1846.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECrS JOURNAL. 



959 



Professor Donaldson invited all tlie principal members of the Architec- 

 tural profession to a soiree at his house at Bolton-gardens, Russell-square, 

 on Tuesday, 7th ult. ; it was well attended. Several works of art were 

 laid on the tables, and a sumptuous eotertaiumeot provided at the close. 



Westminster Bridge. — It is reported that Mr. AValkerand the committee 

 have had several consultations respecting the condition of M'estminsler- 

 bridge, and the general opinion entertained by them is that the present 

 •structure should be pulled down and a new one substituted. Mr. Walker 

 has already drawn out plans and specifications for the new bridge. He 

 proposes that a temporary wooden bridge should be erected, and the new 

 bridge commeuce eastward of Ginger's Hotel. 



Substitute for Gunjiowder, — Professor Schonhriuhas just presented to the 

 Society of Natural History, Basle, a specimen of cotton prepared by him 

 tvhich is more inflammable than gunpowder, and explodes within a cap- 

 sule. Sevaral trials have been made of it, from which it appears that a 

 small quantity, equal to the sixteenth part of au ounce, placed in a gun, 

 projected the ball with such force that it perforated two planks at a dist- 

 ance of fifty-eight paces, and at another time, with the same charge and 

 at the same distance, drove a ball into a wall to the depth of nearly four 

 inches. 



Coloured Glass. — Mr. Hoadly, of the Hampstead Road, has shown ns 

 several patterns of a new description of coloured glass borders which pos- 

 sess considerable elegance, and can be produced at a very moderate price, 

 a handsome border with a ruby or blue ground and a silver and gold em- 

 bossed ornament can be sold at 5s. Cd. per foot, and a ruby blue or gold 

 ground with silver or white embossed ornament at 2s. !o 4s. per foot. 



Fortifications at Sheerncss. — The new works continue to progress 

 slowly and steadily. The scarp of the battery forming opposite the Dock- 

 yard gate is now being proceeded with. The musketry walls connecting it 

 to the old works of Garrison Point on the one hand, and to the line of bas- 

 tions extending from the Thames to the Medvvay in the other, are well nigh 

 completed. Each wall is upwards of 120 yards in length, three feet thick, 

 from 10 to 12 feet in height, and has loop-holes for musketry at every three 

 and a half feet distance. A ditch 50 feet wide, and 15 feet deep, is to sur- 

 round the battery. It is almost formed, and will communicate with that 

 from the Medway, which is to be cleared out and deepened, and the bas- 

 tions extending along it are to be heightened with the mud procured by the 

 excavation. The following guns have been ordered for the new works ; 

 One 66-pouDder, 97 cwt., 11 feet long, 17 eight-inch guns tii cwt. each, 

 9 feet long — 28 32-pounders,56cwt. each, 9 feet long — and 12 2-l-poundcrs 

 of 20 cwt. each, 6 feet long — total, 58. The 24-pounders will be mounted 

 on iron carriages, but all the heavier guns on wooden carriages with Ira- 

 ▼ersing platforms. Sixty-three guns of a similar description have already 

 been received, and are to be mounted on the old works surrounding the 

 garrison. The alterations and repairs there are progressing favourably, 

 the pivots and tramways for the traversing platforms of all the 32-pounders 

 being already laid down ; the parapet has also been heightened along its 

 whole extent. One or two companies of artillery are to be in future per- 

 manently stationed here, and new and extensive bai'racks are to be erected 

 for their accommodation, the present being conlined and incapable of ac- 

 commodating more than 300 men, which is the average number of troops 

 forming this garrison. 



THE BASILICA AT ROME. 



The Times correspondent of Rome gives us the following description of 

 the Basilica : — The Basilic is the metropolitan of Rome. The original 

 structure was commenced ten centuries ago, but the building was twice 

 burnt down, and the Basilic, as it now stands, was begun in 13G$. Several 

 Popes, including Clement V., Urban A'., Alexander VI., Pius IV., Sixtus 

 v., and Clement XII., lavished enormous sums of money on it, so that, 

 although the proportions are not so vast as Si. Peter's, it is almost equal 

 in magnificence, and certainly far superior to all other churches of the 

 Eternal City. Severe taste will, however, condemn the gilded roof, though 

 by the crowd it is very much admired ; but where mosaic marble, painting 

 and sculpture abound, the meretricious ornament of gilding should not be 

 introduced. The bijou of the cathedral is the Chapel Corsini ; it is per- 

 fection, and within that little space there is more to be found to satisfy the 

 eye and exalt the mind than in any other part of the immense pile of build- 

 ings. The altar-piece is a mosaic, copied from a picture by Guido, exe- 

 cuted with so much delicacy that you almost desire to touch the work to 

 be convinced that it is not a painting. The bronze statue of Clement XII. 

 is also admirable. The expression of the face is perfect ; and every line 

 traced by care and age is reproduced with the fidelity of nature. There 

 are two groups of marble in tlie niches at each side of the bronze statue by 

 Monaldi, on which it is said Canova studied intensely. There is a female 

 figure in one which is almost the model of his Venus, but the neck, bust, 

 and arm are far superior to anything that Canova ever produced. The 

 mosaic floor is very remarkable, as well as the precious marbles, which 

 are used with an unsparing hand; but the wonder of the place is a subter- 

 ranean chapel, where the tombs of the Corsini family abound, and where a 

 marble group of the Virgin and dead Christ are not inappropriately placed. 

 Bernini is given as the sculptor's name, but I imagine that much of the 

 fame which the group has acquired is owing to the purity of the material, 

 which admits a little of trick in the exhibition, and to the place where it is 



situated disposing the mind to religions meditation. The man who shows 

 the statue does so by the light of a small wax taper, and as he passes the 

 light along the lifeless body of our Saviour it appears to be wax, not mar- 

 ble. The hands are positively transparent. The agony of life in the Virgin 

 is finely contrasted with the inert weight of the corpse which hangs from 

 her embrace ; but I believe that the group, however beautiful, would lose 

 much of its value if exposed to the open day. The late Count Somariva, 

 "at Paris, used to show Canova's JNIagdalen in the same manner ; but good 

 judges condemned him, as the eye never embraced the whole figure, but 

 was carried from one littleness, such as the graining of the skin, which 

 Canova introduced, to another. There is a chill of death in the subter- 

 ranean chapel of the Corsini, and the sacristan who shows it not only covers 

 his own head, but carefully recommends you to do the same. The cere- 

 mony at St. John de Lateran was limited to the celebration of mass, and 

 the Pope returned to the Ciuirinal in the same simple manner that he leftiU 



THE CHANNEL SQUADRON— TRIAL OF STEAMERS. 



On the 30th June, the steamers were ordered to try rate of steaming. 

 At 10 a.m. the Retribution, Gladiator, and Avenger, started, full power, 

 with a strong breeze six points on port bow. In two hours the Retribu- 

 tion gained on Gladiator If miles ; on Avenger three miles. At noon 

 altered course to wind on port beam, and tried until 4 p.m. — at each suc- 

 cessive step of expansion gear — during the whole of this time the relative 

 distances were perceived as near as possible as during the trial from 10 to 

 12, At 4, being about seven or eight miles dead to leeward of the Admiral 

 the signal was made to prepare to steam to windward. Topmasts were ia 

 consequence struck, and everything got ready to join the ships to wind- 

 ward. At about 4'30they started abreast. Retribution soon got the lead, 

 although Gladiator stuck very close for a few minutes; but once clear of 

 her, she soon shot ahead, beating her in the run about two miles, and 

 Avenger four miles. 



Gladiator and Avenger were each working up to 10 lb. tlie square inch, 

 having tubular boilers Retribntioa can only work up to 61b,, having the 

 old common boilers. 



July 1. — The Terrible having joined the fleet during the previous night, 

 a signal was made to try rate cf steaming with her. They accordingly- 

 started at about 10 a.m., with full power, the Terrible, with her tubular 

 boilers, working up to 13 lb. the square-inch, and after steaming dead to 

 windward, with a strong breeze and heaiy head-swell for three hours, she 

 beat Retribution as near as possible half a mile an hour. Unquestionably 

 she is a noble ship ; but, nevertheless, I am inclined to believe she beat 

 Retiibution principally by the great command of steam generated by tubu- 

 lar boilers. Had both ships been titted with similar boilers, probably the 

 result would have beeu diQ'ereut. One thing by this trial appears to be 

 clearly settled — that where two ships of similar tonnage, or nearly so, and 

 equal horse power, but fitted with tubular and common boilers, are matched, 

 the former must have the advantage in speed over the latter. This was 

 very evident in the trial the day before with Gladiator, for with Retribu- 

 tion's immense engines of 800 horse power, over Gladiator's 450, the former 

 certainly ought to have beat her double the distance, had they both been 

 fitted with similarly constructed boilers. At 1 p.m. a signal was made to 

 Terrible to steam with 6 lb. pressure only. At first Retribution gained 

 rapidly on her, but as soon as this was perceived on board she shot ahead 

 again. In short, this trial is not wortli relating, it being almost impossible 

 to keep steam at any exact pressure. A few stiovelsful of coal, or slightest 

 alteration of throttle valve, more or less, will always cause an alteration. 

 In the evening they both banked the fires. 



July 2, at 9 a.m., we tried rate of sailing on the wind, starboard tack. 

 Terrible, under all plain sail ; Retribution, with single-reefed topsails. At 

 11, the wind falling light. Retribution shook out first reefs. At 1*30 p.m.. 

 Retribution being about one mile ahead, tacked. At 3, having weathered 

 on her opponent about three quarters of a mile, bore up and set port stud- 

 ding sails. Ran until sunset without any difference of sailing; then lighted 

 the fires of two boilers and steamed all night. Terrible gained two miles 

 all night. Arrived at Cove this evening, July 3, at 7 p.m. Found the 

 squadron lying there. 



iaiSCEI>I>AMEA. 



ScuLPTDRE Machine. — During a recent visit in Boston we were shown 



specimeos of the production of a wonderful piect of mechani»m, which were, indeed, 

 truly aitonishing. They were miniature busts of Daniel Webster, Abbot Lawrence, and 

 Levi Woodbury ; being perfect facsimiles of their distinguished originals, and HTOught 

 out of beautiful American marble, and by a machine which has been invented by Mr. 

 Thomas Blanchard, of Boston. This invention certainly sstablishes a new era in the art 

 of sculpture, and promises to dispense almost entirely with the deep thought, and classic 

 study, and indefatigable labour of the artist, in his etforts to put life and poetry into the 

 marble, for nature, art, every thing tangible, can be copied by Ihic machine, with a pre- 

 cision which defies the chisel, even when guided by the most skilful hand and directed by 

 the most gifted talent. The machine, too, can be graduated so as to give reduced copies 

 of any statuary, which shall, in their miniature, be perfect and exact copies of the ori. 

 ginals in everything else but size ; preserving every line, furrow, and dimple, and giving 

 prominenct to muscles and veins, and every particular liiieamaal and feature, ia exact 



