in convenient and effec- 

 tive collocation ; Eurithm, or the due proportion of the parts, each in itself; 

 symmetry or unity of proportion between all tbe parts and tbe whole; pro- 

 priety, or consistency and distribution or economical provision of all the es- 

 sential requisites. 



In this analysis we scarcely know which to admire most, its completeness 

 and neatness, or the beautifully natural and correct order in which the ele- 

 ments are exhibited. No part is deficient— none redundant. Were ordina- 

 tion neglected, the parts would be some too small for their destined uses, aud 

 others equally too large ; in other words, the utility of the structure destroyed 

 by this one defect ; without attention to distribution, it will be rendered 

 equally useless by the inconvenient arrangement of the whole, whilst a dis- 

 regard to either eurithm symmetry or decor will render it displeasing alike 



