1846.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



39* 



toon. So far English ait-criticism has not yet provided, and we can 

 merely state that Kaulbach lias represented Ninirod as failing in his over- 

 reaching tendencies, that the people are driven forth from their un- 

 holy occupation — tlie tribes of Sheni, Ham, and Japeth each power- 

 ■fnlly and originally characterised by a splendid force of the crayon. Be- 

 sides this force of the composition, that particular naiveti and sweetness 

 of Kaulbach's works is also difl'used over the whole cartoon — making the 

 beholder long after the coluor execution of such sublime thought. 



The Eitrihquake in Italij. — This phenomenon has now ceased to exert its 

 ravages, terminating with a few slight shocks. According to all experi- 

 ence, such undulations of the soil following a great earthquake, are the 

 last throbbings of the volcaic powers, acting at an astounding depth. 

 Tuscany had been, for ages past, free from such awful catastrophes as have 

 liitely visiied it, and those formerly perceived were only the last eradica- 

 tions of the earthquakes of Sicily or Calabria, whose efl'ects are always 

 felt at great distances. The Gazctta lii F/ieHif has given, of late, an 

 accurate account of this phenomenon, by which it appears that the centre of 

 the movement was the Colline, where it extended over a spaie of about 

 100 square leagues. In the former locality, the large villages of Lorca- 

 zaoa and Orciano resemble places demolished by the battering of cannon. 

 The opinion generally received by geologists since the times of Dolomieu 

 and Bertrand, that earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are contingent on 

 very rainy seasons — the waters penetrating to the lower parts of the earth's 

 strata, being there converted into steam — has not been confirmed in this 

 case, the season having been a very dry one. 



Acuiiemii of Sciences of Paris. — JI. Lerebour the younger, one of the 

 principal mathematical instrument makers of Frauce, has forwarded to 

 the Academy a volume, "On the chemical and apparent area of the ob- 

 jectives of the Dauguerreotype." M. L. states that he has succeeded in 

 making these two areas coincide, and that the instruments which he has 

 invented completely obviate the hitherto definitive coincidence. The 

 Academy considered this a great improvement of the Dauguerreotype. — M. 

 Faye, astronomer of the Paris Observatory, has also sent a memoir, enti- 

 tled" Determination of the* parallax or distance of the Argelander (Ihe 

 star 1,830 of Groombridge's catalogue) from the earth. In this fine essay, 

 M. Faye has well combined theory and practice, and united elevation of 

 mind with minutiie of detail and correctness of observation. The result 

 of his observations makes this star of Ihe magnitude of 1" 06, and at a 

 distance from the .sua of 190,000 middle distances of the earth from the 

 sun j and, at the rate of 75,000 leagues par second, the light would re- 

 ■quire three years to arrive from the Argelander to us. 



Diffusio.i of SulfliUT o-cer t]:e Surface of the Globe. — M. Dumas men- 

 tioned in his memoir, the cascade which the Rio Vinagre forms not far 

 from the volcano of Pareci, in Popanja. The observations of Humboldt 

 and Boussingault have proved that this water contains free sulphuric and 

 hydrochloric acids. An analogous phenomenon are the Lagoni of Tus- 

 cany — those open spiracles of the ground, where aqueous vapours constantly 

 issue, and which contains, besides boracic acid, a considerable portion of 

 sulphuretted hydrogen. Other phenomena of the kind are to be met with 

 all over the globe. Sulphur also holds a great importance in the formation 

 of ail nitrogenous substances, animal and vegetable — constituting about 

 *'"^ ■ro3*h P^ff of their weight. Thus 10 kilogrammes of dried nitrogen 

 matter (which is about the weight of an ordinary sized person) coniain 

 100 grammes. The quantity of sulphur, therefore, which is scattered over 

 the globe, be it in a mineral or organic form, is very great. Messrs. Bel- 

 tield — Lefevre, and Foucault have presented to the Academy an essay on 

 their improvements of the Dauguererotype. " Hitherto— they say — liie 

 merely iodized plates have not been efficient whenever the diverse portions 

 of the object to be represented possess notably difl'erent intensities of illu- 

 mination ; and thus, by the process hitherto pursued, the diflerent portions 

 of the plate could not appear with the tone corresponding to the respective 

 intensity of illumination." The process consists in polishing and iodizing 

 the plate as usual, and then to make it absorb vapours of bromine, three 

 times the amount which has been hitherto considered the maximum of the 

 susceptibility of the plate. 



NEW CHURCHES. 



St. Thomts, Winchester. — This church is nearly completed externally 

 on a scale of great magnificence. The style is Decorated, and the eastern 

 elevation exhibits a chancel and chancel aisles under separa-e gables. The 

 new church has been built upon high ground, and its spire will have a very 

 striking effect. The old church of St. Thomas having been found inade- 

 quate for the wants of the parishioners, the new edifice is to supply its 

 place. 



Christ Cliurth, Portswouii, SotUhamplon. — Messrs. Brandon are the ar- 

 chitects of this church, which is in the Decorated style, and consists of a 

 ch«icel without aisles, and a nave with aisles, and a clerestory of quatre- 

 foil windows. 



St. Mark's, Sui'idon. — The Great Western Railway Company have 

 built and endowed a handsome new Church. The architect5|are Messrs. 

 Scott and Moffatt. It is gratifying to find a work like this entrusted to 

 architects, who, we know, generally prefer real to showy architecture, and 



are incapable of using papier mache, or stucco, in the decoration of 

 churches. The present edifice consists of a chancel and sacristy on its 

 south side, a nave with aisles, a porch on the south side, and B tower and 

 a tower and spire on the opposite side. 



WaHin^ford. — The Chapel of St. .John the Evangelist has been conse- 

 crated by the Bishop of Oxford. 



Seer-Gre2n, Bucks. — The recently consecrated church has been built by 

 Mr. Deerson, in the early English style. The extreme length including 

 the chancel, is 80 feet, the bell-turret is GO feet high. The church is fitted 

 with open seats throughout, and will accommodate 200 persons. 



Chantrey, Somerset. — The Church of the Holy Trinity is another of the 

 works of Messrs. Scott and Molfat, and comprises a nave with a porch on 

 its south side, a chancel, sacristy, and bell-tower. The style is decorated 

 All the windows are glazed with painted glass, by Mr. Wailes. Th 

 seats are of oak, uncontaminated by varnish, the pulpit is of stone, thb 

 chancel is paved witli ornamental tiles. There are stalls erected, not 

 merely for ornament, but for actual use by the choir. This church ha 

 been built at tne cost of a benefactor recently deceased. 



St. Edmund's, Vobstor, Wells, is built by Mr. Ferrey in the Decorated 

 style, and consists of nave, chancel, and sacristy, with lean-to roof. 

 There will be neither galleries nor pews in this chapel. 



St. Michael, Bissage, Ghucestershire, is a small structure built by Mr. 

 Harrison in the Decorated style. The western tower will hereafter be 

 crowned by a spire. The chancel is paved with encaustic tiles, and con- 

 tains returned stalls. The pulpit is of stone and stands in the nave. 



Darweston, Blandford. — Mr. Hardwick has rebuilt the church here at 

 the expense of Lord Portman. There is a spacious chancel with an ela" 

 borate timber roof: the pulpit is of carved oak. 



Slert Church having been almost rebuilt has been opened by the Bishop 

 of Salisbury. 



St. Mary's Flint. We regret to learn that this very ancient church is 

 to be pulled down to make way for a modern structure. 



St. Giles, Petsworth is being rebuilt from designs by Mr. Billing in 

 the early English style. The total length including the chancel is 90 feet. 

 Over the porch is the south aisle is a low tower, the roofs internally are 

 open. 



St, Manfs Torquay a very fine Church, by Mr. Salvin. The nave has 

 aisles and clerestory, and the chancel is terminated by an apse. On the 

 south side of the nave is a tower. The eflect of the interior is very im 

 posing, and is not marred by an ostentatious redundancy of ornament. 

 The west window consists of five lancets of which two only are pierced 

 all the glass will be stained. 



St. Paul, Alnwick is another spacious structure, by Mr. Salvin, and 

 is built and endowed by the Duke Northumberland. The style is de- 

 corated. The plan comprises a lofty nave with clerestory and aisles, a 

 chancel with aisles, and a high tower on west side. The east window i 

 filled with flowing Decorated tracery. The stalls in the chancel scarcely 

 deserve their name as they are not appropriated to their apparent use, 

 but are simply superior pews for the Duke of Northumberland's family. 

 When will dukes doff their dignities and privileges at the church- 

 doors ? 



There appear to be about 400 churches in progress throughout the 

 country, and almost every one is built in the style of our national archi- 

 tecture. 



STEAM NAVIGATION. 



The Oriental and Peninsular Steam Naiigation Company. — The two 



new vessels which have been lately added to the Fleet of this Company, the Pottinger 

 and the Ripon, have been titled with steam eugiiurs on the oscillating principle, the laigest 

 we believe that have been as yet constructed ; they are 7G inches diameter and 7 ft. stroke. 

 Letters from the captain and engineer of the Pottinger have been received, the one from 

 Gibraltar, the other from Malta ; they speak in high terms of the performance of the en- 

 gines, she passed through some very bad weatiier between Engl-ind and Gibraltar. The 

 Ripon went to sea without any trial of the engines, and although exposed to the most ad- 

 verse circumstances for new engines, and having had her rudder-head washed otf inthe late 

 heavy gales, there is not under all the trying circumstances to which they have been ex- 

 posed, any fault to be found with her machiney, for, with the ship labouring in an un- 

 manageable state in the trough of a heav-y sea for some hours, the engines were never 

 brought up, and continued to do their work all the time admirably. These satisfactory 

 results prove that oscillating engines of any power may be used for marine navigation, by 

 which there will be a saving in space and weight. 



Tlie Capri and the Vesuvius. — These two new steamers have been built 

 for the Neapolitan Steam Navigation Company, by Sfessrs. Ditchburn and lilare ; they 

 are constructed of iron, and are 18V feet long, and feet beam, and 600 tons burthen, 

 with steam-engines of "J'Jtl horse-power — double cylinder by Messrs. Maud^lay and Field. 

 At the trial of the Capri down the river Thames, at Long Reach, it is stated that she at- 

 tained a speed of 17 miles per hour. The vessel is elegantly fitted up, and promises to 

 be a clipper. 



