480 Calls at Suburban Gardens. 



it has long been a prevailing opinion that water was conducted by that 

 people in open channels only, or by means of pipes of wood or earthenware. 

 The contrary, however, proves to be the fact, for specimens of Roman 

 leaden pipes are now to be seen in the Museum of Natural Philosophy in 

 the University of Edinburgh. (Jam. Jour., Dec. 1827. p. 201.) 



Inventor of serpentine Rivers. — Christopher Wren, chaplain to King 

 Charles I., dean of Windsor, and father of Sir Christopher, the architect, 

 claimed the origin of serpentine rivers as his invention. In a marginal note 

 affixed to Sir Henry Wotton's Elements of Architecture, published in 1624, 

 he says, "For disposing the current of a river to a mightie length in a little 

 space, I invented the serpentine, a form admirably conveighing the current 

 in circular and yet contrary motions upon one and the same level, with walks 

 and retirements betweene, to the advantage of all purposes, either of gar- 

 denings, plantings, or banquetings, or aery delights, and the multiplying of 

 infinite fish in a little compass of ground, without any sense of their being 

 restrained. In brief, it is to reduce the current of a mile's length into the 

 compass of an orchard." 



Art. X. Calls at Suburban Gardens. 



Battersea Nursery, January 8. — This is a new establishment by 

 Mr. Russel, chiefly for the propagation] of ornamental shrubs, showy 

 flowers, and green-house plants. He has built a green-house, seed- 

 room, and dwelling-house. The green-house is heated by a smoke flue, 

 composed of tubes of stone ware, of his own invention, and which are 

 made at a manufactory for this sort of ware at Battersea. The section of 

 these tubes exhibits a square with an elliptic top ; they are in lengths of 

 2 ft. with a shoulder at one end, and a rebate at the other, for the purpose 

 of being neatly fitted together. The thickness of the material is 1^ in., 

 and the clear width within 12 in. by 8 in. In the middle of the bottom of 

 each length is an opening, 6 in. by 4 in., for the purpose of putting in the 

 hand and a brush for cleaning the flue ; a cover fits this opening very accu- 

 rately, and is kept in its place by a small cross-bar of earthenware. Mr. 

 Russel values a flue constructed of this description of tubes, for the neat- 

 ness of its appearance, and for the ease with which it is heated, and con- 

 sequent rapid effect in raising the temperature of the house. He has had 

 much experience at Kew, and other places, in managing hot-houses, and 

 has often found the greatest inconvenience from thick brick flues on the 

 old plan, when the weather has suddenly changed during the night. At 

 Kew he has had thirty fires to attend to at one time ; and sometimes, in 

 consequence of a sudden change of weather, to light the green-house fires at 

 ten o'clock at night. Although the furnaces, fuel, and flues were good, no 

 exertion on his part could bring the house up to a proper temperature in 

 less than two or three hours ; but, with his own stone ware tubes as flues, 

 he can raise a green-house to the required heat at any time in fifteen 

 minutes. He approves highly of the mode of heating hot-houses by 

 hot water, but very properly states that, in the case of green-houses, 

 some inconvenience will be found when a sudden increase of temperature 

 is required, in consequence of the slowness with which water is heated, and 

 gives out its heat. Mr. Russel thinks that tubes of stone ware, of the same 

 material as his flue tubes, might answer very well for circulating hot water ; 

 he has some experiments with a view to that end in progress, and has pro- 

 mised that we shall hear from him again on the subject. 



