tom rail need not have any fastening farther than being overlaid, as the bottom end of the post (being fast in the ground) could not be moved aside.

Barnsley, April 13. 1834.

ART. IX.

Architectural Maxims.

IF Blank Windows are ever allowable in original compositions, it can only be where they form a part of a system of windows. To introduce them where they form no part of such a system; that is, where there are no real windows at all in the elevation, as in the exterior elevation of the Bank of England, and in the front of the National Gallery at Charing Cross; is contrary to every sound principle of architectural composition.

Pediments. There are few things more objectionable in Grecian or Roman architecture than that of placing a pediment where it could not, by any possibility, be on a large scale the end of a roof, or on a small scale the protection to a door or a window.

Imitation and Invention. Architecture, as an art of mere imitation, may be judged of by rules and precedents; but as an art of invention, it must be judged of by general principles. In imitating an old castle, priory, or abbey in a modern villa, all the peculiarities, and even faults, of the originals may be copied, in order to keep up the illusion; but, in composing an original design in the castle or abbey styles, the general forms, details, and manner of composition, require only to be attended to.

REVIEWS.

ART. I. The Civil Engineer and Machinist: Practical Treatise of Civil Engineering, Engineer Building, Machinery, Mill-Work, Engine-Work, Iron-Founding, &c. Designed for the Use of Engineers, Iron-Masters, Manufacturers, and Operative Mechanics. By Charles John Blunt and R. Macdonald Stephenson, Civil Engineers, Architects, &c. Division I., containing Boulton and Watt's Portable Twenty-Horse Steam-Engine complete.

ACCIDENT prevented our obtaining a sight of the first division of this magnificent work, in time to give it such a perusal as would enable us, in the present Number, to place it in a clear light before our readers, and to aid them in forming a correct notion of its peculiar merits. A cursory glance at its contents, however, is abundantly sufficient to warrant our high commendation; and to elicit a strong desire that the public may, by liberal support, encourage the authors to proceed with profit, as well as pleasure; for sure we are, that nothing short of the pleasure of producing excellence could have induced them to incur so much labour and risk as are evident on the face of this publication. From our hasty inspection, it appears that Boulton and Watt's 20-horse steam-engine is accurately delineated; that the details are correctly given, and with a minuteness that must delight every person seeking sound information on the subject. We confess that we have repeatedly seen the prospectus of this work stitched up in the numbers of some of our scientific journals, and we felt it as obtruded upon our notice by some determined book-maker; but we passed it over as another of those traps with which we have before been caught, and induced to part with our money, and waste our time, in the endeavour to pick out a few grains of corn from among a large quantity of chaff. Our satisfaction is indeed great at finding ourselves so agreeably disappointed, in observing that the performance exceeds every thing that could be expected from the promise. We purpose, in our next Number, to enter more minutely into the particular merits of this highly useful work, a division of which, it is announced, will be published every six weeks, price one guinea; a sum very moderate indeed, for twelve folio engravings, besides letter-press descriptions. Nothing short of an immense sale can remunerate the proprietors. — C. C.

ART. II. Journal für die Baukunst. In zwanglosen Heften. Journal of Architecture. In Parts, published occasionally. By Dr. A. L. Crelle, Royal Prussian Architect, and Member of various Societies. Vol. VII. Part I., with 6 Plates. 4to. Berlin, 1833.

DR. CRELLE is considered one of the most scientific architects in Germany, and he is at the same time a man of letters.

He can hardly be said to be in much practice as an architect, though he enjoys the situation of president of the architectural council, or, as we should say, board of architecture, of his Prussian majesty. We intend to give an account of all the principal articles in the six preceding volumes of Dr. Crelle's work; not only for the gratification and instruction of our readers, but to show them that the literature of the architecture of Germany is much more copious than that of England.

Art. 1. in Part I. of the seventh volume, now before us, is entitled, "Some remarks on fire-proof stairs," by M. Engel, a Russian architect. The author proposes to include the stairs in a square tower, with a small well-hole, or square in the centre. This would give, to form the central well, four piers, which are to be connected by arches in the direction of the stairs. These arches are to support, in common with the side walls, the steps composing the stairs. Such staircases are to be met with the Old Town of Edinburgh, and in Paris; and in various stone-built towns on the Continent. In this country, the surrounding piers, walls, and arches might all be built of brick; and the steps over the brick arches formed of artificial stone. Art. 2. is the description of a floating sluice in North Holland, translated from a French work. Art. 3. is the description of a Dutch causeway, made with clinker bricks; a kind of road very common in Holland. This paper, and the preceding one, are rendered very plain by excellent engravings. The fourth article is on paper roofs; of which it appears that there are a number, both in Russia and Sweden; and, according to a note by the editor, also in Germany. Art. 5. is entitled "The Church of Kraschen, with some remarks on the style of the middle ages in church building," by M. Rimann, architectural surveyor at Wohlau, in Silesia. This article is illustrated by some engravings; which we intend to have copied; and we shall give them, along with the translation of the article (to us the most interesting one in the part), in a future Number.

ART. III.

Catalogue of Works of Architecture, Building, and Furnishing, and on the Arts more immediately connected therewith, recently published.

BRITAIN.

GOTHIC Ornaments, illustrative of Prior Birde's Oratory, in the Abbey Church, Bath. By Edward Davis, Architect, Bath. No. 2. Imp. folio. London, 1834. 58. 6d.

The engravings in this second number are still better executed than those in the first. They are as follows:- 1. A panel or compartment, filled with a flower. 2. A finial, or upper canopy, forming a corbel. 3. Part of a cornice, with the frieze beautifully covered with foliage. 4. Part of a transom, with one of the heads, from the lower compartment of a window. 5 Bosses (small projecting ornaments, like rosettes), from the exterior.

A Series of Original Designs for Shop Fronts, forming a Collection suitable to Persons connected with the Practical Part of Building. By Henry John Whitling, Architect. 4to. London, 1854. 12s. 6d.

In the preface, the author states that his object, in submitting this work to the public, is, "to demonstrate the practicability of producing, in shop fronts, an effect of a pleasing and appropriate character, without resorting to that ultra system of decoration, which at present so extensively prevails in the metropolis." As a work of art, his book, he says, has no pretensions whatever; his objects being cheapness and utility. There are twenty-two plates of eleva tions, most of which are plain and neat, and three of sections of the pilasters, cornices, and entablatures. There is one trifling objection, which we have to most of the designs, which is, that at the ends the cornices are generally returned. Now, as any one may observe, when walking along the streets of London, and as our correspondent R. has pointed out (p. 113.), these returns can seldom be carried into execution, without disfiguring the elevation. A much better plan, we think, would be, to finish the entablature against a block, in the manner shown in fig. 53. p. 116.; or in any analogous manner, so that each design might be completely independent of that adjoining it, with respect to execution. With this correction, the work will be useful to builders and carpenters. We do not like the half and three-quarter columns stuck on as mere ornaments, and we think young architects ought to have courage enough to reject all such prostitutions of one of the noblest features of architecture, and genius adequate to finding an unobjectionable substitute.

FRANCE.

Le Père la Chaise, ou receuil de plus de 150 desseins au trait des principaux monumens de ce célèbre cimetière, avec leurs échelles de proportion. Par Quaglia, ancien peintre attaché à l'Impératrice Joséphine. Paris, 1834. 12 francs.

Tarif des Prix des Ouvrages de Bâtiment. Paris, 1834. 1 tom. 12mo. 3 francs.

Par un vérificateur expert.

Constructions de Charpentes. Par Krafft. Renfermant des planches relatives aux travaux maritimes et navigation; écluses de toutes grandeurs, vannes, caissons pour la construction des vaisseaux, docks, claire-voies jetées, digues et murs de quai, machines pour couper les herbes et nettoyer les canales, &c. 28 plates, with explanations, forming one vol. folio. Paris, 1834. 36 francs. This is evidently a very important work; the machine for cutting the weeds of and cleaning canals, is probable that of Bétancourt.

Traité de l'Art de la Charpente. Par Krafft. Carpentry and Joinery, as applied to the interiors of houses. 31 plates, and detailed descriptions. Folio. Paris, 1834. 24 francs.

Construction des Bútimens et d'Habitations en Charpente. Par Krafft. 82 plates, with explanations. Folio. Paris, 1834. 54 francs.

Art de la Charpente. Par Krafft. Contenant plus de 500 modèles de ponts tournans, ponts de bateaux, ponts levis à coulises et à bascule, machines à épuisement, batardeaux, pilotis caissons, grues, &c. One vol. imp. folio; 65 plates, with explanations. Paris 1834. 48 francs.

Krafft, as will be seen by our Paris letter, died lately.

His works, the

most valuable of which are enumerated above, are in general estimation throughout the Continent.

ART. IV. Literary Notices.

MR. COTTINGHAM is about to publish some prints of his restoration of Armagh Cathedral.

Ferrey's Christ Church, Hampshire, will be out about August 10.

Mr. W. Billinton, architect and civil engineer, Wakefield, is publishing by

subscription, a south-west view, 21 in. by 16 in., of the parish church of All Saints, of that town.

The following Works have just appeared: — Clark's Plans, Elevations, Sections, and Details of Eastbury House, Essex, in large 4to; 21. 2s. Blunt and Stephenson's Civil Engineer: Division I., The Steam Engine, 12 plates, ll. 1s. Lockwood and Cater's Ancient Gates and Fortifications of the City of York; royal 4to, plates; 18s. Dodd's Mechanics for Practical Men; 8vo; 7s. 6d. Pugin's Fourth Part of the Second Series of Gothic Examples; 17. 1s. J. Weale. Architectural Library, 59. High Holborn, July 12. 1834. Ram Raz on Hindu Architecture; 4to, with numerous plates; 17. 11s. 6d. This work, which is very curious and interesting, we shall review at length, in our next Number.

MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE.

ART. I. General Notices.

DYEING Maple or Satin Wood with Cochineal.-I observe, in a London newspaper, a notice of the invention of a mode of embellishing maple or satin wood by dyeing it with cochineal. This is an old Swedish practice. In that country they use knotty pieces and roots of the birch, which they appear to plane with a plane which is not very sharp, so as to throw up the fibre more in some places than in others: they then dip these thin boards into dyes of various kinds; and, as the raised fibre imbibes colour faster than the smooth cut parts, a delicate variety of tint is easily produced. The boards, when dry, are smoothed and varnished, and make very beautiful furniture.-J. R. Edinburgh, Feb. 8. 1833.

A Cock for Boilers, in Kitchen-Ranges of a superior description, is mentioned p. 46., and the following is a description of it, taken from the Repertory of Arts,

117

vol. i. n. ser., p. 154. Fig. 117. represents a section of the cock, and the other parts connected therewith: a is the plug; b, the hot-water passage; c, a pipe connected with the hot-water passage; d, coldwater supply pipe, leading from a tank or reservoir, whence the supply of water to the boiler is obtained: the pipe d leads to the cold-water passage e, and thence to the water passage f, when the plug is turned for the purpose of withdrawing hot water. Fig. 120. is an end view of the cock, which shows the hotwater passage, and also two cold-water supply passages. Fig. 118 shows the plug separately, with the hot-water passage a, and cold-water passages e and f. Fig. 119. is a section of the cock for the purpose showing the cold-water pasages c. and f. These three