The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-08-24 00:00:00

THE BRITISH PRESS.

THE CUSTOM-HOUSE.

As the whole foundation of this building has to be laid
anew, it has been propped up at every part, and we might
almost say, suspended on shores. Most of the business of
the Customs, except that transacted in the Long Room, is
still carried on here ; and const quently the shores and
walls have an immense weight lying on them. It is plain,
if the walls were not equally supported in every point, they
would bulge out, and the ruin would be more than ever
disastrous. Stout planks, therefore, placed wit, ndicularly
against the wall, are fitted to it, at a distance from one
another of six, eight, or ten feet, as circumstances require.
These are connected together by planks or beams, and
against them the shores are fixed at two or three points,
being connected with one another like the joinings of a roof.
The shoring may be described as an open wooden case or
frame, of prodigious strength, for the whole building, fixed
to the ground at the distance of thirty feet from the wall,
by timbers projecting diagonally from it. It is a piece of
carpentry of no ordinary ingenuity and skill.
The principal excavation has the appearance of a ditch
20 feet wide, extending from the wall outwards, laying it
bare to its foundation, and carried completely round the
building. It is not dug out in the whole extent at once,
hut in portions, the foundation being successively renewed.
As this flitch is sunk, it is necessary to carry the propping
of the building bekw the surface of the earth. Strong
timbers are accordingly fastened against the side of the
ditch, being connected by cross pieces, with other strong
timbers affixed up against that part of the wall from which
die earth has neat removed. They form a second, but
shorter case or frame, enclosing the lower part of the
building, being supported against the side of the ditch.
It answers the double purpose of keeping the loose earth
from crumbling down, and of giving support to the build-
ing. The ditch is sunk at present on the whole of the
west side, and on a great part of the north side, several
feet below the foundation of the brick walls, which are
thus completely exposed to view. After the ditch is sunk
as low as is necessary, further excavations are made at
right angles with the ditch, directly under the walls of the
building, and extending below them, from six to nine feet,
till the workmen reach a solid bottom. These excavations
are made six or eight feet apart, about the same width,
and extend six or eight feet on each side, or within and
outside of the wall. When they are sunk as low as is
necessary, the piles of the old foundation and everything
down to the solid gravel is removed. They are then
filled up, and others made; so that every part of the
earth under the walls is successively removed to the
extent of nine or twelve feet, and the place it is taken from
filled up with more solid materials. Nor is this confined to the
exterior wall of the buikling. Every pert of the cross-
walls; every cellar wall is dug unlit r in the same manner,
and the place afterwards tilled up. So complete is this part
of the work, that it has at times been possible, during its
progress, to walk across from the north to the south front,
under the brick foundations of the building ; and most of
the rubbish from the excavation begun on the outside of
the exterior walls has been taken up within. The earth
dug out, after penetrating below the walls, is found in
many places to he little better than loose util, and appear-
ing not to have tenacity enough even to give stability to
a pile.
The filling in of the excavation*, just described, tech-
nically called grouting, we believe, is not the least cu-
rious part of the process. Dorking lime, pounded and
sifttil, is carried down below in bags; it is there mixed with
clean gravel or shingle; water is added, and a sort of
mortar formed, which speedily dries, and becomes,
when dry, a species of agglomerated rock. In feet,
there is reason to believe that some of the rocks on the
surface of the earth, which consist of similar ingre-
dients, have been formed by a natural process, similar in
principle to the artificial one described. Its result is, that a
foundation of artificial rock, of a considerable width, is
made for every part of the building. On it flag atones are
laid ; pegs, or stout pieces of timber, four feet long, are
fixed on these stones, and under the wall of the building,
which is carried downwards, widening as it descends to the
flag stones. All this new brick work is laid in Rotnatt ce-
ment. Thus a new, wide, and solid foundation of brick-
work, united with the old walls, is laid on a basis of arti-
ficial rock. A more apparently secure foundation we have
rarely seen ; and .we should suppose that it is quite im-
possible any part of the building should hereafter settle.
The work is already far advanced, and it is said, though
this can hardly be expected, that it is to be corpletesl
by Christmas. The new foundation of the east wing is
completed ; that of the front next the river is almost done.
The excavations and fillings in of the west wing are going
rapidly forward, and the ditch has been (lug along the
greater part of the north front. The foundations of the
centre, the part which gave way, are all finished, and the
cellars and King's IVarehouse,with the Long Room above,
will be supported on numerous iron columns. The floors
of this part of the building, so confident is the architect in
the foundations, are to be vaulted as before, but
the arches are all to be of cast-iron. Every part, in-
deed, of the new work, seems to.be of great strength and
solidity. The flat uniformity of the front next the river
is, we observe, to be relieved by a portico, but it is yet too
little advanced to entitle us to hazard a conjecture as to its
architectural effect. Ott the whole, the underpinning of
the Custom-house was a very bold and even hazardous
attempt ; but the very complete manner in which it is
executed fully justifies the architect.

There has lately been dug up in a field in the neigh-
bourhood of Gravesend, a small brass coin, of Crispus
Ceesar, who reigned about the year ws. On the obverse
is the head of Crispus, round which is " Crispvs Nobimp"
—on the reverse is an altar, on which is " Votis XX"—
round it is " Matrapolitan'—in the exergue is " P. Lon."
indicating that it was struck at London. It is a very in-
teresting coin, and amongst antiquaries will be deemed a
great relique.
LEIPSIC Faia,—Three hundred and ninety-one book-
sellers met at the last Easter fair at Leipsic; and two
thousand three hundred and seventy-four new works, writ-
ten in the German or in the ancient languages, sufficiently
proved the prodigious activity with which the sciences are
cultivated. To these must be added atlasses, romances,
dramatic pieces, musical compositions, &c., making the
whole number amount to two thousand seven hundred and
forty-nine. Among the most remarkable philological pub-
lications were the Analecta Literaria of the celebrated Pro-
fessor Ilusehke: Ilermann's Treatises; Observations by
the same learned writer on the Greek inscriptions published
by Bockli ; Suvern's Remarks on the Clouds of Aristo-
phones ; Wullner's Treatise on the Epic Cycle; that of
Monk on Potnponius, &c. Of the archeological works,
Gerhard's Collection of Antiquities; a Treatise by Kose-
garten on the Egyptian Papyrus; and another by Franck,
on the Philosophy and Literature of the Ilintloos,—were
the most distinguished. The other sciences also received
numerous valuable contributions.

Scca ENGIN Es.—Mr. Gurney, in his engine and
steam-carriage, has completely attained two good objects;
he has simplified the steam-engine to one-fifth of its com-
plex inaThinery, and he has rendered steam of 80 pounds
to the inch as safe as the boiling over of a tea-kettle.
These new engines will, it is farther stated to us, cost about
one-half the expense of any of the others; a boiler on the
new construction will weigh only 4 cwt. whereas on the old
plan it would weigh 4 tons; and by the calculations made
for the Board of Admiralty, it appears that the Government
steam-packet engines, with their charge of water, weigh 111
tons ; whilst these to be put in use will not exceed 6 tons ;
that the space occupied by the present engines is 1,600 cubic
feet, and that the new ones will only occupy 600 feet;
thus obtaining an advantage of 10 tuns, and four thousand
cubic feet space for goods and passengers. Government has
given up the Comet steam-packet Ito Mr. Gurney for an
experiment, which, if realised to one-half of the extent
supposed, will confirm this to be one of the most important
discoveries of modern times. It may be added, that if this
steam engine boiler succeed as expected, it will produce a
new era in the art of dyeing, as superior steam-bathe to
any in use will by its means be ptoduced ; it will only
weigh a couple of hundred weight,. may be placed on
wheels, and moved about wherever it may be required;
in fine, wherever water is wanted to be heated, or
steam of a high temperature obtained in a few minutes,
this boiler must always command a preference ; and we
suppose the patentees will find it their interest to manufac-
ure it independent of the engine.—Litcrary Gazette.