98 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[March, 



rendoreJ lockage tinnecessary, and. indeed, roads were unknown, and may 

 be considered as still wanting all over India, excepting our recent military 

 roads. This country presents a vast field for the civil engineer. Of all the 

 canals of modern Europe he would only notice two remarkable instances ; 

 J. Perry, an English civil engineer, was employed by Peter the Great in the 

 beginning of the last century to design and execute several canals, in which 

 the German military engineer (Brockel) who had attempted them, had en- 

 tirely failed ; Perry's designs were subsequently completed by Peter's suc- 

 cessors. The canal of Trolhatta, in Sweden, the difficulties of which liad 

 long baffled the engineers of that country, was finally completed by the skill 

 of the late Mr. Telford, whose engineering resources were equally ilisplayed 

 in the design and execution of the Caledonian Canal. Many remarkable 

 instances of success in making an imperfect river into a good navigable stream 

 might be quoted both in Europe and North America, and which present in- 

 structive instances to the young engineer. The improvement of the river 

 Liiiey at Dublin, and the River Clyde in Scotland are goood examples. The 

 improvement of that vast inl.and gulf, the Shannon, is now in the course of 

 execution, after several years of most detailed and elaborate inquiries, esti- 

 mates, surveys, and careful examination, the accounts of which may be studied 

 with great advantage to both the experienced and young engineer. Upwards 

 of half a million sterling is to be expended on this truly national undertaking. 

 The learned professor then entered intoa long account of the probable original 

 ideas for the application of iron to roads, commencing with the wooden rail- 

 ways used in the collieries on the banks of the Tyne, near Newcastle, above 

 200 years ago, he then showed that the waste of timber led to the idea of 

 covering wood with plates of iron, and ultimately to the present point of 

 perfection — wrought iron rails — the introduction of which into general use 

 does not extend further back than thirty years. 



(To be continued.) 



KOYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS. 

 Jan. 31. — P. Hardwick, Esa. in the Chair. 



A paper by Mr. White was read on Fresco Painting, which will be found 

 in another part of the Journal. 



A paper " On the Vaults of the Nonuick Cloisters," by Prof, Willis, of 

 Cambridge, (hon. member,) was read. The following is an abstract :— 



The cloisters of Norwich Cathedral were begun in 1297, and not completed 

 until 1430. Its four ambulatories represent four successive styles, the con- 

 trast in the details being rendered more conspicuous by the uniformity of the 

 general design, which has been so much respected during the progress of the 

 whole work, that even the isolated shafts, which form the proper muUions of 

 the windows of the thirteenth century, have been continued throughout, 

 contrary to the usual practice of the Middle Ages. The vaultings are similar 

 in the general plan and dimensions on the four sides, but each is distinctly 

 marked with the mode of treatment employed in the successive periods, anil 

 it is to the progressive variations in the form of the spandrils, exhibiting a 

 gradual transition from a square section to a semicircular one, that the paper 

 chiefly referred. In the oldest portion of the work, the eastern compart- 

 ments, the horizontal section of the spandril, taken about half way between 

 the plane of the impost and the crown of the arch, is perfectly square, and 

 this form is more strongly developed — exaggerated, it may be said — by a 

 slight setting back of the ribs between the cross springers and the diagonals, 

 which gives greater prominence and and a more marked expression to the 

 angle of the spandril. In the south walk, the next in chronological order, 

 the intermediate ribs, instead of being set back, are brought slightly in 

 advance of the other ribs. The effect of this arrangement is to give a poly- 

 gonal character to the spandril, which is, in fact, still square in its general 

 form. In the west walk, the polygonal character is fully developed, and the 

 square abandoned, but the angles of the polygon are far from being equal. 

 In the western walk, the latest portion of the work, four centred arches are 

 introduced, and the curves of the haunches being all alike, and the middle 

 section of the spandril circular, the polygon formed by the front edges of the 

 ribs is equiangular, as in fan vaulting. These effects, continued the Professor, 

 may be confirmed by the comparison of contemporary examples, but it rarely 

 happens that they can be found in a series, and in a work of which the uni- 

 formity of design is for the most part preserved ; so that changes of this kind 

 are rather to be regarded in the light of embellishment, or as the moderu 

 improvements of the day added to the original design. Thus it is, that in 

 this respect the cloister of Norwich is so valuable, by enabling us to discover 

 many of those improvements which it is more difficult to pick out of examples 

 complete in the character of their own age. The essay was accompanied by 

 numerous sections, and a table laying down the exact curvature and arrange- 

 ment of the vaults: all the curves are found, in conformity with all that has 

 hitherto been observed on the vaultings of the Middle Ages, to be segments 

 cf circles, and not ellipses formed by projection, according to modern prac- 

 tice, which has, therefore, erred widely in the character of Gothic vaulting. 



This paper forms a sequel to that on the Vaulting of the Middle Ages in 

 general, read by Prof. Willis, at the Institute, on the 5th of July, 1841. 

 (See Journal for Aug. 1841.) 



Feb. 14. — Joseph Kay, Esa. V.P. in the Chair. 



This evening was one of more than ordinary interest, in consequence of 

 its having been announced that the long-desired wish of many members of 

 both the Institute and the Architectural Society for the union of the two 

 bodies would take place. There was a very full attendance, so much so that 

 the room was crowded to inconvenience. The preliminary arrangements 

 having been completed, 32 members and students of the Architectural 

 Society were admitted, 11 as fellows, 8 as associates, and 13 as students of 

 the Institute. The Architectural Society will, therefore, be extinct after a 

 final conitersazioKe, to be held at their rooms in Lincoln's Inn Fields, on the 

 first instant. This union, we consider, will lead to very beneficial effects, 

 and will give a firmer basis to the profession ; so that we hope now that 

 attention wiU he seriously turned towards remedying the evils respecting 

 " Competition Designs," so long complained of. 



ON FRESCO PAINTING. 



A Paper read at the Royal Institute of British Architects, by E. T. Pabris, 



Esa., on Monday, Mth Feb., 1842. 



The application of the higher branches of painting to architectural deco- 

 ration, is a subject in which the members and gentlemen connected with this 

 Institute have taken so much interest, that I need only refer you to the 

 many valuable papers which have been read before these meetings on the art 

 of polychromy, the works in the Vatican, and others relating to painting, all 

 tending to prove that such embellishments are considered by the profession 

 as essential to architecture. 



The liberality of the council, by their invitations, show the earnest desire 

 on their part to promote the permanent union of architecture, sculpture, and 

 painting, and is, I am sure, fully appreciated by my brother artists, and everj 

 visitor present, as well as myself. 



I have, therefore, endeavoured to collect together a few remarks founded 

 on my own practice, in the hope they may assist in restoring that confidence 

 so essential on both sides in carrying out great works. 



It will be remembered that in 1821a new ball and cross was placed on the 

 summit of St. Paul's Cathedral j and as the interior was intended to be 

 cleaned, the question was much agitated respecting the paintings in the 

 dome, by Sir James Thornhill. It was stated publicly that the expense of 

 raising a scaffolding would be so great that faint hopes were entertained of 

 its being effected ; I immediately turned my attention to the subject, and 

 contrived an apparatus for the purpose of getting at the paintings. The 

 model remained by me until 1829, when Mr. R. Cockerell, desirous of 

 seeing the paintings cleaned and restored, submitted the model, in the 

 most liberal manner, to the Dean and Chapter, introducing me at the 

 same time as the inventor ; the apparatus was considered adequate to the 

 purpose, and my estimate for restoring the whole of the painting, gilding, 

 &c. above the whispering gallery was JEIOOO, and no charge for scaflblding ! 

 but this sum was too large, and the plaster has been dropping from the wall 

 ever since — (it had then decayed above five feet all round the dome)^and I 

 am certain that in a few years the whole of the brick work will be exposed. 

 What could II. M. the King of Prussia think on entering our metropolitan 

 cathedral ? It may be readily imagined that the hope of employment on 

 such a work, excited the liveliest enthusiasm, and I lost no opportunity of 

 devoting every spare moment to experiments on stuccos and cements, as I 

 fully expected on touching the plaster the greater portion would come down ; 

 my intention was, in that case, to propose the restoration and painting to be 

 done in fresco, it having been originally painted in oil. Perhaps there are 

 many gentlemen present who visited Rome from 1820 to 1825, and they will 

 remember that Cornelius, Overbeck, Veith, &c., then were employed by 

 Chev. Bartholdy to paint his villa in fresco. The attempt to revive this 

 method of painting was considered an experiment, and the English patrons 

 and artists looked on, talked about it, but did nothing; one gentleman, an 

 architect and member of this Institute, in the most laudable manner tried to 

 engiaft it in this country, and had a large surface covered for that purpose in 

 the Catholic Chapel in Moorfields. 



The result of my experiments at that time, with much practice on large 

 works since, together with the attention I have recently given to this sub- 

 ject, emboldens me thus to lay before you the following observations. I 

 shall first endeavour to explain the diflferent ways of using colours in paint- 

 ing, and offer my opinion as to the best appropriation of each to its particvUar 



