The Sun.
London, England, 1836-03-03 00:00:00

BRITISH ARC HITECTS' INSTITUTE

An ordinary Meeting of this Society was held on Monday
evening, at their Rooms, in King-street, - Kendall, Esq.,
in the chair. Members having been balloted for, - Rhodes,
Esq., presented to the Institute a fine portrait of Wyat ; M.
Bertini his plan for completing the Louvre, at Paris; and J.
Hume, Esq., M.P., - Angell, Esq., P. F. Robinson,
Esq., and the Chevalier Guenpepin, some valuable books and
specimens. A paper by Nathan Garrick, Esq., was then read,
on the Polychromy of Grecian Architecture and Sculpture,
more particularly with reference to the Parthenon, being an
abstract of a German work on that subject, presented to the
Institute by M. Chateauneuf, honorary member, in elucidation
of one of the queries published by the Institute: during the
last session ; many have doubted the use made of colours by
the Greeks in their architecture, ascribing their presence where
found to the barbarians of the middle ages; reference to Pau-
sanius, Vitruvius, Pliny, and others, exemplified by the Par-
thenon, Propylea, and Temple of Thesus, prove, however, not
only that they did use colours, but gilding and many other de-
corations to increase the effect. Many of their temples were
built of a coarse stone, sometimes even of tufa, and necessarily
required a covering of stucco, which they painted. The paper
was illustrated by a variety of excellent diagrams, and several
portions of buildings from Athens were exhibited, on which
were visible carious mouldings and ornaments not carved but
painted and gilt, as the height at which they were placed,
being mostly cornices, &c., would have rendered carving in-
visible.
The Secretor), T. L. DONALDSON, Esq., explained Mr.
Martin's magnificent project for improving the sewerage of the
metropolis ; but of which, as it has been already put before the
public at the Royal Institution, we will not enter into detail.
We understand a Committee has been formed for inquiring
into its practicability.
Through the kindness of the Prussian Consul a splendid
work, recently published by order of his Government, for the
improvement of manufactures, was laid upon the table. This
book, which consists of an exquisite collection of ornaments
from the antique, has been distributed gratuitously to all arti-
ficers, &c., who have displayed any talent in their respective
occupations, and great, indeed, we may expect, will be the
result. Surely it is time that the English Government be.
stirred themselves ; the indomitable perseverance of our coun-
trymen, and their great natural talent, have, until now, al-
lowed them to maintain the ascendancy, but while such efforts
are being elsewhere made, they must not be allowed to struggle
on unsupported.

CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAYS.—By the adop-
tion of Mr. Thomas Parkin's patent plan of construction, of
which Dr. Birkbeck has, we understand, expressed his decided
approbation, 3,0001. per mile will, it is said, be saved, and all
the evils obviated which attach to the present mode of con-
struction, as pointed out in the elaborate reports of Professor
Barlow, addressed to the Directors of the London and Bir-
mingham Railway Company.
THE STRIKE IN THE FILE TRADE.—WC are
sorry not to have it in our power to announce the adjustment
of the dispute between the masters and their men in the file
trade ; on the contrary, it is our painful duty to state that the
breach becomes wider as the unnatural contest is prolonged.
Our opinion of strikes is already well known. Restrictions
and monopolies in trade will never be advocated by us. Col.
Torrens's description of a forced use of wages has ever struck
us as being forcible, and to the point.--Sheffield Iris.
ST. DAVID'S DAY IN THE ME'PROPOLIS.—
The Most Honourable and Loyal Society of Ancient Britons
celebrated their 122 d anniversary with great splendour. The
Society and children of the Welch Charity School attended
Divine Service at St. Martin's Church, when the prayers
were read in the Ancient British language, by the Rev. Dr.
Griffith, their chaplain, and the Bishop of Exeter preached a
most excellent sermon. The patrons of the charity dined, as
usual, at the Freemasons' Tavern, his Grace the Duke of
Newcastle in the chair, supported by the Bishops of Exeter,
Bangor, St. Asaph, Lords Kenyon and Clive, Hon. C. W.
Wynne, M. P., Right Hon. T. Frankland Lewis, Jos. Bailey,
Esq., M.P., Colonel Powell, M.P., Colonel Parry, M.P.,
Honourable G. R. Trevor. M. P. and a long list of gentle-
men connected with the Principality. After dinner, the chil-
dren (150) sung an ode of" The Exile of Cambria," in a very
excellent manner; their intelligent, clean, and healthy appear-
ance, as they passed round the Hall, quite delighted the com-
pany, who testified their approbation by repeated cheers.
Many loyal and patriotic toasts were given, from " The King"
to the " Mountain Bard of Cambria." The Noble Chairman
was received by every manifestation of joy by Welshmen. His
Majesty remitted his usual annual donation of 105/. ; her Ma-
jesty 261. ss. (annual); Duchess of Kent and Princess Vic-
toria, 50/. (annual) ; Duke of Newcastle, 100/. ; Sir W. W.
Wynne, M. P., 50/. (annual) ; Sir C. Morgan, 50/. (annual) ;
C. Morgan, 501. (annual) ; Lord Clive, fifty guineas ; Mar-
quis of Anglesea, 25 guineas ; Colonel Powell, M. P., 25 gui-
nens ; Colonel Wood, M. P., 20 guineas; Hon. G. Rice
Trevor, M.P., 25 guineas; Right Hon. Frankland Lewis, 25
guineas; J. Bailey, Esq., M. P., 20/. ; ten Stewards of the
day, nearly all of them 20 guineas each. Total amount of
subscriptions, 1,040/. 14s.
METALLIC LIGHTHOUSES.—Mr. Samuel Brown
proposes employing bronze or cast iron in the construction of
lighthouses, instead of stone. He seems to have made out
that a bronze lighthouse would be incomparably cheaper than
a stone one, that it would be more secure against dilapidation
or subversion by the waves, that the lights would be better
protected from the spray by which they are occasionally extin-
guished, that it could be erected in one-twentieth part of the
time, and in situations in which a stone structure is impracti-
cable. It has been proposed to place a lighthouse on the Wolf
Rock, near the Land's-end, a position where it would be ex-
posed to the most violent storms of the Atlantic ; and a plan
was drawn up for the purpose by Mr. Stevenson, who holds a
1
high rank in this department of engineering ; which plan, Mr.
Brown thinks, would require 15 years for its execution, and
cost 150,000/. Mr. Brown undertakes to erect one of bronze,
90 feet high, which would answer the purpose as well as the
stone one of 134 feet,:for 15,000/., and to complete it in four
months. —Scotsman.