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841.] THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 141 NEW AND USEFUL INVENTIONS, No. 3. By Philotechnicos. (With 8pages of Wood Engravings.) Having been prevented from continuing the series of papers which I had commenced in some of the early numbers of the Journal, and having been advised by some of my friends that notices of this kind were not only of value to the profession, as pointing out many things highly useful to them, and well deserving of encouragement, but also to the student and inventor by keeping a record of the attempts of others, I have been induced to resume my peripatetic exertions. My object being to bring before the world not only present scientific novelties, but many valuable inventions, which either lie dormant or are comparatively unknown, from their merits not having been suffi ciently brought before the public ; it is my intention to continue my visit to the studio, the workshop, and the manufactory, to search out and bring to light what I consider deserving of the patronage of the profession, at the same time that I rely upon their assistance to enable me satisfactorily to carryout my inquiries. Any communication there fore on these subjects, forwarded through the Editor of this Journal, I shall be happy to receive, so as to make this series of papers an in teresting and valuable record of the meritorious exertions of ingenious individuals. From my present notes, I have contributed this paper, in which, if I have only been able to do justice to the labours of one, it must be remembered that it is not subjects which are wanting, but space. Austin and seeley’s artificial stone-works, new road, regent’s park. The excellence of the composition, the symmetrical forms of the many elegant vases and tazzas, the well modelled and numerous architectural ornaments at this establishment claim particular attention. Those two noble vases the Borghese and Medici have been restored from the originals to their full size, and while without serious alteration they have been so managed as to pair together. The noted Warwick vase reduced to half the original size, and several others from the antique, are good specimens of the material and workmanship of this manufac tory, in which may be found vases of all sizes and design, from the chaste Greek to the overwrought Maltese, many of which from their moderate cost may often be introduced with advantage. The several fountains exhibited display, great taste and ingenuity; combinations of tazzas, dolphins, shells, and foliage, are cleverly con trived, with many beautiful devices for jets d’eau, which bv their in troduction will give great interest to the garden or conservatory, and tend much to enliven the scenery. Tazzas in gardens may be used for gold and silver fish, and serve as reservoirs for watering the garden. Much labour might be avoided if water were laid on to pedestals placed in several parts of the garden, and furnished with stop-cocks and flexible tubes concealed in them ; the tube may be furnished with jets and roses for watering the plants with greater facility, and for the sake of ornament, a vase or figure should surmount the pedestal, and render it a pleasing object. Where a fountain is desired and water No. 44.—Vol. IV.—May, 1841. scarce, it may be so constructed as to use the same water over and over again, by raising it up into a vase or reservoir by a force pump hidden in the pedestal, or should there be a running stream in the neighbourhood, a small water-wheel or hydraulic ram might be applied by which the water can be raised to almost any height. The hydraulic ram is frequently used to force a portion of the waste water back again to the reservoir, which it will do by self-action. Most of these con trivances may be seen in action, Mr. Austin having well studied this interesting branch of his business, and expended great time in perfect ing it. The architectural ornaments consist of a variety of Gothic finials, pinnacles, crosses, panels, fonts, traceries, parapets, copings, and other decorations. The commissioners for building new churches might with advantage pay a visit here, and be convinced that ornament and econo my may be combined, when they see that by the introduction of arti ficial stone, they W’ould be enabled to enrich their buildings and avoid that barn-like appearance of many of the modern churches. To eccle siastical buildings where repetition of ornament is so frequent, Austin and Seeley’s artificial stone is well adapted, and has been applied with great success ; its appearance, although only half the cost, is nearly equal to stone, and in point of durability.far surpasses the softer kinds, aud it is only equalled by the best Portland. All the dressings might be of this material, while by the building being faced with patent pressed malms in lieu of the frigid looking white bricks, now fre quently used, a more cheerful appearance might be obtained and some architectural character. There are many other ornaments suitable for building purposes, such as balustrades, columns, gate piers, porticos, brackets, trusses, &c., in all styles. The chimney-shafts are of great variety, and I would here beseech the architect to turn his particular attention to this subject, and to use his utmost exertion to reform those miserable looking spe cimens of ugliness, chimney pots, that now too frequently figure on the tops of houses, being usually of a most common place form, and as much disconnected from the style of the building as the figure of Nel son would be from a Corinthian column. They ought to be designed for what they really are—terminations to the building—and conse quently finished as a sort of capping to the chimney shaft, and have some decided connection therewith. Such the Italians generally considered them, and thus has Mr. Barry very judiciously intro duced them at the Reform Club House, where the chimney shafts are surmounted by a projecting cornice supported by trusses, and form truly ornamental objects, adding to the effect of the building rather than detracting from it, as in too many cases chimney shafts and pots usually do. Thus utility is reconciled with ornament, without any at tempt to disguise what all the world knows to be connected with the greatest comfort in the house. The flat roofs, floors and steps exhibited at these works deserve inspection; the front yards have been excavated, and workshops formed below the surface of the ground, and covered with this mate rial, the lightness and strength of which is astonishing. The terrace roofing is laid with plain tiles in three courses, and rendered on the top, to the thickness in all of about four inches, carried over by arches slightly cambered springing from small brick piers, and tied by light iron rods, which form their chord line. These flats have an immense weight upon them, and are each, as it were, in one piece, having no perceptible joint, by which they are made completely water tight, at the same time that they can be easily cleaned. It may be well to re mark that many flats have been formed of cement and tiles, and after wards condemned as not being impervious to wet, this is, however, for the most part, a mistaken notion—it is true wet frequently makes its appearance, and is often seen dripping from the ceiling, but this almost invariably is caused by condensation—particularly over stables where the vapour, arising from the horses put in warm, ascends to the ceiling, is immediately condensed and falls in large drops. This may be avoided by firring out the ceiling, or laying the flat upon joists, and lathing and plastering the underside. Tombs and monuments, with a variety of cinereal urns, are among the other objects of art, Mr. Austin being seemingly as desirous to provide for his dead customers as for his living ones. Many of these memo rials of the dead are well adapted to produce an effect in those ex cellent establishments, the cemeteries, which are now being formed in all parts of the neighbourhood of London. I hope the day is not far distant when that disgusting and unnatural custom of burying in towns will be entirely dispensed with, as many of the churchyards have been proved to emit a vapour destructive to animal life, and to be the cause of much disease in densely peopled neighbourhoods, they are more over most distasteful in their appearance, having their monuments and head and foot stones jumbled up together in heedless confusion. An English church-yard which ought to be the pride of the parish, parti cularly of the clergy, is mostly a jumble of broken stones, stiff graceless W