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THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



[Dec. 



convenience and comfort of the public who patronise the Italian Opera, 

 one will be to make a carriage drive under the grand portico in Bow- 

 street. When finished the interior will have a magnificent appearance. 

 These extensive alterations are entrusted to the directions of Benedict 

 Albano, Esq. 



NOTES ON FOREIGN WORKS. 



The Royal Foundry and Machine Munufaclury of Munich, — Amongst 

 the great works executed of late at this establishment, are ihe statues for 

 the great fountain on the Freiung-square, at \'ienna. The middle part of 

 the fountain, constructed of large-grained granite, will be surrounded by 

 five statues, 8 feet high, — the Danube, represented by a female, which, 

 with afar-reaching look and placid countenance,seein3to contemplate the ex- 

 panse of that river; the Po, as the guardian of Italy, is represented with 

 a key in her hand; the Elbe, and the Vistula. Ou the summit of the work 

 appears the figure of Austria, a proud, sublime, stately figure, but unfor- 

 tunately represented with the attributes of strife and conleation — the spear 

 and shield. — The four statues for the Jubilee column at Stuttgart, repre- 

 senting allegorically the four estates of empires — warriors, teachers, 

 traders, and producers, have been cast from the models of Professor 

 Wagner, at Stuttgard, whose thoughtful and delicate style is generally 

 admired. — The Huskisson statue at Liverpool, and that of Charles John, 

 King of Sweden, for Norkorssing, have given general satisfaction. The 

 prepartions for the casting of another portion of the statue of " Havaria" 

 causes great excitement; it is the largest ever executed in ancient or mo- 

 dern times. The upper part is already cast. — The plaster of Paris model 

 of the statue of Bavaria, for the triumphal arch in the Ludwig Strasse, is 

 now exhibited in the royal foundry, previous to being cast. With flowing 

 garments and an onward look, she firmly grasps the reins of the four lions 

 which draw the quadriga. This work was designed by 31. de 'Wagner at 

 Rome, by whom, assisted by his pupils, the model has been made. Beside 

 the royal establishment, the iron foundry and machine manufactory of M. 

 Mallei is next to he adverted to. Here, on a most extensive scale, the 

 forging and casting of large works of art and utility are carried on, 

 amongst which, some huge staircases and sepulchral monuments of Gothic 

 style are conspicuous. The ornamented pieces for the inner roof-work of 

 the round arches of the Munich canipo santo (cemetery) are also cast 

 here. 



The Munich Art I'nion seems to have fallen into au egregious 

 error. As many persons of the middle classes have joined it lately, the 

 committee, thinking, probably, to do them a piece of courtesy, have made 

 the subject of the members' plate, as general and every-day a thing as 

 possible. It is not the aim of Art Unions to keep art continually on the 

 same level, still less to debase it ; on the contrary, it is the elevation of art 

 and public taste which is their chief and legitimate province. So, after 

 all, the above may be considered anything but a compliment, for which, at 

 least, it seems to have been intended. The subject, therefore, for next 

 year's prize plate is yet under contention. 



Mountain' Itclieio Exhibition at Munich. — The well-known engineer and 

 geographer, JI. Stoltz, has lately exhibited his relievo of Hohenschwangau 

 in the couservatorium of the Topographical Bureau. It renders one of 

 the most interesting parts of the mountains of South Bavaria wiih a cor- 

 rectness, which only repeated barometical admeasurements and the survey- 

 ing of every detail could effect. The relievo of Tegernsee made by M. 

 Slollz previously, and on a larger scale, is equally interesting to the geo- 

 grapher and geologist. 



Restoration of Ancient Cayials in Russian-Caucasia. — The Russian Go- 

 vernment have very praiseworlhily begun the restoration of those canals of 

 irrigation, which furrow the whole south-eastern portion of the trans-Cau- 

 casian provinces. Most of these canals were constructed by t!ie kings of 

 Armenia, and subsequeutly by the shahs of Persia and the sirdars of 

 Erivan. The origin of some is even ascribed to the great historical mo- 

 narch of ancient Asia, Semiramis, amongst which is one called Sbamiram. 

 What must have been the fertility of these countries — of which, however, 

 history has preserved no record — may be guessed from the fact, that in one 

 district of Kriven alone, there are to be seen 148 canals of great extent, 

 which were the source for the further finding of 384 secondary branches. 

 But Ihe greatest part, and amongst theui the very largest, present but a 

 heap of ruins: which, however, by their stupendous development, attest 

 the fertility and population of these now almost deserted steppes. All 

 this, war, rebellion, and oppression, have swept away. Governor-General 

 Prince Woronzotf is said to consider the re-construcliou of these ancient 

 canals as a favourite idea, which would do au immense good to the inha- 

 bitants of Russian-Caucasia. 



The «t'H' Hacen of Swinemiinde on the Baltic. — The Prussian Govern- 

 ment is using great exertions for making this the " Havre of the North." 

 The Oder has been corrected and regulated, and the harbour laid out and 

 enlarged with great judgment, and at a great expense. The situation is 

 very felicitous, as Berlin can now be reached in y hours, Copenhagen in 

 18, and St. Petersburg in 48. The number of vessels frequenting the har- 

 bour has increased during the last year to 1500, mostly English, with 

 coals, ^S:c. 



Ancient Roman Canals. — ^The ingenuity and sucess of the Romans, not 

 only in works of art, but also in objects of general utility, has lately become 



more apparent by the discovery of some canals io the famous Pontine 

 swamps, used in ancient times for the drainage of this now unhealthy and 

 barren country. According to the opinion of experienced engineers it 

 will require but little trouble to put them in complete repair, and make 

 them again available for the purpose which they served 2000 years ago. 



The Coal Mines o/ Hungary. — Coal has lately risen into great import- 

 ance in Hungary, by the inlroduction of extensive steam communication in 

 that country. The quality of coal in the Banat is said to be equal to the 

 best English. For the purjiose of properly opening the coal mines of 

 Oravilz, Geilislz, &c., an under-shaft is to be constructed, which will 

 extend to the great length of 2,G0O fathoms. For ensuring a proper venti. 

 latiiin, this tunnel will be 18 feet high, and occasion an expense of half-a- 

 million of florins : hut, when finished, will yield a yearly produce of two 

 millions of chaldrons of coal. But for ascertaining positively, whether the 

 seams of coal retain their size and quality down to the required depth, 

 gigantic pits will be sunk in the Slewendorf mine, and coal and rock 

 raised by steam engines of proportionate magnitude. For obtaining an 

 easy outlet for such a mass of mineral, a railway will be constructed from 

 Oravilz to the Danube. The iron works in these distant parts of Eastern 

 Europe will receive a great impulse, as an astonishing number of rails is 

 now in demand. Forges and tilt-hammers on a large scale will enliven 

 those hitherto inactive and unproductive countries. 



Restoration of the Harbour of Marsala, Sicily. — This harbour, one of 

 the finest and best situated in that island, is to undergo a thorough restora- 

 tion, by the voluntary contributions of the inhabitants of Marsala and some 

 of the English houses engaged in the wine trade. An engineer has lately 

 arrived to make the necessary surveys. The harbour is so tine, that the 

 Arabs called it Mars-Allah (tJod'shaven), but John of Austria had it 

 filled up after the battle of Lepanto. These obstructions removed, Mar- 

 sala will double its commerce. 



Neu- System if liriitge Construction. — At the late Exhibition of French 

 Industry, at Paris, i\l. Neville's model of a bridge, upon a new system, 

 attracted much attention. The Belgian government has since taken up 

 the subject, and experiments were made ou Ihe North Line. Two loco- 

 motives and their tenders were placed at the disposal of M. Neville, of 

 Ihe enormous weight of from 30,000 to 32,000 kilogrammes. They were 

 made to pass the bridge, side by side, first at a slow and then at a rapid 

 speed. The experiments, several times repeated, afforded the greatest 

 satisfaction, as these heavy masses produced very little fiexion in this 

 comparatively slight structure ; indeed, the flexions of Ihe bridge, with an 

 opening of 72 feet, did not exceed, even at the greatest speed of the en- 

 gines, more than J inch in the middle. M. Van Esschen, engineer of the 

 government railways, was under the bridge, to measure tJie flexion ; and 

 the persons on the bridge stated that the vibrations during the speediest 

 transit were nearly imperceptible. 



Steamers on the Caspian Sea. — Since July last, two iron steamers, of 100 

 horse power each, jierform twice a month Ihe journey between Astrachan 

 and Baka, which occupies only two days. Thus, a person may now go 

 from the Caspian to St Petersburg in 1.5 days. A railway, only for horse 

 power, has also been opened between the Don and the Wolga. 



Castle Wartiurg, Sa.re Gotha. — This castle, once the abode of Martin 

 Luther, is undergoing a thorough renovation by order of the hereditary 

 gland duke of Saxe Weimur. It is, after all, no easy task to restore such 

 a huge building, erected at various periods of remote date — to pitch at the 

 right ideas of the original builders, to omit nothing essential, and to pro- 

 duce a harmonic whole. This diflicull task has been confided toM.de 

 Quant, architect to the court of Prussia. For the sake of obtaining a 

 correct idea of all the slriictures which have existed on the spot, the vari- 

 ous foundations and walls have been laid open by extensive excavations. 

 What has been already found is of great value and beauty. The middle 

 fajade of the court or square of the castle presents three stories of arcades, 

 in the Byzantine style. A large quantity of rubbish and ashes of former 

 conflagrations has also been removed, and several rows of Byzantine co- 

 lumns of good proportions, have been discovered on the ea=teru wing, and 

 which will, when restored, exhibit a finer appearance than the mure mo- 

 dern ones, as they are higher and of more slender modules. All the 

 buildings which surround the large court are cow exposed, and present 

 a very dilfereut front and position than has been hitherto supposed. A 

 staircase, hewn in the main rock, has also been discovered, leading to the 

 baths of the ancient landgraves. The apartments of the landgravines ap- 

 pear to have been under ground, but are of large and fine proportions, each 

 supported in the middle by a column, with a very fantastic capital, like 

 those in the Remter, at Mareinburg. Some parts of the castle stdl appear 

 as they did in olden times, as, for instance, the bauqueting hall, which is 

 adorned with portraits of former markgraves and landgraves. Close to it 

 is the armoury, filled with figures of knights, on foot and on horseback. 

 It is to be remarked, that permission has been gi\en to inspect the castle at 

 all times, so that visitors are even occasionally admitted to the rooms which 

 the hereditary grand duke and his guests occupy — a liberality, after all, 

 only possible in a small 'lud nut over-crowded town ol Germany. 



Kaulhach's Cartoon for lite Berlin Museum. — This latest work of the 

 great master has been exhibited at Munich, and is of the sire of the pic- 

 ture of the Destruction of Jerusalem, by the same artist ; but the work 

 itself will be still larger. It is the first of a series of six pictures for the 

 same royal esiablishinent, and represents the '■ Division of nations at the 

 buildiug of the Tower of Babel." German periodicals expatiate much on 

 the coincidence of the ideas of the artist with those of the modern German 

 school of philosophy, and quote Schilling to prove the beauiy of a car- 



