!3G 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[A PHIL, 



REVIE'WS. 



Bombay Cotton, and Indian Railways. By Lieut. -Col. C. \V. 

 Gb.vnt, Bombay Engineers. Loudon: Longman, 1850. 



It seems hard to say that this book is a good one, and that we 

 set ourselves against it; and yet it is wliat we are bound to say. 

 (Jolonel Grant advocates a liiie from Bombay by I'oona, in pre- 

 ference to that by the Malsej Ghaut: but we withhold ourselves 

 from ffoing into that, for though the fight may seem to be about 

 one Ghaut or another, in truth, the whole business of railways ia 

 AFestern India is at stake. 



The great evil hitherto has been the standing still: the govern- 

 ment have at length been got to give leave for something being 

 done: and it would be nothing short of madness to ojien the busi- 

 ness again. The government are bound to the Great Indian Penin- 

 sula Company, and a line has been laid down for the Malsej Ghaut; 

 and now, after so many years lost — aye, even this year lost— a 

 beginning must be made. It may very well be said that the line 

 by the Malsej Ghaut is the worst that co\ild be chosen; but it has 

 been chosen, and we must stand by it. Tlie Colonel says — 



" Sera nunquam est ad boiios oiorea via:" 



but though it may never be too late to mend, we must say this 

 time, it is never too early to begin. Already, a Hindoo king has 

 undertaken a tramway from Baroda to Tankaria Bunder; and once 

 get a railway going, other kings and other monied men will be 

 brought to take a share in carrying out Indian railways. If the 

 Colonel be followed, we shall have, as before, several years lost; 

 and what may be the end no one can tell. Perhaps his railway by 

 the Bliore Ghaut might go on — perhaps, after all, that by the 

 Malsej Ghaut would stand good: hut what is most likely, railway 

 men in England and India would be so sickened, that no money 

 would be forthcoming. 



What was to be looked for has happened; once hold out a hope 

 of railways for India, and every one wishes to have them in his own 

 neighbourhood, and nowhere else, if he can help it. Col. Grant 

 speaks out for Poena, one of the greatest towns in the west — the 

 next to Bombay, and, as it may be said, the first step inland. 

 We think there ought to be a Bombay and Poona railway — we 

 strongly believe tliere will be one; but nevertheless, we do not 

 wish the Malsej Ghaut line to be stayed to forward a railway to 

 Poona. Indeed, we believe the making of the Malsej Ghaut line 

 the best way f(^r hastening one to Poona. Colonel Grant himself 

 throws some light on this. Make the Great Indian Peninsula 

 Railway, and a Poona line will be made. If, indeed, the business 

 be oiiened afresh, and Poona should win the day, still five or six 

 years will go by before anything is done; whereas, if the Great 

 Indian Railway be opened in that time, such a start will be given, 

 that railways must be made to Poona, and wherever they are 

 wanted. 



Colonel Grant is a man of high standing, and of great know- 

 ledge, and has fought vvell for his side; but we shall neither step 

 in for bim or against him. We shall leave Mr. Chapman, the 

 founder of the Great Indian line, to answer for himself and his 

 undertaking. All we care for is, railways for India; and that we 

 think is best got by upholding the East Indian and Great Indian 

 Peninsula Railways. Holding back, as we do, from the Colonel's 

 plan, we must not be misunderstood, and thought to withhold our 

 meed from his book. It is one of the best which has been written 

 on Indian railways, and one our engineering brethren ought to 

 read, as the writer having a deep knowledge of what be is about, 

 has thrown great light upon it. He is wholly for cheap works and 

 light engines; and he goes at some length into the details of build- 

 ing and working, not being one of those who pull down without 

 setting up something in its stead. His is a book, indeed, which 

 upholds the credit of the Indian engineers, and shows how ready 

 our eastern bretliren are to keep up their professional knowledge, 

 and carry out everytliing which is new and good. 



^^'hat Colonel Grant says when writing about cotton, will be 

 read with some interest, as showing the great income got from the 

 water-ways of India. Colonel Grant himself shows how cheaply a 

 water-way could be made in Guzerat, between the Taptee and the 

 Nerbudda, so as greatly to f urtlier the growth of cotton ; though, 

 as the Malsej Ghaut Railway has been put forward as a cotton 

 railway, the Colonel, on behalf of the Poona people, wishes to show 

 that the great cotton field is not inland, but in Guzerat. After 

 all, he allows that railways would do some good for cotton. 



The Geoyraphy of Great Britain. Part I. England and M'ales. 



By G. Long, SI..V., and G. R. Porter; the Statistical Division 



by Hyde Ci.aukk. London: Baldwin, 1850. Octavo. 



An exceedingly cheap and perfect work, containing a complete 

 physical geography and political topography of England and 

 \V'ales. It is of great consequence that an engineer should be 

 acquainted with the physical geography and geology of a country, 

 more particularly of that one of which he may be an inhabitant. In 

 this work the rivers, valleys, mountains, and other physical charac- 

 teristics are fully described. The climatology of the country has not 

 been forgotten, and several interesting tables are given. The im- 

 portance of this suliject has been recently impressed on our readers 

 by a writer in tlie .Journal. Each county, with its principal places, 

 is described with great clearness, while at the same time a full de- 

 scription of the trade, antiquity, and population of each place is 

 given. 



We cannot speak too highly of the statistical portion, which 

 contains a com|)lete view, in a condensed form, of the whole body 

 of statistics relating to England and Wales, brought up to the 

 present time. The population of every town, including all the 

 new ones, is given, which is very useful. The ordinary returns 

 merely give that of the parisli, which is generally of no ser- 

 vice, it being very different from the actual town population, which 

 is what is required for statistical purposes. Every department of 

 trade is attended to, the imports and exports of every article being 

 mentioned, with the number of persons employed. The number 

 of professional men returned for England is 1 17,697, architects and 

 engineers bearing the respective proportions of 1,458 and 828. 

 The index is well arranged, wliich is a point of considerable mo- 

 ment in a work of general reference. 



Suggested Legislation., with a View to the Improvement of the Dwellings 



of the Poor. By G. Povlett Scrope, Esq. M.P. Loudon: Ridg- 



way, 1849. 



Mr. Poulett Scrope has distinguished himself by the promotion 

 of practical measures for the benefit of the working-classes, and 

 particularly with regard to dwellings. Certainly, one of the first 

 things to be done is to have good house-room for the whole people, 

 and It is quite within the power of our lawmakers to do this, if 

 tliey honestly wish it. Brick, stone, and lime are to be found all 

 over the land; there are workmen enough; and, so far as that goes, 

 a palace might be built for every one in England. There is the 

 same plenty of material for schools and churches. There is no 

 industrial stumbling-block. 



Mr. Poulett Scrope proposes three measures — First, to exempt 

 small tenements from rating; next, union rating; and third, 

 facilities for granting cottage sites. The first has become a 

 purely political discussion, and is beyond our bounds; the next 

 may be considered a measure affirmed by the common wish, and 

 on its way to accomplishment; the third is a step which nothing 

 but the blindness of lawmakers can long hinder. 



At length the duty has been taken oif bricks, which will do 

 something for carrying out Mr. Scrope's wishes; and we have great 

 pleasure in congratulating the profession on the putting-down of 

 this hurtful tax. Not only was it a hindrance in the way of enter- 

 prise and of art, but it kept thousands out of employment. It 

 will be none the least benefit from getting rid of the excises on 

 bricks and glass, that a gi-eat field of employment has been opened; 

 and the next steps ai'e abolition of the taxes on paper, carriages, 

 and men servants^all of which, instead of being levied on luxury, 

 are in truth levied on industry. The trade of eariage-building 

 however high it stands in this country, is much kept down by tlie 

 taxes on carriage-owners, to the great loss of masters and 

 workmen. 



Architectural Sketches — Italy (drairn on the spot hy the AuthorJ; 



comiirising Villa Outlines. Doorways, Gateways, Sfc. By T. C. 



Tinkler, Architect. 



We presume from the title that it is Mr. Tinkler's object to give 

 other illustrations of his architectural tour, besides Italy. The 

 present part contains many designs of interest; but we would 

 suggest to the author, as there are so many in(iuirers into authori- 

 ties for Italian villa architecture, that it would add much to the 

 \ alue of the work if more details were given, and, in some cases, 

 plans. 



