The façade wall is built according to the system always employed at Paris, and is formed of blocks of stone roughly cut at the quarries to the outside dimensions of the proposed moulding and decorative work. As soon as the whole front is erected the work of cutting it into shape will commence, the mouldings, pilasters, and all carving work being done while the interior is being prepared. The buildings at Paris are by this means erected much more rapidly than when the stone is dressed or moulded before being put into place. Greater facilities are thus given for studying the general ensemble of the façade and the proper scale to be given to the mouldings and decoration. The stone is as a rule soft when first from the quarries, but becomes hard and durable after dressing and exposure to the air. The courtyard wall of the building is formed of light brick or metallic fillings between the iron uprights and the party walls.
The ground floor comprises a large entrance hall or vestibule, 40 ft. by 44 ft., forming, with the cloakroom, the principal staircase, the rooms for the concierge, and the area, the whole front of the building. This large vestibule is vaulted over by means of one of the systems of cement armé to be described. The floor is constructed on another similar system, and will be paved with mosaic work. The ground floor of the courtyard will be occupied by the conference hall, 50 ft. by 50 ft., to hold 300 seats. An annex, 50 ft. by 20 ft., adjoining this hall, will open on the same by a large arched bay, and may be separated from the larger hall by means of a special system of wooden soundproof roller shutters. The floor of the large hall will be a movable one, to be raised or lowered by an ingenious system of hydraulics, and capable of being placed in an inclined position for conference meetings, or raised to a horizontal position for ball room purposes.
The entresol floor will comprise a large room for meeting, smoking and conversation rooms, and a reading room, to be used as a club for the members of the society. The first floor will contain the offices of the society, a large committee room, and all conveniences. The second floor will be devoted entirely to the purposes of the important library, comprising the library proper, a room 45 ft. by 25 ft. by 17 ft. high, rising to the ceiling of the low story above, and lighted by a large semicircular bay at either end: the surrounding rooms of the height of the second floor will be destined for the librarian, catalogues, drawing office, and library offices. The third floor will be devoted entirely to the purpose of storing the books of the library, in low rooms communicating by means of the gallery overlooking the library below, which will be crossed by means of a light, iron bridge. The bookcases will be suspended from the upper floor, and will be arranged in vertical tiers hung on rollers, after the system employed at the British Museum. The roof story will be divided up into an apartment for the chief secretary, and reached by a private staircase from the ground floor. The large basement, occupying the whole of the ground surface of the building, will be used for storing the records of the society, and will contain the heating apparatus, stores, etc. A hydraulic lift will afford access to the landings of each floor. The chief feature of the façade, which is simple in style, is the wide arched bay, 24 ft. across, rising from the pavement to above the cornice; this bay will be filled in with an open decorative framework of wrought and cast iron.
Some of the most interesting points of the construction, besides the large use of iron, are the systems employed in the construction of the floor. The ground floor is built after the Coignet system, composed of light iron bars and cement; the first floor and its supporting pillars and arches is constructed after the Hennebique system of cement armé; the upper floors are formed of iron joists, filled in either with the system of light supports and plaster, much employed at Paris, or with terracotta fillings between joints. The roof is lined internally with agglomerated cork bricks, affording protection from excessive heat or cold, and the walls of the area will be lined with opaline, a vitreous material of a bluish white color, which in this case will insure cleanliness, and afford additional light; the lavatories and water closets will also be lined with the same material.
Speaking of the Hennebique system of cement armé, employed for the arches and floor of the first story, it will be interesting to illustrate the method by a few sketches, explaining the theory of this system, which has been put to practical proofs in a large number of buildings, chiefly for industrial purposes, in the north of France. The perspective section will give an idea of the construction as employed in the building for the civil engineers, a system which holds its ground well against its rivals of other methods of cement armé.—The Building News.
BELLEEK CHINA.
Belleek porcelain (frequently pronounced "Bleak" by those who do not know the derivation of the name) is a thin eggshell ware of great lightness and translucency, characterized by a creamy, or sometimes grayish, tint, and usually covered with a delicate pearly or lustrous glaze. It is in reality a variety of Parian ware, being formed in the same manner by the process called casting, or pouring diluted clay or slip of the consistency of cream into plaster moulds, which, by absorbing a part of the moisture from the portion of the liquid preparation in direct contact, retain a thin shell of partially dried clay after the superfluous contents are taken out. After standing a few minutes the thin cast can be liberated from the mould. The thickness of the walls, of course, depends upon the length of time the slip is allowed to remain in the mould before the surplus is removed. By this ingenious method cups, saucers and other forms of ware can be made almost as thin as an egg shell or a piece of heavy paper, and after being allowed to become thoroughly dry can be safely burned in the kiln. It can readily be understood that it would not be possible to make such fragile pieces by the usual processes with plastic clay, which must be of the consistency of putty or dough, on the potter's wheel or by pressing in moulds.
Belleek ware was first made at Stoke upon Trent by the eminent potter William Henry Goss, who invented the body or composition some thirty-five years ago; but it was not then known by this name. Soon after its introduction Messrs. McBirney & Armstrong induced some of Mr. Goss' workmen, including his manager, William Bromley, to join them at their porcelain works, then recently started (in 1863) in the town of Belleek, County Fermanagh, Ireland, and the art was established so successfully there that the name of the village was given to the ware which has since become so noted. The distinguishing characteristic of this beautiful product is its lustrous glazing, which varies in form from white to yellow and through graded tints to a dark leaden hue.
Mr. Goss has continued to manufacture this dainty variety of porcelain until the present time, and his factory has become one of the most noted in the British empire. Among the most popular of his productions in this body are loving cups and little cream jugs, cups and saucers, and fairy tea sets embellished with beautifully colored crests and coats of arms of the different English cities and of prominent personages, such as Queen Elizabeth, Sir Walter Raleigh, King Henry of Navarre, Queen Victoria, the Prince of Wales, Shakespeare, Sir Walter Scott, and Robert Burns.