248 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



[July, 



society." It was further reported that other works were in progress, and 

 that it was expected, one, two, or more volumes would prohably be ready by 

 the ensuing anniversary. The only alteration in the list of officers was the 

 election of A. Caswall in the room of F. Whitmarsh. 



KING'S COLLEGE, LONDON.— OPENING OF THE NEW 



MUSEUM. 

 The opening of the museum of this noble establishment took place 

 on Thursday tne 22d ult. under the immediate auspices of His Royal 

 Highness Prince Albert, who arrived at the college punctually at 12 

 o'clock ; he was received hy the Bishop of London and Archdeacon 

 Lonsdale, the principal of the college, and led into the grand hall 

 which is quadrangular, and has two large staircases on either side, 

 with a gallery or corridor above. These were all lined with stu- 

 dents of the college and of the school, who, together with the council 

 p.nd prufessors formed rather an imposing coup d'ceil. 



Among the company we observed the Archbishop of York, Bishops 

 of London, Norwich, and Gloucester, and many other dignitaries of 

 the church, Lords Brownlow, Radstock, Sir Robert Inglis, Mr. Fa- 

 raday, &c. &c. 



After the repeated hurrahs and cheers had subsided, Mr. Slater, 

 one of the students, advanced to the Prince and read a Latin speech, 

 and at the close, Mr. Hullah's pupils, who lined the right hand stair- 

 case, broke out and sung our national anthem "God save the Queen." 



The Prince, attended by the principal of the college and the 

 Bishop of London, then ascended the staircase for the purpose of 

 opening the new museum. On his way he inspected the Marsden 

 library, so called from the presentation of a most valuable collection of 

 works in the Eastern languages, by Mr. Marsden, and the grand library, 

 which, though small, contains some of the most select classic authors 

 in ancient and modern literature. On His Royal Highness's arrival at 

 the new museum, he was joined by the Crown Prince of Wirteinburg 

 and suite, and was received by Professor Wheatstone, who accom- 

 panied His Highness through the museum, and explained the various 

 apparatus, with all of which the Prince seemed well conversant, and 

 much interested. The museum is to be attached to the engineering 

 department, it consists principally of instruments from the royal col- 

 lection at the Kew observatory, formerly belonging to King George 

 the Third, many of which were of his own workmanship, and it has 

 been since further enriched by royal munificence and by private 

 liberality, in the presentation of Babbage's celebrated calculating 

 machine; models of well known bridges, and of the most ingenious 

 and difficult engineering works, and also a statue of George the Third, 

 by Turnerelli, presented by H. Pownall, Esq., and it is hoped that it 

 will become the nucleus for the formation of a scientific museum, 

 which t:u- manufacturer and man of science will frequent, and where 

 all model: and inventions of known utility will he sent for their inspec- 

 tion and approval, and for the publicity that they will thus obtain. 



After 'he ceremony of opening the museum, the Fnuce proceeded 

 to the g "at theatre and its ante-room, the one containing a small but 

 choice collection of birds, and the other a valuable present from 

 Her Majesty, cf English and foreign insects and butterflies. This 

 theatre, which is the large theatre of the institution, was filled with 

 an assi mblage of the highest rank and fashion. The Prince was here 

 attended by the lecturer, Mr. Cowper, who explained various models 

 and drawings. A valuable full length likeness of Jacquard, the in- 

 ventor of the celebrated Jacquard loom, woven in silk, very much at- 

 tracted the attention of his Highness, it was scarcely to be distin- 

 guished from the finest engraving; the whole process was fully 

 detailed by the lecturer, the Prince entering warmly into the detail of 

 a machine whose results had been so beautifully displayed in the 

 specimen before him. The Times printing press, spinning and other 

 models were also severally explained; afterwards his Highness pro- 

 ceeded to the theatre of Materia inedica, and the chemical theatre 

 where he was received by Prof.Daniel who explained several interesting 

 experiments connected with the voltaic battery, and the decomposition 

 and formation of water, he then adjourned to the terrace of Somerset 

 House where the experiment of letting off a cannon on the top of the 

 shot tower on the opposite side of the river Thames from a galvanic 

 battery on this side of the river was to have been performed ; this 

 did not take place, but we could not positively ascertain wherefore ; 

 we believe the communication of the wires passing across the river 

 had heen destroyed. After parading the terrace attended by the 

 principal, the Prince retired to his carriage evidently much gratified 

 with the strong expressions of loyalty that he had met with, and the 

 m..ny interesting experiments he had seen. 



We believe we are authorized to state, that the public are at liberty 

 at any time between the hours of 10 and 3 o'clock to visit the museum 

 and other parts of the college. 



M. CLEMENT'S NAUTICAL INVENTIONS. 



In the Journal for last January, page 28, we gave an account of M. 

 Clement's ingenious inventions, together with some particulars re- 

 specting an experiment, made by order of our government, to try 

 their merits; since then more extended experiments have been made 

 in H. M. steam vessel Blazer, which has proved verv successful; the 

 results, communicated by Captain Washington, R.N., are to be found 

 in the Nautical Magazine of last month, from which we have ob- 

 tained the following description and drawings of the instruments. 



The name Sillomitre is composed of the two French words sillage 

 (headway) and metre (measure), and might be well rendered in Eng- 

 lish Speed-gauge. This instrument consists of a hollow copper ball 

 O, Fig. 1, about five inches in diameter, suspended under the ship's 

 bottom, nearly amidships, from the middle of a bent lever A C, about 

 five inches long; one end of this lever moves on a joint A, its fulcrum, 

 attached to the lower end of a metal rod which passes vertically 

 through a copper tube carried from the deck through the bottom of 

 the ship near the keel ; at the other end of the lever is attached a 

 chain C, which leads upwards and acts upon a second horizontal lever 

 E F, on deck. This second lever corresponding to the lower one, 

 gives motion, by means of a spring, to an index which marks on a 

 dial the speed of the ship expressed in knots and tenths of a knot. 



Such is the whole of the apparatus of the simple Sillometre. It 

 will be readily understood that as the vessel moves through the water, 

 the fluid acts upon the ball, which being circular, always presents the 

 same section, and causes it to move aft, thereby depressing the fore 

 end of the lever which by the chain communicates with the dial on 

 deck. The scale by which to graduate the knots on the dial was 

 found by M. Clement after numerous experiments. This instrument 

 in its simple form shows the speed of the vessel, not the amount of 

 distance run. 



Sillometre. Thermometer. 



7>. ot 



L i- 



f 



The lower Fig. 1, is a side yiew. 

 y, Compensation weight, 

 r. Box for oil. 

 Z, Shield. 



Dial. 



