General Notices. 



237 



Mr. Austin's Works in Artificial Stone. — Our attention has lately been 

 directed to the many beautiful garden and architectural ornaments which 

 are now on view at this establishment ; and to an important improvement 

 which Mr. Austin has made in the composition of his cement, by which 

 the articles formed in it, he says, become as durable as Dumfries stone 

 (Vol. VII. p. 529. 724.), or indeed, any stone whatever. Mr. Austin par- 

 ticularly excels in his designs for fountains. He has lately erected a very 

 handsome one, supported by dolphins ; and is now engaged on one, a Gre- 

 cian tazzaof no less than 15 ft. in diameter, supported by lions (fig. 42.), 



which would form a noble ornament on a lawn in front of a house. Mr. 

 Austin's flower-stands and mignonette boxes are excellent articles, and ought 

 to come into general use in balconies ; but what we admire most is the 

 almost innumerable variety of his ornamental chimney tops and pots, for 

 cottages of every description, and for Gothic or old English villas. Nothing 

 is more wanted in our rural architecture, than to remove the commonplace 

 appearance of chimney tops. One of the great errors of omission in builders 

 lies in not displaying these characteristics of human dwellings, and one of 

 their commonest errors of commission consists in vulgarising them. If our 

 new Encyclopedia of Cottage, Farm, and Villa Architecture does not effect a 

 great improvement in both these particulars, we shall be very much dis- 

 appointed. — Cond. 



The Camera lucida, the invention of the late Dr. Wollaston, and 

 much improved by Mr. Dollond, is one of the most valuable instruments 

 that can be used by travellers, or tourists, or indeed any persons desirous 



