1. What will be the area of the triangle A B C, the side of which, a B, is 50 ft., B c 40 ft., inspection, and all the scientific men who have and A c 30 ft.?

Varnishes.

(Continued from page 134.)

25. French Varnish for Leather.

MIx one part of strong drying oil with one of copal varnish (see page 114 ante) in an iron vessel, then add pulverised lamp-black and spirits of turpentine, and set the whole over a fire.

26. Varnish for Plaster Casts.

Take half an ounce of tin, together with the same quantity of bismuth, and fuse in a crucible; then, when perfectly dissolved, add half an ounce of mercury. This substance, when mixed with the white of an egg, forms a beautiful varnish for plaster casts.

27. Another.

Take one ounce of pure curd soap, grated, and dissolve in four pounds of water, in a glazed earthern vessel; then add one ounce of white bees'-wax cut very small. When melted, it is fit for use.

28. Varnish for Mixing with Colours.

Take one ounce of gum anima, and of mastic and gum sandarach of each two ounces, reduce them to a fine powder, and place them in a glass vessel, pouring a pint of spirits of wine over them. Hang the vessel in the sun until the ingredients become perfectly dissolved, then filter the liquor through a clean cloth, and keep it in a well-corked bottle.

29. Lac Varnish.

Take one ounce of mastic, one ounce of sandarach, half an ounce of gum gamboge, and a quarter of an ounce of turpentine, and dissolve in six ounces of spirits of turpentine.

ANCIENT SMOKE.-According to Howard we find that the ancients had not chimnies for conveying the smoke through the walls as we have; hence they were much infested with it; hence, also, the images in the hall were called fumosæ, and December fumosus (smoky), from Take a quarter of a pound of clean and wood, which they were at great pains to dry, the use of fires in that month. They burned finely-powdered gum lac, put it into a glass and anoint with the lees of oil (amurca), to bottle, and then pour a pint of rectified spirits of wine over it. Let the whole now stand for prevent smoke, hence, called "ligna acupua, forty-eight hours, occasionally shaking them, vel cocta, ne fumum facient." and on the third day set the bottle near the fire until the gum is perfectly dissolved; then |

See also page 127, ante.

S

On Heraldic Ornament,

The lecturer contended, that if one person may change the attitude of supporters for the sake of pictorial effect, another would be equally justified in changing colours or in making still greater deviations. Heraldry, he asserted, mainly consists of imitations of natural forms, but which are nearly always made amenable to symbolic and conventional treatment.

"

In

cases such as a stag, horse, or O great space of time eagle "proper," nature may be, in many must elapse, ere the respects, faithfully copied from natural bodies, importance of the but it will be found that each of these is frestudy of heraldry to quently placed side by side with a symbolic the decorator, will form, such as a wivern, dragon, &c., which become obvious to must be depicted according to the laws of all. Forming, as it heraldry. Instances in illustration of these does, a connecting views were offered. The Duke of Devonshire link between past has for supporters "two stags proper," in ages and the present, which case, colour and form may be true to its value even be- nature, but the attitude remains heraldic. comes the greater The Duke of Northumberland has one gold when we consider and one blue lion, which, if painted green, that it affords an in- belong to the Earl of Roseberry; or, if red, to exhaustible variety the Duke of Bedford. Several similar cases of ornament, than were cited. Regard to proportion or relative which none could be size, Mr. Partridge observed, would also tend found more appli- to produce anomalies, and thus went far to cable to the purposes prove that they were never intended as pictures of decoration. With- of natural history, but as symbolical distincin the last century, tions, treasured by their possessers from the imperfect know- feelings of high honour. Examples were adledge of the science duced of beings of unequal sizes, which are has led to the perper brought side by side in arms, as a falcon and an tration of the most ri- elephant, a lion and a cock, for supporters, and diculous errors. At others were named as applying to crests, quara late meeting of the Decorative Art Society, terings, &c. Mr. Partridge observed, that frequent in- It was explained that supporters are attached stances may be seen, even in St. James's- to all arms of peers; and that with a few street and Pall Mall, as well as in the exceptions they do not pertain to those of comLondon Gazette and the Times, in which the moners. Mr. Partridge then noticed the supporters of the royal arms are represented opinion sometimes held that the extravagant as crawling in mean-spirited positions, instead forms of animals used in architectural decoraof rampant, guardant, &c., as set forth in the tion as well as in heraldry are the efforts during blazonry. He remarked, that he had not a barbarous period when the persons employed been able to detect an abuse of this kind, could do no better-and therefore ought not to occurring before about the commencement of be followed in the present advanced state of the present century, and the supporters are manipulative skill. But he argued that this is never found in any other position than ram- an erroneous view, and that the human figure pant, either in architectural remains or in old and animals were depicted with great fidelity, works upon heraldry. He attributed this together with no small knowledge of symbolic infraction, in a considerable degree, to a volume art, upon ancient embroidered vestments, of peers' arms with supporters, by Mr. Catton, stained glass, and in illuminated missals. He R.A., who, being a skilful painter of animals, considered that the apparent eccentricity probut quite ignorant of the science of heraldry ceeded partly from causes not unfelt at the (many of the arms it was said, are incorrectly present day; and that many forms were devised given), gave the supporters every variety of to be repulsive of evil spirits and demoniacal attitude, so as to contribute to a novel and influences. The form and size of shields and pleasing pictorial effect. This course was some other features in heraldry were pointed much calculated to mislead many who pos-out for the purpose of illustrating its imporsessed some knowledge of drawing, but were tance historically,-referring to Winchester ignorantly indifferent to the correct heraldic School, Eton College, and other buildingsexpression and meaning.sona as well as to stained glass windows, at

Chenies, Bolsover, and St. George's Chapel,
Windsor.

These remarks all prove the necessity of heraldic knowledge to the decorator, without which, he can only be the means of perpetuating error of the grossest description. It was with the intention of rendering an insight, at least, attainable to all, that we commenced publishing heraldic terms in the "Glossary,' and if such a movement in the right direction be but followed up in even a moderate degree, we shall still entertain hope that education is not wholly laid aside when the brush is taken up, or that British artists will still continue to blazon their ignorance, along with the subject.

The New Buildings at Buckingham
Palace.

WE extract the following terse remarks from the Athenæum :—

"A fatality seems to hang over Buckingham Palace :—which after costing, first and last, as much as would, with judicious management, have sufficed to rear a truly noble regal pile, will, after all, be only a greater architectural botch than ever. This, after all the dissatisfaction which has been already expressed with the building, is a provoking fact. A very sad pity it is that the necessity for making addiAN OFFICIAL ERROR.-A correspondent of tions was so pressingly urgent as to admit of the Times has detected the Fine Art Commis- no delay; no time for having a public compesioners "slipping" in their history-and about tition in order to see what ideas could be to perpetuate a blunder with all the formality obtained for the occasion-or, as it would of a monumental record. One of the subjects appear, even for allowing Mr. Blore to arrange proposed, as our readers know, for the decora- his ideas and duly study his subject. It would tion of the House of Lords is "Raleigh landing in Virginia." To this the trifling objection of "Fuimus," is that Raleigh never was in Virginia "nor ever set foot in North America." It is true," the writer continues "that in 1579 he (Raleigh) set sail for Virginia; but he was soon driven home by stress of weather and the misconduct of his crew. Subsequently, he fitted out five or six expeditions for that colony: and the energetic though unavailing efforts made by him to form a settlement there have doubtless so connected his name with Virginia as to lead to the popular error that he had himself visited its shores. But these expeditions were commanded by Sir Humphrey Gilbert, Sir Richard Grenville, and other able navigators of that age, and never by Raleigh in The Southern West Indian Islands and the northern coast of South America he visited more than once: but none of his many biographers as far as I am aware, mention his landing in Virginia,—and nothing would be more easy than to refute them had they done so."

person.

seem as if he had been called upon quite unawares-and so hurried as to have been glad to catch at the first thoughts that occurred. Had there been a competition, and fair time allowed for the preparation of drawings, some designs worthy of the occasion, and showing how the palace might have been redeemed from architectural disgrace, might, we doubt not, have been produced. Whether the bestor one of the best-would have been_chosen, must, of course, have depended on the taste and judgment of the chooser; but error might have been guarded against by allowing the designs to be publicly exhibited for a few months previously to a definitive selection being made. Had public opinion been thus consulted and confided in, Her Majesty would, we fancy, have had to accept from the liberality

or else the pride-of the nation something far more magnificent than the design which her Parliament has been too complaisant to criticise. The public, we believe, will not be equally complaisant. They have a right to express themselves unreservedly in a case like INVENTION OF GUNPOWDER.-The discovery late to prevent mischief. the present-though their censure comes too is said to have been made by a monk of Fri- experience has warned them not to trust too Dearly-paid-for bourg; but if any credit be given to the implicitly to royal taste-or rather to the ability chronicle of Alphonso, King of Castile, who of those who act in the capacity of its prime reduced Toledo, written by Don Pedro, Bishop ministers and are responsible for its Artof Leon; this military improvement was used by the King of Tunis, in a sea-fight with the doings. A king or queen can do no wrong: but Mr. Blore may-and in our opinion is Moorish King of Seville, above 400 years ago. proving his fallibility. Mr. Donaldson has Besides, our excellent philosopher, Roger just assured us that Bacon, long before that, gives us its com- Palace to the low taste of George the Fourth:' we owe Buckingham position in the following terms: "You may," but it must not be said that we shall be insays he, "raise thunder and lightning at debted for the poverty of imagination shown pleasure, by only taking sulphur, nitre, and in the 'new buildings to the low taste of any charcoal, which, singly, have no effect, but other than the architect himself. We consider mixed together, and confined in a close place, him the sole author of the design-and, accorcause a noise and explosion, greater than that dingly, need not scruple to speak of it pretty of a clap of thunder Î" freely.

SUSPENSION BRIDGE OVER THE OHIO.-A wire suspension bridge is now erecting over the Ohio, which will be the largest structure of the kind in the world, having a span of upwards of 1,000 feet, being more than 200 feet in length beyond that of Fribourg.

"It was not, we think, unreasonable to expect that as an entirely new range of building was to be added to the palace on the Park side, care would be taken to render this an imposing façade one more dignified and grandiose in manner than any of our palazzi