1843.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



373 



was found to be not confined to the vicinity of the vessel, but to have 

 an extensive effect in a region anterior to the bow, and extending to a 

 considerable distance on each side; and some time before the bow 

 approaches a particle of water, the fluid has commenced moving. 

 Viewing the sea as composed of innumerable vertical columns of water, 

 the effect of the approach of a vessel is to produce greater pressure 

 on one side of such columns than on the other, and water being, prac- 

 tically speaking, incompressible, the particles pressed against can 

 move only in a vertical direction, and thus a heaping up of fluid is 

 produced before the bow of the vessel, sometimes ranging as far as 

 half its length. The next object the committee had in view was to 

 examine the direction of the motion of the particles of water displaced 

 by a vessel. It was found that when the form was that of least re- 

 sistance, the motions of the particles of water were in semicircles ; 

 and that they deviated from that curve when the form departed from 

 that of least resistance. It was also determined, that the replacement 

 of the water as a vessel moves forward, takes place entirely from 

 below. The result, therefore, to be attained, as appeared from these 

 experiments, was to ascertain the form of the solid of least resistance, 

 which would communicate these motions to the particles of water. In 

 experiments on the forms of waves, conducted also at the expense of 

 the British Association, it had been ascertained that the motion of 

 water itself is that which the committee had endeavoured to give to 

 the water when ships pass through it. Thus it happened, that the 

 form best adapted for least resistance in smooth water, being itself 

 the form of the waves of the sea, the vessel of that shape moved 

 through the sea with the least motion and the least resistance. The 

 consequence was, that in the course of these experiments it was found 

 that a vessel built in the form of least resistance in smooth water, 

 instead of being, as was formerly supposed, likely to be wet and 

 uneasy in a rough sea, in fact passed through the waves without doing 

 more than modifying their motion, and that in proportion as ships 

 approached to the form of least resistance, they were dry, easy, and 

 good steering boats. The concluding experiments were made on 

 ships of 2000 tons, differently formed, and the same law which was 

 found to prevail in smaller vessels was also followed in the large ships 

 and in the roughest seas. 



We have endeavoured, on the foregoing report, to give as intelli- 

 gible an account of the deductions from the experiments on the form 

 of ships as could be collected from Mr. Russell's exposition. It is 

 evident, however, that there are many points of importance not suffi- 

 ciently elucidated ; and though the principle on which the advantages 

 claimed for the wave form is attempted to be established as regards 

 easiness of motion in a rough sea, the reason why that form is the one 

 of least resistance in smooth water, is by no means clear. 



It is a very difficult, and perhaps an impossible task to extract the 

 pith from a voluminous mass of papers, calculations and drawings 

 adapted to differing circumstances, so as to present, in a comparatively 

 small compass, a satisfactory view of the whole ; nevertheless, we wish 

 to arrive at some fixed laws, and the principles on which they are 

 founded. It appears that in all the experiments the object aimed at 

 was to ascertain the form of least resistance in culling through the 

 water, and that no attention was bestowed on the form best adapted 

 to cause the vessel to glide over the head-wave. The experiments, 

 however, which were made a few years since on the Scotch canals 

 with passenger boats, in which we believe Mr. Russell himself took 

 part, show that the head-wave may be prevented by the boat being 

 raised in the water by the oblique impact of its bow with the fluid. 



BRITISH MUSEUM. 



Sir— If but small, it is some satisfaction to find that within the few 

 last weeks, the subject of the British Museum has made a little stir ; 

 and whatever journals have touched upon it at all, have been pretty 

 unanimous as to two points— first, that the building— at least the fa- 

 cade, ought to be made a noble piece of architecture ; secondly, that 

 it would be futile to look for any such production from Sir Robert 

 Smirke. 



Such, too, is the opinion which has been expressed bv the Spectator, 

 in an article headed " Completion of the British Museum," wherein 

 are quoted, as from a correspondent, " some severe, yet deserved 

 strictures on the architect," in which the journalist himself appears 

 fully to acquiesce. Yet after so far inculpating Sir Robert's proies- 

 sional character, and quoting a long list of his architectural failures, 

 the Spectator is still of opinion that we ought now to abide by the 

 bargain we made with him— or rather, which has been made with him 

 lor us. 



" Any glaring defect," it says, " in the front, ought to be amended, 

 as far as it may be, by Sir Robert Smirke ; but we question if it 

 would be right and just to take the work out of his hands, and intrust 

 the completion to another architect, even if the Trustees of the 

 Museum would do so — which is not very likely." 



Certainly not; for the Trustees — who have shown themselves not fit 

 to be at all trusted with their building, as far as architectural taste is 

 concerned — appear to care nothing about the matter. They are satis- 

 fied themselves, and whether the public is or will be satisfied, is to 

 them perfectly indifferent. 



The Spectator, too, thinks, that as things have already gone so far, 

 we ought now to be reconciled to what can't be helped, stipulating 

 only that "Any glaring defect should be amended!" Now, in 

 the first place, Sir Robert Smirke is not at all the man to commit. 

 " Glaring defects;" much less is there any danger of his violating the 

 decencies of common place, he knows what the mere good-breeding 

 of his art requires, too well, to shock us by gross improprieties — he 

 has " lamt manners." 



In the next place, it is truly astonishing to find a writer professing 

 to be a critic in art, well content, if instead of a facade worthy to 

 rank high as a finished work of art, we do but get one free from 

 "glaring defects." 



But just now, I said that Sir Robert was not the man to commit 

 glaring defects, yet must correct the observation, for one most glaring, 

 pervading defect stamps all his buildings: they are all alike sullen 

 and soul-less — dull and unimaginative — the very best of them of that 

 kind whose highest praise and damnation are condensed into the 

 epithet "Respectable!" 



His designs are of a sort that do not admit of being corrected, 

 otherwise than by being remodelled and recast, and having some spirit 

 — some ideas, infused into them. 



The Spectator concludes with saving, "let us hope that the facade 

 will be 'respectable,'" and in this there may possibly be a sneer of 

 contemptuous irony ; for hardly is it possible to conceive that any one 

 should seriously mean to say we ought to consider ourselves well oil' 

 if, instead of a magnificent edifice capable of challenging any other 

 work of its kind in any part of Europe, we do but get what will barely 

 pass muster as " respectable." 



For Sir Robert Smirke himself I have no pity; he deserves none : 

 he merits all the obloquy and ignominy he is about to draw down on 

 his devoted head. Fortune he has made — fame he has missed ; why 

 then does he not now distinguish himself in the only way left for him. 

 Let him act the Roman part — let him claim if not the applause of his 

 country as an artist, its gratitude as a patriot willingly immolating 

 himself for the public weal. Let him heroically resign the British 

 Museum to some one worthier of the task, and then, be all his sins 

 forgiven. 



C s. 



OBSERVATIONS ON ARCHITECTS AND ARCHITECTURE. 



By Henhy Fulton, M.D. 



No. 2. 



The Houses of Parliament, the Exchange, and the Conservative 

 Club in St. James's Street, are in progress; and the facade, of the 

 British Museum is spoken of. I trust Mr. Barry in the first will avoid 

 an error in his otherwise much to be admired school of King Edward 

 at Birmingham, and give us windows of a bolder and broader cha- 

 racter. 



There are only three orders of columnar architecture worthy of 

 imitation, viz., the Grecian Doric and Ionic, and the Corinthian. I 

 most sincerely wish that the knowledge of all others was lost. 

 The indignation of a man of taste should boil, at seeing tin' orna- 

 ments and emblems of these beautiful orders prostituted, by being 

 coupled with the vile trash which is given to the public as their imi- 

 tations : the triglyph indicates symmetry and stability in the J)uri'- 

 compositions of the Greeks; but in the lower order of the Exchange, 

 weakness and an overburdened architrave. Could not Mr. Tite re- 

 move this index of overweight and undue proportion, and call his 

 order Tuscan, a name more to be honoured than any other form of de- 

 based Doric. 



At least the Conservative Club iu St. James's Street aims at having 

 one advantage over the Reform in Pall Mall, namely, tin- representa- 

 tion of a collection of the boxes used by Her Majesty's ministers, (for 

 such is the shape of the quoins,) intending by this, perhaps, to show 

 the determination of the Conservatives to retain their places : il such 



