1846.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



or <lesign, anil materially dimialshir)!:; any grand effect that the architect 

 might have conteniplatcil. After some remarks explanatory of his views 

 on domestic decorations of the present day, Mr. Cooper submitted a quess 

 tion as to the applicability of Go/Ait </(T<H'«(io«s to modern purposes, \vi\h 

 more especial reference to the New I'alace of Westminster ; he admilled 

 that decorations should be in accordance with the style, and subservient 

 to the architectural character of the edidce ; but, he asked, must we there- 

 fore follow the earlier Gothic mannerisms? Copy the attempts of an af;e 

 of comparative barbarism iu Art? Or, are we to adopt all the improve- 

 ments and knowledge of form of llie present day ? He contended that the 

 Gothic did not admit of pictorial decoration in proper keeping, and that 

 the modern school of painting presented too many inconsistencies. He 

 concluded by asserting that the Italian style of the fifteenih and sixteenth 

 centuries, as found in the designs of Palladio, Scamosi, Sansovino, and 

 others, admitted of the utmost degree of refinement, both in sculpture and 

 painting, and aflbriled profitable materials for study for such a purpose. 



INSTITUTION OF CIVIL ENGINEERS. 



Extracts from the Annual Report. — Session lS-16. 



Pri-miums. 



Telford Medals, in silver, have been awarded to Philip Chilwell De la 

 Garde, for his " Memoir of the Canal of Exeter, from 15G3 to 1724," and to 

 George Edwards, M. Inst. C.E., for his paper " On Blasting Marl Rocks 

 under water in the River Severn." — Premiums of Books, suitably bound and 

 inscribed, have been awarded, to John George Bodmeb, JI. Inst. C.E., for 

 his paper " On the advantages of working Engines with High-pressure Steam 

 expansively, and at. high velocities, &c. ;" to Benjamin Lewis Vdlliamv, 

 Assoc. Inst. C.E., for his paper " On Railway Clocks ;" and to John Baldry 

 Redman, Grad. Inst. C.E., for his " Description and Drawings of the new 

 Cast Iron Pier at Gravesend." 



Obituary, 



The deceases are few ; they are Robert Thomas Atkinson, Member, and 

 Lieutenant Edward Nicholas Kendall, R.N., and John Llewellyn, Associates. 



Mr. Atkinson was the nephew of the late Mr. Buddie, and after being 

 brought up by him, assisted him for some years in his large mining and en- 

 gineering undertakings in the North. Not long before his death he took the 

 management of the Seaton Delaval mines, where he is stated to have dis- 

 played great talent and judgment in rliflicult positions. His communication 

 to the Institution in the session cf 1812, " On sinking and coffering pits in 

 the North of England," will be recollected by the members and increase the 

 regret which must be felt for his loss. 



Lieutenant Kendall, whose grandfather. Admiral Ilicks, and father. 

 Captain Kendall, were both distinguished naval oSicers ; received his edu- 

 cation and became first boy, at the Royal Naval College, Portsmouth. Ha 

 entered His Majesty's service as a Midshipman in lS14,on board the Mutiue. 

 He served with credit in several other ships, and from his scientific acquire- 

 ments was chiefly employed on the surveying service ; upon the trigonome- 

 trical survey in Orkney, Shetland, the coast of Ireland, and in the North Sea. 

 On the fitting out of the Polar expedition, under Captain (now Sir Edward) 

 Parry, he volunteered his services, and acted as Master's Mate on board the 

 ' Fury,' Captain Lyon. He was subsequently selected by Captain (now Sir 

 John) Franklin, as one of his companions for the land Arctic expedition, and 

 returned with the proud distinction of being attached to the oniy one of the 

 Polar expeditions that had completely effected its olijects. The charts, 

 drawn up by Lieutenant Kendall, from the astronomical observations made 

 by Sir John Franklin and himself, remain as evidence of his talent and in- 

 dustry. He was then appointed, at the recommendation of the Koyal Society, 

 to the ' Chanticleer,' for the purpose of assisting the late Captain Henry 

 Foster in a series of experiments on the pendulum, and various other branches 

 of scientific research in the Equatorial and South Polar regions. He then 

 conducted the survey of the Western Coast of Africa in the ' Hecla,' the 

 officers of which vessel had nearly all fallen victims to the climate. He was 

 then employed by the Secretary of State for the Colonial Department, in a 

 secret and confidential survey of the boundary line of the British and Ameri- 

 can states, in New Brunswick, and executed his task in the most satisfactory 

 manner. On his return he compiled a complete map of the province of New 

 Brunswick, from his own astronomical and other observations. He then 

 turned his attention to the subject of Steam Navigation, and after superin- 

 tending for a Joint Stock Company, the building and fitting out of the ' India' 

 steam ship, which was destined for opening a direct communication with the 

 East Indies, via the Cape, he was appointed to a post under the Royal Mail 

 Steam Packet Company, which he only held for a short time, and then be- 

 came the agent at Southampton, for the Peninsular and Oriental Company; 

 and the Directors and all who knew him in that capacity, bear testimony to 

 his zeal, talents, and high integrity. While holding that position, he was 

 attacked with sudden illness, and expired on the 12th of February, 1845, in 

 the prime of life and usefulness, being only in his 45th year. ' He made 

 several useful communications to the Institution, and attended its meetings 

 as frequently as was compatible with the nature of his engagements. 



SOCIETY OF ARTS, LONDON. 



The second ordinary meeting for illustration took place on Jan. 21, at 

 the Society's House, Adelphi, Edward Speer, Esq , iu the Chair. 

 The following communications were made — 



1. On flif tlwor;/ of Plioto':raph!c Action, illiislratiit^ the connection he- 



tweenihe Photo'^raphic iii;ent nnd FJeclricitii. l!y J. Nott, Esq. The 



substance of this highly important and original paper, which led to aa 

 interesting discussion, and was to be resumed at the next meeting, was as 

 follows. " Since the discovery of Photography there is, perhaps, no branch 

 of electrical physics more interesting than that which comprehends the 

 phenomena of phosphorescence. For though liglit be the apparent agent 

 in the production of the photographic picture, yet the accompanying cir- 

 cumstances ran only be satisfactorily explained by a reference to electrical 

 principles. Light is a term merely relative to us, but light itself has no 

 absolute existence no more than sound ; then how unphilosophic are the 

 terms, latent light and light in darkness, which we sometimes hear, as if 

 that which is merely an effect, could be regarded as a cause, or a physical 

 force, at the same time that we know it is not possible to demonstrate the 

 existence of any other physical force in nature than electricity. 



"Light is, therefore, only an atteiKlant circumstance in the production of 

 the photographic picture, and this seems clearly proved by the fact of one 

 body impressing its image upon another in the dark, when the bodies are 

 approximated iu electrical phraseology is called the striking distance. 



"As light then cannot be regarded as the photographic agent, electricity, 

 which iu all prnbability is the piinciple of light, wonid seem to be, and the 

 ellects produced when phosphorence is developed through juxta posed 

 transparent media, of different densities or electrical affinities, bear s 

 striking an analogy lo those which are produced upou a sensitive surfaca 

 when exposed to the action of light reflected from bodies in different de. 

 grees of intensity as to render it more than probable, that what is undei-. 

 stood by the term photography, is a simple ca^e of phosphorescence by in- 

 sulation. For we find that some parts of the sensitive surface, then exhibit 

 what may be called an elective affinity for certain substances, while others 

 do not. The results can only be the effects of simidtaneous attractions and 

 repulsions, the manifestation of which is incouceviable iudepeudent of the 

 presence of electricity. 



" The question then arises, if the photographic picture be the result of 

 electrical action, why may not the colour as well as the contour of bodies 

 be takeu down, seeing that colour is not a propirly matter, but as a 

 properly of light- All bodies are seen only by reflected light, and their 

 colours vary in tint according to the position of the spectator with respect 

 to the plane of reflection. For instance, iu the normal of the plane of re- 

 flection, the colour of bodies is most distinct, and at every deviation from 

 this point, the local tint changes, and in many cases, is totally extinguished 

 when the e;.e of the spectator reaihes the angle of total reflection. Thus 

 then, where the reflected l|ght is the strongest, the colour of bodies is least 

 perceptible, and vice versa. 



These considerations induced me to try what comparative effect would 

 be produced upon a sensitive surface, by light reflected at various angles 

 of incidence from tiie plane of the picture. 



"The effects which were thus produced were quite analogous to those 

 which are observed iu nature, the local lints of the bodies represented 

 varying with every change that was made in the angle of reflection ia 

 which the picture was taken down, and the direct ray invariably gave less 

 picturesque results than when a parallel glass was used. In some speci- 

 mens taken with the parallel glass when they were looked at directly, all 

 the appearance of a radiating relleclion were presented, and when looked 

 at obliquely, all those of a speculary reflection, as if the sun were actually 

 shining within the photographic picture itself. 



These results gave promise that some remarkable effects viould be pro- 

 duced by polarized light, I therefore had a small sundial made, the style 

 of which w as formed by a bit of very fine silver-w ire, and from the centre 

 of the dial a bit of the same wire was erected perpendicularly, so that the 

 hour angle and the sun's azimuth were given at the same instant. 



liy means of this instrument Mr. Nott observes, he was able to determine 

 with a good deal of accuracy, the position of the sun, with respect to the 

 plane of the picture that he wished to take a photographic representation 

 of. The glass of the camera was also made adjustable to the polarizing 

 angle by an attached graduated quadrant. 



When, by these means the light was polarized into the camera, by a 

 double reflection from the plane of the picture, and from the parallel glass 

 it was found that the objects in deep shadow and those iu sun-light were 

 taken down simultaneously and with equal precision, and that without the 

 slightest trace of solarization, exhibiting a sun-light view of the greatest 

 truth and beauty, iu which the transparency of the shadows and the effect 

 of the distance produced by an exquisite gradation of tint, such asart coidd 

 scarcely hope to itnitate. This result of polarized light seems doubly 

 interesting since the recent and beautiful discovery of Faraday, where a 

 ray of extinguished polarized light is reillumed by electricity. 



How far this discovery may enable us to determine the nature of the 

 active agent concerned in the production of the photographic picture, we 

 will not at the present moment presume to decide. 



2. On the new Patent Oil Integument, or skin of Paint, by H. Page, 

 by which great facility is afforded for iuterior or exterior decoration. 

 The author, after pointing out the various inconieaiences which the public 

 experience iu having the painting, graining, and oil decorations done on 



8 



