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THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECrS JOURNAl. 



LMav, 



divinity, by a secret name, tliat its enemies mif,'lit not be able to 

 divert the divine favour: it is said the secret name of Rome was 

 ^ aleiitia. At the founding of Rome a subterranean vault was con- 

 structed under the place called the Coniitium; tliis vault was filled 

 witli the firstlings of all the natural productions used as food, and 

 with earth broujfht from the native place of each of the mixed 

 jieojile that were to form the future population of Rome. The 

 vault was called Mundus, and was believed to he the entrance-gate 

 to the world of spirits; the door was oi)ened three days in the 

 course of the year, to allow tlie souls of the dead to enter. Lu- 

 cerum, on the Ctelian, supposed toliave been an Etruscan settlement, 

 was first united with the I'alatine; tlien the hill of the Sabines, in 

 early times called the Ai^onian, but afterwards the Quirinal, of 

 which the (apitoline was the citadel. After the rape of the Sa- 

 bines aiul its consequences, when these two cities of Rome and Qiii- 

 rinum had united on equal terms, the temple of tlie Double Jainis 

 was built on the road between the two hills, with a door facing 

 each city; these doors were open during war, that succour might 

 pass between the allies, but closed in time of peace, to denote their 

 being distinct though united. By degrees, as union was cemented, 

 and friendship fostei-ed by intermarriage and a common religion, 

 tlie two cities agreed to have but one king, and one senate, 

 and thus became incorporated. Ancus Alartius built the first 

 bridge over the Tiber, and a fort on the Janiculum. The 

 bridge was a kind of wooden draw-bridge, the Tiber being the 

 great division between Jitruria and the kingdoms of the south: it 

 was not until several centuries after the establishment of the Com- 

 monwealth, when the Roman dominion bad become enlarged and 

 consolidated, that a permanent stone bridge was built. The prison, 

 the most ancient building now existing in Rome, is also said to be 

 of the time of Ancus Martins. The splendour of Rome began 

 "■itli Tar<iuinius I'riscus; under this king the city, with its seven 

 districts, was surrounded by a stone wall. The wall was built 

 along tlie outside edge of tlie Quirinal, Capitoline, Aventine, and 

 Cuelian hills; from the Cffilian it extended to the Ksquiline, where 

 a high rampart, strengthened by towers, was raised from the Esqui- 

 line to the northern side of the Quirinal. This rampart was 50 

 feet in width, and above (ii) feet in height; the moat out of which 

 the puzzolano was dug with which the wall was constructed, was 

 100 feet in breadth, and 50 feet in dejith: the rampart was faced 

 with flag-stones on the side next the moat. Much of the space 

 within the wall at that time (considerably inoie than the usual 

 pomierium) was entirely uninhabited and uncultivated, and might 

 almost appear to have been inclosed in a prophetic spirit, fore- 

 shadowing the increase and glory of Rome. Tlie Viminal, when 

 thus inclosed, was overgrown with osier thickets, and the Esqui- 

 line took its name from the oak-woods with which it was covered. 

 The herdsmen, with their cattle, took refuge within the walls in 

 time of war. These fortifications would seem to imply Etruscan 

 domination; for as Rome was situated at the southern verge of 

 their kingdom, they would naturally make it a stronghold against 

 the southern states; but woulil scarcely have sent Etruscan arti- 

 ficers to an infant city to fortify and adorn it, when it might turn 

 its strength against them as soon as completed — an event which 

 occurred on the expulsion of the Tarquins. That Rome, during 

 the first few centuries, was in itself insignificant, is evident from 

 the fact, that while the Greeks held constant intercourse with 

 Etruria, Rome was scarcely known to them before the time of 

 Alexander the (ire:it. The first mention of the name is found in 

 the writings of Theopompus, who lived in the time of I'liilip of 

 Macedon; and Heraclides of I'ontus, a disciple of Aristotle, mis- 

 takes Rome for a Greek maritime city, and mentions it as being 

 attacked by a fleet of Hyperboreans, instead of by the Gauls. 



It is doubtful whether the erection of the Capitoline temple of 

 Jupiter is to be ascribed to the first or second Tarquin. It was 

 built after the Etruscan manner, though on a more sjilendid scale 

 than usual; for the portico which faced the I'alatine bad a triple 

 row of (columns, while a double jieristyle inclosed the sides: the 

 foundations of the ancient structure are still in existence. A 

 chariot of terra-cotta was ordered to be prepared at Veii, to orna- 

 ment the peiliment of the Capitoline tem]ile. U'hen the chariot 

 was in the furnace, the clay was observed, instead of contracting 

 as usual, to ex])and, so that the workmen were obliged to take 

 down the furnace to get it out. On consulting the augurs re- 

 specting tliis miracle, it was decided that it was an omen of in- 

 creased diminion to whichever city should obtain possession of the 

 chariot. The Veiientes, upon hearing this, determined to keep it 

 themselves, making an excuse that the Romans had forfeiteil tlicir 

 right to it by the expulsion of the Tarquins, by whom it had been 

 ordered. Soon after, a chariot race took place at Veii, wlien, to 



the consternation of the people, the horse of the winner took 

 fright without any ajiparent cause, dashed along as far as Rome, 

 to the foot of the Capitoline-hill, where the charioteer was thrown 

 out and killed on the spot. The people of Veii imagined this 

 catastrophe to be a warning from the gods, and immediately gave 

 up the contested chariot to the Romans, who placed it in triumph 

 on the pediment of their temple. 



The most celebrated of the Etruscan works in Rome, is 

 the great Cloaca Maxima, which pours its river-like water into 

 the Tiber, after draining the Velabrum and the valley of the 

 Cireus, previously an uninhabitable swamp. This great cloaca 

 is composed of tliree semicircular arches, one within the other; 

 the span of the innermost being 1 1 feet, and formed of hewn 

 blocks of peperino, fitted without cement. Another great drain 

 running into it was only discovered in 1742. In short, it is 

 aflirmed by some authors that Rome was subterraneously naviga- 

 ble. Public officers were appointed to keep the sewers in repair, 

 called "Curatores cloacarum Urbis." On the land reclaime<l by 

 means of these drains, Tarquinius granted space for a forum, 

 round which porticoes were erected. He also allotted another part 

 of the redeemed ground for a cireus. The building materials of 

 the Romans at this time, was confined to the peperino of the quar- 

 ries of Alba and Gabii, the tufa of the Campagna, and the porous 

 travatine of the Anio — materials wholly unsuited to decorative ar- 

 chitecture. 



In the year 509, B.C., Tarquinius Superbus was driven from 

 Rome, and the Commonwealth declared. From this time until the 

 commencement of the Empire, the people were occupied with 

 unceasing wars, and no great architectural works were exe- 

 cuted. Soon after the banishment of Tarquinius and his 

 family, Tarquinii, the capital of Etruria, was destroyed. After 

 this the Etruscans gradually lost power and influence, though they 

 preserved their peculiar religious rites till the Christian era. 

 One by one, the great Etruscan cities fell, till the country passed 

 under the dominion of Rome, in the time of Scylla, 90 B.C. 



From the time of its subjugation to the last half century, 

 Etruria was almost a forgotten name. Within the last fe\y years 

 much interest has been excited, and many valuable works written ; 

 and there is little doubt that future research will throw yet more 

 light upon the arts and history of the once refined and powerful 

 Etruscans. 



In my next lecture, I shall begin the history of Greek archi- 

 tecture; commencing with an inquiry into its origin, and the 

 causes of its pre-eminence. 



LIST OP AUTHORITIES. 



Vitrtivius. — History of Rome, Niebuhr.— History of Rome, Dr. Arnold.— Monumenti 

 Etru^chi, Iiitjhirama.— Tour to the Sepulchres of Etruria. Mrs. H. Gray. — History of 

 Etruriu, Mrs. H. Gray. — L'ltalia avanti il rlomiiiio del Romaoi. Micali. — Monumenti 

 inedili, Micali. — Ilescrizione di Cere Antica, Canioa.— Cities and Sepulcbres of Etniria 

 G. Dennis.— Hyjiogei, Byres. 



ON THE EXPLOSION OF STEAM-ENGINE BOILERS. 



Of late years, and more particularly during the last few months, 

 steam-engine boiler explosions, both in this country and in the 

 United States of America, have been of very frequent recurrence. 



The awful sacrifice of human life, and great destruction of 

 pnqierty usually attendant on them, invest these matters with 

 gra\e interest. 



I n the United State.s, high-pressure steam is commonly employed ; 

 essentially so in the steamboats which navigate the Delaware, 

 the Hudson, and the Mississippi. In the United Kingdom, 

 although high-pressure steam-engines arc used, yet the employment 

 of them may be considered as the exception, not the rule. 



Anomalous as it may seem, it is nevertheless true, that explosions 

 of the kind, in this kingdom, more frequently take place with 

 boilers worked either at low, or at moderate rates of pressure, than 

 with those worked at high. We wish particularly to impress this 

 knowledge on the pulilic mind. It is essential to the interests of 

 the community that it should be so. A want of that knowledge, 

 conibiiied with the erroneous opinions which generally prevail on 

 the (Muse of steam-boiler exjilosions, and which attribute such acci- 

 dents, almost universally, to great intensities of pressure of steam, 

 or the liberation of the gases, have, we are induced to believe, 

 been the cause of many such catastrophes. When, therefore, 

 we reflect how im])ortant it is for the proprietor of a steam-engine, 

 as well for his own pecuniary interests as the personal safety of 

 those who are employed by' him, to be acquainted with every 



