green matter.' It is very possible,' adds Carus, to whom I am indebted for a knowledge of this fact (see Taylor's Scientific Memoirs, vol. i. p. 233.), 'that the quicksilver, on account of its property of counteracting production, may destroy or prevent the infusorial fermentation, as it has been called.'

The timbers near the basement of a house, if prepared by Kyan's process, will not, I think, generate that green matter, which is at once unsightly, and, by keeping up a perpetual dampness, injures the wood, and the health of those who dwell in the lower floor of a house.

"It is also worthy of mention, that the bilge-water appears to remain sweet in ships built of prepared wood.

"Holding the question of the preventive power of Kyan's plan to be settled in the affirmative, as far as the dry-rot, in the strictest sense of the term, is concerned, it may be proper to adduce some proof of its preservative effects against insects and fungi. Mr. Curtis, the distinguished author of the 'British Entomology,' has informed me, that since palings of prepared wood have been used in the Regent's Park, he, can no longer find those insects which formerly abounded there. Farther, the Rev. Miles Berkeley, author of that part of Smith's English Flora' which treats of fungi, and who publishes Fasciculi of Dried Fungi, in illustration of that volume, having been annoyed by a fungus called Thelephora puteana springing up in a cupboard, which it rendered constantly damp, he applied a solution of corrosive sublimate to the woodwork; and so effectual did the application prove, that he cannot now procure a single specimen of that fungus, though it would be invaluable to him for the completion of his work.

"Having the evidence of so many different individuals in favour of this plan, none of whom have any pecuniary interest in its being adopted, we must either question their competency to judge of its merits, or admit its validity; since we may well ask

-'Or how, or why,

Should all conspire to cheat us with a lie?""

We have given these ample extracts from Dr. Dickson's Lecture by the doctor's permission; and we have only to add, that an appendix of twenty pages contains a number of documents from different well-known practical men, all in favour of Kyanising. In our opinion, there cannot be a doubt of its efficacy to a certain extent; but how far that extent goes, the experience of future years must determine. One thing we must caution our readers against; which is the practice of Kyanising logs or planks before cutting them up, and supposing that they have obtained all the benefits of the process. With equal propriety might they paint a log, and then after sawing it up for use, consider the articles formed of it as painted. Such a mode of Kyanising or painting is obviously merely throwing money away; we know wood is frequently Kyanised in this manner by persons in the neighbourhood of London; and when, in a few years, the articles formed of wood so treated begin to rot, this will be attributed to the inefficacy of the process. Before any piece of wood is Kyanised, it ought not only to be cut up into the form required, but even to be planed, when that process is considered necessary, before being sent to the Kyanising tank. It is a great mistake, in our opinion, to suppose that the Kyanising process penetrates further than a few lines

below the surface even of the softest wood. The very circumstance of the corrosive sublimate forming a hardened insoluble compound or surface casing to the wood, a few hours after its immersion, is sufficient to prevent the fluid from penetrating to any great depth; and we can easily conceive a log of soft wood Kyanised, and rendered hard and durable on the outside, while, in the interior, the process of decay was going on. This happens every day with green wood, which has been coated over with paint before it was thoroughly seasoned. In our opinion enough has not been said in Mr. Dickson's pamphlet, or in Dr. Birkbeck's lecture (see Vol. II., p. 236.), on this part of the subject. It is for the permanent interest of the Kyanising Company, to make it clearly and distinctly known to the public, that the wood to be Kyanised ought to be worked, and reduced to the form in which it is finally to remain, before it is put into their tanks. If this be not done, the process of Kyanising may, and probably will, fall into disrepute in the course of a very few years.

ART. III. The Churches of London: a History and Description of the Ecclesiastical Edifices of the Metropolis. By G. Godwin, Jun., Associate of the Institute of British Architects; assisted by J. Britton, F.S.A., &c. Nos. 7, 8, 9, and 10.

We noticed in p. 341., with due commendation, this excellent and very cheap work. No. vII. contains two copper-plates and two wood-engravings of the Temple Church, with the concluding part of the letter-press belonging to that church. No. VIII. contains two copper-plate views and one woodcut, of All Hallows Church, Barking, with the letter-press describing that curious monument of antiquity. No. 1x. contains two copper-plate engravings and one woodcut of St. Andrew's Undershaft, with the descriptive letter-press; and No. x. contains two copper-plate engravings and one woodcut of St. Bartholomew's, Threadneedle Street, and one woodcut of All Hallows, Bread Street, with the accompanying letter-press. On the wrapper of No. IX. is the following notice :

"In reply to the enquiries of some correspondents, the author of the present work assures them, that he intends to give accounts and illustrations of all the churches which are strictly within the limits of the city of London: i. e. from Temple Bar, west, to Bishopsgate and Aldgate, eastward, and from Goswell Street, north, to the river Thames, south; and he calculates that the whole will not exceed thirty-six numbers. He hopes to bring them into thirty numbers, by uniting the accounts of two or three churches of minor interest. On no subsequent occasion will one subject extend through two numbers." And on the wrapper of No. x. the following:

"The descriptions of St. Paul's Cathedral and the Temple Church had separately (each containing four plates), price 2s. 6d. in boards." VOL. IV. No. 45.

N N

may

be

ART. IV. Ornaments in every Style of Design practically applicable to the Decoration of the Interior of domestic and public Buildings; and intended for the Assistance of the Architect, Builder, Uphol sterer, and Decorator; manufactured in Papier Mâché. By C. F. Bielefield. 4to. 1836.

THE first plate is a perspective view of the interior of the Grocers' Hall, the enrichments of which were executed in papier mâché by Mr. Bielefield. Twelve plates follow of details, which have been modelled for different buildings, and which will be found useful, not only to the architect who employs the papier mâché in decoration, but to young men who wish to store their minds with ideas for architectural ornaments in the classical style. The introduction of papier mâché ornaments in interior deco ration is one of the greatest building improvements in modern times; because it affords the use of ornaments, at a moderate cost, which in plaster would have been enormously expensive.

ART. V. Library Catalogue, and Regulations of the Telford Premiums, of the Institution of Civil Engineers. Pamph., 8vo, 57 pages.

THE principal part of this tract is occupied with a catalogue of the books, drawings, and manuscripts, which form the library of the Institution, and the next contains the regulations of the Telford premiums. These we quote, for the sake of young engineers who may not have an opportunity of seeing the pamphlet, and who may yet be ambitious of competing for some of the Telfordian medals :

"The Council of the Institution of Civil Engineers, considering it desirable that the interest of the Telford Bequest should be distributed annually in premiums, provided objects sufficiently deserving of this mark of distinction present themselves, have directed the following resolutions respecting these premiums to be printed:

"1st. The premiums shall be honorary, or honorary and pecuniary, or pecuniary simply.

"2d. The honorary premiums to consist of a Telford medal struck in gold, silver, or bronze.

"3d. The honorary and pecuniary premiums to consist of a Telford medal and such sum of money as the circumstances of the case may seem to require. "4th. That all communications made to the Institution will be considered as subjects for the premiums, no distinction being made in awarding the premiums, between the communications of Members, Associates, or others in no way connected with the Institution, whether natives or foreigners.

"5th. The Council will not allow exertions in aid of the Institution to go unrewarded; they consider that those who forward the great objects which the Institution has in view as entitled to the marks of distinction which these premiums will confer.

"The following are the premiums which have already been awarded: -To

Mr. Timperly, for his Account and Drawings of the Docks at Hull, a gold medal.* To Mr. Albano, for his Account of the Stone Bridge over the Dora at Turin, a silver medal. To Mr. Barlow, jun., for his Theoretical Investigation on the Form of Lock Gates, a silver medal. To Mr. Gravatt, for his Improvement on the Spirit Level, a silver medal."

"With the view of pointing out the subjects which are considered as peculiarly fitted for communications, the Council have directed the following extracts from the Address of the President to be appended:

"You would be pleased to see, by the Secretary's Circular, that the attendances of last year, the discussions, the communications, the presents received, and the state of our funds, justified the account which was given of the flourishing state of the Institution.

"Since the recess, the first volume of Transactions has been publishedthe copies are in your possession. Thus we are now launched into the public, not of England only, but of at least three quarters of the globe; for our volume is now on the way to America and India, as well as to almost all parts of Europe. As Members of the Institution, as well as individuals interested in the character which the profession of a British Civil Engineer bears, we must not spare any pains to support that character in the public opinion. The Institution existed many years before the first volume of Transactions was published; but that is no reason why so many years, or more than one year, should pass before the publication of another volume, or, at least, part of a volume. The stage of infancy and childhood must be considered as past by publishing, we have announced our Institution as arrived in some measure at maturity; and we must not allow the least appearance of decay or premature old age. We have the means: the will to collect and to communicate is the only thing wanted. The materials are abundant — they are in the hands of almost every resident, who has the charge of a public work or public survey, whether river, canal, railroad, or public building, or who has the opportunity of seeing their working after they are finished. And if gentlemen in such situations, particularly young residents, would impress themselves with the feeling that they ought to communicate their observations, the benefit would be reflective by leading to the habit of recording observations tice most useful for the obtaining of knowledge.+

a prac

"A person qualified to be a Member or an Associate of this Institution cannot possibly visit a public work, or examine the survey of a river, canal, or railway, without seeing abundant materials in the hands of the resident Engineer or Surveyor, for useful practical communications. When urging this, I have frequently been met with the reply that the individual did not suppose such papers would be acceptable. Here is a great mistake. Every new fact, however isolated, is of great value to the Institution, one of the important objects of which is to collect and record facts. And it cannot be too generally known that these will be considered as furnishing most valuable materials for the Transactions. I hope that the volume just published will serve to rectify this mistake, for, on referring to it, it will be found principally to consist of such practical papers; the Council considering these as more desirable for publication than theoretic inquiries, or analytic calculations, though not to the exclusion of the latter. Observations of facts may be considered as experiments on a large scale; they ought, therefore, to be more correct than the latter, and will be so if only carefully made. To make experiments on a large scale is

"The manuscript of this communication is a most beautiful model for imitation,

"The importance of keeping a daily, nay, in some cases, even an hourly journal, cannot be too strongly impressed on the mind of every Engineer; the amount of information which has been lost from the neglect of this practice is incalculable.

often difficult, and so expensive that it can rarely be undertaken, solely for the sake of the experiments: but when the observations are made in the course of the profession, they are the cheapest in the making, and, moreover, the most valuable when obtained. Some, indeed, cannot be depended on, unless made at full size, particularly hydraulic experiments. where, to use the expression one of our Honorary Members, we ought to have a model of the water,' to be correct in experimenting upon it with models: and there is the same objection to all experiments with models, wherever friction is concerned. How valuable, therefore, are observations made in the most simple case, as a foundation for theory! To note the velocities and resistance at different speeds of a boat in a canal, with a section and description of the canal and boat; to register the velocities of a river in different states, with the fall or slope of the surface, and the section in each case, noting also the differences of the velocity be tween different parts of the same section; to observe the actual discharge of sluices under different circumstances, and the work actually done by water; to record the construction, &c., of sea-walls and river and canal banks, and where a failure takes place to enquire into the cause of it is the duty of the person who has the charge of the survey or work, and I hope he will consider it his interest, as well as his duty, to communicate these observations to the Institution.

"The remark has been made, that our first volume contains little or nothing on railways; - this is true; they have formed the subject of many conversations, but we have very few papers upon them. Yet what opportunities have gentlemen had of enriching the Transactions by papers on this comparatively new subject! But it is needless to indulge in these reflections, the harvest is yet to reap and I hope that during the present session we shall have many communications on this important matter to store our next volume: - a report on the construction of the foundation of railroads, particularly in cases of difficulty, or the form, weight, &c., of the parts; and still more, if possible, on the performance of locomotive engines at different speeds and upon different inclinations, the limit of adhesion, the effect of curves, the wear of the parts: - these are but a few of the many points on which information is very desirable. The experiments, probably, have been made, and the results noted, but they remain in the Engineer's pocket-book; not that he makes any secret of them, but because he has other engagements, and does not suppose they are worthy of his trouble in giving, or ours in receiving. This is, as I have said, a great mistake, and forms almost a national reproach. A French gentleman, Chevalier de Pambour, during his stay in this country, made, through the known liberality of the Directors of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway in such matters, a series of experiments, and has alone done more in classing and communicating the results in his excellent publication, than all that had been done before.

"Let it be remembered, also, that we have medals and premiums to adjudge, and that the Council will not allow exertions for the good of the Institution to pass unnoticed.

"I have thought it my duty to say thus much on an important subject, and I hope the Members, and more particularly the Associates who are present, will respond to what I have said by their early contributions.””

ART. VI. Report by a Committee of the Society of Arts in Scotland, on the best Alphabet and Method of Printing for the Use of the Blind. 34 pages, with a large folding Plate. 1837.

THE subject of this pamphlet is very interesting in itself, and does great honour to the humanity of the active members of the Society of Useful Arts, in Scotland. It is a gratifying proof of