364 



THE CIVIL ENGINEKR AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[Not. 



and the other adjacent timber yards, is greatly below the level of the quays, 

 and of high water, and that the material excavated may be not only very 

 beneficially and usefully deposited in these yards, but that the close prosi- 

 raity of such a place of deposit will be a source of considerable economy in 

 carrjing out this part of the work. 



As regards the convenience of the shipping of the port, the portion of the 

 project which, beyond every other, would seem to recommend it to public 

 favour and approval, is the position of the entrance to the Tidal Basin, in a 

 right line with the direction of the River; a fact so manifestly important, 

 and calculated to afford facilities both for ingress and egress, so obvious, that 

 it is quite unnecessary to enlarRC upon it. 



It will be necessary to continue the main sewer, by which the water is at 

 present discharged from the Gravin Docks, at a sullicient depth under the 

 bed of the Dodder, to the opposite or Ringsend side of it to be carried in a 

 direction parallel with the bank of the river down to the Liffey, east of the 

 Dock entrance, there to discharge at the level of low water spring-tides, and 

 which sewer can also be made use of for unwatering the low ground, south 

 of the docks. 



The last in order of the various points to which, in considering the whole 

 of this question, my attention has been drawn, is one which, especially in au 

 engineering point of view, I regard as not only most important, but highly 

 interesting. It is indicated on Mr. M'Mullen's plan, but not on a scale, in 

 my mind, sufficiently extensive to accomplish the object which I should con- 

 template. I allude to the Break-water which he proposes should be formed 

 from the point at which, by the new course, the Dodder would be discharged 

 upon the South Bull, across to the great South Wall, with an opening in the 

 latter for the out-flow of the water retained within this barrier at each ebb 

 of the tide, and through which opening it would consequently be discharged 

 into the channel of the river, which forms the sailing course, and where it 

 would necessarily act as a scour, in regard to that important portion of the 

 entrance to the harbour. Of the soundness of the principle, and tne benefi- 

 cial effect which would in this way be produced, there can be no doubt ; but 

 to render it as effective as the general condition of this portion of the sailing 

 course would appear to require, it must, in my opinion, be carried out on a 

 considerably more extensive scale : the mound to be raised commencing, in 

 any case, as far eastward as the Pigeon House, and terminating at or near to 

 the Martello Tower, on the Sandymount strand. It does not seem necessary 

 that the proposed barrier or mound should be raised to any considerable 

 height, as the effective action of the Scour would occur as the ebb tide ap- 

 proaches to low water. I think that a sufficient mound or barrier could ue 

 formed, of such a height as 1 contemplate, from the heavy clay and gravel, 

 of which the strand in this part of the bay consists, at a verj' moderate ex- 

 pense. The bridge to form the opening in the wall for the efflux of the 

 water, of whatever number of arches it may consist, should be at the least, 

 from 200 to 300 feet wide. Of the cost of this part of the work I have not 

 framed nor submitted any estimate. It is plain,however, that, with reference 

 to the importance of carrying out such a project, it would be comparatively 

 speaking but inconsiderable. 



A elance at the present state of the Bay shows that, as far eastward as 

 the Poolbeg Light, it is divided by the great south wall into two nearly equal 

 portions. The effect of the great north wall, has been to cause the ebb water 

 of the northern division to act upon the bar, and in this respect it abundantly 

 answered the expectatious entertained by its projectors. If. in addition to 

 the important and valuable action so obtained from the northern section oj 

 the Bay upon the Bar, it shall be practicable, in a similar way, to empound 

 the Tidal Waters of the southern division of it, and, as I confidently contem- 

 plate, to produce from their effiux a corresponding beneficial deepening ac- 

 tion upon the continuation of the bed of the river, forming the entrance 

 channel to the inner harbour, a result will have been obtained of the most 

 decisive character, not alone as regards facilities of access, and the safety of 

 the shipping frequenting the port, hut calculated also to diminish, to a very 

 large extent, the cost annually incurred in dredging out of this channel the 

 vast quantity of silt and mud, which under present circumstances is, and 

 must continue to be deposited in it. 



Estimate of the proposed Course of the River Dodder through Irishtown. 

 Purchase of Land . . . . . . . . 2,245 n 



Earthwork in excavation, cube yards, 21,3G8 at 0(1. per yard 801 6 

 Sea-pitching at Irishtown, ditto 508 „ fid. ditto 152 8 



Bridge at Irishtown, with approaches, &c. .. .. 1,975 4 10 



Add 10 per cent, for contingencies 



;*5,i;3 is 10 

 Sir 7 10 



Total amount 



THE WYATT WELLINGTON. 



Sir— On the appearance of Professor Cockerell's Letter in the 

 " Times," I addressed one to that paper to say that the objections urged by 

 him against the equestrian statue of the Duke being placed transversely 

 across the arch, instead of in the axis of the archway itself, were brought 

 forward nearly eight years ago in a work where it might be supposed they 

 could hardly have escaped the notice of architects, at least not of the archi- 

 tect of the strnclure, since they were made in the letter-press account given 

 of it in the second edition of the " Public Buildings of London,'" where 



that arch forms one of the new subjects added to the original work, and is 

 illustrated by a ground-plan and elevation. Yet, although the "Times" 

 appeared to take very great interest in the affair of the statue, having 

 brought it forward more than once in its leader, the Editor did not think 

 proper either to insert or to offer any reason for rejecting my letter; and 

 as it had then become too late in the month to send to your Journal, ray 

 comments on the matter could not possibly appear earlier in it than they 

 do. 



The whole affair is a curious one from first to last, and exemplifies more 

 forcibly than favourably the manner in which matters of the kind are 

 managed in this country — the crooked policy, and that species of astuteness 

 which is called cunniug, that are brought to bear upon them. No deference 

 has been paid to public opinion, for concealment has, as far as practicable, 

 been studiously kept up, as if the public possessed no right of opinion, and 

 therefore the expression of it in any shape, was no belter than unwarrant- 

 able interference. Would it then be more becoming iu the public to ob- 

 serve the neutrality of silence upon such occasions — to manifest an indiffe- 

 rence that would be praiseworthy because not at all troublesome? If so, 

 those are taking a very wrong course indeed who are advocating and seek- 

 ing to diffuse among the whole community a more familiar acquaintance 

 with art generally, and a more enlightened appreciation of it. On one 

 side, the public are told that they ought to acquire a taste for Art, to take 

 a lively interest in il, and also to watch over its interests; on the other 

 they are told — at least given very signiticantly to understand, that Ihey 

 have properly no voice in snch matters, or their voice no authority, and it 

 may therefore be disregarded as idle clamour. 



Those concerned in (he management of pulilic works — some people call 

 them jois — will perhaps say that they do not dispute our right of judg- 

 ment and of freely expressing it; all that they request is that we should 

 not express it prematurely, but wait until the work be completed, when it 

 can be judijed of fairly. This is very plausible; it seems at first sight, 

 perfectly rtasonable, but only at first sight, for when looked at more closely, 

 it will oe found to mean that the public ought to be kept as long as possi- 

 ble in the dark as to what is going on, and be hindered from judging rashly 

 and prematurely by being debarred from foiming more than random con- 

 jectures and vague surmises, until not only the work, but the mischief that 

 might have been guarded against by a little picm«<Hie criticism, is com- 

 pleted. The most ill-timed criticism of all is surely that which comes too 

 late to be of service, because unless it be the bearer of commendation, it 

 brings only reproachand regret, — warning, indeed, for the fulure,but warn- 

 ing just as useless it seems as mere regret itself. We have had our warn- 

 ings — our dearly-bought experiences, and much we profit by them. There 

 is Buckingham Palace, which after costin;; about a million in the first in- 

 stance — how much more has been expended upon it since it was occupied 

 is not so well known — is spoken of only for universal scorn and derision as 

 a positive " disgrace to the nation," — which as far as the nation is con- 

 cerned is flagrantly unjust, because the nation had no other hand in the 

 matter than paying for that costly piece of architectural brummagem. It 

 was not the nation that forced that precious bargain upon George IV., 

 but just the reverse ; so let the " disgrace" fall where it ought. Not but 

 that the nation was to blame too, for its negligence and supineness in not 

 inquiring premuturely what was the quality of the commodity — or the in- 

 ciimmodiousness as it now turns out to be — which it would have to pay for. 

 Nor is that unhappy edifice the only one, by very many, that has been pro- 

 nounced a failure : the National Gallery is another signal instance of mis- 

 management ; and the hackneyed idea of a mere column was adopted for 

 the Nelson Monument, in defiance of the strong wish expressed for some- 

 thing less common-place. ^Vlien the fafade for the British Museum was 

 begun about two years ago, no regard was paid to the demand then made, 

 that the model should be produced for public inspection;— on the contrary, 

 such a dogged silence preserved that a formal refusal would have been 

 almost courtesy in comparison with it. 



To what purpose then, it will perhaps be asked, is it to raise clamours 

 of the kind when we find that they are altogelher unheeded ? It certainly 

 istoverylittle purpose merely toraisetheni,if they are dropped again almost 

 immediately, as is generally the case, wherefore no notice is taken of 

 them ; those who might else be forced to do so, feeling; pretty confident, 

 that after the first firing the press will have exhausted its ammunition or 

 give up the attack in despair. It is not by a furious momentary discharge, 

 but by a constant and well-directed one kept up determinedly tliat we can 

 reasonably expect to carry tlie point on such occasion. Would rt lu.t be equal 

 folly and presumption on the part of auy individual writer— of myself, for iu- 

 stance,— to imagine he can eltect any thing, unless he be publicly seconded 

 by others? But people seem to think that if remonstrances are found to 

 produce no immediate efl'ect, it can be of no use to continue, or to bring 

 fresh detachments of them into the field. On the contrary, when a harder 

 blow than usual has been given, — one that ought to stagger and confound, 

 instead of following it up by another still harder, they draw back as if in 

 alarm for the consequences of their own might and valour. 



Professor Cockerel I appears to be one of the considerate, for he not only 

 considered a very long while before he could prevail upon himself to step 

 forward and protest against the Wellington statue being placed on the 

 Arch, but, lest his interference should derange matters and upset the scheme 

 was so considerate as to keep silence till almost the very last moment, 

 when it was hardly possible that his advice should be followed without 

 great incomenience ; whereby he himself furnished the committee with a 

 good excuse for not adopting it, conveniently reserving to himself the power 

 of saying or fancying that it would have been adopted, had it nut unluckily 



