]S46.j 



THE CIVIL ! NGINEER AN£ ARC IITfiCT'S JOURNAL. 



389 



NOTES OF THE MONTH. 



A correspondent of the^l</ira<£KW! writes from Freiburg, that in the archi- 

 tecture and internal decorations of almost all the b)iildin<;s lately erected, we 

 see the most gratifying displays of taste and skill in adaptation. Some of 

 the new railway stations exhibit extraordinary elegance in design and fer- 

 tility of invention. I would particularly refer to all the buihJings erected 

 in connexion with the line of railway extending from IMannheim to Frei- 

 burg, under the directiou of the architect of the Grand Duke. From the 

 policeman's cottage to the grand central station, all have been designed 

 with a view to utility and ornament. The smaller buildings have a good 

 deal the style of Swiss cottages, with overhanging roofs, quaintly carved. 

 The central stations are distinguished by a clock tower, and have some- 

 thing of an Elizabethan character. A great deal of ornament is expended 

 in the roofs of the sheds over the platforms. An arched portico, the ceiling 

 of white and red brick, covers the approach to the pay windows and post 

 office. At each extremity of the building devoted to waiting rooms, clerks, 

 offices, kc, rise two pavilions, or square turrets, inhabited by the super- 

 intending officers of the railway. It is easy to imagine that, with such 

 arrangements, a very imposing facade may be produced. In its construc- 

 tion, white bricks with stone dressings have been employed, and a profu- 

 sion of carved wood; the roofs, which are steep and visible from all sides, 

 are composed of tiles of three colours, light brown, dark brown, and green, 

 arranged in diagonal patterns. The internal decorations of the waiting 

 rooms and the flower frescoes of the walls and ceiling are ail designed by 

 the architect. A good eflect is produced on the platforms by red and white 

 tiles laid in ornamental patterns. 



Bdrnettizing TiMr.ER AND MARINE Insects. — Sir W. Burnett, the head 

 of the Naval Medical Department, paid his annual official visit to iSheer- 

 ness, on Saturday, Tlh November last. About IS months ago a series of 

 small logs of ash, elm, pine, teak, " condie," or New Zealand fir, beech, 

 and oak, after having been duly immersed in his solution, were deposited 

 at neap tide at the mouth of the harbour, with another series of the same 

 kinds of wood in their natural state. On being taken up and laid out for 

 inspection on Saturday, externally Sir William's series exhibiled the 

 smoothest surface ; but, on being split open, with certain exceptions like 

 the series which had not been immersed in his solution, they exhibited one 

 living mass of " pholades," the generic name, we believe, of the worm in 

 question, encased, where not broken, in their testaceous coverings. The 

 Malabar teak, iu both cases, was riddled like a sieve, as were the ash, the 

 elm, and the beech ; the pine was in rather better condition ; the oak was 

 not much atlected ; the " condie" was as perfect as when at lirst laid down, 

 with the exception of one single worm, who had found his way into one of 

 the extremities of the log w liich had not been immersed iu the solution. 

 The exterior of all the kinds of wood was considerably injured by a smaller 

 insect, particularly the pine and the teak. As has been stated, the ex- 

 terior of Sir William's series was not so much decayed, but, as to tlie in- 

 terior, there was little dilierence from that of the other. Some of ihe worms 

 inhabiting the interior were 8 or 9 inches long, while few were shorter than 

 2 inches; all were about the circumference of a medium-sized quill, and 

 each possessed a testaceous covering and cell for itself. Deriving its sus- 

 tenance through the pin-head openmg in the exterior of the wood, it keeps 

 the smaller extremity constantly there, while with the other, gradually en- 

 larging, it bores for itself with its treble-shelled proboscis a cavity iu many 

 instances sufficiently large to admit the Utile finger. 



Another Bridge over the Thames. — Parliamentary notices have been 

 given to apply to Parliament iu the next session to bring in a bill for con- 

 structing a bridge across the river Thames, from near Essex-street, Strand, 

 to the opposite shore, near to Dowson's-wharf, in the Marsh and Wall 

 liberty. Also for making and maintaining a market, at the south end of 

 the proposed bridge. 



Railway Station at London Bridge. — The Loudon and Brighton and 

 Soutli Coast and South Eastern Railway Companies are inakiug prepara- 

 tions for the erection of a large and elegant station, to supersede the pre- 

 sent incommodious building. It is designed to extend from Joiaer-street 

 and New-street on Ihe vvest,IMaze-poud and Wells-street on the south and 

 south-west, to the London and Greenwich Railway on ihe North of Cruci- 

 lix-laue. The streets at present passing under the station are to be blocked 

 up. 



Metropolitan Improvements. — It is reported that the following extensive 

 improvements in the vicinity of Leicester-square are to he made. The 

 whole of Upper St. Martiu's-lane is to be demolished, and a street, 101 

 feet wide to be formed, to be ultimately carried through the heart of the 

 Seven Dials to Tottenham-court-road. A new street, to be formed at the 

 junction of St. Martin's-lane, C'ranbourn-street, Newport-street, and Long- 

 acre, in a line through to King-street, Covent Garden, and Ihe Strand, the 

 south end of St. Martin's-lane, near the church, will also be widened by 

 throwing back the houses at the corner of Hemming's-row, and a com- 

 munication opened between Coventry-street and Oxford street, by throw- 

 ing down the pile of buildings separating Rupert-slreet and Berwick- 

 street. The cost of these undertakings will, it is stated, be I2l),000(. 



The Birkenhead Docks are now progressing very rapidly, and it is ex- 

 pected that one of them will be ready to be opened for business at the be- 

 ginning of the new year. 



St. James's Chapel, Morpeth, is built of stone, in the Norman style ; the 

 architect is Mr. Terry, of London. 



Liverpool. — In consequence of the great increase of traffic on the North 

 Western line, the company contemplate pulling down the present terminu 



at Lime-street, with all its appendages, and erecting another upon a scale of 

 magnitude equal to the requirements of this leviathian establishment. To 

 effect this object it has become requisite to remove about 430 feet of the 

 Edge-hill tunnel, at the extremity adjoining the station, and to excavate the 

 solid rock for a considerable distance at either side. Even the space thus 

 cleared has proved inadequate ; and it is contemplated to remove the church 

 near Rupert-street, London-road, and on its site erect carriage-sheds, and 

 other appropriate buildings. The church, which is a handsome edifice of re- 

 cent construction, will be replaced by another to be built at the expense of 

 the company, in the most suitiible position that can lie found for the purpose. 

 The architect of the company hes been requested to furnish plans and esti- 

 mates for the new station, with a view to the immediate prosecution of the 

 works upon the necessary act having obtained the sanction of parliament. It 

 is supposed that upwards of two years must elapse before the works can be 

 completed, and that the cost will exceed 300,000/. It is also proposed to 

 construct a tunnel from Lime-street to Wapping, for the purpose of convey- 

 ing goods from the docks. 



It is reported that the Wellington Statue will be placed in the open 

 space between the Horse Guards and the enclosure iu St. James's-park. 



The Great liritain. — The attempt to construct a breakwater to defend 

 this vessel have totally failed, and she has recently suffered such additional 

 injuries that the engines and masts are at length about to be taken out. 



Sewers. — It is stated that there are 30 miles of sewerage in London. 



Electric Telegraphs in London. — Pipes containing wires, communicating 

 with the Southampton Railway telegraph, are in the course of being laid 

 down in the Kennington-road. These pipes are put about 18 inches below 

 ground, and run beside the foot pavement. They will be continued to 

 Charing-cross and the Royal Exchange. 



Brighton. — A new infirmary has been erected at Brighton, for diseases 

 of the eye. Tlie architect appears to have been afflicted wilh an opthalmic 

 disease himself, or else to have bcea desirous of bringing custom to the in- 

 stitution. The architecture (!) follows the approved fashion of sticking the 

 imitation of the portico of a Greek temple on to the front of a modern 

 square-built dwelling-house. 



Sherborne Abbey C7iMrc/i is to be restored under the superintendence of 

 Mr. Farcy, who proposes to remove the galleries, itc. 



Croydon Atmospheric Railway. — A correspondent of Heparath's Rail- 

 way Journal slates that this railway will be converted into an entirely lo- 

 comotive line. 



South Devon Line. — It is said that the repairs of the breaches made by 

 the sea, and the defences against future injuries, will cost £100,000. 



The North British Line hds again been seriously injured by the sea. 

 An embankment at Lamberton, within a few yards of the sea, has fallen. 



On the Chester and Holyhead lineaUo great injury has been done by the 

 sea ; a great part of the sea-wall at Penmaenmawr has been washed away. 

 Why are railways built close to the sea ? The engineer must have some- 

 what of King Lear's madness, who 



*' Conteiitling with the fretful elements, 

 Bids with the wind blow the earth into the sea." 



The Barrentin Viaduct of the Rouen and Havre Railway has been re- 

 built in a substantial niinner. Il is 100 feet high, and 1,500 feet long, and 

 has been completed in the short space of six months. 



Cilasg-ow Cathedral.— It is very gratifying to learn that this edifice is 

 being restored. The Scotch possess so little good architecture that they 

 should take care of what they have. 



Accortling to the Edinburgh Register, a corps of surveyors is now en- 

 gaged in the trigonometrical survey on Ben Nevis iu Scotland, where they 

 have a theodolite, constructed by Ramsden, 3 feet in diameter, with S mi- 

 croscopes, reading to tenths of seconds ; and by which, with the aid of sun 

 mirrors on distant mountain tops, it is expected that observations may be 

 taken at a distance of 120 to 150 miles. 



Eton Ciiltege Chapel. — The great east window is being filled with 

 stained glass. The Marchioness of Lothian has contributed the glass for 

 one compartment, and the boys for three other compartments. 



The Cambridge Botanic Gardens. — The vice-chancllor planted the first 

 tree on the 2ud ultimo. The Cambridge Chronicle says : '' Twenty men 

 are actively engaged in deeply trenching and leveling about seven acres of 

 the ground, intended for the imniediaie recepiion of as many of the princi- 

 pal groups of the larger descriptions of trees as can be procured before 

 winter. The curator, who is zealously superintending the work, has found 

 both the depth add quality of the soil much superior to what he had anti- 

 cipated: and he considers even the poorest portions, towards the south- 

 west angle, perfectly suitable to certain tribes. The gentle undulations 

 over the whole twenty acres, and the introduction of a large sheet of 

 water, where the depression is greatest, will tend greatly to break what-' 

 ever of formality it may be necessary to observe in the scientific grouping 

 of the various objects that are cultivated in a botanic garden." 



Covent Garden Theatre. — The whole of the interior of this theatre be- 

 fore the curtain, from the ceiling to the foundations is to be taken down, 

 and the area of the pit considerably enlarged, consequently a larger num- 

 ber of boxes will be obtained, of which there will be five tier, the greater 

 part of them being private. The stage will also be advanced considerably 

 before the curtain ; there will likewise be several other alterations for the 



