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And first I submit, that, however complete and efficient those Government establishments may be which produce our iron ships, our guns, and our rifles, and admitting the importance of maintaining their efficiency, it would be a mistake to extend their use so far as to cripple individual enterprise, and, by excluding all competition from without, to leave them no rivals now, and no assistants in time of need. By such competition many valuable inventions have been pro duced already, and may be expected hereafter; and the encouragement which Government can give by the employment of the best private manufactories will stimulate improvement, distribute and extend the employment of labour, increase the productive energies of the country, and enlarge their own sources of supply, to any extent which sudden emergency may require. In the next place, it must occur to many, that while great defen sive works have been carried out at Portsmouth and Plymouth, some of our other dockyards and arsenals are left comparatively unprotected, as well as the Thames, the Mersey, the Clyde, the Tyne, and other rivers leading to rich towns, docks, and shipping, and to many great establishments which are or might be made supplementary dockyards and arsenals, and the destruction of which, apart from any direct injury to the public service, would be a terrible public calamity. The Thames, especially, offers the greatest temptation to any hostile fleet, which, even for a few days, might gain possession of the narrow seas. And, if forts are to be built at any of these places, may I suggest the inquiry whether it is necessary that they should be calculated to resist a long siege, and be of such size as to absorb for their defence a large number of men, or whether, as a general rule, it would be suffi cient for them to be of small size, and capable of offering resistance to a sudden attack. I do not presume to give an opinion upon this subject, but the great power of our railway system, by which a large force not only of soldiers, but of labourers, might be concentrated rapidly upon any given point, would seem to indicate that any hostile attack, unless made with overwhelming numbers, to be successful, must be so in a few days. Our Navy for some years past has been in a transition state, but perhaps the time may have arrived when the classification of ships for all the various services may be considered; and if so it may be de sirable to settle in the first instance the type best suited for our coast defence; and when this is done, no time need be lost in producing such a number of that type as would strengthen us at the most vital points, and give us the mastery along our own shores. But the instinctive feelings of every Englishman call for the establishment and maintenance of a navy sufficiently strong to defend not only our coasts, but our colonies and our commerce; and the Government which would set itself at once to answer that call, would 1 believe, command the support of the majority of the patriotism and intelligence of this country, and would at the same time bring comfort to thousands of deserving workmen and their families now suffering in grievous want. In conclusion, let me express my earnest hope that the future of this Institution may be as useful and as prosperous as its first half- century has been. Our limited vision cannot trace the new paths which Science may open out, or the new purposes to which engineers may have to apply the powers of Nature; but I feel assured that this Institution will supply men of character and intellect, equal to every occasion, and who will join in the Defence of our country, by con tributing to her moral and material greatness, leaving England’s future with reverent confidence to the Great Source of all Power and all Intelligence. PROPOSED SCHOOL OF ART AT BOMBAY* By W. Burges, F.R.I.B.A. About the middle of the year 1865 I received a letter from the Secretary of the Bombay School of Art requesting me to prepare a design for a building capable of ’accommodating that institution and its staff of professors. Enclosed was a series of very able and complete memoranda, written by Mr. Terry, the acting superintendent, minutely stating the accommoda tion required for the various departments. At the same time I was informed that these memoranda were simply to assist, and by no means to fetter me, in the use of my discretion. However, upon investigation, I found Mr. Terry’s scheme so very much to the point, and so admirably adapted to the climate, that I could hardly do better than carry it out, with such slight modifications, as my experience dictated. At the same time I thought it only right to make an examination of the Schools at South Kensington, but I found that both the building in question and its mode of lighting were utterly unsuited to a tropical climate. Upon the latter point I naturally fell back upon the mode of excluding the superfluous light and heat, as practised in the larger public buildings in Italy and the East; * Read before the Royal Institute of British Architects, December 1S67. while I should also express my obligations to Mr. Roger Smith, who kindly gave me the benefit of his experiences acquired in Bombay a short time previously. As regards the choice of a style of architecture, I was care ful to select one which, without entailing any difficult stone cutting, would admit of much or little ornament, and, above all, present those broad masses and strong shadows which go so far to make up the charm of Eastern architecture. The style of the end of the twelfth century appeared to fulfil these con ditions better than any other, and to assimilate more with'Eastern architecture, while it still retained a well-defined European character. It is true that the climate demanded certain modi fications, which have been carefully adopted. Thus, the roof assumes a flat pitch, to suit the native tiles ; the eaves project very much, to shade the upper part of the building; all the exterior openings, doors, windows &c., termmate in flat lintels, so that blinds can easily be suspended, and the sun-light pre vented from entering; and where the main walls are not protected by an external corridor, thick perforated slabs of stone have been employed instead of windows. The style adopted is one which also presents the advantage of permitting a large proportion of the ornament, e. </., that upon the strings, labels, and abaci, to be omitted in the present instance, and supplied, gradually as funds come in, and as the pupils attain the requisite skill. The proposed site consists of an irregular quadrangle, measuring about 450 feet from the north to south, and 320 feet from east to west, the main road running along the eastern boundary. The plan of the building may briefly be described as consisting of a centre with two projecting wings, and an external staircase in the front; while at the back arc sundry workshops, partially connected with the main building. The whole edifice is raised a considerable distance from the ground in order to obviate the damp of the rainy seasons, and advan tage has been taken of this arrangement to form terraces all round. The rest of the ground is to be devoted to botanical gardens for the use of the students. A continuous pent roof runs above the principal entrances, projecting sufficiently to protect carriages that might have to remain any time, from the effects of the sun. Some of the modifications of the architecture demanded by the peculiarities of the climate have already been stated, but there are one or two others which demand some attention. Thus, all openings are reduced to their smallest dimensions, in order to exclude the light. By means of the system of external corridors none of the rooms, except those at the ends of the wings, receive direct light. Wherever it has been pos sible, the doors of the various rooms have been placed opposite one another, to secure a thorough draft of air, except on the south side. There is a space in the roof above the top story, which space is ventilated from the caves by large openings on either side. The Eastern tradition of an unbroken roof has been preserved, the requisite variety in the sky line being obtained by the domical roofs of the turrets and great stair case. The ground plan affords the following accommodation :—In the centre is the hall, which connects the front and back corri dors. The porter’s lodge is situated under the great staircase, and on the right of the hall is placed the general office. The rest of this floor is occupied by rooms for the accommodation of the various art industries, such as silver workers, stone and wood carvers, lithographers, and wood and copper engravers. These all communicate with the front corridor, so as to be easy of access to visitors. On the contrary, the press-room and the room devoted to glass painting are placed in the rear. The more dirty industries of modelling and casting in plaster form a communication between the main building and the smithy, the latter being a circular-domed building somewhat in the shape of the Mediaeval kitchens ; it is divided into three unequal parts, one of which is the smithy proper, and the others are appro priated to kilns for fireing glass, burning terra cotta, or making plaster of Paris. For the sake of coolness and for the prevention of sound, the ground story is proposed to be vaulted throughout. Access is procured to the other floors by means of five staircases; viz., one large external staircase in the middle of the main building for the use of visitors, two inside lateral ones for the students, and two angle-winding ones for the servants. The great external staircase has been designed upon the model of the celebrated